The Prevent Defense
Flu Shot Protects Against Seasonal Flu

Fall and winter are a time for holidays, family gatherings and good times. Unfortunately, they also are the seasons for the dreaded flu virus.

More than simply a painful cold, the flu is a serious illness that each year sends more than 200,000 people to the hospital and kills between 3,000 and 49,000 people in the United States alone. It is characterized by symptoms that include fever, sore throat, stuffy nose and muscle aches.

The best way to prevent the flu is to get a flu shot each season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC recommends vaccinations for everyone 6 months and older. The vaccine releases antibodies into your body that provide protection against infection from the flu virus.

Inova’s nurses can help protect you and your children with the flu shot. When you come to one of our clinics, you know you can trust the person providing your care. Only nurses fully employed (not contracted) by Inova provide our flu shots. That means our nurses are highly qualified, selected, screened and trained. And unlike some other providers, we can vaccinate children as young as 6 months. We also offer a nasal flu vaccine known as FluMist^® if you or your child struggles with shots.

Growing Strong Construction Begins on New Patient Tower, Operating Rooms Inova Mount Vernon Hospital in June broke ground on its $43 million expansion project. The renovation includes adding three floors to the patient tower and building two joint replacement operating rooms. “I cannot tell you how excited the staff, physicians and our volunteers are about this expansion,” says Barbara Doyle, CEO, Inova Mount Vernon Hospital. The patient tower expansion will include a third floor for enhanced medical-surgical facilities, and fourth and fifth floors for the Inova Joint Replacement Center and Inova Rehabilitation Center. The expansion will add 80 new private patient rooms. Also as part of the groundbreaking, the hospital kicked off a fundraising campaign to raise $10 million in private donations toward additional construction costs. Big Plans For more information about the Building Today for Tomorrow’s Healthcare Campaign, call Mary Myers at 703-664-7102.

Protect Your Prostate
Health Tips to Avoid Common Conditions

Prostate problems are common in men no matter what their age. Common afflictions include prostatitis, when the prostate becomes inflamed or irritated; erectile dysfunction; enlarged prostate, also known as BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia); and prostate cancer. While men can’t always avoid these problems, there are ways they can change their lifestyle to keep their prostate healthy. Here are a few:

	Learn more about prostate health with Jeffrey Wong, MD, urologist, and Sandeep Bagla, MD, interventional radiologist. The lecture will be held on Thursday, Oct. 18 at 6:30 p.m. at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital. Call 1-855-My-Inova (1-855-694-6682) or click here to register for this free program. Jeffrey Wong, MD Sandeep Bagla, MD

Exercise regularly. It helps increase oxygen and blood circulation throughout
our bodies, including the prostate.
Exercise helps to avoid fat tissue that
contains toxins that are excreted into our
bodies. As we get older, exercise helps
improve sexual performance.

Maintain a healthy diet. This includes
zinc, which is found in chocolate, seeds,
oysters and certain meats — low-fat roast
beef, lamb and veal liver. Omega 3 fatty
acids, found in fish oil, are also good for
the prostate. Also, drink lots of water
each day to eliminate toxins. Avoid
overconsumption of alcohol and other
prostate irritators: black tea, coffee and
greasy foods.

Keep warm. Cold aggravates and
worsens prostate conditions. Dress
warmly on a cold day and take warm
baths or showers.

Get your checkup. Make sure to keep
up-to-date with yearly doctor appointments and thorough exams.