How do I know if I have the H1N1 Swine Flu?

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The H1N1 Swine Flu is a respiratory disease caused by a virus. The virus is spread from person to person in the same way that regular seasonal influenza and common colds spread. The USDA reminds consumers that all meat and poultry product are safe to eat when properly prepared and cooked.

H1N1 Swine Flu is an influenza virus causing mild to severe symptoms. The vast majority of people contracting the H1N1 Swine Flu have recovered on their own without a doctor or hospitalization. It should be noted, however, that death has occurred as a result of contracting the H1N1 Swine Flu in a few people.

The H1N1 Swine Flu has most, if not all, of the symptoms of seasonal flu. Seasonal influenza symptoms usually include fever, headache, aches and pains, fatigue, cough and chest discomfort. Sometimes you may have a runny or stuffy nose, sore throat and sneezing. The H1N1 Swine Flu has three distinct differences from seasonal flu – the symptoms may be more severe, and a significant number of cases have reported vomiting and diarrhea.

These symptoms are different from the common cold. The common cold usually has a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat, cough and occasionally some chest discomfort. Aches and pain can occur, but are typically slight compared to the flu. It is rare to get a fever or headaches with the common cold.

To complete the comparison of symptoms – Airborne allergies usually have sneezing and runny or stuffy nose. Sometimes a sore throat and cough might occur along with fatigue. It is rare to have chest discomfort or headache with an airborne allergy. Aches, pains and fever are not considered symptoms of airborne allergies.

When should you become alarmed?  The warning signs for children with H1N1 Swine Flu include: fast or troubled breathing, bluish or gray skin color, severe or persistent vomiting, extreme difficulty waking up, not drinking enough liquids, not interacting with others, extreme irritability – not wanting to be held. You should be very conscious is the flu symptoms improve; then, fever returns quickly and the coughing worsens.

The warning signs in adults are similar and include some additional symptoms such as: difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, pain or pressure in your chest or abdomen, sudden dizziness, confusion, and severe or persistent vomiting. As with children, adults may show improvement and a sudden return of fever and increased coughing.

The H1N1 Swine Flu, just like the common cold and airborne allergies can be slight, mild or severe. Everyone reacts differently. 70% of the patients hospitalized with the H1N1 Swine Flu have had one or more medical conditions that placed them in the ‘high risk’ category. High risk includes: pregnancy, diabetes, heart disease, asthma and kidney disease.

Take an inventory of your symptoms to see if you have influenza, common cold or an airborne allergy.  Knowing what you have makes it easier for you to treat.  The severity of the influenza symptoms could mean that you might have the H1N1 Swine Flu.

Be prepared and make the right decisions.

I’ve been researching H1N1 Swine Flu and noted the same objections about taking the H1N1 Swine Flu vaccine. For instance – The vaccine has not been tested effectively. Did you know that in 1976 over 40,000,000 Americans were vaccinated for swine flu and thousands of healthy individuals developed Guillain Barre’s Syndrome which is a severe neurological disorder?

My first thought was that 1976 was such a long time ago and things have certainly improved since then.  Then do a little research and find out what the real number are.  In 1976, the Guillain Barré Syndrome risk was around 1 in 80,000 and the actual number Guillain Barre’s syndrome that occurred directly as a result of the vaccine was around 500.  Today, the estimated risk of contracting Guillain Barre’sSyndrome from the flu vaccine is less than one in one million.

That is a risk, a probability of contracting  Guillain Barre’s Syndrome directly from a vaccination.  But, there are also risks that infections derived from flu, virus or bacterial source can cause Guillain Barre’s Syndrome.  What about the risk of not getting vaccinated?  The risk of serious illness or death directly attributable to the typical flu virus can be shown to be between one in one thousand (death) and one in  six thousand (hospitalization).

Another myth I read about is that the H1N1 Swine Flu vaccine contains mercury ten times the level considered to be safe by the Environmental Protection Agency.  Mercury is used as a preservative and is called thimerosal.  First off, the H1N1 Swine Flu nasal spray contains no thimerosal or any other kind of mercury.  The prefilled single-dose vaccine needles from Novartis have trace amounts (less than one microgram per dose) of thimerosal.  The prefilled single-dose needles from CSL Limited and Sanofi Pasteur contain no thimerosal.   Multidose injections contain around 25 micrograms of mercury per dose.  This is still well under the legal limits allowed.  If you are curious about mercury exposure from other sources – look up the amount of mercury in a can of tuna fish.  The amount is much higher and the form (not thimerosal) is more dangerous.

The world is much smaller now and all of us have the ability to do a little research online to determine the risks associated with the H1N1 Swine Flu vaccine.  Read both sides of the story.  Research each statement till you are satisfied that it is true or false.  You are responsible for your health.  The risk of not doing something is sometimes much greater than the risk of doing it.  Look at the locales in our country where general health vaccinations have been shunned because of false beliefs.  The actual percentage increase in those locales for the diseases that the vaccines were to protect against have risen higher than the national norm.  Why?  Will people die from the H1N1 vaccination?  My guess is Yes.  Will people die if they don’t get the vaccine and contract H1H1 Swine Flu?  My guess is again, Yes.  Can you supplement your health with non-prescription options?  Yes, and I recommend that you look into those options as part of your normal health program.

Is this enough protection

Flu vaccinations do not protect you from getting the flu.  When you catch the flu, vaccinations should, and in most cases, reduce the severity of the flu.  When you are injected with the virus, your body builds its own immunity to that virus.  H1N1 Swine Flu vaccine is no different.

Virus strains can become resistant to antiviral drugs – similar to other diseases.  The H1N1 Swine flu virus strain is resistant to older antiviral drugs, such as amantadine and rimantadine.  Health officials tell us that Tamiflu (oseltamivir) works well against the H1N1 Swine flu virus.  Tamiflu and Relenza (zanamivir) are two effective vaccines for the H1N1 Swine flu.  But, you have to take the vaccine before you contract the flu.  The big unknown is how long these antiviral vaccines will remain effective in your system.

There are some actions that you can take on your own without your doctor’s advice.  The H1N1 Swine flu is spread through the air and on contact.  The most obvious preventive actions  are to wash your hands often and wear a mask.  Those two actions are very effective.  However, our culture doesn’t wear face masks as other cultures do, to keep from spreading a disease, or to keep from catching a disease.  Washing our hands works well when in contact with others, but often we forget to do that after answering a phone or opening a door.  It still amazes me the number of people using the restroom who don’t wash their hands – but, that’s another story.

So, what else can you do besides washing your hands?  Build up your immune system and keep it strong and robust.  Several articles that I’ve read recently indicate that N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) might be helpful in maintaining your health during this or any flu season.  NAC is an amino acid coupled with a protein component.  It is a precursor to glutathione.  Every cell in you body can synthesize glutathione from three different amino acids, with L-cysteine being one of them.

Glutathione is a major weapon in your body’s arsenal for better health.  It is an antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals.  It builds your immune system.  It is also a mucolytic agent, meaning it breaks down or thins out lung-clogging mucous resulting from various respiratory diseases.  Your liver is critical for glutathione synthesis.  NAC has been shown to help in the detoxification process for liver and lung disorders.

Some Italian studies have shown that there is statistical evidence that NAC has been effective in reducing the severity of flu-like symptoms.  In some cases it appears that NAC was able to reduce the likelihood of even catching the flu.

Other herbs and supplements that are believed to be effective in the treatment or prevention of flu-like symptoms are:  Vitamin D, elderberry, licorice root, ginseng, whey protein and possibly vitamin C, Echinacea and zinc.  There is a concern that many of these herbs and supplements work by improving your immune system.  There is some speculation that any kind of immune-stimulants might make flu symptoms worse, or even worse, result in death.  Why?  Because it is believed that the H1N1 Swine flu virus has been more deadly to those with healthy immune systems.  My personal belief is that I would rather have healthy a robust immune system to ward off any flu virus, or any other contagion that I might encounter.