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Archive for the ‘flu’ Category

How to Deal With Illness When You Are a Teacher

10 Nov



Sickness is a fact of life when you are a teacher. Kids get sick and spread germs, which then makes you susceptible to sickness as well. It is never fun to deal with, but it can be much more bearable if you take the necessary actions. You may end up dealing with two types of sickness – short term like the flu or long term from a chronic illness or accident. Here are some things you can do to help you cope whether it is you or your students who are sick.

If you are sick:

· Take the time you need to get better. Teachers often rush back to work as soon as possible. And while you don’t want to take unnecessary time off you do need to recuperate. If you don’t get the proper rest you can end up with a relapse.

· If you keep getting sick or can’t seem to recover make sure you get check out. It could be something simple but you won’t know unless you visit a doctor.

· Let others help. Let others know you are sick and that you may need help. Letting your students know you are not feeling well can actually make them more apt to be sympathetic. Let friends, family and fellow teachers carry some of the work load. Let your neighbor bring chicken soup. Enjoy being pampered a bit.

· Don’t go back to work or overdue it until you are recovered. Your classroom really won’t fall apart if you are not there. Take your time and don’t overdo on anything you don’t have too.

If someone else is sick:

· Be willing to help out when others are sick. If it’s a fellow teacher take them chicken soup. Little things make the difference and people do remember the little things.

· If it is a student who is sick give them a break. No one is as patient or tolerant when they are sick as they are normally. If someone is not acting like they normally would cut them some slack. They may not be feeling good. Remember how you feel when you are sick and treat them like you would like to be.

· Encourage the person to take the time to get the rest they need to recover. If they come back to school or work before they are healed it will only mean setbacks. And if the person is contagious, even if they feel well, encourage them to stay home and not to spread the sickness any further.

It doesn’t matter if you are the picture of health at some point in time you will get sick and need time to relax and heal. And you will have to deal with sick students or coworkers at some point too. Schools are notorious for illness spreading through them like wild fire. Taking care of yourself and helping take care of others is the right thing to do, so be sure to get your annual flu shot and H1N1 vaccination as well. As teachers we need all the support we can get!

 
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Preventive Measures You Can Take Against Swine Flu

09 Nov



People are concerned about their health these days because of the H1N1 epidemic. But you won’t catch the swine flu virus if you bear three things in mind.

The first thing to do is to wash your hands often. For example, be sure to wash them before you eat. It doesn’t matter if you’re at home or eating out. And when you return home from a public place, be sure to wash your hands before doing anything else.

If you find you’re unable to wash your hands for some reason then take care not to touch your face, and your mouth in particular, with your hands. Disease can be prevented from spreading in this way. Hand sanitizers can be used instead of soap and water when they’re not available. However, take care not to overuse these, as you risk killing the good bacteria needed to defend the body from germs.

The second thing is to keep to a healthy diet, eating foods that contain plenty of antioxidants – spinach and blueberries, for example.

Also, take a daily multivitamin supplement and drink lots of water. Be sure you’re getting enough vitamin C as this is essential for the upkeep of your immune system. Eating probiotic yogurts will also help, as they will give your body the good bacteria it requires. A well balanced diet will be one of your best weapons against disease.

The third thing to do is to get a flu shot. It’s an excellent way of defeating the swine flu bug.

You can now be vaccinated against the disease at most doctors’ offices and local clinics. You don’t have to be in the high risk category to be entitled to it, either. The flu shot has been proved in clinical trials to present no risk, and the government is encouraging all citizens to get vaccinated.

By taking these simple precautions you’ll protect yourself from catching swine flu this season. All you need to do is wash your hands, eat healthy and get yourself the flu shot.

 
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Asthma Triggers

06 Nov



Asthma is a commonly known disease nowadays. Asthma is a chronic condition occurring in all groups of people. It is a disease that is related to respiratory system. The bronchial tubes get inflamed and swollen which leads to the problem of breathing. Different types of asthma occur in different person due to different reasons. Triggers mean that which makes the symptoms worse. There can be number of triggering factors in the environment that aggravates asthma symptoms. One can prevent asthma by avoiding the triggers through which one gets asthma attacks.

The first thing to do is to identify the trigger which is a very difficult thing. Animals are the common trigger that increases the asthma symptoms. Animals like cats and dogs and other pet animals should not be kept the houses if the person has asthma trigger from them. The allergens that are found in animals are through saliva, fur, and urine.

Smoke is the biggest irritant that makes the asthma worse. It can be the smoke of the charcoal, cigarette smoke, wood fires, or strong fumes of the chimney. Parents who have a habit of smoking become the main reason for their children having asthma. Women who do smoke during pregnancy and breastfeeding result in having asthma in the newly born. Diesel fumes likely promote asthma. Even strong smell or odor of the perfumes, gasoline, paint, sprays, soaps, detergents, etc. also tend to aggravate the symptoms of asthma.

The other foremost aggravating factor of asthma is the weather. Weather conditions play a major role in making the symptoms worse. Cold weather, dry winds, and sudden changes in weather conditions may lead to exacerbation in symptoms. Adult people having asthma may attribute the breathing problems during exercise. So exercise should be done by proper technique in order to prevent asthma attacks. Emotional factors like anger, distress, crying, laughing, fear, and excitement may lead to asthma.

Seasonal pollens also contribute to asthma exacerbation and other substances like ragweed, pet dander, mold, dust mites, etc are the common allergens usually found in houses. They can be avoided by regular cleaning of the houses. Proper cleaning of bed sheets, pillow covers, cushions, mattresses, etc should be done periodically. Cough, sinus infection, flu, and sore throat may likely trigger asthma in children as their immunity is very less.

One should take care of all these triggers and can help themselves in having asthma attack. Identified triggers should be avoided and can control asthma attacks in future.

 
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Female Bladder Problem

06 Nov



One of the best things that you can do when you have a female bladder problem is to learn all that you can about it and how to help yourself deal with it or get rid of it. You need to do some research to find out what you need to know. Having a female bladder problem can be embarrassing. However, it doesn’t have to stop you from living a full life. Information is power when it comes to any kind of problem.

What is a bladder problem? This is when you have sudden urge to go to the bathroom and you are leaking urine and having frequent urination urges. These are all forms of what is known as a urinary incontinence. What this means is that you have a lack of bladder control. There are many things that can cause this. However, the most common cause is a gradual weakening of the pelvic nerves. There are a couple of different kinds of incontinence.

Stress incontinence is when there is a weakening of the pelvic floor, which will result in pressure (or stress) on a bladder that was fully functional before. You can be laughing, sneezing, coughing and the next thing you know your underwear is wet. This happens with greater regularity in women after menopause.

Urge incontinence or overactive bladder also known as OAB is a sudden, uncontrollable need to go to the bathroom. It doesn’t matter how long ago it was that you last went. It could have been just 15 minutes ago. It is caused by the uncontrolled contractions of the bladder muscle also known as the detrusor. This occurs when the communication between the bladder and the brain is not right. This type of bladder problem happens because of inflammation of the bladder lining, infection, and injury, natural atrophy (this happens as you get older) and other reasons.

Sometimes you can have a combination of the two above bladder problem types, which is then considered to be a mixed incontinence.

Overflow incontinence is when you can’t get rid of all of the urine that is in your bladder due to a muscle tone that is weak or there is some type of blockage. The symptoms for this can include dribbling, urgency, hesitancy, straining, a weak urine stream or low urine production even though you feel like your bladder is full. This problem is more common in men but it can happen in women.

The first step you will need to take when you have some type of bladder problem is to seek the advice of your physician. If your problem stems from a bladder infection then he will prescribe an antibiotic. Bladder infections will rarely go away on its own and can lead to more serious problems with the urethra, bladder, and the kidneys. Your physician will also need to rule out any more serious problems prior to starting any type of home remedy.

The Kegel exercises is a good way to strength the pelvic muscles to help with female bladder problem. Read my article on Adult Bladder Control Problem to get a detail description on the Kegel exercise.

Always consult your doctor before using this information.

This Article is nutritional in nature and is not to be construed as medical advice.

 
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Curing Coughs After Colds and Flu

02 Nov



A persistent cough after a cold or the flu can be a frustrating experience. Coughing that comes with an upper respiratory infection goes away eventually, but those two, three, four, or even six weeks of suffering can be miserable.

If you are 30 or older and it seems like it takes longer get over the coughing induced by a cold than it used to, it probably does. From about 1885 until the early 1990′s, most North American cough syrups contained either codeine or an expectorant called terpin hydrate.

An expectorant is just something that loosens up phlegm in the lungs and makes it easier to expectorate, or cough up. Terpin hydrate, as it name suggests, was derived from oil of turpentine and the essential oils of eucalyptus, oregano, and thyme.

In the 1990′s, unfortunately, the US FDA decreed that one hundred years of mothers giving terpin hydrate to their children counted for nothing, that there was no evidence that terpin hydrate worked. You can’t find this venerable old ingredient in cough syrups in the US today. (What you can find is dextromethorphan, which the US FDA approves despite the fact there’s no evidence for its working, either.)

Where you can find a very similar remedy, however, is Vicks VapoRub. It contains eucalpytol, thymol, and oil of turpentine, like terpen hydrate did, and also contains camphor, cedarleaf oil, menthol, and nutmeg oil. You don’t take Vicks by mouth, however. You rub it on the chest or own the soles of the feet.

Exactly why Vicks should work when it’s rubbed on the soles of the feet is something of a pharmacological mystery, but it does. Just be sure to put socks on feet to protect bedsheets and mattresses.

Some other home remedies?

oThere’s always chicken soup.

oSome people find that dark chocolate eaten in nibbles, or purple grape juice drunk in sips, relieves coughing. Scientists speculate that the sweet taste actives that brain’s endorphins to calm a cough. Chocolate and grape juice are certainly a pleasant way to get over a cold–just beware of allergies.

oAnother old-fashioned favorite is horehound candy (also known as marrubio, if you’re buying it in a Mexican hierberr

 
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Does Acupuncture Hurt?

02 Nov



Many people will not try acupuncture because they are afraid that the needles will hurt or that the experience will be unpleasant. This is really a tragedy, as acupuncture has the capacity to effectively treat a variety of chronic health conditions that typically do not respond to other forms of intervention.

In my practice, I have used acupuncture to treat both children and adults. In fact, I have done full acupuncture treatments on kids as young as 4, including needling points on the face, scalp, hands, and feet. Even patients this age typically do not experience any discomfort that lasts for more than a second or two.

The truth of the matter is that nobody really likes needles. We are generally conditioned to have an aversion to them because of the trauma involved in getting shots and other procedures using hypodermic needles. It is always funny when a new patient comes in and confesses in a voice that suggest their situation is utterly unique, ‘I don’t like needles.’ Most new patients make this confession– and most are very surprised by how pleasant the treatment actually is, even though it involves needles.

There are times where you can feel an insertion prick with the needles that lasts for a couple of seconds. You can also feel a nervy sensation that radiates through the area being worked on for a brief period of time. Other sensations include a dull achiness or pressure around the needles.

Many traditional Chinese doctors use a more aggressive style of needling that involves strong stimulation and thick needles. I have found this to be a turnoff for many Westerners, as excellent results can be achieved without having to induce strong sensations around the needles.

If you are interested in acupuncture but are reluctant to try it because of the potential pain involved in treatment, I encourage you to move through that fear, as you will likely find acupuncture to be a pleasant, gentle, and very effective form of treatment for your health care needs.

I hope this helps you overcome any apprehension so you can get proactive about your health using this ancient and powerful form of medicine.

 
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What is Swine Flu – H1N1 Virus?

01 Nov



Swine flu, now called H1N1 influenza A, is a type of flu virus.

 
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Facts about Stomach Flu, Common Cold and Influenza Disease

31 Oct



The influenza disease is an illness which affects the upper respiratory system. Influenza signs and symptoms can vary, but are often similar to the common cold, except that relatively high fevers are almost always present in cases of the flu, but rarely in adults who have a cold. Although most people recover quickly from the flu, there is a risk of developing complications in some people.

The influenza disease is caused by infection with an influenza virus. The symptoms of the common cold can be caused by any of nearly 200 different viruses, including the rhinovirus, corona virus or influenza virus. The stomach flu is caused by an infection with the norovirus. Although the names are similar and people often refer to either condition as “the flu”, influenza signs and symptoms (other than headache and fever) are quite different from those associated with the stomach flu. What is referred to as “cold and flu season” is not actually caused by changes in the weather, but by an increase in indoor activities and close contact among large groups of children and adults in school settings.

If you have nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain, then you have probably been infected with a norovirus. Stomach flu is sometimes referred to as gastroenteritis or food poisoning, because the symptoms are the same. Stomach flu symptoms appear suddenly and usually last less than three days. Influenza signs and symptoms can last for as long as ten days, usually beginning with fever, body aches and chills and ending with cold-like symptoms (runny or stuffy nose, dry cough, sore throat, etc.) usually noticed after the other symptoms improve.

Influenza disease, stomach flu and the common cold are all contagious diseases. The viruses can be transmitted from one person to another by close contact, touching contaminated surfaces or eating contaminated food. The ways to avoid these viruses include avoiding close contact with those who are obviously sick, washing hands after touching public surfaces and keeping the hands away from the mouth, nose and eyes. Antibiotics cannot kill any of these infections, as they are all viral infections. A visit to the doctor is usually unnecessary, unless fever is unusually high or prolonged or symptoms of bacterial infection or other complications occur. A cough that produces mucus may indicate bronchitis or pneumonia. Pain in the ears can indicate an ear infection. Severe headache, facial pain and pain in the teeth can indicate a sinus infection.

Those people who are at high risk for developing complications from influenza disease should call their doctor within 48 hours of developing symptoms, as anti-viral medications are sometimes prescribed to shorten the duration and severity of influenza signs and symptoms in these people, as well as to reduce the chances of spreading the virus among these groups. Those people who are at high risk include people older than 50, nursing home and long-term care residents, people with heart problems, lung disease, diabetes, kidney problems, sickle cell disease and children who are on an aspirin therapy regimen and anyone who suffers from an impaired immune system, including those who are taking immuno-suppressive drugs. Women in their second or third trimester of pregnancy also have an increased risk of developing complications from the virus.

Scientific research has shown that some vitamins, minerals, herbs and other natural products can be used to shorten the duration and severity of influenza signs and symptoms. These can also be taken safely as a regular health supplement to reduce the likelihood of developing influenza disease and other viral infections.

 
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James Patterson And Michael Ledwidge Do Not Disappoint In Run For Your Life

29 Oct



The partnership of James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge once again proves to be an enormous success as they bring back the popular character Michael Bennett, last seen in STEP ON A CRACK, in their new novel RUN FOR YOUR LIFE. Detective Bennett, works for the NYPD, and when we first met him, this devoted husband was agonizing over his wife’s losing battle with cancer while keeping together their family of 10 adopted children. Being a good husband and father, however, doesn’t keep him from also being a top notch detective.

In RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, we find Michael Bennett facing two immediate problems-one with work and one with his family. As a well known, successful negotiator, Bennett tries to thwart a hostage negotiation only to have the criminal get shot and all of Michael’s hard work is for nothing. The press is all over Michael and the case, and the resulting mound of paperwork is something Michael thinks he will never dig himself out of, so he heads home for a few hours of rest. Once there, however, he finds his second battle to fight which is against a flu outbreak that has struck his home and the children. Even with an energetic Irish nanny and a brash, but loving and protective priest of a father to help, things at home further exhaust Bennett. The battle against this flu epidemic in his own home persists throughout much of the story in direct competition with a baffling case Detective Bennett is put in charge of.

No rest for the weary, as they say, because first thing in the morning, Michael’s superior calls him to handle the biggest, most important case in the city. Does Detective Bennett take on this case while he feels so low from his recent failure with the hostage situation and the potent flu bug running wild at his home? Of course he does, after all, this is a Patterson-Ledwidge thriller!

Given a top team of officers to assist him, Bennett takes on the case of a killer that is terrorizing the city. This case is top priority as the arrogant psychopath, who calls himself “Teacher” has decided to make New York high society and top brass his target. He wants them punished for their rude behavior and patronizing attitudes. The Teacher wants these big wigs to learn their manners all because of issues that stem from his childhood, family, and how he feels he was treated unjustly.

Starting off with a case that is cold as ice, Michael searches through whatever clues he can find and finally comes up with a code to help him solve this puzzle. As he works through this, and the city’s privileged continue to be terrorized, Michael gets closer to the Teacher and solving the mystery when suddenly a typical Patterson twist in the story comes along unexpectedly. Michael finds that he and his family are now in danger and he must be at the top of his game to outwit this mastermind!

With the typical short chapters that keep the reading wanting more, Ledwidge and Patterson have a hit on their hands. There are so many similarities to Michael Bennett and everyone’s favorite Alex Cross—widowed fathers and lawmen who are experts in their fields, that one wonders if perhaps Michael Bennett will be the next huge hit series of James Patterson and one of his favorite writing partners, Michael Ledwidge! Stay tuned fans!

 
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4 Healthy Thanksgiving Tips

27 Oct



This is it: The big Thanksgiving Feast is tomorrow! Many of us will be sitting around a table of epic proportions, filled with everything from Grandma’s cornbread to Uncle Bob’s store-bought pie (plus that “mystery dish” that you politely skip over, forcing someone else to take the bullet).

You will have complete and free access to all of the fat-laden, sugar-filled (but oh so savory) treats you try to avoid every other day of the year. The good news is: You don’t have to completely deprive yourself of these magnificent morsels.

But, you do need to be careful and make at least some wise decisions. This one chance to live like Henry VIII for a day is tempting, so you need to be prepared!

Here are a few simple and healthy Thanksgiving tips to avoid the 5-10 pounds that most people put on this time of year:

Get everything in one go. Fill up your plate with anything you want, no matter how unhealthy it may be. Consider this your treat/cheat, but you only get one shot, meaning you can’t go back for seconds! If it doesn’t fit on one plate, then it’s WAY too much. This will help keep your overall calories down. Get in the game. Toss the football around, or go outside and keep the kids entertained before or after the meal. Take part in some type of physical activity for at least 30-60 minutes, and you can start burning some of those extra calories immediately. Help clean up. The worst thing you can do after a big meal is fall into a couch coma and stare into the football box. Offer to help clear the table and wash the dishes. Not only will you get brownie points for helping out, you will burn a few more calories in the process. Leave the leftovers. Don’t ask for or accept any of the food that will undoubtedly have survived the storm. Trust me, someone else will be glad to take it instead. If Thanksgiving is at your house, then make sure you get rid of ALL the leftovers by offering them to the guests (Have some plastic containers available to give away).

Follow these tips, and your waistline will make it safely out of this calorie-filled trap. Don’t give in to temptation, and keep your goal weight and body in mind!

Where will you be spending Thanksgiving this year?

 
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