As a feature of CNNhealth.com, our team of expert doctors will answer readers' questions. Here's a question for Dr. Gupta.

From Robert in Kansas:

“I heard this week that the H1N1 virus has now turned up in pigs. Does this mean it can get into our food supply and I’ll get sick if I eat it?”

Answer:

Great question. The U.S. Department of Agriculture did recently announce that a commercial herd of pigs tested positive for swine flu. The USDA continues to stress that you will not infected with the HIN1 virus from eating pork. In fact, the infected pigs in Indiana weren’t destroyed. Once they recover from the flu, they will go to slaughter according to the USDA. Officials experimentally infected pigs earlier this year to see whether their blood and meat also became contaminated. They concluded that the H1N1 virus stayed contained in the respiratory tract of infected pigs and the virus did not infect the meat. The World Health Organization and World Organization for Animal Health have also concluded that humans can not be infected with the H1N1 virus from consuming pork. For more information about H1N1 and food safety, click here.

From Cheryl:

“While at my doctor's office, I asked about the H1N1 vaccine. I was told it will be very expensive, like $300. Since I do not have health insurance, the expense of the H1N1 vaccine will factor into whether I get it.”

Answer:

$300 is an excessive amount to pay for a free vaccine! That’s right – it’s free. The federal government has purchased the H1N1 vaccine and is shipping it out to states free of charge. They’re even picking up the tab for the syringes, needles, sharps containers, and alcohol swabs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also stated private clinics may not charge patients a co-pay or other out-of-pocket charges for the vaccine. The only thing you should be paying is perhaps an administrative fee for your office visit but in many cases that fee is being waived as well. I would double check with your doctor again on the price. If the office still attempts to charge you $300, I would decline and instead contact your state’s health department to locate public clinic administering the vaccines near you. You can also track the vaccine’s shipments in your state through the CDC’s Web site. Check it out by clicking here.

As a  feature of CNNhealth.com, our team of expert doctors will answer readers' questions. Here's a question for Dr. Gupta.

From Shannon:

"I have a 4-month-old infant and I recently had myself and my 6-year-old son vaccinated for H1N1. My question is, will my infant also gain my immunity to H1N1 through my breast milk? I hope so." 

Answer:

This is a great question and a huge concern for many parents whose children are less than 6 months old and therefore too young to get the H1N1 vaccine. Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to your question, Shannon, so the best we can do is spell out what we do know.

We know that any time you breastfeed your 4-month-old, you pass on potent antibodies (proteins that your immune system produces to fend off disease in the body) that protect him or her against a whole range of infections.

We also know a bit about other vaccines and breast milk, for example, the pneumococcal vaccine that protects against things like pneumonia and meningitis. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, mothers who received that vaccine produced antibodies that were detectable in their breast milk, and passed them on to their babies. What is not as clear is whether those antibodies actually conferred immunity to their newborns.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance about breast milk and the flu vaccine is a tinge more hopeful, albeit far from conclusive: "By breastfeeding, mothers can pass on to the infant the antibodies that their bodies make in response to the flu shots, which can reduce the infant's chances of getting sick with the flu."

While experts wrestle with this question, you have already taken a positive step – and significantly reduced your baby’s chances of getting the H1N1 virus – by getting yourself vaccinated. The next step is to create a "cocoon of protection" around your baby by making sure that other caregivers in the family also get vaccinated.

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

As a new feature of CNNhealth.com, our team of expert doctors will answer readers' questions. Here's a question for Dr. Gupta.

Question from Jane in Amsterdam:

"I fear having a stroke because I have high blood pressure and my life is very stressful. What are the signs to look for and what can I do to help myself?"

Answer:

Thanks, Jane, for the question. It’s an important topic and impacts people of all ages. As a neurosurgeon, I can tell you strokes don’t just strike older generations. Doctors today around the world are seeing people in the 30s, 40s and 50s having strokes. The reason? Mostly due to unhealthy lifestyles.

Jane you mentioned your life is very stressful and you have high blood pressure. These are two major risk factors of stroke. Other lifestyle factors that play a role include unhealthy diet, smoking,  lack of exercise and obesity. So any changes you can make in your life to increase physical activity, get your blood pressure in control will dramatically lower your risk. Studies show people with healthy blood pressure - less than 120/80 - have about half the lifetime risk of stroke as those with high blood pressure, or hypertension.

Knowing the early signs of a stroke is critical because immediate medical attention is needed to prevent long-term disability. What’s surprising is the majority of people ignore the early warning signs. In fact, a Mayo Clinic study found 58 percent of stroke patients brushed off the symptoms as another ailment, and delayed seeing a doctor for about 3 1/2 hours on average.

Time is critical because a stroke directly impacts your brain. There are two types, ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke. An ischemic stroke is when the blood flow to a person’s brain is interrupted; hemorrhagic stroke occurs when the blood vessels actually burst in the brain.

Some strokes strike suddenly but more often than not your body will give you signals. Stroke patients often describe having the “worst headache of my life.” It comes on suddenly and can cause pain between your eyes, even a stiff neck. Suddenly feeling fatigued, dizzy and weak can be a signal. For example, you may be folding laundry or walking to a meeting and feel a strong, sudden loss of coordination. It’s also very common to feel numb on just one side of your body.

I can’t stress enough to tell your friends, neighbors, co-workers about these symptoms and don’t brush them off. If you are at high risk for a stroke and feel one of these symptoms suddenly occur, seek medical treatment as soon as possible.

And Jane, remember that strokes are preventable. I challenge you to get moving! Make a goal to exercise at least 30 minutes a day. It’s not only going to naturally reduce your stress levels, but will also help bring your blood pressure down and reduce your overall risk.

As a new feature of CNNhealth.com, our team of expert doctors will answer readers' questions. Here are two questions for Dr. Gupta.

From Kat in College Park, Maryland:

“Is it possible to get swine flu (or regular flu, for that matter) twice in the same season?”

Answer:
Once you’ve had the flu, your chance of getting it again in the same season is low. Your body builds antibodies to protect against it. This basically means if you contract that same exact strain, your body fights it off naturally, typically before you’d notice any symptoms. There are a couple of concerns, though, and one that we've been talking about almost since the beginning, and that is that the virus can mutate. It can start to change. If it mutated, a couple of things could happen. A person who has already had H1N1, would no longer be protected. But also, the people who get the vaccine being shipped out now, which is designed specifically to protect against this strain of H1N1, also wouldn’t have protection if it mutates. 

From Vanessa in Gholson, Texas:

“My kids are sick with flu-like symptoms. I’m not sure if I should take them to the doctor but would like to confirm if my children have H1N1 or not. Should we go?”

Answer:
Great question and one I’ve been getting a lot from viewers. Should a person with flu-like symptoms go to the doctor? For the vast majority of people reading this right now, the answer is no. You will have a few miserable days but most likely not need any medical attention whatsoever.

There are some high-risk groups that would need medical attention, but, a good rule of thumb is if you think you are sick enough that you would have gone to the doctor a few years ago for flu-like symptoms, then you can go this year as well. But don't treat this differently simply because it has a different name of H1N1.

As far as getting tested, this is really interesting. When we first started reporting on this virus back in the spring, health officials were trying to figure out exactly what the virus was and confirm whether it was H1N1. They were doing a lot of testing then to help investigate what areas of the country it spread to. But now we know this virus is pretty much everywhere. And the CDC isn’t recommending health providers test for it in most cases because they don't need that information anymore.   Also, the patient probably wouldn’t be medically treated any differently from the treatment for seasonal flu.

As a regular feature of CNNhealth.com, our team of expert doctors answers readers’ questions. Here’s a question for Dr. Gupta.

From Birgitta in Newcastle, Washington:

I think I already had the swine flu but do not know for sure if it was swine flu, do I take the vaccination anyway? Is it safe to take if I suspect that the flu I had was swine flu?

Answer:

Tens of thousands of people right now, like Birgitta, are suffering from or getting over the H1N1 virus. Those numbers will continue to swell as the flu season wears on, and these questions will inevitably come up over and over again.

Incidentally, I can relate. I contracted the H1N1 virus recently while reporting on the war in Afghanistan, and I was miserable for days. I got my immunity to H1N1 the hard way, so I can take a pass on the vaccine this year. But what about people who are not as sure, like Birgitta?

The bottom line is, unless you got a laboratory test confirming it, you cannot be sure that you actually got the H1N1 virus. There are several strains of influenza floating around out there this season, two of which are H1N1 and seasonal influenza. There are a handful of other strains you could have contracted.

The old adage, "Better to be safe than sorry," may apply here. Unless you're sure you had H1N1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you get vaccinated. Even if you did, in theory, get H1N1 the CDC reports no evidence that subsequently getting the H1N1 vaccine would cause problems for you.

You can think about your vaccination like an insurance policy. If you did have H1N1 during your recent illness, then you're protected. If you did not, you're also protected.

If you're wondering when the vaccine will be available, the largest shipment of H1N1 vaccine is scheduled for mid-October. By then, the first 45 million doses of the vaccine will be ready, with another 20 million doses shipped out each week until December.

And don't forget, the CDC recommends that you get the seasonal flu vaccine as well.

As a regular feature of CNNhealth.com, our team of expert doctors answers readers’ questions. Here’s a question for Dr. Gupta.

From Carolyn in Goliad, Texas:

What is the latest treatment or drug that is showing success in treating lupus?

Answer:

Thanks for your question Carolyn.  Lupus  is a chronic autoimmune disease which seems to affect mainly women.  Essentially your body’s immune system begins to attack not only foreign invaders, like viruses, but your own tissues and organs.  There are four types of the disease but the most common is called systemic lupus erythematosus.  Doctors don’t know the cause, but they believe it’s a combination of family history and environmental triggers.  Those triggers can be something like an infection or even sunlight.  

Lupus can cause inflammation in just about any organ or tissue in the body, from your skin and your lungs to your kidneys.  Your doctor will determine your best treatment depending on what type of lupus you have, your signs and symptoms and their severity.  This is a disease of flare-ups and periods of remissions so your medication may also change depending on what stage you’re experiencing.  Plus, it can take months to nail down the most effective combination of treatments to best control your symptoms.  The three most common medications are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, corticosteroids and antimalarial drugs. 

There are currently more than 200 lupus clinical trials testing hormones, immune suppressives, stem cell transplants and biologics.  But Carolyn, after getting your email we put a call into the Lupus Foundation to find out what they considered to be the most promising.  They said lupus is difficult because patients with the same symptoms on the same medication can have different outcomes, so they consider targeted therapies the best hope – specifically biologics.  Biologics are compounds that block or interfere with your body’s immune system response.  They gave us a heads up about a large clinical trial ending in November on one such drug that they hope will help patients looking for new treatments.  Granted even if this drug is shown to be beneficial it will still have to go through the FDA review process so it will be some time before it’s available in your doctor’s office.

As a regular feature of CNNhealth.com, our team of expert doctors answers readers’ questions. Here’s a question for Dr. Gupta.

From Dayna in Pineland, Texas:

"I have been recently 'diagnosed' with dehydration. I’m drinking more now and have much more energy, but wonder: How much liquid consumption is too much on a daily basis?"

Answer:

Dayna, there is no single right answer here.  First I’m glad you saw someone about your lethargy and you are taking action to feel better and improve your health.

According to the Mayo Clinic, an average adult loses more than 80 ounces of water every day.  The normal person can easily replenish this by eating and drinking a healthy diet.  But if you eliminate more than you bring in, due to illness or exercise, that is when dehydration can occur.

As to your question;  Your height, weight, where you live, how much you exercise and many other factors determine your need for fluids.  However, you probably have heard to always drink eight glasses of water a day.  And the American Dietetic Association says to drink at least 64 ounces of fluid a day – eight 8-ounce glasses.  But you do get some hydration from your food as well, so it’s safe to take that into account.

You are right to consider how much water is too much because you can over-hydrate.  There is a relatively uncommon condition called hyponatremia.  This can happen in endurance athletes who are losing sodium through sweating and drink only water to re-hydrate.  Most experts will say the key to proper hydration is listening to your body – drink when you’re thirsty.

A good way to check if you’re drinking the right amount of fluids when exercising is to see whether you weigh the same after your workout as before.  If you weigh less, you need to hydrate, but if you have gained weight you need to back off.

Another tip, if you are well hydrated your urine should be nearly colorless or pale yellow.  Also, keep in mind that thirst is often misinterpreted by the body as hunger, so make sure to drink some water at every meal.

As a regular feature of CNNhealth.com, our team of expert doctors answers readers' questions. Here's a question for Dr. Gupta.

From Cindy in Covington, Georgia:

“Why doesn’t the government make mandatory prices for doctors and their services? That’s the problem. They all charge outrageous prices and vary from place to place. Will that change in the new plan?”

Answer:

Well, first of all, Cindy, you're absolutely right. It’s amazing, even within Medicare you have widely varied prices across the country. One operation in one state might cost $6,000, but in another state, the same operation might cost $17,000. So it does vary even for those covered under Medicare right now.

We are hearing some of the specifics of these health care bills. Nothing has been set in stone but we're hearing that there may be caps on out-of-pocket expenses and full coverage for preventive care.

What we are not hearing are specifics about is whether there will be a set price for various procedures and tests. We asked the White House specifically about that and we were told no, there is no plan in any of the bills so far to set prices across the board, across the country.

The idea is that the government would have a public option for some Americans. This option is for people who can't afford their health care right now. And it's based on a percentage of their premiums as compared with their income. If your current insurance premium is 11 or 12 percent of your salary or higher, you might qualify to buy into this public option. And in terms of overall costs, a public plan would in some ways compete with private insurance companies and may influence how prices are set overall.

The bill being considered now specifies two interesting points in terms of costs. One is that no payment rates would be lower than the Medicare rates right now. Also they would not be able to set prices higher than the average of all plans in the so-called insurance exchange. “Exchange” is the term used to describe the system of private insurance plans and the public option that would come with reform. So there is no direct setting of prices for doctors or hospitals, but a lot of potential influence over prices in the long run.

Critics of the House health reform bill argue that the government plan will always get the better deal. It will always be able to negotiate better prices than private insurers because there will be a larger pool of people. Therefore it would be able to negotiate prices that will not be as low as Medicare but will be low enough that private companies won't be able to compete.  The administration will say this assumption that Americans will flood the public plan is not necessarily true because not everyone will qualify.

One thing I can tell you is that the specifics of the bill are likely to change in the days and weeks to come. I'll continue to break down the details and give you both sides of the argument as Washington works to reform our health system.

As a regular feature of CNNhealth.com, our team of expert doctors will answer readers' questions. Here's a question for Dr. Gupta.

From iReporter Jason in San Antonio:
"Four years ago my father was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.  [For] 18 months we fought that disease with everything we had because we felt like every day was precious, every day we kept him alive we were one day closer to a cure for that disease. I guess my question is, under a public option or government run health care system, would that type of care be possible? Is it something that 10 years from now we're going to have to sacrifice or come up with a tremendous amount of cash to pay for it because it would be rationed under our government run health care system?"

Answer:
First, Jason thanks for sharing that personal story. Our best wishes are with you and your family. The idea of rationing really strikes at the core of all that we are talking about with regard to health care - this idea of lowering costs, trying to increase access. The question is, will we have to ration health care as a result?

There was a New York Times editorial a couple of weeks ago by Peter Singer, a bioethicist at Princeton University, where it was put like this: "The death of a teenager is a greater tragedy than the death of an 85-year-old and this should be reflected in our priorities."  Think about that for a second. He's saying we should assign value of life differently in certain situations.

Jason, we took your story specifically to the White House and asked them to respond. They said, "Our heart goes out to Jason and his family. We know families across America are dealing with issues like this every day. There are a number of different bills making their way through Congress right now but we do know this: The reform bill that the President signs will not lead to rationing. It will be fully paid for and bring down costs over the long term." They went on to say, that the President won't sign a bill that doesn't guarantee coverage to all people of all ages regardless of  specific health conditions.

But as you're saying, Jason,  it may come down to numbers and whether estimates of the cost of  health care reform are accurate. When Medicare hospital insurance was conceived in 1965, the House Ways and Means Committee projected that in 25 years it would cost 6 billion dollars. The actual cost? 67 billion, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. You can see how far off costs for Medicare were, based on initial projections –much, much higher. Now the president says they'll add prevention programs and wellness programs, creating a healthier population and that will be a cheaper population with regard to health care costs. But who knows? You've got more people that you're trying to cover; more people, more tests, more screening. How that all adds up, we're just not sure.

As a new feature of CNNhealth.com, our team of expert doctors will answer readers' questions. Here's a question for Dr. Gupta.

From @richroll via Twitter.com:

“What are phytonutrients and why do we need them?”

Answer:

Thanks Rich. You can think of phytonutrients as health boosters. Plants produce these substances to protect themselves from bacteria and viruses, but they help the human body as well. They are highly nutritious active compounds within plants which promote good health.

Phytonutrients come in many classes. That list is long, but the ones you’ve probably heard of are carotenoids, flavonoids and sulfides.

We probably know the most about carotenoids, according to the USDA, they basically give fruit and vegetables their red, orange and yellow color. These compounds are believed to protect against certain cancers, heart disease and even vision loss due to macular degeneration. Think of carrots, green leafy vegetables, oranges and sweet potatoes, to name a few. In fact just one orange contains more than 170 phytonutrients!

One rule of thumb I like to follow – try to eat at least seven different colored foods every day. The brighter the color, the better, this will help fuel your body with the essential nutrients your body needs.

Evidence that these compounds help our bodies is compelling. In just one study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, consuming just three servings of fruits and vegetables, was linked to a 22% decreased risk of stroke. But overall, phytonutrients are said to help slow down the aging process and may protect against a host of illnesses and diseases like some cancers, heart disease, high blood pressure and other chronic health conditions. In addition, they could work to enhance immunity and serve as antioxidants.

By the way Rich Roll is quite an inspiration himself, read his story here.