Entry bubble Is It a Cold or the Flu?

By: Joanne | September 15, 2009 | Category: Health

a mid adult man sneezing into tissue

Last night I hardly slept because my little one is sick. She was snuffling and snorting, tossing and turning, moaning and groaning and it certainly didn’t help that her darn unicorn was poking its horn into my side.

Ah, the joys of parenthood. My kids are just starting their third week of school and you know what that means – it’s time to catch a cold. It never fails. Send them to the germ factory, I mean elementary school, for a week or so and they’re bound to come home sniffling and coughing.

This year everyone’s on edge about the swine flu, so it’s more important than ever to know what we’re dealing with, and what to do when we get sick. So how do you know if it’s a cold or the flu?

The truth is, it can be hard to tell because the symptoms are so similar. Both commonly cause a runny nose, sore throat, sneezing and coughing, but the flu is generally worse and usually causes exhaustion, high fever and body aches. It can also lead to complications and can be so serious that it leads to thousands and thousands of hospitalizations and deaths each year.

The best we can do is try to prevent colds and flu, take care of ourselves when we do get sick, and seek medical advice when we need it.

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Entry bubble Senator Kennedy dies from brain tumor

By: Jess | August 27, 2009 | Category: Health

My sincerest thoughts go out to the family of Senator Edward Kennedy who passed away Tuesday night after losing a battle with brain cancer. After spending five decades in Congress, it's hard not to be a little bit amazed by the length of his tenure, no matter what side of the political spectrum you land on.

And whether you agreed with his politics or not, seeing a man so dedicated to his job lose such a public battle with cancer, is tragic. Kennedy was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor last year.

Brain tumors aren't horribly uncommon in the United States. Cancer.gov says that each year 35,000 people are diagnosed with a new brain tumor. For those diagnosed, treatment options include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, followed by rehabilitation with physical and occupational therapists.

The booklet What You Need to Know About Brain Tumors offers a lot of information on how tumors form, as well as treatment options and follow-up care.

In light of Senator Kennedy's passing, I think it's information worth sharing with friends and family.

To see more photos of Senator Kennedy, check out the slideshow on the White House blog. 

| View Comments [5] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: brain_tumor   cancer   jess   kennedy   senator_edward_kennedy   sick   ted_kennedy