2018 Flu Activity is on the Rise Again

By BalanceDiet Contributors

Robert Korn, M.D., medical director at Northwell-GoHealth Urgent Care, commented that flu activity in 2018 is officially "widespread." The graph below shows how flu activity has spiked in recent weeks within the United States and will likely continue to rise throughout the remainder of the winter. With the peak of flu season upon us, it is of the utmost importance to consider how to protect yourself from this increasingly dangerous epidemic.

"Usually we aren’t able to get an accurate view of a particular season until it is over, however, so far this year the H3N2 strain is making people sicker than other strains of the virus," commented Dr Korn. So the question is, if this year is even worse than the past, WHAT exactly can you do to protect yourself?

Is it a cold or the flu? How to tell

First off, being able to identify flu symptoms is super important. Colds and the flu can be so similar sometimes that it can be hard to tell them apart. We’re here to show you exactly what symptoms to look out for to know if you have the flu or not.

The inside scoop on fighting the flu

Did you know that 70% of your immune system lives in the gut? Gut bacteria help your immune system’s T cells develop, and the gut regulates which particles pass through the intestinal lining into the rest of your body. With its roles in training your immune system and acting as a gatekeeper to the rest of your body, the gut is arguably the center of your health.

Moms always say “eat your vegetables,” but the importance of this is recently being recognized more and more to boost intestinal immunity. Cruciferous vegetables are considered to be a good source of antioxidants and may be able to activate a key receptor in our intestinal immune cells that helps fight pathogens and toxins.

Recognizing the need for a healthy gut is critical to remaining healthy this flu season, and your best bet is by embracing the veggies. Nutrition gurus recommend  Super Immunity Boost from BalanceDiet as a well-developed plant-based supplement to bolster your immune system and stave off colds and flu this season.  This product contains a patented bioactive extract from the broccoli, proven by science to decrease free radicals and increase immune system strength and support. 

Super Immunity Boost contains a proprietary blend of three trademarked, cruciferous plant-based ingredients using an exclusive process to deliver potent immunity-boosting power and disease prevention. The main ingredient is Broccoraphanin, also known as “Super Broccoli,” which contains a patented extract of glucoraphanin, a naturally occurring compound found almost exclusively in broccoli. Glucoraphanin is a powerful and long-lasting antioxidant. The amount varies tremendously from one broccoli plant to another with no way for consumers to be aware of how much is present in store-bought broccoli; thus, creating the need for a laboratory-tested, patented variety which is used in this product.

Flu shot frenzy

Have you gotten your flu shot? Despite the effectiveness being reportedly lower this season, experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) still say that, yes, you should definitely still get vaccinated. Recent studies show the vaccine reduces the risk of flu illness by about 40% to 60% when most circulating flu viruses are like the vaccine viruses.

With the severity of this season’s flu strains, the CDC is continually emphasizing that getting the flu shot is the best way to avoid the infection during flu season. This flu season appears to be dominated by influenza A (aka H3N2), a more serious form of the flu. “When we see a flu season dominated by H3N2, it tends to be more severe,” board-certified infectious disease specialist Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, told SELF Magazine. “We see more flu hospitalizations and deaths.” In The US last season, overall vaccine effectiveness against all circulating viruses was 39% and was only a bit lower at 32% against H3N2 viruses (CDC, 2018).

If you haven’t gotten a flu shot yet, there’s still time. “The flu vaccine helps,” Marc Leavey, M.D., an internist at Baltimore's Mercy Medical Center, told SELF Magazine. “With many months to go on the current flu season, if one has not yet received a flu vaccine, they absolutely should get one.” Moral of the story is, if you have not yet been vaccinated, go do it!

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References

Influenza (Flu). (2018, January 19). Retrieved January 26, 2018, from https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm

Influenza (Flu). (2017, December 07). Retrieved January 26, 2018, from https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/flu-season-2017-2018.htm

Is It a Cold or the Flu? How to Tell the Difference. (n.d.). Retrieved January 26, 2018, from https://symptoms.webmd.com/cold-flu-map/difference-cold-or-flu

Miller, K. (2017, May 25). Flu Season Is Going To Be Worse This Year Than Last, The CDC Warns. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from https://www.self.com/story/flu-season-2016-2017

People Are Already Dying From the Flu. Here's What You Need to Know About Flu Season 2017. (n.d.). Retrieved January 26, 2018, from http://www.health.com/cold-flu-sinus/flu-season-vaccine