by Leigh Ann Otte, managing editor

We’re tired of wondering.

As the world’s governments prepare for a potentially huge outbreak of H1N1 this fall, we regular people are left to wonder, what’s the big deal?  Are we supposed to be worrying?  Running around in mass panic?  Moving to caves in the hills?  Or is this all just a bunch of sensationalism?

So we’re going straight to the experts—to ask them our questions, and yours.

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James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

H1N1 influenza documented cases in the U.S. are closing in on 7000 but the CDC is reporting fewer new cases.  Good news, but there are several caveats.

Usually you can multiply by 10 to get a reasonable estimate of the total actual cases since not all are reported and documented by the CDC.  My understanding locally is the health department is now only interested in documenting new cases which require hospitalization.

In the 1918 pandemic, which killed 500,000 in the U.S and 50 million worldwide, the first wave was mild and died down in the summer.  By fall it had mutated into a deadly virus.

The CDC will probably suggest getting the usual flu vaccine early this fall so you can get a second H1N1 immunization a few weeks later.

An interesting sideline is H1N1 has only infected a small percent of U.S. people over age 65.  Speculation is these seniors were infected by a distant H1N1 relative some time before 1957 and have a few antibodies left to fight off the current virus.

I only practice part-time but have not seen any swine flu cases.  Have any of you?

James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Is It Really Swine Flu?

The pork lobby has a good point in not calling the new H1N1 flu virus the swine flu.  It is not a strain that usually circulates in pigs.  Rather, it contains a combination of one gene usually found in birds (avian flu), two from pigs and one from humans.  This is why some are suspicious it was an experimental laboratory virus that got into the general public.

Another point is, you are absolutely not going to get this virus from eating pork.  Of course, this is true of any flu past or future.  It just doesn’t make scientific sense.

The fact is, however, this is a brand new strain and humans have no immunity. (more…)

by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Remember the avian flu scare a year or two back?  A few people had caught a flu from chickens, which usually was just contagious to other birds. If it ever mutated more and spread from person to person (rather than just chicken to person), look out.  It would be a new strain—people would have no immunity—so it would it hit hard and fast: a pandemic.

Most of us thought a particular strain of avian flu was never a serious threat to humans … but that one, down the road, might be.

That event may be happening in Mexico, except pigs are the carrier, hence it’s swine flu. (more…)

by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Many people use nutritional supplements, herbs, vitamins to try to boost immunity and ward off colds.  It is only natural (pun intended) since we don’t have a cure for the annoying and frequent set of viruses that cause colds.

A few days back, I wrote about some general tried and true methods to increase your immunity that have good studies to back them up and don’t cost money.   They should be your base for protection.  Only implement other methods after you have put the base in place.

Good, reliable studies of herbs, vitamins and supplements that prove efficacy and safety are harder to find.  Although many people swear by their home remedy, the mainstream medical world has not taken these seriously, in the past.  We are now trying to catch up but have a long way to go.

The reason I reneged on my promise to post this information, on boosting your immune system with herbs, supplements and vitamins on yesterday, was I wanted to wait on access to the information at www.naturalstandard.com, where they utilize a group of medical experts and scientists to review all of the reliable data we have on alternative medicines.  Their mission is ”to provide objective, reliable information that aids clinicians, patients, and healthcare institutions to make more informed and safer therapeutic decisions.”

Here is what they say about specific supplements, herbs and vitamins fighting the common cold.

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Looking for a cure for the common cold or flu?  Sorry to disappoint.  You won’t find one that is proven to work.  Trying to boost your immunity to fight off those pesky viruses?  You’ve come to the right place.  As a reminder, colds and influenza are caused by viruses that affect your upper respiratory system.  Antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses.  They don’t work on colds or the flu.  If you do get one of these nasty viruses, it has to run its course as your body’s immune system fights it to the finish.  Here are some ways you can boost and strengthen your immune system to help in the battle.

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Thanks to the Basil and Spice staff for allowing me to blog on their website yesterday. I wrote on the new recommendations by the CDC this year to give influenza immunizations to ages 6 months to 18 years old. The change is adding the 5- to 18-year-old group. I won’t repeat the post here, but a commenter posed an interesting question, “Why now?”

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Vaccinating an expectant mom also vaccinates the baby–for the first six months of its life outside the womb–according to a new study in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

Influenza causes more serious consequences in pregnant women and newborns than in the general public.  It can also lead to birth defects.  So what were the bottom-line findings of the study?

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