dr. natalie azar. appreciate it. for more information on repellents andtips, go to today pont .com. >>> coming up, fun spring cleaning trivia. we associat mmm... i can't believe it has 40% fewer calories than butter. i can't believe it's made with real, simple ingredients. i can't believe... we're on a whale. [whale] i can't believe they talked me into this. role isn't bigger. real, simple ingredients. unbelievable taste. oh it's real! enjoy i can't believe it's not butter! hi, i'm here with some advice from the future don't buy makeup that settles into lines, it ages you. get simply ageless makeup it floats over lines and you look beautiful! p simply ageless from olay... v and easy, breezy,z beautiful z covergirl you're getting 3 here. alright? here goes. yep. [ crunching ] oh! cheddar, sour cream & onion, and salt & vinegar. wow! wow! how did you do that?! i can see through the blindfold. we give you relief you give them a case tylenol your worst cold & flu symptoms... you can give them tylenol we let you compare g

dr. natalie azar. >> people what was gotten the flu who got the flu shot. reading that stat is surprising. >> flu shot effectiveness is up to 59%. >> what is it normally. >> that's good. usually 50% to 60%. we don't get to 100%. this year's flu vaccine, the strains that are covered are covering the predominant strain that's circulating right now. >> they got it right. >> they got it right this year. >> you should still get your flu shot now. >> absolutely. still get it. >> we're just getting to sort of the thick of it right now and >> two weeks to inoculate. >> how do we know we have the flu or something else. >> fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, fatigue a couple of the symptoms. how do you distinguish between flu and common cold. has to do with the severity of the symptoms. with flu you're knocked out. you're too tired to even watch tv. you're exhausted. usually comes on quickly. you're really sick for two to three days. one thing to mention, if you improve from the flu and then a couple of days later you get sick again worry about a secondary pneumon

dr. natalie azar. >> hey, natalie. >> good morning. >> first up, you see nail discoloration. should you be concerned? >> okay. to say at the outset. any dramatic change in your nail, whether it's a change in the color, change in the quality or consistency,en suddenly you have new pits or ridges, it's probably a good idea to see our health care provider. we say the eyes are the windows into your soul. you can learn a lot in nails in terms of your nail health. blue nails can be associated with not getting enough oxygen. if you have liver disease and nail changes, not surprising. but changes in your body is a good time to see your provider. >> these are nice for screen savers. what about cracks on the side of your mouth? >> this happens to people if you lip your lip lick your lips a lot. but cracked, red, inflamed looking, can be a sign of one of the most common would be b b b12 deficiency. we see it a lot in people who are vegan because b 12 comes from animal products. >> what foods help? >> animal products. meat, fish, poultry, eggs and milk. otherwise, also supplement. >> nex

dr. natalie azar is here with germy hot spots. >> hi, willie. cases. >> two numbers easy to remember are swapping out the toothbrush and contact lens case every three months. the question we get, can you reinfect yourself with your toothbrush if you've had the cold or a flu? >> no because you make antibodies to every infection you come across. it's more having to do with the yuck factor. if you're sick, get a new one. worth the money spent. >> medicine cabinet? >> hugely important. highly secure. per the fda, you should throw out all expired medicines, period. you cannot be assured that the safety and the will be the same after the expiration date. a few points, there are some medicines that this holds true 100% of the time. insulin, epipens, anything that's life-saving. if you have ibuprofen two weeks old, you can probably still use it. you can't be guaranteed it's going to be as effective. >> less to do with the health hazard. usually after three uses, you can wash them out. not necessarily a health hazard. >> how about the shower curtain? >> different story. studies indicated that bac

dr. natalie azar. how are you? >> i'm good. >> you can have a stroke in the hair salon sink? >> how could that happen, right? so this is something that's called the beauty parlor syndrome. it's well described in literature. for convenience sake and to let you see, to clarify, what are we talking about here? this is the anatomy of the neck. there is an artery here. this goes up into the base of the brain and it supplies very important parts of the brain vision and other things. you can see, you can appreciate, number one, it's close to the skeletal vertebrae. hypoex hyperextend the neck. or with a rapid movement. rapid rotational movement. these things can also happen with chiropractic manipulation. not saying cause and effect. as well as whiplash injuries. >> presenting it? >> avoiding the hyperextension. people at risk are people are underlying hardening of the arteries. they're vulnerable to compressing the artery. >> ask for cushion back there? >> yeah. some regulation is put in. they want the sinks cushion and had higher so you're not hyperextended. >> drinking cold water

dr. natalie azar. good to see you. let's launch into warmer weather and a lot of people concerned about zika in the usa. this is an evolving story, which we want to point out, and you've said. >> yeah, look, nobody knows for certain all things regarding zika. on a regular basis, thomas, the head of the cdc, expressed concern. there have been a few times we felt strongly about certain things, like the likelihood of sexual transmission is low, and now we're finding out it is, in fact, plausible that can happen. that's one example. >> let's talk about protection. what should we do, as far as mosquito repellent, is that it? >> it's important. i cannot drill this into you deet has been studied the most. been around for decades. according to the cdc, and because they've done peer reviewed analysis, epa stuff, deet is the one to go to. there's also a compound that are safe in pregnancy. >> there is low-risk and high-risk arias. >> the high-risks cities will be obvious. the southeast. we're talking about georgia, areas in flor

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dr. natalie azar. good morning. >> good morning. >> you have to marvel at the science that allows doctors to do this. but it clearly is not for everybody. this is just for those who -- i mean, if you had had, for example, a hysterectomy because of a cancer diagnosis or something like that? >> right. >> potentially for them? >> only women who have uterine factor infertility. they're either born without a uterus, they have a damaged uterus, secondary to infections or add heengshesionadhesions, or they've had their uterus removed. it can affect 3% to 5% of women worldwide. >> this is a long road. >> yes. >> as we saw in janet's piece. >> honestly, from start to finish, could be upwards of five years. initial procedure starts with doing ibf. you have to have six toembryos, have a suitable donor, have the trantsplant. it has to heal for one year before the embryos are implanted. hopefully, the baby nine months later. it's important to point out that the researchers are stopping short of calling this a grand

dr. natalie azar is here with five things your body may be trying to tell you. >> good to see you. >> we take for granted sometimes the little things that go on. >> yeah. >> we should listen. >> yup. the first one we'll talk about, the first two diseases or conditions have to do with the eye. >> okay. start here. >> let's say you're looking at somebody or your own eyes and they seem to be protruding. both of them. you see more of the white of the eye. seems like it's coming out of could be a condition called hyperthyroidism. it's your metabolic center of the body. one thing, if it's just one side, get checked out immediately. if it's both sides, you'll see your doctor. another thing about the thyroid and the eyes has to do with the eyebrows. in hypothyroidism, your hair can be coarse, dry and brittle. the eyebrows toward the outside of the eye, you start to thin and lose that. that was one of my medical board questions in 1999. a picture of somebody. >> interesting. next up, the tongue. >> the tongue. just like areas of the body like the skin and the nails, the tongue can also be a littl

dr. natalie azar is an nbc news medical contributor. good to see you. wear off. >> yeah. >> what's the headline here? >> the headline is that in addition to adolescents, there are new recommendations for them to get boosters, but this is a reminder for adults that you might be due for some as well. >> you've just revealed to me it may be time for you to get some booster shots. let's start with pertussis also known as whooping cough. it's preventable. >> it's preventable. i think a newer recommendation from the cdc in the last couple of years is that every woman who is pregnant should get the tdap, acellular per ttussipertussis. it's only available in combination. these pregnant women should get it in every third trimester. when a baby is born, it harbors the mom's antibodies called passive immunity. infants don't start getting vaccinated for pertussis nil two months. there's a vulnerable period. it takes two weeks for the mom to develop antibodies. that's why it's recommended. >> you mentioned a second ago tetanus shots. i've had several over my lifetim

dr. natalie azar weighs in with the answer. >>> ever go to the store with a short list and come home with a full cart? the savvy ways grocers get you to spend money without realizing it. >>> what will they wear? >> winners are -- kaitlin and john! >> congratulations. in our big fat today wedding. now, you'll choose what they wear when they walk down the aisle. today, tuesday, march 15th, 2016. >> we're on the "today" show. let's get on it, don't you leave me brokenhearted >> birthday girl. >> 84-year-old grandma woke us up to be here. >> it's 8:00 on "today". that is an adorable little baby. tuesday, march 15th. great day on our plaza. the crowd is wild and loud. spring break rolls on. it's kind of a rainy one out here. >> what's that? >> drizzly and rainy. and now we're back into those days where you realize it's not quite spring yet. >> it is still warm, so this is okay. >> true. >> could be worse. >> did you say something? just kidding. by the way, folks at home, you have important work to do this week. our couple in the big fat today wedding is getting ready. this morning, you get to

dr. natalie azar. doctor, good to see you. before we talk about the results, tell me about the research itself. >> matt, i think it's important to remember that this was a study. this is in contrast to the gold standard, prospek ctively designed studies. the case-controlled study only demonstrates an association between two things, not a cause and effect. >> does this mean i don't have to give up my pretzels and bagels? is. >> no, i think it means although the association is not a cause and effect, it's still a strong, compelling finding. not necessarily new or scientific that bad carbs would be bad for you. >> it reinforces this. it's shocking for people who will say, wait a minute, even if i wasn't a smoker or am not a smoker, i have this diet with a high glycemic index, i'm at greater risk. >> right. here is where a little bit of the science background is useful. the glycemic index is how quickly your blood sugar rises when you eat a food. when you have too much sugar in the blood, elevated glucose level, you get an elevate

dr. natalie azar. appreciate it. for more information on tips, go to today pont .com. >>> coming cleaning trivia. we associat mmm... i can't believe it has 40% fewer calories than butter. i can't believe it's made with real, simple ingredients... [whale] i can't believe they talked me into this. e my role isn't bigger. dients. unbelievable taste. oh it's real!eve it's not butter! hi, i'm here with some advice from the future don't buy makeup ts you. get simply ageless makeup it floats over lines and you look beautiful! p simply ageless from olay...zy,z beautiful z covergirl ere. alright? here goes. yep. [ crunching ] oh! cheddar, sour cream & onion, and salt & vinegar. how did you do that?! [ male announcer ] pringles! ef from your cold & flu. you give them a case of the giggles. tylenol cold helps relieve your worst cold & flu symptoms... them everything you've got. tylenol rogressive, we let you compare our progressive direct rate... great deals for reals! ...and our competitors' rates side-by-side, so you know you

dr. natalie azar is here with what couples need to know. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> another part of the headline. it's not just women consuming the caffeine, it's men, as well. talk to me about this. >> what makes that interesting, matt, is multiple other studies have looked at caffeine intake for a woman during presidency. t pregnancy and there can be adverse outcomes. this is men and women. >> let's talk about how far in advance of conception does this have an impact, and another after that. >> basically, what they did was or up to 12 months. weeks and months prior to conception. they took diaries about alcohol caffeine intake. >> what levels are we talking about? >> greater than two beverages was associated with an increased risk. the obvious question is, what actually constitutes a serving? coffee? is it a large, large, kas caffeinate caffeinated drink? >> basically, one serving of coffee is considered -- a serving of caffeine is considered 8 ounces. roughly speaking, a regularly brewed cup of coffee will be around 95 to 2