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

Tamiflu is one of the medicines recognized by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as effective in treating the new strain of the A/H1N1 swine flu virus that has spread across the world from a recent outbreak in Mexico.

Given the sudden surge in demand, you are unlikely to find it in the shelves of the physical pharmacies, but you can get them from online pharmacies, because they are more efficiently connected with their supply sources.

Here’s the link for a reliable and best-priced online pharmacy to buy Tamiflu online.
http://www.drugdelivery.ca/s3353-s-TAMIFLU-114854-s.aspx

Here are some details:

Tamiflu (also known as Oseltamivir) is an antiviral, used to treat disorders caused by viruses.

Tamiflu Indications

Tamiflu is recommended in the case of flu viruses (it can treat influenza A and influenza B.)
Tamiflu also eases the ailments that accompany flu (like weakness, cough, headache, fever, sore throat).
Tamiflu could prevent the flu onset even if the patient has been exposed to someone who suffers from it.

Tamiflu Warnings

Before starting a Tamiflu treatment you should inform your doctor if you are allergic to any of the drug’s components.
Tamiflu has caused birth defects when tested on pregnant animals (it hasn’t been tested on pregnant women). Therefore if you are carrying a baby or are planning to be pregnant soon you should not start a Tamiflu treatment without consulting your doctor.
Tamiflu can pass into breast milk. It is advisable that a nursing mother should ask a doctor before starting a treatment with the drug.
If you are suffering from any of the following disorders, inform your doctor before starting a treatment with Tamiflu:

• Kidney ailments
• Heart problems
• Viral infections besides influenza A/B
• Liver diseases
• Lung Problems
• Other important medical problems

Tamiflu Intake Guidelines

• Check the expiration date of the drug before taking Tamiflu (always do this as the first step)
  
• Though Tamiflu is a non-prescription medication (ie, Over the counter or OTC), follow the instructions of your doctor  regarding your treatment with Tamiflu.
• Tamiflu is not a stomach irritant, so you can take it without eating first (although it is recommended that it should not be taken on an empty stomach.)
• Tamiflu treatment lasts at least 5 days (it must not be stopped even if the patient feels better) — take the full course, and continue for as long as the doctor says.
• If you are using Tamiflu oral suspension you must accurately measure your doses of the drug in order to prevent overdosage. The bottle that contains Tamiflu suspension should be well shaken before use.

Tamiflu Dosage

In the case of the influenza treatment, the correct dosage of Tamiflu would be:

• 75 mg of the drug for adults (twice a day from 1 to 5 days)
• 30-75 mg of the drug for children (twice a day from 1 to 5 days). The correct dose of Tamiflu depends on the patient’s body weight.
• Correct dose of the drug for children should be set by a pediatrician.

In the case of influenza’s prophylactic treatment, the dosage would be:

• 75 mg of Tamiflu for adults (once a day, from 1 to 7 days)
• Correct dose of the drug for children should be set by a pediatrician.

For children 1 year or older or for adults who can’t swallow a Tamiflu capsule, the usual oral dose of the drug’s oral suspension is:

Tamiflu Side Effects

A treatment with Tamiflu can result in several side effects such as:

• Phlegm production
• Cough
• Wheezing
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Stomach upsets
• Stomach cramps
• Nosebleed (this occurs most commonly in the case of children)
• Eye itching
• Eye redness
• Eye swelling and sometimes an excessive tear production
• Skin flushing
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Dizziness

The patient could experience other side effects of Tamiflu (if they are bothersome or intolerable the patient should stop his Tamiflu treatment and ask for his doctor’s advice regarding the issues).

Till a specific Swine flu vaccine becomes commercially available around September 2009, Tamiflu is the one of the best possible medication to combat the A/H1N1 swine flu virus as of now.

Here’s the link for a reliable and best-priced online pharmacy to buy Tamiflu online.
http://www.drugdelivery.ca/s3353-s-TAMIFLU-114854-s.aspx

Here’s a brief video interview with two doctors.

Chronic fatigue syndrome can affect any sex, race or socioeconomic class, however. And although CFS is much less common in children than in adults, children can develop the illness, particularly during the teen years. Chronic fatigue syndrome is a condition which can affect people of all ages. Although it is much better understood now, the causes are still not known and the effects vary from person to person.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a serious health-care problem with a prevalence of up to 3%. Based on research, it appears that Chronic fatigue syndrome is 3 times more common in women than in men. If some treatment is not done, then it can lead to depression and helplessness.

The causes are still not known and the effects vary from person to person.

Chronic fatigue syndrome treatment is possible. But its a diagnosis of exclusion. So it means excluding all other possibilities. A clinical psychologist may be needed as well, so that a proper evaluation can be done. For correct Chronic Fatigue Syndrome diagnosis, a patient must meet the following two criteria:

1) have severe chronic fatigue for 6 months or longer with other known medical conditions excluded by clinical diagnosis. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a state of fatigue lasting six months or longer and is a term given to a variety of debilitating disorders whose cause in uncertain.

2) at the same time, have four or more of the following symptoms:

• substantial loss of short-term memory or concentration, or difficulty in thinking
• sore throat
• tender lymph nodes
• muscle pain
• multi joint pain without swelling or redness
• headaches of a new type, pattern, or severity
• non-refreshing sleep
• discomfort after physical activity that lasts more than 24 hours.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is an illness characterized by persistent medically unexplained fatigue.

Initial symptoms mimic the flu: on physical examination, patients may have nonspecific findings such as low-grade fever and redness of the throat, but frequently no abnormalities are found.

When a patient has symptoms of fatigue and the doctor suspects CFS, the tests begin – physical exam, blood tests, urine tests, a mental status exam and a fatigue or symptom inventory. Chronic fatigue syndrome is associated with chronic entero virus infection of the stomach. Enterovirus VP1, RNA and non-cytopathic viruses were detected in the stomach biopsies of CFS patients with chronic abdominal complaints.

You need an extraordinary healing system to defeat chronic fatigue syndrome because CFS is no ordinary disease. Chronic fatigue syndrome is a stressful disease. It is important to get emotional support as well as treatment for your symptoms, and it really helps to reduce the work load and take a step back and focus more on the individual needs for some time, till full energy and strength are regained.

• Because they can become quickly weakened and/or disoriented due to lack of oxygen, it is up to you as caretaker to initiate an immediate asthma attack treatment.
• A severe asthma attack gives the sensation and panic of drowning, even though they are not under any water.
• Asthma Attack Treatment Must Be Immediate. Don’t delay treatment, call for help.

Asthma First Aid

• Make sure the patient is sitting up.
• Smile.  Appear calm and cool.  Don’t shout, unless absolutely necessary.
• Get the inhaler and a spacer, if possible.  Shake the inhaler.  Most asthma patients carry their inhalers with them on their person all of the time.  Have them take a puff, count to four, and then take another puff up to four puffs.
• Wait four minutes.
• If no improvement, try the puffing again.
• If still no improvement, call an ambulance.  They need hospitalization.

But, What If This Is A First Attack?

The asthma attack treatment is a little different when it’s the patient’s first asthma attack ever.  Since they didn’t know the attack was coming, they will not have any kind of inhalers on them.  The NAC of Australia recommends this first asthma attack treatment first aid:

• Don’t delay. Call an ambulance immediately.
• Ask if anyone around has an inhaler.  Use anyone’s inhaler.  This is not the time to show brand loyalty.
• Shake the offered inhaler.
• Have the patient puff, then fire the inhaler while patient does best at a deep inhale.
• Have patient hold breath for 4 seconds.
• Have patient try to take four normal breaths.
• Repeat until ambulance arrives.

Other Advice for Asthma Attack Treatment:

There are many things the asthma patient and his or her relative/significant other/roommate/whatever can ease the danger of a sudden attack, even if the other person is not around.

• One option is to get a bracelet or necklace saying that you have asthma.
• Another is to take your medication and follow your doctor’s orders.
• And, if you smoke, then you really need to cut back or stop.  You really don’t have an option.  Not only are you clogging up your lungs, but the smokes will most likely interfere with all of your asthma and/or bronchitis medications.

Of course things like common cold etc keep happening, but its the bigger things you have to guard against.

Is it true that pregnancy tend to contract bronchitis?

Yes, it is likely for pregnant women to get bronchitis, because during pregnancy, the uterus expands to provide more room for the growing baby.  However, this causes other organs, such as the lungs, to be compressed/pressured.  This often leads to more sinus infections in pregnant women—and sinus infections can lead to bronchitis.

• The simultaneous occurrence of bronchitis and pregnancy often inhibits the woman’s ability to breathe, which is dangerous for the baby’s health and development.
• Usually antibiotics or drugs would be the quick fix for this situation.  However, pregnant women must be careful about which drugs they take, because these too can damage the baby’s health.
• Anytime a pregnant woman is considering taking medicine of any kind, she needs to work very closely with her doctor to determine what is best for her health.

How To Avoid Bronchitis During Pregnancy? 

Here are some steps to take. First of all, women who are pregnant should avoid being around people with colds or bronchitis.  This means think twice before getting into crowded metros. Additionally, if a woman is pregnant during the flu season (December through March), then she should get the flu vaccine to protect herself from serious cases of pneumonia or influenza.

The basic difference between bronchitis and pneumonia is that bronchitis is primarily an inflammation of the air passageways called bronchi that lead from the trachea to the lungs. With pneumonia, there is an actual infection of the lungs with the alveoli (air sacs) filling up with fluid or pus, causing breathing problems.

Understanding the Differences in Bronchitis and Pnemonia

• Both bronchitis and pnemonia can start out innocuous enough from a cold or even an allergy.
• With bronchitis, you may develop a dry cough in the beginning but within a day or two you could have a moister cough which may bring up clear, yellowish or green phlegm.
• With pneumonia, the cough comes up from the lungs and may be green or spotted with blood.
• In terms of fever, you may get a mild one with bronchitis but pneumonia will usually cause you to have a higher fever of about 101?F or higher.
• In addition, the best way to determine pneumonia is to have a doctor x-ray your chest area. Bronchitis will present clear lungs while pneumonia will show signs of infection.

In treating bronchitis and pneumonia, it is also important to know whether they were caused by a virus or bacteria.

• Often, the doctor will test the mucus for signs of bacteria as well as conduct a blood test to verify things. When it comes to a bacterial infection, treating bronchitis and pneumonia will usually be through various forms of antibiotics.
• The blood and phlegm test will help doctors pinpoint what type of bacteria is present so that the proper antibiotic treatment can be chosen.

Treating Bronchitis and Pnemonia when Caused by a Virus

When a virus is the cause of these respiratory illnesses, there is no drug that can help so the infection has to run its course.

With bronchitis, it may take a week or two to clear up the infection and start feeling more normal. However, with pneumonia, the time frame could be several months because lungs take longer to heal.

• Treating bronchitis and pneumonia caused by viruses usually boils down to the symptoms. You can treat the symptoms and provide yourself some relief while the illness runs its course.
• Some remedies that can be used when treating bronchitis and pneumonia include breathing in steam several times a day either through a shower or vaporizer and drinking plenty of fluids like water, juice and soup which work to thin the mucus so that it can be expelled easier.
• Oxygen treatments may be necessary for viral pneumonia sufferers when breathing becomes labored or difficult.

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

Fortunately, there have been significant developments in the treatment of asthma in children.

Asthma in children affects children the same way this condition affects adults. The airways in the human body are constricted when an asthma attack occurs.

It often results in wheezing and a whistling sound when breathing. Asthma can also make the child feel as if their chest is very tight, and they often have a coughing spell.  It creates fear in children because they think they might die.

Asthma in children is the result of the same conditions as asthma in adults. Excessively hot, cold or moist air is often the trigger that causes an asthma attack. Smoke in the atmosphere can trigger an asthma attack in children and adults. Strenuous work or play can bring on an asthma attack.

Asthma In Children Can Be Controlled

There have been some significant developments that provide freedom for children affected by asthma. There are some great inhalers that children can use on their own if they have an asthma attack. These inhalers can be put in their pocket or backpack to be pulled out to relieve the symptoms of an attack. These inhalers provide security to children who might be worried that they could have an attack at any time.

There are also medications for asthma in children. These medications have been developed through expert medical research, and the treatments continue to improve. These treatments make the use of the inhalers less frequent.

Stress is often a cause of asthma, and the worry of having an attack can add stress to the lives of young children.

The medications and inhalers reduce the worry that young children might feel because of previous asthma attacks. Most young children today can live a fully independent life without worrying that they will have trouble breathing because of asthma.

Please read this as a guide and not as a medical opinion on your case.

Definition: Chronic Bronchitis is the result of inflamed air passageways but its similarity to acute bronchitis ends there. The chronic bronchitis can lead to disability and sometimes death when not treated properly or not diagnosed early.

Causes of Chronic Bronchitis

The cause of chronic bronchitis is the inhalation of substance in the air by the patients.

• The most common of these substances is smoke from cigarettes or tobacco.
• Other irritants to the bronchi and trachea that may lead to the chronic kind of bronchitis are air pollution, molds, dust and chemical fumes.

Medical practitioners usually diagnose an individual with chronic bronchitis by observing the patient’s symptoms and listening for indications of narrowed passageways in the lungs through a stethoscope.

Another way of diagnosing chronic bronchitis is to have a sputum culture to be able to identify the bacteria found there. This will help the doctor determine the course of action he will take to give the patient treatment to kill the bacteria.

A lung function test can also determine how much of your lungs you are using. The test can enable the medical practitioner to know how much air gets into your lungs. It is a painless test that is delivered very quickly with the use of a spirometer.

Treating chronic bronchitis may depend on the stage of the disease and the presence of other sickness or problems.

Patients are usually directed to stop smoking and to avoid second hand smoke and other pollutants and anti-inflammatory drugs are given to the patient to improve air passage to the lungs.

Changing to a healthy diet can also help improve the patient’s overall health and immune system.

If the lung function is anywhere below 80 percent then it is a good indication of chronic bronchitis or some other form of lung disease.

Please read this as a guide and not as a medical opinion on your case.

After a few days of that dry, wheezy cough, you will realize something is not right. Though this could be the symptom of many diseases or illnesses, it is most commonly a symptom of acute bronchitis.

Knowing what the symptoms of acute bronchitis are can help you to recognize your illness sooner, and prevent it from progressing into the more serious chronic bronchitis.

When To Expect The Symptoms Of Acute Bronchitis

It is good to know when symptoms of acute bronchitis usually occur. This will help you to look for warning signs of acute bronchitis. The symptoms typically begin about three to four days after an upper respiratory infection. If you have recently had a cold or a nasty case of the flu, then you should be on the look out for symptoms of acute bronchitis.

So What Are The Symptoms?

There are several common symptoms of acute bronchitis. The symptoms usually last for about two to three weeks. The main symptom of bronchitis is a cough. The cough might start out dry, but after a few days the cough usually progresses into a productive cough. This means it is bringing up mucus from the lungs, which may be yellow, green, or clear.

Although a cough is the main symptom of acute bronchitis, there are other symptoms as well. These symptoms include: fatigue, a mild fever, hoarseness, feeling short of breath, a tight or painful feeling in the chest, and wheezing.

When The Condition Becomes Chronic

Typically, acute bronchitis goes away after a few weeks by itself. However, if the case of bronchitis does not go away, then this means it might have progressed into chronic bronchitis. A form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic bronchitis is typically found in smokers and people with other health problems.

Preventing Complications

If the symptoms of acute bronchitis are not recognized, the condition could develop and lead to other health complications. There are several complications that could possibly result from an undiagnosed and untreated case of acute bronchitis, including: pneumonia, sinusitis, cystic fibrosis, and repeated episodes of bacterial acute bronchitis.

A Mild Case

It is easier to diagnose a condition if you have some idea of what the symptoms are. Knowing the symptoms of acute bronchitis will allow you to recognize your condition and seek treatment before the condition becomes chronic or complicated.