

In our digital world, it’s relatively easy to think that we’re in charge.
That Ryan Gosling colouring book? It’s yours. An oozing cheddar toastie? Order now and have it in half an hour. A boar-bristle hairbrush straight from the hills of Sicily? It’s only three working days away.
Live with this seemingly infinite power for long enough and you could be forgiven for assuming that you are The Decision Maker.
But you’re not – we’re all at the mercy of the grande dame, Mother Nature.
With the arrival of Autumn and the Siberian winds of Winter near, it’s time to prepare. Step one is to ensure your Netflix subscription is up-to-date and step two is to go and get yourself a flu shot — because even though no one likes the flu, winter just keeps pushing it on us.
Speaking of all things flu, recently Mamamia sat down with Terry White Chemists Pharmacist, Totterman, to squash a range of misconceptions that surround the influenza virus. And what he had to say will have you rolling up your sleeves in anticipation.
Myth #1. The flu is just a bad cold.
Totterman put the kibosh on this myth by explaining that the cold and the flu are in fact, two very different types of viruses.
He said, “Typically, the flu will result in a fever and may last anywhere from four or five days, up until a week or week and a half. It has more serious health consequences than the cold. Things like pneumonia or bronchitis and, the flu does actually result in fatalities on an annual basis throughout the world. We typically wouldn’t see that with a bad cold.”