Could the flu this winter spell danger for Parkinson’s… YEARS from now?

Sometimes the mainstream MISSES something that’s right in front of their noses.

And it takes someone with a FRESH perspective to notice it… and actually DO something about it.

That could be what’s going on with one of the most CONFOUNDING conditions out there — Parkinson’s disease.

You’ve read before right here in eAlert how Parkinson’s has been linked to other seemingly unrelated health issues…

Like blood sugar that’s too high… and LDL cholesterol that’s too low.

Of course, EVERYTHING is connected in your body.

And that’s especially true when it comes to your brain.

Now, the latest science shows how a prior viral infection could increase risk of Parkinson’s disease over the long term!

Here’s the discovery that could change how we approach this neurodegenerative disease.

DOUBLE or TRIPLE the risk

The main culprit appears to be the influenza virus – a.k.a. the flu.

In a study of Danish citizens over 60 years old, a flu infection during any season over the course of the 10 years prior was closely associated with the development of Parkinson’s disease.

Turns out there was a 73% greater chance of developing Parkinson’s among those who’d caught the flu over a decade before.

Now, this doesn’t prove that the flu CAUSES Parkinson’s.

But the correlation between influenza and this motor disorder goes all the way back to the 1918 “Spanish flu” pandemic!

Survivors of that flu were 2-3X more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease.

And other viruses seem to spike Parkinson’s risk, too… including HIV and the mosquito-borne viruses that cause West Nile and Western Equine Encephalitis.

The evidence is SO strong… scientists have carved out an entirely separate category for “viral parkinsonism.”

And now, scientists are wondering whether we’ll see an uptick in PD diagnoses 10 years from now in folks who caught and recovered from COVID-19.

It’s way too early to know whether that theory holds water…

But in the meantime, it seems worth exploring how exposure to a virus might WREAK HAVOC on the central nervous system.

More importantly, what can we do about it?

It stands to reason that an infection brings an INFLUX of inflammation… which could damage nerve cells.

In fact, researchers have been able to INDUCE Parkinson’s disease in animal subjects by exposing them to an influenza strain known as H5N1 (a.k.a. “bird flu”).

But there’s a long delay between the exposure to the viruses I just mentioned and the onset of Parkinson’s.

And that speaks to just how SNEAKY viruses can be… as they LINGER in our bodies for years…

Too often remaining UNDETECTED as they slowly CHIP AWAY at our health…

Or staying DORMANT until they’re ready to come back with a VENGEANCE.

We’ve seen this with the polio virus… and the herpes virus (including the one that causes chickenpox and then returns as shingles).

It wouldn’t surprise me if certain strains of the influenza virus were capable of similar low-level, long-term destruction.

I always shake my head when I hear folks say something like, “It’s just the flu”… because the flu could be very BAD.

You DON’T want to catch any flu… EVER.

So, as we head into cold and flu season… and things are starting to open back up again… let me take this opportunity to remind you how important it is to ARM your immunity to fight off any bugs you may encounter this winter.