Apparently, some Canadian researcher who had been accused of being a "great big man-baby" the last time he contracted the flu, decided to do research on the "man flu". Which by the way is defined by the Oxford dictionary as, "a cold or similar minor ailment as experienced by a man who is regarded as exaggerating the severity of the symptoms."

Dr. Kyle Sue (an assistant professor of family medicine at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada) says that his report is a compilation of comparative research dating back as far as the 17th century. Some of the research suggests that women's estrogen levels protect them from the severity of the flu when they do get it.

Other studies indicated that women respond more favorably to influenza vaccines, that men have weaker immune systems overall, as well as higher rates of illness, complications from disease and death due to those illnesses.

One "unscientific survey" taken by over 2100 men revealed that men take about 3 days to recover from a bout of the flu, compared to 1.5 days for a woman. The same article requested, (not in these exact words, but close enough, believe me) that caregivers be extra considerate and attentive so that men can carry the rest of non-male society on their backs.

Dr. Kyle agrees that more research needs to be done, but for now he stands by his male counterpart's need to lay around a a couch for 3 days and whine.

Big, whimpy, man-babies!!



See Also:

 

More From KXRB