Healthy happy you.
A little cold I can handle, even a sinus infection, but the flu? I don't remember ever feeling as bad as I did the week I came down with the flu. I was so delirious from my 103° fever, and combined with the chills, body aches, and pounding headache, it was just unbearable. To prevent feeling that horrible every year, I make sure to head to my doctor's office for a flu shot, but it doesn't always Read more
A study came out that found young women who chatted with their mothers about the HPV vaccine were more likely to get it than those who didn't. While there are other factors involved, including the cost of the three-shot preventative procedure, it does bring up the issue of how our relationships with our mothers affect our decisions and behaviors, even as young adults and beyond. We always see Read more
This past Spring, the swine flu scare broke out, and, although it seems to have lost momentum, many folks are still nervous about getting the H1N1 virus. Children, healthcare workers, those who work closely with kids, and pregnant women are the ones who are most at risk, but anyone can develop swine flu. With colder weather on its way and flu season soon to follow, I'm wondering . . . Read more
If you've ever had to deal with the annoyance of a yeast infection, then you might be interested to know a vaccine to prevent them is in the works. Early lab tests of the vaccine performed on mice have been successful. Female mice were given one of several variations of the vaccine, and then were exposed to a lethal dose of Candida albicans, the fungus responsible for yeast infections. Another Read more
We all know that using tobacco products is a sure way to be on the road to asthma, emphysema, and lung cancer. New research, putting a kind of reverse engineering twist to that carcinogenic scenario, is using tobacco to fight cancer. Scientists at Stanford University are manipulating the tobacco plant to make as a vaccine to fight a type of lymphatic cancer. Once injected, the personalized Read more
Most American children are vaccinated for the mumps when they are little with a two-shot series for measles-mumps-rubella. Unfortunately, that vaccine may not be cutting it, because so far 6,600 people (many of whom did receive the vaccine when they were children) have come down with a case of the mumps. For some reason, it's hitting college students the most, ages 18 to 24. This disease is Read more
A weekend New York Times article is still on my mind. It alerted readers to the possibility of Gardasil — the much talked about HPV vaccine for the prevention of cervical cancer — being administered to young boys as further protection for females. It's widely known that men can carry the virus without any knowledge of it, leading to easy and inadvertent exposure to their partners. According Read more
Have you heard about Gardasil? It's a vaccine that prevents cervical cancer, but it only protects you against the type that is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), the same HPV that causes genital warts. First off, let me tell you a little bit about HPV. It's an STI that can be transmitted through vaginal, anal, or oral sex. It can manifest itself in flesh-colored warts that show up one to Read more
It can seem — especially to your budget — that doggies require endless vaccinations. Still do you know what they're being safeguarded against? Take these quizzes about six diseases that pups commonly get protected for to see if you're a shot-calling expert. Quiz: Parvovirus Quiz: Hepatitis Quiz: Distemper Quiz: Rabies Quiz: H3N8 Quiz: Coronavirus Read more
Parents are taking their kids in for "a little pinch," but they aren't happy about it. According to a study just released today, 95 percent of US children receive the recommended vaccines (on schedule), but 77 percent of parents are still uncomfortable with the shots. More than a year after the link between autism and vaccines was debunked, many parents are still voicing concern over the safety Read more
