With all the talk these days about airlines hiking up rates and charging passengers extra for each bag they check, flying the friendly skies seems to be somewhat of an outdated and grossly inaccurate tag line. This is especially true when you consider that, because of rising fuel costs, many planes will now be flying at slower speeds. This, in turn, will cause two things to happen: 1) Flights may take longer than they did in the past, and 2) The risk for airliner-related health issues increase.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is of particular concern, for a growing body of evidence -- including a recent study from Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands -- suggests that long plane rides are a common cause of this potentially fatal health problem. A second issue related to spending more time on a plane is the increased risk of catching a cold, which, according to the Journal of Environmental Health, is 100 times more likely to occur in this enclosed environment.

Since Airborne proved to be no help whatsoever in staving off colds, your best bet for a long plane ride is to go into them as healthy as possible -- which can be achieved with most success with proper diet and regular exercise. As for DVT, many experts suggest taking occasional walks around the cabin and doing some basic stretches during flights.

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It has long been argued that echinacea can help reduce the effects and duration of the common cold. As of this writing, there doesn't seem to be any conclusive evidence one way or the other. But as that debate rages on, scientists from Northwestern State University are busy trying to determine if this flower's root is beneficial for athletic performance.

In a recent study, the NSU researchers had 24 male volunteers take 8,000mg of echinacea every day for a month. Subsequent blood tests revealed a significant increase in the volunteers' capacity for aerobic activity.

With all the talk these days about HGH and other performance-enhancing drugs, it stands to reason that, if further researcher into echinacea's purported endurance-increasing properties support these early findings, we may soon be hearing reports of this substance also being banned from athletic competitions.

Airborne, a popular herbal supplement, that was created by a teacher who was sick of getting sick all the time. But the company recently faced a class action lawsuit regarding false advertising because of advertisements that claimed Airborne could combat the common cold. The company has since dropped those claims but now says the product can boost your immune system so it can better fight off germs.

The defendants haven't admitted any wrongdoing, but they've agreed to pay a 23.3 million dollar settlement, issue refunds to consumers, and take out ads informing consumers how they can get their refund. A nutritionist for the non-profit organization Center for Science in the Public Interest stated that there was no evidence that Airborne can protect you from germs.

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It's strange how the holiday season coincides with flu season, isn't it? Well, I suppose unfair is a better word than strange. It's especially unfair for kids. Rather than being able to fully enjoy tearing into their presents and dancing around the living room in their pajamas, many kids sometimes find themselves bedridden and feeling awful. Damn you, flu!!

But wait a second ... what if it's not the flu at all? What if these children have something entirely different? Something worse, or even something less severe? Here are a list of 5 common illnesses that kids suffer from during this time of year:

1. The Common Cold. There are over two hundred viruses that can cause a cold, so it's quite common for kids to pick it up at school, day care, or wherever else they are in contact with many other kids. The obvious cold symptoms are runny nose, coughing, and lethargy.

2. Ear Infection. These generally occur with the greatest frequency in kids under the age of two. Because a child of this age does not have fully developed Eustachian tubes (which drain fluid from the middle ear to the throat), this area becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, thus causing infection. In addition to feeling pain in their ear and headache, a child can also become feverish.

3. Bronchiolitis. This illness typically affects infants and results in the inflammation of the lower airway. Though the initial symptoms of bronchiolitis are similar to that of a cold, they are typically followed (usually within one to two days) by an increased difficulty with breathing. Wheezing, mucus collection, and a low-grade fever are characteristic of the full onset of this disease.

4. Croup. A common upper-respiratory illness that usually leads to hoarseness of voice, labored breathing, and a barking cough. Over the counter or prescription drugs can be used to reduce inflammation and open up the child's airway.

5. The Flu. There were four other possibilities listed, but let's face it, it's called flu season for a reason. Although there are many other illnesses that can produce 'Flu-like symptoms,' if your child has any or all of the following symptoms, they may have the flu after all: high fever, muscle aches and pains, headache, dry cough, sore throat, weakness, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and runny nose.

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Nothing's more stressful during the holiday season than getting sick amid all the hoopla.

So, as you're cruising the aisles of the grocery store stocking up on canned pumpkin, flour, sugar and other "necessities", consider grabbing those infamous immunity buildings, zinc and echinacea. Stocking up on vitamin C might also be a good idea, although it is a more controversial remedy for the common cold and one must be careful about dosing with a supplement. As you're picking through the produce, throw in a few bulbs of garlic, which is believed to have antibiotic properties. If nothing else, it sure spruces up sauteed veggies and pasta sauces and can be added to olive oil for a divine bread dip.

Then, after your home perusing the net for holiday gift ideas, visit here and order some fabulous teas that reportedly aid digestion, reduce cholesterol and boost antioxidants . I also like this place, which has some nice herbal and decaf options. Even if you're skeptical of the health benefits, you can't argue that a nice hot cup of liquid does wonders for relaxation. And that can't be bad for warding off illness. As a matter of fact, might be a good gift idea too.

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Some mushrooms taste great on pizza. Some mushrooms can kill you. Some mushrooms can make you see purple dragons. And some mushrooms can boost your immune system. In the interest of keeping things healthy, I think I'll focus on the kind I mentioned last.

White button mushrooms, also known as the table mushroom and the cultivated mushroom, have been shown to strengthen the body's defense against the common cold and even cancer. A report in The Journal of Nutrition revealed that mushrooms enhanced the activity of immune system cells.

This immune system boost comes from the high levels of the super-antioxidant ergothianine, which exists in abundance in the white button mushroom variety.

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I think there's a little germophobe in all of us, I mean who isn't grossed out by the average public restroom? Germs, viruses, and bacteria are all around us, and although we can never eliminate them completely there are things we can do to drastically reduce their numbers and our exposure in key areas like on toothbrushes and doorknobs. You might be surprised at how many handy gadgets are out there to help, including things you've probably heard of before like toothbrush sanitizers to things you may not have -- like the handy PursePal that keeps your bag off the floor in restaurants and bars.

See this slideshow for all kinds of great germophobe-friendly ideas and products.

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Are you a daily Vitamin C taker? If so, you probably are not helping prevent yourself from getting the common cold, according to new research that Rigel pointed to earlier today. Will it make me stop taking Vitamin C daily? Not at all.

But in fact, supplements containing a high dose of Vitamin C were found to be useless against the cold virus, according to scientists. Common wisdom holds that Vitamin C is a good tonic for that nasty winter cold. Apparently, this isn't so.

The researchers did state that athletes like marathon runners, skiers and others that see exposure to cold (or stress) for short stints could continue to take Vitamin C supplements, although no explanation was given outside of normal cold sufferers. Are there still good reasons to get that faily does of Vitamin C, though? Yep.

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Well it seems the old standby Vitamin C isn't all it's cracked up to be when it comes to curing the sniffles and misery caused by the common cold. A 60 year study concluded recently in Australia (that's one long study) that found taking high doses of Vitamin C on a daily basis only slightly reduces the risk of getting a cold in the first place (8% for adults and 13.8% for kids) and doesn't shorten the length of colds at all once they've been caught. So is it worth it to take a big Vitamin C pill every single day just to average 11 days of illness a year instead of 12? That extra day of wellness is pretty special (I hate colds!) but I also hate taking pills -- decisions decisions!

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This is a Listerine ad from 1932, claiming colds could be prevented by gargling twice a day with their product. Go here for the full text, which includes gems like "Wise eating, moderate exercise, ample rest are half the battle in warding off colds. The other half is the systematic twice-a-day gargle with Listerine, the safe antiseptic."

Hysterical. If only this were true!

[via Boing Boing]

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As much as I hate winter with its freezing temperatures and icy weather, I know it serves a purpose. Here in the Midwest we're experiencing a much warmer than average winter season, and it seems to be happening in other parts of the U.S. as well. Besides being hard on farmland, warm weather this time of year has had other interesting effects -- like doctor's offices getting flooded with patients suffering from seasonal allergy symptoms, in January!

This winter's strange weather patterns have caused a flush of mold spores and other allergens, and many patients making appointments thinking they have a common cold are finding out they really just have allergies. Doctors warn that things may only get worse if the weather stays on the same track -- the official allergy season may start earlier than normal if wildflowers get a head start and trees bud early.

Ugh.

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All the old stops are being pulled out this year again, as the fall and winter season will be upon us soon -- and along with it, common colds and cold-weather illnesses that will spread through kindergarten classrooms and hotel rooms alike. Well, at least hotel room dwellers can take precautions against catching the common cold when staying in a hotel room that has a questionable past. Come to think of it, all hotel rooms have a questionable past.

Viruses stay around quite a bit longer in hotel rooms after occupants leave, just waiting for the next human victim to attack. J. Owen Hendley MD said that "To my surprise, in a hotel room occupied overnight by an adult with a cold, everything from television remote controls, telephones, light switches, and faucets were contaminated" with cold viruses. Basically, everything you might touch or have near your mouth in a hotel room (like those tasty remote controls) will act like crazy glue for the common cold virus these days.

What on earth to do? Well, if you want to spare yourself the agony of a cold, carry a portable can of disinfectant with you and spray/wipe down just about anything touchable in your hotel room when you travel. This sounds neurotic to some, but if the choice is catching a cold or not, err on the disinfectant side, ok?

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