No Pain, Less Gain

Scott LaFee
Tue, 23 Dec 2025 21:00:00 -0800
Lifestyle

Researchers are now advising folks who get a flu shot to consider refraining from taking a pain reliever like aspirin, Advil or Aleve after inoculation because it can dampen production of necessary antibodies that protect against viral illness.

Many over-the-counter pain and fever reducers are classified as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which act in part by blocking the cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme.

But blocking the COX-2 enzyme hinders vaccination because the enzyme plays a critical role in helping the immune system produce B-lymphocytes — the white blood cells responsible for creating protective antibodies.
Updated: Wed Dec 24, 2025

Researchers are now advising folks who get a flu shot to consider refraining from taking a pain reliever like aspirin, Advil or Aleve after inoculation because it can dampen production of necessary antibodies that protect against viral illness.

Many over-the-counter pain and fever reducers are classified as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which act in part by blocking the cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme.

But blocking the COX-2 enzyme hinders vaccination because the enzyme plays a critical role in helping the immune system produce B-lymphocytes — the white blood cells responsible for creating protective antibodies.

When people take medications like Advil for discomfort at the injection site, they're also inadvertently reducing the ability of these B cells to make the antibodies that protect against the flu.

"Unless your health care provider tells you otherwise, it's best not to take pain relievers one or two days before the flu vaccine and for a week afterward," said study author David J. Topham at the Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Even mild soreness after a flu shot is a sign that your immune system is responding — an indication that your body is building protection.

Body of Knowledge

Functional MRI studies show that Christmas triggers specific brain functions, creating a so-called Christmas spirit network involving the sensory motor cortex, premotor cortex and parietal lobes. These brain regions are associated with spirituality, sensory information and emotion recognition.

The network is likely a complex response influenced by positive memories and emotional associations tied to the holiday.

Get Me That, Stat!

In the United States, one in 150 births end in stillbirth each year, according to commercial health insurance data. In low-income areas, the stillbirth rate was higher: one in 112. For areas with a higher proportion of Black families than white families, the rate was one in 95. All those numbers, said STAT, are higher than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's reported rate of one in 175 each year.

Doc Talk

Nurslings: Student nurses who are getting their first exposure to the health care industry and don't yet have much experience interacting with patients or working in a hospital or clinic

Mania of the Week

Cacodemomania: A pathological belief that one is inhabited by an evil spirit

Best Medicine

Q: Why did Santa's helper see a therapist?

A: He had low elf-esteem. (Yep, it's a gift.)

Hypochondriac's Guide

Hyperfamiliarity is an extremely rare neurological condition in which everyone's face — family, friends and strangers — appears familiar. In one case report, it was even triggered by photos and TV shows. People don't truly recognize unknown faces. The result is usually the result of lesions in the brain involved in identifying unique facial figures. People typically and quickly realize they're mistaken in their recognition.

Observation

"Moderate exercise is indispensable; exercise till the mind feels delight in reposing from the fatigue." — Greek philosopher Socrates, who was condemned to death in 399 B.C. for corrupting the minds of the youth of Athens

Medical History

This week in 1993, the CDC announced that the smallpox virus stockpile would not be destroyed, as previously planned. The last specimens of the virus to exist on Earth were secured in storage in 600 frozen vials in the U.S. and Russia, ready to make a vaccine should it ever again be necessary.

Ig Nobel Apprised

The Ig Nobel Prizes celebrate achievements that make people laugh, then think. A look at real science that's hard to take seriously and even harder to ignore.

In 2025, the Ig Nobel Prize in aviation went to a group of scientists who investigated ethanol ingestion and its effects on flight performance and echolocation in Egyptian fruit bats.

Ethanol is a potential toxin for all vertebrates, including bats and humans. However, the colorless alcohol can sometimes be found in fruits as the result of the fermentation of natural sugars. Egyptian fruit bats eat a lot of fruit.

The researchers found that ethanol ingestion is dangerous to bats primarily because it impairs their ability to fly and navigate their surroundings, resulting in them becoming more easily caught by predators or suffering fatal flying accidents. Fortunately for the bats, fruits with a detectable high level of ethanol are deemed unpalatable and usually avoided.

Self-Exam

Q: Which of these acts as a storehouse for fats?

A) Yellow bone marrow

B) Blood cells

C) Hematopoietic tissue

D) Red bone marrow

A: A) Yellow bone marrow. Bone marrow is either red or yellow, depending upon the preponderance of hematopoietic or fatty tissue. Yellow bone marrow serves primarily as a storehouse for fats, but it may be converted to red marrow under certain conditions, such as severe blood loss or fever. Red bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside bones that produces all types of blood cells.

Medical Myths

You do not need eight glasses of water per day to remain healthfully hydrated. The actual number is variable, depending on humidity, average temperature, activity level and genetics. Your body does need a certain amount of fluid per day, but it may not be eight glasses. There is no set number, and you derive some of your water intake from food. If your urine is light or clear, this is a good indication that you're properly hydrated.

Last Words

"I'm a f—ing doctor." — Psychiatrist R.D. Laing (1927-1989) to a gathering crowd after he had suffered a fatal heart attack. Someone in the crowd had cried, "Get a doctor."