Tag: response

Is ‘Man Flu’ a real thing?

Today’s post is about ‘Man Flu’.

One of my work colleagues was making comments about catching man flu and how bad it was, so I thought I would investigate and share.

So, about Man Flu

We have all heard of the notorious “Man Flu”. It can affect men from all walks of life and render them miserable for days. They claim that they are ‘dying’ and ‘it’s the worst flu ever’. Many women, myself included, tend to consider “Man Flu” an exaggeration of the common cold.

Are women just more resilient and able to cope with this common ailment or is there really such a thing as “Man Flu”?

What do the scientists say?

A research paper published in December 2017 explored whether men exaggerated the severity of symptoms or their immune system is actually inferior.

The researchers found that there is some evidence clearly supporting men suffering more symptoms and dying from viral respiratory illness than women. They found that men do have a less robust immune system.

Since flu symptoms are in large part due to the body’s immune reaction, a lessened immune response in women may translate to milder symptoms.

Other studies have found that an Influenza vaccination tends to cause more reactions and better antibody response in women. Testosterone may play a role, as men with the highest levels tended to have a lower antibody response. A better antibody response may lessen the severity of flu. Therefore it’s possible that vaccinated men get more severe symptoms than women because they don’t respond to vaccination as well.

Another possibility is that men actually experience respiratory viral illnesses differently than women. This is supported by scientific data for other conditions. Pain due to coronary artery disease (as with a heart attack or angina) is a good example. Men tend to have “classic” crushing chest pain, while women are more likely to have “atypical” symptoms such as nausea or shortness of breath.

 There’s more…

In several studies using mice, the adult male mice displayed more symptoms of sickness than females when they were exposed to bacteria that cause an illness with symptoms similar to the flu. The males also had more fluctuations in body temperature, fever and signs of inflammation, and took longer to recover.

A group of researchers from the University of Cambridge conducted a study in 2010. They put forward a theory that men have evolved to have weaker immune systems and lower immunity because of their tendency for risk-taking behaviours. Still other research suggests that because women more easily pass pathogens onto their children, they’ve built up more natural defences against them.

The scientific evidence for this is far from conclusive, but some research has shown that male and female immune cells do react differently to invading viruses.

 Whichever theory rings true for you, it seems that there is some scientific basis to “Man Flu” after all.

Will we ever hear the end of it now?!

Till the next post,

Live Clean n Prosper

Sources – Harvard Medical Publishing – BMJ Resource Centre 

Cortisol and Stress.

Todays post is about Cortisol and stress.

I have been reading an interesting book called ‘The Cortisol Connection’. It is about how stress and the hormone ‘Cortisol’ affect our health.

I thought I would share with you some of what I have learned.

Firstly, what is Cortisol?

Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands, which are located near the kidneys. It’s the body’s primary stress hormone and works with certain parts of our brain to control mood, motivation, and fear.

It’s best known for preparing the body’s “fight-or-flight” instinct in a crisis. However cortisol also plays a vital role in a range of other bodily functions.

  • Manages how the body uses carbohydrates, fats, and proteins
  • Regulates blood pressure
  • Increases blood sugar (glucose)
  • Controls sleep/wake cycle
  • Boosts energy so that the body can handle stress and restores balance afterward

We have cortisol receptors in most of the cells in our body. These receptors receive and use the hormone in several ways. When the body is on high alert, cortisol can alter or shut down functions that get in the way. These might include the digestive or reproductive systems, the immune system, or even growth processes.

These functions of cortisol are very beneficial, but only for a short period of time, in very specific situations.

Then there’s Stress

Now for all of us, living in the twenty-first century brings with it a certain amount of unavoidable stress. This can mean that, sometimes, our cortisol levels can get out of balance.

In an ideal world, after the pressure or danger has passed, the body’s cortisol level should calm down. This means that the heart rate, blood pressure, and other systems will get back to normal.

But what if you’re under constant stress and the alarm button stays on?

Too Much Cortisol

Too much cortisol can derail the body’s most important functions. It can also cause a variety of health problems.

  • Anxiety and depression
  • Headaches
  • Memory and concentration issues
  • Problems with digestion
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Increased appetite and weight gain
  • Elevated cholesterol levels and blood pressure
  • Reduced sex drive

When the body is continually subjected to regular stress, this will lead to increased cortisol levels. The subsequent health problems will then create additional stress for the individual and a vicious cycle is created.

It’s about balance.

We have all heard this many times and some of us are lucky enough to get the balance just right. However it’s now scientific fact.

Stress researchers have proven that the best way of managing stress is to eat right, exercise regularly and get enough sleep.

Eat right – The scientists support what many of our grandparents have said. Eat a good blend of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, including 5 serves of fresh fruit and vegetables. In other words, a little of everything, but without the high processed ‘fast foods’.

Exercise regularly – This translates to ‘a small amount of exercise on a daily basis’, such as walking whenever possible and using the stairs. The small sessions of exercise help the body to use the energy provided by the cortisol and then calm down. Simulating a sort of a mini ‘fight or flight’ scenario.

Enough sleep – Researchers found that too little sleep heightens the stress response and keeps cortisol levels elevated. Participants who got 8 hours of sleep for a week kept cortisol levels in the normal range.

The Australian National Sleep Foundation recommends between 6 to 10 hours of sleep for adults 26-64.

 We are all living with a certain amount of stress every day and it’s important to our health that we find our own balance.

Till the next post,

Live clean n prosper

Inflammation and the Immune system

Todays post is about Inflammation,

Last week I wrote about the Immune System and how when it is compromised, we get sick. Well, this week I am going to expand on that subject.

One of the symptoms of a compromised immune system is Inflammation.

There was an article in todays Body & Soul that focused on this issue. Finally scientists are saying that Inflammation in the body is one of the major causes of illness. Many Naturopaths and practitioners of complimentary medicine have been saying this for years.

Scott and I first heard about Inflammation in the body and its relationship to illness approximately 8 years ago.

Normally Inflammation is a good thing. It’s a sign of the body’s defense system fighting infection or repairing damage. This is all well and good when our immune system is working well. However, as I mentioned last week, many of us have a compromised immune system due to the stressors we put on it.

We often suspend the body’s process of using inflammation to deal with issues. We start to feel the aches and pains and take anti-inflammatories. Therefore the body doesn’t get to complete its healing processes.

The result being that instead of only calling on our inflammatory defences when we are injured or sick, we’re increasingly triggering the response day in, day out. This creates a situation where our body is consistently emitting small quantities of inflammatory compounds. These levels are often too low to create noticeable symptoms.

There have been recent studies linking high levels of inflammation in the body with some major health problems, such as cancers and heart disease.

 So where does the inflammation come from?

Some is produced inside the body. Excess weight is a cause as fat cells excrete inflammatory substances. We also create it by not taking care of ourselves; stress causes the response as well as lack of sleep. If we soldier on with our aches and pains, ignore allergies and if we don’t look after our teeth, our levels of inflammatory chemicals rise.

Another cause is many of the foods that are a large part of the Western diet.

Foods such as sugar, alcohol, high fat meats, fried foods and refined grains cause inflammation.

 How do we reduce our inflammation?

 The good news is diet can also be used to protect us against inflammation. There is scientific evidence to show that there are foods that reduce inflammation in the body. These are green leafy vegetables, onion, garlic, herbs and spices such as ginger, turmeric and pepper. So by reducing our intake of the Pro-inflammatory foods and increasing the Anti-inflammatory foods in our diet, we are taking steps to lower the inflammation in our bodies.

This strategy along with improving our sleep, reducing our stress and getting some exercise, goes a long way to improving our immune system ability to cope.

A stronger immune system is a stronger, healthier body.

 

Till the next post,

 

Live Clean n Prosper