September 6th, 2010 | 
Author: The last thing you need in the early Fall is to come down with a cold or a flu. And even worse, if you are a firm believer in yearly flu shots, you might not even have gotten yours by then. Although many pharmacies, clinics, hospitals, and even your doctor in Schaumburg offer flu shots starting in August, or even year round, many people do not make time for it until the weather gets cold or people around them start getting sick. If you ask your doctor in Schaumburg, though, he or she would tell you that the winter is not the only time you are vulnerable to influenza attacks. In fact, one of the most dangerous times for catching the flu (and definitely a cold) is during seasonal changes when the humidity is much lower on average.
Furthermore, scientists have learned a lot about the viruses that cause influenza in recent years. Luckily, unlike colds, there is a viable inoculation for the flu. Unfortunately, though, there are a few common misconceptions about flu shots. One of the most important misconceptions that often turns people off to getting the shot is that it absolutely prevents you from catching the flu. Although it lowers your chances, nothing can preclude the possibility of you catching the bug. This leads to people catching the flu after getting a flu shot and then thinking that it did not work or that it was a waste of time.
In fact, this could not be less true. The inoculation simply helps your immune system build up a supply of antibodies to fight off infection. So in simple terms, even if you get the flu, if you have a healthy immune system it will be exponentially less severe than it would be if you had not received a flu shot. Nothing can guarantee you won’t catch the flu, but a flu shot can help protect you and lessen the symptoms and duration of you do catch a bug.
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