Wednesday, 02 February 2011 11:48

Man Flu does exist!

By Jonathan Williams

How fitting that our first article in Man Flu is all about the subject. Man Flu has become a misunderstood condition mocked by wives, girlfriends, sisters and mothers who sadly do not understand how men feel when afflicted by this terrible scourge.

However, the last cough and splutter goes to the men as scientists now claim that Man Flu does really exist!

What is Man Flu?

"Man flu" as termed by Man Flu is

Man Flu is a crippling and debilitating disorder indiscriminately striking down male members of the human species without warning. The illness is often referred to pejoratively by female members of the species who are in fact immune from the illness as man flu is now known to exclusively attack the XY chromosome carrier. If Man Flu is kind enough not to kill the infected party it will definitely leave him weak, sick, hurting everywhere and in dire need of TLC.

Medical professionals now also widely recognise that self diagnosis by the sufferer is the best means of identification as the symptoms of Man Flu are far more severe than the simple common cold which predominantly targets the XX chromosome holders (i.e. females). This goes some way to explain the cynicism some women display towards their male counterparts.

What do the scientists say?
A study found work stress increased the likelihood of men - but not women - complaining of sore throats and sniffles. One explanation given for the finding was that men tended to "overrate" the severity of cold and flu symptoms. Women, on the other hand, were more likely to adopt a "stoical" attitude and soldier on in silence.

The South Korean researchers wrote in the journal Occupational Medicine: "Any association between work-related stress and the common cold may be accentuated in males by their reaction to experiencing a cold and attenuated in females by their more stoical response."

The scientists studied 1,200 manual workers from 40 different companies in Incheon, South Korea and they found that men with demanding jobs were 74% more likely to report having cold symptoms than those under less pressure. The chances of being ill were raised by 42% among men with "insufficient job control" and by 40% among those with "inadequate social support".

However the researchers could find no significant association between stress factors and cold complaints among women.

In the UK, stress and depression are the biggest long-term cause of work absenteeism, affecting a quarter of all employees.

My partner has Man Flu, what do I do?
Here are a few tips, all from personnal experience.

Compassion: Provide plenty of compassion to the afflicted. Men would prefer you to kiss our ‘owies’ better and have the bedside manner of Florence Nightingale than Mr T.
Communication: Make sure that his and your mobiles are fully charged. This makes it easier for him to call from the bedroom for essential items (see soup, drinks, crisps, pop, games, DVD’s). If they are not, then a bell or a stick to bang the floor can also be used.
Mocking: Do not mock the afflicted. He is in pain and his nose is running. Comments such as ‘it’s only a cold’ and ‘you’re not going to die’ are cruel and unjust.
TV: Ok, so he usually hogs the remote, but this time he is ill. Make sure it is always in easy reach and batteries fully charged. Some men suddenly develop an addiction to daytime TV and shows such as Loose Women and Jeremy Kyle. If this happens, this is an even more serious case of Man Flu! Try and steer him towards the History and Military channels.

You can find out more about Man Flu on http://www.manflu.org.uk/index.php and also take a test to see if your partner has this illness. Also there are the following helpful videos on You Tube which are both essential viewing in the fight against Man Flu:

Final Thoughts

Remember! If you know a man with Man Flu, please help him recover!

I would have taken pictures and put them up with this article but I don't feel too good, my nose is starting to run. Please don't tell me that I'm going down with Man Flu!

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites