Ugh, my muscles…
why do they feel so… achey.
*cough* If you say more research is needed I’m going to kick you.
Howdy sickos, I’m Trace, thanks for watching!
IT’S FLU SEASON EVERYBODY!
Congratulations.
If you didn’t get your flu shot this year (or even if you did), here’s a warning:
YOU COULD GET SICK.
No one exactly knows why influenza viruses hit in the colder months.
They may survive and circulate better in cold, dry air;l our immune systems may be weaker
thanks to a lack of sunlight in the winter or; perhaps, it’s simply because thanks
to the cold we spend more time in close quarters, and thus, spread the virus more easily.
Once you’ve got the flu, however, chances are you’ll get some of the symptoms: fever,
headaches, sore throat, runny nose, muscle aches and so on!
The thing is, I get fevers and headaches (your hypothalamus raises your body temperature
to make viruses less comfortable, and the heat causes dilation of vessels in your brain
adding pressure).
I also get runny noses and sore throats (your nose is pushing mucus like crazy to wash pathogens
away from the body, and the back of the throat is popular for infectious colonies, and immune
cells rush to the area, inflaming it and causing pain).
Fun fact: 90 percent of sore throats are caused by viruses, not bacteria; which means only
10 percent of the time will antibiotics help you; that said, those bacterial sore throats
are serious!
Basically, most of your symptoms aren’t the flu, but the immune response -- and muscle
and joint pain is the same.
If you’re thinking, damn, my immune system is causing all this terribleness, you’re
not alone.
We’re all right there with you.
The immune system is the last line of defense so it doesn’t really do half-measures.
It just POW!
GETS AT IT.
Anyway, you’ve probably guessed by now, but muscle aches are thanks to the immune
system too, but in a much cooler way.
Muscle aches are called myalgia, and in studies, as many as 94-percent of people with the flu
get them.
The immune system’s army contains a variety of cells, but when it comes to these myalgic
issues we really only care about a few….
Let’s say the immune system corners some virus in your thigh muscle.
The antibody narcs show up, and bind with the virus, tagging it for attack and keeping
it from infecting other cells.
Once the virus is tagged, histamine shows up -- it’s is part of our allergic reaction
system.
The histamine dilates the vessels in the area, and gets them ready for the big guns… the
macrophages (a.k.a the famous white blood cells)!
These macrophages get in there and start eating and attacking the tagged pathogens, and try
to eat any infected cells.
The thing is, thanks to studies done on patients with arthritis, we know macrophages tend to
leave behind chemicals which aren’t super comfortable.
Cytokines are a family of proteins secreted by immune system cells.
During influenza attacks, one, called interleukin-6 (IL-6) is all over.
IL-6 is associated with inflammation and causes soreness.
So, when the white blood cells show up, they ravage the area, and leave the IL-6 in their
wake, which your body has to clean up.
There’s not much you can do about muscle and joint aches, except give them a rest.
Some people massage their achy joints and muscles, some use warm blankets…
fluids always help.
But if you’re really concerned ask your doctor… we’re not specialists.
Here’s something to contemplate while you’re laying in your bed hating your own immune
system for making you feel so bad.
One: Evolution may have created the pain, inflammation and whatnot to keep you from
spreading the sickness to others, and to force you to rest so your body can fight the infection.
Cool, right?
And Two: influenza has been part of the human experience since before history was history.
In fact, it was first described by the father of western medicine, Hippocrates, in 412 BCE!
If anything?
You’re just participating in the grand tapestry of human suffering.
Congratulations no go make a hot tea.
After all that, I hope you got your flu shot.
You should watch this video to figure why you should have done it.
But if you didn't, tell us about it in the comments.
Why didn't you get that shot?
Please subscribe for more DNews and thanks for watching.
I forgot to get my flu shot...