Several months ago, our company had a project wherein all the employees were given free flu shots. No one had to pay (the company shouldered the expense) and you just had to sign up to get the shots. Interestingly enough, only about 50 percent of the employees took advantage of the offer.

Several months down the road, I decided to take a quick look into the numbers. How many people got the flu between getting the shots and now? How many of those who got sick got flu shots? How many of those who didn’t get flu shots got sick? You know what I found out? Most of those who got the flu had the shots several months back! And many people who didn’t get the shots – including yours truly – have not contracted the flu.

Is this concrete evidence that flu shots don’t work? I would not go as far as to say that but the numbers are leaning towards that conclusion, at least in my company. One thing that I found out is that flu shots differ from year to year. That is because the formula is changed depending on the previous year’s strain of the influenza virus. Perhaps, the strain that hit a lot of people recently is different from the strain that was used in last year’s formula? That would explain the high number of people who got sick.

Needless to say, it is still prudent to get flu shots and to do so on a regular basis.

That is, until I read on MSN that we are having measles cases all over the country again. In fact, the report says that the current count for measles cases is the highest since 1996!

Some parents’ refusal to vaccinate children seems to be behind the highest rate of measles cases reported since 1996, federal officials said Thursday.

Between Jan. 1 and July 31 of this year, 131 measles cases have been reported in the United States, many of them among children whose parents have philosophical or religious objections to the vaccine, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

At least 15 patients, including four children 15 months or younger, were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

There you go – parents are refusing to vaccinate their children and that is causing the occurrence of measles! I am quite confused about this point. Why would parents refuse vaccination? I mean, I would understand if we were living in the early 20th century – religious beliefs and superstitions, you know. But in this day and age?

Anyhow, if you have children or you are having a baby soon, do make sure to check with your doctor about vaccinations. Better safe than sorry!

At this stage, though, the vaccine has only been tested in mice. According to Dr. W Martin Kast of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, “By early vaccination, we have basically given these mice life-long protection against a disease they were destined to have. This has never been done before and, with further research, could represent a paradigm shift in the management of human prostate cancer.”

So what does the vaccine do? The most significant factor in prostate cancer is PSCA, or prostate stem cell antigen. It is very much expressed in prostate cancer cells while the healthy tissue does not show significant amounts. The vaccine works by stimulating an immune response against PSCA. In the study, the vaccine was administered to mice which were already affected by the cancer. The results showed that the mice who had the vaccine responded well and had extended life spans.

Though the testing has been limited to mice and there is no solid proof that it would work on humans, researchers are quite excited over the promising results. Indeed, if this vaccine ever finds it way into the market, we should all line up for shots.

The common belief for some is that unless they feel something strange, they would not go to their physician for medical evaluation. With the trend today leaning more towards being health conscious, regular physical examinations are slowly becoming a regular practice to safeguard their overall hiatus.

Diseases and illnesses have slowly been spreading and resorting to the possible immunizations brought about by advanced medicine is a good way to avoid illnesses that can make a person�s life dreadful. Physical examinations can be availed of even for just once a year and practicing this from a 365 day period in a year does not really take up much of a person�s time.

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One good way to see is to check the urine of people. Difference in color such as hazy or turbid may be an indication of Urinary Tract Infection. UTI can be confirmed through proper Urinalysis examinations from laboratory examinations. UTI is usually developed when a person would try to hold the usual discharge or from consuming certain liquids that are not pure water.

The best therapy is through drinking water regularly. Water cleanses the system and forces the body to discharge body fluids through urinary discharges. UTI may not be serious at first, but taking it for granted may lead to severe cases and treatment in the long run.

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Most people would refer to medical charts as a useless way of tracking their health history. But if all of these documents were to be compiled, it can provide a better of the overall health of a person from infancy to adulthood. pictureThere are certain areas to consider such as allergies and prior medications and vaccination. All of these are important before new medical treatment is provided to them by licensed physicians affiliated with such healthcare groups.

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To date, the diagnosis of coughs and colds has led physicians to go as far as treating the usual symptom more appropriately and ruling out the presence of Bird flu. Bird flu can go as far as providing high fever temperatures which may lead to untimely death if people are not careful. Vaccines and medical drugs such as Amantadines and Neuraminidase inhibitors, have been offered in such cases. For sure, there will be additional medicines and anti-biotics to widen the possible remedies to such a disease dreaded today.

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The simplest way is to ensure that the body is full of fluids. This is why most people would be advised to always drink water as often as possible to replace the fluids extracted from the body during times of colds and coughs.

Taking cough drops and eucalyptus made medicine help to soothe the uncomfortable feeling but they are only temporary in nature and do not really heal the sickness problem.

Rest is something that is naturally needed since a person who would force himself to continue doing the usual workload will only make his condition worse. The body is further battered from such abuse and it would be best to take a day or two off to regain lost energy stemming from such diseases and illnesses today.

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Some people have brought such fear as far as reaching the adolescence stage. While this may have been done due to the fact that people were not properly educated and advised of the whole scenario with doctors and physicians, proper understanding especially in the medical inclinations is something they are bound to have to face.

An adult should always be open to the fact that at some point in their lives, they are bound to face their fears, which in this case is that of doctors and needles that have to be injected in their bodies.

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