Opioids

There's been a lot of talk lately about the Opioid Epidemic. What are opioids?

Opioids are drugs related to morphine and/or opium. They are generally prescription drugs. Doctors and dentists have prescribed these drugs for pain relief for some time, and they are also a part of anesthesia (when you're 'put under' for a surgical procedure). They have their place sometimes, such as following surgery, to ease pain you may have with cancer, or if you've had an injury, but the problem is, people overuse the drugs sometimes and have become addicted to them. As with many drugs, as time passes, your body can become tolerant and require more of the drug to relieve your pain, make you 'feel normal,' or to make you 'check out,' to sleep or to let you avoid doing your daily routine. The term used for this type of drug is 'narcotic,' and that translates to something that makes you sleep or become numb.

Here are some names of these prescribed drugs:

• Morphine
• Hydrocodone
• Oxycodone
• Fentanyl
• Demerol
• Tylenol with codeine
• Vicodan
• Oxycontin
• Percodan
• Percocet
• Dilaudid
• Methadone, a synthetic drug ironically used to wean addicts off of drugs
• Robitussin types A, B, and C (prescription strength)

Some people initially start using opioids for a true medical condition. However, they reach a point where they wouldn't need it for the pain any longer but have begun to enjoy the feeling it gives them. They continue to take more and more, and are not functioning in the world: their primary goal is to get more, take more, and check out more. Their bodies crave the drug and need it to feel 'normal,' whatever that's become. They have thus become addicted to it, and will do virtually anything to get it. Some people will ask their doctors for a new or renewed prescription, and if that doctor refuses, they go elsewhere to get a prescription. Or they visit multiple emergency rooms which probably won't have any records on the patient, who shows up complaining of extreme pain. Some people will steal money from friends to pay for the drugs, steal the drugs, or buy them from street dealers just like any other illegal substance.


Here is the Mayo Clinic's explanation of addiction:  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/drug-addiction/symptoms-causes/syc-20365112

There are also unscrupulous doctors who will prescribe because they receive a payment (sometimes called a 'kickback') from a drug company for promoting and prescribing those narcotic drugs. Where records aren't checked, a 'new' doctor may prescribe for a patient who has had opioids for some time, unaware they are feeding an addiction.


In Kentucky, as just one example, a drug manufacturer shipped enough opioid drugs that each person in one county (with a population of about 38,000 people) could receive 477 pills. The manufacturer is being sued:  https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2018/01/22/kentucky-files-lawsuit-against-national-opioid-distributor/as6dGyWXN0ac2jEJVndllM/story.html

According to the Center for Disease Control, in 2014-2015, there were 33,091 deaths in the U.S. related to opioid use. 91 people a day died as a result of opioids, whether from overdose or use with some other substance that caused those deaths.In comparison, that's more than the number of deaths due to car crashes and gun violence combined.

There's a pretty significant rise in drug overdose involving opioids from 2000 to 2014.
What can we do about it?

• If you are going to have surgery or have had an injury, ask for a less potent, non-addictive drug or treatment to help with pain instead of an opioid
• If you feel you must take some, take only a few over several days, as directed, and throw the rest out
• Ask your pharmacy if they'll accept leftover drugs to be disposed of--get it out of your house; sometimes police departments will host a 'turn in your drugs' event.
• Lock up any prescriptions so that no one else in your house can get at them
• If you feel you are having problems with overuse, tell your doctor so that you can be weaned off of it as soon as possible
• If you have children, let them know about the dangers of drugs in a calm, simple manner: Except for antibiotics, drugs are many times harmful to your health. Here are some guidelines that may help: https://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/children-and-drugs#1
• Stay engaged with people in some way: checking out and being anti-social may lead to wanting an 'escape'--detaching from friends by way of drug-induced euphoria
• There are people developing a national database to track opioid prescriptions; the database will be available to any medical provider or pharmacy to check whether a person has had excessive prescriptions filled for opioids.

For a thorough explanation, you can read this Wiki:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioid

Vaping

What's the deal with E-Cigarettes or Vaping?

Vaping and using E-Cigarettes are the same thing. E-Cigaretttes use a battery (although the "E" stands for electric) to activate it instead of a flame from a match or lighter. Originally it was thought to be a better alternative to smoking regular cigarettes-some people thought if they could switch to e-cigarettes, they'd be better off.. The reasoning was that people weren't inhaling smoke but rather vapor. Some people still feel it's a better alternative and say the e-cigarettes helped them stop smoking 'regular' cigarettes. However, e-cigarettes still have nicotine, and present other problems just as anything inhaled can.



Here are some types of vaping gear.

To operate the machine, the person inserts a cartridge of liquid into the vaping device (the cartridges may be refillable) turns on the machine to produce vapor, then inhales the vapor. And so, technically, they are not 'electric' but rather battery operated or can be recharged.

Have you wondered what's in e-cigarettes? It's not good. People might think they are inhaling mostly steam, or vapor, from water. That's not correct. Here are some chemicals used to make vaping liquid:

• Nicotine, the basic ingredient that gets people hooked on regular cigarettes: it's addictive, that's why people can't quit easily.
• Aluminum
• Cadmium
• Silver
• Lead
• Arsenic
• Diacetyl, a butter-flavored chemical very toxic to your lungs/causes "popcorn lungs"
• Flavors to tempt you which are also made of unknown chemicals

       This shows a nice clear open bronchial tube and one that's occluded (partially blocked) due to inflammation from vaping. Note also the 'blobby' appearance of the popcorn lung vs. the smooth  appearance of the normal lung.


How does vaping hurt your lungs? Initially, it causes inflammation. It can destroy the protective layer around your lungs that helps to fight germs and bacteria entering your lungs. Your breathing capacity is reduced-see how that happened in the picture above? The chemicals can cause serious and permanent damage to your lungs.

Since there is nicotine in vaping liquids, there is concern that, while less than regular cigarettes, nicotine is addictive. It may be that the amount of nicotine in an e-cigarette won't be enough, and people will then progress to using regular cigarettes, canceling out whatever 'benefit' there may have been from using less nicotine in the first place.

Did you know: Vaping liquids are not currently under any type of regulation by the Food & Drug Administration, so manufacturers can put whatever they want into them. 

The number of vaping-related lung disease has climbed quickly in the last few months, often with teens. While no one should be inhaling anything into their lungs except air, the lungs of a young person are not yet fully developed and are less able to cope with inhaled chemicals.

 Here is information on Minnesota's vaping problem: https://www.kare11.com/article/news/health/mn-health-officials-now-investigating-21-potential-cases-of-vaping-related-lung-disease/89-d24623fb-afcf-42bb-8212-7fd0c7bdfd6b
Over 450 cases of vaping-related disease, in 33 states, were reported as of this month. The Center for Disease Control is looking into these cases. Here is some more information: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/about-e-cigarettes.html

Vaping companies are being criticized for marketing vaping to kids who are underage by using fruity or sweet flavors that appeal to them such as bubble gum and gummy bears. Juul is a company that sells the most vaping products, and it's being investigated for specifically targeting younger kids. Some people even call vaping "Juuling." While they claim they never intended young people to use their product, it seems pretty clear that they did. https://www.aafp.org/news/health-of-the-public/20180806juul.html

Sometimes people buy vaping liquids 'on the street,' meaning not in a traditional store. They can find it online, or from people they do or do not know. Nobody knows what is in these ingredients, and while some people are aware and take the drug-enhanced liquids willingly, they have been found to have

• Marijuana
• Cocaine
• Morphine
• THC
• Ecstasy
• Fentanyl
• Methamphetamine

All of which are dangerous and/or addicting, and often may be 'laced' with even more dangerous drugs without the person realizing it.

We should probably not be using e-cigarettes or vaping until/unless they are shown to be safe. We only get one pair of lungs. Let's use them to breathe the air and nothing else.

Vaccinations

What is in a vaccine?

From the World Health Organization: Health topics. Vaccines. A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, its toxins or one of its surface proteins. Once enough people are vaccinated, 'herd immunity' is achieved.

Why does it matter if we vaccinate or not?


There was a time (not really that long ago) when diseases such as: smallpox, polio, tetanus, diphtheria, measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis (whooping cough), chicken pox, were common...and in some cases, deadly. Yes, you could die from measles, and a number of other diseases-thousands of people died from them every year. Rubella causes blindness, deafness, and disability. A number of these diseases cause brain damage. Polio causes paralysis and can cause death, as can pertussis (whooping cough), particularly in a child.

We still need to remember how serious the flu can be. In 1918, there was a flu epidemic that lasted almost two years, spread worldwide, which killed between 50 million and 100 million people.


We have flu shots now, and while they can't always prevent every type of flu, they have helped immensely in the spread of that disease as well.**No, flu vaccines cannot cause flu illness. Flu vaccines given with a needle (i.e., flu shots) are currently made in two ways: the vaccine is made either with a) flu viruses that have been ‘inactivated’ (killed) and that therefore are not infectious, or b) using only a single gene from a flu virus (as opposed to the full virus) in order to produce an immune response without causing infection.-from the Centers for Disease Control.

Some examples of the change in cases before and after vaccines were developed:
Year                                     Polio cases                        Deaths from Polio
1950    (before vaccine)              33,300                                9,904
1987    (after vaccine)                          9                                       0


Year                                     Pertussis cases                  Deaths from Pertussis
1950     (before vaccine)           120,718                                 1,118
1987     (after vaccine)                  2,823                                        1

What would happen if everybody stopped vaccinating?   https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/whatifstop.htm  These diseases are not completely eradicated. There are people who legitimately cannot be immunized because of other conditions they have. So, when you get your shots, you protect others and not only yourself. Remember, also, that other countries are not as far along in their vaccination requirements, so if you visit that country or if someone from that country visits here, you would be protected as well, if you had your shots.

In reality, not many countries make vaccinations mandatory (required by the government), not even the United States, however in the U.S. they are routinely given, sometimes even at school, and the majority of people are in favor of vaccinating. Often before a child can be enrolled in school, he or she must have proof of vaccination. This usually holds true for students enrolling in college, as well. But, some countries are too poor to produce the vaccines, some cannot get it out to their people, and some people don't trust their governments telling them that vaccines are safe.
These countries also do not make vaccinating mandatory:

• Ukraine
• Laos
• Japan
• Latvia
• Canada
• Sweden
• Australia
• France
• Great Britain
• Italy does not require vaccinations and has many cases of measles every year
• Less than 10% of Nigerians have been vaccinated.
• Germany * Germany does not technically (by government) require vaccinations, but they do require it for children to attend school and do not allow home-schooling, so vaccination is actually required.
• Some of these countries have a high tourism rate; in Europe many countries have people traveling across borders all the time, increasing the chances of spreading disease.

What is the schedule of recommended vaccinations?
The Centers for Disease Control list them here, along with descriptions of the illnesses vaccines can prevent:  https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/growing/images/global/CDC-Growing-Up-with-Vaccines.pdf

                                                                      Tetanus under a microscope
How have these diseases cropped up again lately, and what is the danger of it? The diseases we have vaccines for were almost obliterated, especially in more developed countries, but lately have shown up again.    https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/06/opinion/vaccines-autism-flu.html


If you have been to the doctor lately for any reason, they may have asked if you have traveled out of the country recently. In part, this is so they know if you've been to countries where vaccinations aren't common: have you been exposed to something contagious, and are you exposing others at the clinic?

One argument people have believed (which is untrue) is that somehow vaccines have a connection to autism, a condition that can make it hard for people to relate to others and get along in the world. There is substantial evidence that there is no cause and effect when it comes to vaccinations vs autism: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/06/opinion/vaccines-autism-flu.html


The autism argument has been fueled by people believing what they read online. It's important we get facts from reliable sources, and not so-called information being shared that causes undue panic. By all means, do some research and get answers; only look to medical authorities and not celebrities or some murky unknown sources. Remember: Just because you read it online, doesn't mean it's true. Refer to sources such as:
The Mayo Clinic:  https://www.mayoclinic.org/
Centers for Disease Control:  https://www.cdc.gov/
The World Health Organization https://www.who.int/
U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services  https://www.hhs.gov/programs/prevention-and-wellness/vaccines-and-immunizations/index.html
Or ask your own doctor(s) to explain about vaccines and how they work.

The next time you see your doctor, ask if you are up to date on your vaccines: A tetanus shot lasts 10 years, and you may need boosters on others you aren't aware of, depending on your age. College students are encouraged to get a Meningitis shot and one for HPV. Older adults may need a shingles shot and one for pneumonia. Technology and research have given us these preventive measures--let's use them to protect ourselves and our communities.

Have a Heart

February is Heart Health Month... What do you know about the heart?

• The 'heart' shape we use now was probably an effort to draw the heart before people knew what it looked like inside the body. 

                Cross-section, human heart. All mammal hearts look very similar.... such as:

                                        This is a pig's heart

                                         This is the heart of a dog

• A human heart beats about 70 times a minute in men, 78 times a minute in women.
• A transplanted heart beats about 100-110 times per minute.
• The left lung is a little smaller than the right so there is enough room for the heart.
• The heart weighs about 11 ounces and is about the size of your fist.
• Your heart beats 100,000 times a day and 2.5 billion times in a lifetime.

• It pumps 2000 gallons of blood every day.
• All mammal hearts have four chambers.
• That  'thump-thump' sound the heart makes is due to the four heart valves opening and closing.
• The only organs in your body that do not receive blood are the corneas in your eyes.
• Cocaine interferes with the heart's electrical activity and can stop the heart.
• There are some prescription drugs that can affect your heart rate.
• Methamphetamines affect the heart.
• Caffeine can make your heart rate speed up, as can decongestants and being dehydrated.
• Anxiety can make your heart beat irregularly (the mind/body connection).
• 30% of people who die of heart disease are smokers, and at least 20% of people die from smoking-related disease that may not be of the heart: Emphysema, for example. Stop smoking!

• In 2006, death rates due to heart disease were the worst in Mississippi and the fewest in Minnesota.
• Heart disease kills 500,000 women a year and 450,000 men a year.
• CT scans of ancient Egyptian mummies show that they had heart disease....and this was long before fast food diets and people not having enough activity, which is known to cause heart disease now.
• Women's heart attack symptoms are more likely to include a feeling of nausea, indigestion, and pain in the jaw or the shoulder.
• Men's heart attack symptoms are typically sweating, pain down the left arm, shortness of breath, and chest pain.
• A panic attack can mimic a heart attack.

Someone with an irregular heartbeat may be fitted with a pacemaker that will regulate his or her heart. Learn about pacemakers here: http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/pacemaker/basics/why-its-done/prc-20014279

An EKG:

 

 

Take Care Of Your Heart!! 

 

 

How to Adult: Making a Doctor Appointment

Once you're on your own, whether away from home at college or starting life as an adult, you'll eventually need to tend to your health; namely, you're going to need to see a doctor for some reason, or at least get to a pharmacy for some help to feel better.

 

First, how to know you are 'sick enough' to be seen by a doctor. Here are some guidelines, but truly: if you feel incredibly sick, then you're sick enough.

• Do you know how to take your temperature? You can get a digital thermometer at a pharmacy, they're easy to use if you follow the directions. Normal is usually 98.6. If it's more than 100, it might indicate you're fighting something.
• A bad cough may indicate a respiratory infection
• Vomiting and/or diarrhea that just won't stop after 24 hours and laying off food, should be checked out
• If your chest aches, you may have any number of respiratory issues
• A very raw sore throat may be strep. However, strep doesn't always cause a sore throat. It also can be shown by feeling nauseous, headaches, and a rash.
• For women, if you are not sure whether you have a yeast infection, you should see a doctor.
• You also should be seen if you are having depression that won't ease up. Don't feel like it's not important enough, it is.

While you wait for your appointment, here are some things to try that may help:
Cold/Cough/Chest/Sore Throat - Lots (Lots) of liquids, particularly water; cough drops or anything to suck on that soothes your throat; salt water gargle; ice pops; keeping warm; sleep. Tylenol or ibuprofen for aches and pains (have a little food with ibuprofen as it upsets the stomach)


Vomiting, stomach upset - flat or sometimes fizzy soft drinks, especially clear ones; nothing but clear liquids for 24 hours and then bland foods like soda crackers, bananas, applesauce, plain cooked rice. Have small amounts at a time and see if it stays put.


For any illness, you may want to try products OTC (over the counter) to see if they help-ask a pharmacist for suggestions.

How do you make an appointment?
It doesn't matter if you are at home or away at college, it's the same procedure: First, you call the clinic. Have an idea what time you'll be able to come in. If you prefer a certain doctor or nurse practitioner, say you want to make an appointment with her. Otherwise, just say you need to be seen. They will ask what your symptoms are. This is so they are prepared for possible lab tests or anything else they commonly do, and to gauge how long an appointment you will need. They will tell you what times are available. You can choose the time you want. Write it down so you don't forget.

 

They will ask what insurance you have. Be sure you can answer that one. They will likely want a copy of your insurance card when you come in for your appointment.

 

Show up on time or a bit early for your appointment, and have your debit card with you for the copay. Go to the checkin desk and tell them who you are, and that you have an appointment at 9:00  with Mary Jones, for instance. They'll ask for your insurance card and possibly a co-pay. Get a receipt for that and keep it in a safe place.

 

When they call your name to go to your exam room, answer the doctor's questions as well as you can. It's hard to diagnose when you're not being clear. She will listen to your heart and lungs, look in your ears and at your throat, examine your lymph glands (below your ears), and may have you lay down so she can palpate (feel) your belly, and will need to examine anything that might indicate what the problem is. She may want to do lab tests such as a white blood count. That will indicate if you are fighting an infection. If there is anything at all you don't understand, ask the person to explain.


It's possible your doctor will determine that you have something viral, and antibiotics won't help.

You can also ask the doctor to write down your instructions for when you leave; most of them will give you a printout to take home with you.


It is important to know if you have any allergies to any kind of medication. Ask your parent if you don't know. If you have seen this same doctor for a few times, he or she will likely know and will prescribe only drugs that are safe for you to take.


If you have something viral, then a prescription won't help. The doctor can suggest ways for you to soothe your symptoms.
If you get a prescription, and they don't fill it at the doctor's office, here's how you get it filled.


Some doctors will call in your prescription for you at the end of your appointment (know where you want them to send it to be filled). If you get a slip of paper, called a scrip, take the scrip to your pharmacy and give it to the person working there. If you're not in their records they may ask for your information. They'll also need to know what insurance you use. They may be able to fill it while you wait, or may have you come back.


Once it is ready, you pay the copay and they give you your medicine. Ask any questions you have, and they may tell you not to take this medication with certain foods. Pay attention to that: Sometimes if you take a medication with orange juice, for example, it wipes out the effect of the medication. There will be cautions printed on the paper you get with the prescription. If you have any questions, you can call the pharmacy and ask them.


Take the medication exactly as it says on the pill or liquid bottle, and finish it all, even if you start to feel better in a couple of days. If you finish it and still aren't better, call the doctor to see what she thinks you should do (another round of medication? Something different?).


Most of all, don't be afraid to see a doctor when you are concerned. They really want to help you feel better. And if it's something that will simply run its course, then you don't have to be worried about it anymore.


Take care of yourself!!

Yoga

Have you ever tried yoga? It's been around for over 5,000 years and began in India.


A Yogi, then, is a yoga 'instructor,' although that term is not completely accurate; a Yogi has been learning to master yoga for some time and is still mastering it.

The most commonly practiced now is called Hatha, although there are a number of kinds of Yoga (see end of the blog).This involves positioning your body and holding it there while you concentrate on your breathing, then moving to different positions, and ending in a calming period while you sit or lie still. You are to be only aware of how your body feels in the moment, focusing and concentrating on that and nothing else. It is a form of meditation. If you take yoga in a class setting, the instructor leads you through the poses, speaks quietly and softly, and often strolls through the people in a class to help them get their poses correct. There may be aromatherapy during your session, as well; essential oils or scents that encourage you to breathe deeply, to calm you further.

                                                                                                     It might look easy, but it's not.
Generally, all you need to practice yoga is comfortable clothing and a mat. No equipment is necessary. It works for most people because it doesn't involve sudden movements, jumping, or impacting joints. You are encouraged to only do what is comfortable, and to stop if it hurts. If you have a bad knee or shoulder, for example, you need protect those spots and possibly ease into moving them as you feel flexible enough.
How does yoga affect your health? You may think it's just doing poses and being reflective, but there are some solid health benefits to doing yoga:
The American Heart Association notes these benefits:

• Improvement in flexibility
• Helps lower cholesterol
• Lowers the heart rate
• Helps with circulation
• Improves your muscle tone

In general., Yoga can

• Ease arthritis symptoms
• Improve your balance
• Improve your posture
• Help with depression
• Let you sleep better
• Increase overall strength, including bone strength
• Help with weight loss by upping your metabolism
• Improve your memory skills
• Improve digestion
• And it's good to do while you are pregnant: It can help with pregnancy discomfort and the birthing process, and is no-impact so it is not jarring to you or the baby

People of any age can do yoga. Some schools are trying yoga with children as a way to get them to calm down and get along better, instead of punishment. https://www.cnn.com/2016/11/04/health/meditation-in-schools-baltimore/index.html

Yoga history:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga



There are several kinds of yoga, although they all aim to improve self-awareness, physical strength, mental strength, and promote healing.












Yoga Journal:
https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/history-of-yoga

 

 

It's Just The Flu

Imagine your world looks like this:

 

It's 100 years ago. There's an enemy lurking everywhere, one that can get to anybody. Any age, gender, social status, and ironically, can get to the young and healthy with no problem.

 

People stay home, fearful to go out in public. Banks, libraries, churches, schools, theaters--all closed to avoid this enemy. No one knows where it will strike next, only that it will strike.

 

Businesses are closed. Mail delivery stops. Streets are empty.

 

Hospitals are so over-filled that room is found in homes and large arenas to house the sick. Medical help is dwindling: Doctors and nurses are overwhelmed trying to care for the victims, while they are becoming victims, too, and in some cases, medical students are enlisted to help care for the sick. Funeral services become scarce. Demand for coffins is much higher than supply; in fact, sometimes people stole coffins to bury their dead.

There is virtually nothing that can be done for the victims except hope they can survive. There are no medical treatments.

 

The Year: 1918. The enemy: The Flu. Influenza. At the time some called it the "Grippe" or "Ague." Some had heard it was much worse in Spain, so they called it the Spanish Flu. In fact, it was no more prevalent there than anywhere else, and just as deadly everywhere.

The flu was, and is still, a disease of the respiratory system. It's a virus: there is no antidote as yet to every kind of flu, because it mutates into something else once people develop immunity. It tends to weaken your immune system which opens the door to pneumonia, bronchitis, and a host of other potentially deadly conditions. Even with the flu of 1918, eventually it mutated into something less deadly but was still able to make people very sick.

Magnified picture of a flu virus (there are many)

This flu that spread through the U.S., United Kingdom, Europe, and Asia during 1918 was referred to as a pandemic. 'Pandemic' means the same as 'Epidemic,' but Pandemic means it spread even further geographically and killed more than an epidemic. Whatever the term, the numbers are pretty shocking:

• Between 20 million and 100 million people died of this flu
• At least 25% of United States citizens contracted the flu
• 675,000 Americans died, perhaps more, since record-keeping was not the best
• There was a first wave in the spring of 1918 and then a second wave in the fall of 1918

• Close to half of the Army and Navy came down with the flu. 
• It's thought that the high death rate was due to pneumonia that followed the flu, and whether the pneumonia was bacterial or viral, there was no treatment for that, either.

How did it spread?

It was known that it spread in the air: coughs, sneezes, etc: people did sometimes wear masks when they went outside. It also spreads on surfaces: Someone touches a door knob, for example, and leaves flu germs on it...then another person uses that door knob and picks up the virus. These are the basic ways it spreads: Breath and surfaces. Other viruses can be spread by mosquitoes, saliva, or dirty needles. One of the best ways to stop the spread of flu is still washing your hands thoroughly and often.

The first flu vaccine wasn't developed until 1940. As time passed, the flu vaccine became more available to all and people were encouraged to get the vaccine. Every year, some strains of flu will still be unaffected by the vaccine developed for peak flu season. It does, however, make the flu less severe even if you do get it.

In 1918, travel to far-flung places had become much easier, largely travel by train, so people could take the flu with them and spread it that way. One of the prime ways it spread was in the military: all men were required to serve, and World War I wasn't over until November 1918. Thus, there were large encampments of men where flu could run rampant, and this also enabled it to spread to Europe when the men were taken there to fight. In fact, it's thought that more military personnel were killed by the flu than in battle. It is thought that the flu originated in America and was brought to France by soldiers.

 

The only 'treatment' available was aspirin for pain and fever. It's interesting to note that Bayer, which had a patent to manufacture aspirin, had the patent expire right at the same time as the flu was at its peak. This led to other manufacturers making aspirin that may or may not have been of the same quality. However, of course, aspirin does not cure anything. The use of laudanum at the time (as a painkiller and cough remedy) was quite common, Laudanum is actually a highly addictive and disabling drug, opium.

                                              Wow: Alcohal, Marijuana, Chloroform, and Morphine. "Skillfully combined."

 

And so, even while people sought help from doctors and may have been admitted to hospitals, there was really nothing that could be done. There were no gloves worn while treating people, and the importance of hand-washing wasn't widely known. Injections of any kind were given with re-usable syringes which may or not have been properly sterilized. Bedding was re-used, and possibly with the neverending flow of patients, may or may not have been washed in hot water before re-use (and of course, there were no dryers).

                                                        This huge building was used as a hospital--A far cry from current hospitals.

There was no disposable anything. People who served as nurses really did not have any type of medical training beyond very basic skills. Treatment might include a mustard pack and dosing a patient with a mixture of eggs, whiskey, and milk. They could pat down a person with cool cloths, but beyond that, there wasn't much to be done. This source describes nurses in World War I.

https://adoseofhistory.com/category/nursing/nurses-in-wwi/

There have been other flu epidemics, here are some just in the last 60 years:

• In 1957-58, about 2 million people died of flu called Asian flu
• In 1968-69, 1 million people died of flu called Hong Kong flu
• In 2009-10, as many as 280,000 people died of flu named H1N1 flu

If you get the flu, the first and best thing you can do is stay home. Going in to work or school or out into public places can only spread it to others and make your recovery slower. Drink plenty of fluids, stay warm, take care of yourself. Get medical help if you need to.