Man Flu Might Actually Be Real After All

[47of74]

According to I Fucking Love Science, Man Flu might actually be a thing;

iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/man-flu-appears-be-real-estrogen-helps-women-fend-virus

Quote

To most, “man flu” is thought of as a pejorative, a way of teasing men who are complaining perhaps a little too much about the cold or influenza virus they’ve picked up. However, a new piece of research suggests that man flu may be an actual condition that men suffer from. As revealed in a study in the American Journal of Physiology – Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, it has everything to do with estrogen – specifically, men’s lack of it.

For this particular study, the researchers wished to know if estrogen had any effect on the replication of the virus. This sex hormone is mostly responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system, although it also plays a role in the development of young male adults. Women do have more estrogen than men, however, and the researchers suspected this may have something to do with why “man flu” is a term without a female equivalent.

The researchers first exposed the uninfected nasal cells to estrogen and a class of drugs called selective estrogen receptor modulators, or SERMs. Cell receptors that are activated by estrogen can also be stimulated by SERMs, which produce estrogen-like effects. The treated nasal cells were then put into contact with the influenza virus.

They found that any female cells treated with estrogen or SERMs from 72 to 24 hours prior to infection showed a far greater resistance to infection, with viral loads within the nasal cell cultures far lower than male cells also treated with estrogen. This strongly suggests that estrogen has female-specific antiviral qualities, and that even after treatment, male nasal cells are no more resistant to infection.

They went on to say that basically scientists think estrogen is slowing down the metabolic rates of cells and the ability of viruses to replicate themselves.

[Whoosh]

This can't be true.  I JUST was poking fun at my nephew about "the man flu".  How am I ever going to save face if this is a thing?  I need to call several other men and apologize, come to think of it.  LOL

[Black Aliss]

16 hours ago, Whoosh said:

This can't be true.  I JUST was poking fun at my nephew about "the man flu".  How am I ever going to save face if this is a thing?  I need to call several other men and apologize, come to think of it.  LOL

Well, if anyone thinks I'm going to apologize to my husband, who gets The OMG Worst Ever man colds, they better think again. At least not while I'm still angry with him for passing his cold on to me.

[QuiverDance]

Thinking about  my ex husband being sick makes me so happy to be single again.  Between his hypochondria, narcissism, and germophobia, having him sick was a nightmare.  The last time he was sick when we were still married, he quarantined himself in our bedroom for an entire week and spent the following week disinfecting every surface in the house. 

[47of74]

7 hours ago, QuiverDance said:

Thinking about  my ex husband being sick makes me so happy to be single again.  Between his hypochondria, narcissism, and germophobia, having him sick was a nightmare.  The last time he was sick when we were still married, he quarantined himself in our bedroom for an entire week and spent the following week disinfecting every surface in the house. 

My brother was kind of lucky though in that he had a nurse kitty named TK that was either concerned about him or seem him as a big ol' heating pad.  She never left his side when he was home sick with the flu bug he passed on to me a short time later.  Mom went over to his house to drop off some OJ and some medicine and usually TK is right up there to greet visitors, but that time she was in bed being a nurse kitty.  When I caught the flu a few days later I wished I had nurse kitties here to help me.

[polecat]

I absolutely believe it. (But then again, my husband never becomes utterly helpless when he's sick nor do our sons, so I am not speaking from direct experience). Male babies are more likely to die in utero and more likely to die after birth. Male deaths continue to outpace female deaths throughout each life stage. I'm neither a scientist nor a doctor, though, so I can't really theorize why that is. But I did find this interesting:

http://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2013/06/17/192670490/why-men-die-younger-than-women-the-guys-are-fragile-thesis

[Firiel]

I've noticed when the boyfriend and I swap colds, he is typically hit much harder than I am.

I always just thought it was because he drinks too much and thus has a shitty immune system.  Now I feel bad for blaming him for his crappy immune system!

[47of74]

On 1/16/2016 at 6:53 AM, polecat said:

I absolutely believe it. (But then again, my husband never becomes utterly helpless when he's sick nor do our sons, so I am not speaking from direct experience). Male babies are more likely to die in utero and more likely to die after birth. Male deaths continue to outpace female deaths throughout each life stage. I'm neither a scientist nor a doctor, though, so I can't really theorize why that is. But I did find this interesting:

http://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2013/06/17/192670490/why-men-die-younger-than-women-the-guys-are-fragile-thesis

I remember thinking several years ago when my paternal Grandma had to go to a hospital that Grandpa would've been stuck if Grandma had passed then.  He relied on Grandma for all the cooking to the point that he had to call his daughters for help when she was in the hospital to even run the microwave. 

She recovered from that and was able to go home for a few more years.  It was Grandpa who's health got to the point that they had to move into assisted living.  And he was none to happy about moving in there either.  He wanted to stay on the farm and keep working.  He was a tough old bird who kept farming even when he was sick.  He eventually calmed down about having to stay up in assisted living and it gave him a couple more years than he would've had otherwise, if he tried to stay home he would have died a few years before instead of getting up close to 90 years old.  Grandma got up to 91.  If I can live as long as they can and be in good health I'll be happy.

My maternal Grandpa died at 76 after years of smoking from a pipe.  My maternal Grandma almost got up to 92 before she passed, and she had been living at home until about 4 months before her passing.

[guitar_villain]

My wife's comment- "that's why I'm sick more often now".   She's on an aromatase inhibitor after her cancer which basically removes all estrogen from your system.

Of course, I'm the one with the cold now...

[DaffyDill]

I shall just leave this here:

 

[SnazzyNazzy]

On 2/24/2016 at 6:28 PM, DaffyDill said:

I shall just leave this here:

 

Shhh....I'm a woman, and I need this myself. I'm a bigger whiner/babt than DH is. The only thing I can do, that he CAN'T do, is that I'm able to tune out and/or block out, the ruckus our kids make. 

[Snarkylark]

I'm not buying it. This study possibly shows that men are more likely to GET sick in the first place. Does not explain why they are such pussies WHEN they get sick;) Women get sick too but most don't lock themselves in the room for a week, ignoring normal ADLs and taking care of kids, etc. We HAVE to go on for the sake of our kids, if applicable. But men seem to be able to get away with a week of solitude when ill, at least in my experience. And it sucks!!

[DaffyDill]

2 hours ago, Snarkylark said:

I'm not buying it. This study possibly shows that men are more likely to GET sick in the first place. Does not explain why they are such pussies WHEN they get sick;) Women get sick too but most don't lock themselves in the room for a week, ignoring normal ADLs and taking care of kids, etc. We HAVE to go on for the sake of our kids, if applicable. But men seem to be able to get away with a week of solitude when ill, at least in my experience. And it sucks!!

Mine has actually come down with a cold now, (eldest son's GF caught it, gave it to eldest son, who has now passed it on) and he's lying on the couch with a blanket, snoozing and snuffling away.

Him: "I feel like shit. The flu' sucks"

Me: "Yeah, it does, so it's lucky you've only got a cold, or you'd have something to really complain about" ARGH! If I rolled my eyes any harder I would have seen my brain.

Him: Outraged snuffle.

Meh. No one really notices when I have a cold, and I still have to get on and do what I do and cook dinner, and care for the kids when they were young (they're adults now) but when he does, there's requests for me to buy cough medicine, or cough lozenges etc. and lots of lying on the couch feeling sorry for himself.  Sighing, snuffling, blah blah.

Definitely a man thing.