COVID-19 symptoms: Seven signs you should get a test
The madness of King George is well known — but it wasn’t until 2005 that researchers discovered his symptoms of a rare inherited metabolic disorder were aggravated by arsenic in medication he was taking.
Knowing what symptoms are associated with a disease is essential so you can know if you should see a doctor — and for a doc, it’s essential for making an accurate diagnosis. That’s just as true for COVID-19 as for a rare disease.
Most folks think fever, loss of taste and coughing or breathing issues are the warning signs that should send them for a COVID-19 test. But a new study out of England found that 31 percent of people with COVID-19 don’t have those three symptoms early on when they’re most infectious.
The researchers want everyone to know that fatigue, sore throat, headache and diarrhea are also symptoms. Writing in the Journal of Infection, they say if folks were tested for COVID-19 when they had any of those seven symptoms, well, those tests would catch 96 percent of symptomatic cases!
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Federal Emergency Management Agency’s advice is similar. They say people with a cough or shortness of breath or difficulty breathing should be tested. Ditto if a person has at least two of the following symptoms: fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle or body aches, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea.
The bottom line: If you have these symptoms, get tested pronto. Google “Community-Based Testing Sites for COVID-19” to find a nearby testing location.
Allergy news: Handling early sneezes and wheezes
Sneezing can be funny. Comedian Henny Youngman thought so: “When God sneezed, I didn’t know what to say.” But whatever you think about your sneezing and wheezing, as allergy season blooms, one thing’s for sure — it’s arriving sooner and lingering longer with more intensity than ever before.
A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that the North American pollen season is up to 20 days longer than it was three decades ago. To make matters worse, the concentration of pollen in the air has increased 21 percent. Texas and the Midwest are the hardest hit.
Why is this happening? The study cites lab experiments indicating elevated temperatures and carbon dioxide concentrations from climate change have increased pollen production. It’s also because of related changes in weather patterns, say researchers from Germany. Wind is now transporting pollen from far-flung places, making allergy season arrive earlier and delivering new pollen types to tickle your nose.
This pollen-palooza has far-reaching effects: It ups the number of emergency room visits for asthma sufferers and increases susceptibility to viral infections because of respiratory inflammation and a weakened immune response. The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology 2021 guidelines for managing allergies advise:
■ Use only second-generation antihistamines such as cetirizine (Zyrtec), levocetirizine (Xyzal), fexofenadine (Allegra), loratadine (Claritin) or desloratadine (Clarinex). Think twice, they say, before using Benadryl or Chlor-Trimeton.
■ Use intranasal corticosteroids (fluticasone, mometasone, budesonide, triamcinolone) for persistent allergy symptoms, including eye allergies.
■ Find an allergist in your area by going to acaai.org/locate-an-allergist.
You can’t whitewash white bread’s dangers
Around 150 B.C., wealthy Romans decided they wanted white bread, made in mechanical dough mixers powered by donkeys, to distinguish themselves from the lower classes who ate bread made from unrefined whole grains. That obsession with pale loaves of bread has persisted to this day.
Each American eats about 53 pounds of bread a year — and although much of it now comes in packages with “whole grain” on the label, very little is 100 percent whole grain. And the hundreds of millions of bagels, tortillas and croissants that Americans eat are nothing but refined white flour — stripped of nutrients and fiber, and turned into a glucose-boosting, heart-clogging unhealthy choice.
A new study published in The BMJ shows that eating seven servings a day of refined grain, like those in croissants and white bread, is associated with a 27 percent greater risk for early death, 33 percent greater risk for heart disease and 47 percent greater risk for stroke. No wonder heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the U.S.
It’s easy to eat more than seven servings! That equals a big bagel (around five to six servings in a 5 — to 6-ounce bagel) at breakfast and two hearty slices of white bread on a sandwich at lunch. So opt for 100 percent whole grains. You can cook ’em up using the wonderful recipes in Dr. Mike’s “What to Eat When Cookbook” and at DoctorOz.com, check out the Whole Grain Pasta and Pumpkin Bake.
A heart-healthy pregnancy isn’t just for you
When Serena Williams was pregnant in 2017, she won the Australian Open, and you can bet her heart was filled with joy — and healthy. That promises good things for her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. According to a new study in JAMA Network, mom’s heart health while pregnant has a lot to do with her child’s heart health during ages 10 to 14.
The researchers looked at 2,300 future moms’ body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose and smoking status during their 28th week of pregnancy. Then, 10 to 14 years later, the scientists evaluated the kids’ cardiovascular health using body mass index, blood pressure and cholesterol and glucose levels. They found kids born to moms with the worst heart health are eight times more likely to suffer heart problems when they’re alarmingly young, compared with kids born to mothers with ideal cardiovascular health.
Unfortunately, previous studies indicate that 90 percent of pregnant moms have less-than-great heart health! So if you’re obese, have pre — or full-blown diabetes, high blood pressure, chest pain or atherosclerosis, or had preeclampsia or eclampsia during a prior pregnancy, talk to your doc before you become pregnant about making nutritional upgrades, increasing physical activity and exercise, and getting medical intervention if needed (statins, diabetes meds, weight-loss surgery, etc.).
If you are currently pregnant and have heart-health issues, talk with your doctor about an exercise regimen (it’s safe!), stress management and a food optimization program. For guidelines, go to AmericanPregnancy.org. And check out “A Female Cardiologist’s Advice for Your Heart Health” at DoctorOz.com.
The power of five — servings a day
“Five Easy Pieces,” Jack Nicholson’s 1970 film, gave us one way (not recommended) to order breakfast if you want tomatoes and whole-wheat toast with your omelet but that’s not allowed. Fortunately, it isn’t actually that hard to get your daily dose of healthy fruits and vegetables — especially now that we know the basic formula to shoot for: five servings a day — two of fruit and three of vegetables.
Harvard researchers’ recent analysis published in the journal Circulation looked at results from almost 30 studies and found that if you eat five servings of fruits and veggies a day, you’ll live the longest; two servings of fruit and three of vegetables were optimal. Eating more than that, they say, didn’t extend longevity, but Dr. Mike has data showing that nine servings daily, replacing all simple carbs, provides maximum benefits.
Either way, eating less than five servings is risky. Folks in the Harvard study who ate just two servings a day of fruits and vegetables were 12 percent more likely to die from cardiovascular disease, 10 percent more likely to die from cancer and 35 percent more likely to die from respiratory diseases.
Not all fruits and vegetables convey benefits, however: Starchy vegetables, such as potatoes and corn, and fruit juices didn’t lower the risk of chronic disease or death. But green, leafy vegetables, such as spinach and kale, citrus fruits and berries, and carrots provided the health-promoting benefits. So, upgrade your nutrition — and protect your health. All it takes is five easy pieces a day!
Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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