Things I tripped over on my way to the internet

This swine flu thing really isn’t that big of a deal(1) but governments and health organizations are treating it as if it is in order to practice for the inevitable pandemic that is a big deal.

1: “But at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, … Angus Nicoll, head of the agency’s influenza program, said he was seeing ‘something that looks more like an ordinary influenza, with a lot of people infected, but very few people being sick enough to end up in hospital or die.’ Mexico, he noted, has reclassified some deaths attributed to swine flu as due to other causes.” [source]

crazynutjob:

First, from the CDC:

Can people catch swine flu from eating pork?

No. Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. You can not get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products is safe. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160°F kills the swine flu virus as it does other bacteria and viruses.

That is a completely contradictory sentence. If the virus is not transmitted by food then the only way to get it from undercooked food is if the virus is on the surface. In that case you only need to cook the surface to a temperature of 160°F—which happens in seconds on a hot pan— and the internal temperature is irrelevant. Mixed message indeed.

marco:

As conducted with a sample size of one over a scientifically significant 4-day trial:

New Sudafed (phenylephrine)

• Pros: No side effects.
• Cons: Doesn’t work.

Meth Sudafed (pseudoephedrine)

• Pros: Works great. Can breathe through both nostrils for most of the day.
• Cons: Dizzy, dazed, can’t do much else except lie on the couch while breathing clearly through both nostrils.

Tylenol

• Pros: Works moderately. Generally mutes some of the unpleasant effects of having a cold, such as minor aches and a slight fever.
• Cons: Limited in scope. Doesn’t completely fix anything.

Natural stuff (vitamin C, zinc, herbal “remedies”, etc.)

• Pros: No side effects.
• Cons: No effects.

Coffee

• Pros: Actually works as a mild decongestant and a general feel-a-bit-better drug in small doses.
• Cons: Effects are short-lived.

Letting your body do its job for a few days

• Pros: No side effects. Actually works.
• Cons: No drug companies or natural-remedy slingers make any money off of you.

I have a much better understanding of the over-the-counter pharmaceutical industry now.

Some good info here. Also this:The case against all-in-one cold medicines.