Influenza causing children to be hospitalized more frequently

Did your child get the flu shot last year?  Here’s an interesting statistic about influenza in children.  In 2000 influenza was #65 in frequency for an American child (age 17 and under) to be hospitalized.  In 2009 influenza was #10 in this ranking.  The top three reasons a child (age 17 and under) is hospitalized is pneumonia, asthma and acute bronchitis.  The #10 reason is influenza.   This information can be found at http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb118.pdf

I recognize some parents have strong feelings and opinions about vaccinations (which may include the flu shot).  I recommend you talk with your pediatrician/family doctor about your child’s health status and whether he/she should receive the flu shot.   

Research shows men and women cope differently with stress

Since prehistoric times when a tiger charged after a person, his body responded with ‘fight or flight’ hormones.  Two types of hormones are released in his body:  catecholamines (dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine or adrenalin) and steroid hormones which started streaming through his body as he prepared to defend himself or run, depending on the foe he was facing.  For many years researchers believed men and women deal with stress in the same way.

In the last five years, researchers such as Dr. Shelley E Taylor (UCLA) and her team recognize that women have developed a different response to stress.  They call this the ‘tend and befriend’ response. Since the beginning, females were often tending their children and could not run or fight.  In dangerous times, the women of a village would join together (befriend) to support each other and their children.   Researchers now recognize that the ‘tend and befriend’ response brings comfort to women as they deal with stress. Women are more likely to seek out their friends (and make new friends) when feeling stressed.  

Researchers believe the hormone oxytocin is (at least partially) responsible for the calming, relaxing response a woman gains from social ties (both men and women, but especially women).  Oxytocin is released in both male and female bodies, but researchers believe the male hormones minimize its effect on men during stressful times.  This enlightening information can be found at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/05/000522082151.htm

Ladies, now we understand why our friends bring us such joy and comfort:  it’s our ‘tend and befriend’ response.  We can enjoy times together with friends (as we cope with life stresses). Make time for your friends.   

CDC recommends 2011 Flu vaccine

I mention this early so everyone can prepare to get their flu shot.  This year’s flu vaccine includes the same three viruses that last year’s shot had.  You say, “Oh, good.  I’m covered and don’t need another flu shot.” Not so fast, the CDC experts are recommending everyone get the flu vaccine again because the flu shot protection isn’t permanent and has declined since last year.

Every year I hear people talk about the flu shot and some do not want to get it.  I don’t understand their objections.  I take a flu shot every year (even before it became mandatory except for health reasons) and believe my flu shot keeps me healthy and protected from the flu.  

The CDC recommends everyone over 6 months of age be vaccinated—and early so our bodies have time to build antibodies to ward off infection.  

If you have had a previous allergic reaction to the flu vaccine or have an allergy to egg products, talk to your doctor.  More information about the flu vaccine at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/flu-season-2011-2012.htm

Can drinking water prevent migraines?

 

Tara Parker-Pope, New York Times health and wellness blogger, recently shared some research which points migraine sufferers to drinking more water.  Researchers have shown that extreme summertime heat increases the risk of migraines for people.  “One large study in the journal Neurology even showed that the risk of migraines jumps nearly 8 percent for every nine-degree rise in temperature.”

The researchers suggest a simple fix:  drink more water and stay hydrated (drink more non-caffeine, non-alcohol drinks.) Many people walk around in a state of chronic dehydration and do not realize it. 

To read Tara’s article, see it at: 

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/really-the-claim-to-prevent-migraines-drink-more-water/

Do you know CPR?

Do you know CPR?  Could you save someone’s life if they collapsed in front of you?  

New simpler version of CPR has been developed by researchers at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. The researchers believe this simple ‘hands only (no mouth-to-mouth contact) method’ can circulate the blood and sustain a person’s life until professional medical help can arrive.

For more information, watch their video at http://medicine.arizona.edu/spotlight/learn-sarver-heart-centers-continuous-chest-compression-cpr

Nature's Balance

Photo by Bill Dan

Deepali shares:  I remember taking a walk along windy Crissy Field in San Francisco when I stopped to take in something miraculous.  No, I’m not talking about the breath-taking view of the Golden Gate Bridge peering out from the fog.  I’m talking about the “rock-stacker” or “rock-balancer”, as he is referred to by the locals.  Bill Dan has been defying gravity (or what it appears) with his ability to perfectly balance rocks on top of one another without glue, magnets, or any other assistance.  He has an innate sense of creating balance by the shapes and sizes of rocks found alongside the water.  It’s as though they are suspended by a force coming from the sky. 

It got me thinking about balance.  In the theory of the balance of nature, it states that our ecosystem is usually in a stable equilibrium.  And when a change occurs to a particular parameter, the system will attempt to correct itself to restore its balance.  Think about what happens if you stand on one foot.  Unless you lean toward the other side and right yourself, you will fall.   It’s like Newton’s Third Law of Physics: “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction”.  In our worlds, we are all trying to maintain some level of balance – whether it is with work and play, calories ingested vs. calories expended, inner peace and outer noise, we all want to restore our equilibrium.  Just as the above rocks will fall if not in alignment, we will tip toward one end of the spectrum if we don’t equally feed our souls when we feel emotionally or physically depleted. 

The next few days think about what you need to restore your balance.  Do you need to commit to exercising your mind and body at a certain time each day?  How about trying a new, healthy recipe?  Maybe you need to reward yourself with a massage or pedicure.   Or, perhaps, you just pause and take note of the people in your life that love and support you.  We may not always feel like the perfectly, balanced rocks that Dan stacks, but we can certainly create a shift in our spirits.

Deepali’s piece of wellness:  Sometimes, taking a moment to reflect on what is good in your life may be all that you need to create some balance.  Remember to be grateful.

Thank you Deepali for sharing your blog posts with us.  I have enjoyed them. You can find Deepali's blog at wellnesskriya.wordpress.com