Saturday May 18, 2013
If you need even more reason to get your flu vaccine during pregnancy, researchers have found a possible link between flu exposure during pregnancy and the child's risk of developing bipolar disorder in adulthood. This study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published online in JAMA Psychology on May 8th, found that the children born to women who were diagnosed with the flu while they were pregnant were four times more likely to develop bipolar disorder as adults.
A similar study previously found a link between flu in pregnancy and schizophrenia, showing that children born to mothers that had the flu while they were pregnant were three times more likely to develop schizophrenia.
If you have concerns about getting the flu vaccine when you are pregnant, you can see how it works and why it is recommended here:
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Monday May 13, 2013
Although it is spring in the United States, there are still plenty of cold viruses circulating and making people sick. It may have slowed down slightly since the winter months, but people are still getting colds and even the flu.
Since spring also mean allergies for many people, symptoms can often be confused for one or the other. If you aren't sure what is causing your symptoms, start here:
You can also learn more about the differences between the two and how to treat your symptoms depending on what is causing them here:
If you believe you have a cold, you probably already know that there is no "cure" and the only thing you can do is wait for it to go away. But that doesn't mean you have to suffer with no relief. Although you can't cure your cold, you can treat the symptoms so you don't feel quite as miserable while you are waiting for the virus to run it's course.
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Tuesday May 7, 2013
We all get headaches from time to time, but how do you know if you headache is caused by something as simple as a cold or stress or if it's something more serious? Our latest "Check Your Symptoms" guide covers all things headache.
You can see what might be causing your headache, when you should be concerned about it and steps you can take to relieve it.
If you have concerns about other common symptoms, we have guides for those too.
Check Your Symptoms:
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Monday April 29, 2013
You may have heard by now that a new type of bird flu has been found in both birds and humans in China. The new strain of avian flu is H7N9, rather than the H5N1 bird flu that has made people sick in the past. At this point, most people that have been diagnosed with H7N9 bird flu have had exposure to birds that also have the virus, but some have not, leading scientists to believe there may be limited person to person transmission.
Scientists and public health officials are watching this new strain of the flu very closely because it has caused very serious symptoms and has a high mortality rate. As of April 26th, China reported 109 cases of H7N9 bird flu. Of the 109 people that were diagnosed with the virus, 23 have died. If H7N9 were to develop the ability to spread easily and rapidly from person to person, it could lead to a serious and potentially very deadly flu pandemic.
To learn more about H7N9 bird flu and find out what health officials are doing to protect us from it, read: What Is H7N9 Bird Flu?
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