Russia and Flu

[Gator]

Parts of Russia have recently experienced a severe outbreak of influenza.  Schools have been closed in some cities for as much as two weeks.

I found two of the approaches as odd (pun: hence Odds and Ends forum).


1.  Missed school days will not be made up (schoolyear will end as planned, holidays will be kept, no Saturday sessions).

2.  One directive advised people when venturing out in public  to place soap in their nostrils.  Hand sanitizing is considered important in the US, but nose sanitizer? 

Did something get lost in translation.

[dbneeley]

Schools here in Donetsk were also closed, but for much less than two weeks. That was caused by rapidly rising numbers of students with influenza.

Interestingly enough, my wife was telling me just this morning that she had read about using a very good antiseptic in somewhat diluted form as a nasal treatment. She had felt the sort of irritation in her nose that is common with an oncoming cold--so she tried the nasal treatment last night, and this morning it had cleared up. Of course, this is with a very good German antiseptic we keep to avoid potential infections, mostly because of my recurring diabetes-related foot problems.

In case you are unaware, my wife is a physician. Unlike many American physicians, doctors here are far more willing to explore alternative therapies. As an anesthesiologist and critical care doctor, Irina has had to care for many cases of swine flu last year--so she is constantly looking for ways to avoid this kind of infection both for herself and for her patients.

Many people also use a neti pot to run a saline solution through the nasal passages. This helps clean out built-up mucous and carries with it some of the viruses and microbes that may be present. It thus helps the nasal cilia to do a better job of cleaning the air in the nose, and also helps shrink any inflamed tissue. I've used one several times so far, and will likely continue as it seems to be helping.

When a particular medical treatment seems outlandish, it is often simply because it is unfamiliar.

David

[Rutherford]

Every year , I hear about  the flu  hitting Russia , mass transit  may be a good reason this happens  .
My wife believes that she'll catch a cold by getting cold ,  I am pretty sure it a virus and travels from one person to another  , like the  flu .
Am I wrong ?
I can't convince her otherwise  .
There are a lot of strange beliefs in Russia .

BTW , I have had the flu only once in my life and I am over 50.

RR

[dbneeley]

Every year , I hear about  the flu  hitting Russia , mass transit  may be a good reason this happens  .
My wife believes that she'll catch a cold by getting cold ,  I am pretty sure it a virus and travels from one person to another  , like the  flu .
Am I wrong ?
I can't convince her otherwise  .
There are a lot of strange beliefs in Russia .

BTW , I have had the flu only once in my life and I am over 50.

RR

Yes, colds are caused by virus. The most common mode of transmission, according to the experts, would be on touching things with your hands. Thus, frequent and thorough hand washing is strongly advised.

Anything that weakens the immune system, too, is particularly bad. With most colds and flu, therefore, the very old and the very young are hardest hit. The swine flu is an exception--it seems to hit young adults in their prime of life worst of all.

Whether "getting cold" increases the likelihood of colds is not necessarily so far-fetched. For example, your sinuses may clog a bit simply because you are cold, impeding the cilia lining the nasal passages from being able to do as much to catch the nastier stuff going by. When you are healthy, this mechanism protects you from the bulk of both viruses and microbes that might otherwise infect you. When the nose fills with mucous, it cannot work so efficiently--and may also increase the incidence of mouth breathing, which gives no real protection from such things.

David

David

[Gator]

Yes, colds are caused by virus. The most common mode of transmission, according to the experts, would be on touching things with your hands. Thus, frequent and thorough hand washing is strongly advised.

The general opinion in the US,  hence school kids are told to wash hands and use hand sanitizer. That is why sanitizing the nose seemed odd.

She had felt the sort of irritation in her nose that is common with an oncoming cold--so she tried the nasal treatment last night, and this morning it had cleared up.

I do not understand the science, as symptoms of an oncoming cold suggest a person's system is already infected.  However, I will give it a try next time. 

[Gator]

Every year , I hear about  the flu  hitting Russia , mass transit  may be a good reason this happens  .

One sneeze could get a lot of people.  Plus grabbing railings and ceiling straps allows hand-to-hand.

My wife believes that she'll catch a cold by getting cold ...

For sure the body's immune system is affected.  What I find so odd is the RW opinion that moving indoor air (A/C unit or a fan) is bad.  Yet, air coming from an open window is good. 

[Faux Pas]

The general opinion in the US,  hence school kids are told to wash hands and use hand sanitizer. That is why sanitizing the nose seemed odd.

I do not understand the science, as symptoms of an oncoming cold suggest a person's system is already infected.  However, I will give it a try next time. 

I was reading up on a new preventative measure for colds and flu a few years ago. I don't know how true it was but it did sound reasonable. The article pointed out that most virus and germs that cause cold and flu are airborne and not necessarily contacted by touch but rather inhaled.  :noidea:

[Rutherford]

 What I find so odd is the RW opinion that moving indoor air (A/C unit or a fan) is bad.  Yet, air coming from an open window is good. 

Spending  their entire life in an apartment , having  only  windows   to  adjust the  air quality  inside may be why they are like this .
Thye know nothing else .
I tell my wife  often , when she disagrees with something , I tell her that her  life experiences  are few and it's  not fair  to say "no"  just because it is a new thing  .      This happens a lot   with us .  It's takes time to explain to her that it's normal  and a good thing to do something a certain way  , she wants things to be the same  here as they were in Russia  and not experience  new , what ever , stuff .
Using the air conditioner  has been a real battle  and it gets real hot here .
Having worked in a restaurant  , I know some people do not like to sit where there is a draft , so , I understand why RM  have a problem with   "wind" as my wife calls it , from a fan or any direct air flow , other than  natural  air movement .

RR

[Gator]

I tell my wife  often , when she disagrees with something , I tell her that her  life experiences  are few and it's  not fair  to say "no"  just because it is a new thing  .     

Logical.  I grew weary from striving for logical.  Better to tolerate the illogical (for the little things) and do it her way.

Using the air conditioner has been a real battle  and it gets real hot here .

However, this is not a little thing.  I knew she was hot too, so I went along with it (i. e., the equivalent of playing chicken).  Eventually we reached a middle ground.  The key is to avoid drafts. 

[GQBlues]

2.  One directive advised people when venturing out in public  to place soap in their nostrils.  Hand sanitizing is considered important in the US, but nose sanitizer?  

Did something get lost in translation.

I wasn't quite sure what you meant when I first read your OP, Gator. But if I would guess  the inference in nose sanitation is 'inhaling' water or solution (salted or warm water) into your nasal cavities and holding it in for a few seconds, then I can say this is also the prescribed treatment by most Asian and Pacific Islander folks.

Most surfers hardly catches cold/flu simply because of the time they spend in the ocean. Salt water, or salt, is a great antiseptic. Most if not all surfers never suffer (or hardly if ever) from zits or other epidermal irritation/infection either.

At the first sign of a colds or flu, I would go through the ritual of 'inhaling' warm & slightly salted water, hold it for a few seconds and blow it out. Clears up the nasal passages almost instantly. You can also readily purchase saline solution for the specific use. My wife keeps a bottle handy in the house.

[Gator]

GQ,

In the old days we would gargle with salt water and inhale steam vapors much like a scene in the first Crocodile Dundee film, albeit with no cocaine. 

Two government funded studies concluded that "....steam inhalation treatment had no beneficial effect on the cold symptoms..."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8151854
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2376891

[dbneeley]

At the first sign of a colds or flu, I would go through the ritual of 'inhaling' warm & slightly salted water, hold it for a few seconds and blow it out. Clears up the nasal passages almost instantly. You can also readily purchase saline solution for the specific use. My wife keeps a bottle handy in the house.

Rather than "inhaling" it, which can have unpleasant results if you miscalculate the amount, you might consider trying a neti pot. With these, the salt solution is simply poured into one nostril holding your head to the side, so it runs out the other one through gravity--all while breathing through the mouth. It works quite well. A squeeze bottle can be used the same way--but the concept of inhaling it can be touchy.

Neti pots are available in many pharmacies in the U.S.

David

[GQBlues]

The word 'inhaling' does sounded a bit 'drastic' but I thought it was a little more 'painless' than using the words 'snort' or even 'irrigate', although the latter probably better describes the process. Yes, neti pots are great David. It's the idea of storage and re-use that bugs me a little. It's just me, which is partly why I also don't buy those saline solution nasal spray either. Warm tap water and salt in a small bowl, then irrigate over the sink does the trick for me, or just take my board or B-board and surf a while...

Speculation on my part with the original post. Did the communication get lost with the words 'salt' instead of 'soap'?

[Gator]

Speculation on my part with the original post. Did the communication get lost with the words 'salt' instead of 'soap'?

Possible.  My little woman (actually 5'9") and I have many miscommunications over the phone and in emails.   Our language barrier is less of a problem in person when we see the other's expressions, animations, etc.

[chivo]

I rarely if ever caught a cold or the flu when I lived in the states, but seem to get the flu on an annual basis here. Must be the metro.   

Actually, the first time a got the flu here it was from a prostitute at a restaurant here in Moscow who used to bother me all the time to take her home. Out of sympathy for her situation I gave her 500 rub. one day just so she would stop bothering me and she kissed me for my kindness. I thought she looked a little pale at the time, and I hadn't seen her for a few weeks (thankfully) prior as I used to go to this restaurant/bar to meet and party with people who spoke English during my first year here and she would be there on many occasions.

Anyway, after a few days I was on my deathbed and sweating like Kevin Garnett after playing a quarter of basketball . It was like nothing I have ever experienced before in my life. All the medication, including the cancer curing tea with honey had little effect. Just had to tough it out. Seems swine flu and bird flu have nothing on prostitute flu.

Amazingly, I have seemed to built up a tolerance over the years and the bouts are not so bad, but the first two years were simply awful.

So whats the moral? if you're going to catch the flu, do it in America.