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January 2013   
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Featured Article
  
Greetings!

Just as the holiday season ends, flu season arrives in full swing. While the flu season can begin as early as October and last until May, January and February tend to be the peak months for flu. The CDC says this flu season arrived early this year with high levels of activity in the southeastern United States. If you haven't had your flu shot yet, it's not too late!

Is It Too Late For The Flu Shot?

 

Most people who get the flu will have mild illness and will recover in less than two weeks. Some people, however, are more likely to get serious flu complications like pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections and ear infections that can result in being hospitalized and occasionally even result in death. The flu also can make chronic health problems worse. Following guidelines from the CDC, St. Francis recommends that everyone over six months of age get a flu shot, especially those with chronic lung disease, diabetes, pregnant women, those 65 and older and people living with or caring for those who are at a high risk of complications.

 

Where to Get a Flu Vaccine

Bon Secours Medical Group Family and Internal Medicine physicians, as well as many OB-GYN physicians, offer the flu vaccine in their offices. In addition, After Hours Urgent Care has flu vaccine on hand. If you haven't had your vaccine yet, now is the time!

 

Find a Bon Secours Medical Group Family and Internal Medicine Practice >>

 

Find a Bon Secours Medical Group OB-GYN Practice >>  

 

Find an After Hours Urgent Care location >>

 

Types of Flu Vaccines

In addition to the regular flu shot that most of us are used to, there are several options for flu vaccines that have recently become available. Those include:

 

Intradermal flu vaccine was first made available last flu season. Approved by FDA for use in adults 18 - 64, this vaccine is injected into the skin instead of the muscle. The intradermal shot uses a needle that is 90% smaller than the needles used for a regular flu shot, and it requires less antigen to be as effective as the regular flu shot. (Antigen is the part of the vaccine that helps your body build up protection against flu viruses.) The intradermal flu vaccine works in the body in the same way as a regular flu shot and is given in one dose. Learn more >>  

 

High dose flu shot. Because immune defenses weaken with age, older people are at greater risk of developing severe illness from the flu. A high-dose vaccine containing four times the amount of antigen as a regular flu shot is now available for those 65 and older to give older people better protection against flu. The high dose flu vaccine works in the body in the same way as a regular flu shot and is given in one dose. Learn more >>  

 

Nasal spray vaccine. A nasal spray form of the flu vaccine is approved for use in healthy people ages 2 - 49, not including pregnant women. In this form, the vaccine is inhaled through the nose instead of being injected into the muscle or skin. Unlike the flu shot, the nasal spray flu vaccine does contain live viruses. However, the viruses are weakened and cannot cause flu illness. Learn more >>

 

Tips for Staying Healthy

The single best way to keep from getting the flu is to get vaccinated each year, but other good health habits can help stop the spread of germs and prevent colds and flu, including:

 

  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
  • Stay home when you are sick. If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. 
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
  • Clean your hands often to protect you from germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
  • Practice other good health habits like getting plenty of sleep, being physically active, managing stress, drinking plenty of fluids, and eating nutritious food. 

Keep Your Resolutions with HealThy Self

 

Make 2013 the year you get healthy - with a little help from HealThy Self! The HealThy Self program was created under the premise that for many of us, it is within our own power to change our health for the better. We can each takes steps to exercise our bodies and feed ourselves with healthful food, which can not only help you lose weight, but can improve chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes. In essence, we can heal ourselves!

 

HealThy Self offers two separate structured, 12-week physician guided programs - one focusing on weight loss and the other focusing on medical fitness. These programs include educational sessions with registered dietitians, one-on-one time with athletic trainers and access to our advanced gym equipment at ST. FRANCIS millennium to truly create a plan that works for you and your unique goals. To learn more, call 864-400-3651.

   

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Now at the Wound Healing Center

 

For most of us, wounds heal gradually over time, without much thought. But for others, caring for a wound that won't heal is an ongoing struggle. Those with diabetes, peripheral artery disease (PAD), pressure ulcers, burns, cellulitis, lymphedema, severe infections, lower extremity ulcers, or trauma are at particular risk for experiencing wounds that won't seem to heal.

  

The St. Francis Wound Healing Center has now added hyperbaric oxygen therapy to its suite of services - a treatment shown to improve healing in stubborn wounds. During this treatment, the patient breathes 100% pure oxygen at a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure while lying inside a treatment chamber. When 100% oxygen is delivered in a pressurized chamber, it greatly increases the amount of oxygen reaching the body tissues through the bloodstream, thus enhancing healing.

 

If you have a lingering wound, ask your physician for a referral to our program, or call 864-675-4820 for more information.

 


The Vive! newsletter was created for women to offer education and lifestyle tips for better knowledge and care for your health. Find more information online, and tell a friend!