A 16-pound orange cat in Ames, Iowa, did something last month that will now and forevermore have a lot of cat lovers taking care to sneeze into their sleeves.

The 13-year-old tabby came down with H1N1 swine flu, proving that humans ill with the flu virus should take pains not to spread it to cats as well as humans.

The case surprised human and animal health authorities, who hadn’t seen a human flu virus passed to a cat before, though passionate cat lovers were shaking their heads when it was reported last week.

“The guy talking on the television news acted so surprised by the story,” said Judy Coffey, who runs Catworld, a Berwyn business that sells carpeted “cat trees” for felines to climb on, “but I think knowledgeable cat owners are well aware that our cats catch things from owners all the time…. (more…)

TORONTO — Pop a vitamin, ban doctors’ neckties, vacuum away swine flu germs and smoke an e-cigarette to ward off H1N1.

Those are just some of the suggestions making the rounds on the Internet that have health officials and experts shaking their heads.

The Web is awash with dubious advice and various flu kits for sale as H1N1 deaths continue to rise, vaccine shortages force clinics to close and officials find themselves unable to provide a hard date for when the general public can get their flu shot…. (more…)

Mammography
Self breast examination

Do you know how to do a
self breast exam?
The self-exam should be done each month. Pick a day and try to be consistent.
The steps to follow for a breast self-exam:

Begin by looking at your breasts in the mirror with your shoulders straight and your arms on your hips. Look for any changes in the size, shape, and colour. Look for any dimpling, puckering, or bulging of the skin. Has the nipple changed position or become inverted? Is there redness, soreness, a rash, or swelling?
Now, raise your arms and look for the same changes…. (more…)