Melbourne, Victoria (PRWEB) September 16, 2009

With increasing numbers of Australians falling ill from swine influenza, Pink Hygiene Solutions has a handful of practical tips that can help reduce the risk of transmission of swine flu and similar winter illnesses.

“Effective washroom hygiene, especially hand washing and drying, reduces the risk of swine flu infection and is a key to containing the spread of bacteria and viruses,” said Vivian Oppl, Marketing Manager of Pink.

“Most people don’t realise that hand drying is just as important as hand washing, with damp hands shown to transfer up to 1000 times more bacteria than dry hands,” Ms Oppl said.

“By providing hygienic workplaces and public environments coupled with practical information on the importance of proper hand hygiene, Australian organisations can play an active and responsible role in reducing the spread of viruses.”

5 steps to defend against swine flu

1.    Wash your hands frequently with anti-bacterial soap and water, ensuring your hands are completely dry after washing.

2.    Cough or sneeze into a tissue and dispose of the tissue immediately after use.

3.    Clean hard surfaces, such as door handles and work benches frequently using a normal cleaning product.

4.    Sanitise office equipment such as phones, and keyboards regularly.

5.    If you feel unwell, avoid the risk of cross-infection by distancing yourself from other people.

5 steps to proper hand hygiene

1.    Turn on the tap and let water cover hands. ‘No touch’ taps with sensors are ideal.

2.    Apply soap, preferably a liquid or foam soap, as bacteria thrive in the warm moist conditions that bar soap provides. Cracked bars of soap can also trap germs and harmful bacteria.

3.    Rub hands together for at least 20 seconds, ensuring a good lather of soap suds.

4.    Rinse hands with water removing all soap residue.

5.    Dry hands thoroughly, with paper towel or hand dryer or clean dry cloth towel if at home.

The H1N1 Influenza 09 (Human Swine Flu) virus can survive on surfaces such as tables, door handles, telephones, desks for 2 hours or longer.

By touching these contaminated surfaces and then touching the eyes, mouth or nose, people may infect themselves and carry the infection onto other surfaces they touch, spreading the virus.

For excellent workplace and public venue hygiene protection, consider the following products and services from Pink Hygiene Solutions:

1.    Hand sanitiser service – ideally suited to washrooms, receptions, canteen areas as a way of disinfecting hands after contact with others, after the toilet and before eating and drinking. Pink’s ethanol based hand sanitiser kills germs without the need for water. The added aloe vera moisturises hands so they don’t feel dry.

2.    Touch-free soap service – drip free, measured dose soap dispensers that help reduce wastage as well as the spread of harmful bacteria.

3.    WC and urinal hygiene treatment program – helps stop bacteria and scale build up in your washroom to create a fresh hygienic environment above and below the waterline and right through the system. At end of each flush a measured dose of Pinks’ special biological formula is dispensed to coat the bowl and help prevent new deposits.

4.    Toilet seat sanitiser service – offers peace of mind by wiping away the risk of cross infection. Pink’s sanitising spray kills bacteria on toilet seats and can be used on other contact points such as the flush button and toilet door handles.

For further information on swine flu:

World Health Organisation

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html

http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_04)29/en/index.html

FAQs on swine flu

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/faq/en/index.html

Centre for Disease Control and Prevention

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

About Pink Hygiene Solutions

Pink Hygiene Solutions is a leading provider of [washroom hygiene services and products.

For more information contact Pink on 1300 73 1234

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Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Tucson, AZ (PRWEB) October 26, 2005

Flu season is just getting started, and over the next few months millions of Americans will suffer from aches, sinus congestion, fever, and chills brought on by the virus. What many people may not realize, however, is there are natural ways keep the flu at bay. In “How to Beat the Flu,” holistic nutritionist Mike Adams provides a step-by-step guide to optimizing the immune system for effective flu prevention without shots or prescription drugs. The informative book is now available in downloadable or hardcover format at http://www.truthpublishing.com.

“To compile the information in this book, I researched more than 400 books and thousands of studies from some of the country’s best known doctors and natural health experts including Dr. Gary Null and Dr. Bruce West,” said Adams. “I discovered that the same group of nutrients were repeatedly proven to offer the best defense against the flu. In ‘How to Beat the Flu,’ I combine nutritional information with healthy living recommendations in a comprehensive plan for staying healthy during flu season.”

“How to Beat the Flu” provides simple dietary and lifestyle changes that are proven to significantly strengthen the immune system. It explains how foods such as onions, garlic, and ginger help the body resist infection, and it offers a comprehensive list of fruits, vegetables, herbs, vitamins, and minerals that boost immune system function. In the book readers will also discover how the typical American diet of white bread, sugar, and salt increases susceptibility to the flu and other diseases.

In addition to nutritional advice, “How to Beat the Flu” provides exercise and lifestyle recommendations that increase natural immunity. Readers will learn exercises that can stop the flu at the first sign of symptoms, and they will explore the health benefits of laughter and sunshine. Alternative treatments and new technologies such as color therapy and vibrational nutrition complete Adams’ comprehensive advice on maintaining health during the flu season.

About Truth Publishing

Truth Publishing is dedicated to a mission of public service through the creation and distribution of educational materials covering natural health, wellness, environmental responsibility, and other topics important to people everywhere. Articles and commentary are published at http://www.newstarget.com, and books and interviews are published at http://www.truthpublishing.com.

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©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Related Flu Press Releases

Cary, NC (Vocus) May 27, 2009

Medfusion, the nation’s leader in patient portals as ranked by KLAS, has responded quickly to physician practices by enhancing Medfusion’s existing Symptom Assessment and Virtual Office Visit online patient communication solutions with an H1N1 Influenza (Swine Flu) screening.

“The country is experiencing a real health care crisis now,” said Steve Malik, Medfusion’s CEO. “Even though the outbreak of H1N1 Influenza isn’t the number one news headliner today, it’s still very real. Upon inception of the outbreak, Medfusion provided physicians the opportunity to ramp up on preparedness and expediently respond to patients with an online diagnosis that otherwise might have taken longer if an appointment had to be scheduled.”

Without having to come into the office, the patient can log into the practice’s secure HIPAA-compliant patient portal, select either Symptom Assessment or Virtual Office Visit, and type in Swine flu when they are prompted for a condition. The patient then responds to a series of interactive clinical questions relative to their symptoms so that the doctor can provide a secure online consultation, prescribe the appropriate anti-viral drug, if necessary, or determine if the patient needs an in-office visit.

Additionally, physician practices have been able to use Medfusion’s Secure Patient Messaging solution to mass broadcast the availability of H1N1 influenza online screening and to keep patients informed about the latest news regarding this outbreak or any other dire health issues. “We immediately launched Webinar training session’s specific to Swine flu patient messaging and Virtual Office Visits, and the response from the practices was overwhelming,” said Crystal Upson, Vice President of Client Services. Medfusion continues to hold these training sessions regularly. Also, physician practices that have a website powered by Medfusion have complete control over their content management, which means they are able to post and change messaging at any given time about their services and the latest health issue developments.

About Medfusion

Medfusion, a Cary, NC-based company offers patient-provider communication solutions nationally that enable healthcare providers to offer superior service to their patients while improving office efficiency and generating revenue. Medfusion’s powerful web-based solutions virtually transforms physician/patient communications using applications for pre-registration, appointment requests and reminders, outbound messaging, lab results delivery, prescription renewals, online bill payment, virtual office visits, and unique web sites. Medfusion is the preferred portal and website provider for the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). For more information, please visit www.medfusion.net.

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More Influenza Press Releases

Swine Flu – Alternative Medicine Solutions

Swine Flu – Alternative Medicine Solutions

Swine flu cases are set to grow exponentially over the next few months. The chief medical officers have been predicting and warning us all about a flu pandemic for a number of years now. This flu not only brings the same aches and pains but comes with a ‘cytokine storm’ that causes symptoms that may lead to pneumonia. This may be fatal so all asthmatics beware. This time the warnings are real.

In this article I will set out some natural medicines you should be taking to stop getting infected by swine flu and also some remedies to treat it if you do. All of these suggestions are based on modern scientific research. However, if you suspect you have swine flu you must go to your doctor to be on the safe side, especially if you are having breathing difficulties and having chest pain. Best thing overall is to try and make yourself less susceptible. In pandemics like this, large groups of people do not get infected as there are less susceptible.

There are more than 200 viruses that can cause the common cold and flu, and usually the signs of infection strike, 18 to 24 hours after the virus enter the body. So here are some very simple and effective ways of both boosting your immunity so we escape infection and self-treatment if you do catch the swine flu. These will help bring about a quicker recovery. All natural medicine interventions must focus on not only boosting the immune system but rather a balance between stimulating the immunity and reducing the production of cytokines causing a storm and its harmful life threatening effects.

What Is Swine Flu?

Swine flu is the flu that is causing the latest flu pandemic worldwide. The flu is a respiratory disease that affects pigs. However it is now affecting humans at massive levels. Flu normally affects vulnerable people like the very young and old however swine flu attacks the healthy person – the 18 to 50s section of the world. One disturbing feature of this virus is that it causes a ‘cytokine storm’ in the body. A cytokine is a biochemical that normally responds to infections and directs the immune system. However in swine flu they are over produced causing harm to the body organs and causing fluid to build in the lungs. As well as all the regular flu symptoms such as headaches, aches, pneumonia can also develop as a result of swine flu.

The Cytokene Storm – Damage Control

The cytokine storm that is created by the body in response to the swine flu is caused by the swine flu being unaffected by the body’s immune response. This causes an over production of cytokines ( TFN-a and IL-6) by the body. This is what killed many people during the Spanish flu in 1918 in the USA. Foods such as; honey, chocolate, spirulena algae and particularly elderberry need to be avoided as they increase the production of cytokines in the body. Try and drink lots of apple, lemon and cranberry juice who have all shown an ability to decrease cytokine production in the body. . Cut out all mucous forming especially diary foods as the respiratory system is the virus breeding ground.

So it’s not just the virus you have to watch out for it’s actually the cytokine storm. The more people that become aware of this the better for both its treatment and outcomes.

Natural Medicine

Natural medicine has been practiced for centuries and moreover in the prevention of disease as well as the treatment of it. Over 80% of the world use herbal medicine as the first method of medical treatment. Natural medicine has been used very successfully when there has been a major health crisis taking place. Especially during the Spanish flu epidemic where you had a better survival rate if you went to a homeopathic hospital

Neurominidase Blockers

The swine flu virus needs neurominidase enzyme in order to replicate. An enzyme is a biological catalyst. The first thing you must do is to decrease you susceptibility to the virus. In order to do this a vitamin and mineral supplement is necessary as part of your diet. Drink the juices of apple, lemon and cranberry juice. Vitamin C and vitamin E has been shown to reduce flu virus loads and also a reduction in cytokines by blocking neurominidase. Green tea has also a very good effect in reduction of cytokine production.

Vitamin Supplements

You should also be taking a proper vitamin and mineral supplement to guard you against flu and also a whole load of other diseases. However this vitamin and minerals you should be taking must be in a food form and not isolated synthetic chemical like ascorbic acid that is sold internationally as vitamin C. The real nutrients that you are looking for can be found at StarGate Nutrition Vitamin website. All their nutrients are in a nature form that your body will understand. They provide the full spectrum of required vitamins and minerals. You should be focusing on lemon juice for vitamin C and also to alkalize your blood to make it more inhabitable for the swine flu virus. The mineral zinc needs to be also consumed and the best way is by eating oysters and sunflower seeds which are foods naturally high in these minerals.

Homeopathy

Popular for years in Asia with over 250,000 doctors qualified as homeopathy in India alone, homeopathy has recently become Europe’s fastest growing form of alternative medicine. Last year sales of homeopathic medicines in Europe topped £3billion. Debate about how it scientifically works are heated, but most Europeans are now going to a homeopath as their first course of treatment and 20 per cent of Scottish GPs currently practice the specialty. Many scientific studies have been carried out to proves its efficacy medically and especially in flu outbreaks such as this.

Critics of homeopathy say that the medicine is no more than the placebo effect psychological factors causing improvement unrelated to drug therapy. However, Dr David Reilly of The Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital led a team of scientists who compared placebo and homeopathy in four trials conducted over 15 years in patients with allergies such as hayfever and asthma. All four studies showed a greater effect from the homeopathic medicine than from the placebo. Overall there have been over 200 trials and over 70 per cent of these conclude that homeopathy is better than placebo. Private European insurers cover homeopathic treatments, and The World Health Organisation recommends them. A few years ago Spain took an initiative to incorporate homeopathy into its national health service.

A report to the American Institute of Homeopathy in 1921 documented the dramatic success of homeopathy in the worst flu pandemic in history. The death rate of 24,000 flu cases under conventional medical care in that study was 28.2 percent, while the death rate of 26,000 cases treated with homeopathy was a nearly miraculous 1.05 percent.

When a similar strain of bird flu, misleadingly termed Spanish Flu, spread around the world in 1918, there is no doubt that it had catastrophic consequences. 50 million people died.  Nevertheless, American hospital statistics from the time show that homeopathic treatment gave a far better chance of survival than conventional treatment did.  The statistics are reported in Randall Neustaedter’s excellent book “Flu:  Alternative Treatments and Prevention”.

For at least the past 150 years homeopathic practitioners have used the medicine Influenzinum as a flu preventive. Influenzinum is a homeopathic medicine made from flu viruses. A proprietary preparation is produced by homeopathic pharmacies each year using the flu virus strains recommended by the World Health Organization for the year’s vaccine production (Dolivaxil – containing Influenzinum 9C). The typical dosage is once per week for four weeks beginning in October or later, followed by another dose three weeks later.

You should have Gelsemium 30c in your house and take when someone sneezes in a bus or your office. This can stop the virus taking root in the body and acts as a preventative.

The first medicine used in France to treat flu is Oscillococcinum made by Boiron and sells 7 million euros annually. Boiron was bought recently by the Bayer group.

Oscillococcinum Alternative Medicine To Tamiflu

This remedy recently toped pharmacy sales list and sales in the US alone are in the region of £20 million. A course costs of Oscillococcinum costs £6, which is used regularly by 5 million French for the prevention of colds and flu’s every year. Lets face it five million French can’t be wrong?

Oscillococcinum was first studied in France during the 1987 flu epidemic caused by an H1N1 virus similar to the bird flu of today. This multi-centre study examined the effect of Oscillococcinum (200C) on the early symptoms of flu. Results were published in the peer-reviewed British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. More patients in the treatment group recovered completely in the first 48 hours than the control group (17 percent of patients with active treatment compared to 10 percent of controls). More patients in the treatment group also judged the treatment as favorable compared to the placebo, 61 percent vs 49 percent (Ferley, 1989).

In 1990 German scientists replicated the French study of Oscillococcinum. They used the same criteria as the previous study and enrolled 372 patients. After 48 hours of treatment with Oscillococcinum the treatment group had considerably milder symptoms than the control group, and the number of patients with no symptoms from day two onward was significantly greater in the treatment group (17.4 percent) compared to the control group (6.6 percent) (Papp, 1998).

Both of these studies show a significant curative effect of a homeopathic medicine in the treatment of flu in carefully conducted, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials. Conventional antiviral drugs reduce the duration of flu by about one day if taken within the first 48 hours of illness (Cooper, 2003). These studies shows that homeopathy carries the potential to make a dramatic difference in any flu epidemic without the risk of drug side effects.

However, is anyone planning to stockpile homeopathic medicines proven to effectively treat the flu for over one hundred years?

St Johns Worth & Goldenseal NOT Echinacea.

Many people might be reaching for the herbal remedy called Echinacea to treat their swine flu or prevent it by boosting the immune system. Stop. In swine flu treatment Echinacea will cause the production of cytokines which will further damage your body.

The best herbs to use during this flu are St Johns Worth which is a potent antiviral as well as a famous antidepressant. The herbs adaptogenic qualities may help the body adapt to the cytokine storm making it have less an impact.

Turmeric, the spice, has an ability to be more powerful the pharmaceutical cox-2 inhibitors. Turmeric works in swine flu by blocking the production of cytokines. One herb I have been personally using over the past few years is Goldenseal which reduces colds and flu’s symptoms quite dramatically. Very little is written about it. Garlic is essential to include in your diet and has an affinity for the lungs as a herb. This can assist in blocking the development of pneumonia and reduce any lung infection by taking at least one clove mashed a day. Parsley will reduce the odour if you need it.

Aromatherapy

Tea tree essential oil from Australia that is very popular world wide is really important in terms of it being the only essential oil that is anti – viral bacterial and fungal. Lavender is very useful in the production of white blood cells. Tea tree oil may reduce the viral load causing a reduction in cytokine load.

Probiotics

Natural bacteria in the gut are essential to maintaining proper health and digestive functioning. Antibiotics not only kill the organisms that cause colds and flu’s but also kill the good gut bacteria. In order to reintroduce the effects of the bacteria you reintroduce them by eating bioactive yoghurts made with strains of gut bacteria such as Lactobacillus. This may also help to reduce any thrush symptoms caused from antibiotics.

Related Swine Flu Articles