3 Steps to Outsmarting the Flu

By David L. Katz, MD, MPH, FACPM, FACP
Director, Yale University Prevention Research Center
Director, Integrative Medicine Center at Griffin Hospital

'Tis the season, as the saying goes, for holiday cheer. But your holidays will be a whole lot cheerier if you don’t share them with influenza! So ‘tis the season for flu prevention, too. And on that topic, I’ve got something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue that will help you outsmart the flu this year. Without further ado:

Something Old: Get Vaccinated

Get vaccinated. That really is the best tried-and-true advice there is for preventing influenza. But the road to that conclusion runs anything but straight. Let’s travel it together.

Among the roadblocks, there are, for starters, the numerous conspiracy theorists – highly loquacious on the Internet – who contend not only that flu vaccination is overtly dangerous, but that there is a systematic effort to delude the public about those dangers. Even readers who are not entirely convinced that the CDC is genocidal in its recommendation that everyone over 6 months of age be vaccinated are given pause by such allegations.

One good reason for this hesitation is that for a vaccine to do you any good, you need to get it while feeling fine. This is quite different from, say, an operation that is much more dangerous but easily justified by an obviously broken limb, plugged-up gall bladder, or occluded arteries. It can be hard to talk yourself into rolling up your sleeve and getting jabbed with a needle while feeling healthy (even if you are not particularly worried about a government conspiracy).

The truth, though, is that the influenza vaccine is many, many times safer than the flu itself. That does not mean the flu is a plague, nor that the vaccine is perfectly safe. Nothing in medicine and little in life isperfectly safe. Harm from the flu vaccine is possible, but a highly remote risk. For what it may be worth to make this personal, I readily accept that “risk” every year – for myself, my wife and my children. I put the arms of my loved ones where my mouth is on this topic.There is some legitimate doubt about the effectiveness of the flu vaccine. It is certainly far from perfect, and the elderly, who most need protection, may need two inoculations to get it. Leaving aside some of the subtleties that complicate measuring vaccine effectiveness in real-world settings, and applying even a low-level estimate of overall vaccine effectiveness, routine flu vaccination produces a decisive overall benefit compared to just taking our chances with the flu. 

Another bit of tried-and-true flu prevention is so-called “post-exposure prophylaxis.” This is the use of prescription antiviral drugs to prevent the development of symptoms for those who have been exposed to the flu, but haven’t been vaccinated. This is especially important for those most prone to complications of the flu, such as the elderly and the chronically ill.

Something New: Try Supplements

Flu season coincides with more than the holidays; it coincides with winter. That means shorter days, less sun exposure and declining levels of vitamin D for many of us. Vitamin D is of profound importance to many, perhaps all, body systems, including the immune system.

A low level of the vitamin will not cause the flu, of course, and an adequate level won’t prevent it on its own. But an adequate level will help make you less vulnerable to infection in the first place, and better able to fight if off if you and the flu do meet up.

It’s always best to talk to your doctor about supplements, but as a rule, I recommend boosting vitamin D intake to 2000 IU throughout flu season.

Another bit of new advice is to put Panax ginseng to work for you. This variety of ginseng, native to North America, has been shown to reduce the frequency of the common cold by roughly 30% when taken daily throughout the cold and flu season; the typical dose is 200mg. While flu-fighting potency has not been proven, it stands to reason that the antiviral properties that help fight off colds should help with flu prevention as well.

Something Borrowed: Exercise Can Help

In addition, we can borrow something from the world of exercise and fitness to help fight flu. Some recent research suggests that if you exercise the body part receiving the vaccine – generally the shoulder – you can increase blood flow to the site, and, as a result, enhance your response to the vaccine. In essence, you wind up making more antibodies, which should translate into better protection against the flu.

The idea here is to exercise before you get the flu shot, so the site is “primed.” This exercise can be some calisthenics or a vigorous work around the house. If you feel that burn in your shoulder, it means you’ve stressed the muscle enough to get the potential benefit of enhanced protection against the flu.

A Word of Caution: Something Blue

Well, to put it bluntly, I don’t want this to be you! Blue is the color of cyanosis, a lack of oxygen in the blood. The most common, lethal complication of the flu is pneumonia, leading to respiratory compromise and cyanosis. We have all witnessed firsthand the threat of pandemic flu with the recent circulation of the H1N1 strain. A truly bad flu pandemic warrants a great deal of respect – and every kind of self-defense we can mount.

The flu pandemic of 1918 caused more deaths than World War I and World War II combined! But even garden-variety influenza causes roughly 30,000 deaths each year in the US alone. None of this is cause for panic. All of it is cause to take the threat of flu seriously and to put some good preventive strategies to work for you and your family.

Food Addict SOS Plan

By Lisa Lynn, Specialist in Metabolic Disorders and Personal Training

Are you a snacker or a food addict? Most of us think we are simply snackers and wonder why our attempts to lose weight fail over and over again. Maybe your snacking habits go a bit deeper and you’re a struggling food addict and never knew it? As a former junk food addict, my personal answers to the following questions are what changed my life forever and finally brought me peace of mind, along with lasting weight loss.

Answer the following questions honestly. Take time to really think about your answers. Being brutally honest with yourself takes courage!

1. Do you ever feel guilty or ashamed about what you’re eating or when?

2. Do you eat what you feel like whenever you feel like without regard to nutrition?

3. Do you struggle with portion control or never pay attention to it?

4. Are you more than 10 pounds overweight?

5. Have you tried countless diets and supplements only to end up right back where you started?

If you answered “yes” to two or more of these questions, you may be a food addict. This may sound like bad news, but the good news is that now you can finally get started on the right path to your goals. It’s going to take a little bit of work. In fact, if it feels unnatural, that means you’re actually doing something different and that’s what it takes to get results! By ending your addiction with food, you will feel mentally and physically better – you have nothing to lose but weight and sadness, along with bouts of depression! Yes, that too accompanies food addiction.

It wasn’t a pill, cream or any magic potions that helped me lose weight and keep it off. Once I accepted the fact that I was a food addict, I learned to eat the way a food addict needs to eat – that was the magic bullet. We food addicts need to eat differently than the rest of the world.

5 Steps to Guide Your Child Through Cyberbullying

by Shawn Marie Edgington, Founder of the Great American NO BULL Challenge and bestselling author of the Parent’s Guide to Texting, Facebook and Social Media

It’s sad but true. Technology has made it simple for mean kids to be down right cruel.

After the Jaime Rodemeyer suicide, it’s become painfully obvious that it’s more important than ever for parents to get active in managing their child’s digital world, just like they do for all the other aspects of their life. All kids are exposed, and it’s our job to protect them.

As the Founder of the Great American NO BULL Challenge, a national youth-led anti-cyberbullying campaign, I get to work with some of the most amazing teens from across the country. These teens are making a real difference using their leadership skills to help their peers and their communities eliminate cyberbullying. The sad truth is that most of these teens have been the targets of cruel kids who don’t care about what they say or how deeply they cut into their victim’s sense of self by using technology to bully them. 

On a daily basis, I ask myself what is the bully’s motivation? In other words, are these kids seeking out their peers in an effort to destroy their self-esteem with a goal of causing long-term damage?

No matter what the reason is, the goal of the Great American NO BULL Challenge is to provide a national platform for America’s 25 million teens, to have their voices heard by writing and directing their own videos with an anti-bullying message. We plan to provide teens across the country the tools they need to stand up to cyberbullies, no matter how hard a bully tries to defeat their self-esteem. 

Here’s the bottom line: Our kids are constantly connected to social media more than ever before, and it’s our job to help guide them through the online mayhem so they become confident in preventing and defending all types of bullying situations, before they spin out of control. 

Step 1: Be Proactive, Realistic and Relatable

Get involved! Cyberbullying can start with children as young as 8 or 9 years old and typically continues until about age 16. Be proactive and tell your child to get an adult involved that they trust as soon as bullying starts. Kids fear there will be more bullying by telling an adult, but parents and school officials can help the victim of bullying decide what do and when the authorities should be contacted.

If your child comes to you for help, advice like “Just ignore her,” or “Don’t go on Facebook” aren’t realistic and are definitely NOT relatable. Most children have to go to school where they will most likely have to see their bully many times throughout the day. Can you say gut-wrenching stress? Additionally, what good is it to avoid helping your child build the skills they need to confidently stand up to disrespectful people? Cyberbullying attacks occur from the moment a child wakes up through the moment they finally close their eyes, only to have the continuous harassment and threats start all over again. 

Think back to when you were fourteen. Walking away in silence, hiding and avoiding a bully was considered weak and actually invited your bully to continue his or her harassment. The same is true today, only children are exposed to hundreds of opportunities for harassment daily, thanks to technology.

Instead, when your son or daughter comes to you for help, say, “I’m so glad you came to me, and I’m so sorry this is happening! Together, we can figure this out.” If they don’t feel physically threatened, see Step 4 if physical threats have been made, come up with ways for your child to stand up to the bully using words and confident body language. Create a response script that works for your child and their specific situation. Tell kids not to react openly. When bullying starts, unkind kids are often looking for a reaction from their victims, a solid sign that their torture is becoming effective.Help children block cell phone numbers, e-mail and social media accounts of the cyberbullies. If necessary, you can obtain Internet monitoring from companies like Proactive Parenting Network, so you can track and document attacks.  Be sure to have your child report the harassment to the social networking site. The good news is that Formspring now has the ability to block and report any post along with Facebook, which is where a lot of cyberbullying has occurred in the past. 

Your goal is to be your child’s advocate, provide solid and relatable advice, and to successfully manage their situation head-on. This will also help avoid future situations from becoming a one-click nightmare. Remember, success for your child doesn’t include defending their point of view, becoming BFF’s with the bully, or using revenge. Success means getting the bullies to stop what they’re doing to your child.

Step 2:  Don’t Jump in the Ring

As much as you want to put on your boxing gloves to defend your child, don’t do it. Should the thought of retaliation come to mind, do not take action! It’s not uncommon for parents to take matters into their own hands by impersonating their child on their social network or by circulating vilifying e-mails around the “parent network” about another child. This will only make matters worse for your child in the long run. Instead, take off the gloves and help guide your child through the strategic plan you just developed together in step one.

Step 3:  Standing by Isn’t Acceptable: Snitching vs. Reporting

Witnessing cruel kids attack their prey on social networks is a daily occurrence for most of today’s teens. The bad news is that most bystanders don’t report what they see because they don’t think it’s a big deal, don’t take the attack seriously, or don’t want to “snitch” for fear of becoming the new target of a cyberbully. Counsel your child about the difference between snitching (telling to get someone in trouble) and reporting (telling to solve a problem, or protect the innocent). In order to eliminate cyberbullying from destroying our kids, it’s imperative that the bystanders become up-standers, and start protecting one another, and it’s a parent’s job to drive this message home. 

For bullying situations that occur or continue to occur at school, set up a meeting with your child’s school counselor, administrator, or teacher for both you and your child. Let your child lead the meeting and only step in when necessary. Your goal is to get the bullying to stop, not to worry about what the school is going to do to punish the bully. Put together an action plan and “next steps” should the bullying continue. Be sure to insist on confidentiality for your child, otherwise your meeting will backfire and add fuel to the fire. 

If your child is being physically threatened online, in texts, or in person, strongly consider contacting your local police department. I know you’re probably shaking your head at this one, but you’ve got to take physical threats and stalking situations that occur via social media as serious as those that occur in person. The police certainly do, so why shouldn’t you? Print all posts, pictures and information that are relative to your child’s assaults and save as evidence. A child is never going to volunteer to go to the police, no matter how desperate they feel. This is when an adult needs to take control and get help immediately.

Step 5: Don’t Be Naïve

After the recent suicides of Jaime Rodemeyer and Phoebe Prince, it’s no longer acceptable to be naïve when it comes to teens and how they use technology. If you’re a parent or guardian, it’s up to you to get up to speed and start parenting around technology to protect your children from the negative and long-lasting effects that cyberbullying causes. 

Being the victim of a cyberbullying can be traumatic and humiliating for children and teenagers. As a society, we need to find better ways to help our children through their most difficult years, which is what the Great American NO BULL Challenge is all about. he sooner children realize that bullies do not define who they are, the sooner they will realize their true potential for greatness.

Are You Secretly Obese?

Are you harboring a secretly obese person in a small frame? Dr. Glenn Gaesser, author of the book Big Fat Lies, has the warning signs you need to look for.

Being slim doesn’t mean you’re healthy. Thin bodies can still carry plenty of visceral, or intra-abdominal, fat. This means you may have a low BMI, but a high percentage of body fat, leading to problems such as high blood pressure or high blood sugar. Be aware of the warning signs.

Warning Sign #1: A Family Member Died of Heart Disease

If you have an immediate family member who has died of heart disease, you are at an increased risk of carrying fatty deposits in your arteries – regardless of your weight. Heart illnesses can be concealed in skinny bodies.

Warning Sign #2: You Exercise Less Than 3 Times Per Week

You can still be skinny without working out, but lack of exercise has a huge impact on your health. If you don’t move your body at least three times a week, you’re raising your risk for cancer, heart attacks and many other conditions.

Warning Sign #3: You Eat Junk Food or Fast Food More Than Once a Week

Eating too much fast food deprives your body of important nutrients and vitamins. Are you addicted to junk food? Click here to take the quiz.