Why is novel H1N1 virus called “swine flu”? This virus was originally called “swine flu” because laboratory testing showed that many of the genes in this new virus were very similar to influenza viruses that normally occur in pigs in North America.

But further study has shown that this new virus is very different from what normally circulates in North American pigs. It has two genes from flu viruses that normally circulate in pigs in Europe and Asia and avian genes and human genes. Scientists call this a “quadruple reassortant” virus.

Though the initial media spotlight has gone from Swine Flu, what we can see is that the virus is now spreading at a brisk speed. A critical threshold will be reached when we have a million cases of this flu, and it can spread very rapidly from there on. Its a dangerous partner coming along with the current economic recession.

US CDC Update 7/24/09: 43,771 cases of novel H1N1 flu, 302 deaths, 55 states/territories affected in USA alone. There are over 300,000 cases worldwide, and we are getting about 5000 new cases every week!

Tamiflu is one of the only medication used in the treatment of those infected by this Swine Flu/ H1N1 virus and its supplies are rapidly falling due to huge global demand. To buy Tamiflu online and protect your family, please go here: http://www.drugdelivery.ca/wholesale-tamiflu-114854.aspx

And there are times when a cold may become something worse, so the question of the day is how do you know you have bronchitis instead of a lingering cold.

Question: How Do You Know You Have Bronchitis? What are the Key Symptoms?

Often, a cold is the first step in developing bronchitis so some cold symptoms will also be present in bronchitis. Identifying the current cough as something more than just a part of a cold — is the complex part of detecting if you have bronchitis.

• With colds, your cough may be rather dry with no expulsion of phlegm or mucus. However, with bronchitis, the coughs are moist, producing yellow or green sputum.

• Another symptom for bronchitis is wheezing and chest pain — ie behind the sternum (breast bone). When your bronchial tubes are inflamed, they are producing mucus which creates a rattling, wheezing noise when you breathe. Of course, the pain in the chest occurs from repeated coughing as well as from the bronchial tube inflammation.

• Fatigue and fever are two additional signs that can show how you know you do have bronchitis. Chronic coughing can take a toll on your body causing tiredness while fever is common when you body is fighting an infection. Of course, these two symptoms are also prevalent in pneumonia as well.

Question: How do you know you if you have bronchitis instead of pneumonia?

For that you can get chest x-ray or “Bronchoscopy” at the hospital or doctor’s office. The x-rays will reveal clear lungs with bronchitis, but infection is will be visible in the lungs of a pneumonia patient.

Question: What are the Treatment Options?

Once you know that you do have bronchitis, specific treatment can be started.

• If the cause is a bacteria, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics. A blood test and sample of the phlegm/sputum can show how you know you do have bronchitis caused by bacteria.
• If the cause is a virus (and this seems to be more common) you can’t solve it with antibiotics (as you may know already), and you just have to wait and let the illness run its course. However, you could still ease your symptoms like the inhalation of steam, consuming plenty of fluids and taking a pain reliever for those body aches.

Question: How can I prevent it from coming in future?

That’s very difficult give that we live in a society and we have to constantly interact with people. Even if your body is able to Once you have become better, think about future. The best defense is preventative maintenance like hand washing and avoiding disease prone areas. Regular exercise can keep your respiratory system in good shape for

While Bronchitis and Sinus Infection may share a few symptoms, for the most part, these illnesses occur in different parts of the body and therefore can be quite distinctive.

Bronchitis or Sinus Infection – The Differences

With bronchitis, your airways, also known as bronchial tubes, which lead from the trachea to the lungs, become inflamed due to irritants and infection. Bronchitis typically produces a cough in which phlegm is expelled. If a virus is the cause then no drugs are available to fight the viruses off. Occasionally, bacterial infections can be blamed for causing bronchitis.

In determining bronchitis or sinus infection, a sinus infection occurs when the hollow cavities around your eyes and cheekbones called sinuses become inflamed. This inflammation is typically due to inadequate drainage of mucus and fluids due to colds, infections, allergies and even physical deformities of the nose like a deviated septum. The primary symptoms of a sinus infection include some coughing when drainage occurs in the back of the throat as well as discolored nasal discharge, tenderness in the eye and facial area, aching teeth, fatigue, eye swelling, headaches and more.

Similar Treatment works for Bronchitis or Sinus Infection

When a bacterial infection is the cause of bronchitis or sinus infection, both conditions require a course of antibiotics as treatment. In addition, some of the home remedies used to ease the pain and discomfort of bronchitis or sinus infection will be the same too.

With both conditions, the inhalation of steam from a hot shower or a vaporizer alleviates some symptoms, only in different ways. The steam loosens the mucus lining the bronchial tubes to ease breathing and coughing in bronchitis whereas with sinus infections, the steam helps loosen nasal congestion so that you can blow your nose and expel the mucus in that manner.

For bronchitis or sinus infection, you could also eat spicy foods to help loosen and thin mucus thereby giving your body an easier way of expelling it. With bronchitis, the mucus is loosened in the chest area while mucus in the head area is loosened in sinus infections. And paying more attention to cleanliness by washing your hands and avoiding other sick people can go a long way in preventing both illnesses.

As you can see, there is little confusion in determining bronchitis or sinus infection. While each condition afflicts different parts of the body, similar treatments can help clear up both conditions.

How Bronchitis Occurs

As mentioned above, bronchitis often manifests itself on the tail end of a cold and therefore is most likely caused by a virus rather than bacteria. When a viral infection is the cause of bronchitis, antibiotics do not help this condition. In children, symptoms of bronchitis present themselves after a cold or even the flu and can even be the result of the measles or whooping cough.

Prolonged exposure to secondhand smoke from cigarettes and other tobacco products can lower the immune system of children, inviting more colds, thus inviting bronchitis as well. Heavy allergens in the air and even air pollution can be contributing factors of this respiratory illness.

Symptoms of Bronchitis in Children

Symptoms of bronchitis in children typically start with the common cold, so sore throat, coughing, mild fever and runny nose are all signs. You will also notice that with the cough that accompanies a cold, it may start off dry but as it turns moist, it could be a sure sign of bronchitis developing.

Other symptoms of bronchitis in children include shortness of breath and even some wheezing. Keep in mind however that asthma also shares these symptoms so only a doctor using a stethoscope to listen to the child’s lungs can make an accurate diagnosis.

Treatment and Recovery for Children with Bronchitis

With the onset of symptoms of bronchitis in children, you should immediately make an appointment with the doctor to determine that bronchitis is indeed the culprit. In many cases, a virus is the cause so you should do what you can to ease the symptoms of bronchitis in children to make them more comfortable, which in turn speeds up the recovery process.

Fluids such as water, juice and warm soup are all great at soothing the cough as well as thinning the mucus secretions so that they are easier to expel. Occasionally, body aches and mild fever could occur so a children’s pain reliever could be administered.

Steam from a shower or vaporizer also eases the symptoms of bronchitis in children and can be administered several times a day as needed.

For the most part, bronchitis clears up within five days to a week. However, if the symptoms of bronchitis in children last longer or recur frequently, a doctor can determine if there is an underlying condition which could be contributing to the problem.

A drug treatment of acute bronchitis may not work if the infection was caused by something viral. In this instance, the only thing you can do is alleviate the symptoms and make yourself comfortable while the virus-caused acute bronchitis runs its course.

The only way to determine whether this respiratory illness was caused by bacteria is for the doctor to run a blood test or even test some of the phlegm that was coughed up.

Drug Treatment of Acute Bronchitis

If indeed your bronchitis was caused by bacteria, there are a few options in regards to your drug treatment of acute bronchitis.

For children, milder antibiotics such as amoxicillin and zithromax are prescribed by the doctor. This drug treatment of acute bronchitis in kids is gentler to the stomach than heartier antibiotics that are prescribed to adults.

For the adults, tetracycline, biaxin, augmentin and erythromycin are among the antibiotic types that are typical in drug treatment of acute bronchitis.

It all depends on the causative bacteria as to which antibiotic in particular is prescribed by the doctor. In some instances, a hearty strain of bacteria may be taking up residence in your bronchial tubes and therefore requires a stronger antibiotic. When this situation occurs, the drug treatment of acute bronchitis is gemiflaoxacin, a drug that targets antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

For both children and adults, decongestants may be prescribed to speed up the process of loosening up mucus for expulsion.

Another drug treatment of acute bronchitis is the prescription of bronchodilators. This family of drugs is often in the form of an inhaler and works much like medications for asthma – they help open the constricted, swollen airways going to the lungs.

Other Treatment Options

Of course, non-drug treatments exist for acute bronchitis as well. These treatments include the use of a vaporizer to breath in steam which helps loosen swollen bronchial tubes. You might try adding eucalyptus, lavender or orange essential oil to the vaporizer as these do help in promoting easier breathing.

Many non-alcoholic and decaffeinated drinks and soups are also on the non-drug treatment of acute bronchitis. The fluids help loosen the mucus so that you can expel it from your body.

In all, there are a variety of treatment options to try and only your doctor can help you with a drug treatment for acute bronchitis caused by bacteria.

Nutrients for immunity are many and include beta D Glucan, mycelial mushroom extracts, colostrums, and others. Beta Glucan mycelial mushroom extract, and colostrums, when combined with key vitamins and minerals can provide significant immune enhancement. These immune supplements vary in their action, but if they are to be taken for some time, it is essential that the immune supplement provide both stimulation and nourishment for the immune system.

Over-stimulation of the immune system over long periods of time can result in immune exhaustion. Natural immune support should be approached from a variety of ways and any targeted supplement for immune support should address all the known factors of natural immune enhancement. Beta D Glucan and mycelial mushroom extracts and colostrums can be costly, but when combined with other known nutrients for immunity, we can use less of these compounds and still achieve the maximum immune enhancement.

About the speaker: Dr. K. Steven Whiting is the founder of The Institute of Nutritional Science, with offices in the Netherlands, US and UK. Dr. Whiting is an Orthomolecular Nutritionist. His degrees include a Masters in Psychology as well as a Doctorate in Biochemistry earned at International Universities. His commitment and dedication within the nutrition field has led him into extensive research into such chronic conditions as Heart Disease, Arthritis, Diabetes, Osteoporosis, Prostrate problems, Immune System to name but a few. His website is: http://healthyinformation.com

That is why we only take the necessary precautions like routine shots to shield them away from infant diseases like meningitis, hepatitis, infant bronchitis and so much more.

Infant bronchitis is one of the most disturbing diseases for the baby and parents, and here are some of the facts that you must know about it.

It is important for you to  understand infant bronchitis because the immune system of your baby is still developing so your baby may be prone to having it.

And because your baby’s immune system is still developing that is why sometimes, common colds may be likely to happen and when colds get to spread in the lungs, infant bronchitis may occur leaving you to panic and freak out.

But on the other hand, there are certain degrees of infant bronchitis that could range from mild with no hint of symptoms of fever to something that is a severe case.

One of the symptoms that your baby may have infant bronchitis aside from him or her having colds, is that your baby shows shortness of breath or you may be hearing squeaky noises as your baby breathes.

If you see that your baby is having a difficulty with breathing or may hear these disturbing noises from him or her, you may want to immediately contact your physician for proper diagnosis and what needs to be done right away to prevent it from being a severe case and to cure it.

But one the other hand, you keep in mind that infant bronchitis is more serious as compared when it happens to a toddler.  So again, if you think that your baby has a cough or cold, even if your baby does not show any signs of fever, you must immediately contact your physician to cure the illness and prevent it from worsening.

If you do not panick and take the right steps for treating infant bronchitis, then your baby will be feeling healthy once again in no time.

Basically what happens here is that when the cells lining the bronchi are irritated, there is a problem with the actual function of the tiny hairs that normally work by trapping and eliminate things from the outside, such as dirt and debris. So once the bronchi are irritated, it is much easier for infection to be onset.

There is regular bronchitis and then there is chronic bronchitis, which is much worse. Chronic bronchitis is constant and much more severe than regular or acute bronchitis, and as well has no sudden onset so it may be in the person’s body for days or even weeks before they even notice it at all.

Chronic Bronchitis Symptoms

There are certain chronic bronchitis symptoms that you can watch out for, which will basically be a sort of warning sign that you do in fact have chronic bronchitis and that you need to get yourself checked out and treated as soon as possible.

The most common include an expectorating cough, shortness of breath, and wheezing. The problem with these chronic bronchitis symptoms is that they can often be so subtle that most people mistake them as being nothing more than symptoms of the flu or the common cold.

Therefore, they do not worry about getting checked out and typically medicate themselves, meanwhile the chronic bronchitis symptoms continue to get worse and their condition worsens as well. If left untreated, this condition can be incredibly painful and even potentially dangerous.

That is why if you experience any of the mentioned or similar symptoms, you should get yourself in to see your doctor immediately, so that they can diagnose and assess you and get you on the right path to treatment.

Treatment: There are a number of different treatment options, but almost all cases of bronchitis need at least some form of medication to expire. Antibiotics are typically what is used and as well, in order to help the bronchial tree heal as quickly as possible, it is recommended that smokers cut down on the number of cigarettes that they smoke or quit altogether if they can.

You should never try to treat a serious medical condition, such as bronchitis, without consulting a health expert of some sort.  Yet, some people don’t know who to consult when they are seeking advice on bronchitis.  Knowing the best places to get advice on bronchitis is extremely useful information.

The Best People To Know

There are many different health officials who are informed about bronchitis as part of their training, and who could give you advice on bronchitis.  These health professionals include: pediatricians, general practitioners, family medicine doctors, internists, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners.  You should know who these people are in your community and how accessible the might be in case of an emergency.

Knowing When To Contact Them

Depending on the type of bronchitis advice you need and the urgency of the situation, you will most likely need to contact a specific medical expert at a certain time.  For example, there are several warning signs that indicate you should consult a family doctor as soon as possible.

If you feel short of breath, are coughing up streaks of blood, or have a cough and fever that has lasted longer than two days, then it is important to call your doctor’s office immediately.

There are other, more urgent situations that might require you to call your emergency room.  It is important that you are able to recognize these situations so that, if an emergency should occur, you are prepared to call the correct people to seek bronchitis advice.  If you have extreme difficulty breathing, are experiencing intense chest pain, or are coughing up blood (more than just streaks), then you should call emergency services immediately.

Curiosity And Other Non-Emergencies

If you are looking for bronchitis advice regarding self-diagnosis, or another less urgent situation, then you can most likely find information on the internet.  Make sure to use accurate sources.

One informative site is the website of the American Lung Association.  This organization can provide you with accurate information and advice on bronchitis.

The amount of information and its accuracy depends on the people you know in your community.  If you seek bronchitis advice from health experts and official websites, then you will be sure to be up-to-date on the topic and prepared for almost any situation.