Arm yourself against the flu for kids’ sake, says actress and mom Sarah Chalke. Photo by Eric Reed/AP Images on behalf of Faces of Influenza.

Flu is a big deal and it hit early and hard. But it’s not too late to get a flu shot: flu season can last as late as May. “Like all mothers, I do whatever I can to keep my son healthy—and that includes getting him immunized against the flu. I’ve learned that everyone is at risk of catching and transmitting this disease. So my family and I get annual vaccines to make sure we don’t spread the virus to him,” says actress Sarah Chalke, known for playing Dr. Elliot Reid on the hit TV series Scrubs and starring in the comedy series How to Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life) set to premiere in April.

The widely available vaccine is a good match for circulating flu bugs and immunity kicks in after two weeks. Federal health experts recommend that everyone 6 months of age and older be immunized annually, yet fewer than half of children ages 6 months to 17 years were immunized during the 2011-2012 flu season. Flu can lead to severe complications, even death, for patients or those with whom they come into contact. Each year in the U.S., influenza and its related complications result in an average of 226,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 to 49,000 deaths.

No vaccine is perfect. To boost your defense during outbreaks, avoid crowds and keep hands away from your face because pesky flu viruses can lurk for hours on hard surfaces. Six of the grimiest places you encounter through the day include: the kitchen sink, elevator controls (especially the first floor button), shopping cart handles, purses, playgrounds, gym equipment, and the office phone, according to leading commercial cleaning franchisor Coverall Health-Based Cleaning System®.

Learn more about the flu at facesofinfluenza.org.

Flu News with Scrubs Alum Sarah Chalke The Saturday Evening Post

To fight the flu, the CDC recommends getting a flu vaccine, practicing good hygiene, and taking antivirals if prescribed.

Click image to enlarge infographic.

Another flu vaccine? Absolutely. And now’s the time! Flu is a big deal, costing millions of dollars in healthcare and lost wages—and causing days or weeks of misery. Getting vaccinated is the best way for you (and others within six feet of coughs and sneezes) to stay healthy. This year, three vaccines are available at pharmacies and doctors’ offices for people ages 18 to 64: a nasal-spray, a regular flu shot, and one featuring an ultra-thin needle. Additionally, a high-dose flu shot is approved for the 65-plus set.

Each flu season is unique and unpredictable. The 2011/2012 season began in February 2012—the latest start in 24 years. So, be prepared. Get vaccinated now. Then, follow the flu with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Flu Map or the free “Fight the Flu” app from FluFACTS. When the super-contagious respiratory infection comes to your town, avoid crowds when you can. Vaccines are not 100 percent effective and the disease spreads easily wherever people congregate—in child care centers, schools, office buildings, auditoriums, and public transit systems. It takes most people two days to two weeks to recover from the flu, according to the CDC.

Older Americans are hit especially hard by the flu, accounting for 90 percent of flu-related deaths. Click here for critical information from the CDC and the National Council on Aging urging all older adults to get a flu vaccine.

Another Flu Vaccine? Really? The Saturday Evening Post

“Consumers are being more pro-active about their health,” says Michele Merhib, certified massage therapist and founder of Elements Therapeutic Massage, a national franchise with more than 85 studios. “And they are realizing that getting a professional massage—with the right therapist—can help keep their immune system up and running throughout cold and flu season.”

Post editors talked to the massage professional about turning to the relaxing technique for better health.

What does science say about the benefits of massage in besting colds and flu?

Recently, a study at Cedar-Sinai hospital evaluated 59 clients who received a 45-minute massage while connected to a lot of equipment. In the end, they discovered that a single massage resulted in significant biological changes: it decreased the stress hormone cortisol, increased production of lymphocytes (an important facet of the immune system response), and boosted levels of oxytocin, a hormone associated with a feeling of contentment.

What do your clients say about the benefits of massage?

Clients notice that regular massage at home or in a studio helps reduce colds and flu and improves overall health. For example, those who typically get a massage every 4^th week say they feel sluggish by the end of week 5 if they miss a session. They also report that regular massage helps them sleep better.

Is any one type of massage particularly effective?

Research shows that hands-on bodywork increases circulation and promotes health—whether that touch is light, or deep. What matters most, then, is identifying the pressure that works for your body. If it’s too deep, you won’t enjoy the massage or reap its benefits.

Can you suggest a massage technique to perform at home?

I’ll give you two! One technique massages the hand with the eraser-end of a pencil. The other uses a tennis or golf ball to rub the feet.

For Hands:

1. Turn palm up. With the eraser of a #2 pencil, apply pressure in a small circular motion at base of the thumb.
2. Repeat at base of each finger. Continue to work down the lateral, or pinkie-side, of the hand.
3. Travel twice around each hand.

For Feet: Reflexology teaches that points on the feet connect to the chest and lungs, so this technique may be especially good for avoiding colds and flu.

1. Sit comfortably on chair or couch and place tennis or golf ball near your feet.
2. Roll foot over ball, moving back and forth and side to side to cover the entire sole. Repeat with other foot. Apply enough pressure to feel a substantial, but not painful, massage. Ease up just before reaching the “hurts-so-good” threshold. As an alternative, cross the right leg over the left one. With your left hand, roll ball over right foot. Repeat on other side.
3. Set aside ball. Use hands to massage each toe from base to tip.

Can you offer tips to finding the right massage therapist?

First, start your search on websites affiliated with the American Massage Therapy Association and the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, especially if interested in a particular technique. These national organizations provide continuing education and liability insurance to its members as well as resources for the public.

Then, before scheduling your massage, set up a meeting to describe what’s going on in your body. You want to find a therapist who fits your needs. If you have back pain, for example, you want someone with knowledge and experience in that area.

Finally, try a half-hour massage session to gauge the therapist’s touch and communication style. Questions to consider include: Are they talking too much? Are they addressing the areas that most affect me? Do they even ask?

Remember that you don’t have to visit the same therapist. Personally, the one I choose for relaxation is not same person I see to get the knot out of my shoulder.

Part of what makes my business successful is that each Elements studio has 15-20 therapists on staff.  We are going to find a therapist who can meet a particular need.

Massaging Away Colds and Flu The Saturday Evening Post

Top “Flu Buster” Foods

• Whey Protein: Popular among the bodybuilding crowd, whey protein contains key substances called immunoglobulins or immune peptides that support a healthy immune system.
• Cultured Yogurt: Check labels of yogurt products for active cultures representing a class of “friendly” bacteria (probiotics) found throughout the GI tract.  The intestinal tract is the largest immune organ in the body, and probiotics help fend off germs that make you sick.
• Mushrooms: Once thought to be void of nutrients, recent research shows that most mushroom varieties contain antiviral constituents called polysaccharides that shore up the immune system.
• Elderberry: Cooked into jam and syrup, or mixed with cranberries for a special sauce, elderberries have been shown to prevent replication of the flu virus. Preliminary findings suggest that the berries may speed recovery from the flu.
• Garlic: This aromatic bulb contains several constituents, such as allicin, with proven antimicrobial effects. Warding off nasty bugs by generously adding garlic to foods may boost immune resistance and help prevent flu.
• Oats: In addition to the grain’s cholesterol-lowering effects, components in oats called beta glucans are powerful immune regulating compounds that have been studied with positive effects in animals and humans.

Honorable mentions: Fish for omega 3’s, nuts for zinc and selenium, sweet potatoes for beta carotene, and citrus fruits for vitamin C are all important nutrients that support a healthy immune system.

“Daily exercise, healthy diet, supplements, being hydrated, and getting adequate rest, help provide a potent arsenal to prevent the flu,” says Germano, who is also Chief Science Officer for Surgex. “Another healthy tip that can never be said enough?  Don’t forget to wash your hands frequently!”

When is the Flu Contagious?

Most healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5-7 days after becoming sick. Children may pass the virus for longer than seven days. Symptoms start one to four days after the virus enters the body. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick. Some persons can be infected with the flu virus but have no symptoms. During this time, those persons may still spread the virus to others, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

Who Should Get a Flu Shot?

Nearly everyone. For the first time, the CDC is recommending that everyone over six months old be vaccinated  to protect themselves and others from flu symptoms and complications that can put the heart, liver, kidneys, intestines, and brain at risk.

Flu-Buster Foods The Saturday Evening Post

Coughs caused by the flu are not the same as those associated with colds, says nurse practitioner Mary Ellen Roberts, who explains:

“Coughs have different causes and effects. People with a cold may need an expectorant such as guaifenesin to help clear out mucus. For dry, hacking coughs associated with the flu, patients should usually consider the cough suppressant dextromethorphan, as well as acetaminophen to reduce fever and pain.”

Over-the-counter cough relievers with ingredients to suppress coughs as well as clear mucus may be the best choice for coughs that disrupt sleeping, the most commonly reported consequence of severe coughs.

“Cough sufferers need to know that losing sleep because they don’t treat their symptoms properly can have ramifications at work or school,” said Roberts. “We frequently see patients continue normal activities regardless of how they feel. While this may be reflective of the current economic situation, people need to know that it may not be the wisest decision in the long term, and that available products can provide relief of their symptoms for up to 12 hours.”

Roberts adds that people should seek the advice of a health care practitioner for a continuous cough lasting more than seven days. Most coughs due to colds and flu will resolve on their own within three weeks.

Tips for Controlling Your Cough The Saturday Evening Post

Tylenol: Beware of Overuse The Saturday Evening Post

What would Ben Franklin say about individuals who decline inoculation?

Here is what he did say about the subject: “As the practice of Inoculation always divided people into parties, some contending warmly for it, and others as strongly against it. …” It was necessary to have a strict and impartial enquiry into the inoculation and death rates during epidemics.

Few people alive today are old enough to remember the 1918 influenza pandemic, an event that killed tens of millions of people. Ben Franklin, however, lived in an era where contagious epidemics—yellow fever, malaria, smallpox, typhus, influenza—were common. Since the germ theory of disease had not yet been proposed during Franklin’s lifetime, people had no idea about what caused such deadly assaults on the population. The most commonly accepted explanation involved divine visitation, presumably as punishment to an entire population for sinful conduct.

Edward Jenner’s discovery of the smallpox vaccine did not occur until several years after Franklin died. During Franklin’s lifetime, inoculation against smallpox was performed by exposing a person to scabs taken from the skin of somebody with the disease. Usually, the inoculation process produced a mild smallpox infection; survival meant lifetime immunity. Occasionally, however, the inoculation would lead to a progressive form of the disease, which would kill the patient. For this reason, many feared inoculation, although Franklin favored it.

When Ben Franklin was a young printer in Philadelphia, he lost the only son he had with his wife to a smallpox epidemic. The lad was 4 years old at the time. Franklin had planned to have the boy inoculated, but never got around to it.

Ben Franklin never forgave himself for the loss. Like many parents who nowadays create a foundation in the memory of a child who died so that others might benefit from research into the illness that took away their loved one, Franklin started collecting smallpox inoculation statistics. He soon realized that the risk of inoculation was small compared to the risk of acquiring a smallpox infection in what he referred to as the “usual way.”

When Franklin was in England in 1759, he persuaded a famous physician to write a pamphlet for distribution in British North America favoring the smallpox inoculation. Franklin himself penned the pamphlet’s preface. In it, he presented his statistical results, hoping to persuade parents that their children would benefit from inoculation. Likewise, he found it necessary to overcome theological resistance to inoculation. Certain men of the cloth, it turns out, were convinced that any attempt to reduce the impact of a divinely ordained plague would go against God’s will. Franklin found it necessary, therefore, to point out that God gave mankind the capacity to discover a method that reduced the impact of a contagious illness.

Here’s how Franklin combined his analysis of smallpox statistics with his response to those who found inoculation somehow unholy:

“If the chance were only as two to one in favour of the practice [of inoculation] among children, would it not be sufficient to induce a tender parent to lay hold of the advantage? But when it’s so much greater, as it appears to be by these accounts (in some even as thirty to one) surely parents will no longer refuse to accept and thankfully use a discovery GOD in his mercy has been pleased to bless mankind with.”

Influenza Pandemic The Saturday Evening Post

Schools across the country are reporting their first cases of the newly identified H1N1 flu (earlier called the “swine flu”). And every state will likely see sporadic to widespread cases before the typical flu season winds down sometime next spring.

How can you minimize your risk? Leading experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration offer the following advice for fighting H1N1 and seasonal flus.

Avoid flu viruses.
DO keep your hands away from your eyes, nose, and mouth. If you are ill, this helps prevent infecting others. If you’re healthy, it helps you stay that way. H1N1 and seasonal flu viruses may live for hours on hard surfaces such as doorknobs, phones, and computer keyboards.

DON’T depend on wearing a facemask for complete flu protection. In general, the use of facemasks is not recommended in community and home settings.

Follow vaccine recommendations.
DO consider flu shots. Nearly everyone is advised to get the seasonal flu shot. Exceptions may include those with an egg allergy or a history of Guillain-Barre Syndrome. People who are ill should usually delay vaccination until they recover. About 45 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine (from five manufacturers) are expected by mid-October, with up to 195 million doses by year’s end. Target groups for vaccination focus on those at most risk of infection and severe disease, including pregnant women, children and young adults ages 6 months through 24 years, and people 25 to 64 with medical conditions that predispose them to complications of the flu. Health care workers and emergency medical service workers, as well as those who care for infants not yet old enough to be vaccinated, are also encouraged to receive the H1N1 vaccine.

DON’T assume that flu vaccines provide immediate and full protection. Remember to wash hands frequently with soap and water, cover your cough, and stay home if you are sick. When possible, avoid being within about six feet of a person with influenza-like illness.

Stay informed.
DO watch for new reports about emerging trends and prevention strategies. Study findings expected in mid-September will indicate whether one or two doses of the H1N1 vaccine provide adequate immunity against the novel virus.

DON’T let your guard down. Influenza is unpredictable. Current levels of flu activity in the United States are low. But any influenza at this time of year is unusual—and most of the confirmed cases are the H1N1 flu.

H1N1: Can You Minimize Your Risk? The Saturday Evening Post