A lot of people welcome the warm weather of spring, while others dread the pollen that also arrives. From one morning to the next, people wake up sneezing, develop runny noses, and have itchy eyes. To avoid these miserable allergy symptoms, many people reach for the allergy medication bottle. There is nothing wrong with allergy medication, but some people may prefer to experiment with natural remedies that don’t cause the same unwanted side effects that accompany certain medications. 

If the immune system reacts to something, which may not bother other people, that indicates an allergic reaction. The most common culprits of allergic reactions include:

• Pollen
• Dust mites
• Insect stings
• Food
• Medications
• Pet dander
• Mold spores

Although everyone many not experience the same allergy symptoms, the most common ones are:

• Sneezing
• Itching
• Rashes
• Swelling
• Asthma
• Runny nose
• Dry eyes

Natural Remedies For Allergies

The best natural remedy for allergies, well, is to avoid allergens at all costs, but this isn’t always possible. Allergens, especially pollen, are difficult to avoid during the spring. If your symptoms to certain allergens are relatively mild, you may be able to fight them off with natural remedies. Experiment with the following remedies to see if they help your spring allergies. 

Clear The Air

Dust, dander, and pollen particles can trigger allergy symptoms, and filtering indoor air may help eliminate them from your home. Your best bet is to look for a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter because it can remove 99.97% of problematic airborne particles. Putting a HEPA filter in your bedroom can make a huge difference, especially if you have allergy attacks at night or early morning. Air conditioning may also help because it removes moisture from indoor air, which eliminates mildew growth. 

Saline Nasal Rinse

According to a 2012 review of studies, saline nasal irrigation benefitted both children and adults with allergic rhinitis, or hay fever. Flushing the sinuses out with a neti pot or squeeze bottle can help wash away pollen, or other allergens, that may cause allergy symptoms. Studies show that a good saline nasal rinse can provide relief from both allergy symptoms and symptoms of the common cold. 

Vitamins And Supplements

A healthy diet helps encourage optimal immune response, but some people require supplementation to meet daily nutritional requirements. That is where dietary supplements, such as vitamins, minerals, and herbs, come into play. These supplements may help limit inflammation that accompanies allergic reactions. According to health experts, the following supplements may encourage better immune function:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Quercetin
• Stinging nettle (a natural antihistamine)
• Omega-3 fatty acids

Acupuncture

Are you surprised to see acupuncture on this list? Don’t be! Historically, the practice of ancient needling boosted immune function and combatted hay fever. Additionally, a fair amount of research indicates the efficacy of acupuncture for treating symptoms of allergies and sinus disorders. In fact, a 2015 review of studies concluded that acupuncture demonstrated positive results for people with seasonal allergies. 

Use Essential Oils

If you have sinus issues, adding essential oils to a diffuser may help you breathe better, or at least limit the intensity of allergy symptoms. Many people benefit from using eucalyptus oil because it has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. Others find frankincense essential oil to provide protection against some allergy symptoms. One study found that frankincense essential oil helped fight against perennial allergic rhinitis. A 1998 study found that inhaling the aroma of peppermint essential oil had enough anti-inflammatory effects to reduce symptoms of allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma.

SHARE:

The post Fight Spring Allergies With These Natural Remedies appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

Food poisoning symptoms include fever, chills, and bloody diarrhea. It’ll usually begin with cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting. Symptoms usually begin within 1 to 2 days of eating contaminated food.

SHARE:

The post Is It Really Food Poisoning? appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

Ear pain, medically known as otalgia, results from myriad reasons. It can develop because of a problem that directly affects the ear, or it happens in conjunction with another issue. This is what medical experts call “referred pain.” Ear pain can be minor or severe, and occasionally a sign of infection or underlying health issue. 

Health experts recommend that you never ignore ear pain. Figuring out the cause can help you address it with the appropriate treatment. The sooner you treat your ear pain, the sooner that dull or sharp burning sensation in one or both ears can go away. Read on to learn about seven common causes of ear pain.

Sinus Infection

A sinus infection occurs when the sinuses, which are air-filled pockets located behind the forehead and eyebrows, become inflamed. Bacteria can cause sinuses to become inflamed, but so can viruses and fungi. Fluid accumulation in the sinuses is the most common symptom of a sinus infection. This inflammation can block or inflame the Eustachian tube, which can lead to ear pain. Sinus infection may also cause headache, facial pain, runny nose, and congestion.

Ear Infection

Ear infections are most common among children, but anyone at any age can experience them. In children, the Eustachian tube clogs easily, but it should drain fluid made in the middle ear. If blockages occur, fluid builds up and a bacterial or viral infection in the middle ear can develop. Besides general ear pain, ear infection can cause congestion, ear drainage, fever, and other symptoms. Although mild ear infections tend to clear up on their own with home remedies, certain infections require antibiotic treatment. 

Wax Buildup

Believe it or not, the body produces earwax to help keep the ears clean and protected from debris. Too much earwax can lead to buildup that partially or fully blocks the ear canal, which can cause ear pain. In most cases, you can resolve wax buildup at home or with expert-backed methods to flush out excess wax. If you have too much wax or you have difficulty removing it on your own, consult your healthcare provider for more help.

The Common Cold

The common cold can affect the way the Eustachian tube functions. This tube links the back of the nose to the middle ear and it protects, ventilates, and drains the middle ear. If something prevents this tube from doing its job, that is classified as Eustachian tube dysfunction. This typically happens when the tube’s lining becomes inflamed, which can result from the common cold. Besides ear pain that results from a cold, Eustachian tube dysfunction can make your ear feel full, causing you to not hear as well or hear popping sounds.

Allergies

Exposure to dust, pollen, mold, or other allergens can irritate the sinuses, which causes sneezing, runny nose, or itchy eyes. In some cases, fluid may build up in the sinuses and cause inflammation of the Eustachian tube. As you know by now, swelling of the Eustachian tube can lead to ear pressure and general ear pain.

Swimmer’s Ear

Despite the name, this condition doesn’t always result from swimming or water activities. It refers to an infection, irritation, or inflammation of the outer ear and ear canal. More often than not, it’s caused by bacteria from unclean water that gets into the ear. Swimmer’s ear can cause discharge to leak from the ear, but it also can cause ear pain, itchiness, and swelling. Because the infection can spread to other parts of the ear and worsen, contact a healthcare provider to examine this issue as soon as possible. 

Air Pressure Changes

If you drive in mountainous areas, dive underwater, or fly in a plane, you know that your ears pop. Pressure inside the ear is different from the pressure outside, so the ear has to adjust, but it doesn’t always pop the way you’d hope. This is why many people recommend yawning, chewing gum, or swallowing to stabilize the pressure and resolve the pain. If these things do not resolve the issue for several hours, you may need to see a healthcare provider, especially if you develop a fever, ear drainage, or severe ear pain. Untreated cases of ear barotrauma can damage the eardrum and cause hearing loss.

SHARE:

The post 7 Reasons Why Your Ear Hurts appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

When you come down with a cold, your first thought is that you wish it could go away immediately. A virus drains your body and it seems like you blow your nose for hours, yet you still see mucus in the tissues. Perhaps you rely on a few strategies when you feel sick, and it usually stems from advice that your parents, grandparents, or other wise people gave you as a child. 

The unfortunate reality is that a lot of the old common cold advice you hold near and dear to your heart is usually more myth than fact. There is no sense in faulting the people who gave you this old folk wisdom, but you can learn to separate fact from fiction in this article. Read on to learn about some of the most common myths about catching or recovering from the common cold. We’ll also provide the real facts from health experts. 

Myth: Feed A Cold And Starve A Fever

The fact of the matter is that you need to rest and hydrate when you fall ill. If you don’t have an appetite or you have a fever, continue to replenish the body with fluids, including water, herbal teas, and electrolyte-rich beverages. Soups are easily digestible and can also aid your hydration efforts. They also provide essential nutrients, and that warmth can aid your recovery efforts. 

Myth: More Dairy Means More Mucus

According to health experts, dairy can make mucus thicker and it may upset your stomach, especially if you’re running a fever. Dairy doesn’t necessarily increase mucus, though. If you are lactose intolerant or have a sensitivity to dairy products, it may not be a conducive food to your recovery. Enjoying frozen yogurt or a frozen dairy product while sick may help some and harm others. This varies from person to person.

Myth: Antibiotics Treat A Cold

Researchers note that antibiotics treat infections caused by bacteria, and colds result from viruses, according to physicians. Antibiotics work by killing or slowing the growth of all bacteria, both good and bad. They can treat bacterial infections, such as strep throat, ear infections, or bronchitis. They cannot, however, cure viral infections. In fact, they can actually cause dangerous antibiotic resistance if you use them too often or incorrectly.

Myth: Your Cold Isn’t Contagious Unless You Have A Fever

You don’t have to have a fever to pass your cold to other people. That means that you have very few symptoms and be very contagious. People became hyper aware of that during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many people contracted that virus and were asymptomatic. A cold can be dangerous a day before the onset of symptoms. Colds are usually the most contagious in the first four days after symptoms start. Although viruses can remain in the body for weeks after symptoms end, the chance of spreading infection lessens as time passes.

Myth: You Can’t Do Much To Prevent Colds

Do you gargle salt water, use a Neti Pot, or drink lots of fluids when you have a cold? Although these efforts may not prevent you from getting sick, they may help reduce the severity and longevity of symptoms. If you want to prevent colds, you have to take extra precautions against everything. Experts suggest that you wash hands with soap frequently, stay hydrated, get sufficient sleep, avoid other sick people, eat a balanced diet, and regularly disinfect high-touch surfaces. Taking these extra precautions can help keep you healthy during cold and flu season.

Myth: You’ll Catch A Cold If You Go Outside With Wet Hair

This old gem still gets passed around like a bad game of telephone. Going outside with wet hair will make you feel cold, but it won’t cause sickness or a cold. Health experts explain that viruses and bacteria cause illnesses, usually when you are in close contact with another sick person. If you live in a colder climate, take extra care to wear warm clothing to protect against the weather. There’s no need to get frostbite, people!

SHARE:

The post 6 Myths To Stop Believing About The Common Cold appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

Some people experience pulsing sensations around their temples. Others are more familiar with a sharp or splitting pain in their forehead. There is the unfortunate stabbing sensation that hits you behind your eyes. All of these locations and pains mean different things, but have you ever wondered why they occur at those locations? 

Whether you wake up in pain or it happens over the course of your day, a headache is never enjoyable. You want it gone as quickly as possible, even if that means icing your neck, massaging your temples, or meditating with an essential oil diffuser. The location of the headache pain can give you some insight to the cause and the best way to treat it. Below, we detail five headache locations and the best way to help remedy them. 

A quick note: While most headaches are not dangerous, some may require medical attention, as they can be a sign of a more serious health issue. If you experience headache pain along with fever, confusion, fainting, loss of consciousness, weakness, imbalances, loss of vision, or speech impairments, seek medical care. 

Back Of Your Head And Neck

A headache that hangs around the back of your head may indicate a cervicogenic headache. A secondary headache for short, the pain of a cervicogenic headache doesn’t originate in the head; rather, it radiates up from the neck. These headaches tend to stem from neck problems or injuries, according to health experts. The pain usually starts from the base of your skull and radiates up one side of your head. The reason for this is because of the functional connectivity of pain sensitive structures in the head and neck regions. 

In order to fix this headache pain, health experts recommend physical therapy, especially if a past injury is the cause. Rehabbing your neck muscles, where the pain is rooted, can help reduce the risk of future cervicogenic headaches. Additionally, massaging the neck can help relieve muscle tension and may be beneficial for people with occipital neuralgia. 

Front Of Your Head And Face

Throbbing head and facial pain, such as pressure around the eyes, cheeks, and forehead, often indicates a sinus headache. You can also experience nasal congestion and fatigue along with this type of headache. If you bend forward, the pain tends to increase. Because migraines manifest similar symptoms, it can be difficult to differentiate the two headaches. Roughly 90% of people who complain about sinus headaches are later diagnosed with migraines. Nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light are not linked to sinus headaches, but they are common with migraines. 

Sinus headaches usually occur in conjunction with the common cold, upper respiratory tract infections, or seasonal allergies. For this reason, treating those underlying symptoms can help resolve this type of headache pain. 

Around Your Whole Head

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of a tight band squeezing your entire head. This is the typical description of a tension headache, which is commonly triggered by poor sleep and stress. Tension headaches are characterized by pressure and tightness around the entire head, and they often go hand in hand with tension in the neck, shoulders, and jaw. 

The most common way to treat tension headaches is by taking over-the-counter painkillers like acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin. However, if you don’t want to immediately resort to these medications, you can try some tension-relieving exercises. Getting quality sleep and learning to manage stress can also help you avoid them moving forward. 

Side Of Your Head

Many headaches can cause pain to occur on one side of the head, but this type of pain is most commonly associated with migraines. Migraines can cripple you, producing severe throbbing or pulsing unilateral head pain that can last for hours, days even. When you experience a migraine, you may also develop sensitivity to light and sound. Vomiting and nausea tend to accompany the head pain as well. 

To fix this type of pain, you should consult your doctor, especially if you experience migraines on a regular basis. Your doctor may be able to detail a proper treatment plan, which may involve medication and avoiding certain triggers.

In Your Temples

Migraine and tension headaches can cause pain in your temples. That said, pain in the temples can often be attributed to a rare condition known as temporal arteritis. Health experts explain that temporal arteritis occurs when blood vessels near the temples constrict and become inflamed. This health issue is more common in people over the age of 50. In addition to the throbbing sensation in your temples, it’s possible to experience fever, fatigue, jaw pain, vision problems, muscle aches in the upper arms, loss of appetite, and tenderness at the scalp or temples. 

If you have temporal arteritis, you have to treat it immediately. Doctors often prescribe steroids to counter the pain as quickly as possible. If you don’t treat temporal arteritis, it can worsen and lead to blindness and other complications.

SHARE:

The post 5 Headache Locations And What They Mean appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a serious respiratory infection that can affect people of all ages. Recently, many children’s hospitals across the country experienced an increase of pediatric patients hospitalized with the RSV, in addition to influenza. In most cases, RSV may only cause symptoms like difficulty breathing, lethargy, and cough, but it is most serious when it occurs in babies. 

What Causes RSV?

RSV is spread from person to person via close contact with an infected person via secretions from coughing or sneezing, or touching objects like toys or door knobs that have the virus on them. According to health experts, it takes between two to eight days from the time of exposure for someone to become sick. In most cases, symptoms last for three to seven days, during which time the infected patients are most contagious. Because it can spread so easily, health experts encourage you to isolate and limit contact with other people. The peak season for the RSV is between fall and spring. 

Symptoms Of RSV

People who become infected with RSV usually show symptoms within two to eight days after exposure. The most common symptoms of RSV include:

• Runny nose
• Coughing
• Sneezing
• Decrease in appetite
• Fever
• Wheezing

These symptoms tend to appear in stages and not all at once. Very young infants who contract RSV may only experience decreased activity, irritability, and breathing difficulties. Surveys confirm that almost all children will have had an RSV infection by their second birthday. 

RSV Can Cause Serious Health Problems

In more serious cases, RSV can cause serious infections like bronchiolitis, which is inflammation of the small airways in the lung. RSV can also lead to pneumonia, a lung infection. Health experts say that RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children under the age of one. 

Healthy adults and children don’t usually require hospitalization. Some people with an RSV infection, especially infants under the age of six months and older adults, may require hospitalization if they have trouble breathing. In the most severe cases, a patient may require oxygen or IV fluids, if they have difficulty breathing or become dehydrated. Some patients with RSV have been in need of intubation with mechanical ventilation. In most of those cases, hospitalization only lasted a few days. 

Take Additional Steps To Prevent RSV Infection

The best way to protect yourself from RSV infection is to keep the body as healthy as possible. Eat a healthy diet, exercise, wash hands, and consider the following tips when trying to prevent the spread of the virus. 

• Avoid kissing your baby on the face if you have cold symptoms. Additionally, keep your baby away from older siblings, relatives, or anyone else with cold symptoms. 
• Wash toys and the baby’s environment regularly.
• Ask people to first wash their hands before holding or touching your baby. And you do the same if you want to hold a friend’s baby.
• Limit the time that high-risk children or babies remain in daycare or play settings, especially between late fall and early spring.
• Keep your baby away from high-risk settings, for example, crowded indoor spaces. 
• Avoid environments with smoke.

As a final note, it is common for babies to make a full recovery from RSV within one to two weeks. Most babies recover from RSV without receiving treatment in a hospital setting. More often than not, you can treat symptoms at home. You can use a cool mist humidifier to introduce moisture to the air to aid breathing, or use a bulb syringe to clear thick secretions from your baby’s nose. If you think your baby has dehydration or is in moderate to severe distress because of RSV infection, you should seek medical care.

SHARE:

The post Here’s What To Know About The Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

Some people don’t experience any symptoms, while others experience cold or flu-like symptoms due to COVID-19 infection. And then there are those who go through the whole nine, suffering from body aches, fever, cough, and loss of taste and smell. 

A new study was conducted in 2020 at NewYork Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical center in New York City. The scientists tested 266 people for antibodies to COVID-19 at least two weeks after their symptoms had mainly subsided. Tests revealed that the subjects no longer showed signs of active infection. None of the test subjects experienced severe cases, and they did not have signs of acute infection. During their tests for antibodies, the scientists observed that subjects had no lingering symptoms, save for potential loss of smell or taste. 

About two-thirds of participants reported that they either had an impaired sense of smell or taste. About 58% of participants said that infection altered both senses. Compared to people who never lost taste or smell, the people who did lose those senses were twice as likely to test positive for virus-fighting antibodies. 

Fever, Cough, Runny Nose Not Linked To Antibody Protection

In 2020, the most predominant COVID-19 symptoms were fever, cough, sneezing, runny nose, and difficulty breathing. Interestingly enough, those symptoms did not have an influence on the presence of antibodies in people who recovered from acute infection. That suggests, according to the study, that loss of taste and smell may predict that you have a longer-lasting ability to fight the virus. 

According to the researchers that conducted the study, one limitation is that they relied on patients to accurately recall and report loss of taste or smell during infection. Another drawback from the study is that test subjects only reported loss of taste because their sense of smell changed. Scientists confirm that loss of smell can alter taste, which can compromise a person’s ability to distinguish the flavors in food they eat. Finally, the study wasn’t a controlled experiment to prove whether or not loss of taste and smell directly reduced risk of reinfection.

Do Antibodies Help Prevent COVID-19 Reinfection?

The study had limitations, but the findings are similar to other research on the presence of antibodies after a bout of COVID-19. A 2021 study found that people with negative antibody tests were 10 times more likely to get a second COVID-19 infection after three months. A similar study observed individuals from three to six months after a mild COVID-19 infection. The results indicated that everyone with antibodies did not get reinfected. In fact, nearly every single participant in that study retained high levels of antibodies after six months. 

In conclusion, this information may be useful in patient counseling, but more research is necessary to fully understand antibody protection. Additionally, COVID-19 infection differs from person to person, meaning one person may have higher antibody levels than someone who experienced the same symptoms. According to the preliminary studies, though, loss of taste or smell from COVID-19 infection may lower your risk of reinfection.

SHARE:

The post Lost Taste And Smell From COVID-19? Your Reinfection Risk May Be Lower appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

For more than two years, the world has seen the evolution of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19. From people on ventilators to asymptomatic carriers, COVID-19 affects everyone differently. We’ve also seen breakthrough cases among vaccinated individuals and reinfection among the unvaccinated and vaccinated. It continues to be an evolving situation, as do the top symptoms. 

The UK-based Zoe Health Study (formerly the COVID Symptom Study) recently identified the most common COVID-19 symptoms among current infections. This study based the findings on the information from more than four million people who used a special app to report signs of infection. The recent analysis found that infections from omicron sub-variants result in symptoms that mimic those of the common cold or flu. Symptoms may vary depending on vaccination status, underlying health conditions, and overall health. 

Coronavirus symptoms from earlier variants now rank lower on the list of the most common symptoms. Loss of smell (or other sensory changes from COVID-19), shortness of breath, and fever are less common among newer infections. And although vaccinated individuals can still contract COVID-19, the study found that the symptoms were much more mild among them, or that they experienced very few symptoms. Additionally, vaccinated individuals got better more quickly. 

Top COVID-19 Symptoms Among Those Who’ve Received Two Vaccine Doses

• Sore throat
• Runny nose
• Blocked nose
• Persistent cough
• Headache

Researchers in the Zoe study found that vaccinated people who tested positive for COVID-19 reported sneezing. If you are vaccinated and start sneezing a lot without explanation, consider getting a COVID test as you may be infected. This will help reduce the risk of spreading the virus to those around you, some of whom may be in worse health than others. 

Top COVID-19 Symptoms Among Those Who’ve Had One Vaccine Dose

• Headache
• Runny nose
• Sore throat
• Sneezing
• Persistent cough

Zoe study editors observed that persistent cough was one of the original symptoms of COVID-19 infection. Among the most recent data, though, it ranks lower than sneezing and runny nose, two symptoms that were originally thought to be unrelated to COVID-19 infection.

Top COVID-19 Symptoms Among The Unvaccinated

• Headache
• Sore throat
• Runny nose
• Fever
• Persistent cough

According to the Zoe study, loss of smell is still in the top 10 symptoms for unvaccinated individuals who contract COVID-19. It ranks at number nine, but shortness of breath (an original symptom) now ranks at number 30. 

Why Have The Top Symptoms Changed?

The data from the Zoe study is consistent with what many clinicians have observed in COVID-19 patients over the past few months. Why the shift in symptoms is not entirely clear, though. Infectious disease specialists think that the change in top symptoms is multifactorial. The virus has evolved over time in order to maximize transmission and higher levels of immunity in the population (attributed to vaccination and prior infection). 

Cough, Cold, Or Flu? It May Be COVID-19

We covered that symptoms of recent omicron infections tend to mimic those of the common cold or flu. Because of that, people who experience those symptoms may not think that they have COVID, especially since they weren’t common symptoms earlier in the pandemic. If you do experience those symptoms, especially if they are respiratory symptoms, it is wise to test to confirm infection. COVID-19 is still a relevant illness, despite the fact that nearly all restrictions have been lifted. Take care of your health, get a new bivalent COVID-19 booster this fall if you want to, and be safe during the upcoming holiday season. 

SHARE:

The post The Top COVID-19 Symptoms Have Changed appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

Thinking of getting the new Omicron COVID-19 booster shot? Health experts say that you should expect similar side effects that resulted from previous COVID-19 shots. Some common side effects include headache, muscle pain, fatigue, skin redness, and pain at the injection site. The new booster may be more effective at preventing serious illness because it addresses the current circulating variants more precisely than previous shots. 

The good news is that possible side effects from the new vaccines won’t likely differ from those associated with previous boosters and vaccines. In August 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave emergency-use authorization to a pair of new booster shots. Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech developed the latest boosters, both of which aim to target the original COVID-19 strain and the newest Omicron (BA.4 and BA.5). 

Experts suggest that the immune system should be able to easily seek out the more specific spike protein in the new Omicron booster. This should help the immune system fight off serious infection from the current variants in circulation. Since the immune system should be able recognize the spike proteins in the booster, health workers hope that it may recognize new variants more easily.

New Side Effects Are Not Surprising

Clinical trials testing the BA.4 and BA.5-specific booster shots are ongoing. This is a fairly common process for vaccines that require a strain update, similar to the annual flu shot. Instead, experts rely on data from the first round of booster shots and from a similar bivalent COVID-19 vaccine, the one that targeted BA.1. The new Omicron variants only slightly differ from the original BA.1 subvariant. 

When experts looked at the side effects of boosters in current trials, there were no surprises. The current list of side effects is nearly identical to all of the side effects from the regular booster. Additionally, the side effects from the new booster are contingent with those of the initial vaccine. This is most likely because the vaccine ingredients are essentially the same. The only change is which proteins on the surface of the protein it encodes for. This is to help optimize immune response against current and future variants. 

Pfizer Booster Side Effects

Pain at the injection site seems to be the most common complaint from people who received Pfizer’s updated booster. About 60% of trial participants reported pain at the injection site, in addition to fatigue, headache, joint pain, muscle pain, fever, and nausea. Researchers observed all of those symptoms with Pfizer’s original COVID-19 booster shot as well. In the current trials for Pfizer’s bivalent booster, no adverse effects were reported. Experts will continue to keep an eye on the rare risk of myocarditis in both Pfizer and Moderna booster recipients. Myocarditis is a condition that involves inflammation of the heart muscle, and it has occurred mostly in teens and younger adults. 

Moderna Booster Side Effects

Similar to Pfizer booster recipients, those who received the Moderna bivalent Omicron booster reported pain at the injection site. In the trials, though, about 80% reported injection site pain, which is higher than the Pfizer trial participants. Fatigue, joint pain, muscle pain, nausea, chills, and fever were also common symptoms. The five most common side effects that people reported after a dose of Moderna’s original COVID-19 booster were injection site pain, headache, muscle pain, fatigue, and joint pain. 

Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends these two boosters if you choose to get them. Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) booster hasn’t been retooled to target Omicron. Additionally, health experts don’t advise the J&J vaccine because of the rare but serious complication involving a blood clotting disorder. Not everyone experiences side effects after a COVID-19 vaccine or booster, though. For the people who do, the side effects are typically mild and go away after a day or two. If the symptoms linger, call your doctor to inquire about how to alleviate them.

SHARE:

The post Expect These Side Effects From The New Omicron Booster appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

European and American health authorities identified several cases of monkeypox within the recent days. Since May 13th, at least 92 confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases of monkeypox have been recorded in 12 countries, including the United States. This is a surprising outbreak of a disease that rarely appears outside of Africa. Additionally, most of the cases appear to be in young men. 

Just what the world needs, the eruption of a rare virus, the monkeypox. Health officials around the world continue to monitor the spread of this virus, looking out for more cases. For the first time, monkeypox seems to be spreading among people who did not travel to Africa. Health officials do stress that the risk to the general population is low. 

What Is Monkeypox?

Monkeypox is a zoonotic virus that transmits disease from animals to humans. More often than not, cases occur near tropical rainforests, in which animals that carry the virus live. Monkeypox tends to originate in rodents and primates, occasionally jumping to people who tend to live in West Africa, where the disease is endemic. Scientists first identified the illness in 1958, when there were two outbreaks of a “pox-like” disease in research monkeys. The name, monkeypox, stems from that research. The first documented human infection was in 1970, in a nine-year-old boy from a remote area of Congo. 

What Are The Symptoms?

The symptoms of monkeypox in humans are similar to but milder than the symptoms of smallpox. Beginning with a fever, headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion, monkeypox causes lymph nodes to swell. Smallpox, on the other hand, does not cause lymph swelling. The incubation period (time from infection to symptoms) for monkeypox tends to be 7-14 days, but it can range from 5-21 days. 

After the initial appearance of the fever, the patient develops a rash, often beginning on the face and spreading to other areas of the body. Lesions can progress though the following stages before falling off: macules, papules, vesicles, pustules, and scabs. The illness lasts between two to four weeks. According to research, monkeypox has been the cause of death in as many as one in 10 persons who contract the disease in Africa. 

How Is The Disease Transmitted?

Transmission is limited among humans, but it can happen through close skin contact, bodily fluids, air droplets, and virus-contaminated objects. Of the recent cases in the U.K. and Canada, for example, most of them were among attendees of sexual health services at clinics in men who have sex with men. In regards to this trend, the regional emergencies director for the WHO’s Health Emergencies Program cautioned, “This is new information we need to investigate properly to better understand the dynamic of local transmission in the U.K. and some other countries.”

How Many Cases Are There Typically?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are thousands of monkeypox infections in about a dozen African countries every year. About 6,000 cases annually are reported from the Congo, with an additional 3,000 cases coming from Nigeria. Because of patchy health monitoring systems, experts suggest that many infected people are not accounted for. Occasionally, there are isolated cases of monkeypox outside Africa, including the U.K. and the U.S. More often than not, these isolated cases result from travel to Africa or contact with animals from areas where the disease is common.

What Is Different About The New Cases?

To date, this is the first time monkeypox appears to spread among people who did not travel to Africa. Again, most of the cases involve men who engaged in sexual intercourse with other men, but health experts do not deem this the sole cause of transmission. Britain’s Health Security Agency said that all of its cases are not connected. This suggests that there are multiple chains of transmission in existence. Infections in Portugal, however, were discovered at a sexual health clinic, where men sought help for lesions on their genitals. 

At the moment, it is possible that monkeypox spreads through sex, but this still remains unclear. In previous documentation, monkeypox has not reportedly spread through sex. It does, however, transmit through close contact with infected people, so transmission via sex is not out of the question. There are many unknowns in terms of dynamics of transmission and the epidemiology of the disease. Health experts need to fill in important gaps with therapeutics and diagnostics and reach conclusions that go beyond addressing the disease.

SHARE:

The post What You Need To Know About Monkeypox appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.