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The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

By Karen Kier
Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU HealthWise team

"The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" is considered one of the best Christmas songs of all time.  It was released on October 14, 1963 as part of the first Christmas album by singer Andy Williams. Interestingly, this song was not selected to be the promotional single for the album, but was sidelined for his song "White Christmas."

An apple or aspirin a day?

By Karen Kier
Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU HealthWise team

Health strategies have recommended both an aspirin a day or an apple a day to keep the doctor away.  What are the benefits and risks of these strategies in managing your health? 

Depending on the variety and the geographic region, apples are in season from late July to early November.  However, apples can be stored for long periods of time by controlling the atmosphere with a combination of temperature, humidity, oxygen and carbon dioxide. This is one reason why apples can be a fruit available year-round.  

Walk with a Doc on December 5

OhioHealth Hardin Memorial Hospital, the OSU Extension Agency, ONU HealthWise and Kenton City Schools have partnered to provide a walking program for the community, Walk with a Doc. 

The next session will take place on Monday, December 5 at 5:30 p.m. and will be presented by OhioHealth Urgent Care certified nurse practitioner, Tammy Shepherd. Tammy will be comparing the various types of viruses and discussing when to go to urgent care vs the emergency department. In addition to the discussion ONU pharmacy students will be on hand to offer blood pressure screenings.

Ice Age

By Karen Kier
Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU HealthWise team

Blue Sky Studios released five animated films in the popular franchise series about the ice age.  The original Ice Age movie was released in 2002 and featured the voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, and Chris Wedge.  In 2016, the last of the movies created by the originator was released.  The movies follow a group of animals trying to survive the Paleolithic ice age.  Disney+ released a new spin-off of the franchise in January of 2022 titled “The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild.”

One of the popular characters in the Ice Age movie was the woolly mammoth known as Manfred or Manny.  In the movie, Manny would not believe the woolly mammoth could ever be extinct.  Unlike the movie, the woolly mammoth is extinct.  Exactly when the extinction occurred is an interesting question being studied by scientists.  Various fossils have been found around the world with very different carbon dating.

The woolly mammoth, the dodo bird, dinosaurs, and the Christmas Island sandpiper may not be the only extinct species.  The CDC and the World Health Organization are researching the possibility of an extinction of the Yamagata influenza B virus.  

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American Red Cross looking for donors

As many gather for Thanksgiving celebrations with family and friends, the American Red Cross urges donors to shake up their holiday traditions and plan a time to give blood or platelets in the coming weeks. 

Blood and platelet donations tend to drop more than 20% during holiday weeks, including the days around Thanksgiving. Seasonal illness and the threat of winter weather can add more concern during a time of year that is traditionally hard on the nation’s blood supply.

Weekend Doctor: RSV

By Brittany Grider, MD
Pediatric Hospitalist of Northwest Ohio

It’s always a joyful moment when a new baby is born. Everyone in the family wants to come meet the new addition. A few days later, this precious little baby is struggling to breathe and needs to be in the ICU with RSV bronchiolitis. 

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is generally a virus present in the winter, usually at its worst in January and February each year. This year, RSV and influenza were conspicuously absent in the winter months. There are likely multiple reasons for this, but the bottom line is that RSV is here now. 

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