This Fall Task Just Got More Important For Certain Lubbockites

Everyone knows that the Fall season brings the dreaded flu along with it. This leads many proactive folks to area pharmacies and doctor's offices to get their yearly vaccination to help protect themselves against this horrible virus. What you may not realize is that by doing this simple task, you are protecting yourself from more than just influenza.

A new study conducted at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston) shows that getting your flu shot also lessens your risk for developing Alzheimer's Disease. More specifically, the documentation notes that "patients who received at least one influenza vaccine were 40% less likely than their non-vaccinated peers to develop incident AD [Alzheimer's Disease] during the 4-year follow-up period."

Not only that, but the effectiveness of this protection increased for every year that you get the shot. In other words, if you habitually get the shot each year, your chances of preventing the illness improved. Thus, if you are over the age of 65, getting this yearly injection will better active your immune system to fight a multitude of unwanted conditions.

After completing this study, they now hope to investigate if getting this vaccine will also help to slow down the progression of this type of dementia if someone has already begun to notice symptoms.

For those who have family members who suffer from this devastating illness, this is an amazing piece of news. One that may give people more valuable time with their loved ones. For more information on this condition, check out ALZ.org.