The recent rains have been a welcome relief from the drought. The only downside is the there have been a sharp influx in the number of mosquitoes. I keep a can of insect repellant to apply by the garden door. …
FLU SEASON: The flu season is finally in our rear-view mirror, thankfully. A recent report outlines what we knew, this year’s flu vaccine was not as effective in preventing people from getting sick. Part of the problem was that a…
Yes. It’s still with us and people are often surprised when they are diagnosed with it. Flu was rampant and has now declined but is still circulating. Even if you have had the flu it’s worthwhile to get the vaccine…
It won’t be off to a great start for many. As you can see from this graph of emergency room visits, most of what is going around is the flu. Most of it is the H3N2 strain of influenza A. …
As predicted, respiratory illnesses have ramped up. I would still get a flu vaccine if you haven’t already. Cases are spiking. There is a lot of speculation about how well the present vaccine will protect against the current strain of…
Usually, we see a surge in respiratory illnesses after families gather for Thanksgiving. Most of what we had been seeing up to this time has been rhinoviruses, common cold viruses and not much Covid-19, but that may soon change. Here…
We’ve known for a long time that flu and more recently, covid 19 infections increase the risk of heart attack. Here is the most recent article supporting this. I was just visiting with a cardiology friend who had treated a…
Do you take a list to your doctor’s appointment? This used to be considered a sign of neurotic behavior as outlined by this editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine from 1985. But the author argues that it is…
October 15th to December 7th are the dates of the annual Medicare enrollment. The selections that one makes during this time period stick with an enrollee for a year, so it’s important to know what you’re signing up for. This…
Mechanical barriers to prevent the penetration of the Covid 19 virus into the mucous membranes of the nasal passages have been studies extensively. Using saline washes may reduce the viral load and reduce the risk of infection. Here is the…
