Stay Healthy During Flu Season
It is that time of year: We are in the midst of the dreaded flu season. But there are many ways that you and your loved ones can reduce your chances of catching and spreading this bug.
The flu virus is a highly contagious respiratory virus that can cause mild to severe illness. Some of the symptoms are fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, muscle and body aches, headaches and fatigue.
Some individuals are at a higher risk for flu complications, including people with kidney disease and chronic conditions, like diabetes or heart disease. Young children and people over 65 are also at higher risk. That is why it is vital that you take steps to help reduce your risk of catching the flu.
Here are some important steps you can take to help reduce your risk of catching and spreading the flu this year:
Is It Flu Or A Cold
It can sometimes be difficult to tell if you have flu or just a cold, as the symptoms can be quite similar. The main differences are:
Flu symptoms:
- usually include fever and aching muscles
- make you feel too unwell to continue your usual activities
Cold symptoms:
- come on gradually
- mainly affect your nose and throat
- are fairly mild, so you can still get around and are usually well enough to go to work
What To Expect With Influenza
Symptoms of the flu can hit very quickly and may last several weeks. A bout of the flu typically follows this pattern:
- Days 13: Sudden appearance of fever, headache, muscle pain and weakness, dry cough, sore throat and sometimes a stuffy nose.
- Day 4: Fever and muscle aches decrease. Hoarse, dry or sore throat, cough and possible mild chest discomfort become more noticeable. You may feel tired or flat.
- Day 8: Symptoms decrease. Cough and tiredness may last one to two weeks or more.
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Causes Of Kidney Pain
Kidney pain is a sign that theres something affecting one or both of your kidneys. Your kidney may hurt for these reasons:
Depending on the condition thats causing your kidney pain, you may be able to treat it with home remedies, medications, or surgery.
Conditions such as kidney stones and cysts sometimes resolve on their own.
When To Get The Flu Shot
Get a flu vaccine before flu viruses begin spreading in your community. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against flu.
CDC recommends that people get a flu vaccine by the end of October. Getting vaccinated later can still be beneficial. Vaccination should continue throughout the flu season, even beyond January. CDC recommends that all people 6 months and older get a yearly flu vaccine.
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Apply Heat Or Take A Warm Bath
A warm bath or shower can loosen tight, painful muscles and relieve body aches. If you have a fever, keep the water lukewarm to avoid raising your temperature more. Fevers can also cause dizziness and general weakness, so a bath is a safer option than a shower.
Children with a fever or cold symptoms should be monitored when taking a shower or bath to avoid injury.
Heating pads and heated blankets may relieve some body aches from the flu. Just be careful not to use excessive heat to avoid burns. Consider setting a timer if there’s a chance you might fall asleep with a heating pad.
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Other back pain causes include lumbago and cauda equina syndrome. Your physician will ask about your symptoms, examine your back, and conduct an examination. The diagnosis will be based on the severity of your pain, but your symptoms should subside within two months. If the pain persists, you should consult a doctor to make sure it isnt something more serious. The best treatment for back pain is to rest and avoid physical activity.
If your back pain persists after a few weeks, you should consider a more serious diagnosis. There are many different types of back pain. Some people have a spinal disorder, which is more severe than others. Its important to get proper diagnosis and treatment for back pain. You should also make a lifestyle change that promotes your health and keeps you from experiencing pain. You can also see a physical therapist if you have a specific type of injury or if your back problems are recurring.
In addition to exercising, you should do light physical activities. Gentle exercise can help alleviate back pain. Yoga and pilates are both excellent exercises. The best exercises for backache are those that increase muscle tone and flexibility. You can also try over-the-counter pain relievers or heat to reduce the pain. If youre experiencing severe pain, your doctor may recommend a stronger medication to ease your symptoms. If the pain persists, you should consult with a medical professional and make an appointment with a physician.
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What Causes Kidney Pain
Kidneys drain urine to the bladder via tubes called ureters. Your bladder is emptied via the urethra. Problems in any of these areas can cause pain, and may be caused by:
If you have had kidney stones in the past, it may not always be necessary to have a computed tomography scan, which exposes you to radiation. Ask your doctor if a CT scan is necessary for you. For further information, visit the Choosing Wisely Australia website.
Factors That Affect Your Immune System
The bodys immune system is an intricate system thats made up of different organs, cells, and proteins to fight off foreign invaders like bacteria, fungi, viruses, and toxins. Due to the delicacy of this system, the decisions that you make on a daily basis have a tremendous impact on its efficiency. Those who live a healthy lifestyle, get plenty of exercise, and avoid toxins tend to have much stronger immune systems than those who eat a diet filled with processed foods and live sedentary lifestyles. Some of the primary factors affecting the immune system include:
Strengthening your immune system is possible, regardless of your age or previous illnesses. By making a few strategic lifestyle changes, youll be more prepared to fight infection without reliance on antibiotics or other medications. One of the best ways to achieve this is to eat foods that are known to boost your immune system. This includes whole fruits and vegetables, especially those that are rich in antioxidants. Avoid processed foods as much as possible and limit your alcohol consumption throughout the week. In conjunction with a healthy diet, talk to your doctor about adding a vitamin C supplement and/or cranberry supplements. Vitamin C can help fight infection and repair damage while cranberry is known for supporting a healthy urinary tract.
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Ways To Deal With Kidney Problems
We have suggested some of the most effective home remedies that should help you minimize kidney pain.
They are listed as follows:
Does cranberry juice cause kidney pain? No. only processed cranberry juice might affect your kidney.
So it is best to avoid processed cranberry juice or cocktails. Only take fresh cranberry juice to help you shrink the pain. Doing this would help you mitigate kidney pain over time.
Can The Flu Cause A Bladder Infection
Urinary conditions can have a big impact on our daily life. Oftentimes, theyre restrictive, uncomfortable, and downright annoying. This is especially true for bladder infections. Bladder infections can be mild and merely increase the urge and frequency of urination or they can be severe and lead to fevers, chills, and pelvic pain. Regardless of the severity of your bladder infection, treatment is paramount to your long-term health. However, the cause of bladder infections is sometimes unknown. They seem to coincide with other illnesses, creating even more discomfort. One thing that many people have speculated is that the flu and bladder infections are somehow connected. With the weather cooling down and flu season just around the corner, were here to answer a common question: can the flu cause a bladder infection?
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The Relationship Between The Flu And Bladder Infections
One thing that many people dont realize is that flu symptoms are often very similar to those of a bladder infection. However, the flu cannot directly cause a bladder infection. There is no proven research that getting the flu will lead to the development of an infection. The only connection between the two is that the flu can weaken your immune system, which can make you more susceptible to a bladder infection under the right circumstances.
The flu is caused by an influenza virus that enters your body through a mucus membrane. It leads to an infection in the throat, nose, and lungs and can spread between individuals through droplets in the air. Flu viruses can also live on objects for up to 48 hours, so transmission from surfaces is possible. Bladder infections, on the other hand, are caused by bacteria. They are two different microorganisms and are in no way tied to one another.
While the flu cannot cause a bladder infection and vice versa, it is possible to suffer from both the flu and a bladder infection simultaneously. As flu season gets closer, make sure that you are familiar with common symptoms of infection. These can include:
- Vomiting and/or diarrhea
If You Have Kidney Disease You Need To Get A Flu Shot This Fall
This fall, more than ever before, it is critical that everyone get a flu vaccine. The National Kidney Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourage everyone, especially kidney patients, to get a flu vaccine before the end of October. Do this to protect yourself and reduce the strain on the over-taxed medical system.
Those with kidney disease or with a weakened immune system are at an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 as well as the flu. If you are at risk of severe complications, take precautions to protect yourself.
A flu vaccine may also provide several individual health benefits. It may keep you from getting sick with flu, or reduce the severity if you do get it. These benefits can reduce your risk of flu-associated hospitalization during the ongoing pandemic.
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How To Get Relief
Rest and changing environmental triggers like your desk chair may be the easiest places to start when addressing back pain, but there are additional ways to relieve pain in the long term.Chiropractic care has proven effective at reducing not only back pain, but neck pain and headaches, including spinal headaches. At Denver Upper Cervical Chiropractic, we use gentle manipulations to adjust spinal misalignment, a common cause of back pain.
Additional treatments for back pain include:
- Physical therapy: Stretching and strengthening exercises to improve your posture and core strength can help alleviate back pain.
- Lifestyle changes: This includes changes to diet, exercise, and posture. Stress and sleep problems are also common triggers for chronic back pain.
- Pain medications: Many patients turn to over-the-counter painkillers to mask back pain symptoms, but this should not be a plan for long-term relief.
- Injections: Your treatment plan or medical advice may include nerve blockers or injectable steroids for targeted back pain relief.
- Acupuncture: Acupuncture has proven somewhat effective in some low back pain patients. More research is needed to demonstrate long-term efficacy.
- Massage therapy: Tension release in the back muscles through massage therapy can be a helpful way to relieve both physical and mental stress.
- Surgery: In rare cases, your healthcare provider may recommend back surgery to address severe pain. Spinal fusions and disc replacements are 2 common surgical options.
Drugs To Help Prevent The Flu
Some drugs that treat the flu can also be used to prevent it. They work by stopping the virus from growing inside your body, and are 60-90% effective.9
The CDC warns doctorsnot to prescribe Symmetrel© or Flumadine© this flu season, because they do not work against this year’s virus. But ask your doctor about taking Tamiflu© or Relenza© for about 6 weeks during the height of the flu season.10
- Tamiflu is a pill or liquid. A study has found that taking 30 mg once a week can help protect people on PD from the flu. People who do HD 3 times per week can take the 30 mg at every other treatment.11 No frequency was given for daily HD, but twice per week might make sense. Ask your doctor about it.
- Relenza is a drug you breathe in through an inhaler. If you have lung problems, like asthma, Relenza may not be a good choice for you.12
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When To See A Gp
See a GP if you feel feverish and you have pain in your tummy, lower back or genitals that will not go away.
You should also see a GP if you have symptoms of a UTI that have not improved after a few days, or if you have blood in your pee.
Contact a GP immediately if you think your child may have a kidney infection.
Kidney infections require prompt treatment with antibiotics.
Page last reviewed: 06 January 2021 Next review due: 06 January 2024
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Surgical interventions to correct spinal deformity include spinal fusion, which is a surgical procedure that uses bone graft to replace a disc. After undergoing surgery, your back will require physical therapy for three to six months. In addition to doctors and dentists, you can also see neurologists, physiatrists, and chiropractors. These specialists specialize in the brain and spinal cord disorders. They are often the best choice for patients seeking treatment for back pain.
Non-specific back pain is usually not diagnosed until the pain is long-term. There is no clear cause for non-specific back pain, but doctors should seek a diagnosis to treat the condition. It is important to visit a specialist for treatment in order to get the best treatment options. If the pain is chronic or has no specific cause, a doctor will perform diagnostic imaging to help identify the exact source of the pain. Further, they can perform MRIs to help diagnose underlying conditions.
While back pain is a common ailment, it can also be caused by something else. Many people experience sciatica or other pain in the leg, and a slipped disc could be the cause. Other types of back pain may be more acute, such as a herniated disc. For nonspecific back pain, a doctor may need to perform radiological imaging to diagnose the exact cause of the pain.
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When To Visit Your Gp
If you are otherwise fit and healthy, there’s usually no need to visit your GP if you have flu-like symptoms.
You should just rest at home until you feel better, while keeping warm, drinking plenty of water and taking painkillers if necessary.
In these cases, your GP may suggest taking antiviral medication.
The Flu And Your Kidneys
Every year you see the commercials and flyers reminding you to get your flu shot. If they serve their purpose and you get your flu shot thats great! If you ignore their reminder, you should reconsider, especially if you or someone you know has CKD.
As a CKD patient, you should receive your flu shot every year. It is important for you to have a flu shot every year because as a CKD patient your immune system is less active/responsive which affects your bodys recovery time and method. Not getting a flu shot can place you at risk of catching the flu. This is a huge risk as you dont want anything that can place stress on your body as your kidneys are already under enough. Talk to your health care provider and consider protecting yourself this flu season so you dont chance disrupting your normal kidney care methods.
If your healthcare provider cant offer you a flu shot at an affordable price many pharmacies administer it for free or at a low cost.
Flu Symptoms1
- fever or chillsnot everyone with flu will have a fever
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Your Best Defense Is A Good Offense
A yearly flu shot is your best defense,3 but only about half of people with kidney failure get one.4 Flu season starts in November, so get a flu shot in September or October. It takes about 2 weeks for a flu shot to help you fight off the flu.5 Medicare pays for flu shots.
FluMist©, the nasal spray vaccine, isnot a good choice for people with kidney disease or for those who live with them.6
Are you over age 65? If so, there is anew flu vaccine just for you.7 Fluzone® is stronger than the usual flu shot it has 4 times as many antigens to help you fight the flu. This also means it may be more likely to cause side effects, including redness, swelling, headache, muscle aches, or fever. Ask your doctor or clinic about Fluzone.
Flu shots canhelp keep you from getting the flu, but they’re not perfect. Flu spreads by droplets that spray out for about 3 feet when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. You catch the flu when you breathe in the droplets or touch something that’s been coughed or sneezed on, then touch your nose or mouth.
Besides having a flu shot, you can also help avoid the flu if you:
- Stay at least 3 feet away from anyone who coughs or sneezes
- Avoid crowds if you can in “flu season”
- Wear a surgical mask if you must be around lots of people
- Wash your hands often or use an alcohol-based hand rub
- Don’t touch your nose or mouth if you haven’t washed your hands
- Get a Pneumovax® vaccine to help prevent pneumonia8