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Flu season's here, and it's hitting the US really hard.
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Welcome to Health Made Simple. Here's everything you need to know about the flu. You know most people get confused by the endless amounts of information they can find on the Internet. As a health care provider. I see that every single day. That's why we've created health made simple a place where you can get clear, concise and accurate health information in just five minutes or less. You may have already had the flu this year, and I wouldn't be surprised because the CDC estimates that so far this season in the U. S, there have been over 15 million cases of the flu. Unfortunately, those have resulted in over 150,000 hospitalizations and more than 10,000 deaths. Symptoms usually come on very, very suddenly and include a high fever chills. You know those bones shaking. There's bone-rattling chills, a dry, hacky cough that just won't go away. Sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, intense muscle or body aches? Ah, headache and some people, mostly children. But some people can also have vomiting and diarrhea. The flu usually comes on about two days after being exposed to it and will last for about seven days. Some of you may have already gotten the flu shot. Unfortunately, it's not 100% effective. In fact, the most recent CDC literature reports that it's about 50% effective this year. But one of the most simple but important steps that you can take to prevent the flu is toe. Wash your hands. Use soap and water 20 seconds every time. Every time you call for sneeze, wash your hands. Avoid contact with sick family, friends, co workers. And if you have the flu, stay home. Let me say that again. If you have the flu, stay home. Stay home from work, stay home from school. Don't send your kids to school or daycare. Take a sick day. Don't go out with friends. They don't want the flu from you. Stay home. Some of you may have heard about Tamiflu. I get that question a lot. It's heavily advertised as a treatment for the flu, but there's lots of controversy on whether or not it's actually effective, And many doctors believe that Tamiflu doesn't work well enough to really justify prescribing it in the cost of it researchers who looked at the study data concluded that Tamiflu doesn't reduce symptoms it doesn't reduce. The severity of symptoms doesn't reduce the number of cases of pneumonia, the number of hospitalizations or other complications. In fact, even though the manufacturer has made claims that Tamiflu reduces pneumonia and hospitalizations the only claim they actually make on their website and you can look this up it's Tamiflu dot com is that taking Tamiflu at the first sign of flu symptoms may reduce the amount of time you're sick. That's the only claim you'll see on their website. On average, patients who start taking Tamiflu within 48 hours of getting sick with the flu will recover less than one day faster than patients who do not take anything over the counter. Medications don't cure the flu, but they can help you feel better by treating symptoms like aches, coughs or sore throats. And antibiotics will not work against the flu because it's caused by a virus and not a bacteria. Antibiotics on Lee work against bacterial infections, so if you or someone you're caring for has the flu and begins having difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, chest pain, abdominal pain, confusion, sudden dizziness or severe vomiting. Make sure you get them to the hospital right away or call 911