PATIENT2PATIENT NEWSLETTER
December 2004

Please visit our Web site: www.Patient2Patient.net

"The Guided Source to Health Information"

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In This Issue:

* From the Director
* Quotation of the Month
* Flu Advisory
* Subscription Discounts
* News About Patient2Patient
* Patient Best Practices: Feature Article - "Preventing and Treating Flu and
Colds - Alternative Medical Approaches"
* Humor

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~ From the Director ~

We are all familiar with, and some of us are especially feeling the brunt
of, the flu vaccine shortage. While the media are busy printing stories and
politicians are pointing fingers what are we to do? Some people are
traveling out of the country, to Canada and Mexico, to get the flu vaccine.
That is not a practical option for the rest of us.

Both for those who have gotten the vaccine and those who have not, there are
sound Integrative medical approaches for both prevention and treatment.
Prevention is important even for those who have received the flu vaccine
because the vaccine protects against some, but not all forms of the virus.
Even with the flu vaccine we still need to protect ourselves against colds,
which can open the door to respiratory infections including bronchitis and
pneumonia.

For this month's Feature Article I asked a member of our Advisory Board,
Frances Goodwin, a Complementary/Integrative practitioner with an expertise
in Chinese Medicine, to write an article on simple, practical steps everyone
can take to prevent colds and flu and to help alleviate our symptoms if we
get sick. You will find her suggestions in this month's Patient Best
Practices article.

In addition, there still remains a great deal of confusion about who should
receive the flu vaccine. So we have included a special "Flu Advisory"
section which outlines individuals and groups who are at risk if they
contract the flu virus.

One more thing - whether or not you have gotten the flu vaccine, you need to
ask your doctor whether you should be receiving the pneumoccocal vaccine.
There is no shortage of this vaccine and it can be life-saving. The majority
of immuno suppressed patients who DIE of the flu are killed by pneumonia.
Don't take a chance - check with your doctor.

Andrew Robinson, J.D.
Executive Director
Patient2Patient, LLC

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~ Quotation of the Month ~

"If Only Youth Knew and Old Age Could."

-- Russian Proverb --

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~ Flu Advisory ~

The following guidelines are taken from the American Medical Association
News Site, www.amednews.com:

"Physicians should use as a guide in communicating with patients the
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' interim guidelines, which
target the following groups for vaccination:

Children ages 6 to 23 months;

Adults 65 years and older;

Anyone with underlying chronic medical conditions;

All women who will be pregnant during influenza season;

Residents of nursing homes and long-term-care facilities;

Children 6 months to 18 years who are on chronic aspirin therapy;

Health care workers with direct patient care;

Out-of-home caregivers and household contacts of children younger than 6
months.

For those outside these categories, a doctor's best advice is good old
prevention. Wash your hands frequently. Cover your cough. Avoid touching
hands to the face."

In addition to the above guidelines, you should be aware that there are
anti-viral drugs such as Tamiflu and Flumadine that will slow down the
replication of the flu virus if you are infected. But you have to act
quickly (within 48 hours of onset of the symptoms). There is a rapid test
for Influenza type A, but otherwise it is hard to know in the first day or
two if an illness is Influenza.

Doctors have found that these drugs only reduce the duration of the symptoms
by about a day. However, if you are in a high risk category anything that
can reduce flu symptoms can be important.The best idea is to SPEAK WITH YOUR
DOCTOR ahead of time about these options and what to do (and when to call)
if you start to get sick.

Further information about the flu and the Influenza vaccine can be found on
the Center For Disease Control And Prevention Website: www.cdc.gov/flu.

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~ Subscription Discounts ~

If you are a member of a health related organization or group, take
advantage of the group discounts offered by Patient2Patient when purchasing
any of our Medical WebGuides.

Patient2Patient WebGuides provide quick access to the best and most current
information on the Internet for your condition. Our Alzheimer's and
Parkinson's disease WebGuide Reports contain more than 200 interactive
pages, organized into more than twenty critical topic areas, including
detailed analysis and quick links to Web sites offering the latest medical,
treatment, support and news as well as valuable caregiver resources.The way
our group discounts work is: The individual members of eligible
organizations can receive a discount on a one-year WebGuide subscription. In
addition, your organization or group will receive a percentage from the sale
to benefit its ongoing work.

For information, contact Andrew Robinson, Executive Director at
ajrob@Patient2Patient.net

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~ News About Patient2Patient ~

Patient2Patient is pleased to announce that William Siegel and Michael Orren
have joined our Board of Directors.

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~ Patient Best Practices Feature Article: "Preventing and Treating Flu and
Colds - Alternative Medical Approaches."~

By Frances Goodwin, Lic. Ac.,

As we all know, flu season is upon us, and this year we have the extra
stress of too few flu shots and "extra strong" flu strains. What can we do
to try to stay healthy with or with out our flu shots?

The main tenant of Chinese medicine is to prevent illness, and if illness
does occur to treat it while it is still in the early stages. So first off,
let's discuss prevention.

HAND WASHING is the first line of defense.

The flu virus is carried in the air. We know that the droplets of saliva,
nasal mucus and lung moisture hold these little viruses and the wind of the
nose blowing, coughing or a big sneeze passes them from one person to
another. The air borne virus can also settle on different surfaces. The flu
and other viruses cling to ATM machines, money, restaurant chairs and
tables, just about everything - even our own remote controls and computers.
Our hands spread them to our mouths, eyes, and bodies.

Just washing your hands several times a day under warm soapy running water
can prevent many illnesses, including the flu. You ever wonder why your
practitioner gets sick less then all the people they treat - hand washing!
This is a good year to be a bit compulsive concerning hand hygiene.

At home we can also use a new toothbrush frequently and if you have a
dishwasher, place your toothbrush in the washer at night. Think about how
dirty a glass would get if you used it for several weeks without washing.
UGH. Viruses and bacteria grow on toothbrushes - and you take the risk of
reinfecting yourself. In addition, in many households the toothbrushes are
all snuggled together which can pass germs from one family member to
another. I suggest that if it is possible purchase a couple of extra
toothbrushes and rotate them, either cleaning them in the dishwasher or with
hydrogen peroxide.

We can also wear a scarf around our necks. It might sound silly, but it
helps prevent the flu virus from entering the area on the back of the neck
which Chinese Medicine recognizes as a "Wind Portal," an area where wind
borne viruses can enter the body.
REST - oh, so very important, moderate exercise, good nutrition and a few
extra antioxidants such as Vitamin C and zinc would help too.

If you get cold, warm yourself with a hot bath or shower, or drink hot tea.
If you get wet and cold, try to dry yourself immediately and get warm; have
a nice warm soup. One could even heat up the soup a little too warm to
counteract the cold and damp.

There are several herbs on the market that are immuno enhancers: Astragalus,
Echinacea, Codonopsis and Licorice are a few. There are also natural
antivirals: Lonicerara, Forsythiae, Isantis, Scutellariae, Coptidis. These
herbs are considered safe, and have shown to be effective. In my practice I
use them in several different combinations.

Remember HERBS ARE MEDICINE and one should ALWAYS consult a knowledgeable
herbalist before taking any herbal formula. Immuno enhancers can affect
someone differently if they happen to have an autoimmune disorder, are on
other medications, undergoing chemotherapy, or have certain plant allergies.

So what to do if we do get the chills, sore throat, body aches and the
battle has begun? Try a cup of ginger tea with 1/2 lemon (which contains
1000 units of Vitamin C!) and a little honey, wrap up in a warm blanket and
nap for 20 minutes, then stay home, rest. Help yourself out.

A very good warming meal is scallions (6 chopped including white and green
parts, tofu (half a block - cut in small squares) and ginger (three quarter
size slices) prepared in a dry heated wok (or frying pan) with a small
amount of water, There are lots of other things to do when feeling cold.
One is garlic. Roasted garlic on toast, with a cup of the hot ginger tea,
works great to help ward off that first sign of runny nose and chills. Some
people like it raw, after letting it set in the air for about 10 minutes,
which increases the antioxidant properties. Eat two or three cloves, pressed
on toast with a spicy mustard, a cup of parsley tea, wrap up in that blanket
and rest.

A nice hot bath with a little fresh sage in the water, or a cup of sage tea
in the water is good to produce a little sweat, to push out the cold. Then
just like before, wrap up nice and warm and take that nap. Do Not drink sage
tea - it can make you sweat too much; but bathing in it is terrific!

Not feeling cold, but instead feeling feverish, achy and sweaty? Then the
idea is to cool the heat. Celery juice is great for this. It detoxifies
"fire poisons" (a hot fever with no chills, swollen glands), and reduces
fevers. Much better for you than a cold shower which can lock the pathogens
in your body. Also cooling are pears, yogurt, mung bean sprouts, and
cucumbers.

If it's a hot flu (flu with a fever) that you have to battle then try a nice
cool dish of yogurt and cucumber spread on celery sticks. Serve it up with
room temperature lemonade. When the fever breaks, and the virus is
diminished, steamed vegetables and light soups nourish the body toward
recovery.

If your fever climbs above 101.0 F, or last more than 48 hours, check with
your physician. If your throat looks white, that's a sign of a bacterial
infection and again, call the doc.

A dry nagging cough? Scratchy throat? First gargle with vinegar - only once
or twice (after that the vinegar can make your throat raw). Then try a
simple tea of half a lemon in hot water with a spoon of honey. The tea can
be repeated as often as you like. Pears, loquat fruit, barley, privet fruit
also soothe a dry cough.

Enjoy the season, stretch those joints, move, dress for the weather, wash
your toothbrush and your hands, rest, and eat. Remember to laugh; it is a
great immuno enhancer.

Frances Goodwin, Lic. Ac., is a Cofounder of the Initiative for Women with
Disabilities Program at the Hospital for Joint Diseases, NYC; and was a
faculty member at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in New York.
Frances has a family practice in New York City. She can be reached at
(212)414-0388.

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~ Humor ~

A man goes into the doctor s office. His doctor tells him: "I have bad news,
you only have six months to live."

"Six Months!" The man exclaims, "Why that won't even give me enough time to
pay your bill!"

The doctor thinks about this for a moment and replies: Okay, I'll give you
another six months."


Feel Good!

The Staff of Patient2Patient

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