Selects: How the Flu Works

Summary

Summary of "Stuff You Should Know" Episode: How the Flu Works

Released on March 15, 2025

In this enlightening episode of "Stuff You Should Know," hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant take listeners on an in-depth exploration of the influenza virus. They dissect the biology of the flu, differentiate it from common colds, discuss its historical impact, and examine current prevention and treatment strategies. The conversation is enriched with personal anecdotes, expert insights, and notable quotes that shed light on the complexities of the flu.

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1. Introduction

The episode kicks off with Josh and Chuck sharing their personal experiences with the flu, highlighting the challenges in distinguishing it from a common cold. This relatable start sets the stage for a comprehensive discussion on the flu's intricacies.

2. Understanding the Flu Virus

Josh Clark introduces the flu as a significant respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus. He emphasizes its affinity for "cold, drier conditions of the winter," explaining how environmental factors influence its prevalence ([07:58]).

Notable Quote:

Josh Clark ([07:58]): “It's a virus that does seem to favor the cold, drier conditions of the winter.”

3. Types of Influenza Viruses

The hosts delve into the classification of influenza viruses:

• Type A: The most common and severe, infecting multiple species including humans, birds, and pigs.

  Chuck Bryant ([11:10]): “Type A is the most common and most severe. That's the bad news.”

• Type B: Milder and primarily infects humans, with occasional strains in seals.

• Type C: Rare and less understood, affecting humans and pigs.

Josh explains the subtyping system based on hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N) proteins, using H5N1 (avian flu) as an example ([12:40]).

Notable Quote:

Josh Clark ([12:40]): “So the H and the N are the two main proteins that you find on the outside of a flu virus.”

4. How the Flu Spreads

Josh and Chuck elucidate the rapid replication process of the flu virus within the host. The virus infiltrates respiratory cells, commandeers them to produce more viruses, and swiftly spreads throughout the body and to others.

Josh Clark ([15:51]): “Once that starts to happen, you are infectious... up to seven days after that day you first start showing symptoms with the flu.”

5. Symptoms and Complications

The discussion covers typical flu symptoms—fever, aches, congestion, and lethargy—and contrasts them with common cold symptoms. They also highlight severe complications:

• Bacterial Pneumonia: Often fatal, caused by secondary bacterial infections.

  Chuck Bryant ([29:21]): “That's where pneumonia comes from… you die from choking on bloody froth.”

• Severe Dehydration: Resulting from excessive sweating and fluid loss.

• Exacerbation of Chronic Conditions: Such as asthma, diabetes, and heart diseases.

Notable Quote:

Chuck Bryant ([30:18]): “If you are asthmatic... it can make that stuff worse.”

6. Historical Perspective: The 1918 Pandemic

Josh and Chuck reflect on the 1918 influenza pandemic, underscoring its devastating impact:

Chuck Bryant ([43:18]): “This is the worst flu pandemic in world history in 1918… killed more than 20 million people around the world.”

They discuss its unprecedented mortality rate and why it disproportionately affected young, healthy individuals due to the lack of prior exposure to similar strains.

Notable Quote:

Josh Clark ([44:43]): “A third of the population of the world was infected with that flu that year. Isn't that crazy?”

7. Prevention and Treatment

Hand Hygiene: Emphasized as the most effective prevention method.

Chuck Bryant ([17:40]): “That’s the best way to prevent getting the flu or spreading the flu is washing your hands a lot.”

Vaccination: Detailed discussion on the development, effectiveness, and challenges of flu vaccines.

Josh Clark ([53:19]): “It's 40 to 60% on this year's strain. And it varies because it really just depends on how well those scientists have predicted how much they get it right.”

Antiviral Medications: Overview of antiviral drugs like Tamiflu and their role in treatment, along with personal anecdotes about side effects.

Chuck Bryant ([46:28]): “You can’t take antibiotics… they use antivirals just to keep the spread down.”

8. Vaccines and Their Effectiveness

The hosts explore the complexities of vaccine development, including issues like virus mutation during laboratory growth in egg proteins, which can lead to mismatches between vaccine strains and circulating viruses.

Josh Clark ([54:49]): “One researcher pointed out that at least one kind of flu virus mutates in the presence of egg protein. So that the virus that you put in to grow in there is different from the one that comes out.”

They discuss recommendations for vaccination timing and specific populations that benefit most from flu shots, such as families with young children and seniors.

9. Future Directions: Universal Vaccines

Looking ahead, Josh and Chuck discuss research efforts aimed at developing a universal flu vaccine that targets conserved parts of the virus, potentially offering broader and longer-lasting immunity.

Chuck Bryant ([56:52]): “One vaccine to cure them all.”

Notable Quote:

Josh Clark ([56:54]): “Exactly.”

10. Conclusion

Josh and Chuck conclude by reiterating the importance of vaccination and preventive hygiene practices, especially during flu season. They emphasize the severe consequences of influenza infections and the ongoing efforts to combat the virus.

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Notable Quotes with Attributions and Timestamps

• Josh Clark ([07:58]): “It's a virus that does seem to favor the cold, drier conditions of the winter.”
• Chuck Bryant ([11:10]): “Type A is the most common and most severe. That's the bad news.”
• Josh Clark ([12:40]): “So the H and the N are the two main proteins that you find on the outside of a flu virus.”
• Chuck Bryant ([29:21]): “That's where pneumonia comes from… you die from choking on bloody froth.”
• Chuck Bryant ([43:18]): “This is the worst flu pandemic in world history in 1918… killed more than 20 million people around the world.”
• Chuck Bryant ([56:52]): “One vaccine to cure them all.”
• Josh Clark ([56:54]): “Exactly.”

---

Key Takeaways

1. Influenza is a serious respiratory illness with multiple strains affecting various species.
2. Type A influenza is the most severe and widespread, capable of causing pandemics.
3. Personal hygiene and vaccination are crucial in preventing the spread of the flu.
4. Historical pandemics like the 1918 flu highlight the potential devastation of unchecked influenza outbreaks.
5. Ongoing research aims to develop more effective and universal flu vaccines to better protect global populations.

This episode serves as a comprehensive guide to understanding the flu, its impact on human health, and the measures necessary to combat its spread. Whether you're looking to differentiate between a cold and the flu or seeking insights into vaccine development, Josh and Chuck provide valuable information in an engaging and accessible manner.

Transcript

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[Young Pueblo]

Reality TV and social Media have love all wrong. So what really makes relationships last? On this episode of Dope Labs, poet and relationship expert Young Pueblo breaks down the psychology of love and provides eye opening insights and advice we all need.

[Chuck Bryant]

You should not be postponing your happiness. Your greatest happiness is not necessarily going to like come from a relationship. Your partner should add to your happiness. Your happiness is really coming from within you.

[Young Pueblo]

Listen to Dope labs on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Chuck Bryant]

Hey, it's Alec Baldwin. This past season on my podcast, here's the thing, I spoke with more actors, musicians, policymakers and so many other fascinating people like writer and actor Dan Aykroyd. I love writing more than anything. You're left alone. You know, you do three hours in the morning, you write three hours in the afternoon. Go pick up a kid from school and write at night and after nine hours you come out with seven pages and then you're moving on. And actor and comedian Jack McBrayer.

[Josh Clark]

The most important aspect is the collaboration with people that I like, I trust are talented. That has been the most amazing gift to me about this crazy business that we've chosen. Meeting these people who have such diverse talents and you're able to create something together.

[Chuck Bryant]

Listen to here's the thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Young Pueblo]

Are you hungry? Colleen Witt here and Eating While Broke is back for Season four every Thursday on the Black Effect Podcast Network. This season we've got a legendary lineup serving up broke dishes and even better stories. On the menu we have Tony Baker, Nick Cannon, Melissa Ford, October London and Carrie Harper. Howie turning Big Macs. Big moves Catch Eating While Broke every Thursday on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast. Wherever you get your favorite shows, come hungry for Season four.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh God. Hi everybody, it's Chuck here. Oh boy. My selection this week is Hell the flu works. And I'll give you one reason why. This is from November 14, 2017. I hope you like it. I'm going back to bed.

[Young Pueblo]

Welcome to Stuff youf Should Know, a production of iHeartRadio.

[Josh Clark]

Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark. There's Charles W. Chuck Bryant. There's Jerry. This is stuff you should know about the flu, which I have, you know.

[Chuck Bryant]

Have the flu. Do you?

[Josh Clark]

I don't know, man. I can't. I can't. I've been on the planet for 41 years.

[Chuck Bryant]

Okay.

[Josh Clark]

I still can't really tell the difference between a flu and a cold.

[Chuck Bryant]

I think the difference that I can tell. And I don't get the flu much. You know, I always get the stomach bug, which, as it turns out, is not a flu. I just learned. No, but I don't get the flu flu much. But I can always tell, though, when I'm super achy. Like, the flu just makes me feel like dog doo doo.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

Whereas a cold is just a big inconvenience.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, I've had. No, I've definitely had, like, lots of aches and I woke up, like, shivering one night.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, so you had a fever for sure.

[Josh Clark]

I guess so. I guess it must have just been one night in the middle of the night. So that's the flu, right?

[Chuck Bryant]

Probably.

[Josh Clark]

So I guess I do have the flu. No joke, everybody.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, I'm erecting the clear glass in between us.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, I. I think that I've had it long enough now, based on the research from this article, that I'm not contagious, or else I would have called this off.

[Chuck Bryant]

So did you get it in New York, I wonder?

[Josh Clark]

I think so. Yeah. Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Which I was like, I was just walking, walking around, like, with my hands inside of a couple of, like, plastic Duane read bags that still didn't work.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, that was your problem probably right there, right, Dwayne Reed.

[Josh Clark]

Because I didn't take them off when I ate.

[Chuck Bryant]

Gross.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. So, yes, we were in New York for some Bell House shows, right? Those went pretty well.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, thought they were great.

[Josh Clark]

All right, so the flu, Chuck, we won't reminisce about past victories. We'll just talk about the flu instead.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, how about a stat right off the get go here, okay? The flu, the cdc.

[Josh Clark]

Also, sorry, everybody, for the sniffling that's going to inevitably happen. I'm trying hard not to do it.

[Chuck Bryant]

You're a method podcaster, all right. Which is also what I said in my very first episode.

[Josh Clark]

That's Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

Remember that?

[Josh Clark]

Yep.

[Chuck Bryant]

It's not any funnier now. So the cdc right here in Atlanta, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Not the cdcp.

[Josh Clark]

No, they just stuck with the original letters.

[Chuck Bryant]

They reckon that about 5 to 20, between 5% and 20% of United States peoples get the flu each year, compared to about 10% to 25% in dirty cold Canada.

[Josh Clark]

Right, I know. And normally when you get the flu, it's just you're laid up for a couple of days. Right? Yeah. Like you said, you feel like dog do or something like that. Yeah, that's the seasonal flu. But even with a seasonal flu, which usually here in the United States or in North America runs from what, like October to March?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, roughly.

[Josh Clark]

And then I didn't really think about this before, but in the Southern Hemisphere, it runs the opposite and actually peaks in August.

[Chuck Bryant]

Right?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. Most of the time it's just an inconvenience for you, but it actually kills people sometimes.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, it can be dangerous, for sure.

[Josh Clark]

So in 2011 and 12, that was a pretty low year for deaths from the flu. In the US there were 12,000 people who died from the flu or complications from the flu. 2012-13, flu season, 56,000 people died that year, and I think the average is something around 36,000 people in the US die from the flu every year.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And apparently the World Health Organization says around the world, as many as a quarter of a million people to a half a million people can die every year from the flu.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's a lot of folks.

[Josh Clark]

It is. So, I mean, and the idea of dying from the flu, that's awful because, I mean, if you feel bad enough as it is from a flu that you recover from in a few days, imagine dying from that. That would just be a terrible way to die.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

And the whole thing, Chuck, comes down to this little tiny virus, the influenza virus, and there's different types. And influenza, I found, is actually a shout out to the Italian name for it originally. Did you know this?

[Chuck Bryant]

Did not.

[Josh Clark]

So I'm going to say it normally, but then you have to say it in your famous Italian accent. Influenza de fredo.

[Chuck Bryant]

Are you talking about the influenza de fredo? Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Which means influence of the cold.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, all right.

[Josh Clark]

A lot of. For many, many, many, many years, because the flu is most predominant in the colder months, everybody just assumed that it was the actual cold that was getting you sick. Right. That turns out not to be true. It's an actual. It's a virus that does seem to favor the cold, drier conditions of the win. But this little tiny virus gets into your body and it starts this chain reaction. That is just fascinating.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. So it is a respiratory illness. So like I said before, when you hear people say the stomach flu, which I've said a lot in my life because I get it once a year with the poopy butt and the vomitous mouth and the ill belly.

[Josh Clark]

At the same time, though, I can't. I think I've asked you this before, but I don't know, has it literally.

[Chuck Bryant]

Ever happened at the same time? I think once in my life.

[Josh Clark]

Man, that's rough.

[Chuck Bryant]

I was on the john with a bucket.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, God.

[Chuck Bryant]

So rough. Well, the worst time I ever had it. I may have told this story before. I was sick at a friend's house, which is the worst. When I was not living in Atlanta, but I was in Atlanta.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, no.

[Chuck Bryant]

And I was like, I gotta. I just gotta get to my mom's house.

[Josh Clark]

Mom.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. I was, like, much more comfortably being sick there.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

And he was working. It was just one of those things. And so I got in my brother's car that I was borrowing while I was in town.

[Josh Clark]

I don't like where this story's going.

[Chuck Bryant]

And I drove, no lie, probably about 100 miles an hour to Snellville from Atlanta.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

Thinking. And I pooped in my pants in the car. And I remember thinking, if a cop pulls me over, he would have to be a cold, heartless individual to give me a ticket. Because I would just say, sir, don't take me to prison. Take me to a hospital because I'm dying.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

So I drove 100 miles an hour. It was kind of fun.

[Josh Clark]

So you made it home. You showed up with poopy pants and your mom took care of you.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yep. Showed up to Diane's house, and I lived. But anyway, that was a long way of setting up this. Which is. That is actually not a flu. The stomach flu is not. Because the flu is 100% a respiratory illness.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

And is not something that happens in your stomach or in your butt.

[Josh Clark]

Right. And let's talk first, before we talk about the actual effect of the flu, let's talk about the virus a little bit for a second. Okay. So back in 1931, there was this Iowa farm physician, which is to say he was a human physician of humans. But he probably lived on a farm because it was Iowa in 1931. His name was Richard Shope. And he was trying to figure out what this bug that was getting people was. And he investigated with pigs first, because there are Plenty of other animals that can come down with the flu, not just humans.

[Chuck Bryant]

Right, right.

[Josh Clark]

And he finally isolated. He isolated a flu virus in swine and it led to this discovery of the isolation of the flu virus in humans, too. So right after that, they started classifying the flu by strains. You got A, B and C. Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

So A is the most common and most severe. That's the bad news.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

B is a little milder, a little less prevalent. And then we go all the way down to C, which is. I get the feeling C doesn't happen a lot. And it definitely isn't the one that you're going to have like a. A big epidemic of the flu from A C. Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

I couldn't find much on C influenza either.

[Chuck Bryant]

Poor C. Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

It'll make a comeback one day and it'll. It'll shock the heck out of all of us, probably.

[Chuck Bryant]

So.

[Josh Clark]

So type A infects all so of different species, Right? Humans, birds of all kinds. Pigs, bats, horses even.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. I mean, remember the avian flu that was. That scared the world.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

And that was A.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

That was a strain.

[Josh Clark]

B strain is almost exclusively infective of humans. Apparently the only other species we've ever found a type B influenza virus in is seals. God knows where they got it from or if we got it from seals. Who knows, maybe up north, I don't know. And then that C1, it just infects humans and pigs. So you got the three types.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right.

[Josh Clark]

And then one other thing about them, about the classification of flu strains is that there are also subtypes. Right. And so you mentioned, like avian flu, and the one that scared everybody was, I think, H5N1.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, that was it. I remember.

[Josh Clark]

So the H and the N are the. They refer to the. The two kinds of the two main proteins that you find on the outside of a flu virus. Hemagglutinin and neurominies. Okay. And so depending on those types of H protein or M protein, that's. That's how they subtype flu strains.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. So, I mean, that's a good little factoid. I don't think anyone really understands what those letters mean.

[Josh Clark]

That's what they mean, you know? Yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

But as far as you're concerned, just pay attention to the news. And when they talk about the scary ones, they'll mention those letters and numbers and then you can impress your friends.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. You can be like, oh, well, they're talking about hemagglutinin and neuraminidase and they'll.

[Chuck Bryant]

Say, Shut up, nerd. I hope you get sick. So as far as the. The standard flu that we're talking about here, the virus, it gets into your body, and it kind of makes a beeline to your respiratory tract, and it binds with your cells. Viruses. Did we do one a general on viruses?

[Josh Clark]

The one I think we really went in depth on was hiv, where we talked about how virus enters the body and takes over.

[Chuck Bryant]

It's just vicious.

[Josh Clark]

It is. But also it's kind of, like, admirable in a really deadly, efficient way, you know?

[Chuck Bryant]

It is. So they bind to the surface of the cells in that respiratory tract, and then they say, hey, I'd like you to meet my little friend, rna. Why don't I inject my genetic information into your nucleus and see how you like it?

[Josh Clark]

Right. And when it does that, the cell has been officially hijacked. And the virus uses the cell's own RNA transcription process to create the proteins that are needed to make new versions of the virus. So the virus is using this host cell in your respiratory tract to make copies of itself. And suddenly, before the cell knows what's going on, it's made millions of copies of these viruses. Right. And apparently when you talk about it step by step, it seems like this takes a little while, right? No, in seconds, seconds after that, the virus has entered your respiratory cell. Millions of copies of it have been made.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. Like, this is happening so fast. It moves in there. It says, I'm in charge now.

[Josh Clark]

Out of the way.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, completely out of the way. I'm running the show here. We're copying each other, and we're gonna move out to the cell membrane. Cause this cell's gonna die very quickly, and then that's just gonna poof me out into the body further to infect other cells. And it's scary how quickly this happens.

[Josh Clark]

Right? So if you think about it, if that first cell produces millions viral copies, and then they're released from the cell out into the rest of the other respiratory cells, and each of those infects another cell, and then those cells all make millions. You see how quickly these viruses reproduce in your body?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

And once that starts to happen, you are infectious. I think once that first cell ruptures, you become infectious. But this can be like a day before symptoms, right? So this is something people are always saying, like, oh, I'm not inf. Like me. I said it earlier too, right?

[Chuck Bryant]

I know.

[Josh Clark]

But supposedly, the day before you even know you're sick, the day before the first symptoms start, before you start, like sniffling A little bit or whatever. You're infectious, buddy. And you're infectious up to seven days after that day, you first start showing symptoms with the flu. And if you're a kid, you can be infectious even longer. Because if kids are anything, they're walking germ factories.

[Chuck Bryant]

They are disgusting monsters.

[Josh Clark]

It's hilarious.

[Chuck Bryant]

It's true, man. Like, my kid didn't get sick at all for the first 18 months of her life. And I thought, I've got a wonder baby.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, Really?

[Chuck Bryant]

I don't know what's going on. We put her in daycare a couple of days a week, and she was sick non stop for the next six months.

[Josh Clark]

Man, that is rough.

[Chuck Bryant]

It is rough. And then they get the family sick. We'll talk a little bit about that and how that happens. But all this is to say during flu season, especially if you work in, like, an office, where you know, when you hear, like, the flu's going around or whatever, or anywhere you work or in school, if you hear about the flu going around, even if you don't feel sick or your cube mate doesn't feel or look sick, just start washing your hands a lot.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, yeah, that's like they say, that's the best way to prevent getting the flu or spreading the flu is washing your hands a lot.

[Chuck Bryant]

Do it a lot.

[Josh Clark]

And it's. It's so simple that you almost might discount it, but it's actually true. Like, that's the best way to do it. You can wash the flu virus off of your hands with some soap that will bind to it and the water will wash it right off.

[Chuck Bryant]

Wash that flu right out of your hair.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. And if you have the flu, stay home. Yeah, everybody but me. Stay home.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, we're up against it. We had to record today.

[Josh Clark]

And also wash your hands just constantly. If I'm about to touch anything, I'll wash my hands first. If I'm gonna go somewhere outside of the hot zone, which is whatever room I'm sequestered in, you know, I will wash my hands.

[Chuck Bryant]

You know, I appreciate that. I mean, trust me. We're in this tiny studio now, the three of us.

[Josh Clark]

I know. I'm trying not to breathe.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. You've done all this on one breath. It's impressive.

[Josh Clark]

I know.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, quickly, before we take a break so you can breathe again, where we're gonna talk about symptoms afterward. Before you get these symptoms, though, what's happening is your respiratory system is gonna become inflamed. And this inflammation might stick around for a few weeks, but from there, it moves into your bloodstream and then that's when you're gonna get these symptoms once it sort of moves into the bloodstream.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

And we're gonna talk about those symptoms as promised, right after this.

[Young Pueblo]

Love at first swipe? I highly doubt it. What's your biggest red flag? No, no, no. What's your ultimate green flag? These days, reality TV and social media have us thinking love is instant. We're marrying strangers at first sight, we're finding love through walls, or we're even judging people by balloon pops. But what really makes a relationship last? On this episode of Dope Labs, poet, author and relationship expert Young Pueblo breaks down the psychology and biology of loving better. And he provides eye opening insights and advice that we all need.

[Chuck Bryant]

It's a big realization moment that you should not be postponing your happiness. Like your greatest happiness is not necessarily going to like come from a relationship. Your partner, they should add to your happiness, but your happiness is really coming from within you.

[Young Pueblo]

Listen to Dope labs on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Chuck Bryant]

Our iHeartRadio Music Awards are coming back Monday, March 17th on Fox.

[Josh Clark]

Starring bad Bunny Glorilla Kenny, Chip Money, Long Nelly, your host, iheartradio.

[Chuck Bryant]

LL Cool J.

[Josh Clark]

Are you guys ready to have some fun tonight?

[Young Pueblo]

Plus iHeart Innovator Award recipient Lady Gaga.

[Chuck Bryant]

Iheart Icon Award recipient Mariah Carey, and.

[Young Pueblo]

Iheart Breakthrough Award recipient Gracie Abrams.

[Josh Clark]

Watch live on Fox, Monday, March 17th.

[Chuck Bryant]

At 8, 7 Central.

[Josh Clark]

Welcome to Pod of Rebellion, our new.

[Chuck Bryant]

Star Wars Rebels rewatch podcast.

[Josh Clark]

I'm Vanessa Marshall. Hi, I'm Tia Sircar. I'm Taylor Gray. And I'm John Lee Brody. But you may also us as Harrison Dula, Spectre 2, Sabine Wren, Specter 5.

[Chuck Bryant]

And Ezra Bridger, Specter 6 from Star Wars Rebels.

[Josh Clark]

Wait, I wasn't on Star Wars Rebels. Am I in the right place? Absolutely. Each week we're going to rewatch and.

[Chuck Bryant]

Discuss an episode from the series and.

[Josh Clark]

Share some fun behind the scenes stories. Sometimes we'll be visited by special guests like Steve bloom voices Zaborillio, Spectre 4, or Dante Bosco voices Jaquel and many others.

[Chuck Bryant]

Sometimes we'll even have a lively debate.

[Josh Clark]

And we'll have plenty of other fun.

[Chuck Bryant]

Surprises and trivia too.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, and me. Well, I'm the lucky ghost crew Stowaway who gets to help moderate and guide the discussion each week. Kind of like how Kanan guided Ezra in the ways of the Force. You see what I did there? Nicely done, John. Thanks, Tia. So hang on cause it's gonna be a fun ride. Cue the music. Listen to Potter Rebellion on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Young Pueblo]

Hey, y'all, it's your girl, Cheekies. And I'm back with a brand new season of your favorite podcast, Cheekies and Chill. I'll be sharing even more personal stories with you guys, and I know a lot of people are gonna attack me.

[Chuck Bryant]

Why?

[Young Pueblo]

Are you gonna go visit your dad? Your mom wouldn't be okay with it. I'm gonna tell you guys right now. I know my mother, and I know my mom had a very forgiving heart. That is my story on plastic surgery. This is my truth. I think the last time I cried like that was when I lost my mom like that, like, yelling. I was like, no.

[Josh Clark]

I was like, oh.

[Young Pueblo]

And I thought, what did I do wrong? And as always, you'll get my exclusive take on topics like love, personal growth, health, family ties, and more. And don't forget, I'll also be dishing out my best advice to you on episodes of Dear Cheekies. So my fiance and I have been together for 10 years. In the first two years of being together, I find out he is cheating on me, not only with women, but also with men.

[Chuck Bryant]

What should I do?

[Young Pueblo]

Okay, where do I start? That's not love. He doesn't love you enough. Because if he loved you, he'd be faithful. It's going to be an exciting year, and I hope that you can join me, listen to Cheekies and Chill, Season 4 as part of the My Cultura Podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Josh Clark]

All right, Chuck, let's breathe. Yeah, a little bit. Let's talk symptoms. Okay, you know what I need? I need one of those, like, reeds that Bugs Bunny used to, like, hide in the water when Elmer Fudd was hunting him. I could just, like, get a long one, and maybe a crazy straw would be even better and just, like, pipe it out to the air duct right there.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's a great idea.

[Josh Clark]

What do you think we'll get everybody else sick except you and Jerry?

[Chuck Bryant]

So the symptoms sound a lot like a cold because the symptoms are kind of the same. A cold is usually not as fraught with potential complications and maybe a little less severe, but they're pretty close, which is why you couldn't tell earlier if you had a cold or flu.

[Josh Clark]

Right? But that fever, that's the big one. Apparently, it's a big distinction between the two.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, I think that's kind of the way I just distinguish it. Right.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. And the cold colds are also caused by viruses. They're caused by coronaviruses, which can. There are types of coronaviruses that are really bad that cause, like, MERS and sars.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

But for the most part, when you catch a cold from a coronavirus, it's a low level virus or it's a rhinovirus. That's the other one that causes the common cold. Right. So it's just a different kind of virus producing similar symptoms to a flu.

[Chuck Bryant]

Do you remember when Peter Sarsgaard was on Saturday Night Live years ago?

[Josh Clark]

No.

[Chuck Bryant]

He was, you know, the actor.

[Josh Clark]

Sure.

[Chuck Bryant]

He was on there during the SARS when there was that SARS scare in the United States. One of their skits was. He had developed the SARS Guard. SARS guard. Which was just basically a surgical mask. But it was just funny. They said SARS guard. SARS guard like, 30 times. And I laughed every time.

[Josh Clark]

I think his younger brother was Pennywise the Clown in the it movie. Right?

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, I don't know.

[Josh Clark]

I'm pretty sure that was a Sarsgaard, and he is amazing.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Have you seen it?

[Chuck Bryant]

No.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, you gotta see it. You're gonna love it.

[Chuck Bryant]

Now, was he a Sarsgaard or a Skarsgard?

[Josh Clark]

Oh, God. I didn't know there were two different things.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, they're the Skarsgards, which is like, Stellan Skarsgard is the dad.

[Josh Clark]

Okay.

[Chuck Bryant]

And then the son was the dude on True Blood, the vampire show. And then recently on that, Pretty Little Liars, I think.

[Josh Clark]

I don't know.

[Chuck Bryant]

One with Nicole Kidman.

[Josh Clark]

Okay.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's Alexander Skarsgard.

[Josh Clark]

I think that might be him. Is Sarsgaard the one who's in Fargo?

[Chuck Bryant]

Sars? No.

[Josh Clark]

Who's that? Peter Sarsgaard.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, that's another dude. What is up with all these guys?

[Josh Clark]

So are you sure you're not just dropping the K off of Peter Skarsgard?

[Chuck Bryant]

All right, here's the deal.

[Josh Clark]

Okay?

[Chuck Bryant]

The guy in Fargo. Man, this is such a bad sidetrack already.

[Josh Clark]

It's pretty bad.

[Chuck Bryant]

The guy in Fargo was Peter Stormare.

[Josh Clark]

Okay, so he's not even in the equation, then.

[Chuck Bryant]

No, but I definitely know that there is Peter Sarsgaard.

[Josh Clark]

Okay.

[Chuck Bryant]

Because he either was or is married to Maggie Gyllenhaal.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, yeah. I guess I knew that.

[Chuck Bryant]

Peter Sarsgaard.

[Josh Clark]

Okay.

[Chuck Bryant]

And then there's Stellan and Alexander Skarsgrd. And I don't know who it. The clown was.

[Josh Clark]

It's Bill Skarsgard.

[Chuck Bryant]

And is he related to the Skarsgard's?

[Josh Clark]

I guess so, Yeah. I believe he's the youngest of them.

[Chuck Bryant]

Okay.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, I'm sorry. I was wrong. It was Tim Curry I was talking about.

[Chuck Bryant]

No, actually we never looked stuff up. But I did look that up because the headline here says Alexander Skarsgrd's reaction to his brother Bill's clown costume.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, his acting, it goes way beyond the costume. They did go with the costume, but it was. Oh, yeah, it was good.

[Chuck Bryant]

I know there were so many people screaming at their phones, but I think we finally got it right.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. Sorry about that, everybody. I also want to apologize for any medical students who are being forced to listen to this as part of their class. Hopefully your instructor fast forwarded through that part.

[Chuck Bryant]

All right, back. This all got started with SARS guards. SARS guards.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, yeah, that's right, because that's from the coronavirus. This is the influenza virus we're talking about. That creates this inflammation, which is your immune response. Right. In your lungs.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's correct. And the symptoms like a cold are coughing, sneezing, the fever, which is different. Like we said with the flu, achy body, which usually comes with that fever. And then Josh's runny nose and congestion that you can hear in your overall lethargy.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, I am a little under the weather, I guess is a good way to put it.

[Chuck Bryant]

I can tell.

[Josh Clark]

So those are just standard flu symptoms. You can have secondary symptoms from complications of the flu. Right. One thing that has long gone hand in hand with the flu as far as, like death from flu complications goes, is bacterial pneumonia.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, that's no good.

[Josh Clark]

And for a very long time, science wasn't quite sure why, why you were just so susceptible to bacterial infections when you were battling the flu and they figured it out. It's actually your body's immune response that is responsible for it. Right, right. So when you have the flu and your body starts to battle it off and you get a fever and your lungs become inflamed, that's your immune system's response to the flu virus. But when your body says, okay, calm down, everybody, let's bring the temperature back down, and your body represses its own immune response, it opens the door for bacteria that normally it would be able to fight off to take advantage of this kind of naturally weakened state that your immune system's in. And you can. You're much more susceptible to infections from bacteria, and that's where pneumonia comes from. You can get viral pneumonia, but you Usually get bacterial pneumonia. And that's the stuff that people can die from because that bacteria infects your air sacs in your lungs, which fill a fluid and pus and blood, and you die from choking on bloody froth that fills up your airway.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, my God.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, it's not. It's a bad jam, man.

[Chuck Bryant]

Severe dehydration is another secondary symptom of the flu. That's why, of course, you always want to drink plenty of water when you have a cold or flu.

[Josh Clark]

I looked that one up, too, Chuck. Because if you think about it, why. Why would you be dehydrated from the flu if it's from sweating?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, sure.

[Josh Clark]

Your nose running.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. You're just leaking fluids.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, you are. And, like, they start to add up, and all of a sudden you're dehydrated before you even knew it.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right. Ear infections, especially if you're a kid. Sinus issues. Emily always gets bad sinus problems along with this stuff.

[Josh Clark]

I know. She was starting to get a little sniffly. Is she sick?

[Chuck Bryant]

She did get sick.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, that poor lady.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. New York, man. Yeah, it killed everyone I love. And then, if you, like, in Emily's case, she's slightly asthmatic, but if you are asthmatic, you have, like, diabetes. It can make that stuff worse.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. She doesn't have diabetes, right?

[Chuck Bryant]

No.

[Josh Clark]

Well, the reason diabetes is comorbid with the flu or is problematic when you have the flu is because type 1 diabetes, especially, is an autoimmune disease. So your immune system's already repressed, I guess.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

And then heart conditions can be exacerbated by it because you're getting less oxygen from your lungs into your bloodstream, which strains the heart. And if it's already weak. People have heart attacks from the flu if they already have a heart condition. Isn't that crazy?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Again, it's a bad jam.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, actually, in the episode coming up about the silly one about this 10 cursed movies, remember the little girl from poltergeist died at 12 from a heart attack brought on by the flu?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

Right.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. Or she had, like, a stomach blockage. They initially diagnosed it as the flu.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, okay. But I thought it was never, like, a virus like that.

[Josh Clark]

I don't think so. I think they mistook it.

[Chuck Bryant]

All right, well, then forget all that.

[Josh Clark]

But people do. So your point still remains correct.

[Chuck Bryant]

Okay, so how you get the flu is this. Like you said, it's generally about November through March. January and February tend to be the worst of it here in the United States and as we mentioned, offices and schools especially, because children are filthy monsters who just don't wash hands. And they breathe on each other and touch each other and they don't cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze.

[Josh Clark]

But it's pretty cute when they hug each other.

[Chuck Bryant]

It's very cute, actually.

[Josh Clark]

It's worth all the sickness in the world.

[Chuck Bryant]

It's pretty great. But that's the reason that kids tend to spread it more, because as much as you try and teach them to cover their mouth when they cough and sneeze and wash their hands a lot, it's just not really on their radar like it is for adults. No, not at all.

[Josh Clark]

Because they are dirty, dirty, dirty creatures.

[Chuck Bryant]

And then the kid then in turn brings it home and the family gets infected pretty quickly. Try as you might. There's just a lot of close contact with kids that you can't avoid. And even if you're washing your hands, they will find a way to infect you.

[Josh Clark]

Right. And if you go even further back, there's an even earlier origin before kids picking it up at daycare or preschool for the flu. Usually it comes from other animals we're finding. Right. Very frequently birds, like we were saying. Right. And they used to think that for a human to catch a flu from a bird, especially that flu had to show up in a mixing vessel. Usually a pig, which was capable of taking it, could be infected by a bird flu. And a human flu and flu viruses have this amazing talent called reassortment, where a flu strain and another flu strain can get together and be like, oh, hey, you have eight proteins that make up your rna. I do too. Let's mix and match and see what happens. And they thought for a long time that this really only took place in pigs, and then out would come a new super virus that no one had ever seen before that humans could catch. But from Southeast Asia, people being in close contact with infected birds, especially like in the poultry industry or something, there have been cases that started in the 90s of avian flu coming directly from birds to humans. So that that theory went out the window.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

And that's what set off those fears of a bird flu pandemic that we lived with for many years.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, that's right. As far as. And you know that a lot of that was just spread from bird poop.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. And it scared people because that. That those bird flus are no joke. Like, they. They have like a 60% mortality rate. 60%. 6 out of 10 people who come down with H5N1 bird flu die, right?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Luckily it's really, really difficult to catch it. Even when you are around sick birds. It doesn't very frequently make the jump to humans, but it can is what they found.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. As far as the regular flu, the garden variety flu that we're talking about mainly here, it spreads from, well, like we said, from touching stuff, from coughing and sneezing. When you cough and sneeze, even if you think you're covering your mouth pretty well, there may be little fluids squirting out between your fingers up to a few feet, like a fire hose. It's in the air around you. That stuff can travel. So if that lands on a doorknob or if someone covers their mouth like a. Like a normal, and then opens a door or borrows a stapler or whatever, it's going to be on that doorknob and then you touch it. And that's why hand washing by the sick and by the non sick is so crucial.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. And if you're like having an anxious day at work and you're doing your normal thing of chewing on your stapler to relieve anxiety and the guy who borrowed it was sick, you're toast.

[Chuck Bryant]

You are toast. And as you mentioned earlier, it bears repeating. You can be sick a day before symptoms, and you can. Or you can be contagious the day before symptoms and still remain contagious up to seven days after the symptoms start.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

So even if you feel better after day four, you could still be spreading that junk around for a few more days.

[Josh Clark]

Right. And they say that even after you feel better, you should stay in bed an extra day because again, your immune system is compromised and you are like, you can catch other stuff, so you want to be careful. That extra day really pays off.

[Chuck Bryant]

And that's when you just lay in bed and watch Stranger Things 2.

[Josh Clark]

Right. I haven't seen it yet. Is it good?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, we just finished it last night.

[Josh Clark]

Cool.

[Chuck Bryant]

Did you see the first season?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah. That was great.

[Chuck Bryant]

Season 2 is just as great, if not better, I'm happy to say.

[Josh Clark]

I'm glad to say that too.

[Chuck Bryant]

I was a little nervous, you know, because it was something I loved and. And it's like, oh, man, season two, a lot of pressure.

[Josh Clark]

Well, yeah, that's how it happens. The sophomore season is very frequently like, everyone's aware of the success of the show and what people are saying about it, and they try to adapt to the expectations rather than continuing on doing what they were doing before. But good for you guys. Stranger things.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. So Great. I want to get those duffer brothers on Movie Crush.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, yeah, that'd be cool.

[Chuck Bryant]

Those guys would be great. Should we take a break?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, I think so.

[Chuck Bryant]

All right, we'll come back and talk a little bit about pandemics.

[Young Pueblo]

Love at first swipe? I highly doubt it. What's your biggest red flag? No, no, no. What's your ultimate green flag? These days, reality TV and social media have us thinking love is instant. We're marrying strangers at first sight. We're finding love through walls, or we're even judging people by balloon pops. But what really makes a relationship last? On this episode of Dope Labs, poet, author and relationship expert Young Pueblo breaks down the psychology and biology of loving better. And he provides eye opening insights and advice that we all need.

[Chuck Bryant]

It's a big realization moment that you should not be postponing your happiness. Like, your greatest happiness is not necessarily going to, like, come from a relationship. Your partner, they should add to your happiness, but your happiness is really coming from within you.

[Young Pueblo]

Listen to Dope labs on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Chuck Bryant]

Our iHeartRadio Music Awards are coming back Monday, March 17th on Fox.

[Josh Clark]

Starring Bad Bunny Glorilla, Kenny Chesney, Money, Long Nelly, your host, iheartradio.

[Chuck Bryant]

LL Cool J. Are you guys ready to have some fun tonight?

[Young Pueblo]

Plus, I heart innovator award recipient Lady.

[Chuck Bryant]

Gaga, I heart icon award recipient Mariah.

[Young Pueblo]

Carey, and iHeart Breakthrough Award recipient Gracie Abrams.

[Josh Clark]

Watch live on Fox, Monday, March 17th.

[Chuck Bryant]

At 8, 7 Central.

[Young Pueblo]

Hey, y'all, it's your girl, Cheekies. And I'm back with a brand new season of your favorite podcast, Cheekies and Chills. I'll be sharing even more personal stories with you guys and I know a lot of people are gonna attack me. Why are you gonna go visit your dad? Your mom wouldn't be okay with it. I'm gonna tell you guys right now. I know my mother and I know my mom had a very forgiving heart. That is my story on plastic surgery. This is my truth. I think the last time I cried like that was when I lost my mom like that, like, yelling. I was like, no. I was like, oh. And I thought, what did I do wrong? And as always, you'll get my exclusive take on topics like love, personal growth, health, family ties, and more. And don't forget, I'll also be dishing out my best advice to you on episodes of Dear Cheekies. So my fiance and I have been together for 10 years. In the first two years of being Together, I find out he is cheating on me, not only with women, but also with men. What should I do? Okay, where do I start? That's not love. He doesn't love you enough. Because if he loved you, he'd be faithful. It's going to be an exciting year, and I hope that you can join me, listen to Cheekies and Chill Season four as part of the My Cultura Podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Josh Clark]

Welcome to Pod of Rebellion, our new.

[Chuck Bryant]

Star Wars Rebels Rewatch podcast.

[Josh Clark]

I'm Vanessa Marshall. Hi, I'm Tia Sircar. I'm Taylor Gray. And I'm John Lee Brody. But you may also Harrison Dullah, Specter.

[Young Pueblo]

2, Sabine Wren, Specter 5, and Ezra.

[Josh Clark]

Bridger, Specter 6, from Star Wars Rebels. Wait, I wasn't on Star Wars Rebels. Am I in the right place? Absolutely. Each week we're going to rewatch and.

[Chuck Bryant]

Discuss an episode from the series and.

[Josh Clark]

Share some fun behind the scenes stories. Sometimes we'll be visited by special guests like Steve Bloom Voices Zaborillio Spectre 4, or Dante Bosco voices Jaquel and many others.

[Chuck Bryant]

Sometimes we'll even have a lively debate.

[Josh Clark]

And we'll have plenty of other fun.

[Chuck Bryant]

Surprises and trivia, too.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, and me. Well, I'm the lucky ghost crew Stowaway, who gets to help moderate and guide the discussion each week. Kind of like how Kanan guided Ezra and the ways of the Force. You see what I did there? Nicely done, John. Thanks, Tia. So hang on, because it's gonna be a fun ride. Cue the music. Listen to Potter Rebellion on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, Chuck, so we were talking about how seasonal flu has seasons. That's why it's called seasonal flu.

[Chuck Bryant]

Right?

[Josh Clark]

That's, I guess, one classification of flus. There's also a pandemic flu. And the same kind of flu virus can be a pandemic flu or a seasonal flu. And I think you usually the way it happens is a new virus will emerge from, say, like livestock or poultry or something like that and infect humans. And if it's totally novel, where no human has ever encountered a flu of this type before, it can just lay waste to people. It can kill a lot of people, it can infect a lot of people, it can spread the world. And when that happens, it becomes classified as a pandemic flu. After a couple of rounds around the world, people will have started to develop an immunity to it. But It'll still be passed around. And so for the decade or so, it can be the predominant strain of the flu, but it'll have changed over to a seasonal type of flu. So it's almost like the pandemic versus seasonal type flu describes how contagious it is and how virulent it is. I think that's the big distinction.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And I think also in a pandemic, doesn't that mean it has left the country?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, I think that is kind of one of the indicators of it too.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. 1918. These numbers are staggering. This is the worst flu pandemic in world history in 1918 for I don't know what months exactly, but 19, 18 and 19. And it killed more than 20 million people around the world.

[Josh Clark]

And it killed most of those people actually in four months from September to December.

[Chuck Bryant]

Isn't that crazy? More lives are lost than all 20th century wars combined to the flu.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. You said 20 million?

[Chuck Bryant]

20 million worldwide. About half a million in the United States.

[Josh Clark]

I saw in many reputable places, 50 million people died around the world.

[Chuck Bryant]

It's just. It's staggering.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. And it was like, right at the end of World War I and just came out of nowhere. And one of the other really noteworthy things about it that just baffled people was it was killing, like, healthy people under the age of like, 22, 23, 24, like, just healthy young people killed by the flu. A lot of them died from pneumonia. And they finally figured out that it was because it had been about 20 something years since a flu resembling that type of strain had made the rounds. So people under, say, like, age 25 had never been exposed to it. So it was a novel flu which just leveled the people it was exposed to who had never encountered something like it before.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, I mean, it's scary to think about. I mean, surely that couldn't happen today, could it? Or could it?

[Josh Clark]

Oh, yeah, yeah, sure, man.

[Chuck Bryant]

You think that we could head something like that off these days?

[Josh Clark]

Do you know, like, a third of the population of the world was infected with that flu that year?

[Chuck Bryant]

Wow.

[Josh Clark]

Isn't that crazy?

[Chuck Bryant]

I know that's hard to believe.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, that can totally happen. It's a real concern.

[Chuck Bryant]

All right, so as far as your risk of getting the flu if you're a kid, like, there's different risk groups, like high risk, low risk, whatever, medium or average risk. But if you're under 2 years old, your little immune system isn't quite smart enough yet to know how to fight things off, so you're definitely more at risk and as always, what affects the children also affect the elderly. So if you're over 65, seniors, is elderly wrong to say.

[Josh Clark]

I think elderly is technically 81.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, really?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

All right, so we'll go with seniors.

[Josh Clark]

Seniors, active senior adults who have decades left ahead of them.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right. Who else? Anyone who has a. Any kind of chronic. Like I mentioned, asthma or diabetes. Any kind of chronic condition. If you're pregnant, if you work in a hospital or a doctor's office or. Nursing home.

[Josh Clark]

Nursing home. Not just people who work there, but the residents, too, are in a really vulnerable position because they are in the elderly age range. Their immune systems are pretty compromised. If they're in a nursing home, they're probably ill already, and then they're living in close quarters with other people who are ill. That's. That's a recipe for a disaster.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, sure is. It's also a recipe for tapioca pudding. It is the best around, remedy wise. And we'll talk about vaccinations here in a minute because I thought that was kind of one of the most interesting parts of this. But as far as remedies, if you get the flu, it's a virus. So you can't take antibiotics.

[Josh Clark]

No.

[Chuck Bryant]

You can't take a pill that's gonna cure you. There are some antiviral drugs which. I've never tried any of these. Have you? No, no, no. I tried Zycam last year once. I think that's for colds.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, I thought that was, like, discredited.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, I mean, I had a few people say, oh, you know, you should try Zycam. It helps knock out your cold faster. It killed my sense of taste and smell.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, no.

[Chuck Bryant]

For several days, to the point where I was scared.

[Josh Clark]

I don't remember that. I'll bet you were scared.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And I looked it up and it's a thing.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, I do remember that, actually.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. That's just really unnerving, the idea of maybe it's permanent.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, it was pretty freaky.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, I'll bet.

[Chuck Bryant]

And super noticeable. It wasn't like a subtle thing.

[Josh Clark]

You'd be like, chili, I miss you.

[Chuck Bryant]

So that was my experience. I'm not making some sweeping statement about that medication.

[Josh Clark]

Way to coa, man.

[Chuck Bryant]

But there are antiviral drugs called. There's one called Tamiflu Relenza. Flumidine. Little on the nose if you ask me.

[Josh Clark]

Flu. Stop. Well, the antiviral drugs, they seem like a good idea, but they seem like a good idea under the premise that seasonal flu strains were Used to think. They used to think that they died out at the end of a season. Right, right. Well, they started tracking them. Like our global monitoring system is really top notch. And they can track flu around the world. And they found that seasonal flu at the end of the season in North America, it just goes to South America. So since that's the case, when you use antivirals and you're exposing these flus that go on to survive, you're also training them, evolutionarily speaking, to adapt so that those antiviral drugs are useless against them for people who really need them. So just like with antibiotics, using antivirals just to cure a common flu or to shorten a common flu is probably a bad idea when you're talking about the whole population.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And that's what they do. They, they, what they try to do is just keep the spread, cellular spread from happening as. As much as it can.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

And that's sort of the easiest way to say it.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, yeah. There's. There's one keeps them, well, two, a pair of them keep them from replicating, and then another one traps them inside a cell once they enter.

[Chuck Bryant]

Right.

[Josh Clark]

It's like, oh, God, I can't get out. The door is locked. And then death.

[Chuck Bryant]

And they're all prescription drugs, if I'm not mistaken.

[Josh Clark]

So vaccines are pretty hot. They're like the hot thing to do on a Friday night is to go get a flu vaccine. Right?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. I didn't get flu shots for many, many, many, many years until I had a kid.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. And they say, like, especially if you have a baby under six months of age, they can't be vaccinated. And so everyone around them should be vaccinated. Is the recommendation from the cdc.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. Like our close family, the Grand Grands and the Abbas and the Pop Pops and the Papas and the Poopas and the Me Mangs and the Momos. That's your dog?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. Momo got a flu shot.

[Josh Clark]

That was nice of her. She's very kind.

[Chuck Bryant]

So, yeah, we all got flu shots and I just wasn't, you know, I never got the flu much. I didn't have a disbelief in the flu vaccine. I was just like, nah, I don't really need to bother with that.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, that's kind of.

[Chuck Bryant]

I was fine.

[Josh Clark]

Do you get them now, though? Is it a habit of yours now?

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, yeah, now they just sort of recommend it. When you have kids up until they're a certain age, you should get vaccinated as a family.

[Josh Clark]

Right. And when you have kids if you get them vaccinated once, they're able to be vaccinated again, under six months, they say, no, no, no, don't do that. When they're young, though, and you're getting them vaccinated, they need to be vaccinated twice, like a month apart.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yes.

[Josh Clark]

And so with flu vaccines in general, they recommend that you get it as early in the season as possible because it takes about two weeks for that to take effect. So with a kid, then I guess you would want to get them so that six weeks before the flu season. I don't know. Or is that second one pretty much like, okay, now it's taking effect. So is it four weeks plus two weeks or just.

[Chuck Bryant]

I don't remember the schedule. Yeah, I don't remember the schedule.

[Josh Clark]

Well, ask your doctor. Okay. We're not doctors. Stop pressuring.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, they'll tell you, like, when you go to get your little kitty checkups, they say, you know, come back in this month and get your flu shot number one. And then flu shot number two.

[Josh Clark]

And so for a while, there, there were two kinds of flu shots that the CDC recommended. One was an actual shot, the flu vaccine that was in a shot form.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yes.

[Josh Clark]

And then there was another one that's called live attenuated influenza virus, which came in the form of a nasal spray, and that was usually recommended for kids. I don't know if it's because kids don't like needles or what, but the CDC has officially stopped recommending nasal flu vaccines. Yeah, don't do those anymore.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, and when they were doing it, when we say kids, you had to be over five because it was a. Like you said, a live virus.

[Josh Clark]

Right? It was a live weakened virus.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And that's different. Like, if you think, all right, I'm going to get a flu shot, so that means I'm going to get the flu virus shot into me, and so I might feel like I have the flu. That's not really the case. It's really kind of neat how they do it. These scientists and doctors, like you said, track what's going on in the world of flu all over the world, and they sort of make a. Well, they don't sort of. They very definitely make a prediction and say, here's the flu strain specific to the United States. Let's say that I think we're gonna be faced with this year and they make their best scientific guess possible. And that is the. You get a not live version of that virus injected into your body. Your body sees, hey, foreign invaders. Here, let me produce antibodies, then if that virus or if the real flu knocks on your door later that winter, your body says, wait, I've met you before, I know how to fight you. Yeah, but it's pretty cool. And it literally the effectiveness I looked up this year, and it's a year to year thing. It's 40 to 60% on this year's strain. And it varies because it really just depends on how well those scientists have predicted how much they get it right.

[Josh Clark]

Right. Because if they get all three wrong, well, then you're toast when you encounter the flu that's going around that season. But even when they do get it right, it's kind of baffling that sometimes the flu vaccine just doesn't bestow any kind of immunity. Apparently, Australia just came out of a really bad epidemic flu season down there. And it didn't cause a lot of deaths, but everybody was sick with the flu. It was a H3 type flu that went around. And even though that strain showed up in the vaccine that was given out, only like 15% of people who got vaccinated and were exposed to the flu were immune to it. Like 85% of people who got flu vaccines and then encountered the flu still got sick. That's a pretty bad track record for a flu vaccine. And they're just not sure why. One of the theories is so when they make flu vaccines, they grow them in egg protein, typically like hens eggs. That's the medium they use to actually grow the viruses that they then kill. One researcher pointed out that at least one kind of flu virus mutates in the presence of egg protein. So that the virus that you put in to grow in there is different from the one that comes out. It's a mutated version. And so maybe that would prevent your body from recognizing the original one that you were trying to introduce it to in the vaccine.

[Chuck Bryant]

So interesting.

[Josh Clark]

It is pretty interesting.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, and they say there's a list of people who should not receive the flu shot. And one of the, one of those qualifications is if you are allergic to chicken eggs, then you shouldn't get a flu shot.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. There's like a couple of other ways that they make flu shots, flu vaccines, but chicken egg is the most predominant way to do it.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. If you currently have a fever, wait on your flu shot under six months. Of course, we said you cannot. If you have had flu shots in the past and you had a bad reaction because like I said, it's not going to make you sick. But you might feel a little achy or have sore muscles or something, but you can have a bad reaction. And if that's the case, then maybe flu shots aren't for you.

[Josh Clark]

Right. And if you're an anti vaxxer, then you probably already decided that flu shots aren't for you.

[Chuck Bryant]

Correct.

[Josh Clark]

Which we will never do an episode on that.

[Chuck Bryant]

On vaccinations.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, you don't think so?

[Josh Clark]

I don't know, man. So the idea that a flu vaccine can check all the boxes but still just be wrong, wrong, wrong or not confer immunity has some people looking for a universal vaccine or one that lasts way longer than just a year. What they're targeting is, so when you get a normal vaccine, that vaccine is based on that ha protein, the hemagglutin.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

And that's the most quickly evolving part of any flu virus, right?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

So they're saying, well, let's look at other parts of the flu virus that don't evolve nearly as quickly and target that. And some of those parts are even basically universal among all flu viruses. So if you can find. If you can create a vaccine based on a stable part of a flu virus that's a part of every flu virus, one vaccine could confer, ideally, lifelong immunity from all influenza for anybody who takes the vaccine.

[Chuck Bryant]

One vaccine to cure them all.

[Josh Clark]

Exactly.

[Chuck Bryant]

Wow.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. So you got anything else?

[Chuck Bryant]

No. I mean, I guess we're not going to cover the boogie woogie flu.

[Josh Clark]

I thought that was boogie woogie fever.

[Chuck Bryant]

No, it's the rock and pneumonia and the boogie woogie flu.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, that's nice. What's that from? Is that an Atlanta rhythm section song?

[Chuck Bryant]

No, they're better than that.

[Josh Clark]

Okay, well, since I said Atlanta rhythm section, everybody, that means it's time for listener mail.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. This is a Simpsons overlooked, overlooked Simpsons bit from us. And this is not one of those. We get plenty of things where people are like, how could you not have mentioned this quote or this episode? But the response was good. Then people weren't necessarily poo pooing it.

[Josh Clark]

No. And also, I want to say thank you to everybody who wrote in to just say congratulations or to thank us. That was all. Every single one of those emails or tweets or posts were all well received. So thanks for those guys.

[Chuck Bryant]

Totally. But this is something we. We failed to mention, which definitely deserves its own email. And this from Rich, our man on Cape Cod, as he says, hey, guys, was listening to the Simpsons two parter. Enjoyed it very much. You explained how an episode came to be from conception to animation, etc, and you paid respect to each portion. But then you slided off one of the most important men in the franchise. You just said. And then they slapped Danny Elfman's score on it and it's done. Well, is any true Simpsons aficionado would know Danny Elfman has never once written a score to the Simpsons. He wrote, as we know, just the title or the theme? The theme song. So he says. That job fell to the immensely talented and recently terminated via email, Alf Clawson.

[Josh Clark]

Wow.

[Chuck Bryant]

For 27 years, every score, every cue, every song was composed, orchestrated and conducted by Claassen in his live orchestra. He's won two Emmys and seven Annie Awards for his work. The reason this was such a painful sight was because this omission has been happening for years. Clausen has worked insane hours writing music for a live orchestra to accompany an animated show. He's always played second fiddle. Nailed it, he said to all those who think Elfman is any part of the show after he pinned the main title. In fact, the main title theme song we all know and love is actually actually Clausen's reorchestration of Elfman's theme that took place mid season three with a lusher, more crisp orchestration.

[Josh Clark]

Wow.

[Chuck Bryant]

I bet you anything Rich plays the oboe.

[Josh Clark]

Alf Clawson, I'm so sorry.

[Chuck Bryant]

I know, he said. I admire your podcast for bringing light to information that has been stuck lurking in the shadows. You always make sure credit is given to those who sometimes went their entire lives without getting the nod they deserve.

[Josh Clark]

Well, this guy's really turning the knife in our backs, isn't he?

[Chuck Bryant]

And I feel you. Oh, Clawson. That respect. So, Alf Clausen, for real. And then he. It was a bit of a longer email. He told the story of how he was recently fired by email, which is not cool.

[Josh Clark]

No, it's definitely not.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

After 20, 27 years.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Of dedicated work.

[Chuck Bryant]

I know, man.

[Josh Clark]

Not cool, guys.

[Chuck Bryant]

So that is Rich, our man on Cape Cod.

[Josh Clark]

Well, thanks a lot, Rich. Appreciate that. That was one of the better emails I've heard in a while.

[Chuck Bryant]

Agreed.

[Josh Clark]

If you want to try and top Rich, let's see what you got. You send us an email stuffpodcastowstuffworks.com and join us at our home on the web stuffyou should know.com.

[Young Pueblo]

Stuff youf Should Know is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts, My Heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Reality TV and social media have love all wrong. So what really makes relationships last? On this episode of Dope Labs poet and relationship expert Young Pueblo breaks down the psychology of love and provides eye opening insights and advice we all need.

[Chuck Bryant]

You should not be postponing your happiness. Your greatest happiness is not necessarily going to like come from a relationship. Your partner should add to your happiness, but your happiness is really coming from within you.

[Young Pueblo]

Listen to Dope labs on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Chuck Bryant]

Hey, it's Alec Baldwin. This past season on my podcast here's the thing, I spoke with more actors, musicians, policymakers and so many other fascinating people like writer and actor Dan Aykroyd. I love writing more than anything. You're left alone. You know, you do three hours in the morning, you write three hours in the afternoon, Go pick up a kid from school and write at night and after nine hours you come out with seven pages and then you're moving on. And actor and comedian Jack McBrayer.

[Josh Clark]

The most important aspect is the collaboration with people that I like, I trust are talented. That has been the most amazing gift to me about this crazy business that we've chosen. Meeting these people who have such diverse talents and you're able to create something together.

[Chuck Bryant]

Listen to here's the thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Young Pueblo]

Are you hungry? Colleen Witt here and Eating While Broke is back for Season four every Thursday on the Black Effect Podcast Network. This season we've got a legendary lineup sp serving up broke dishes and even better stories on the menu. We have Tony Baker, Nick Cannon, Melissa Ford, October London and Carrie Harper Howey turning Big Macs into big moves. Catch Eating While Broke every Thursday on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts. Wherever you get your favorite shows, come hungry for Season four.

[Chuck Bryant]

My name is Brendan Patrick Hughes, host of Divine Intervention.

[Josh Clark]

This is a story about radical nuns in combat boots and wild haired priests.

[Chuck Bryant]

Trading blows with J. Edgar Hoover in a hell bent effort to sabotage a war.

[Young Pueblo]

J. Edgar Hoover was furious. He was out of his mind and he wanted to bring the Catholic left to its knees.

[Josh Clark]

Listen to Divine intervention on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.