Flu Season Update

2/15/11

FLU IS CURRENTLY IN NEW ENGLAND!  WE STILL HAVE FLU SHOTS AVAILABLE.  CALL TO MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENT TODAY!

“Why does NCHC give the flu shot at the end of October?”

We do this because all vaccines take a few weeks to begin to protect you against disease.  Some vaccines lose their effectiveness with time.  The influenza vaccine only protects you for 4-6 months.  The peak occurrence of influenza in New England is usually between January or February.  Last year it hit its peak in March!  That said, if you get your shot too early then you may be unprotected by the time it rolls around.

This year the flu shot is a combined vaccine for H1N1 (Swine Flu), Influenza B and H3NZ.  As of Sept. 12th there are no substantial case reports of Influenza in the United States.

Other things to remember:

·          Exercise and eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables to keep your immune system healthy

·          Wash your hand frequently

·          Promote good ventilation at home & work whenever possible

·          Laugh a lot (“A merry heart does good, like a medicine” ~Proverbs 17:22a)

·          Keep sick children at home and whenever possible stay at home and rest when you are sick

We have ordered 180 doses of the vaccine for this season.  We will begin giving vaccines at our flu clinic on Saturday, October 23 from 8 am to 2 pm.  These vaccines are for patients of New Creation Healing Center only.

Please call the office for an appointment 603-642-6700.

Influenza: A Tale of Two Germs!

Seasonal Flu

This typically causes high fevers, intense muscle aches, fatigue, sore throat and headaches.  It can make one more susceptible to bacterial pneumonia which is why it is recommended for:

H1N1 Influenza

This influenza virus also causes high fevers, intense muscle aches, fatigue and sore throat, additionally it can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.  This strain of the flu appears to be more dangerous to pregnant women and those under 50.  Children and adolescents in particular can seriously be affected.  It is recommended that these groups in particular are immunized:

Both types of influenza can be treated with antiviral medications if treatment is sought with in the first 48 hours of the disease.  Treatment is much less effective if it is started after this 48 hour window.

It is important to know that the bacterial pneumonia that can follow both H1N1 influenza and the seasonal flu also presents with fever, but can be accompanied by shortness of breath, wheezing, chest pain and coughing up colored sputum.  Often what happens in people will actually start to feel better and than they develop new symptoms.  It seems that the influenza damages the lining of the lungs, making people more susceptible to pneumonia.  BACTERIAL PNEUMONIA CAN BE RAPIDLY FATAL.  If you develop these symptoms seek medical care PROMPTLY.  It is treated with different medications than influenza.  Let your primary care physician know right away if you develop these new symptoms even after being treated for influenza.

~Mary Pearson, DO

"Anyone who believes in Christ is a new creation. The old is gone! The new has come!  It is all from God. He brought us back to himself through Christ's death on the cross. And he has given us the task of bringing others back to him through Christ.  God was bringing the world back to himself through Christ. He did not hold people's sins against them. God has trusted us with the message that people may be brought back to him.  So we are Christ's official messengers. It is as if God were making his appeal through us. Here is what Christ wants us to beg you to do. Come back to God!  Christ didn't have any sin. But God made him become sin for us. So we can be made right with God because of what Christ has done for us."
~2 Corinthians 5:17-21 New International Reader's Version