Those bugs that are common in fall, winter and spring are 2 Viruses =The COLD and THE FLU.

HOW THEY ARE DIFFERENT:

Both influenza and the common cold are viral respiratory infections (they affect the nose, throat, and lungs).

Viruses are spread from person to person through airborne droplets (aerosols) that are sneezed out or coughed up by an infected person, direct contact is another form of spread with infected nasal secretions, or fomites (contaminated objects).  Which of these routes is of primary importance has not been determined, however hand to hand and hand to surface to hand to contact seems of more importance than transmission.  The viruses may survive for prolonged periods in the environment (over 18 hours for rhinoviruses in particular=a common virus for colds) and can be picked up by people’s hands and subsequently carried to their eyes or nose where infection occurs. In some cases, the viruses can be spread when a person touches an infected surface (e.g., doorknobs, countertops, telephones) and then touches his or her nose, mouth, or eyes. As such, these illnesses are most easily spread in crowded conditions such as schools.

The traditional folk theory that you can catch a cold in prolonged exposure to cold weather such as rain or winter settings is how the illness got its name.  Some of the viruses that cause common colds are seasonal, occurring more frequently during cold or wet weather.  The reason for the seasonality has not yet been fully determined.  This may occur due to cold induced changes in the respiratory system, decreased immune response, and low humidity increasing viral transmission rates, perhaps due to dry air allowing small viral droplets to disperse farther, and stay in the air longer.  It may be due to social factors, such as people spending more time indoors, as opposed to outdoors, exposing him or her “self” to an infected person, and specifically children at school.  There is some controversy over the role of body cooling as a risk factor for the common cold; the majority of the  evidence does suggest a result in greater susceptibility to infection.

The SIMPLE COMMON COLD:

The common cold (also known as nasopharyngitis, rhinopharyngitis, acute coryza, head cold) or simply a cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract which primarily effects the nose.  There are over 200 different known cold viruses, but most colds (30% up to 80%) are caused by rhinoviruses

This means you can pass the cold to others, so stay home and get some much-needed rest for yourself and not passing it on to others for the contagious period at least.

If cold symptoms do not seem to be improving after a week, you may have a bacterial infection, which means you may need antibiotics, which only kill bacterial infections not viral.

Sometimes you may mistake cold symptoms for allergic rhinitis (hay fever) or a sinus infection (bacterial). If cold symptoms begin quickly and are improving after a week, then it is usually a cold, not allergy. If your cold symptoms do not seem to be getting better after a week, check with your doctor to see if you have developed an allergy or inflammation or the sinuses (sinusitis).

Influenza is commonly referred to as “the flu”, this is an infectious disease of birds and mammals caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae, the influenza viruses.  The most common sign or symptom are chills, fever, runny nose, coughing, aches and weakness to headache and sore throat.  Although it is often confused with other influenza-like illnesses, especially the COMMON COLD, influenza is a more severe illness or disease caused by a different virus.  Influenza nausea and vomiting, particularly in children but these symptoms are more common in the unrelated gastroenteritis, which is sometimes inaccurately referred to as “stomach flu” or “25 hour flu”.
The flu can occasionally lead to pneumonia, either direct viral pneumonia or secondary bacterial pneumonia, even for persons who are usually very healthy.  In particular it is a warning sign if a child or presumably an adult seems to be getting better and then relapses with a high fever as this relapse may be bacterial pneumonia.  Another warning sign is if the person starts to have trouble breathing.

Each year, 10% to 20% of Canadians are stricken with influenza. Although most people recover fully, depending on the severity of the flu season, it can result in an average of 20,000 hospitalizations and approximately 4000 to 8000 deaths annually in Canada. Deaths due to the flu are found mostly among high-risk populations, such as those with other medical conditions (such as diabetes or cancer) or weakened immune systems, seniors, or very young children. There are 3 types of influenza viruses: A, B, and C. Type A influenza causes the most serious problems in humans and can be carried by humans or animals (wild birds are commonly the host carriers). It is more common for humans seem to carry the most with ailments with type A influenza.  Type B  Influenza is found in humans also.  Type B flu may cause less severe reaction than A type flu virus but for the few for the many can still be at times extremely harmed.  Influenza B viruses are not classified by subtype and do not cause pandemics at this time.  Influenza type C also found in people but milder than type A or B.  People don’t become very ill from this Type C Influenza and do not cause pandemics.

The common cold eventually fizzles, but the flu may be deadly.   Some 200,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized and 36,000 die each year from flu complications — and that pales in comparison to the flu pandemic of 1918 that claimed between 20 and 100 million lives. The best defense against it:   a vaccine once a year. 

References for Part 1 and 2 on the two bugs The FLU and The COLD:

1-Wikipedia “the free encyclopedia” 2013 website under the topic Influenza.

2-Kimberly Clark Professional website under the influenza.

3-Web MD under “COLD, FLU, COUGH CENTER” “Flu or cold symptoms?” Reviewed by Laura J. Martin MD November 01, 2011

4-2013 Novartis Consumer Health Inc. Triaminic “Fend off the Flu”

5-Scientific American “Why do we get the flu most often in the winter? Are viruses virulent in cold weather? December 15, 1997

You say HOW?  They are high in vitamins, minerals, some with antitoxins (helping the immune system) and have anti-inflammatory effects that can help you build up to your optimal health.  Some fruits have soluble fiber in them that slows down the breakdown of complex carbohydrates and helps reduce blood sugar.  Fruit taken in proper portions (moderate amts.) can even help lower blood cholesterol.  Soluble fiber is not just in rye, barley, oats, and vegetables but in fruits as well.  Insoluble fiber can’t be absorbed or digested by the human body but can still provide the body with advantages like reducing hunger, stimulates regular bowel movements, and can be found in fruits as well as vegetables, seeds whole wheat bread and other foods.  One of my healthy eating rules is know what the food’s makeup is before eating it; yes this includes calories, fat, sugars, carbs and sodium but knowing the energy density in the foods you eat is very important too.  Foods with the lowest density are foods that help curb your appetite that can help you maintain or even lose weight.  The lowest energy density food group contains healthy foods like most vegetables and fruits with based broth soups & skim milk.  The highest density groups are cookies, chips, nuts, full-fat condiments, chocolate and butter (not the best nutritional foods to be eating regularly).  Remember, if you’re trying to be healthy or even losing weight than know fruits are high glycemic foods.  If you eat too much fruit at one time it will result in high glycemic amounts in your body at that one time putting you at risk for fat storage=weight gain.  You see, digestion of the foods whether calories, carbohydrates, sugars, or some fats get broken down into simple or complex sugar molecules=glucose or fructose.  One of the body’s major fuels for energy so we can function with working properly & survive is glucose (the same concept like fuel for a car=gas=it operates).  

The body utilizes glucose after digestion takes place in the stomach where the foods break down into simple and complex sugars than transferred into our bloodstream as our active fuel for energy (like our car’s tank sending gas to the engine to be able to run).  Our fuel, being the glucose, then gets sent to all our tissues and into our cells but only for the amount they need at that time (sort of like the car in filling the gas tank to full).  When our body reaches full for all energy needed to all areas of the body at that time if there is extra un-needed glucose in the bloodstream it has to go somewhere and the body stores it=fat storage=weight gain.  Take the car, the storage reservoir is the gas tank it only stores in the tank, but if the tank reaches full with gas (its energy) it would just overflow as opposed to the human body with extra glucose in the bloodstream=our extra fuel which doesn’t overflow by leaving our body somehow but gets stored in our body as fat storage. Thus, when it’s needed (glucose) it will be released back in the bloodstream.  If you more frequently have in your body more overflow of glucose versus the need for it you’ll have more fat storage occuring as opposed to energy utilized by the body.  This causes you to be at a higher risk of becoming overweight to obese (that’s the logic in eating 6 small low glycemic meals a day which prevents this from happening).  To prevent a high risk of becoming overweight to obese stay off of 3 large meals/day and high sugar snacks during the day.  Also, don’t have constant healthy frequent high glycemic meals day in and day out especially with no activity/exercise other than your regular activities of daily living, which doesn’t count as exercise.

Remember, eat fruits in moderation not in excess; including the size of your meals (don’t allow the size of the plate greater than 9” including NO second helpings).   The key to eating healthy is to include all 4 food groups (Meats/Fishes, Vegetables, Fruits, and Dairy) and eat your first meal for the day within 30 minutes.   If you want to learn more information about this to begin eating healthier with the 4 food groups and in the proper portion sizes than go no further.  My website can give you the information in knowing how to eat so that it affects your metabolism and weight distribution in the body therapeutically.  You can also learn exercise that fits into your lifestyle (ranging from walking fast 30 minutes for 2 to 3 times a week to daily workouts) with knowing healthy habits to add in your life to stay or get within your ideal weight.  The ending result is you feel better, look better, and have higher odds you’ll live a longer life that allows more excitement in it due to being in better shape.   Let Dr. Anderson through his book and myself, being your health coach, give you direction onto the pathway you need until you get yourself on the right track of health independently.   Before going to my website here is also information on how sugar affects the body on disease and illness

 “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”

Ronald  Reagan         

“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”

Dalai Lama

“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.“

Gail Devers(born November 19, 1966) is a retired three-time Olympic champion in track and field for the US Olympic Team.

Like all organs if your diet is not healthy you’ll effect their functioning, including your eyes.  Take for example the ingredients you include in the foods & fluids you eat.  Just like how some drink from one up to three thousand cc’s of water a day to help prevent dehydration in their tissues if they work out daily from a gym to running miles outside OR take someone who simply includes calcium in their diet for their bones.  Well what is good for the eyes and what can you do to help both your eyes?

Get an annual comprehensive dilated eye exam, know your families eye history since many eye diseases are through heredity, eat an eye healthy & well-balanced diet rich in salmon, tuna, dark leafy greens, colored vegetables and fruits, wear sunglasses with UV protection and avoid smoking (which effects the body everywhere, including the eyes).

What ingredients do we need in our dieting that is so vital for the eyes to stay at their healthiest level?  Well Lutein and Zeaxanthin (Pronounced loo’teen and Zee’-a-zan-thin)-Powerful antioxidants naturally present in the macula (the part of the retina that is responsible for central vision).  Remember damage to the retina causes some degree of lack of vision to 100% blind.  Lutein and Zeaxanthin are critical for helping to filter out harmful blue light, which can damage the macula.  These vital antioxidants cannot be produced by our bodies on their own, so they must be obtained through diet and/or supplements (ex. Ocuvite Supplements in the store).                                               

Another ingredient we need in our diet is Omega 3 Fatty Acids which is a family of fatty acids that help protect our eyes by keeping them healthy.  Omega 3 is an important structural lipid in the retina and helps support proper function; and is vital for the health of your eyes as you age.  Lastly it helps promote healthy tear production necessary for healthy and comfortable eyes.                                                                                                                                             

Other Nutrients Antioxidants Vitamins C and E, Zinc and beta carotene. They help protect eyes from oxidative stress (Oxidative stress reflects an imbalance between the systemic manifestation of reactive oxygen speciesand a biological system’s ability to readily detoxify the reactive intermediates or to repair the resulting damage and oxidative stress can cause disruptions in normal mechanisms of cellular signaling.  It is thought to be involved in the development of many diseases.)

What Your Diet or Daily Health Habits May Be Missing:

–Many dark leafy greens and brightly colored vegetables (including orange foods) are rich in Lutein and Zeaxanthin.  We all heard about carrots (to get Beta-carotene)                             

–Oil-rich fish such as tuna and salmon along with nuts and fortified eggs are an excellent source of omega-3s.  Omega-3s:  A family of fatty acids that help protect the eye to keep it healthy, another important nutrient for your eyes

Unfortunately, many of us do not consume enough of these eye-healthy foods in our daily diets. What should you have in your diet to eat per day to equal the amount of Lutein and Zeaxanthin you should have daily:   5 cups of  broccoli, 6 cups of corn, 1 ounce of salmon or 4 ounces of tuna.  A lot of vegetables in cups but if you mix your foods in the 4 food groups that are healthy for the eye or just simply take supplements that your doctor recommends for eye health you won’t be eating cups and cups of vegetables if you don’t like the taste.

*Other foods high in omega 3 are halibut, spinach, collard and kale.

VITAL NUTRIENTS FOR GETTING THE EYES HEALTHY.                      

Many eye diseases can’t be avoided (like born blind) but there are many diseases that could have been avoided through prevention tactics in what you eat and in what you practice as your daily habits.  For example some that could be prevented if not slowed down or suppressed in the intensity of the disease can be Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Cataracts, Dry Eye Syndrome and more.

Factors that also influence how our eyes turn out are:

–Being overweight or obese is a factor that increases your risk of developing diabetes and other systemic conditions which can lead to vision loss, such as diabetic eye disease (macular degeneration) or even glaucoma.  If  you’re having trouble maintaining a healthy weight, talk to your doctor or go to my website with Dr. Anderson available to help you understand how the body works with calories/sugars, carbohydrates, starches, fats, and sugars; with understanding how portions of meals work with digestion and how it can put weight on the body. 

If you do a lot of work daily on a computer or on any one thing, your eyes may forget to blink or get very fatigued, so attempt to do every 20 minutes looking away from the computer or one thing your focused on for hours (like at work) for 20 seconds.  This helps your eyes in reducing eyestrain (it is an actually an exercise for the eye).                                                                          

–Clean your hands and your contact lenses properly.  This is to avoid local infection in the eye.  Always wash your hands before putting in and taking out the contact lenses.  Follow your doctors and contact lenses website in keeping your eyes healthy and safe with using their service for your lenses.                                                                                                                                     

–Practice workplace eye safety as their organization policy and procedure states but also use common sense with wearing eye goggles when doing work around the house that puts you at risk for eye damage (like weed whacking, painting, using saws etc…)

How do you go about this if you need help in knowing what good foods of all the 4 food groups are, with knowing how to lose weight permanently without going on diets for 3 or 6 or 24 months than gaining it all back again including knowing how the body works with 3 meals a day as opposed to 6 small meals a day (one of them being a meat and vegetable meal that is lean in fat and green in vegetables with other colorful veggies added to it if you want) and understanding how the average American eats (especially with fast foods on a regular basis) with disease?  Did you know you get a physician (Dr. Anderson) and a health coach (me a RN 25 years plus) for FREE?

Go to healthyusa.tsfl.com and there you will learn the answers to all these questions you have and if you decide to become a member after viewing over what we have to offer to you with the viewing for no charge, no prescription, no obligation, and no hacking site!  Our country needs to live healthier and you can get started through this site and eventually become independent or even stay with us but you make all the choices, no one else.  You might be so happy with what you see you’ll even spread the good cheer and pass on the knowledge to family and friends making our country healthier.  We have to start somewhere.  Our health care system is in a disaster but gradually improving and lets add to improving it for us now and ten years from now and for future generations to decrease the amount of disease and illness in our country with giving our government a reason to decrease the price in our health care system (including insurances).  I hope you take a peek at healthyusa.tsfl.com and come aboard with me and so many others in trying to get healthier for themselves including helping others in America and far.  By the way I have lost 22 pounds and love the food.  Take a look, it doesn’t cost you anything. Why not?  Please if you have any diseases or illnesses on your mind with questions that you have let me know in my comment section and I will personally try to make it the next article if not sometime that week.  Thank you for reading my post.

Let’s get healthier in America!  We need to decrease disease and illness with decreasing our expenditure in the health care system (including insurance prices).  One way in doing that is getting healthy, if we all took part it would decrease or lower our disease and illness percentage more in America.  To do that we have to become better in our diets and health habits for us now, our children later and future generations who will have a harder economy to live in then.  Let us all learn about diseases and illnesses and how to prevent them.  Go to my blog striveforgoodhealth.com and for free learn each day about the ones I discuss.  Today’s article is on the EYES.  Take a peek;)

Its a progressive bonedisease that is characterised by a decrease in bone mass and density and that leads to an increased risk of fracture.In osteoporosis, the ^{bone mineral density (BMD) is reduced, bone microarchitecture deteriorates, and the amount and variety of proteins in bone are altered.}

Osteoporosis causes bones to become weak and brittle —- so brittle that a fall or even mild stresses like bending over or coughing can cause a fracture.  Osteoporosis-related fractures most commonly occur in the hip, wrist or spine.  Bone is living tissue, which is constantly being absorbed and replaced.  Osteoporosis occurs when the creation of new bone doesn’t keep up with the removal of old bone.  Osteoporosis affects men and women of all races; but white and Asian women–especially after menopause–are at highest risk.  Medications, healthy diet and weight bearing exercise can help prevent bone loss or strengthen already weak bones.

A weight bearing exercise is any exercise that has your legs and feet holding all of your weight. An example of this would be walking, yoga or even dancing.

The form of osteoporosis most common in women after menopause is referred to as primary type 1 or postmenopausal osteoporosis.  Primary type 2 osteoporosis or senile osteoporosis occurs after the age 75 and is seen in both females and males at a ratio of 2:1.  Secondary osteoporosis may arise at any age and affect men and women equally.  This form of results from chronic predisposing medical problems or disease, or prolonged usage of medications such as glucocorticoids, when the disease is called steroid or glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

The risk of osteoporosis fractures can be reduced with lifestyle changes and in those with previous osteoporosis related fractures medications. Lifestyle change includes diet, exercise, and preventing falls.  The utility of calcium and vitamin D is questionable in most.  Bisphosphonates are useful in those with previous fractures from osteoporosis but are of minimal benefit in those who have osteoporosis but no previous fractures.  Osteo- porosis is a component of the frailty syndrome.

Take the problem of Astronauts with osteoporosis:

Space travel has made it widely known that a stay outside the atmosphere – and thus outside the earth’s gravitational influence – disturbs the metabolism irreparably: the human body does not need any hard bones in zero-gravity, which leads to decalcification. A four year study of the ‘International Space Station’ showed that the bones of astronauts　did not regenerate after even one year past their return to earth.

Anti-gravitational  training is the key to osteoporosis if you can handle it (like jumping on a trampeline)  Actual studies show that physical anti-gravitational activity helps the effected patients to regain their mobility and lessen the risk of bone fractures .

Benefits of exercise:

Women who have been physically active throughout their lives generally have stronger bones than do women who have led more sedentary lives. But it’s never too late to start exercising. For postmenopausal women, regular physical activity can:

Increase your muscle strength

Improve your balance

Make you better able to carry out daily tasks and activities

Maintain or improve your posture

Relieve or decrease pain

Improve your sense of well-being

Exercising if you have osteoporosis means finding the safest, most enjoyable activities for you given your overall health and amount of bone loss. There’s no one-size-fits-all prescription.

Before you start exercising do the following:

Consult your doctor before starting any exercise program for osteoporosis. You may need some tests done first, including:

Bone density measurement

Fitness assessment

In the meantime, think about what kind of activities you enjoy most. If you choose an exercise you enjoy, you’re more likely to stick with it over time.

“Maintaining a healthy weight and eating a healthful diet are major factors in preventing heart disease.   These heart-friendly recipes are low in cholesterol, saturated fat and refined starches, high in fiber, and full of nutritious vegetables, fruits, nuts, lean proteins and healthy fats.”

LifeScript.com healthy living for women