SWINE FLU

I was going to avoid discussing Swine Flu because the hype and panic surrounding it only increases when it is at the forefront of the news. I have, however, decided to discuss the issue in order to help decrease some of the panic.

WHAT IS SWINE FLU AND WHY IS IT SO DANGEROUS?
Swine flu is a genetic variant of the Influenza A virus, aka the flu. The reason experts are concerned about the swine flu is because it is a NEW flu virus, one that no human body has ever dealt with before, and therefore no one has immunity to it.

Think of the last time you had the flu. You felt miserable, your whole body ached, and all of these symptoms were related to your immune system trying to kill the flu virus. Once your body figured out how to kill that flu virus, the next time you came into contact with it, you didn't get sick (or it was less severe) because your body was prepared. When a new virus appears, your body has to fight the war all over again, and if you have a weakened immune system (like in the elderly and the young) or the virus is particularly virulent, your body might not be able to fight it off.

Now, on top of the lack of immunity in the general public, viruses have a tendency to mutate rapidly, as we have seen with the swine flu. It's ultimate goal as a virus is to survive, so it evolved its DNA to make it possible for it to pass from animals to humans, then from humans to humans. The problem is no one knows what the next evolution will be and the best way to prevent finding out is to stop the spread of the disease. That is why governments around the world are trying to be proactive in containing the outbreak: the less transmission, the less opportunity for the virus to mutate.

In addition to lack of human immunity and mutation, scientists do not know the long term effects of the swine flu since it only recently came into being. To spare you the microbiology, it is suffice to say that some viruses lead to increased risk of other conditions later in life. For example, Mono can increase your lymphoma risk and H. Pylori, which causes stomach ulcers, can lead to increased risk of contracting stomach cancer in your lifetime. Does Swine Flu have long-term effect on health? We just don't know and we don't want to find out.

HOW CAN I PREVENT SWINE FLU?
Avoid traveling to areas where swine flu is known to be and WASH YOUR HANDS!!!! Nothing helps to prevent the spread of disease MORE than washing your hands with plain old soap and water (NOT antibacterial soap, plain old castille soap). But keep in mind when washing your hands that the purpose of hand washing is the MECHANICAL removal of bacteria from the surface of your skin. In other words, you "wash off" bacteria and viruses, you don't kill them. To effectively do this, WET YOUR HANDS before applying soap and wash all areas (including between fingers!) for at least 30 seconds.

Taking Echinacea, Vitamin C, and Zinc can also help to bolster your immune system and prevent transmission of the disease.

Skip the masks! They only help in close contact and even then they aren't effective against viruses.



Swine Flu is just like the regular flu, so take precautions you would normally take, live your life and don't obsess!



ON ANOTHER NOTE: The inhumane conditions of large factory farms are breeding grounds for viruses like the swine flu. Become a vegetarian or petition your senator/congressman to introduce legislation that respects the welfare of the animals and increases regulation of the conditions animals can endure in factory farms. It's difficult, but watch the whole video below. Very informative