Free inoculations are available at clinic near you
Seniors are among the most vulnerable when it comes to influenza, and while they have the highest vaccination rate (about 70 percent), the threat of flu is extremely dangerous to those not immunized. For those in a nursing home, the shot prevents hospitalization 60 percent of the time and prevents death 80 percent of the time.
There’s an ample supply of flu vaccine this year, and “Faces of Influenza,”
an initiative of the American Lung Association, is encouraging everyone — but particularly those at high risk — to get immunized this year.
In Philadelphia, “Faces of Influenza” is working through Meals on Wheels agencies and community churches to alert seniors on the importance of flu vaccination.
For more information on the organization or to find the clinic nearest you: http://www.facesofinfluenza.org
Drinking green tea in moderation may help strengthen older women’s hips, Australian researchers have concluded.
A recent study “suggests that ... tea in moderation can actually benefit your bones,” reports lead researcher Amanda Devine in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. “Those who drank tea in the study had a higher bone density” than those who did not. This reinforces prior research, suggesting that green tea may help people at risk for osteoporosis, which primarily affects older women.
Hip fractures associated with osteoporosis are a major source of disability in postmenopausal women. The Australian study involved women, 70 to 85.
VisualDxHealth, an online consumer health resource, has released a series of interactive Web widgets, designed to help you recognize signs of skin cancer.
“The ABCs of Melanoma Identification” and “Skin Cancer Self Exam,” available at www.visualdxhealth.com, make it possible to add health information to your website, blog or desktop.
VisualDxHealth was developed by healthcare professionals for Logical Images Inc., creators of professional clinical decision support software.
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