Korean ginseng, also called Asian ginseng or Panax ginseng, is a plant that resembles ivy and has a chemical structure similar to American ginseng. This plant has fleshy roots that are used for a variety of alternative medicine purposes, according...
The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database states that preventing the common cold in the first place is the best defense against the illness. Though several studies have been conducted to determine the effectiveness of touted "natural cures" and...
The seasonal flu vaccine is important for protection against the influenza virus. Most people who get influenza will recover in a few days to less than two weeks, but some people will develop life-threatening complications (such as pneumonia) as a...
Seasonal influenza can be a dangerous illness, especially for infants. There is now an increased concern regarding the H1N1 influenza as well. The best way to protect your infant from the flu is by arranging for them to receive an influenza...
An influenza vaccine, commonly referred to as a flu shot, is a dose of inactivated flu virus that can help prevent influenza. The Centers for Disease Control, or CDC, recommends that children, pregnant women, people over age 50 and people of all...
The annual or seasonal flu vaccine is highly recommended for nearly all individuals, according to the Mayo Clinic. Each year health officials create a vaccine that is thought to immunize people against viruses expected to cause the flu, or...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend the flu vaccine for children who are six months or older. There are two forms of the vaccine--an injection and an inhaled version that's placed inside the nostrils. The flu shot...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the flu vaccine is effective in 70 to 90 percent of healthy adults under 65 years of age, providing that the flu strain matches the flu shot composition. The vaccine administered...
H1N1 influenza first surfaced in 2009 and became a worldwide pandemic in just a few weeks. Many people refer to this flu as the "swine flu." H1N1 influenza is still present around the globe, and some health officials fear it will re-emerge during...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all Americans get the yearly influenza vaccine unless they have a condition that contraindicates it. There are two routes of administration: by injection into the muscle and by nasal...
Influenza is a highly contagious respiratory infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 200,000 Americans are hospitalized with the flu each year, and at least 36,000 Americans die from it. The flu...
The flu shot is a vaccine given to help prevent infection with the influenza virus. Influenza is spread easily through person-to-person contact. The influenza vaccine is recommended at the beginning of or during flu season, which runs from...
Bird flu, also known as avian flu or avian influenza, is an infection by viruses normally residing in healthy, wild birds. Avian influenza, however, can cause serious illness and death in domesticated birds such as chickens, turkeys and ducks,...
The flu, or influenza, is a virus that affects the mucous membranes of your respiratory system. This includes your nose, throat, bronchial tubes and lunges. According to the Mayo Clinic, the symptoms of the flu can be mild to severe and can...
Haemophilus influenzae type b (also called Hib disease) causes bacterial meningitis in children less than 5 years of age. In the mid 1980s, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 1 out of every 200 children became ill from the virus....
The flu vaccine is designed to activate the immune system against several strains of flu. It must be reformulated each year because of the gradual evolution of the influenza viruses each year. Flu vaccines can come as an injection or in the form...
Influenza is a largely seasonal virus that is most common in the winter and spring. Flu shots, which protect against the strains of flu that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) anticipates to be most likely each year, are...
Pregnant and breastfeeding women run an increased risk of developing complications from the flu virus and as such, their doctors may recommend that they take an influenza virus vaccine. Flu Mist is an influenza virus vaccine given to children and...
The Healthy People 2010 Goals included complete immunization for more than 80 percent of American preschoolers. In 2008 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 76.1 percent of American children ages 19 to 25 months were fully...
The flu is a contagious illness that can cause mild to severe symptoms and even lead to death. Despite the widespread use of vaccines, influenza viruses cause seasonal epidemics and affect up to 20% of the U.S. population every year. The CDC...
Influenza is a contagious disease of the respiratory system caused by certain viruses. Often called the flu, influenza is a potentially dangerous disease that, according to the CDC, is responsible for anywhere from 3,000 to 49,000 deaths each...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorse flu vaccination as the most effective way to prevent infection with the influenza virus and to avoid its potentially severe complications. FluMist is a nasal spray vaccine approved for...
Seasonal influenza describes strains of the flu that are responsible for "flu season". One way of preventing seasonal influenza is to get vaccinated against the viral strains causing the infections. One form of seasonal influenza vaccine, called...
Meningitis, the inflammation of the lining around the brain and spinal cord, can affect anyone, although the most at-risk group is children under five years old. Meningitis can cause death in a relatively healthy person within a few hours of...
Influenza viruses are capable of wreaking havoc on society and on individuals. The impact on public health has been tremendous over the course of history, and previous pandemics have resulted in the deaths of thousands. However, influenza may mean...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends influenza immunization as the first step to reduce your risk of infection with seasonal and pandemic flu strains. While there are many advantages to getting vaccinated, there are also...
Influenza ("the flu") is a contagious disease with symptoms such as fever, chills, cough, fatigue, and muscle pain. Flu vaccines protect against flu infection, and are formulated yearly to provide protection despite seasonal changes in the virus....
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend vaccination as the first step to reduce the risk of infection with seasonal and pandemic flu. In very rare cases, influenza vaccines are associated with serious neurological side...
The flu vaccine is a vaccination intended to prevent the seasonal flu. The flu, or influenza, is a highly contagious viral illness that is spread easily through person-to-person contact. The flu shot is recommended at the beginning of or during...
