What’s up pandemics?

Today is the first day there’s been a daily drop in the numbers for the new flu that’s going around.

I’ve refrained from making fun of the hype or anything related to swine flu, mainly because people have died, but I have to admit some of it has been funny. (scroll down)

What do you think of the name change?

We’ve been out and about as usual, but I’ve been vigilant about hand washing. Though being a parent means I’m always washing hands anyway, so I’m in practice.

Are you doing anything to avoid contact with the germs?

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Today’s Pioneer Press included an editorialsupporting the “smoking in cars with kids” bill, which has its first hearing in the Senate today.  State lawmakers have some serious budget decisions on their plates, but they should always have time to debate a bill that protects kids health, adds no costs or burdens to state or local government, and may actually reduce state health care costs, if it encourages more people to not to smoke around their kids.

It’s not often lately that we see good news in the headlines, so this story on the cover of the Pioneer Press caught my eye. Bottom line: for the first time, the rate of new cancer cases in the United States is declining.  I have seen several close family members die of cancer, so this hit close to home for me.

Today the Twin Cities Maimonides Society is holding a screening of the documentary film “Fighting for Life,” about the doctors, nurses, and medics treating wounded soldiers and marines on the frontlines during the Iraq War, as well as following medical students at USU as they embark on their career as military physicians, and a soldier as she recovers from losing her leg in a IED blast.

There is a reception in advance of the private screening, with a panel discussion afterward featuring local physicians with active military duty experience about modern military medicine.

Film still: X-ray

Date:
Sunday, November 23rd
2 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Location:
The Open Book
1011 Washington Ave S # 301
Minneapolis, MN 55415 (Google Maps)

Price:
General (Maimonides Members and Guests): $15
Medical Students: Free

Google has unveiled its Google Flu Trends, which they estimate to be two to three weeks ahead of the conventional tracking methods used by the CDC. It looks like the flu is already gaining momentum in parts of the South and East Coast. Right now, Minnesota has low flu activity so it’s a good time to get your flu shot if you haven’t already.

You can receive flu shots at all MinuteClinic locations, and at the local Target and Walgreens stores that have attached clinics. Most of the flu shots offered in these settings will run you under $30. You can also find the closest flu shot clinic near you through the MN Dept of Health. Their site also includes vaccine prices and the types of accepted insurance.

A nasal spray alternative, FluMist, has been on the market for a few years now. You can search from the front page of the website to find where it is being offered near you.

(P.S. Hello, I’m new here. I will try not to be as boring in the future!)

The Mayo Clinic has blogs dedicated to Alzheimer’s, nutrition, pregnancy and stress. The first three seem like reasonable and obvious choices, but I never would have guessed that of all the topics they could blog on that stress would be one of them.

Unfortunately you can’t subscribe on a per-blog basis, but they do have further information available via RSS, including a ton of articles, “Ask a Mayo Clinic Specialist,” and the podcasts.

(via Leah Jones)