Do Cancer Screenings, H1N1 Vaccine Work?

(CBS)  Do cancer screenings really work?

Early Show co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez pointed out an article in the Oct. 21 New York Times, in which the American Cancer Society is now saying that dectecting cancers and going in for cancer screenings is "not necessarily the right thing."

"Right now it's a complicated issue. And we want to be clear to people that we don't want people to delay or avoid screening for a variety of cancers," CBS News Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton told Rodriguez. "Screening is very important and has been shown to save lives."

According to Ashton, the article stemmed from a little frustration felt by the cancer community in dealing with certain types of cancers (breast and prostate cancers) where screening and early detection has not been shown to have quite the impact in terms of catching late stage cancers or saving lives as they had hoped.

"People, bottom line, should talk to their doctors and not just skip screenings altogether," Ashton said.

Ashton also addressed viewer questions via Skype.

"We have a 13-year-old daughter and she has gotten swine flu from, we think, classmates who have been coughing. And I just had a concern about the cough - how long it's contagious and how long this cough is going to last," asked Craig in North Carolina.

Ashton pointed out that this question arose when Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith came down with H1N1, because a lot of doctors are not doing confirmatory testing.

Although "controversial," Ashton said "we know that children can shed the virus for as long as seven to 10 days, but the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) didn't want to say to people you have to keep your children home for a week or two weeks because that would not be logistically feasible. We say 24 hours after a fever is gone, but, again, if you're concerned, err on the side of caution. We let Harry come back after two days with no fever."

What it comes down to is our hygienic practices, Ashton explained. This includes washing your hands, coughing into your elbow or if your child has classmates who have had H1N1 and they're still coughing and sneezing - they probably should not be in school.

When asked if she would give the H1N1 vaccine to her daughter, Rodriguez said she's "leaning toward it, finally" after everything she has heard.

"We are giving our children the vaccine," Ashton added. "In fact, I'm happy to say they arrived in my office last night. I took the H1N1 vaccine myself at the end of the day yesterday, and I'll be giving it to my children in a couple of weeks because they just got their seasonal flu shots in the last week.

"There are no firm guidelines about how to space that out for children yet. We're probably going to hear something from the CDC soon, it might be two to four weeks."

Unless you have asthma or an underlying condition, Ashton recommends the mist version of the H1N1 vaccine, which is what her children will have.

Getting you child vaccinated is a hot topic these days.

"And I think we say in medicine...it only has to happen once," Ashton said. "I think the risks of this virus really far surpass the risks - even though they're low - of the vaccination."

Since H1N1 seems to be really targeting the young, Ashton also suggests that parents talk to their pediatricians.

Allergies are also a common concern regardless of the season for some.

"My husband has allergies all year round and regular antihistamines don't seem to be helping much, are there any natural remedies he might be able to use?" asked Susan from Westchester County, N.Y., via Skype.

"Two important things - the gold standard for treating seasonal allergies are a medication called Singulair, which stops the symptoms before they start. So they should ask about Singulair. The other thing is holistic things like honey, vitamin C, even removing the drapes behind you might really help his allergy symptoms," Ashton said.

If you have any general medical questions you'd like to ask Dr. Ashton, go to Dr. Ashton's Twitter page.

[caveshopper]

MsCandyBaby...my son was on singulair for one month. I think he was just over a year old then. Not long after he began taking it, he would wake up screaming in the night and i'd go pick him up out of his crib and he would look around with the most terrified expression on his face, like he was seeing things! I read the insert and saw that hallucinations were possible and I thought why on earth is this ok to give to babies? Our chiropractor suggested a milk allergy, which I initially dismissed, but after the issues with the Singulair I decided it couldn't hurt to take him off of milk and see what happens. He was never diagnosed with asthma, but we had been treating him for 'seasonal allergies' with not much response from any medication, including Claritin, so that's why the Pediatritian prescribed the Singulair. The Chiropractor said that it could take a few weeks before we notice improvement while the allergens leave his system. We have only quit giving him cow's milk, but also limit cheese, yogurt, and other dairy. Within a month his 'seasonal allergy' symptoms disappeared! We don't give him any medication at all now. I wish I had taken our Chiropractor's advice sooner as I wonder what the long term effects of this medication may be for my sweet little boy. He was afraid to go to bed there for a while. And during the day, while taking the Singulair, I would notice him acting odd sometimes, like he was seeing things. Poor baby!! I'm glad you took him off the medication and glad he is improving! Don't know if the milk thing would apply to you, but thought I'd share our experience!

[mary_moran]

We need to get serious about hands-on prevention with our kids (not just getting a vaccination), which is why I must share this tip: My child came home from school saying they learned to cough and sneeze into their elbow with Germy Wormie, and I was totally taken aback. I always covered with my hands. But I went to the website and now I get it, hands touch, elbows don't!! Kids can touch 300 surfaces in 1/2 hour and they hate to wash their hands. This is a simple thing that can make a huge difference. There is also an entertaining DVD that teaches them in a fun way the elbow cough, as well as other good hygiene habits.

[MsCandyBaby]

I was able to catch Dr Ashton on the Early Show this morning. She was discussing the H1N1 vaccine and asthma. She mentioned the use of Singulair as an Asthma preventative medication. My son is 6 years old. He was taking Singulair for almost 3 years. This was the worst time of our life. When he started 1st grade last year, he did horrible. He would tell me that "monsters or aliens were in his head causing him not to focus" he did horrible that school year. We talked to the teacher, counselor, principal, and a Psychologist to help us determine the root cause of his behavior issues. Finally my husband was having a conversation at his job, and the Singulair topic came up. The individual he was talking to about his child and the issues with Singulair was very similar to what we were experiencing with our son. We then searched the internet and came across several blogs from folks discussing the horrible issues with their children taking Singulair. I was so amazed for some of what I was reading was as if they were describing my own son. Please take time to look into this concern and see how many other folks in the world are experiencing the same issues. At this time, my son is no longer on Singulair. He has been off this drug for almost a year now and we have seen improvements in his behavior. I strongly feel that this is an issue worth looking into. In place of Singulair, we now administer Claritin.