Field Notes #35: When should you get your flu shot? 💉 📅
Plus, monthly reflections, nuance > noticing, a new favorite roasted beans recipe
Hello, friends! It’s been a gloomy week so far — dull skies, rain and more rain, chilly 40s. Despite the dreariness, tomorrow is scheduled to be all sunshine and beauty. It’s interesting to observe the impact weather has on your thoughts, your mood, your inclinations, your activities. Do you feel a difference in your body?
Side note: I’ve revamped Field Notes to have 1 health insight, 2 tweets, and 3 links. Any feedback, on format or anything else, is always very welcome and appreciated!
1 health insight
I had a doctor’s appointment several weeks ago, and at the end, I asked if I could get my flu shot. So smart to get that flu shot taken care of early!
Well. Then I read this story from STAT News: “Doubling up on Covid, flu shots may have a downside, experts caution.”
The story examines recent guidance from federal health authorities to get your Covid booster asap, and pair it with the flu shot — take care of both at once.
But, the story continues:
“There’s just one problem with the advice. It’s still early to get a flu shot.
“The protection generated by influenza vaccines erodes pretty quickly over the course of a flu season. A vaccine dose given in early September may offer limited protection if the flu season doesn’t peak until February or even March, as it did during the unusually late 2021-2022 season.”
Oops.
I did not realize that the flu vaccine’s effectiveness wanes over time, but several studies have shown just that, according to the article.
“You’ve got about four months of pretty solid protection,” said Emily Martin, an associate professor of epidemiology who specializes in flu at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
The end of October is a better time to get the flu shot, according to the experts quoted, which should carry you through February, though the flu does linger in some places much longer. (And it’s worth repeating that the flu vaccine doesn’t mean you won’t get the flu — like the Covid vaccines, it is designed to help prevent severe illness that requires hospitalization.)
So two appointments may be in order — one for the Covid booster, one for the flu shot later.
I unfortunately did it all backwards; my doctor didn’t have the Covid booster in stock yet, so I’ll be making a second appointment anyway. Ah well. Now I know!
(Note: I am not a doctor, and this newsletter is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about your specific case!)
2 tweets
I am finishing up 10 questions of reflection, and ran across this nifty idea. (Dickie Bush runs an online writing workshop called Ship 30 for 30.)
Dickie goes on to suggest that you notice what is helping you, and what is not, and make a list for the next month: More of this, none of this. Think habit, food, relationships, activities. I think it could be helpful. I might try it. He hangs his list up to remind himself in his bathroom.
3 links
Nuance — This Art of Noticing newsletter edition shares a couple of neat observations by Dr. Angela Duckworth (author of Grit). She notes that because we naturally seek novelty (new word: “neophilia”), looking for nuance can help us direct our attention to looking more closely, seeing the subtleties, rather than constantly chasing something new.
The Intern, the Ham Sandwich, the Patient With 2 Last Names and ‘the Runt’ — a peek at what grueling surgical residency looked like in 1997. (General Surgery News). The outrageous hours and demands of residency (the training period of a doctor after graduating medical school) continue to baffle me — not good for the doctor, not good for the patients!
Roasted tomatoes with white beans. This Smitten Kitchen recipe has been on rotation in our house. It’s simple and delicious, packed with nutrients. I like that I can buy a can of beans and a little bin of cherry tomatoes, and wait for the day when I’m at a loss for lunch or dinner.
I hope you have a wonderful end of the week, no matter the weather.
To our journeys,
Brianne
p.s. Have you run across a recipe, habit, article, book, podcast that would be great for Field Notes? I’d love to hear about it. Email me at brianne@daybreaknotes.com. Thanks!