In the first three weeks of school, my son was home sick for four days. The second week of school he had strep throat. The following week he came home with a high fever, chills, and was lethargic and vomiting. Normally, I’d feed him Tylenol and baby him unless his symptoms got worse. But N1H1, the feared swine flu, is making its way through the Southeast. Virtually all flu cases at this time are considered to be the Swine flu by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). I had heard too many stories of otherwise healthy people dying because of …read more

If you are the parent of a young child, pregnant, breastfeeding or thinking of becoming pregnant, the swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus, should be of particular concern to you.
During a pandemic, children and pregnant women are at high risk of serious complications and even death if they become ill with the flu, according to the March of Dimes. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has developed extensive plans for minimizing the impact of the pandemic flu, and once a vaccine has been developed for the virus causing the pandemic, pregnant women and children from age 6 to …read more

Most Americans consume more than double the amount of their daily recommended level of sodium. A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that more than two out of three adults should consume no more than 1500 milligrams (mg) per day of sodium. During 2005-2006 the estimated average intake of sodium for persons in the United States age two years and older was 3436 mg per day.

A diet high in sodium increases the risk of having higher blood pressure, a major cause for heart disease and stroke. These diseases are the first and third leading causes …read more

Speaking of cervical cancer vaccines, there are two notables: Gardasil by Merck which was approved by the FDA earlier this year and Cervarix by GlaxoSmithKline which is expected to be approved by the FDA later this year (but already approved in Australia).

Regarding these HPV vaccines that will protect women against cervical cancer, the CDC recommends that the vaccine should be routinely given to girls at 11-12 years of age – the stage before young girls are more likely to become sexually active.
Now there is a new project that will evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of these vaccines.
The said project -funded …read more