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Sneezing and Coughing? Most adults have two to four colds per year and five to twenty percent of adults have the flu each year. Here is some information to help prevent or lessen the symptoms of the flu and colds.

The Difference Between The Flu And Colds

The flu and a cold are both respiratory illnesses. So, it is difficult to tell the difference. But they are caused by different viruses.

The flu affects your total respiratory system, including your throat, nose, bronchial tubes and lungs. A cold is an upper respiratory infection affecting your nose and throat. Flu symptoms are usually worse than those of a cold.

Symptoms of the flu include fever, aches and pains, chills and a cough. The symptoms are usually worse during the first three to four days. Recovery can take up to ten days, and you may still feel tired for several weeks.

What Can You Do To Prevent The Flu And Colds?

First you can boost you immunity. This may not stop the flu, but a healthy immune system can make the symptoms less severe. Although there is no scientific evidence that they work, many people use supplements such as Echinacea to prevent colds and the flu. But you can also keep your immunity system healthy by managing stress, getting enough sleep and eating a well-balanced diet. It may also help if you exercise regularly. And if you smoke, you may be more likely to get respiratory infections. So, you may want to stop smoking.

You can also get a flu shot. A flu shot may help high-risk individuals fight off the flu or get a less severe illness. High-risk individuals include people age two to 64 with a chronic medical condition, pregnant women, people age 65 and older, children age six to 23 months, and health care workers. You should discuss taking a flu shot with your physician. Service Benefit Plan coverage is available under Standard Option and Basic Option for one flu shot each flu season. See Section 5(a) of the 2007 Service Benefit Plan brochure for more information.

Washing your hands is also a great way to cut down on unwanted germs. You should use warm water and soap. Wash all of the skin surfaces, including the back of the hands, wrists and around your fingernails. Rub your soapy hands together for about 20 seconds. Washing your hands frequently helps prevent the transfer of germs.

You should try to avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs often spread when you touch something contaminated with germs then touch your face.

Making sure your kitchen countertops, doorknobs, refrigerator handle and telephones are clean is also a good idea.

Finally, if possible, avoid close contact with people with the flu or a cold.

Written by Paula Spurway, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Resources include the 2007 Service Benefit Plan brochure (RI 71-005), www.webmd.com (Questions about the flu) and Blue Health Connection (Cover Story October 2, 2006 and Influenza).

Did you know that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 5,000 Americans die every year from something they ate? The news concerning illnesses caused by spinach and by eating at some fast-food restaurants in the past year have made us think about food safety. By handling, preparing and storing food properly, you can help protect your family at home.

Food Poisoning

In this article, we will talk about three types of food poisoning:

Salmonella

Most of us know about salmonella bacteria. The most common form of exposure to salmonella bacteria is food poisoning. Every summer, we hear reminders about leaving milk, dairy products, foods with mayonnaise, and processed meats outside and exposing these foods to the heat. Salmonella bacteria is found in these foods and improper handling can make you sick. And they can also make your pets sick as well. Salmonella is also common in foods that contain raw eggs or undercooked chicken and turkey.

Food poisoning symptoms, such as diarrhea, fever, chills, nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps, usually occur within eight to 48 hours after eating contaminated food. In most cases, the symptoms will last about three to five days and you do not need medical treatment. If you have severe symptoms, the symptoms last longer than five days, if you are pregnant, if you have a chronic disease such as diabetes, or your child has symptoms, dehydration becomes a serious risk. In these cases, you should talk to your physician.

Salmonella bacteria is killed by cooking food thoroughly. You should wash your hands after handling raw meat and also clean the kitchen counters with disinfectant to prevent spreading salmonella.

Botulism

Botulism food poisoning, caused by another type of bacteria, requires immediate medical care. One form of botulism is a rare but serious food illness caused by eating foods that contain the botulism toxin. Around 100 cases of food botulism are reported in the US every year, usually the result of eating contaminated home-canned food.

Symptoms of botulism include double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth and muscle weakness. Infants may appear lethargic, have a poor appetite, are constipated, have a weak cry and poor muscle tone.

Symptoms generally appear 18-36 hours after eating contaminated food. The botulism toxin can cause muscle paralysis and respiratory failure. That is why it is important to seek medical care immediately if you suspect you are infected.

E. Coli Infection

E. Coli can also cause food poisoning. Most types of E. Coli bacteria live harmlessly in our digestive tracts. Disease causing E. Coli spreads to humans by contact with human or animal feces that is in contaminated food or in contaminated water.

Eating contaminated, undercooked ground beef is the way most people in the US become infected with E. Coli. E. Coli can also spread by raw meat contact with your hands, cooking utensils, cutting boards and other food preparation surfaces. Raw fruits and vegetables, such as lettuce, spinach, and alfalfa sprouts and unpasteurized juices, like apple cider, that have contact with animal feces also cause E. Coli infections.

E. coli can also be spread person-to-person through direct contact or shared food when an infected person does not properly wash his/her hands.

Symptoms can develop within eight days of exposure, however most of the time symptoms appear within three to four days. The diarrhea usually lasts about one week in adults and up to three weeks in children. It is important to prevent dehydration caused by the diarrhea. The infection will usually go away on its own. However, if you develop a severe blood problem like anemia or kidney problems, you need to see a physician immediately.

What Can You Do?

• Boil home-canned foods for ten minutes before eating. High temperatures destroy the botulism toxin so this will help to ensure safe food.

• To prevent botulism in infants, do not give honey to children until they are one year old.

• Bacteria can get into your cooked food if the cooked food touches a dirty utensil or countertop that was used to prepare the uncooked meat. It is important to wash your hands, utensils and countertops before and after you handle raw meat and when you prepare fresh fruits and vegetables.

• Do not use the food in dented or damaged cans.

• Make sure dairy products you eat and drink have been pasteurized.

• Wash your hands after you go to the bathroom or touch animals.

• Rinse fresh vegetables and fruits before you eat or cook them.

• Thaw frozen poultry in the refrigerator before you cook it. Do not let it stand at room temperature.

• Heat foods to the appropriate temperature. Pork should be heated to an internal temperature of at least 160° F and poultry should be heated to an internal temperature of 170° F. Never partially cook meat or poultry and then finish cooking it later.

• Refrigerate leftover meat, seafood, dairy products, eggs and poultry as soon as possible. Do not let these items sit out of the refrigerator for longer than two hours.

• Buy produce that is not bruised or damaged.

• If you buy pre-packaged produce, like bagged lettuce or spinach, a half of melon, pre-cut fruit and vegetables, make sure the items are in the refrigerated area of the produce section.

• Bag fresh fruits and vegetables separately from meat, poultry and seafood.

• Store perishable fresh fruits and vegetables in your refrigerator. This includes strawberries, lettuce, herbs, mushrooms and produce that is pre-cut or pre-peeled.

• You may want to disinfect cutting boards and countertops periodically. You can also run sponges and plastic or non-porous cutting boards through the dishwasher after use.

Written by Paula Spurway, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Resources include Blue Health Connection (Food Poisoning and Cover Story from October 30, 2006) and www.webmd.com (Food Poisoning and Safe Food Handling).

Introduction
Raising a child is probably the most gratifying job any of us will ever have -- and one of the toughest. In large part, that's because times have changed. We live in an increasingly complex world that challenges us everyday with a wide range of disturbing issues that are difficult for children to understand and for adults to explain.

We believe this booklet can help. It offers practical, concrete tips and techniques for talking easily and openly with young children ages 8 to 12 about some very tough issues: sex, HIV/AIDS, violence, drugs and alcohol.

Some parents and caregivers may question the appropriateness of talking about such sensitive topics with young children. Maybe you're one of them. But consider this: our kids are already hearing about these issues from TV, movies, magazines and school friends. If we don't talk with them early and often -- and answer their questions -- they'll get their facts from someone else. And we'll have missed an important opportunity to offer our children information that's not only accurate, but also in sync with our own personal values and moral principles.

Make sense? We think so. So let's get started.

1. Start Early

Kids are hearing about and forced to cope with tough issues at increasingly early ages, often before they are ready to understand all aspects of these complicated ideas. Additionally, medical research and public health data tells us that when young children want information, advice and guidance, they turn to their parents first. Once they reach the teenage years, they tend to depend more on friends, the media and other outsiders for their information. As a parent, you have a wonderful opportunity to talk with your child about these issues first, before anyone else can confuse your child with incorrect information or explanations that lack the sense of values you want to instill. We need to take advantage of this "window of opportunity" with young children and talk with them earlier and more often, particularly about tough issues like sex, HIV/AIDS, violence, alcohol and drugs.

2. Initiate Conversations With Your Child

While we want our children to feel comfortable enough to come to us with any questions and concerns -- and thus give us the opportunity to begin conversations -- this doesn't always occur. That's why it's perfectly okay -- at times even necessary -- to begin the discussions ourselves. TV and other media are great tools for this. Say, for instance, that you and your 12-year-old are watching TV together and the program's plot includes a teenage pregnancy. After the show is over, ask your child what she thought of the program. Did she agree with how the teenagers behaved? Just one or two questions could help start a valuable discussion that comes from everyday circumstances and events.

Also, when speaking with your child, be sure to use words she can understand. Trying to explain AIDS to a 6-year-old with words like "transmission" and "transfusion" may not be as helpful as using simpler language. The best technique: use simple, short words and straightforward explanations.

If you have more than one child -- and your kids are widely spaced -- try to speak with them separately, even about the same subject. The reason? Children of varied ages are usually at different developmental levels, which means that they need different information, have different sensitivities and require a different vocabulary. What's more, older children will often dominate the discussion, which may prevent the younger ones from speaking up.

3. ...Even about Sex and Relationships

If you feel uncomfortable talking about such sensitive subjects -- particularly sex and relationships -- with your young child, you're not alone. Many parents feel awkward and uneasy, especially if they are anxious about the subject. But, for your kid's sake, try to overcome your nervousness and bring up the issue with your child. After all, our children are hearing about it both through the media and on the playground, and that information may not include the values that we want our kids to have.

4. Create an Open Environment

Young children want their parents to discuss difficult subjects with them. However, our kids will look to us for answers only if they feel we will be open to their questions. It's up to us to create the kind of atmosphere in which our children can ask any questions -- on any subject -- freely and without fear of consequence.

How do you create such an atmosphere? By being encouraging, supportive and positive. For example, if your child asks, "How many people have AIDS?" try not to answer with, "I don't know. Please just finish your lunch." No matter how busy you are respond with something like, "That's an interesting question, but I'm not sure. Let's go look it up." (FYI: Don't worry that if your children learn that you don't know everything, they won't look up to you. That's simply not true. Kids accept, "I don't know," and "let's go find out," and they are better responses than any inaccurate or misleading answers you may be tempted to offer.)

One more point: You don't need to answer all of your children's questions immediately. If your 10-year-old asks, "Mom, what's a condom?" while you're negotiating a tricky turn in rush-hour traffic, it's perfectly okay for you to say something like, "That's an important question. But with all this traffic, I can't explain right now. Let's talk later, after dinner." And make sure you do.

5. Communicate your values

As a parent, you have a wonderful opportunity to be the first person to talk with your child about tough issues like drugs and violence before anyone else can confuse him with "just-the-facts" explanations that lack the sense of values and moral principles you want to instill. Likewise, when talking with your child about sex, remember to talk about more than "the birds and the bees," and communicate your values. Remember: research shows that children want and need moral guidance from their moms and dads, so don't hesitate to make your beliefs clear.

6. Listen to Your Child

How many times do we listen to our children while folding clothes, preparing for the next day's meeting, or pushing a shopping cart through the supermarket? While that's understandable, it's important to find time to give kids our undivided attention. Listening carefully to our children builds self-esteem by letting our youngsters know that they're important to us and can lead to valuable discussions about a wide variety of sensitive issues.

Listening carefully also helps us better understand what our children really want to know as well as what they already understand. And it keeps us from talking above our youngsters' heads and confusing them even further. For example, suppose your child asks you what crack is. Before you answer, ask him what he thinks it is. If he says, "I think it's something you eat that makes you act funny," then you have a sense of his level of understanding and can adjust your explanations to fit.

Listening to our children and taking their feelings into account also helps us understand when they've had enough. Suppose you're answering your 9-year-old's questions about AIDS. If, after a while, he says, "I want to go out and play," stop the talk and re-introduce the subject at another time.

7. Try to be Honest

Whatever your children's age, they deserve honest answers and explanations. It's what strengthens our children's ability to trust. Also, when we don't provide a straightforward answer, kids make up their own fantasy explanations, which can be more frightening than any real, honest response we can offer.

While we may not want or need to share all the details of a particular situation or issue with our child, try not to leave any big gaps either. When we do, children tend to fill in the blanks themselves, which can generate a good deal of confusion and concern.

8. Be Patient

Often it can feel like forever before a youngster gets his story out. As adults, we're tempted to finish the child's sentence for him, filling in words and phrases in an effort to hear the point sooner. Try to resist this impulse. By listening patiently, we allow our children to think at their own pace and we are letting them know that they are worthy of our time.

9. Use Everyday Opportunities to Talk

It's important to try to talk with your kids about tough issues often, but there isn't always time in the day to sit down for a long talk. Also, kids tend to resist formal discussions about today's toughest issues, often categorizing them as just another lecture from mom and dad. But if we use "talk opportunities," moments that arise in everyday life, as occasions for discussion, our children will be a lot less likely to tune us out. For instance, a newspaper item about a child expelled from school for carrying a gun to class can help you start a discussion on guns and violence. A public service TV commercial can give you an opportunity to talk about AIDS.

10. Talk About it Again. And Again.

Since most young children can only take in small bits of information at any one time, they won't learn all they need to know about a particular topic from a single discussion. That's why it's important to let a little time pass, then ask the child to tell you what she remembers about your conversation. This will help you correct any misconceptions and fill in missing facts.

Finally, in an effort to absorb all they want to know, children often ask questions again and again over time -- which can test any parent's nerves. But such repetition is perfectly normal, so be prepared and tolerant. Don't be afraid to initiate discussions repeatedly, either. Patience and persistence will serve you and your child well.

Most parents want to do their best in talking with their kids about sex and sexuality, but we're often not sure how to begin. Here's our advice:

Explore your own attitudes

Studies show that kids who feel they can talk with their parents about sex -- because their moms and dads speak openly and listen carefully to them -- are less likely to engage in high-risk behavior as teens than kids who do not feel they can talk with their parents about the subject. So explore your feelings about sex. If you are very uncomfortable with the subject, read some books (see Readings for Parents) and discuss your feelings with a trusted friend, relative, physician, or clergy member. The more you examine the subject, the more confident you'll feel discussing it.

Even if you can't quite overcome your discomfort, don't worry about admitting it to your kids. It's okay to say something like, "You know, I'm uncomfortable talking about sex because my parents never talked with me about it. But I want us to be able to talk about anything -- including sex -- so please come to me if you have any questions. And if I don't know the answer, I'll find out."

Start early

Teaching your children about sex demands a gentle, continuous flow of information that should begin as early as possible -- for instance, when teaching your toddler where his nose and toes are, include "this is your penis" or "this is your vagina" in your talks. As your child grows, you can continue her education by adding more materials gradually until she understands the subject well.

Take the initiative

If your child hasn't started asking questions about sex, look for a good opportunity to bring it up. Say, for instance, the mother of an 8-year-old's best friend is pregnant. You can say, "Did you notice that David's mommy's tummy is getting bigger? That's because she's going to have a baby and she's carrying it inside her. Do you know how the baby got inside her?" then let the conversation move from there.

Talk about more than the "Birds and the Bees"

While our children need to know the biological facts about sex, they also need to understand that sexual relationships involve caring, concern and responsibility. By discussing the emotional aspect of a sexual relationship with your child, she will be better informed to make decisions later on and to resist peer pressure. If your child is a pre-teen, you need to include some message about the responsibilities and consequences of sexual activity. Conversations with 11 and 12-year-olds, for example, should include talks about unwanted pregnancy and how they can protect themselves.

One aspect that many parents overlook when discussing sex with their child is dating. As opposed to movies, where two people meet and later end up in bed together, in real life there is time to get to know each other -- time to hold hands, go bowling, see a movie, or just talk. Children need to know that this is an important part of a caring relationship.

Give accurate, age-appropriate information

Talk about sex in a way that fits the age and stage of your child. If your 8-year-old asks why boys and girls change so much physically as they grow, you can say something like, "The body has special chemicals called hormones that tell it whether to become a boy or a girl. A boy has a penis and testicles, and when he grows older his voice gets lower and he gets more hair on his body. A girl has a vulva and vagina, and when she gets older she grows breasts and her hips grow rounder."

Anticipate the next stage of development

Children can get frightened and confused by the sudden changes their bodies begin to go through as they reach puberty. To help stop any anxiety, talk with your kids not only about their current stage of development but about the next stage, too. An 8-year-old girl is old enough to learn about menstruation, just as a boy that age is ready to learn how his body will change.

Communicate your values

It's our responsibility to let our children know our values about sex. Although they may not adopt these values as they mature, at least they'll be aware of them as they struggle to figure out how they feel and want to behave.

Talk with your child of the opposite sex

Some parents feel uncomfortable talking with their child about topics like sex if the youngster is of the opposite gender. While that's certainly understandable, don't let it become an excuse to close off conversation. If you're a single mother of a son, for example, you can turn to books to help guide you or ask your doctor for some advice on how to bring up the topic with your child. You could also recruit an uncle or other close male friend or relative to discuss the subject with your child, provided there is already good, open communication between them. If there are two parents in the household, it might feel less awkward to have the dad talk with the boy and the mom with the girl. That's not a hard and fast rule, though. If you're comfortable talking with either sons or daughters, go right ahead. Just make sure that gender differences don't make subjects like sex taboo.

Relax

Don't worry about knowing all the answers to your children's questions; what you know is a lot less important than how you respond. If you can convey the message that no subject, including sex, is forbidden in your home, you'll be doing just fine.

Questions & Answers

What's safe sex?

If two people have sexual intercourse, and one of them has HIV or another sexually transmitted disease, he could give it to his partner(s). Doctors believe that if the man wears a latex condom whenever he has intercourse, it helps to protect him and his partner from giving each other HIV. That's why people call sexual intercourse with a latex condom "safe sex."

Is it true that you can't get pregnant the first time that you have sex?

No. You can get pregnant anytime you have sexual intercourse. Wearing a latex condom, taking birth control pills, or using other contraceptives are very effective at preventing pregnancy. However, the only absolute way to not get pregnant is to not have sex at all. You might also use this question as an opportunity to point out that not having sexual intercourse is a good idea for teens. Help them understand there are other ways to show affection.