ASK DR. BAUGHAN December 19, 1997
FOLLOW-UP NOTES
SUPPORT DURING UNHAPPY HOLIDAYS AND BEYOND: In response to the column dealing with holiday depression, I was glad to learn of a new community resource. A support group for persons or family members of persons with depression, bipolar disorder or anxiety disorders has been meeting for the past several months. The group meets twice a month on Sundays at 6:15 p.m. in the Conway United Methodist Church next to the fire station. There is no charge or fees for the meetings. The date of the next meeting is December 28, 1997. For further information, contact Dorothy Hesketh at 447-8898. Support groups can be extremely valuable in countering the isolation persons and families with these conditions feel.
IMMUNIZATION CLARIFICATION: “Would you please explain the difference of a flu shot and a shot for pneumonia and any after effects.”
Influenza is a particular family of viruses that migrate from West to East each year, arriving on the East Coast in the winter months. Each year the strain of the virus is slightly different. The vaccine is specific for that year’s strain and only lasts for 4-6 months. It takes several weeks for the body to respond to the vaccine to develop the protective antibodies against the virus. That is why we push to immunize folks in October through December to protect them against the virus in December through March. Less than 10% of people get some aches and fatigue for 2-4 days; it is extremely rare that anyone is sick for 2 weeks with the full-blown symptoms of influenza. Studies of such reports find that the person may have had another virus near the time of the vaccine, but not the influenza virus.
The “pneumonia vaccine” helps protect against a specific bacteria, streptococcus pneumoniae, that is the most common cause of serious bacterial pneumonia. This vaccine lasts for 6-7 years. Side effects to the vaccine are rare. It does not give protection against all causes of pneumonia and is not 100% effective in everyone against strep pneumoniae, but it is pretty good with low risk.
ALLERGY DILEMMA: “I have an anaphylactic reaction to poinsettias. My sister is getting married in 3 weeks and the church will be full of poinsettias. Help!” First, for any individual health problem like this, I have to say, “Check with your doctor.” More background is crucial to make individual recommendations. This dilemma dramatizes that what is “natural” is not always nice. Poinsettias are natural; anaphylaxis is “natural.” So our dilemma is, “How much can we mess with Mother Nature without making things worse?” It may be possible to temporarily suppress the allergic reaction with a short-term course of corticosteroid medication such as prednisone. Prednisone certainly has plenty of risks when used long term and may not give fool-proof protection in the short term. The medication would need to be taken for several days before exposure to poinsettias. Even then, it would probably be wise to stage a “wedding rehearsal” exposure under medical supervision before testing the effectiveness in the middle of the church. Good luck!