Being a journalist really can benefit your health

Knowledge gained is never a waste and what journalists write about for their papers may sometimes serve them well in their own lives.

So it proved for the health reporter of The Bolton News who has recently been laid up on her sofa with a bout of swine flu.

In a first person piece, Cherry Thomas explains that her partner came down with all the classic tell-tale signs of the flu bug.

Proudly wearing her health reporter's hat, Cherry knew exactly what to do having spent weeks writing about it for the News.

But no sooner had she handed over the necessary drugs to her partner, than she was struck down by dizziness, aches and temperature - and therefore was stuck with Jeremy Kyle and the four walls of her flat.

She wrote: "The strange thing is, I'd had lots of conversations with health professionals galore in recent weeks.

"I knew swine flu was no worse than seasonal flu and had been at pains to make that point in my stories.

"Yet somewhere, at the back of my mind, was a little bit of fear and apprehension at having swine flu. I wonder if I'd read too many scare-stories in the national press?"

Thankfully, a couple of weeks later everything was back to normal and cases of swine flu are also dropping, she reports.