It’s that time of the year again.  Watery, reddened eyes, sneezes and sniffles. Lying in bed trying to recover, I thought I should debunk some sick myths.

Many people fail to distinguish between the flu and a common cold. This is because these two illnesses share many symptoms. A cold is a milder respiratory illness than flu, and typically lasts only a few days. Flu lasts longer and additionally comes with fever, extreme exhaustion, chills and sweats.

Myth #1: The flu vaccine causes the flu. The viruses in the flu shot are inactivated, which means they cannot cause infection. The flu vaccine shot contains components of the flu virus but not a complete virus. Most often, people misattribute the achy side effect that can sometimes follow the flu shot with the onset of the flu itself.

Myth #2: My mother’s favourite, you can catch a cold from getting cold. Most people know by now that only a cold virus causes a cold. But many believe that going outside not properly dressed (or with wet hair) on a cold day will make you catch a cold. This myth stems from the acknowledged fact that people do get sicker in winter. But this is because people generally spend more time indoors, closer together and touch hands or come in contact more, spreading the virus more easily. So viruses tend to ‘make the rounds’ and strike more people.

Myth #3: Vitamin C can prevent flu. Numerous studies have been conducted on the topic, but none have shown vitamin C to be effective against fighting colds. That said, vitamin C is a vital nutrient our body needs, so make sure to get 60 to 95 milligrams a day, or one orange’s worth.  Interestingly, people who drink a glass of cranberry juice daily see fewer cold and flu symptoms than those who don’t, according to a new study from the University of Florida.  Could this be the start of a new myth?