“Factors that increase your risk of Cushing’s syndrome include:

• Chronic use of corticosteroid medicines
• Age: 20-50 years
• Sex: female (much more common in women)”

LIFESCRIPT Healthy Living for Women.com

Cushing’s syndrome describes the signs and symptoms associated with prolonged exposure to inappropriately high levels of the hormone cortisol. This can be caused by taking glucocorticoid drugs, or diseases that result in excess cortisol, adrenocortico-tropic hormone (ACTH), or CRH levels.

^{Cushing’s syndrome appears when the body’s tissues are display to immoderate levels of cortisol for long periods of time.} 

There are two types of the disease and they are known as exogenous and endogenous.  Exogenous Cushing syndrome is caused by something outside of the body, like when hormones are given to a patient during a RX for another condition.  Endogenous is caused by natural causing problems within the body.  Endogenous is likely to be hereditary and not caused by an outside force like a steroid complex.

 Causes of Cushing Syndrome

The most common cause of Cushing’s syndrome is

^{exogenous administration of glucocorticoids prescribed by a health care practitioner to treat other diseases (called iatrogenic Cushing’s syndrome). This can be an effect of corticosteroid treatment of a variety of disorders such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, or in immunosuppression after an organ transplant.}

Administration of synthetic ACTH(adrenocorticotropichormone) is also possible, but ACTH is less often prescribed due to cost and lesser utility. Although rare, Cushing’s syndrome can also be due to the use of medroxyprogesterone

In this form of Cushing’s, the adrenal glands atrophy due to lack of stimulation by ACTH, since glucocorticoids downregulate production of ACTH. Cushing syndrome in childhood usually results from use of glucocorticoid medication.

^{Endogenous Cushing’s syndrome results from some derangement of the body’s own system of secreting cortisol. Normally, ACTH is released from the pituitary gland when necessary to stimulate the release of cortisol from the adrenal glands.}

In pituitary Cushing’s, a benign pituitary adenoma secretes ACTH. This is also known as Cushing’s disease and is responsible for 70% of endogenous Cushing’s syndrome.

In adrenal Cushing’s, excess cortisol is produced by adrenal gland tumors, hyperplastic adrenal glands, or adrenal glands with nodular adrenal hyperplasia.

Tumors outside the normal pituitary-adrenal system can produce ACTH (occasionally with CRH) that affects the adrenal glands. This etiology is called ectopic or

^{paraneoplastic Cushing’s disease and is seen in diseases like small celllung cancer.}

Finally, rare cases of CRH-secreting tumors (without ACTH secretion) have been reported, which stimulates pituitary ACTH production.

Pseudo-Cushing’s syndrome

Elevated levels of total cortisol can also be due to estrogen found in oral contraceptive pills that contain a mixture of estrogen and progesterone, leading to

^{Pseudo-Cushing’s syndrome. Estrogen can cause an increase of cortisol-binding globulin and thereby cause the total cortisol level to be elevated. However, the total free cortisol, which is the active hormone in the body, as measured by a 24 hour urine collection for urinary free cortisol, is normal.}

Epidemiology

^{Iatrogenic Cushing’s syndrome (caused by treatment with corticosteroids) is the most common form of Cushing’s syndrome.}

With the absence of a flu vaccination last year, I did not take a flu shot; but there is still some immunity that carries over from year to year; but about every 30 years, there is a major change in the genetics of the flu virus.“

Michael Burgess(born 31 March 1946, is the Coroner of the Queen’s Household).    

FLU FACTS:

-Both colds and flu usually last the same seven to 10 days, but flu can go three to four weeks; the flu virus may not still be there, but you have symptoms long after it has left. Allergy can last weeks or months.

-The winter flu epidemic will be coming around us again and in a given locality it reaches its peak in 2 to 3 weeks and lasts 5 to 6 weeks.  Then is disappears as quickly as it arrived.  The reason for this is not completely clear.  The usual pattern is for a rise in the incidence of flu in children, which precedes an increase in the adult population.

-The flu virus can lead to serious complications, including bronchitis, viral or bacterial pneumonia and even death in elderly and chronically ill patients.  Twenty thousand or more people die of the flu in the America each year.  Know this that the frequency of human contact across the world and the highly infectious nature of the virus make this explanation difficult to accept.  Moreover there is no evidence of persistent or latent infection with influenza viruses.  In any case, this idea is not really very difficult from the notion that the virus circulates at a low level throughout the year and seizes its opportunity to cause an outbreak when conditions allow.

-Even harder to explain is why the flu disappears from a community when there are still a large number of people susceptible to infection. Than even harder than that is why flu is a winter disease, which is not fully understood or known.  However, flu is spread largely by droplet (aerosol) infection from individuals with high viral level in their nasal and throat secretions, sneezing, and coughing on anyone close at hand.  The aerosol droplets of the right size (thought to be about 1.5 micrometers in diameter) remain airborne and are breathed into the nose or lungs of the next victim.

-Situations in which people are crowded together are more commonly in cold or wet weather and so perhaps this contributes to spreading the flu at these times.  It is interesting that in equatorial countries, flu occurs throughout the year, but is highest in the monsoon or rainy season.  Enough about facts but onto logical thinking for when we or someone we know has it and what questions we might be asking ourselves.

LOGICAL QUESTIONS YOU MAY ASK YOURSELF:

Are the treatments for these illnesses the cold or the flu different?

For any of these things, if it affects the nose or sinus, just rinsing with saline that gets the mucus and virus out is a first-line defense. It’s not the most pleasant thing to do, but it works very well. There are classes of medicines that can help the flu — Tamiflu and Relenza — antivirals that block viruses’ ability to reproduce and shorten the length and severity of the illness. But they have to be taken within 48 hours or the cat is proverbially out of the bag [because by then] the virus has done the most of its reproduction. For a cold or flu, rest and use decongestants and antihistamines, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, chicken soup and fluids.

Zinc supposedly helps the body’s natural defenses work to their natural capacity and decrease the severity and length of a cold. Cells need zinc as a catalyst in their protective processes, so if you supply them with zinc, it helps them work more efficiently. You should also withhold iron supplements. Viruses use iron as part of their reproductive cycle, so depriving them of it blocks their dissemination.

The majority of these infections are not bacterial and do not require [nor will they respond to] antibiotics. My rule of thumb is that a viral infection should go away in seven to 10 days. If symptoms persist after that, you’d consider if it’s bacteria like Strep or HaemophilusHYPERLINK “http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=how-much-aids-vaccine-do” HYPERLINK “http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=how-much-aids-vaccine-do”influenzae. Those bacteria cause illnesses that are longer lasting and need antibiotics for ranging 3 to 14 days, depending on the med used.

Is that treatment approachthe same for kids versus adults?

In general, the same rules apply: Most children will have six to eight colds a year in their first three years of life, and most are viral.  Adults have 3 or more a year. It’s very easy to test for strep and for that you should have a [positive] culture [before treating with antibiotics].  The principle behind that is knowing the organism the doctor will know what antibiotic to use to fight off the bacterial infection and you won’t build up antibodies from the antibiotic that you didn’t need in the first place if you are given the wrong antibiotic in the beginning.

Are the strategies for avoiding cold and flu different?

Avoidance is very similar: Strict hand washing, not sharing drinking cups or utensils, and avoiding direct contact with people who are sneezing.  Their transmission is similar.  As long as someone has a fever, they have the possibility to transmit infection. After they’ve had no fever for 24 hours, they’re not infectious anymore.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that just about everyone get the flu shot: kids 6 months to 19 years of age, pregnant women, people 50 and up, and people of any age with compromised immune systems. Is the shot beneficial to anyone who gets it?

Unless you have a contraindication, there’s no reason not to get it=PREVENTION. Contraindications include egg allergy (because the vaccine is grown from egg products), any vaccines within a last week or two, and active illness at the time of your vaccine.

The best to do is PREVENTION so you can avoid the cold or flu in its active phase or post phase, so doing the following will help prevent it:

Live a healthy lifestyle overall=Good dieting, living good healthy habits and maintaining exercise with rest daily or 2 to 3 times a week including get a vaccine yearly for the flu with maintaining good clean anti-infection habits like as simply as washing the hands as directed above.

If you need help in being given the knowledge in how routinely lose weight if not maintain your good weight, knowing what foods are lean to leaner to leanest out of the 4 food groups, understanding why portions of meals including exercise balanced with rest is so important, how all 4 interact with each other impacting your metabolism rate, and keeping a healthier body with a higher chance of increasing your immunity with fighting off simple colds to possibly the flu when near someone contaminated with the virus and making this a regular part not just a few months to a year but for life then you came to the right blog.  This is provided through Dr. Anderson and myself as your health coach if you need one in where we help you get started on this goal in your life.  You can order Dr. Anderson’s book “Dr. A’s healthy habits” that provides the information on foods to help you lose the excess of weight with so much more in learning about the body to diseases in prevention and Rx.  Most important, you make all the choices.   I needed to lose weight and lost 22 lbs. and hope to continue to lose another 20 lbs or so.  So if you want to prevent getting the cold to the flu with so many other diseases and illnesses go to healthyusa.tsfl.com and join me. Take a peek for no charge, no obligation and no hacking. I hope you have learned something new from my blog.

****Recommended is to check with your MD on any changes with diet or exercise especially if diagnosed already with disease or illness for your safety.****

References for Part 1,2, and 3 on the two bugs The FLU and The COLD:

1-Wikipedia “the free encyclopedia” 2013 website under the topic Influenza.

2-Kimberly Clark Professional website under the influenza.

3-Web MD under “COLD, FLU, COUGH CENTER” “Flu or cold symptoms?” Reviewed by Laura J. Martin MD November 01, 2011

4-2013 Novartis Consumer Health Inc. Triaminic “Fend off the Flu”

5-Scientific American “Why do we get the flu most often in the winter? Are viruses virulent in cold weather? December 15, 1997

People infected with an influenza or cold virus become contagious 24 hours after the virus enters the body (often before symptoms appear). Adults remain infectious (can spread the virus to others) for about 6 days, and children remain infectious for up to 10 days.  Factors that may increase the risk of catching a cold are fatigue, emotional stress, smoking, mid-phase of the menstrual cycle, and nasal allergies.  Factors that do not increase the risk of catching a cold include cold body temperature (Example being out in the cold or enlarged tonsils).  General health status and eating habits do in that they have impact on your immunity and “fight or flight” in  fighting off infection as opposed to getting sick due to a healthy body overall.

Watch for flu symptoms and in comparison here with the cold symptoms when trying to decipher what you have before going to the doctor:

FLU  S/S                                                                                                                COLD S/S

-High fever lasting 3 to 4 days                                          -Fever rarely                                                                       -Prominent headache (H/A)                                             -H/A- rarely                                                              -General Aches and pains=often & severe                     -Slight in a cold                                                  -Fatigue and weakness lasts up to 2-3 wks.                  -Mild, if +                                                                           -Extreme Exhaustion-Early and Prominent                  -Never occurs                                                         -Chest Discomfort,Cough=common,severe                  -Mild-moderate&hacking cough                          -Sore throat is sometimes                                                 -Common  *

-Stuffy nose is present sometimes                                    -Common symptom                                          -Diarrhea and vomiting(more common for children)

*Note weakness and tiredness can last up to a few weeks with the Flu.

Regarding cold symptoms also be aware for these specifics, which include:

-With the symptoms above you can also have the nose that teems with watery nasal secretions for the first few days later these become thicker and darker.  Dark mucus is natural and does not mean you have developed a bacterial infection, such as a sinus infection.

**Know several hundred different viruses may cause your cold symptoms. A virus cannot be treated with an antibiotic since they only are treatment for bacterial infections.*

Let’s prepare ourselves in knowing factors for prevention of  these 2 BUGS THE COLD and THE FLU (particularly) with knowing what to do when you or someone in the home has it.

Now let’s review what we know which is the common cold and the types of flu (Types A,B, and C) are with knowing their symptoms (the cold versus the flu) and The Flu statistics of how many are affected yearly with what complications can arise, based on Part 1 of yesterday’s article on the cold and flu lets now start in letting us be aware of factors in prevention of a cold vs. flu.

The biggest factor in prevention of the COMMON COLD or THE FLU and a great healthy habit and that would be washing your hands with soap and water often, especially:

Before, during, and after preparing food

Before eating

After using the bathroom

After handling animals or animal waste

When their hands are dirty

When someone in your home is sick                                                                                                                     FOR AVOIDANCE IN GETTING THE FLU OBTAIN YOUR VACCINE YEARLY!

What to do when you have the cold or, worse, the flu:

Keep your face off-limits.

The flu virus enters through the eyes, nose, and mouth, so those with the flu or a simple cold should never touch their faces unless they’ve just washed their hands.

Keep your distance.

Stay clear of people who are sick-or feel sick.

Avoid sharing food, drinks, and utensils.

Do not share drinking glasses-and to break off portions of food and to pour off beverages before consuming them.

Since the age of 6 months, Olivia’s bedtime routine has been the same – play time, bath, pajamas, bottle, story, then bed.

Make sure you or your sick child who is sick gets enough sleep.       Too little sleep can cause the feeling of run-down and lower the immunity. Yet a National Sleep Foundation poll found that most children need 1 to 3 more hours of sleep than they’re getting every night usually. How much should they be getting? Experts recommend 11 to 13 hours a night for preschoolers and kindergartners and 10 to 11 hours for school-aged children.  Adults 8 hours of sleep a day if not more when sick with a cold or the flu. How to make sure this can be accomplished: Establish an earlier-bedtime routine, this just takes disciplining by the parent or yourself if an adult.

Let your kids, including adults stay home when they’re sick.

They’ll feel better sooner and won’t pass their illness on to their classmates or for an adult passing it on to colleagues at work especially the first few days when contagious so don’t go into work those few days.

Keep tissues handy.

The flu spreads when infected people cough or sneeze. So adults use them and encourage your kids to cough and sneeze into a tissue or their upper arm if tissues aren’t available. (Coughing into a bare hand can also spread germs if kids touch something before they can wash.)

Use those wipes!

Flu germs can live for several hours on surfaces such as countertops and doorknobs. Wipe down contaminated objects with soap and water.

Ask your doctor about antiviral medications.

Although not approved for use in children under 1, these drugs can be used in older children & adults to prevent influenza or even can treat the flu in the first 2 days of onset.

Live a healthy lifestyle.

MOST IMPORTANT!!!  A healthy lifestyle may help prevent them from getting sick in the first place.

****Recommended is to check with your MD on any changes with diet or exercise especially if diagnosed already with disease or illness for your safety.****

REFERENCES FOR PART 1,2, AND 3 ON THE COLD AND THE FLU ARE:

1-Wikipedia “the free encyclopedia” 2013 website under the topic Influenza.

2-Kimberly Clark Professional website under the influenza.

3-Web MD under “COLD, FLU, COUGH CENTER” “Flu or cold symptoms?” Reviewed by Laura J. Martin MD November 01, 2011

4-2013 Novartis Consumer Health Inc. Triaminic “Fend off the Flu”

5-Scientific American “Why do we get the flu most often in the winter? Are viruses virulent in cold weather? December 15, 1997

“Civilization, the orderly world in which we live, is frail. We are skating on thin ice. There is a fear of a collective disaster. Terrorism, genocide, flu, tsunamis”.

Zygmunt Bauman(87 y/o and born 19 November 1925) is a Polishsociologist. Since 1971, he has resided in England after being driven out of Poland by an anti-semiticHYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Polish_political_crisis” campaign.

Those bugs that are common in fall, winter and spring are 2 Viruses =The COLD and THE FLU.

HOW THEY ARE DIFFERENT:

Both influenza and the common cold are viral respiratory infections (they affect the nose, throat, and lungs).

Viruses are spread from person to person through airborne droplets (aerosols) that are sneezed out or coughed up by an infected person, direct contact is another form of spread with infected nasal secretions, or fomites (contaminated objects).  Which of these routes is of primary importance has not been determined, however hand to hand and hand to surface to hand to contact seems of more importance than transmission.  The viruses may survive for prolonged periods in the environment (over 18 hours for rhinoviruses in particular=a common virus for colds) and can be picked up by people’s hands and subsequently carried to their eyes or nose where infection occurs. In some cases, the viruses can be spread when a person touches an infected surface (e.g., doorknobs, countertops, telephones) and then touches his or her nose, mouth, or eyes. As such, these illnesses are most easily spread in crowded conditions such as schools.

The traditional folk theory that you can catch a cold in prolonged exposure to cold weather such as rain or winter settings is how the illness got its name.  Some of the viruses that cause common colds are seasonal, occurring more frequently during cold or wet weather.  The reason for the seasonality has not yet been fully determined.  This may occur due to cold induced changes in the respiratory system, decreased immune response, and low humidity increasing viral transmission rates, perhaps due to dry air allowing small viral droplets to disperse farther, and stay in the air longer.  It may be due to social factors, such as people spending more time indoors, as opposed to outdoors, exposing him or her “self” to an infected person, and specifically children at school.  There is some controversy over the role of body cooling as a risk factor for the common cold; the majority of the  evidence does suggest a result in greater susceptibility to infection.

The SIMPLE COMMON COLD:

The common cold (also known as nasopharyngitis, rhinopharyngitis, acute coryza, head cold) or simply a cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract which primarily effects the nose.  There are over 200 different known cold viruses, but most colds (30% up to 80%) are caused by rhinoviruses

This means you can pass the cold to others, so stay home and get some much-needed rest for yourself and not passing it on to others for the contagious period at least.

If cold symptoms do not seem to be improving after a week, you may have a bacterial infection, which means you may need antibiotics, which only kill bacterial infections not viral.

Sometimes you may mistake cold symptoms for allergic rhinitis (hay fever) or a sinus infection (bacterial). If cold symptoms begin quickly and are improving after a week, then it is usually a cold, not allergy. If your cold symptoms do not seem to be getting better after a week, check with your doctor to see if you have developed an allergy or inflammation or the sinuses (sinusitis).

Influenza is commonly referred to as “the flu”, this is an infectious disease of birds and mammals caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae, the influenza viruses.  The most common sign or symptom are chills, fever, runny nose, coughing, aches and weakness to headache and sore throat.  Although it is often confused with other influenza-like illnesses, especially the COMMON COLD, influenza is a more severe illness or disease caused by a different virus.  Influenza nausea and vomiting, particularly in children but these symptoms are more common in the unrelated gastroenteritis, which is sometimes inaccurately referred to as “stomach flu” or “25 hour flu”.
The flu can occasionally lead to pneumonia, either direct viral pneumonia or secondary bacterial pneumonia, even for persons who are usually very healthy.  In particular it is a warning sign if a child or presumably an adult seems to be getting better and then relapses with a high fever as this relapse may be bacterial pneumonia.  Another warning sign is if the person starts to have trouble breathing.

Each year, 10% to 20% of Canadians are stricken with influenza. Although most people recover fully, depending on the severity of the flu season, it can result in an average of 20,000 hospitalizations and approximately 4000 to 8000 deaths annually in Canada. Deaths due to the flu are found mostly among high-risk populations, such as those with other medical conditions (such as diabetes or cancer) or weakened immune systems, seniors, or very young children. There are 3 types of influenza viruses: A, B, and C. Type A influenza causes the most serious problems in humans and can be carried by humans or animals (wild birds are commonly the host carriers). It is more common for humans seem to carry the most with ailments with type A influenza.  Type B  Influenza is found in humans also.  Type B flu may cause less severe reaction than A type flu virus but for the few for the many can still be at times extremely harmed.  Influenza B viruses are not classified by subtype and do not cause pandemics at this time.  Influenza type C also found in people but milder than type A or B.  People don’t become very ill from this Type C Influenza and do not cause pandemics.

The common cold eventually fizzles, but the flu may be deadly.   Some 200,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized and 36,000 die each year from flu complications — and that pales in comparison to the flu pandemic of 1918 that claimed between 20 and 100 million lives. The best defense against it:   a vaccine once a year. 

References for Part 1 and 2 on the two bugs The FLU and The COLD:

1-Wikipedia “the free encyclopedia” 2013 website under the topic Influenza.

2-Kimberly Clark Professional website under the influenza.

3-Web MD under “COLD, FLU, COUGH CENTER” “Flu or cold symptoms?” Reviewed by Laura J. Martin MD November 01, 2011

4-2013 Novartis Consumer Health Inc. Triaminic “Fend off the Flu”

5-Scientific American “Why do we get the flu most often in the winter? Are viruses virulent in cold weather? December 15, 1997

You say HOW?  They are high in vitamins, minerals, some with antitoxins (helping the immune system) and have anti-inflammatory effects that can help you build up to your optimal health.  Some fruits have soluble fiber in them that slows down the breakdown of complex carbohydrates and helps reduce blood sugar.  Fruit taken in proper portions (moderate amts.) can even help lower blood cholesterol.  Soluble fiber is not just in rye, barley, oats, and vegetables but in fruits as well.  Insoluble fiber can’t be absorbed or digested by the human body but can still provide the body with advantages like reducing hunger, stimulates regular bowel movements, and can be found in fruits as well as vegetables, seeds whole wheat bread and other foods.  One of my healthy eating rules is know what the food’s makeup is before eating it; yes this includes calories, fat, sugars, carbs and sodium but knowing the energy density in the foods you eat is very important too.  Foods with the lowest density are foods that help curb your appetite that can help you maintain or even lose weight.  The lowest energy density food group contains healthy foods like most vegetables and fruits with based broth soups & skim milk.  The highest density groups are cookies, chips, nuts, full-fat condiments, chocolate and butter (not the best nutritional foods to be eating regularly).  Remember, if you’re trying to be healthy or even losing weight than know fruits are high glycemic foods.  If you eat too much fruit at one time it will result in high glycemic amounts in your body at that one time putting you at risk for fat storage=weight gain.  You see, digestion of the foods whether calories, carbohydrates, sugars, or some fats get broken down into simple or complex sugar molecules=glucose or fructose.  One of the body’s major fuels for energy so we can function with working properly & survive is glucose (the same concept like fuel for a car=gas=it operates).  

The body utilizes glucose after digestion takes place in the stomach where the foods break down into simple and complex sugars than transferred into our bloodstream as our active fuel for energy (like our car’s tank sending gas to the engine to be able to run).  Our fuel, being the glucose, then gets sent to all our tissues and into our cells but only for the amount they need at that time (sort of like the car in filling the gas tank to full).  When our body reaches full for all energy needed to all areas of the body at that time if there is extra un-needed glucose in the bloodstream it has to go somewhere and the body stores it=fat storage=weight gain.  Take the car, the storage reservoir is the gas tank it only stores in the tank, but if the tank reaches full with gas (its energy) it would just overflow as opposed to the human body with extra glucose in the bloodstream=our extra fuel which doesn’t overflow by leaving our body somehow but gets stored in our body as fat storage. Thus, when it’s needed (glucose) it will be released back in the bloodstream.  If you more frequently have in your body more overflow of glucose versus the need for it you’ll have more fat storage occuring as opposed to energy utilized by the body.  This causes you to be at a higher risk of becoming overweight to obese (that’s the logic in eating 6 small low glycemic meals a day which prevents this from happening).  To prevent a high risk of becoming overweight to obese stay off of 3 large meals/day and high sugar snacks during the day.  Also, don’t have constant healthy frequent high glycemic meals day in and day out especially with no activity/exercise other than your regular activities of daily living, which doesn’t count as exercise.

Remember, eat fruits in moderation not in excess; including the size of your meals (don’t allow the size of the plate greater than 9” including NO second helpings).   The key to eating healthy is to include all 4 food groups (Meats/Fishes, Vegetables, Fruits, and Dairy) and eat your first meal for the day within 30 minutes.   If you want to learn more information about this to begin eating healthier with the 4 food groups and in the proper portion sizes than go no further.  My website can give you the information in knowing how to eat so that it affects your metabolism and weight distribution in the body therapeutically.  You can also learn exercise that fits into your lifestyle (ranging from walking fast 30 minutes for 2 to 3 times a week to daily workouts) with knowing healthy habits to add in your life to stay or get within your ideal weight.  The ending result is you feel better, look better, and have higher odds you’ll live a longer life that allows more excitement in it due to being in better shape.   Let Dr. Anderson through his book and myself, being your health coach, give you direction onto the pathway you need until you get yourself on the right track of health independently.   Before going to my website here is also information on how sugar affects the body on disease and illness