There are so many myths about catching colds and the flu that I thought some of them should be debunked.

Once again Parents magazine rounds up some of the most significant research into this subject and I decided to share some of it:

  • The flu vaccine causes the flu - -No, it does not. The viruses in flu shots are already dead and therefore cannot cause illness. You may experience muscle soreness and fatigue, which can be side effects but you will not catch the flu. If you opt for the nasal spray, which does contain live viruses, you may develop side effects which mimic the flu or a cold but clear up in a very short amount of time and are not the actual ailment.
  • You can catch a cold from being cold- -No. Viruses cause colds, plain and simple. You won't catch a cold from going outside without a coat or hat. You won't catch one from sleeping with the window open or going outside in freezing weather with wet hair. However, if you already have a bacteria or virus in your body which your immune system is suppressing and you do something to compromise that, (like not get enough sleep or your body temperature drops), you could develop a cold or flu.
  • The flu just isn't that serious- -Not always true. Around 36,000 people still die from the flu every year and an additional 200,000 are hospitalized. Most of us will be miserable for about two weeks before we recover. People with asthma, congestive heart failure, and other chronic illnesses, as well as children under 5, people over 65, and pregnant women, are at a much high risk of losing their lives to complications from that "simple" flu.

Those are three of the biggies, but there are many other myths that you can explore here.

Stay well my friends!

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