Flu Shots: Do they really work?

Before this weekend, the only time I have ever gotten the flu was the one year I got a flu shot. Therefore, I haven't gotten a flu shot since, which as been about five years. But today, when the doctor told me that I had contracted influenza, he said ti was because I didn't have a flu shot. Bored and sick at home, I decided to do some research to see how effective the flu shot really is.

This first WebMD article discussed the effectiveness in the 2007-2008 flu season. It said the vaccine was only 44% effective for that flu season and that two of the three components of the vaccination did not match the strains of the influenza virus that plagued most Americans. However, the 44% effectiveness is still better than the 0% effectiveness of no vaccination at all.

The second article I found was extremely helpful. It answered some important, commonly asked questions about the flu vaccination and how it effective it is. The article stated that is important to get a flu shot every year because it reduces the risk one has of getting the flu during the annual flu season, which is usually from November to April. The vaccine takes two weeks to become effective, which may have explained why I had gotten the flu five years ago, I may have been vaccinated to late into the flu season. Also, when asked if one can still get influenza after being vaccinated, the article states, "If the viruses in the vaccine and the influenza viruses circulating in the community are closely matched, vaccine effectiveness is higher. If they are not closely matched, vaccine effectiveness can be reduced. However, it is important to remember that even when the viruses are not closely matched, the vaccine can still protect many people and prevent flu-related complications."

So, moral of the story? Get a flu vaccine. Because, although not always effective, being vaccinated lowers the risk and is better than being completely prone to influenza, like I always have been. 

And if this doesn't convince you enough, take a look at this PSA (public service announcent) From the American Lung Association. (found http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRvnL5_og8g)

14 Children: Was it ethical?

When I wake up in the mornings, the first thing I do is go downstairs to eat breakfast. I sit in front of the TV with the Chicago news station on, but I tend to doze off and not pay attention. However, the other day I was intrigued by a certain news story.

Earlier this week, a woman from Southern California gave birth to octuplets! She had six boys and two girls, and it was only the second time in American history that a woman has and octuplets that have lived more than several hours after birth. Doctors are saying that the babies are in good condition, and they are expected to live although they must stay in the hospital for a few more weeks. 

When I heard about this miraculous happening, I was at first overjoyed thinking that the babies survived! However, new information was disclosed to the media and public recently. In this Yahoo news article, the public found out that the woman already had six kids before her recent births!!! This has spun a media chaos and an immediate medical ethics controversy.

Some doctors say that it is not their role to decide how big one's family should be, while others are completely appalled by the fact that a doctor would administer fertility drugs, and plant multiple embryos (yes it was invetro fertilization) in a woman who already had six kids!

I understand both viewpoints. A doctor cannot refuse a patient if the patient wishes to have more children. However, this woman was almost 100,000 dollars in debt, and I can't imagine that will be helped with her new grand total of children adding up to 14. The father has been identified, but it hasn't been disclosed whether he is present in the lives of the children, since the woman lives at home with her parents in a single-story house.

I just honestly hope this woman will be able to take care of children, and if that is the case, I wish them a healthy lifestyle!

And in this CBS news article, the father of the mom of these children only wanted one more kid! So is this really an ethical controversy and can the other doctors of America do anything about it?

Picture courtesy of http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45415000/jpg/_45415810_006788823-1.jpg

My New Music Discovery

Apparently I am extremely behind on the Internet's capabilities. After receiving some extremely generous iTunes giftcards, I am newly obsessed with the growing music compilation on my computer. However, I can never create sufficient playlists of the same types of music.

So, of course, when confused, I allowed myself to Google and find an answer. And what do I find but.. Internet Radio! 

I was so confused yet fascinated. How can there be an Internet Radio and how successful would it be? I was directed to Pandora, a free Internet site that uses the Music Genome Project to create personal playlists. You type in a favorite song or artist, and the site creates a playlist of songs that have common characteristics as the one you searched. After typing in Jack Johnson, the site gave me a complete looping playlist of acoustic chill music that is from artists like Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, Matt Nathanson, and others. I am absolutely amazed by the quality of the music and the convenience of the site. 

After talking to some of my other friends, apparently they already knew about Internet Radio! However, although it is evident that I am way behind on my new discovery, I remain dumbfounded.. and completely obsessed!

-Image found through Google images from the following site: http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0007GAEVW.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

True Love Becomes Scientific?

My homepage on my Safari internet is CNN.com, and usually I take a few minutes each day to browse any interesting articles. However, the article I found one night is the most fascinating one I have seen yet. 

It states that it has now been scientifically proven that a person can find love with another that indeed lasts a lifetime. They tested couples with brain scans, and detected their levels of passion for their partner. These were the certain chemical reactions that were occurring in the brains of the test subjects.

I can't say if this is a bunch of baloney, because I honestly don't even know! However, if this really true, it does make me wonder what other aspects of our social lives will one day be controlled and detected by scientific means...

Image found through Google Images from: www.lovespeaks.net/images/colourful-hearts-candyheart-love1.jpg

Pink Eye or Make up Residue?

I have been suffering from a mild cold the last week and half, and I have been stocking up on Vitamin C. I have no time to be sick, so I am taking the medication necessary and trying to get enough sleep so that my cold will go away soon! I think I am reaching the last few stages of my cold, because I am coughing more, which means the unhealthy mucus is getting out of my system. However, I awoke this morning to a very scary symptom.

When I woke up this morning, I discovered that I could not physically open my eyelids, because my eyelashes were cemented together with substance. This reminded me immediately of the well known infection pink-eye, or conjunctivities, which I contracted in fifth grade. However, I soon realized that it was just my usual "morning eye boogies" but in a surplus. My mother said I was overreacting, but I wasn't convinced that I was exempt from having gotten this painful eye infection again.

I did some online research and looked up the symptoms of conjunctivitis. It said that pink-eye, or conjunctivitis, usually has the following symptoms:

- red eyes

- swollen, red eyelids

- feeling as if there is a foreign substance in the eye

- an itching or burning feeling

- mild sensitivity to light

- drainage from the eye

I realized shortly that my eye redness quickly faded after using some over the counter eye drops, and the mucus drainage from my eye was normal. I also realized I had been so sleepy the night before I had forgotten to take off my eye make up, which probably caused the surplus and "eye boogies" as I so delightfully call them. 

This short-lived but important experience taught me that it is important to know the symptoms before diagnosing yourself. And if you aren't completely sure, it is the best to notify your doctor, because it is better to go to a doctor and have them tell you that you are healthy rather than to not see anyone and find out you are unhealthy when it is too late! Pink eye isn't serious, but it is easily transmitted and it isn't fun, and I am sure glad I don't have it. 

A New Phenomenon Among GBN Students

There was a short period for me in 6th or 7th grade when knitting was all the rage. Kids would be caught in class with their knitting needles out and would be very disappointed and upset they were being forced to put this exciting new art project away. Colorful scarves (that link shows you the knitting pattern too!) were the biggest thing for the kids, and they were all handmade. They didn't keep anyone very warm, since we were young so there were many holes and mistakes in the knitting process. I wasn't very good at knitting then, and I am still a failure at it now!

Apparently this fad is coming back in style! In the past few weeks, I have seen dozens of students being yelled at by teachers for not paying attention to teachers because they are knitting. Beautifully created (and perfect!) scarves are tied around the necks of both genders, and I feel a little out of place. I did some digging in my basement and found some old yarn and knitting needles from my failed attempt in middle school. 

So far, I am not doing very well, but the Internet is a  HUGE help. Check out this video, it's reteaching me how to knit. I can't start anything substantial, but maybe this will help!

Aha! A Happier Holiday

It is officially December, and I couldn't be more excited for the holiday season. I was talking to my mother in the car, (coming home from Christmas shopping of course!), when we got to discussing a slightly morbid topic. I have heard many times before that suicide rates peak because of the holiday season. This never really made sense to me, because Christmas, winter, and the holidays just make me so cheerful and happy.

Yes the holidays bring certain frustrations, but I still never understood this statistic. So, I did some research, and I found some conclusive evidence that denies the fact that suicide rates increase around Christmas! The most clear and decisive piece of evidence I found was this article  I found from the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center Health Library. It says that suicide rates are linked to the holidays by the media, and actually peak in the spring and slightly decrease in the winter!

Finally, there is light at the end of the tunnel! This renewed my strong belief that Christmas is a worldwide happy time of the year! :D The article did say, however, that something called "seasonal affective disorder" is a type of depression linked to winter. But this is related to the dark, cold, winter days, and the not the holidays themselves!

Another article, which was a source of information for the Darnall Medical Center's library, was written in the New York Times on December 27, 2005. It states that a very large study conducted by the Archives of General Psychiatry, found that psychiatric visits decreased in the weeks before Christmas and then rose afterwards. A study conducted by the Mayo Clinic, that looked extensively at a 35-year period, found there was no relationship between the holidays and suicides!

So, for now, my mind is at peace, and is no longer cluttered with the morbid thoughts of depressed people during what should be the happiest time of year! 

And check out this video - the media is catching on to the reality of these studies as well! Hopefully the depressing myth of holiday suicides will be extinguished forever! The video was aired in December of 2007 on CNN Morning News.