You’re sick. Not deathly ill, but feeling crummy with a cold. Should you go to work? Or is it time to forget your responsibilities and retire to the couch to binge-watch the last season of The Leftovers?
If you decide to let things go, you’re not alone.
As Nancy Shute found out from personal experience and some old-fashioned reporting, there is a phenomenon called "sickness behavior" that is sparked by the body's response to infection. Chemicals that tell the immune system to go after invading viruses also tell us to slow down; skip eating, drinking and sex; shun social interactions; and rest.
When the urge to drop out comes upon you, pay attention!
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| Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images |
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And it turns out that sickness behavior is cropping up all over right now. Flu season is in high gear across the country.
The H3N2 influenza A subtype that appears to be most prevalent this year is particularly nasty, with more severe symptoms including fever and body aches.
What can you do?
Even though the vaccine isn’t the best match for the flu strain this season, it’s still worth getting immunized if you haven’t done that already. And wash your hands frequently to cut down on the chances of infection.
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Button, button, who’s got the button?
A war of words over the size of each "nuclear button" possessed by President Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un has triggered a surge in worries and also sales of potassium iodide, a drug that protects against radiation poisoning.
Troy Jones, who runs a website that sells the pills, says he now follows President Trump’s Twitter feed “just to gauge the day's sales and determine how much to stock and how many radiation emergency kits to prep for the coming week." Jones added, "I don't think he intended to have this kind of effect."
Make sure you wash your hands well if you come across any stray buttons.
Your Shots editor, Scott Hensley
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