Tag: Sars

Arthritis and Chronic Joint Symptoms

Arthritis and Chronic Joint Symptoms
Margie Garrison – “The Arthritis Lady”

From the Centers for Disease Control

Are you female, Caucasian, have a lesser education, and
overweight? Then you run the greatest risk of either arthritis
or chronic joint symptoms. Check out the latest statistics from
the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

These statistics left me stunned. Just for openers:

Arthritis and chronic joint symptoms affect nearly 70 million
Americans, or about one of every three adults, making it one of
the most prevalent diseases in the United States. As the
population ages, this number will increase dramatically.

Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United
States. Double that of heart trouble. Triple that of respiratory
trouble. Five times that of diabetes. Over six times more than
that of stroke!

Nationally, medical care for arthritis cost nearly $22 billion
in 1995 (latest figures).

Total costs, including medical care and loss of productivity,
exceeded $82 billion in 1995.

Who has arthritis?

As the CDC reports: “The prevalence of arthritis is high for
all demographic groups, but especially higher among women, older
persons, and those with less education.”

What’s being done?

The CDC reports that in 1998, the “first ever” plan to address
arthritis using a public health approach was released. This plan
was developed by the CDC, the Arthritis Foundation, and the
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, with
input from over 90 organizations. The plan recommended actions
in “Three major areas for individuals and groups interested in
reducing the impact of arthritis.”

Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Prevention Research

Communication and Education

Programs, Policies, and Systems

For some reason, this evokes a scene in my mind from the TV
show “Star Trek Voyager” where the holographic Doctor is helping
one of his patients recover from a leg joint injury. The crewman
is in great pain, while the Doctor dispassionately tells the
patient to “live with the pain and do the exercises”. The
crewman, exasperated at this attitude, complains to the Doctor
that he was programmed not to hurt his patients. The holographic
Doctor quickly replies “I was programmed to do no harm. However,
I can inflict as much pain as I wish.”

In the daily media, we are bombarded with stories about AIDS,
SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), Heart Disease, and
even the latest outbreak of the West Nile Virus. Yet, you hardly
ever hear anything about the greatest threat to our quality of
life … Arthritis!

Let me repeat the findings of the CDC (Centers for Disease
Control).

“Arthritis and chronic joint symptoms affect nearly 70 million
Americans, or about one of every three adults, making it one of
the most prevalent diseases in the United States. As the
population ages, this number will increase dramatically.”

One in Three

God forbid you are a Caucasian woman, with little education,
and are 30 lbs or more overweight (obese).

What can be done?

The CDC recommends: “We can do the effective things that are
not being done enough. Research shows that physical activity
decreases pain, improves function and delays disability. In
addition, research studies suggest that maintaining an ideal
body weight and avoiding joint injuries reduces the risk of
developing arthritis and may decrease disease progression.
Obtaining an early diagnosis so that appropriate management,
including self-management, can be initiated may improve the
quality of life for persons with arthritis. Early diagnosis and
appropriate management of arthritis, including … self-help
courses, weight control, and physical activity can help people
with arthritis function better, stay productive, and lower
health care costs.”

Has your Doctor ever told you to just keep doing your
exercises, keep dieting and keep your weight down, and keep
taking your medications and just try to live with the pain?

What else is your Doctor going to say? Are we crazy? Could it
be that if your Doctor said anything else it would mean
committing financial suicide?

I know most doctors are hard-working and doing their best and
in many cases are achieving astonishing things.

However, the pressure to use drugs and more drugs is
overwhelming. It is not their fault! It is ours!! We go to them
for a magic bullet and expect them to heal us… and with not
having to make any lifestyle changes. Is this fair to the
doctors? Of course not!

”
I Cured My Arthritis You Can Too”

Best of Health,

Margie Garrison – The Arthritis Lady”

C
ureYourArthritis.com

About the author:
I am Margie – “The Arthritis Lady”, author of “I Cured My
Arthritis You Can Too”.

I also publish and distribute a free weekly health newsletter,
“Amazing Secrets To Fantastic Health””, that you can subscribe
to by sending an email to: [email protected]

I have dedicated my life to helping you, help yourself enjoy a
Healthier and Happier Lifestyle.

Best of Health, Margie – “The Arthritis Lady&#

How Serious Is Swine Flu?

The United Kingdom has become the latest country to confirm cases of the swine flu. At the same time, the World Health Organization has raised its alert level from 3 to 4. With 150 people already killed in Mexico, the WHO revealed that the influenza virus has the sustainability for human-to-human transmission and can cause community level outbreaks.

One can recall a similar outbreak known as bird flu which was more risky than H1N1 virus. According to Professor Neil Ferguson of the World Health Organization, H1N1 is nothing when compared to other similar outbreaks such as SARS or the 1918 Spanish flu.

According to the professor, the evidence is clear that the United Kingdom is headed for a swine influenza pandemic in the coming months. However, it would be difficult to determine the extent of the epidemic since this is usually the time of the year when flu is prominent in the United Kingdom.

It is likewise almost sure that if the H1N1 outbreak disappears in the coming weeks, there might still be an outbreak of the virus in the autumn. If the situation indeed transforms into an epidemic, then 30% – 40% of the general population might become susceptible to infection. Professor Ferguson believes that any outbreak might become longer since the summer season in the United Kingdom is fast approaching.

On the other hand, Sir Liam Donaldson, who is concurrent Chief Medical Officer for England, believes that this new strain of H1N1 virus is something which people has natural immunity and has not received any vaccination yet. For this reason, one becomes susceptible to infection and spread to other people.
However, there is no sufficient information about the virus yet and H1N1 is still a subject of studies by major laboratories in the world. Once there is sufficient information about the virus, only then can it be possible to make improved predictions about individuals who are at higher risk and likely to have serious complications.

At present, the situation in Mexico is creating confusion and it is hard to make a firm a conclusion about what is likely to happen. In any case, there is a need to be ready for any untoward incidents that may happen.

Professor John Oxford, meanwhile, believes that the H1N1 outbreak is not as alarming as the H5N1 bird flu virus. He believes that the country can provide the basic H1N1 immunity for the population. The outbreaks outside of Mexico have not resulted to deaths which is an indication that the virus is not that aggressive.

Aside from that, the summer months is fast approaching so it is less probable for the H1N1 virus to cause an outbreak as well. In any case, the United Kingdom has enough antiviral medicines to treat half of the population.

With this in mind, there is no cause for worry about the H1N1 virus, as it appears that it would cause an outbreak that would be felt all over the world and increase mortality rates.

The outbreak of H1N1 began in Mexico City and as of today has resulted to the death of 42 people and more than 800 confirmed cases of swine flu infection. Although it has now spread in 22 countries, it is believed that this new virus outbreak would not be result to a pandemic and is milder than similar virus infections.

The Lowdown on The 2009 Swine Flu Outbreak

The 2009 outbreak of swine flu or H1N1 virus is recently hugging the limelight due to the potential harm or effects it can have on a patient or on a community. Unfortunately, the source of the virus still cannot be traced.

Before the first case in the United States was discovered, the illness was believed to have started in Mexico which eventually spread to other countries. Recently, the first case of swine flu was reported in
Costa Rica. Alarmed that it could grow into a worldwide flu epidemic, the World Health Organization of the United Nations and the Center for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) in the United States raised its pandemic alert level to Phase 5, which signifies that a “pandemic is imminent.”
While experts believed that the recent outbreak is not as fatal as previous epidemics, such as the SARS virus, health officials believe that the number of cases could go up as the new flu is expected to make its way throughout the United States.

The new swine influenza strain is apparently a new variant of four strains of influenza A virus subtype H1N1. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, one of the strain is endemic in humans and birds and a couple are endemic in pigs.

However, according to scientists the 2009 H1N1 outbreak is of swine origin which is associated with the virus isolated in North America in 1998. To hasten understanding of the current outbreak as well as in coming up with a vaccine, scientists from Canada have completed the full genetic sequencing of the H1N1 virus.

The new strain of H1N1 has become widespread in Mexico and the United States with confirmed cases in 18 countries and suspected cases in 42 others. Travelers have been warned not to travel to affected countries such as Iceland, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, to name a few.

In addition, warnings have also been issued warnings to visitors of countries affected by the outbreak. It is advisable for visitors to see the doctor right away if they experience flu-like symptoms.
In Mexico, schools, universities, and all public events were suspended from April 24 to May 6, 2009. In the United States, over 400 schools were closed as of May 3, 2009, which included schools in Texas and about 250,000 confirmed or probable cases.

Dr. Keiji Fukuda, who is the Assistant Director-General for Health Securiy and Environment of the World Health Organization confirmed that efforts to control the outbreak is already too late and should now focus on lessening the effects of the virus. He also clarified that closing borders or limiting travel to infected areas will do little in stopping the spread of the H1N1 virus.

On April 28, 2009, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggested that as much as possible, people should avoid non-important travel to Mexico.

According to Dr. Ira Longini, who is an expert in the mathematics and statistics of epidemics, staying at home, seeking medical care, closing public venues, and making anti-flu medicines accessible can help reduce the sickness by almost two-thirds.

Finally, according to Dr. Longini, the focus of efforts is to slow transmission until there is a vaccine that can be developed and made available for controlling swine flu outbreaks.

The Latest Killer Flu: Swine Flu And You

The Center for Disease Control has probably had some very wild times this past decade. First SARS, then the bird fle, and now today’s potential epidemic is the swine flu. First manifesting itself in Mexico this past April, this new and terrible strain of Type A H1N1 influenza is one of those things that every microbiologist and health care professional is afraid of.

The reason for that fear is pretty simple. Like the bird flu, this particular strain crossed species. Specifically, it crossed over from the swine population, a species that has an in-built resistance to it, to the human population, a population that does not. If this spreads and becomes a full blown epidemic, the swine flu may reach the heights of the 1918 Spanish Flu, which killed fifty to a hundred million people worldwide and devastated the post-World War I generation.

The CDC has stepped up its alert levels and some governments have instituted quarantine procedures, but still more and more cases are emerging across the world. Mexico City has most of the fatalities though, with most other cases outside of city being less severe in symptoms. However, this is just a month into the outbreak and anything can still happen. With the continuing spread of the disease, let’s talk about how this affects you.

Let’s be honest here, after all that I’ve just said, there’s actually no real reason to panic. Actually, we shouldn’t panic. That’s because panic just confuses people and to deal effectively with something of this magnitude, being confused is not the state of mind you want to be in. What you really need to be is to be aware and knowledgeable about what you’re dealing with. This and quick ddecisive action is what got the world through SARS and the bird flu, and it most likely will help us make sure that the swine flu isn’t the one that kills us all.

The swine flu is pretty much like your normal human flu. It has all the same infection vectors, all the same symptoms, and all the same treatments. It’s all just heightened by a factor of two, mostly because humans haven’t any natural resistance to the disease. If you want to avoid getting infected do all the same things that you’d do to avoid getting the flu: wash your hands regularly, take your vitamins, and avoid sick people.

If you somehow get sick, it’s not the time to run around like a headless chicken. You immediately isolate yourself so you won’t infect others and observe your symptoms, all of the while taking your regular flu medicine. Note that even if it is called swine flu, it’s still a virus and antiviral drugs are pretty effective in putting a dent in the symptoms you may experience and help your immune system kick the infection out.

It your symptoms persist despite your efforts, you better start calling for a doctor. Don’t worry if it really is the swine flu – the CDC has recommended the use of antiviral inhibitors that help stop the reproduction of the disease and the sickness is definitely treatable.

Let’s all just remember that the swine flu maybe deadly, but it’s still just a disease. And the only things you need to have to beat a disease is being smart and being careful. With all the noise that the media brings up about it, that fact may get lost in the shuffle. Remember it and it may just save your life.