Women Physicians OB/GYN Blog

Many of you have been concerned with the delays in the availability of the H1N1 vaccine. Here are some hints you can utilize to minimize your risk of becoming infected in the meantime. These are recommendations by Dr. Vinay Goyal who is an MBBS,DRM,DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist) with clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital , Bombay Hospital , Saifee Hospital , Tata Memorial etc..

“The only portals of H1N1 entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat.. In a global epidemic of this nature, it’s almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. “Hands-off-the-face” approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don’t trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don’t underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.”

To view a video clip on how to do saline irrigation, you can go to the following site: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nasal-lavage/MM00552

El Camino Hospital is offering a great program which includes healthy discounts, as well as health information and education. The $25 lifetime fee will be waived if you sign up by October 31. For more information, go to http://www.elcaminohospital.org/Womens_Hospital/HealthPerks/

You may have heard the news lately that taking Yaz or Yasmin increases your risk of developing a blood clot or stroke. The reality is that taking any birth control pill (BCP) increases your risk. Blood clots are the most serious risk that is increased by taking BCPs, but fortunately they are very rare events.

The risk of having a blood clot or stroke is 1 in 10,000 in the general population. In a study published by the British Medical Journal this year, the risk increases to 3.6-7.3 in 10,000 with BCP use. Pills containing levonorgestrel such as Seasonale/Seasonique and Alesse have a risk of 3.6 per 10,000; those containing desogestrel such as Desogen, Mircette and Orthocept have a risk of 7.3 per 10,000; and drospirenone birth control pills such as Yaz or Yasmin have a risk of 6.3 per 10,000. The risk of getting a clot while taking BCPs is 3.6 to 7.3 times higher than if a person is taking no BCPs, but it is important to remember that the the risk of developing a clot during a normal pregnancy is even higher than when using BCPs. Women who have a normal pregnancy have a rate of blood clots of 8-10 per 10,000.

When looking at the risk, also take into account the benefits of being on BCPs. In addition to preventing pregnancy, BCP cause lighter periods, less cramping, less acne and hair growth, fewer ovarian cysts, decreased PMS, and lower risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer.

Not all pills are tolerated well by all patients. Although clotting risk needs to be considered when prescribing a pill, the overall response to the pill is important. If you have tried other pills and are happy with your current pill, stick with it. You can decrease your risk of getting a clot by not smoking and maintaining a healthy weight.

Some women fear that BCPs will cause other problems like cancer or infertility. Actually, BCPs help to prevent ovarian and endometrial cancers and they do not increase the risk of breast cancer. They do not cause infertility and can actually help preserve fertility by decreasing the risk of endometriosis and ovarian cysts.

If you have concerns about whether or not you are a good candidate for using the pill, make an appointment with your doctor who will review your family history, your health habits, your current symptoms, and your fertility goals and timing to help you decide if BCPs are right for you.

If you have suffered from endometriosis or preterm labor, you may be able to participate in medical research to determine which genes might be involved with these diseases. Such knowledge could lead to new diagnostic tests, treatments, and preventative therapies. This research is being carried out by Juneau Biosciences in Salt Lake City. To learn more about these studies and determine if you are a candidate, go to www.juneaubiosciences.com.

The Army of Women is seeking Recruits for Breast Cancer Research

The Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation and the Avon Foundation for Women have joined forces to launch the Love/Avon Army of Women. This revolutionary initiative has two key goals: 1) To recruit one million healthy women of every age and ethnicity, including breast cancer survivors and women at high-risk for the disease, to partner with breast cancer researchers and directly participate in the research that will eradicate breast cancer, 2) To challenge the scientific community to expand its current focus to include breast cancer prevention research conducted on healthy women. All women are invited to join this movement that will take us beyond a cure by creating new opportunities to study what causes breast cancer—and how to prevent it. You can join at http://www.armyofwomen.org As of 10/13/09, there were 315,284 participants.

From October 13 to November 23, you can enter a contest to sign up the greatest number of new recruits. The winner will get unique PINK Vespa. For more information on the contest, go to

http://www.armyofwomen.org/Pink_Vespa_Contest

The lastest issue of Pause, an on-line newsletter for women in perimenopause and menopause, has just been released. This issue highlights cancer prevention.
Go to http://pause.acog.org/president/ovarian-cancer?utm_source=Pause+E-Newsletter&utm_campaign=f11ac70b11-PauseOctober2009&utm_medium=email

To sign up for a free e-mail copy of the newsletter and to see other articles of interest for women in their 40’s and above, go to http://pause.acog.org.

With all of the buzz about the influenza vaccines this year, it’s a good time to review a few of the new indications for the Pneumovax vaccine. Since many of the flu-related deaths are actually related to a secondary pneumonia, all smokers and all people with asthma or other pulmonary diseases or a compromised immune system should be sure to get the Pneumovax vaccine. If you fit these categories, even if you are not 65, get your vaccine now. We have Pneumovax and all other currently available adult vaccines at our office at 650-988-7550.

After all, “Vaccines are among the most effective public health and medical strategies for protecting and preserving health,” wrote Gregory A. Poland, MD, MACP, Mayo Clinic and Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota, and William Schaffner, MD. Like any medical intervention, vaccines only work if people take them, and the United States has consistently failed to achieve immunization goals. On average, almost 50,000 adults die in the United States each year of vaccine-preventable diseases. In addition to the human toll, the total economic burden associated with annual influenza was estimated to be over $87 billion in 2003.

For more complete information on vaccines, go to

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/