H1N1 (Swine Flu): Putting Porky the Pig Myths in Their Place

I know it has been a over a month since I posted last, but I have been trapped in the ritual of preparing for the medical licensing exams.

I figure since there has been great interest in the upcoming flu season that I should take a break from my studies and talk about some pork. Not necessarily the other white meat, but the swine flu, or rather H1N1, that presents a problem to this year's fall festivities. (picture from http://www.ktis.fm/blogs/lisa/2009/04/29/where-swine-flu-comes-from/)

But, before I write a post about how to cope with the H1N1, I have to do some myth busting. Sorry, it's not that I don't love you mythophiles and legend lovers, but I have to do this; it's for your own good. We must accept that some myths no matter how fascinating, are a bunch of .... well, hogwash. :)



Myth 1: Eating pig meat causes the swine flu

I personally love this myth. Can you imagine how many calories we would save if pork actually caused the virus? No wait, how many scary pork-flavored meals we could avoid!

"Ahem, I'm sorry Aunt Bertha; I'd love to eat your pork belly chop stew, but I'm cutting back on the swine flu. Doctor's orders. No more bacon butts for me." (picture from soda.com)

So truth be told: you can't get H1N1 from eating porkchops.

Dr. Ed Hsu, an associate professor of health informatics at the University of Texas Health Science Center indicated that "There is no scientific evidence or literature or any studies that suggest that one contracts H1N1 virus through eating pork or handling pork products." (abcnews.go.com)

In addition, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has stated concerning the virus, "Given current facts and scientific understanding, consumption of pig meat does not bring any increased risk to the consumer." (http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90856/6649432.html)

Too bad the FAO forgot about the increased risks of hypertension and obesity from eating buckets of bacon, but that's another subject entirely.

Furthermore, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack (www.foxnews.com) has made a general statement to Americans that the H1N1 is not a food-borne illness an that it has absolutely nothing to do with eating pork products. So you can pig out on all the sausages and hot dogs you want. You're more likely to get the H1N1 from the package the dogs come in, than the little pork guts themselves.

The real reason why H1N1 began to be known as the 'Swine Flu' was that it manifested like the Asian and European swine influenzas that were contracted first by hog herders.

Yet, it is true that pigs are intermediate hosts for a number of influenza strains.

Our little piggy friends first mutate the strains within themselves, and then are so obliging as to share the new human-loving strains with us. And who said that pigs were selfish animals?
(picture from National Institutes of Health http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/NR/rdonlyres/3D377A8B-747F-480A-832E-02A8ED9D1B3C/0/AntigenicShift_HiRes.jpg)

In reality, the H1N1 is like the Frankenstein of influenza viruses. After analyzing its genes, scientists have discovered that it is a never-before-seen mutated combo of the genetic components of at least four different classes of flu viruses.

It is true that health officials have seen conglomerates of virus strains before, but "never such an intercontinental combination with more than one pig virus in the mix." (http://centurean2.wordpress.com/2009/04/29/why-call-it-swine-flu-when-its-a-mixture-of-avian-human-and-swine-viruses/)

The viruses mixed within it include: the Asian, Europian, and North American swine flu strains (no shocker there); the Human Influenza(no shocker there either, considering that humans have now contracted it); the North American Mexican influenza; and the North American avian influenza (Surprise!).

Yep, there it is our old buddy the Bird flu, back to bite us in the pork belly. And you thought the Avian flu had gone without even saying, 'hello.'

And in a nutshell: a pidgeon fell in love with three little pigs, and now we have the H1N1, formally the artist called Swine flu.


Myth 2: Swine flu parties are fun!

I just have to say in response to this myth, "What the heck?!"

One question: who came up with the idea that going to a party with a bunch of people infected with the H1N1 is a good thing?

For those of you who haven't heard of this myth: Swine flu parties are gatherings of non-infected people with infected people for the purpose of catching the swine flu early in the season.

Okay, I don't know who out there is propagating the fantasy that people are better off if they catch the flu "before it mutates in the fall." But... wow! I'm impressed at their creativity. That is about as good as the cultural belief in some parts of Africa where if a man sleeps with a pure virgin, he'll be cured of AIDS. (Sorry, to all those that follow the virgin-AIDS-cure belief, but it's entirely and deadly false. But if you still want to believe that, I've got some Ocean front property in Ohio that you might be interested in.)

Back to the subject at hand: Yes, there are some people out there in la la land who somehow believe that if they inoculate themselves now with the virus that they will be protected from a worse and more mutated strain in the fall.

Well, I hate to burst their bubble, but the H1N1 has already mutated. It's the mutated freak of mutations. All mutants shun it. If Magneto's wife had this mutated virus as a child, he would divorce her for cheating on him with the monster from the deep lagoon. (Note: Magneto is a Marvel comic book character that is a mutant-rights activist to a major extreme...[picture from photobucket.com])

It probably is best to avoid the H1N1 altogether.

Myth 3: H1N1 is more benign than the seasonal flu

Basically, this is another pipe dream. Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbelt University and expert on influenza strains explained that the H1N1 is "not a harmless infection. We anticipate that whatever it does this summer, it's likely to be a major player in the fall, and when something this new and unpredictable shows up, we are all well-advised to do our best to prepare for it." (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/SwineFluNews/Story?id=7691400&page=1)

While the seasonal flu kills nearly 36,000 per year, the H1N1 is estimated to kill up to 90,000. That's nearly three times as many people. Can you see now why Swine Flu Parties are a bad idea?

The President's Advisory Council (PCAST) has released a report indicating that the worse case scenario for the United States could be as many as 30,000 to 90,000 deaths from the H1N1 this fall, with 40% of the population contracting the virus. (http://www.examiner.com/x-12837-US-Headlines-Examiner~y2009m8d25-H1N1-or-Swine-flu-deaths-could-reach-90000-this-fall) Keep in mind that these projected numbers are considered to be in addition to the 36,000 that die from the seasonal flu each year.

While somewhere in between 5-20% of Americans catch the seasonal influenza, H1N1 is projected to affect nearly 30-50% of the population.

Not that I want to end on such an unhappy note, but I have licensing exams to attend to. I do fully intend to get to the good stuff of H1N1 preparations in my next post. So stay watching.

The link of the day is: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

--Christine

Indoor Air Quality: Plants That Can Save Us

Assuming that your house is still standing after a disaster and the authorities haven't attempted to evacuate you, the best thing for you to do is to stay indoors with your air vents sealed.

For instance, in the event of an earthquake, a good amount of dust is stirred up into the air, bringing with it a number of soil fungi that have been shown to cause lung infections in earthquake survivors, such as coccidioidomycosis immitis which is the cause of San Joaquin Valley Fever. (Refer to Jacobs, A.V. and Leaf, H. (2007). Fungal infections of the lung. Current Infectious Disease Reports, vol. 1, pp. 89-98 and Torre, J. and Richard, A.J. (2008). Coccidioidomycosis, emedicine, http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/781632-overview).

In the event of a nuclear fallout, there is the radiation factor. No biggy, right? Well, that's because you already know that it is best to go into your basement and seal off any openings to the outside in your home and stay down there for at least 3 weeks. (Note: Earthquake and Nuclear preparedness and disaster response will be discussed in more detail in a later post.)

So how do you survive in an air tight environment for a few weeks? Yep, you guessed it: Plants!

Not only do plants convert carbon dioxide to oxygen, they also filter harmful substances from the air such as formaldehyde (man, plants would've been great to have around when I was in Cadaver class), benzene, and trichloroethylene. So in a nutshell, plants function as amazing air pumps and humidifiers. (Aglaonema modestum picture taken from florists.ftd.com)

In 1989, NASA scientists Dr. B.C. Wolverton, Anne Johnson, and Keith Bounds conducted a study to find an economical way to purify air for the extended stays that astronauts made in space stations. (http://www.ssc.nasa.gov/environmental/docforms/water_research/water_research.html)

This study found that a particular fifteen houseplants performed better at air filtration than was ever expected.

Wolverton stated that, "Plants take substances out of the air through the tiny openings in their leaves (stoma). But research in our laboratories has determined that plant leaves, roots and soil bacteria are all important in removing trace levels of toxic vapors. Combining nature with technology can increase the effectiveness of plants in removing air pollutants. A living air cleaner is created by combining activated carbon and a fan with a potted plant. The roots of the plant grow right in the carbon and slowly degrade the chemicals absorbed there."

The plants were also found to be helpful to air-tight office buildings. For instance, in most office buildings, trapped pollutants produce what is often referred to as Sick Building Syndrome. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sick_building_syndrome)

The signs and symptoms of this syndrome include: fatigue, nausea, confusion, flu-like symptoms, sinusitis, anxiety, pneumonia, headache, lack of concentration, edema, allergies, and insomnia, irritation of the eyes, nose and mouth.

Now if you're wondering how formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene get into your house, they do it like every other criminal, they pick the locks. No really, they are more like vampires, you invite them in... by bringing paper, cardboard, particle board, insulation, paints, oil solvents, adhesives, inks, varnishes, perfumes, deodorants, body lotions, cleaning products, smoke, pesticides, synthetic fabrics, carpets, detergents, etc. into your home. Darn, there goes the good things in life.

So here you are stuck in your house, trying to avoid the nuclear fallout like every other normal, non-mutant person, and all you have is books to read and walls to paint. Then you get that cleaning urge because you've got nothing to do except stare at the dust collecting on all the DVDs you can't use because the power is out. So, you clean and of course you have to varnish what remains of your furniture... and now you need to apply three layers of deodorant because you stink from all that work.

But then, suddenly, one of the radiation mutated cockroaches from the underworld just ate your dog and you have to whip out two cans of industrial strength bug spray because there is no way in Tartarus that your shoe is big enough to kill that thing. What do you do?

You get out your Mother-in-law's tongue. No, you don't have your mother-in-law to lick the roach to death; Mother-in-law's tongue is actually a plant called Snake Plant or Sansevieria trifasciata that filters all the chemicals from the above scenario. Please see the adjoining picture. (picture from dkimages.com)

In other words, you prepare with plants. The following is a list of the top 15 plants that NASA found were helpful in filtering indoor air:

1. Philodendron scandens 'oxycardium,' or heartleaf philodendron (This is that plant that never seems to die, no matter how much you lack a green thumb. Picture is to the left. plantoftheweek.org)

2. Phildendron domesticum, elephant ear philodendron


3. Dracaena fragrans, 'Massangeana', cornstalk dracaena

4.Hedera helix, English Ivy

5. Chlorophytum comosum, Spider plant. (I love this plant; you only have to water it once every two weeks! Perfect for times of disaster. www.webmaster-forums.net)

6. Dracaena deremenesis 'Janet Craig', Janet Craig dracaena (medium light)

7. Dracaena deremenesis 'Warneckii', Warneckii dracaena (medium light)

8. Ficus benjamina, weeping fig (intense light)

9. Epipiremnum aureum, golden pathos

10. Spathiphyllum 'Mauna Loa,' peace lily (in low light, this plant works the best)

11. Philodendron selloum, selloum philodendron

12. Aglaonema modestum, Chinese evergreen

13. Chamaedorea sefritzii, bamboo or reed palm

14. Sansevieria trifasciata, snake plant, mother-in-law's tongue

15. Dracaena marginata, red-edged dracaena

NASA suggested that there should be at least two plants per 100 square feet, or two plants per a small room/office. The results recommended 15 to 18 houseplants, grown in 15cm containers or larger, to filter an average home of less than 2,000 square feet. My grandma seems to apply the more is better rule: her kitchen looks like the rain forest.

For those of you whom are interested in which plants filter what chemicals....

Filters of Formaldehyde:
Green Spider plant, Peace lily, Bamboo palm, Mother-in-law's tongue, draecena marginate, golden paths, and dracaena warneckei.

Beaters of Benzene:
Peace lily, Bamboo palm, Gerbera daisies, Mother-in-law's tongue, English Ivy, and Pot mums (my grandma loves these).

Tricklers of Trichloroethylene:
Peace lily, Bamboo palm, and Gerbera daisy.

Well, again, I better sign off for today. Again, i must hit the books.

May you enjoy your time with your Mother-in-law's tongue.

Christine

Here is a list of resources for more information on NASA's study, including the pdfs for the day:

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/ssctrs.ssc.nasa.gov/foliage_air/foliage_air.pdf

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/ssctrs.ssc.nasa.gov/journal_mas/journal_mas.pdf

http://www.ssc.nasa.gov/environmental/docforms/water_research/water_research.html

Around the House...

There are three things that I would consider essential to any wilderness or disaster medicine kit: Duct tape, plastic bags, and a pocket knife.

And no, I'm not trying to teach people how to kill their neighbors' annoying wiener dogs, even though at 3 am when the dogs are still howling like banshees-being-beat-by-super-monkeys, you did wish that you had some duct tape, plastic bags, and a pocket knife.

Actually, like duct tape, plastic bags, and pocket knives, the most versatile items in a good medical kit are the ones that you would find ordinarily around the house.

For instance, duct tape can be used to seal off sucking chest wounds (please cover the wound with plastic before applying duct tape... Duct tape plus torn flesh equals bad situation), stabilizing splints, and creating things such as stretchers out of jackets and ski poles, slings out of T-shirts (safety pins can do this as well), and a water catcher from a tarp, etc.

Here's one of my personal favorite uses for duct tape:

For knocked-out tooth (or avulsed tooth), rinse the tooth off with milk or water (don't scrub it) and replace it in the socket. Then cut a small piece of duct tape, and use it to splint the tooth to its neighbor. Be careful not to move the tooth too much out of its normal position when doing this. Then get to a dentist, if possible.

(Note: When treating an avulsed tooth, Dentists clean out the socket with water, then splint the tooth to its neighbor with resin and orthodontic wire. Can take months to heal. More dental treatments will be discussed in later posts. )

Also, in cases of earthquake or nuclear disaster and your house is still intact, it is in your best interest to duct tape plastic coverings over your windows and air vents. I'll explain this in more detail when I post about earthquakes or nuclear disasters.

As for plastic bags, especially the ones from the grocery store, they can be twisted into strong ropes. Okay, not so strong as to go bungee cord jumping, but you get the idea.

They can be cut to produce rain proof ponchos as well as be used to cover wound dressings or be bandages themselves.

They can be used as plastic gloves (check for holes first). Or for plastic boot covers to keep your shoes dry or to cover casts when you take a shower... again, holes could be a problem. ;)

They can also be used as pillow and mattress stuffing, when you run out of beds and pillows for your wounded and/or infirmed.

The big use for plastic bags is for sanitation purposes: use as barf bags, for disposing of dirty diapers or for use as diapers, use them as a port-potty liner, or even as a porta-potty themselves.

They can be used for emergency toilet paper (personally, I would prefer to stock up on the real stuff, but some people may prefer that glossy, crinkly feeling).

Here's my favorite plastic bag tip:

In cases of severe pandemics, if anyone has to go outside the home, it would be wise to have a decontamination area (garages are great for this or a mud room would work).

Everytime a person comes home, they go into the decontamination area to strip off their exterior clothes and get a good spray down with the hose and lather with antiseptic soap. Long-handled scrubbing brushes work. Think car wash for a person.

Any items taken off a person should be handled only with plastic gloves and placed into plastic bags. The contaminated clothes should be placed immediately into the washing machine with one part bleach and 10 parts water...Okay, maybe you can add more bleach. Hope you like tie-dyed clothing.

Pocket knives: You'd be surprised at how many people actually don't know how to use one of these things. So here is a link to more information on the use and characteristics of pocket knives.

http://www.answers.com/topic/pocket-knife-1

Duct tape, plastic bags, and pocket knives aside, everyone of us has things that are just around the house that can be used in situations of disaster or in the wilderness setting.

The following is a list of some of the items that you could have that have great medical uses:

Meat tenderizer (the seasoning, not the mallet): Make into a paste with a few drops of water or spittle for bee or hornet stings. (In case of bee sting, please remove the stinger with a credit card first.)
The meat tenderizer must have chymopapin or papain in it in order to be effective. Chymopapin is a derivative of the proteolytic enzyme papain that comes from the papya tree (Carica papaya). So papaya works as well under the same principles. The meat tenderizer or papaya needs to be applied immediately to the stung area. They proteolytic enyme breaks down the proteins in the sting, neutralizing it.

Altoids: Not only are they good for bad breath, but they also help clear your sinuses as well. Herbal tea, especially peppermint or a handful of peppermint tic tacs (notice the peppermint theme) can also help clear up congestion.

Alka-Seltzer: In addition to helping you with your upset stomach, it also can help relieve urinary tract infections (UTI)s. Lemon also helps in eliminating UTIs. Both work on the property of changing the pH of your urine, making it difficult for bacteria to cling to the bladder wall.

Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo: (or other brand of baby shampoo). Treats cradle cap and can be used to clean wounds.

White sugar: Place inside superficial wounds and cover with bandages. It acts like an antibacterial and wound debriding agent. Clean the sugar dressing every day.

Honey: Can help heal skin blemishes and wounds. More acidic than table sugar, honey therefore has greater antiseptic properties. Honey should be used only inside the superficial wound and not on the skin surrounding it. Also, it works better on drier wounds, while sugar works better for more moist wounds. Cover with bandages and change dressings every two days.

Did you know that King Herod stored his dead wife, Mariamne in a barrel of honey to preserve her, for 7 years? That gives a whole new meaning to the term, 'she's my honey.'

Listerine: Created as a surgical antiseptic in 1879, listerine has more uses than just keeping you cavity-free and minty-fresh. It actually can kill toe fungus and be used as a balm for broken blisters. Basically, it is a good wound antiseptic, if you can handle the stinging nature of it.

Tomato paste: Boils beware. Cover a boil with tomato paste and a compress. It soothes the pain and brings the boil to a head.

Make a pinhole in cardboard: Believe it or not, but this can be used to help replace missing or broken glasses in times of disaster. Looking through a pinhole actually helps increase vision in people suffering from far-sightedness, astigmatism, and eyestrain. Also can reduce heart rate, tension, and headaches.

Well, that is all for today. It's time that I hit the books to study for my board licensing exams. Have a great day getting prepared.

Christine


Information link of the day:

The following is a pdf published by the United States Military for handling first aid and battle wounds created for public use:

http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/milmed/first.pdf

Why Should We Prepare?

Natural disasters shake the lives of millions every year.

As of this morning, there were several earthquakes, namely a 5.2 quake in Eastern Sichuan, China, another 5.2 southeast of the Loyalty Islands, and a 5.3 off the coast of Aisen, Chile. (picture of Sichuan earthquake, May 2008 found on the following site: http://www.internationalrivers.org/en/sichuan-earthquake/sichuan-earthquake-may-2008?size=_original)

At the same time, India was struck by a blistering heat wave that left New Delhi suffering from record water and power shortages. Within the last week, a flood tore through Tasmania; while in Europe, the Danube burst over its banks, flooding dozens of homes, and the Czech Republic was devastated by heavy rain fall pouring off the Northern Alps, flooding thousands of buildings and killing 10 people.

Being prepared is not a fanatical notion....

Then again, in all honesty, I'm not here to convince you to be prepared; if you are reading this, then you already know that it is essential to have a plan. Instead, I'm really here to show you what simple things you can do to protect yourself and your family.

The first thing people often ask me is what supplies they should get. Well, the FEMA already has published a perfectly good video on that very subject. So I am not going to re-invent the wheel, instead I'll provide the video.

As for a comprehensive wilderness and disaster medicine kit, I will include a listing of the items that you will need and how to use them in a later posting.

In following postings, I will discuss water disinfection and hydration (dehydration and diarrhea), sanitation, and how to ensure proper indoor air quality in situations of quarantine, nuclear war, and natural disasters.

I will also discuss the possible types of medical problems that could arise in different disasters and how to manage them with what you have around the house or within your disaster kit.

You will find in future posts, I will talk about how to manage traumas and perform basic first aid as per the Wilderness Medical Society and Red Cross guidelines. These posts will include information on skin conditions, wound management, dental and eye injuries, bites and stings, as well as heat and cold injuries. I will also provide a list of books, for those of you whom are interested in learning more in depth information on these subjects.

Next, I will cover preparedness in natural disasters/hazards, man-made hazards, and finally terrorism and pandemics.

All the while, I will provide updates as they come and summaries of new studies in wilderness and disaster medicine.

Thank you for following this blog and for desiring to be prepared.