Achoo! It’s That Time of Year Again

As the cold weather rolls in, so too do the colds we catch.

Although there is no cure for the common cold, we have a strong way to curb the spread of one of the most common viruses around – the flu.

There is a shot you can get for the flu – commonly called the flu shot (real inventive with the name). The flu shot is composed of three or four strains of what the World Health Organization (WHO) has calculated to be the most likely forms of the disease.

Although you still can get the flu, even after having a flu shot, it is a good idea to get the flu shot.

By getting the flu shot, you significantly lower your chances of getting the flu. Also, if you did get a flu shot and still get the flu, chances are you won’t get as sick, as you would have if you never had the shot in the first place.

Here in Canada, many Canadian provinces provide free flu shots to all residents – all you need is to show your valid provincial health card, roll up your sleeve and don’t mind the prick.

Every year I get the flu shot, because it just makes sense. I haven’t had the flu in years – probably because I get the flu shot every year. I still occasionally catch colds – but very rarely.

As colds and flu become stronger each year, it is really important to protect yourself from the things we can, today. Super bugs are developing, due to our societies over-reliance on anti-bacterial products, antibiotics, and by consuming food products which really aren’t wise for the human population (that’s how SARS started in China).

As we continue to eliminate bacteria and viruses through the use of chemicals, these diseases continue to evolve and develop their own anti-bodies to these chemicals.

Although it is wise to use an anti-bacterial soap, that’s part of the problem. The more we use these soaps, and other anti-bacterial products, the more the current germs evolve into stronger, more resistant strains.

The same can be said for colds and flu and antibiotics. The more antibiotics we use, the more resistant these disease become.

Also, by consuming things which just don’t jive with our bodies, is another way we are slowly creating an impending doom.

SARS started because someone ate a wild cat – a cat of all things – with a virus. The virus is only generally found in cats, but it morphed upon enter the human host when consumed. This virus mutated into one of the world’s most deadly viruses for people.

Getting a flu shot won’t necessarily keep you from catching the flu – but it may keep you alive should another pandemic breakout, because some moron in some third-world country decides to eat something he shouldn’t.