Consumerist
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overkill
The Dumb Health Scare Gadget
Quick, give Hammacher Schlemmer $70 + shipping so you can bring one of these magic H1N1 wand obliterators with you on Black Friday! The "technology for people who don't get technology" catalogue explains that the wand's UV light will kill "99.98%" of H1N1 viruses after you hold it 3/4" above a surface for at least 5 seconds. That's certainly convenient. Just carry it with you and use it on doors, boxes, shopping carts, and of course the cashier's hands before you accept any change. Be sure to bring an adapter for your car, however, because it only lasts about 90 minutes after an 8-hour charge.
"The H1N1 Destroying UV Wand" [Hammacher Schlemmer] (Thanks to Andy!)
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swine flu
You Can Make Your Own Liquid Tamiflu At Home
G.'s young son was recently ill with H1N1, but no pharmacy in the city where he lives had liquid Tamiflu in stock. (Even the federal government released its stockpile not long ago.) He writes that nearly every pharmacy he called turned him down. Then he learned that the liquid can be made from Tamiflu capsules by pharmacists, or even by parents at home. Why didn't the pharmacy staff, or his doctor, tell him this? More » -
H1N1
Iowa Feline Catches Swine Flu
When you're home sick, snuggling with a pet can have tremendous healing powers. "Plus," you might say to yourself, "at least Fluffy can't catch this awful swine flu I have." Well....not so fast. It's not common, but a cat in Iowa has been diagnosed with, and recovered from, swine flu. More » -
H1N1
Least Delicious Halloween Treat: H1N1 Virus
As trick-or-treating time looms, we'd like to take this opportunity to remind you: BOO!!! SWINE FLU! More » -
websites
Swine Flu Self-Assessment Saves You Worrying
Do you have H1N1 flu? Probably! Aaaugghh! But before you haul your feverish butt to a clinic or a doctor, consider taking this free online flu self-assessment test from Emory University. It probably could have been combined into a one-page flowchart, but that's not as much fun as pressing YES/NO buttons. More » -
medicine
Find Flu Shot, Cheap Generics With Medtipster
Medtipster is a website that locates nearby sources of discount generic versions of prescription drugs, as well as flu and other immunization shots. You enter the drug (or shot) you're looking for and your zip code and it spits out a list of nearby pharmacies. Currently they don't list H1N1 vaccination sources, but they say they're going to add that info as soon as it becomes available. More » -
health
Reminder: Ingesting Silver Does Not Cure Anthrax Or Swine Flu
Sure, there are plenty of websites out there touting colloidal silver as a miracle cure for every disease in existence. This would be great if it actually worked. Now that flu season looms and H1N1/swine flu panic has returned to the nation, Consumer Reports Health would like to remind you that no, you can't cure chronic or communicable diseases with colloidal silver. Plus, it might turn your skin blue. More » -
lawsuits
Trade Walgreens Hippie Cold/Flu Remedy For Actual Flu Shot
First, there was Airborne. Then there was Rite-Aid's house brand version of Airborne. Now, the Walgreens brand of homeopathic cold and flu remedy was also the subject of a class action lawsuit, and the settlement is at hand. More » -
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rite aid
$500,000 In Consumer Refunds From Rite Aid After False Cold Remedy Advertising Suit
Remember the class-action lawsuit against the makers of cold-and-flu-preventing magic potion Airborne? Airborne claimed that it could prevent or shorten colds and flus, without any actual scientific evidence to back those claims up. More » -
swine flu
Carnival Cruises Is So Over That Swine Flu Thing
Pack up your maracas, Carnival is returning to Mexico! The cruise line wasn't happy with putzing off the California coast, and the CDC says that swine flu isn't deadly enough to keep us out of Mexico forever. By the end of the month, souvenir-seeking Americans will again be able to down margaritas and scoop up trinkets in Cabo, Cozumel, and Puerto Vallarta. More » -
Can You Get Swine Flu From A Dollar Bill? "A study published by Swiss researchers shows that an infectious virus can survive for three days on bank notes, and 17 days 'in the presence of respiratory mucus.'" [Consumer Reports Money]
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swine flu
Monitor Swine Flu With Zero Media Hype
Trancy.net is a news aggregator that keeps track of the swine flu but removes all the media hype, leaving just the data. The best-part are the auto-updating graphs fed with WHO (World Health Organization) data showing confirmed cases, confirmed deaths, and number of countries reporting confirmed cases.
Trancy.net (Thanks to needs more dps!) (Illustration: The Searcher)
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swine flu
Important Announcement: Drugstore Has Tamiflu; Commence Panicking
Anticipating a swine flu/H1N1 panic in your workplace, school, or airplane? Walgreens in Colleyville, TX has you covered.
Sign of the times [Dallas Morning News] (Thanks, Travis!)
[UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who pointed out that Tamiflu is a prescription drug. I am SO firing my fact checking staff.]
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Swine Flu Household Cleaning Tips From The CDC If someone at your home has contracted swine flu, prevent its further spread by following the advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [Consumer Reports Health]
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Japan says their study of Tamiflu has proven inconclusive. They're testing whether or not the flu medication is responsible for abnormal behavior in a percentage of patients. [Reuters]
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medicine
Experts Say Cough Syrups Don't Work
My skull a steadily expanding hydrocephalic sack of mucus, I've been swigging a lot of cough syrup lately. I've spent a hundred euros on the stuff over the last couple of days, which — roughly translated into America's currency, the U.S. Cowboyo — is a hell of a lot of money. You empty your wallet on the counter of the local pharmacist, but even in your feverish daze, you know cough medicines don't really work: it just makes you feel more proactive about your chances of fighting off your body's alarmingly rapid decomposition into a jell-o monster made of phlegm. More »
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1-18 of 18 for "Flu"
