How Effective is the Flu Shot?

Hi and welcome to this week’s look at headlines in natural health on iHealthTube.com…

Could keeping a clean home or working as a cleaner be dangerous to your health?  One recent study is indicating it just might be.

Researchers in Norway analyzed data from over 6 thousand participants… who’s average age was 34 when they enrolled… and followed them for more than 20 years.  They found that among both men and women, those who worked as cleaners or regularly used cleaning sprays and other products experienced greater decline in lung function over time than those who didn’t. 

The lung function decline was comparable to smoking just less than 20 pack-years.  The speculation is the decline is attributable to cleaning chemicals causing irritation on the membranes lining the airways.

Here’s a new way that might help keep blood pressure under control… eat more yogurt.  At least that’s the indication from a recent study out of Great Britain.  

The study included 55 thousand women and 18 thousand men.  The analysis showed higher intakes of yogurt were linked to a 30 percent reduced risk of heart attack in women and a 19 percent reduction in men.  Higher yogurt intake … combined with a heart healthy diet were linked to reductions in cardiovascular risk in those who already were diagnosed with hypertension.

In both groups… those who consumed more than 2 servings a week had about a 20 percent lower risk of major heart disease or stroke.

Finally… the latest numbers for this year’s flu vaccine is showing it’s just 36 percent effective against both the A and B virus strain.

Almost 70 percent of the flu cases this year have been the H3N2 strain… which is an influenza A virus.  This year’s vaccine is showing just a 25 percent effectiveness against that at what is considered the ‘midseason’.  Australia is at the end of the flu season… they are estimating about a 10 percent effectiveness for that nation’s vaccine.  

That’s a look at what’s making headlines in natural health this week… make sure to stay up to date on the latest by going to iHealthTube.com and signing up for our free email newsletter!