Tag Archives: Influenza

Straight, No Chaser: How to Prevent Getting the Flu Without Receiving the Flu Vaccine

December 22, 2013General Health and Wellness, Infectious Disease, Health PreventionFlu Symptoms, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hand sanitizer, health, Influenza, Oseltamivir, Pharmaceutical drug, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No Chaser, ZanamivirJeffrey Sterling, MD

Many people choose not to get the influenza vaccine (the “flu shot”) for various reasons. One of those reasons is due to an allergy to eggs. If you have an egg allergy, your options to combat influenza are different and don’t contain vaccination.
The best way to avoid the flu is prevention. Consider adopting these healthy habits before you ever get exposed:

Wash your hands frequently with warm soapy water. You know when they’re dirty. Most certainly wash your hands before you use them to eat or put anything else in your mouth.
If you can’t wash your hands, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
If your hands are dirty and neither soap nor sanitizer is available, still rinse and dry your hands with warm water if you can.
Use disinfectant to clean surfaces.
Avoid unnecessarily touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
Politely limit close contact with people who are ill, coughing and sneezing.
When coughing or sneezing use the bend of your elbow or a facial tissue to help cover your nose and mouth. Learn to avoid coughing or sneezing into your hands.
When you become sick, stay home. It’s the proper thing to do to avoid spreading your infection to others.

Vitamin C, echinacea and zinc have long been touted to prevent colds and influenza. There are no studies confirming or refuting this claim. Despite assurances that these and other herbal medicines are safe alternatives because they’re “natural”, the active ingredients in them are the same as found in certain prescription medicines. Thus they too may interact with other medications and worsen certain medical conditions. Given this, you should discuss your use of supplements with your physician or pharmacist prior to use.
Another level of defense for you involves use of certain antiviral prescription medications. If you are exposed to someone (e.g. a family member) with influenza, and especially if you begin having flu-like symptoms, immediately contact your physician to discuss taking medicines to prevent catching the flu. Such medications include Tamiflu® (generic name: oseltamivir), Relenza® (generic name: zanamivir), Flumadine® (generic name: rimantadine) and Symmetrel® (generic name: amantadine). If you make the request more than 24-48 hours after the onset of symptoms, you likely won’t be given the medication, since it isn’t likely to be effective outside of this timeframe.
Feel free to contact your SMA expert consultant if you have any questions on this topic.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress. We are also on Facebook at SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and Twitter at @asksterlingmd.

"Why would my doctor tell me not to take cough medicine for my cold or flu?"

November 20, 2013General Health and Wellness, Infectious Disease, Medical TreatmentMucokinetics, Pharmaceutical drug, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No Chaser, Symptom, Influenza, Bronchitis, Cough, Cough medicine, healthJeffrey Sterling, MD

The first thing to appreciate about cough and cold preparations is they only provide relief of symptoms. The body itself is providing the actual healing of what is usually a viral infection. The cough associated with a cold, flu or bronchitis will go away on its own (sooner rather than later, assuming you’re not smoking while sick; smoking further inflames your airways, thus stimulating coughing).
The nuisance symptoms of a cough often are most disturbing at night while you’re trying to sleep. Cough suppressants (antitussives) are medications that reduce your cough reflex. Additionally, you will often see the word ‘expectorant’ associated with cough medications; this component helps to hydrate and thus thin the mucus, making it easier for the body to expel.
So… some physicians prefer to allow the body to work these issues out on its own. It is common to be told to only take cough medications at night to help you sleep, unless you need to take them to also get through your day.
Also, be reminded that all medications have side effects; you may recall that drug allergies or adverse drug reactions (which were covered here) may be additional reasons that your physician may not want you to take cough and cold preparations. If you have any questions in real time, you may always contact your physician or your SterlingMedicalAdvice.com consultant.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress. We are also on Facebook at SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and Twitter at @asksterlingmd.

Straight, No Chaser: About That Vomiting and Diarrhea…

August 21, 2013Health Prevention, Medical TreatmentStomach, Coronavirus, Diarrhea, Gastroenteritis, health, Influenza, Intestine, Norovirus, Oral rehydration therapy, Rotavirus, United States, VomitingJeffrey Sterling, MD

You’ve all been there and done that. It’s always a bad day when you get the so-called stomach flu… First of all ‘the flu’ is a respiratory disease (affects the lungs, not the stomach and intestines), and the influenza viruses don’t cause that syndrome of vomiting and watery diarrhea. So, what you’re actually getting is gastroenteritis (gastro = stomach, entero = intestines, and itis = inflammation), an inflammation of the stomach and intestines.
Gastroenteritis means inflammation of the stomach and small and large intestines. Most cases of gastroenteritis are infections caused by a variety of viruses that results in vomiting or diarrhea (other symptoms may include belly cramping, fever and headache from all that retching). There are other (bacterial) causes of vomiting and diarrhea, but the overwhelming number of cases is due to viruses. Your physician will know when the other considerations come into play. Here’s a few points you really want to know.
1. Is it serious?

In most cases of viral gastroenteritis, the symptoms and condition are rate limited and will come and go without much further ado. Your symptoms will last up to 10 days in most cases.
The concern isn’t nearly as much with the vomiting and diarrhea as it is with the dehydration that can result from all those fluid losses. Dehydration can cause all manner of electrolyte abnormalities, leading to serious acute illness and even death. In fact, diarrhea and dehydration have long been the number one cause of death worldwide outside of the United States.

2. Is it contagious?

Absolutely. This is one of the main reasons you’re always being told to wash your hands, especially after using the bathroom. Fecal-oral (yes, anus to mouth) transmission of viruses makes gastroenteritis and many other illnesses contagious. Hand shaking and other forms of contact (including eating food poorly handled or undercooked) extend the risk of transmission.

3. How can I avoid gastroenteritis?
There are good options available to you.

Avoid food and water that you believe to be contaminated, perhaps because others have had problems with it.
Frequent hand washing is very important.
Similarly, take steps to wash and disinfect possibly contaminated clothing and surfaces, preventing this before it gets started.
A vaccine is available for two of the more common causes of gastroenteritis. Discuss whether it’s appropriate for your child with his/her pediatrician (it needs to be given during your child’s first year of life).

4. How will it be treated?

Fluids, fluids and more fluids will be given, and unless you can’t keep anything down at all, the fluids should be given by mouth. It’s interesting to note that the U.S. overuses intravenous (IV) fluids much more in these instances than the rest of the world. Learn about oral rehydration therapy (ORT). It’s how the rest of the world (very successfully) treats most cases of vomiting and diarrhea, and it’s roughly approximated by all those popular rehydration brands. The key is to take in enough fluids to stay ahead of the fluid losses. ORT is available over the counter, and remember that you don’t have to guzzle it. As little as a teaspoon at a time still can keep you hydrated.

It’s important to discuss some other treatment considerations.

Antibiotics don’t work against these viruses, so in this example, they won’t be helpful.
In select instances, your physician may provide symptomatic treatment for vomiting and diarrhea, but in the absence of this, they should be avoided. There are significant consequences to taking these medications, and a physician should be involved in taking that risk.

In summary, you don’t always have to run to the ER when you get the runs. Stay hydrated, my friends.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2016 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Page 2 of 2

« Previous 1 2