Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Feb. 6, 1997, edition 1 / Page 10
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ttm 10A LIFESTYLES / The Charlotte Post Thursday, February 6, 1997 HEALTHY BODY/ HEALTHY MIND Common treatments for flu and colds Aprella Bridges, R.N. Highly contagious, influenza (flu) strikes millions of people each year, keeping them from work and school and sending some to the hospital with com plications. The flu is an acute upper respi ratory tract infection caused by a myxovirus - type A, B, or C. Type A and B change their genetic makeup slightly each year, which causes the ineffec tiveness of previously developed vaccines and immunity. Influenza effects all age groups but its efiects are severest, even life-threatening, in elderly adults, very young children, and pt!rsons with chronic disorders. The virus can survive for up to 72 hours outside the body. It is carried through the air or by person-to-person contact, mak ing objects handled by a person with the flu a source of infec tion, such as door handles and telephones. At the onset of illness one may experience a fever, sore throat, dry cough, runny nose, and sneezing, accompanied by red, watery eyes; muscle aches in the lower back and legs and headaches. The symptoms should subside in 3 to 4 days although tiredness and weak ness may persist. The flu virus decreases resis tance to secondary infections. For this reason a doctor should be seen if symptoms last more than a week, become more severe, localize in the throat, lungs, or ears, vomiting or behavioral changes are experi enced. If complications should take you to a doctor, cultures of the back of the throat, blood test or a chest x-ray may be ordered. On the other hand; rest, plenty of fluids (2 to 3 quarts a day), aspirin or acetaminophen (Tylenol) may be ordered if the patient is not on a blood thiimer or has stomach problems. Your doctor may also prescribe an antibiotic (if there is a sec ondary bacterial infection) and cough medicine if needed. Those in high risk categories may need to obtain a yearly flu vaccine. A patient should stay in bed and rest if there is a fever and for 1 to 2 days after the fever sub sides. Increasing activity too soon may lead to another bout of fever and flu. Remember that aspirin should never be given to a child or teenager because of the danger of Reyes syndrome. For less severe symptoms your doctor may recommend an anti histamine that may be used to dry up congested lungs and relieve watery eyes, a runny nose, and sneezing. Most of these drugs cause sleepiness, if you take them avoid activities that require alertness, such as using power tools, machineiy or driving a motor vehicle. An anti- tussive (cough suppressant) and expectorant may also be recom mended. Consider using decon gestant nasal sprays or drops. They are safer than liquids or tablets because little of the drug enters your bloodstream when directly applied into your nose. Take only one cold remedy at a time and never take a cold rem edy with a prescription drug without getting the OK from your doctor first. A patient with the flu may feel more comfortable with a humid ifier or a vaporizer in the room. By adding moisture to the air that is breathed, the drying effects of the flu may be avoided. Thorough hand washing with warm soapy water should be performed fiequently to prevent transmission of the virus. Remember always to cover nose and mouth with tissue when coughing or sneezing and dis pose of tissues by wrapping them in a plastic bag or by flushing them down the toilet. A good measure for avoiding the flu is to stay away from crowds and away from persons with the flu during the flu sea son. If you are into homeopathic (herbal, natural, organic) reme dies; Alpha CF, Goldenseal, or Echinacea tea may prove help ful. Always make your doctor aware that you are taking homeopathic remedies. These are available at Kamit Natural Food Store (704-339-0038). Tell |i -/c Love Them In Only $15.95 & $24.95 ®l)e Cljarlotte Call one of our Ptofcsaonals: Place Your Cupid’s Message to: • Secret Admirers • Husbands/Wives LaVeme, ScqiiQn, Rat, Jeri, Bob or Fran Today! (704;H76o^ Fax (704)342-2160 • Children • Wanna-Be's ABILITY TRANSPORT SERVICES, INC. HANDICAPPED RAMP VEHICLES "To Assist In Maintaining Your Normal Way Of Life” Providing Trips To And From: Doctors - Shopping - Site Seeing and More Offering Affordable Rates and A Driver With Experience and Patience. Call For Cost & Information if RENTAL VANS AVAILABLE ☆ Sliding Scale Fee Available • LtabiUty Insurance Required • E.S. Hannah^ (704)588-4800 D.D. Mullen Exercise, cold medicines don’t mix THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON - Exercising with a cold is tough enough. Exercising with cold medica tions may make things even tougher. Side effects of many over- the-counter and prescription drugs may add to the strength-sapping effects of the illness, doctors say. And, although the combination of exercise and drugs doesn’t cre ate new side effects, it can make the standard ones more noticeable, they say. For instance, common decon gestants containing such sub stances as epinephrine can raise the resting heart rate, said Dr. Thomas L. Schwenk of the University of Michigan Medical School. And OTC cold preparations almost always have antihistamines which can make some people feel drowsy, he said. One such compound is astemizole. “They don't balance each other out,” Schwenk said. “You can feel low motivation while your heart rate is up.” The more hard-driving the athlete, the more noticeable the effect could be, said Schwenk, who summarized some of the drug reactions in the medical journal The Physician and Sportsmedicine. Competitive athletes are most likely to tell a difference in their performance, Schwenk said. Serious non competitive athletes probably would notice it, but recre ational athletes might just think, “I’m not feeling well,” he said. And the effect also varies from person to person, whether or not they exercise, said Dr. Gary I. Wadler of New York University. Some people “get really shaky and get insomnia,” he said. “Others will take (a drug) and have no effects except their nose stops running.” The only way to know is to try some and see what hap pens, Wadler said. To avoid having your experiment hurt performance, try it when you are not planning to exercise. he said. Athletes who get prescrip tion medication after seeing a doctor may also have similar problems, said Dr. Douglas B. McKeag of the University of Pittsburgh. Many prescription drugs have side effects similar to the less-powerful OTC products, he said. For instance, prescription decon gestants may speed up the resting heart rate, he said. For an aerobic athlete, thats bad news, McKeag said: “You achieve your maximal heart rate a lot sooner, and you get tired a lot quicker.” Antibiotics such as ery thromycin don’t affect exercise performance. But they can in some cases cause fatal heart beat irregularities when com bined with other drugs such as astemizole, which is sold in such products as Hismanal. Athletes who are looking for guidance on what drugs to take will have to ask a lot of questions, the doctors say. Physicians don’t think to ask about exercise habits when prescribing cold or flu medica tions, and athletes who buy nonprescription medications had better get used to reading labels, they say. 'There may be times when it is wiser to just skip the work out, the doctors say. “The gen eral advice is to assess whether you have symptoms from the neck up or the neck down,” Schwenk said. It’s considered safe to exer cise with neck-up symptoms such as runny noses, sneezing and coughs due to drainage, Schwenk said. But athletes should bear in mind that their performance will be worse, so they ought to cut back. Please Fax or Deliver Around Charlotte News to the Post by 5:00 on Monday Fax: 342-2160 f 'CW Williams Health Center 3333 Wilkinson Blvd. • (704)393-7720 "We Provide Primary & Preventive MeiXicdclMre for the ENTIRE FAMILY" On Site Pharmacy, X-Ray & Laboratory Services Call For Appointment or Infomiation Hours: Wed. & Fri, 8:30am - 5:30pm, OPEN 'THREE EVENINGS FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE Mon, Tue. & Thur. 8:30am - 8:30pm Medicare • Medicaid • Sliding Fee ♦ Costwise/PCP • Private Ins. "Where Care and Compassion Comes Together" Around Charlotte • Haze Moore has p been selected first runner up for the “Outstanding Educator Award” spon sored by the African American Cultural Involvement Day, Monday. NAAPID is a national call for parents to become more involved in their children’s education. Moore Complex. Moore, an assistant principal at Bruns Avenue Elementary School, will honored Feh. 22 at the North Carolina Association of Educators in Raleigh. •Carmel Middle School will host a Career Fair Wednesday from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Local business will be able to set up booths and display information, advertisements and equipment representative of your field. For more information, call 343-8709. sponsor a self-esteem workshop Feb. 15 at 9 a.m. at Christ Lutheran Church, 4519 Providence Road. 'The workshop is open to youth age 10-18, who have learning disabilities. The registration fee is $45. •Focus on Leadership, a devel opmental program designed to increase the pool of African American leaders in Charlotte, is accepting nominations for its annual Unsung Heroes Awards Gala and Diamond Reception. Activist and author Tavis Smiley will be the keynote speaker. Nominations close March 3. For more information, call 559-4191. •Poet Dot 'Thompson will read her poems and the works of other poets featured in “My Soul is a Witness: Afiican American Women’s Spirituality” Thiusday at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble Bookstore, 10701 Centrum Parkway, PinevUle. •The Community Youth Conference kick off Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. at Founders Hall. Workshops will be held Feb. 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Grady Cole Center. A social will be held at 3 p.m. For more infor mation, call Linda Butler, 598- 3988, Dee Dee Licorish, 512- 0140 or Robert Harris, 336-8282. Upcoming events Basics and Learning Center, a professional tutoring center will present a motivational seminar on engineering Sunday at the Independence Offlce Park, Suite 210. Preregistration is required.The facihtator will be Sylvia Middleton, Ph.D., an associate dean for the College of Engineering at UNC Charlotte. For more information, call 537- 0322. Mecklenburg County Women’s Commission will host “Jazz Up Your Life” with Newton and Wanda 'Thomas, Feb. 14 at noon at 55 S. McDowell Street. Reservations are required. For more information, call 336-6094. •Pisgah Lodge 266, Pisgah Temple 228 and Isabelle F. Hyder Temple 1279 will present the Annual Red and White Dance Feb. 15 at 9 p.m. at American Legion Post 380, 4300 Tyvola Road. Donations are $10. BIG LEAGUE SPORTS ARE HERE WHICH WILL COME FIRST? SUPERBOWL? N.B.A. CHAMPIONSHIP? CHARLOTTE HASN’T HAD EITHER ONE fu(Q0' BUT A WORLD •National Council of Negro Women will host National African American Parent 'The National Council of Negro Women, will also sponsor a Brotherhood Dinner Feh. 15 at 7 p.m. at McDonald’s Cafeteria, 2810 Beatties Ford Road. ’The guest speaker will be Robert Davis, president of the Black Political Caucus. For more infor mation, call Mattie Caldwell at 376-9955 or Thomasina Johnson at 375-8263. •Discovery Place will host National Engineers Week Feb. 17—22. Events include paper cup skyscraper and a building block contests and a technical drawing contest for 9th through 12th graders. For more information, call 372-6261, extension 302. •The Learning Disabilities Association of Charlotte will •New Outlook, a program that helps women get acclimated to social settings, will dedicate its center Sunday at 1:30 p.m. The center, located at 3623 Central Ave. near Eastway Drive, helps recovering addicts and inmates build self-esteem as they prepare for a return to social and work situations. For more information, call 536- 7600. CHAMPION BOXER, KELVIN SEABROOKS COMMUNITY RELATIONS DIRECTOR KELVIN SEABROOKS, and HIS CHIROPRACTOR DR. WATTS OF A & W CLINIC, HELPS KEEP KELVIN’S BACK IN SHAPE IF YOUR BACK OR NECK IS INJURED DR. DENNIS WATTS, D.C. WITH 3 OFFICES ON: BEA-TTIES FORD, WILKINSON & THE PLAZA OUR STAFF WILL TREAT YOU LIKE A WORLD CHAMPION
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Feb. 6, 1997, edition 1
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