As if we do not already have enough to worry about with COVID-19 making a comeback, flu season is at its ferocious start. The severity of the flu season from 2020 to 2021 was among the lowest ever, thanks to people’s efforts to prevent COVID-19, such as mask use and social distancing. However, a spike in flu cases is the present scenario due to people returning to work with weakened immune systems from not being exposed to the virus last year. According to the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 14 children have died this flu season, and hospitalization rates for influenza are at their highest levels in the United States in ten years.

Although there is no one-way method to get 100 percent protection against the flu, you can reduce the risk of getting sick. Here are a few suggestions for staying healthy and

Receiving a cancer diagnosis is an extremely stressful experience. Not only do you have to cope with the fear and anxiety of having a possibly life-threatening condition, but you have to begin right away dealing with treatment options, financial concerns and logistics.

“When you’re in the doctor’s office, it’s very overwhelming,” said Patricia Ramirez, a breast cancer nurse navigator at OSF HealthCare. “It’s easy to miss hearing about the first step of treatment or your staging information after hearing the news of your diagnosis.”

Seemingly all at once, a cancer patient has to deal with anxiety, their own heavy emotions, as well as those of friends and family, insurance coverage questions, scheduling treatments and securing transportation back and forth.

In addition, a tidal wave of important medical information floods your brain.

It all adds up to information overload and a huge amount of stress.

Stress management for cancer patients

Spiritual

Over the last few years, tart cherry juice has been heralded as a “superfood” containing nutrients that can help critical aspects of our health, including:

• Improve sleep
• Reduce inflammation caused by gout and other forms of arthritis
• Lower blood pressure
• Reduce the risk of heart disease
• Prevent or slow cancer growth
• Improve brain function

But is there enough research to support these claims?

Sources of potential benefits

Tart cherries contain a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, including a significant percentage of the recommended daily intake of vitamins A and C for adults. But their anthocyanins are the source of most of the potential benefits that have so many people talking.

Anthocyanins are the pigments that give red, purple and blue fruits and vegetables their color. Aside from making these foods look pretty, these pigments are also high in antioxidants, which play a key role in destroying harmful cells known

With this news going around, you might have heard about it too: we are facing the resurgence of measles worldwide! Yes, sadly, it is happening all over again for real, and this time’s count is the greatest since its elimination in 2000. The next question that pops would be: why, though? Well, we are all aware that the measles vaccination campaigns have been halted worldwide due to the coronavirus pandemic, and that, people, is exactly the cause of this rebirth. The under-vaccination of millions of children for measles has certainly blown up on our faces with this imminent global threat, says the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to their report, approximately 25 million children missed their first dose of the measles vaccine in 2021, and another 15 million children missed their second dose. A further dig into this topic…

1. Measles

For most cancer patients, especially those with an early stage of cancer, surviving cancer is the goal of treatment. You want to go from being a cancer patient to being a cancer survivor.

At what point does a person achieve the status of cancer survivor, and what does life after cancer look like?

The definition of “cancer survivor” can be different depending on whom you ask and why. It’s not completely black and white.

According to the American Cancer Society, the term “cancer survivor” is defined as anyone with cancer regardless of what stage of treatment they are going through.

Erin Mclaughlin is an oncology nurse navigator for OSF HealthCare whose job is to support cancer patients and serve as their advocate through every step of their cancer journey.

“We have cancer patients who are going through maintenance therapy as part of a palliative care plan,” Erin said. “Their

Cancer patients going through chemotherapy often experience difficulty with memory and focus. It’s a phenomenon common enough that it has earned a nickname: chemo brain.

Although chemo brain fog is common, it shouldn’t be ignored, according to Erin Mclaughlin, an oncology nurse navigator at OSF HealthCare. You should definitely let your oncologist know if you are experiencing any chemo brain symptoms.

“It’s not just one issue, it’s an umbrella of things that can go wrong,” Erin said. “It needs to be addressed because it impacts your quality of life. Your body is very delicately balanced, so we have to know about everything.”

Chemo brain causes

Chemo brain got its name because it’s often believed to be caused by chemotherapy, but that’s only one of the possible causes for the brain fog a patient experiences.

“Chemo itself is toxic poison we use to kill cancer,” Erin said. “Cancer is strong and

Exercise is known to reduce stress and release good endorphins in the body that restore cells and help you feel good. Physical activity is great for both your body and mind.

So what about exercise and cancer? You may be wondering, “Can I exercise during my ongoing treatment? Will it help my recovery?”

The simplified answer is yes, according to Erin Mclaughlin, an oncology nurse navigator at OSF HealthCare.

“Physical activity is wonderful. It’s a plus,” Erin said.

The benefits of exercise for cancer patients

Cancer treatment – whether it’s radiation therapy, chemotherapy or surgery – can take a toll on your body. These treatments use extreme measures to fight cancer, and the effects can wear you down physically and mentally.

Combined with sedentary lifestyle effects, the side effects of cancer treatment can be more severe and harder to recover from.

Physical activity can help with regaining strength. It can

Chemotherapy – the use of toxic chemicals to kill cancer cells – is one of the most common cancer treatments. And while chemotherapy has a long history of proven success, it can take a physical and mental toll on patients.

Chemo can make you feel awful, and patients often want to know, “Can we have a normal life after a cancer treatment?”

It can be hard to imagine getting back to normal life.

“Sometimes the treatment can be as rough as the disease,” said Erin Mclaughlin, an oncology nurse navigator at OSF HealthCare. “It’s important to remind patients that treatment will pass, and they will regain normalcy.

“When you’re going through chemo, it’s easier to push through mentally when there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”

What to expect after chemo

Patricia Ramirez is an oncology nurse navigator at OSF HealthCare who specializes in breast cancer, for