The information provided on this page is for general educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Any concerns or questions regarding your health, a medical diagnosis, or treatment should be discussed with a licensed health care provider.
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Health News from the CDC and other Science Agencies
Recommended Upper Limits of Table Salt:
Less than 2300 mg/day under age 50 (ONE teaspoon).
less than 1500 mg/day for ages 50-70, people with hypertension !
less than 1200 mg/day for age 70 and higher
Read complete discussion in the blog.
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A report from our Medical Director:
Barbara Carroll, M.D., CMD
Medical Director
Broadmead
Cold and Flu season
As the flu season approaches, there are some things you can all do to prepare for it. First, get your flu shot which we hope to give in early October. It is also a good idea to stock up on the essentials you might need if you do get sick. I would include in this list, clear fluids (broth, juices, soda, tea, jello, popsicles, etc.), chicken noodle soup, cough syrup (Robitussin DM), cough drops, Tylenol, and saline nose spray. It is important to increase your fluid intake if you have a fever, runny nose or productive cough, all of which cause you to lose more fluids than normal.
Some herbal teas I find useful are “Throat Coat” and “Herbatussin”, both made by a company called Traditional Medicinals and found at Wegman’s or natural food stores. Both of these teas as well as some cough drops contain slippery elm bark which your grandmother would have recognized as an old time remedy for coughs and sore throats. It works by loosening up phlegm so you can cough it up more easily. I keep a supply of both teas in OPD if you would like to try a sample. You should not use the Herbatussin tea if you have liver or gallbladder problems.
I am a big fan of salt water nose spray to help nasal congestion and post-nasal drip. You can buy it in the store or prepare it yourself by mixing ¼ teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of warm water. Use an eye dropper to squirt the salt water in each nostril with your head tilted back and sniff it down into your throat to swallow it or spit it out. You can also gargle with any leftover salt water. There are also two systems available to flush out your sinuses using salt water called Sinucleanse (www.sinucleanse.com) and a neti pot (www.netipot.org). The advantages of salt water nose spray over a decongestant nose spray are that salt water is also anti-bacterial and you will not get rebound nasal congestion when you stop it. You can also get salt water in a gel form, called Ayr nasal gel, to use in your nose which lasts longer.
If you do develop cold or flu symptoms, please stay home so you do not infect others and call OPD to get trays. Also, call OPD if you have a fever, cough productive of yellow phlegm, shortness of breath, or chest pain on taking a deep breath. If we all pay attention to these measures, hopefully we will all get through this flu season with a minimum of complications. Two good web sites for further information are www.flufacts.com and www.flu.gov.
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Public Health News
The following links from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention provide important information about the H1N1 virus (Swine Flu).
Information for Specific Groups
Prevent Swine Flu - by Dr. Vinay Goyal, MBBS, DRM, DNB.***
The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.
While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):
1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).
2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).
3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.
4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*
5.. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.
6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.
***Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS, DRM, DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist) having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital ,Bombay Hospital , Saifee Hospital , Tata Memorial etc.. Presently, he is heading our Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad (The information provided on this page is for general educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Any concerns or questions regarding your health, a medical diagnosis, or treatment should be discussed with a licensed health care provider.
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