{"id":892,"date":"2020-04-13T09:00:20","date_gmt":"2020-04-13T09:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandtoncentral.co.za\/blog\/?p=892"},"modified":"2020-04-02T11:48:31","modified_gmt":"2020-04-02T11:48:31","slug":"healthy-living-winter-coming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandtoncentral.co.za\/blog\/healthy-living-winter-coming\/","title":{"rendered":"Healthy Living – Winter coming"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fight the flu this winter<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019re days away from winter, and although preventing flu is not always possible, good hygiene, avoiding those who are sick, and getting a flu injection can help to minimise your risk.<\/p>\n

Cold vs Flu<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s cover the basics and explain the difference between a cold and flu. Although the symptoms are the same, it\u2019s the intensity of them that are dramatically different. With a cold, the symptoms you may experience are a mild fever, runny\/blocked nose, headache, sore throat, and perhaps a light cough. You usually feel terrible for 4\/5 days, but in 7 to 10 days you are your old self and healthy again. Flu\u2019s symptoms include muscle pains, very high fever, runny\/blocked nose, sore throat, and a cough. Sounds the same as a cold, right? Except that flu forces you to stay in bed for several days and it usually takes two weeks for a full recovery.<\/p>\n

Flu Vaccination<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you don\u2019t want to experience the aforementioned symptoms, we suggest getting a vaccine as the most effective way of fighting flu. Basically, it\u2019s an injection of inactivated viruses to prompt your immune system to produce antibodies \u2013 proteins that neutralise viruses. The body recognises the invader and starts to make preparations to fight these strains of flu. So, if you\u2019re exposed to real flu viruses, your body is ready to fight it. No vaccine is 100% effective, but if you end up with flu it\u2019ll be short-lived, and you\u2019ll recover much quicker. The flu vaccine covers only the most common flu viruses for the year, and not the common cold or any other virus such as the Coronavirus.<\/p>\n

The best time to get a flu vaccination is before the flu season sets in \u2013 now, before the end of April.<\/p>\n

Are you at risk?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most people will benefit from the flu vaccine, but there are a couple of people that shouldn\u2019t hesitate in taking the vaccine:<\/p>\n