Category: health care

  • Be Kind to Yourself and Your Loved Ones During the Upcoming Holidays

    Be Kind to Yourself and Your Loved Ones During the Upcoming Holidays

    The CDC has recommendations for how to protect you and your loved one this holiday season. And remember this is Kindness Week!

  • University of Iowa Quick Facts About the Flu

    University of Iowa Quick Facts About the Flu

    The University of Iowa has the latest quick facts about the flu and how to protect yourself. Now you’re in the know!

  • Darned Rhinorrhea Interrupting People

    Darned Rhinorrhea Interrupting People

    I’ve been having a runny nose recently that is intermittent and often related to eating hot foods. I have to get up from the dinner table and blow my nose, especially if we’re having hot soups or chili. I’ve been making fun of it, saying it’s caused by the nasal hair condensation index. You could…

  • Food for Thought

    Food for Thought

    I’m giving a shout-out to a couple of child psychiatrists, one I know only from a blog, The Good Enough Psychiatrist. The other is an assistant professor in the University of Iowa Child Psychiatry Dept. I’ve never met her. Since Jenna gives her name in the About Me section of her blog, I’m going to…

  • CDC Educates About Covid-19 Variants

    CDC Educates About Covid-19 Variants

    Sometimes I see news about Covid-19 variants. They typically sound alarming. The CDC has posted an update on Covid-19 variants that is reassuring. There will always be variants. Not all will be serious threats. According to the update: “While new variants like BA.2.86 and JN.1 attract attention, right now, 99 percent of SARS-CoV-2 variants are part…

  • CDC on How to Get Flu, Covid-19, and RSV Vaccines

    CDC on How to Get Flu, Covid-19, and RSV Vaccines

    The latest update on how to get the respiratory viruses vaccines is updated on the CDC website. Highlights:

  • CDC Update on Respiratory Viruses and the Covid-19 Vaccine

    CDC Update on Respiratory Viruses and the Covid-19 Vaccine

    CDC posted an update on Covid-19 vaccination on October 13, 2023. In brief, the salient points: They save lives and prevent hospitalizations. The vaccines work. The side effects are mild or moderate. Scientific evidence supports the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines. They don’t make you magnetic and they don’t have microchips to track your…

  • Climbing Stairs May Be Good for Your Health

    Climbing Stairs May Be Good for Your Health

    Stairmaster joke from Men in Black I ran across this article (reference below) on the potential benefit of climbing stairs for cardiovascular health. The highlights and abstract are below: “Highlights This large cohort of UK adults demonstrated that climbing more than five flights of stairs daily was associated with over a 20% lower risk of…

  • CDC Recommendations for Fall-Winter Immunizations

    CDC Recommendations for Fall-Winter Immunizations

    The CDC recommendations for Fall-winter immunizations were updated as of September 29, 2023. A few states require a physician’s prescription for the RSV vaccine. Information varies on the web on which states require a prescription for the RSV vaccine. The Iowa Board of Pharmacy website is clear on the matter–you’ll need a prescription. Most states…

  • Covid-19 and Flu Vaccines Today

    Covid-19 and Flu Vaccines Today

    Today I got the new Covid-19 vaccine and the flu shot. I scheduled on line late last week and got right in. I didn’t have to wait long in line—and there were others getting the same vaccines. Sena will get them tomorrow. It’s up to you.