Healthwise - Winter 2012 - (Page 2)

HEALTHBEAT Flu or False? © photoshot.com ’Tis the season for the ﬂu, which can result in serious complications and leads to more than 200,000 hospitalizations each year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Test your inﬂuenza intelligence with our quiz: BEAT THE BUG TRACK THE FLU IN YOUR AREA Visit ﬂu.gov and click “Where You Live” to ﬁnd vaccination locations near you, statespeciﬁc ﬂu trends and local resources. 1 True or False? December is too late to get a ﬂu shot. False. A seasonal ﬂu shot is the most important preventive step you can take. While the CDC recommends getting one as soon as the vaccine is available each year, the shot is offered through January and beyond since ﬂu season typically peaks in February. 2 True or False? I will need a second vaccine this year to protect myself from the H1N1 virus. 3 True or False? I can spread the ﬂu even if I don’t have symptoms. False. Each year, the regular ﬂu vaccine protects you from the three strains researchers predict to be most prevalent—and the 2011–12 vaccine again will include H1N1. True. You potentially can share the sickness up to a day before you have symptoms. Practice good prevention such as frequent handwashing, coughing or sneezing into your elbow, and avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Save Your Soles Running may give you a high, but down low at the soles of your feet, it’s a diﬀerent story. Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common foot injuries runners experience, says the American Podiatric Medical Association. e band of tissue that connects the heel bone to the toes can become stressed, causing pain. Treatments include icing, stretching, over-the-counter anti-inﬂammatory medications and wearing a night splint as recommended by your physician. To get more podiatrist-approved running advice, including recommended footwear, see Clarence Clayton, DPM, SCR Podiatrist. Clayton provides free foot health screenings at St. Claire Regional Family Medical Supply the ﬁrst Saturday of every month. Call 606-784-2414 for more information. Healthwise is a quarterly publication of St. Claire Regional Medical Center. President & CEO: Mark J. Neff; Marketing & PR Director: Valerie Campbell; St. Claire Regional Medical Center, 222 Medical Circle Drive, Morehead, KY, USA 40351, 606-783-6500. Copyright © 2012 by McMurry. All rights reserved. Information in this publication is not intended for the purpose of diagnosing or prescribing. Consult your physician before undertaking any form of medical treatment and/or advice contained in this publication. If you wish to be removed from the mailing list, please tear off the shipping label and mail it to Remove Me, P.O. Box 17910, Phoenix, AZ 85011 or go to acd.mcmurry.com. 2 St. Claire Regional Medical Center • www.st-claire.org http://www.flu.gov http://www.st-claire.org http://acd.mcmurry.com http://www.st-claire.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Healthwise - Winter 2012

Healthwise - Winter 2012