I need to rant ....

I try to be a logical, practical person who thinks before she panics. Of course that doesn't always happen, but I'm trying.

I got home tonight, turned on CP24 (why, I have no idea) and all I hear is about H1N1and the panic that's spreading because a 13 year old boy died a couple of days ago. Was it tragic? absolutely. should it have happened ... absolutely not. Apparently he had asthma (underlying condition) which put him at a much higher risk. Since that story broke (and of course they keep harping and harping and harping about it), Sick Kids is being inundated, emergency rooms are overcrowded more than usual, Telehealth Ontario at 6:00 p.m. was a 7 hour wait to speak with a nurse.

People. PLEASE keep your heads about yourselves. Be smart. Be safe. But please don't panic. The vast majority of people who contract it have nothing worse than any other type of flu. Do I start to feel panicky from time to time the more I hear about it? Absolutely. Do I try my best to stay calm and rational. Absolutely.

One of the biggest scourges of our day is the blasted media. Instead of just informing people of the situation and stressing prevention, they go on. and on. and on...... making a mountain out of a molehill (not that this flu is trivial, I'm not saying that at all. We're inundated with media. Everywhere. Of course it's our decision whether to read, listen or watch or not.

So do your best to stay healthy. Eat healthy, fresh, REAL food (not the processed crap and fast food that so many of us (myself included from time to time) eat), drink lots of water, take your vitamins (especially C), get plenty of fresh air and exercise.

I'm going to check with my doctor but I suspect I'll be off to get a flu shot (I get the general one every year). Being asthmatic makes me a little nervous. But we'll see. I know the concerns about it being relatively untested.

So here's to good health and keeping our heads about us.