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Hope you got your flu shot!  A new study has found that common infections -- even if they don't make you sick -- may be linked to declines in brain function, like memory and reasoning.  Merely being exposed to these infections can put you at risk. According to Medical News Today, scientists  studied brain function tests and blood sample results from 588 older adults who took part in the Northern Manhattan Study, a research project examining stroke and stroke risk factors in the Northern Manhattan community. Half of the participants repeated the brain function tests after a 5-year interval. The results showed "links between antibody levels caused by exposure to common infections and worsening cognitive performance in functions like memory, planning and reasoning ability, speed of mental processing and abstract thinking," the Web site reports. The common infections the researchers studied included  Chlamydia pneumoniae  (which can lead to  pneumonia ...

Great. Just what we needed to know.   Fever-reducing meds for the flu may actually spread it.  "New research from McMaster University has discovered that the widespread use of medications that contain fever-reducing drugs may lead to tens of thousands more influenza cases, and more than a thousand deaths attributable to influenza, each year across North America," according to newswise.com.  And guess what?  The drugs they're talking about include ibuprofen, acetaminophen and acetylsalicylic acid. “When they have flu, people often take medication that reduces their fever. No one likes to feel miserable, but it turns out that our comfort might be at the cost of infecting others,” the Web site quotes lead author David Earn, an investigator. He explains that,b ecause fever can actually help lower the amount of virus in a sick person's body and reduce the chance of transmitting disease to others, "taking drugs that reduce fever can increase transmission. We’ve ...

It's probably not a surprise but almost 50% of the people hospitalized for the flu  this season are obese, not just because they are overweight but because of what obesity does to the immune system.  Acoording to USA Today, t he reported percentage of obese patients hospitalized is "a high number," Elizabeth Weise quotes Zack Moore, a medical epidemiologist with the North Carolina Division of Public Health in Raleigh, N.C. "In previous years it's usually in the 20s and 30% range." But it's just those who are overweight.  This season's flu is also hospitalizing more pregnant women than normal. So far this season 22% of hospitalized patients are pregnant, whereas 4.6% is the norm, Bresee told Weise. Researchers aren't entirely sure why these groups may be so strongly at risk, but believe it might be linked to immunological effects, Bresee added. Both obesity and pregnancy are known to alter the immune response. They also both tend to result i...

My husband swears by it.  Exercising every day, even when you're sick.  I sort of subscribe to that, too.  But a new study says exercising while ill is just, well, sick. Newswise.com quotes k inesiology professor Karin Richards, at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, who says that "many people tend to ignore their symptoms to keep on track with their fitness resolutions for the New Year."  But, she points out, working out while under the weather can actually do more harm than good for individuals looking to shed a few pounds and adopt healthier lifestyles. “Depending on where a person experiences symptoms of illness can make or break his or her workout and recovery,” said Richards, acting chair of the Department of Kinesiology, at newswise.com. “For instance, those who experience above the neck symptoms such as stuffy noses and sneezing are generally fine to continue their exercise routine. However, those with symptoms below the neck such as a fever, nau...

Did you get a flu shot ?  For the first time in eight years, I didn't this year, I know, I know, you can get the flu from the flu shot and if you're allergic to eggs . . . Say what? It's just not true, says  Dr. Jennifer Caudle, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, at newswise.com.  “Every year, it’s the same battle,” Caudle writes on her website. “Every year, I urge my patients to get the influenza vaccine. And every year, they come up with a bucketful of excuses.” Perhaps the most common myth associated with the vaccine is that the shot can actually cause the flu. In her article, Caudle recounts that, when she was a medical student, she became ill a few days after receiving her shot. She notes, however, that it is simply not possible to get influenza from the flu, explaining that, in her case, she may have contracted the virus before the vaccination took full effect or she likely had another type of virus that caused flu-like symptoms, the Web site r...

According to newswise.com, it's now safe for kids even with egg allergies to get a flu shot.   All doctors have to do is observe the child for 30 minutes after getting the shot, much like the procedure for any kind of allergy shot, the Web site reports.  It's also important to "have the shot under the care of a primary care provider, if the reaction to eating eggs is only hives, or an allergist, if the reaction to eating eggs is more serious." Used to be, kids with egg allergies -- even grown-ups -- were warned away from the flu shot because it is prepared with eggs. But, “In a large number of research studies published over the last several years, thousands of egg allergic children, including those with a severe life-threatening reaction to eating eggs, have received injectable influenza vaccine (IIV) as a single dose without a reaction” newswise.com quotes allergist John Kelso, MD, fellow of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). “The...

Thinking of having an echocardiogram to ferret out those chest pains?  Or an annual pap smear, if you're a 30-to-65-year-old woman?  Or a CT scan of your son's head after he falls off his bike? Fuhgaddeaboutit.  A new study has found that doctors are saying that everything from using feeding tubes in people with advanced dementia to CT scans for minor head injuries is not necessary and should not be done, according to a story by Bruce Japsen at forbes.com. He writes that doctors themselves recognize the lack of necessity for many tests that have been routinely done for decades.  In fact, Japsen writes, they've come up with 90 tests that we're all better off not having. On the same topic, flu shots arenot working in patients over 65, the most vulnerable age group.  Mike Stobbe of the Associated Press reports that, "the vaccine is proving only 9 percent effective in those 65 and older against the harsh strain of the flu that is predominant this sea...

Are there really things you can eat to ward off the flu? Some docs think so.  Believe it or not, zinc-rich foods like seafood, chicken and red meat.  Though who wants to think about a nice juicy burger when your throat's so sore even water hurts.  Probably the worst thing about the flu?  Forget those hot toddies.  Absolutely no alcohol. http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/01/17/what-foods-to-seek-or-avoid-during-cold-and-flu-season/

Here's a horrifying fact.  You're far more likely to get the flu from your doctor and his staff than you are the public.  That's because, according to Judith Graham, posting at nytimes.com/newoldage, only 60 percent of healthcare workers get the vaccine. This includes my husband, a dentist, who's cavalier about getting sick (though a recent cold made him whimper like a baby and he wound up giving strep to our son).  All I know is, he better not bring it home to me! http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/11/as-flu-rages-caregiving-suffers/