I recently came across an article claiming that the population of rhinoviruses—the primary viruses that causes the common cold—is about one billion trillion. That rhinovirus number is so amazingly huge, that I had to put it into context to even comprehend it: There are about 150 billion rhinovirus particles for every person on the planet. If [...]

A close friend of mine recently told me that he came down with the flu six hours after getting a flu shot (influenza virus vaccine). He was convinced that the flu shot had given him the flu and was adamant that he would never get vaccinated against influenza again. It’s not the first time I [...]

It can sometimes be difficult to tell whether we have a cold or the flu, especially when we first start to get sick. During these first hours, it is hard to know one way or the other which virus we have caught, unless we have access to a flu test. There is a good reason [...]

Someone would have to be living under a very big rock not to notice the enormous hype that flu vaccines receive every flu season.  From department stores, to virtually every drug store chain, to walk-in health centers across the country, everyone seems to be not only offering a flu shot but also touting how essential [...]

You’ve probably never given much thought to why you feel tired when you are sick—it just seems natural. When we are sick, our energy levels seem to drop and all we want to do is go to bed and sleep so we can feel better faster. The truth of the matter is not so much [...]

Every winter, we at least consider the possibility of getting the flu…again. Why do we keep getting the flu every year, but we only catch other viruses once or maybe twice in a lifetime? Many of us had the chicken pox, which is caused by the herpes zoster virus, when we were kids. Once we [...]

This year 3 to 5 million people will catch the flu. Seasonal influenza—the virus that causes flu symptoms—starts going around like clockwork every winter. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, flu season runs from November through March. In the Southern Hemisphere, flu season begins in May and ends in September. Why is the Flu [...]

What is Sinusitis? More than 24 million people in the United States suffer from sinusitis: inflammation of the sinuses, which may be due to allergies, infection or autoimmune problems. By way of explanation, the sinuses are open air spaces located in bone cavities surrounding the nose. The job of your sinuses, and it’s a very [...]