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 […]