Did you wait until the last minute to purchase a Christmas present this year?  No fear!  UNICEF is here.

The best gift is a gift that keeps giving…and what could be better than a gift that literally saves lives, natural resources, and makes the world a better place!

A couple of Sundays ago, at my church Oak Hills in San Antonio, Max Lucado quickly showed a video of missionaries from our church sent to different parts of Africa to build fresh water wells w/ money raised from the Bibleland Children’s Sunday School classes.  Not only were the children there laughing and thanking us, they are now able to enjoy clean, fresh water without worrying about contamination, disease, and travelling many miles to fetch a tiny amount.

Check out all the ways to give back to children around the world:

About UNICEF:

Working in over 150 countries, UNICEF provides children with health care, clean water, nutrition, education, protection, emergency relief, and more.

22,000 children die EVERY DAY from preventable diseases.  Imagine being able to buy a gift that saves the life of one or many children in poverty stricken parts of the world!  Several, charitable organizations like UNICEF let you do just that!  Dedicate the purchase in the name of a loved one or friend and send/print notification.

Right now the featured gift is a “Winter Child Survival Pack” that includes:

• supplies to sustain child for 6 months!!
• vitamins and minerals to grow healthy
• measles and polio immunizations
• enough water purification tablets for 50,000 liters of water!!

ALL of that is possible w/ a small donation of $81.35!  And if that’s too much they take general donations of $5 and more.

• Education & Play - school supplies, soccer balls, and more give these children a chance for quality educations!
• Immunizations – vaccinations for diseases that don’t even exist in modern countries ($20 buys 412 tetanus shots)
• Water – water pumps, purification, and family water kits
• Nutrition – baby scales, ready to eat food, vitamin powder ($18 buys 604 individual doses of vitamins and minerals!)
• Emergency – high energy food, water kits, tents and more to help during emergencies
• Health - first aid kits for field workers, mother/baby packs, for $80 save 1000k from deadly diseases

Did you know that as you’re shopping for people on other sites you could still be helping children fight preventable diseases?!

American Airlines | Causes on Facebook | Delta Air Lines
FEED | Gucci | H&M | IKEA |  Western Union

Click on the links for more details!  American Airlines is fighting diseases w/ incentives to donate to UNICEF by offering 2 AAdvantage miles in return for EACH dollar donated.  Donate right now!

The special edition “Gucci for UNICEF” Sukey bag, designed by Gucci Creative Director Frida Giannini in grey “La Pelle Guccissima” leather, is being sold in Gucci stores in over 20 countries and from April 15, 2010 through February 28, 2011, Gucci will donate 25% of the retail price!

UNICEF Social Media

• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UNICEF-USA
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/unicefusa

TeachUNICEF is a portfolio of UNICEF-focused resources designed and collected by the U.S. Fund for UNICEF’s Education Department for educators, afterschool instructors, and parents. The units, lesson plans, stories, and multimedia cover topics ranging from the Millennium Development Goals to water and sanitation.

*Teaser for my next blog “Teach UNICEF”

I heard about the Neti Pot from a friend, a couple months ago when I was suffering from horrific seasonal allergies (if you have not experienced Texas’ high pollen season, you have not truly suffered…)  A big support of gargling w/ salt water to prevent sore throats, I was optimistic about the sinus rinse.  (Same friend also said that true love is sharing the same Neti Pot…)

Facebook Fan: http://www.facebook.com/neilmednetipot

Follow Tweets: http://twitter.com/NeilMed

Official Blog: http://www.neilmed.com/neilmedblog/

Website: http://www.neilmed.com

So, did it work?!  It blew me out of the water.  My daughter and I both suffer from seasonal allergies (last year she missed several weeks worth of school because it was so bad!)  This year we have looked allergens in the eye, daring them to try.  Jaden has missed NO school because of allergy related illnesses or fatigue and every night she uses the Neti Pot, she sleeps soundly, without any congestion or snoring!

Whenever I feel a cold or sinus infection coming on (i.e. tired, nasal congestion, sore throat), I tell Jaden to grab a bottle of water and pour the mixture into the container while I warm up the filtered water.  Works like magic.  Considering how much you end up paying on Zrytec (even generic!!), Benadryl, and other decongestants and antihistamines, Neti Pot is the best deal!  (And if there’s one thing I know, it’s how to save money!!)

I also have recommended the Neti Pot to my parents, both nurses, who tried it warily at first but no also rinse regularly.

Vote for Jaden – Even 7 Year Olds Love It!

Finally, if you don’t believe me, watch my 7 year (entered to win their Facebook contest – please vote Dec. 1 through Dec. 15)

…her pediatrician recommended daily usages since her seasonal allergies are so severe.

In order to get the information, health updates, and alerts that you’re concerned about, check out the social media playground this season’s flu is playing on.  I’ve consolidated 12 Flu Tweeps to follow, Facebook pages to fan, and other websites that offer awesome, easy to understand information about this proclaimed pandemic!

Flu Resources – Includes links to official government health and flu resources, information to share with co-workers

Social Media – Easily track influential outbreaks in your area (and internationally), follow Flu tweets, and get Facebook updates instantly AND directly from the government sponsored resources.

Flu Resource Websites

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s website

H1N1

• Free printable materials – includes flyers, posters, stickers, and toolkits.

CDC Social Media for H1N1

• Buttons for your website/blog
• eCards – send good health
• Flickr Photos – H1N1 images
• Mobile site – visit from your mobile devices
• Txt Messaging – text HEALTH to 87000 (3 messages/wk)
• Widgets –up to date, credible health information on your website/blog

Flu.gov’s website

• Interactive Maps – find state resources, news on seasonal and N1H1 flu, state health department RSS feeds and Twitter updates
• H1N1

WHO’s H1N1 website

• World Health Organization offers worldwide updates and news feeds including a RSS feed for the Pandemic (H1N1) 2009.
• WHO news via Twitter @WhoNews
• Information for individuals, businesses, FAQs, etc.

Flu Trending across the US, Australia, & New Zealand

Google Flu Trends – Google’s done it again!  Based on aggregated Google search data to estimate the current flu activity for the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Mexico (still experimental phase.)  You can track the United States or by state.

Flu-related and Informative Facebook Pages:

• Flu.gov – Stream reliable, up-to-date information through Facebook!
• CDC – just one of many social media tools provided by the CDC.
• American Lung Association – Fighting to help you breathe better!

12 Official Flu Tweeps to Follow:

• @FluGov – One-stop access to U.S. Government H1N1, avian and pandemic flu information.
• @CDCEmergency – CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response: increasing the nation’s ability to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies.
• @CDCFlu – For flu-related updates from the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention).
• @whonews – World Health Organization’s (WHO) official tweets…get official news about the H1N1 pandemic, as soon as it develops!
• @WSJHealthBlog – “The Wall Street Journal Health Blog offers news and analysis on health and the business of health.”
• @riskcomm – bulletins from the WHO and PAHO (Pan American Health Organization).
• @LungAssociation – “The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease.”
• @pahowho – Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is an international public health agency with over 100 years of experience working to improve health and living standards of the people of the Americas.
• @RedCross – “Official twitter stream for the American Red Cross. Follow us for disaster and preparedness updates.”
• @Reuters_FluNews – “Reuters coverage of the emerging swine flu outbreak”
• @PublicHealth – “The American Public Health Association works to protect Americans from health threats.”
• @GetReady – “APHA’s Get Ready campaign is helping Americans prepare for all health hazards, including pan flu, infectious diseases, disasters and other health emergencies.”

Youtube:

Stream videos from official government health agencies:

• Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
• CDC Streaming Health

]]> http://geekettebits.com/information/trends-the-flu%e2%80%99s-setting-this-fall/feed/ 0 http://geekettebits.com/information/flu-season-cold-vs-flu-vs-h1n1/ http://geekettebits.com/information/flu-season-cold-vs-flu-vs-h1n1/#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:18:33 +0000 *Geekette* http://geekettebits.com/?p=452 Continue reading →]]>

Do you know what the different symptoms between the common cold and the seasonal flu are?  Do you know the difference between the seasonal flu and H1N1?  Do you know how long the virus can live, outside of a carrier?  How long you’re contagious for?

With the onslaught of flu season and as the word pandemic starts to breathe fear into everyone’s H1N1 concerns, I thought an incredibly helpful post would consolidate important news and resources into a single location, broken up into a series of posts.  I tried to keep it in one article and there’s just TOO much information out there.  I verified facts across the multiple government health websites (including the CDC, Flu.gov) as well as other reputable online medical resources (like the Mayo Clinic and WebMD) so that you could quickly get the facts.

Let this help you share ONLY information (and not the germs) with your friends, coworkers, and family.

Informational Flu Post includes:

• Cold vs. Flu – How sick am I?!
• Detailed Flu and Cold information – How long do symptoms last, how long are you contagious for, how long does the virus live on objects…
• Seasonal Flu vs. H1N1 – Know the symptoms of the common flu, H1N1, and other “popular” strands of the virus!
• Preventive Actions – How to keep from getting sick and spreading the viruses if you do have it!

Future posts will include:

• Flu social media resources – Best flu tweeps to follow and other social media resources
• Infected - What to do if you do have the flu, when to go to the doctors, etc.
• Vaccinations - Detailed information about the different vaccinations (who’s high risk, etc.), when and where to get it.

*Hope to post everything by the end of this week!

Cold vs. Flu

In the past week, I have probably looked up the symptoms of a cold and symptoms of the flu several times (every time one of my symptoms changes…)  I consolidated all the symptoms to this simple chart based on information from several top medial resources (Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Mayo Clinic, WebMD):

*NOTE: Colds and the seasonal flu are all respiratory illnesses that are caused by DIFFERENT viruses.

In most of the articles I read, another determinate between differentiating between the flu and a cold is the severity of symptoms.  While many symptoms are found in both illnesses, the flu’s extremeness (i.e. extreme exhaustion, high-grade temperature, extreme chest discomfort) is a good indicator that you don’t just have a common cold…

The Mayo Clinic also offers a flu checklist.

Detailed Flu and Cold information:

Researching this article was incredibly helpful for me (and both my parents are nurses!)  I have included other interesting and important to know information about characteristics of both the seasonal flu and common cold:

Seasonal Flu vs. H1N1

This chart was also the consolidated version of multiple resources from WebMD, the Mayo Clinic, the CDC, and Flu.gov (which is a government site dedicated to flu information.)  Although H1N1 is a household term, the specifics of the symptoms is not always known.  Although you don’t have to have the additional symptoms, the following chart can be used as a helpful indicator.

Check back here for Flu.gov’s updated version of symptoms for both seasonal and H1N1 strains:

*Although you can have H1N1 without having the additional symptoms, the final 2 are often indicative of the illness.

Preventive Actions (Catching and Spreading Illness)

1 – Wash hands with soap and water, constantly!! The physical friction from rubbing your hands together eliminates additional germs that aren’t killed by hand sanitizer.  (Check back soon for my in-depth post on the effectiveness of different hand sanitizers and why!)

2 – Cover your mouth w/ a tissue when you cough and sneeze…if you don’t have a tissue (and especially if you won’t be able to wash your hands or hand sanitize), cough or sneeze into your sleeve or arm.  (Afterwards, refrain from rubbing said sleeve on your friend’s eyeballs…)

3 – Get plenty of sleep; those who get less than 7 hours have more weakened immune systems!

4 – Help prevent others from getting sick! If you were infected with any kind of flu, the CDC recommends remaining home until you’re fever free (w/o fever reducing medicine like Tylenol or Motrin) for at LEAST 24 hours!

*My next post will go into more details about this!

Great Resources:

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [Seasonal Flu] – Information from the CDC about the seasonal flu.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [H1N1 Flu] – Information from the CDC about H1N1.

Flu.gov – One-stop access to U.S. Government H1N1, avian and pandemic flu information.

Mayo Clinic [Common Cold] – Includes overview, definition, detailed information, prevention, treatment, remedies, causes and risks for the common cold.

Mayo Clinic [Seasonal Flu] – Includes overview, definition, detailed information, prevention, treatment, remedies, causes and risks for the seasonal flu.