'Tis the season - flu season that is

Monday, October 1st marks the official start of flu season. While anyone can get the flu vaccine if they want to reduce their chances of getting the flu, the Centers for Disease Control recommends some groups of adults get vaccinated every year, because they are at increased risk for severe complications if they do become sick. These groups include:

• Women who will be pregnant during flu season
• People who have weakened immune systems, such as from HIV/AIDS, chemotherapy, organ transplants, or autoimmune disorders (e.g., multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis)
• People who have chronic health conditions, such as heart problems, lung disease (e.g., asthma, emphysema, bronchitis), diabetes, and kidney disease
• People 50 years and older
• People who work in a health care setting or family members of those in high risk groups

For the folks noted above, you unfortunately have to get vaccinated with an injection (this is the inactive, or "killed," form of the virus). However, if you are a healthy adult under age 50 who is not pregnant, you can avoid the needle. FluMist is a nasal spray vaccine that will spare you the shot.

The best time to get vaccinated starts Monday. October and November are the recommended months to provide the best chances for keeping the bug away. However, you still may receive some benefits if you get vaccinated in December or later. And remember: it takes two weeks for full immunity to develop, so plan ahead. (You never know when there's going to be another vaccine shortage.) Call your health care provider for an appointment or find a flu shot clinic near you today.

Breastfeeding is better for babies AND moms - so why is it discouraged?

As if it weren't enough that Applebee's in Lexington pushed a mom out of their restaurant for breastfeeding her baby in a back corner booth. (So much for that Kentucky law that states breastfeeding in public is legal. Of course, why we need laws for this I'm unclear, but that's for another post).

Now the federal government has toned down its ads to promote breastfeeding. You read correctly, toned down its ads, even though media relations experts advised them against softening the ads, because they wouldn't increase breastfeeding. I mean, why would the federal government want to increase breastfeeding rates? Who cares about the study published this year by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (yes, an agency of the federal government) that showed breastfeeding contributes to good infant AND maternal health? According to this AHRQ study, children who are breastfed get fewer ear and respiratory infections, GI illnesses, and skin rashes. They're also less likely to have asthma, obesity, type 1 and 2 diabetes, and childhood leukemia, and less likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

As for moms - women who breastfed were less likely to have type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer. Conversely, women who stopped breastfeeding early (before 6 months) or never breastfed at all were more likely to have postpartum depression.

So why are we spending money on an ad campaign for breastfeeding that will essentially have no effect on a mother's decision to breastfeed? Talk to your neighborhood pharmaceutical company - apparently it was the infant formula/pharmaceutical lobby that got the Department of Health and Human Services to tone down its ads, because they need to keep those revenues up. And not just in infancy mind you. They want to make sure kids keep needing their prescriptions well into childhood to take care of the asthma, ear infections, and diabetes they develop.

Are we really making health policy based on an industry that does better when people are unhealthy? I say nurse-in at Applebee's today - big PHRMA tomorrow.

Dr. X, You're Fired! (No, this isn't a post on Donald Trump)

There was an interesting article on CNN this week about knowing when to find a new doctor. I thought I'd share, as there are some key points to consider when evaluating your relationship with your physician. The experts quoted suggest you should fire your doctor when:

(1) You don't think your doctor is listening to you.
(2) Your doctor becomes annoyed, frustrated, condescending, or expresses dislike when you ask questions.
(3) Your doctor can't explain what's going on with you in a way that you understand.
(4) You feel badly when you leave the doctor's office.
(5) You don't like your doctor, or you think your doctor doesn't like you.

As women we sometimes find it difficult to speak up for ourselves. However, it's very important that we do, especially because some diseases (like heart disease) look symptomatically different for women than men. Doctors don't always listen, either. One of the experts quoted wrote in a recent book about a case he had as a young doctor. A female patient complained about indigestion that he chalked up to complaining and whining. It turned out the woman had a torn aorta and she died.

So be proactive about your health and frank with your doctor about what you're feeling. Your health depends on it. And if your doctor makes you feel badly for expressing concerns or doesn't listen to what you're saying, it's time to move on.

Moms Get "A" for Minding Children's Health

Single moms often receive a lot of flack for, well, being single moms, whereas single dads are patted on the back for "stepping up" to their parenting responsibilities. A study published online this week should give single moms a boost, however. Apparently, when it comes to their children's health, single moms are way ahead of single dads in terms of health behaviors.

Researchers examined data from over 62,000 children (0-17 years) in the United States. They found that only 1/2 of children in single-father families saw a doctor for a check-up. Conversely, more than 2/3 of children in single-mother households received a "well-child" check-up. Further, children in single-mother families had a lower risk of drug use, had fewer problems in school, and exhibited fewer risky behaviors compared to children in single-father families - all this despite the fact that single moms are more likely to be poor, which is a risk factor for both limited health care access and a variety of health problems.

Why are moms better than dads at getting their kids in for a check-up? The authors of the study suggest that single moms may have a better grasp of the public programs available to them. The authors also suggest that dads may be bigger risk-takers, whereas moms don't want to take a chance with their children's health. Clearly, this is an area for more research. Meantime, single moms everywhere should be applauded for taking care of their children's health.