Top 10 Worst Things for Your Immune System
Posted on 20. Jul, 2011 by aqiumlogin in at work, cold and flu, health & safety
These great tips by Prevention Magazine are a great way to keep your immune system strong and help keep the nasty bugs at bay. It turns out some pretty surprising daily habits—like how you fight with your husband or whether you stay up late for Letterman—can impact how well your body fends off colds, flu and other pesky bugs. Here’s a list of science-backed tips to add to your stay-healthy arsenal today. 1. You Avoid the Water Cooler Friendship may be Miracle-Gro for your immune system. Research shows that the fewer human connections we have at home, at work, and [...]
Monday most common sick day
Posted on 12. Jul, 2011 by aqiumlogin in at work, cold and flu
No surprises that this UK study has shown that Monday is the most popular day to call in sick. More than a third of all sick leave is taken on a Monday, research suggests. The study, by consultant firm Mercer, also found that the highest rate of absence by far occurs in January. The most common reason for absence was musculo-skeletal problems, followed by viral infections and stress-related illness. The findings are based on an analysis of sickness management records for 11,000 employees from a range of private sector organisations. They showed that, during 2008, sick leave in January ran [...]
Five ways to stay healthy in Winter
Posted on 05. Jul, 2011 by aqiumlogin in cold and flu, family, health & safety
Just because it’s cold doesn’t mean you have to suffer the winter sniffles – these common sense tips are good reminders for you and your family. HERE are five easy ways to boost your immunity and avoid colds and flu this season. 1. Boost your diet Eating foods that are high in vitamin C will help keep your immune system strong, so include fruit and vegies such as lemons, kiwifruit, capsicum and broccoli in your weekly shop. If you’re struggling to get the recommended two serves of fruit and five serves of vegies each day, try juicing them. Nutritionist Zoe [...]
Who take more sickies – men or women?
Posted on 26. May, 2011 by aqiumlogin in cold and flu
The average woman pulls 189 sickies over her lifetime while men only call in sick an average of 140 times Men are more likely to skip work because of minor ‘illnesses’ such as hayfever, a sore throat or headache Men are often accused of exaggerating how serious their ‘man flu’ is. But a new study, that found that women pull more sickies, goes some way towards vindicating them. The average man fails to make it to the office for a total of 140 days during their career, while women phone in sick 189 times. However, it is not all good [...]
Whooping Cough Epidemic Hits Australia
Posted on 18. May, 2011 by aqiumlogin in cold and flu, family, health & safety, mother and baby
Whooping cough is sweeping the country and can be fatal so make sure you protect you and your family from this nasty infection. DOCTORS have warned parents to keep newborn babies at home to protect them from a whooping cough epidemic triggered by the “chardonnay set and alternatives”. There have been 4580 cases of whooping cough so far this year, new data from NSW Health reveals. Northern Sydney and South Eastern Sydney have led the way in this year’s resurgent epidemic, recording the highest incidence of whooping cough, with 669 and 522 cases respectively. The Illawarra region was next highest [...]
10 Ways to Stave Off Hospital Superbugs and Other Nasty Germs
Posted on 13. May, 2011 by aqiumlogin in cold and flu, health & safety
Every year some 1.7 million people in the U.S. who are admitted to hospitals hoping to get well instead end up getting sicker after picking up infections during their stays, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About 100,000 of them die every year as a result of the hospital bugs—more deaths than all the U.S. casualties in the Vietnam War—and it costs an estimated $20 billion annually to treat these infections. Hospitals are pooling places for sick people and all the germs they carry; just walking into one a puts everyone at a greater risk [...]
Few people cover their coughs and sneezes properly: research
Posted on 09. May, 2011 by aqiumlogin in cold and flu, health & safety
Coughs and sneezes spread diseases but most of us still do not cover our nose and mouth and those who do, do it badly, research has shown. Covering your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing is not is simply just good manners but it is also a vital public health measure to combat outbreaks of infectious diseases. But research conducted during the swine flu pandemic last year found that just one in four people actually do cover their nose and mouth. Moreover only five per cent of people do it correctly. Expert advice is to use a tissue or [...]
Another warning sounded on flu epidemic
Posted on 02. May, 2011 by aqiumlogin in cold and flu, family, health & safety
INFLUENZA experts are warning Victorians that a record start to the flu season could be an early warning of a winter flu boom. The first four months of this year have seen more cases of the flu recorded, compared with the start of the past four years. More than 414 cases have already been reported to the Department of Health, compared with 88 cases this time last year and 38 cases in 2009. Melbourne’s Dr Alan Hampson, an influenza adviser for the World Health Organisation, said the cause was a combination of high rainfall, low levels of Vitamin D and [...]
Where germs could be lurking – stay clean, stay healthy
Posted on 29. Apr, 2011 by aqiumlogin in at work, cold and flu, health & safety
Hidden nasties cover everything – colds, flu, illness and infection just a touch away. Bacteria can spread from person to person very easily. Quite a few bacteria can be harmful to our health. As a microbiologist at the University of Melbourne, Cheryl Power, knows we contaminate ourselves hundreds of times a day. “If something’s dirty it’s a very good indication that there’s likely to be bacteria there, and certainly more so than if something’s clean”, said Cheryl. So how dirty are the objects we come into contact with regularly? A highly sensitive device, called a luminometre, can tell us. It [...]
Flu cases 5 times worse than last year in Vic
Posted on 18. Apr, 2011 by aqiumlogin in at work, cold and flu, family, health & safety
With cooler temperatures and high rainfalls in Victoria, it pays to be careful and to take precautions against catching the flu, which is already a threat to many. THE Victorian flu season has started with more than five times the number of reported cases compared with last year. Health Department figures reveal 353 laboratory-confirmed cases, compared with 67 at the same time last year, prompting a warning for Victorians to get vaccinated. Influenza Specialist Group chair Dr Alan Hampson said the high rainfall may be behind the surge in numbers, as increased moisture in the air allowed the viruses to [...]
