Just FYI

I'm going to post this on Homemaking Cents as well (Monday from the way my schedule looks). It makes more sense there, I know, but I'm posting it here because many kids in the spectrum struggle with immune system problems.

Flu in U.S. Found Resistant to Main Antiviral Drug

I'm a bit cynical about this article because I've read other articles that question Tamiflu's abilities as an antiviral in the first place. However, whether you're big into allopathic or holistic or whatever healing, prevention is the most important thing. Around here, that means a greater emphasis on washing hands, taking baths, good nutrition, exercise, and fresh air. I've found charts that outline the steps very helpful, especially if they have pictures. We have the one for washing hands up right now and it seems to help. I try to supervise hand washing since it gets Rachel used to putting her hands completely under the water. If I don't, she only washes her fingertips.

Can't say I blame her. That water is coooooooold... and the hot water takes too long to show up.

For those who want a little motivating reading, I recommend two Laurie Garrett books: Betrayal of Trust and The Coming Plague. Sometimes Ms. Garrett jumps to conclusions (especially when it comes to vaccinations) but most of the time she sticks with facts and deals only with what's known. Great reading for those who want to know how much impact public health has on the community. I especially enjoyed Ms. Garrett's recollection of her uncle in the beginning of The Coming Plague: he was a doctor before everything got sent to a lab and he worried that a time would come when a doctor might have to diagnose without a lab again. He felt a time would come when doctors wouldn't be able to diagnose by sight... very necessary when time is of the essence. It's a fascinating and increasingly timely topic for debate.