A new intranasal vaccine for influenza, "FluMist", has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in late 2003. The vaccine is made from three live viruses (Moscow, Hong Kong, and Caledonia) that have been modified to stimulate your immune system and offer protection against the expected flu strains for this winter.

Attenuated live viruses have been used in the past in other vaccines such as the oral Saban polio vaccine and are generally safe in healthy persons. "FluMist" is approved for use in healthy persons aged 5 through 49 years. Children ages five through eight would receive two doses sixty days apart and all others would require only one dose.

Since it is sprayed into the both sides of the nose instead of injected, kids are of course much happier to have the immunization. Adults seem to tolerate the aerosol well and like the rapid way in which they can be immunized. Overall, the ease of administration should result in more persons getting immunized, and that should lead to less absenteeism from work and school and fewer deaths from influenza.

From a workplace standpoint, studies have shown that immunizing all workers at an average cost of $43 would result in a break-even status with regard to loss work productivity hours. Since between 5% and 15% of the adult U.S. population suffers from the flu and it's complications of pneumonia per year, prevention would overall help our society by decreasing the insurance and work related costs of having the flu.

The old injectable flu vaccine will still be used in all persons with asthma or other lung problems, heart disease, immune disorders, and those older than age 49. Side effects include mild fevers, head cold symptoms, and the usual aches and pains resulting in decreased activity. For more information, visit www.preventinfluenza.org.

Hope you have a very healthy year!
Dr. Frank

-----

FIVE SURGEONS
 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Five surgeons are discussing who makes the best patients to operate on.

The first surgeon says, "I like to see accountants on my operating table, because when you open them up, everything inside is numbered."

The second responds, "Yeah, but you should try electricians! Everything inside them is color-coded."

The third surgeon says, "No, I really think file clerks are the best; everything inside them is in alphabetical order."

The fourth surgeon chimes in: "You know, I like construction workers. Those guys always understand when you have a few parts left over at the end, and when the job takes longer than you said it would."

But the fifth surgeon shut them all up when he observed: "You're all wrong. Politicians are the easiest to operate on. There's no guts, no heart, and no spine, and the head and butt are interchangeable."

-----

A veterinarian was feeling ill and went to see his doctor. The doctor asked him all the usual questions, about symptoms, how long had they been occurring, etc., when the veterinarian interrupted him, saying, "Hey look, I'm a vet - I don't need to ask my patients these kind of questions. I can tell what's wrong just by looking. Why can't you?"

The doctor nodded, looked him up and down, wrote out a prescription, and handed it to him and said, "There you are. Of course, if *that* doesn't work, we'll have to have you put down."

-----

Exercise Excuses - Here are some excuses we have heard from patients explaining why they can't exercise.

*An earthquake drained my pool.
*My dog ate my running shoes.
*I can't exercise because of the grizzly bear. (Heard near a popular walking path in Anchorage, Alaska)
*"My wife would be angry with me if I lost weight.
*The TV at the gym is always on something I don't want to watch.

-----

An old fellow came into the hospital truly on death's door due to an infected gallbladder. The surgeon who removed the gallbladder was adamant that his patients be up and walking in the hall the day after surgery, to help prevent blood clots forming in the leg veins. The nurses walked the patient in the hall as ordered, and after the third day the nurse told how he complained bitterly each time they did. The surgeon told them to keep walking him.

After a week, the patient was ready to go. His family came to pick him up and thanked the surgeon profusely for what he had done for their father. The surgeon was pleased and appreciated the thanks, but told them that it was really a simple operation and we had been lucky to get him in time. "But doctor, you don't understand," they said, "Dad hasn't walked in over a year!"

Are you unhappy with the way you look? Would you like to loose weight? Are you interested in toning-up or increasing your muscularity? Would you like to improve your health and quality of life? Are you thin and like to gain weight? If you have answered "yes" to any of these questions, We are confident our diet and exercise program will quickly get you to your goals. Your diet and exercise program is tailored to your individual needs and situation. We are here to help you every step of the way. Please visit our web site at www.bestbodyever.com . There are some great "before and after" pictures on the site that will motivate you to make the decision to improve your health and build your best body ever.

Because microwave ovens cook so fast, microbes can survive on the surface of the food. To counteract this problem, cover the cooking dish with another dish of glass or ceramic, not plastic. The steam that accumulates will heat the surface, thus killing any surviving microscopic critters.

The Good, The Bad, and The Oily

This is about simple, easy to follow steps to improving your health. Take each small step I give you and turn it into a habit, just like combing your hair or brushing your teeth.

Are you confused when you go to the store to purchase an oil for cooking? I can certainly understand the confusion. Let's see, there's vegetable oil, corn oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, cornola (whatever that is) and for you southerners, there's always lard. This last one I just named is not a misprint. Lard is a white, thick, cooking substance that's been around for a long time. I can remember my Grandmother used this toothpaste, looking glob of white to fry chicken.

So how do you begin to select an oil. First DO NOT ever use vegetable oil. Remember last week's health tip was about butter versus margarine (which is pure vegetable oil). If you missed that article be sure to write Bob and ask for the issue.

Second, DO NOT use the lard I just mentioned above. If it becomes solid and stays solid at room temperature, then imagine what it does in your arteries. Clog-city!!

Your best choice is always olive oil because it tastes good and it's beneficial for your health. Extra-virgin olive oil is great on salads or pasta, but it's also great for cooking. The extra-virgin is usually a little more expensive, but that's because it's the first gentle pressing of the olive and it is less tampered with than other kinds.

So now is the time to go to the pantry and throw out all those saturated fats and even those polyunsaturated ones like corn oil, safflower oil, and soybean oil. Purchase a good quality olive oil. Your arteries and your heart will be glad you did!

These health tips can only be found in Dr.Osgoodby's Body Transformations Newsletter. Join me next month and I'll talk about Sugar Substitutes. .

Live in Passion and Good Health,
James Groves

Does fiber intake reduce the risk of heart disease?

Fiber is a natural prescription for good health. Benefits include reduced risk of colon cancer, lower cholesterol, reduced risk of heart disease, and helps stabilize blood sugar.

A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that it is particularly beneficial for people over the age of 65 in protecting against cardiovascular disease (CVD). According to researchers, 811 participants out of 3500 total participants over the age of 65, experienced some CVD during the eight-year test period. The results showed that the participants with the highest fiber intake had a 21% lower risk of experiencing heart-related problems.

I suggest that fiber is vital for a nutritionally-healthy diet at any age, however it is particularly beneficial for individuals over the age of 65 to increase their dietary fiber and help protect against CVD.

Visit http://keith.freelife.com

-----

You will find this "StressTip Message" helpful to stay focused and on purpose. You can put this message to work by reading it often throughout the day.

By creating your own experiences you are accountable for your results. Stop saying, "What are they doing to me?" and start saying "What am I doing to myself?"

~ Need help with this? Contact The Baum Group at: TheBaumGroup@YourStressMatters.com

If you need to lose weight, you must be in caloric deficit. This can be accomplished by cutting down your caloric intake, or increasing the amount of calories you burn by exercising. I recommend both. Even though a calorie is a calorie when it comes to weight loss, a calorie is not a calorie when it comes to your health. Make sure your daily diet includes several servings of fruit and vegetables and whenever possible, avoid foods that contain trans fat.

If you have a friend who would like to subscribe, you can subscribe them at:
http://adv-marketing.com/business/subscribe2.htm

 Removal Instructions - if you don't wish to receive this notification in the future.

We only send mail to people who have registered on our website. If you don't wish to receive the "Body Transformations" in the future, use the address below and send us an email.

mailto:bosgoodby@comcast.net?subject=Best-Body - please ensure that Best-Body is in the SUBJECT line of the email you send. Don't put anything else - including words, spaces or dashes in the subject line.

IMPORTANT: To Guarantee Removal, "Copy and Paste"

Best Body AND !*EMAIL*!

and include that in the BODY of the e-mail.

You will be immediately removed. We cannot however, remove you if we do not receive the proper e-mail address and the name of the publication you are receiving.

Yours in Health
Bob Osgoodby