Influenza is an illness that develops due to an attack on your respiratory system by a flu virus. It is commonly known as the flu, and its symptoms can range from moderate to severe. Not to be mistaken for the cold, if you have the flu, your symptoms are likely to be worse and will
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Winter Respiratory Illnesses
Every winter season, we look forward to the holidays, good food, time off work and school, and spending time with family and friends. But one thing we never want is to get sick. Unfortunately, there are a variety of winter respiratory illnesses that attack millions of people in the United States every year. Let’s take
Read MoreCould My Sore Throat Be Strep?
Wintertime brings cold temperatures, holidays, and snow. It opens up all sorts of possibilities to play outside and enjoy winter sports. But exposure to the elements also increases your risk of catching a cold, the flu, or even strep throat. This is because people are coming in from the cold outdoors and breathing stuffy, recirculated
Read MorePediatric Recommendations for the Flu Season
While millions of Americans have to deal with nasty bouts of the flu, no one is more vulnerable to annual outbreaks than young children. Each year, millions of children are afflicted with the influenza virus, which is far more dangerous than the common cold. Children with chronic health problems like asthma are especially at risk
Read MoreRecognizing Early Flu Symptoms
Uh-oh. Is it just your imagination or is that sudden cough or body ache a sign that you’re coming down with something? And if so, is just a cold or the dreaded influenza (flu) virus? With all the news about how terrible a flu season can be, you can’t be too sure or too safe
Read MoreWhy Do We Get Sick in the Winter?
Germs Have Seasons Too The common cold is more common in the fall and the spring; and the flu is more common in the winter. That is because the viruses, which cause the common cold—rhinoviruses—peak in the spring and fall months, and influenza viruses peak in the winter. Because the weather during fall and
Read MoreCan You Get the Flu from the Flu Shot?
Each year the strains of flu that affect humans are different. However, one thing that is not different is that the flu is a very contagious and dangerous illness, causing hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and tens of thousand of deaths each year. This is why scientists monitor the strains of flu that move through
Read MoreHow to Avoid the Flu – Our Top Tips
Whenever the seasons change, there’s so much to look forward to – unless you’re talking about cold and flu season. Thousands of Americans catch the flu virus each year and have to miss work or school for several days. While most are able to recover within a week, the flu can actually be fatal for the
Read MoreWhen Are Antibiotics Necessary?
Antibiotics are a wonderful classification of drugs that have saved hundreds of thousands of lives, and improved the lives of countless more. However, do you know when antibiotics are helpful and when they aren’t? Antibiotics target and kill bacteria, so for bacteria-borne illnesses and bacterial infections, antibiotics are great. The problem is that the majority
Read MoreFight Colds Easily by Boosting Immunity
This past winter and early spring season has been especially harsh on everyone, with colds and flu being spread easily amongst those with weakened immune systems. Even people who normally don’t succumb to viral and bacterial infections have found themselves calling into work, feeling under the weather and unable to shake the tiny microbes making
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