Winter statistically represents a time when older people are more susceptible to slips, trips and falls. However, Balance Master’s Peter Hope argues that fall prevention is better than cure. In fact, Peter believes that by increasing awareness of and access to advice and exercise; older people are more likely to maintain their health and independence for longer; resulting in human benefits such as increased mobility, confidence and independence…

Normally, this is the peak period for the flu in the United States. But that just doesn’t seem to be the case this year. The number of states reporting widespread cases of the flu mysteriously plunged from 49 at the end of October to zero at the beginning of the January, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At the beginning of March, most states are only reporting sporadic cases of the flu…

A new study reveals how infection with the influenza virus impacts the way that the immune system responds to subsequent infections. The research, published by Cell Press in the February 18th issue of the journal Cell Host and Microbe, provides a new understanding of the physiological and pathological consequences of the flu. Much of what is known about how the immune system protects against infection comes from studies examining exposure to a single pathogen…

Evidence for the safety and efficacy of influenza vaccines in the over 65s is poor, despite the fact that vaccination has been recommended for the prevention of influenza in older people for the past 40 years. These are the conclusions of a new Cochrane Systematic Review. Adults aged 65 and over are some of the most vulnerable during influenza season and a priority for vaccination programmes. However, very few systematic reviews of the effectiveness of vaccines in this group have ever been carried out…

Amarillo Biosciences, Inc. (ABI) (OTCBB: AMAR) announced additional preliminary results from the recently completed Phase 2 clinical trial conducted in Perth, Australia at the University of Western Australia with Professors David Smith and Manfred Beilharz as principal investigators…

A campaign that makes seasonal flu vaccinations for hospital staff free, convenient, ubiquitous and hard to ignore succeeds fairly well in moving care providers closer to a state of “herd” immunity and protecting patients from possible infection transmitted by health care workers, according to results of a survey at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. In a report published in the Feb…

A campaign that makes seasonal flu vaccinations for hospital staff free, convenient, ubiquitous and hard to ignore succeeds fairly well in moving care providers closer to a state of “herd” immunity and protecting patients from possible infection transmitted by health care workers, according to results of a survey at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. In a report published in the Feb…

A viral e-mail currently making the rounds between private accounts and public message boards warning of a danger posed by mixing over-the-counter medications Motrin and Robitussin is unfounded. While no child younger than age four should be given cough and cold medicines, the Food and Drug Administration has approved combination drugs that mix ibuprofen (the active ingredient in Motrin) and dextromethorphan and/or pseudoephedrine (the active ingredients in Robitussin medications) for older children and adults…

Sports fans attending the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and the Paralympics Games in Vancouver, Canada, in February can be winners if they make plans now to help stay healthy during their trip. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers some simple tips to help travelers share gold medal memories but not the flu at the games. Teamwork will be the key to everyone enjoying a healthy experience at the Olympic and Paralympic games. You can help in the fight to control the flu’s spread by remembering to “Stop, Wash and Go:” — Stop: Make sure you feel well before traveling…

Antiviral drugs block influenza A viruses from reproducing and spreading by attaching to a site within a proton channel necessary for the virus to infect healthy cells, according to a research project led by Iowa State University’s Mei Hong and published in the Feb. 4 issue of the journal Nature. Hong, Iowa State’s John D.