Tis the season. Happens every year about this time…

I’m not talking Thanksgiving. I’m not talking holidays, though the change in weather, does play a role. I’m referring to that time of year where news anchors  everywhere remind us:  “It’s cold and flu season! Don’t forget your shot.”

Now personally, these things bug me; I’m an optimist at heart. So I cringe every time someone suggests to my subconscious mind that I’m supposed to anticipate sickness, just because news reporters tell me I should.

I’ll spare you my Polly Anna beliefs, lest I wind up preaching some version of “You are what you think.” Instead, I‘ll just fill you in on the history of this virus’s name, and the curious reason we still call it the “flu” today.

Historically speaking, “influenza” (the label, not necessarily the first outbreak) dates back to the mid 1700s when in Rome, scientists (in this case, astrologers) gave us the name.

Some claim humans became its target about the time we domesticated our animals. No one’s for sure.  But even if so, the name had nothing to do with bugs, germs or anything that “flew” in the air.

Instead, we can thank our lucky stars (or in this case, the unlucky ones) for the name “influenza” was born of a belief that evil spirits were to blame for a plague that took out millions.

The Italian word for “influence,” influenza (more fun to say than it is to experience) was so named owing to gods believed to be influencing the stars, and thus, life on planet earth. Amazingly, the term remains today, the label science still uses.

Whether by astrological influence or public perception, this bug by any other name is still today, all about belief. Influencing our thinking, our actions and even our fears, influenza has held its own as a disease appropriately named.