01/04/18

Thursday, January 4, 2018

E. coli triggers warning about romaine lettuce

Dangerous bacteria has sickened people in more than a dozen states

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ecoli-outbreak-romaine-lettuce-centers-disease-control/

Good News, Parents: Teens Are Delaying Having Sex

The proportion of high school students who've ever had sex decreased to 41 percent in 2015, continuing a downward trend from 47 percent in 2005 and 53 percent in 1995, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

From: https://teens.webmd.com/news/20180104/good-news-parents-teens-are-delaying-having-sex?src=RSS_PUBLIC

More U.S. Women Obese Before Pregnancy

Pregnancy experts fear this trend may threaten the health of mothers and their babies.

From: https://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20180104/more-us-women-obese-before-pregnancy?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Most U.S. Babies Start Solid Foods Too Soon

Introducing solid foods or new drinks too early could deprive them nutritionally, the researchers warned. Waiting too long can also have negative effects, they said.

From: https://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20180104/most-us-babies-start-solid-foods-too-soon?src=RSS_PUBLIC

The hidden epidemic of perfectionism in millennials

Young people today are faced with enormous pressure to outperform their peers, which some psychologists link to mental health issues

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-hidden-epidemic-of-perfectionism-in-millennials/

U.S. cancer deaths continue steady decline

More than 2 million lives have been saved in the past 20 years thanks in part to better cancer detection and treatments, a new report finds

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-cancer-deaths-continue-steady-decline/

Why does shoveling snow raise risk of heart attack?

Normally, exercise is good for you, but an expert explains why snow shoveling is a unique form of exertion that can raise the risk of heart attack

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-does-shoveling-snow-increase-risk-of-heart-attack/

New approach tested to treat ringing in the ears

Researchers are testing a system that may help ease the phantom noises of tinnitus

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ringing-in-the-ears-tinnitus-experimental-device/

Walloped by Winter Weather? How to Stay Safe

Winter weather can create many potential health hazards. Here's how to stay healthy when you're facing frigid temps and snow storms.

From: https://www.webmd.com/first-aid/news/20180104/winter-weather-survival-tips?src=RSS_PUBLIC

No More, Needles? Patch Could Monitor Blood Sugar

The new patch -- which actually uses an array of tiny needles that researchers promise are pain-free -- senses when blood sugar levels are rising and then releases medication to bring those elevated levels back down.

From: https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/news/20180104/no-more-needles-patch-could-monitor-blood-sugar?src=RSS_PUBLIC

2017 Census of Agriculture PSA – Respond Now

From: USDA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHgDba0ME44

Is It Flu, Or Flu-Like? The Difference Matters

“Influenza-like illness," also called “flu-like illness,” is a more wide-ranging category.

From: https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20180104/is-it-flu-or-flu-like-the-difference-matters?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Infectious Diseases A-Z: Severe season for influenza

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhryqKl6-Ck

Is “man flu” really a thing?

Follow me on Twitter @RobShmerling

This one got by me. I’d never heard of “man flu” but according to a new study of the topic, the term is “so ubiquitous that it has been included in the Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries. Oxford defines it as ‘a cold or similar minor ailment as experienced by a man who is regarded as exaggerating the severity of the symptoms.’”

Another reference called it “wimpy man” syndrome. Wow. I’d heard it said (mostly in jest) that if men had to carry and deliver babies, humankind would have long ago gone extinct. But wimpy man syndrome? I just had to learn more.

What is man flu?

As commonly used, the term man flu could be describing a constitutional character flaw of men who, when felled by a cold or flu, embellish the severity of their symptoms, quickly adopt a helpless “patient role,” and rely heavily on others to help them until they recover. Another possibility is that men actually experience respiratory viral illnesses differently than women; there is precedent for this in other conditions. Pain due to coronary artery disease (as with a heart attack or angina) is a good example. Men tend to have “classic” crushing chest pain, while women are more likely to have “atypical” symptoms such as nausea or shortness of breath. Perhaps the behavior of men with the flu is actually appropriate (and not exaggerated), and based on how the disease affects them.

Here are the highlights from the study:

Influenza vaccination tends to cause more local (skin) and systemic (bodywide) reactions and better antibody response in women. Testosterone may play a role, as men with the highest levels tended to have a lower antibody response. A better antibody response may lessen the severity of flu, so it’s possible that vaccinated men get more severe symptoms than women because they don’t respond to vaccination as well.
In test tube studies of nasal cells infected with influenza, exposure to the female hormone estradiol reduced the immune response when the cells came from women, but not in cells from men. Treatment with antiestrogen drugs reduces this effect. Since flu symptoms are in large part due to the body’s immune reaction, a lessened immune response in women may translate to milder symptoms.
In at least one study reviewing six years of data, men were hospitalized with the flu more often than women. Another reported more deaths among men than women due to flu.
A survey by a popular magazine found that men reported taking longer to recover from flu-like illnesses than women (three days vs. 1.5 days).

Taken together, these findings suggest that there may be more to “man flu” than just men exaggerating their symptoms or unnecessarily behaving helplessly. While the evidence is not definitive, they suggest that the flu may, in fact, be more severe in men.

If it’s true that men get sicker with the flu, why?

Some have suggested that early man evolved to require more prolonged rest while sick to conserve energy and avoid predators. In more modern times, the advantage of a longer recovery time is less clear beyond the obvious. When you don’t feel well, it’s nice to be taken care of. Of course, that’s true for women as well.

The bottom line

Diseases can look different in men and women. That’s true of coronary artery disease. It’s true of osteoporosis, lupus, and depression. And it may be true of the flu. So, I agree with the author of this new report, who states “…the concept of man flu, as commonly defined, is potentially unjust.” We need a better understanding of how the flu affects men and women and why it may affect them differently.

Until then, we should all do what we can to prevent the flu and limit its spread. Getting the flu vaccination, good handwashing, and avoiding others while sick are good first steps. And they’re the same regardless of your gender.

The post Is “man flu” really a thing? appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Robert H. Shmerling, MD https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/man-flu-really-thing-2018010413033

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