So, you've come down with the flu and want to know how to get rid of the flu fast. Fair enough, who wouldn't? And while there is some temptation to point out the ways in which you could have avoided it, we'll resist and just jump to the chase.
For many people the immediate go-to solution is turning to various medications, either bought over the counter or prescribed by your family physician. I'm not a physician and won't insinuate any comment on that choice or your relationship with your M.D. Should that be the path that you take it is probably advisable to follow the prescription provided.
However, here's an interesting thought to ponder. Medical anthropologists and others are discovering that the terrible death toll of the 1918 flu pandemic was significantly aggravated by physician mega-dose prescribing of aspirin. The thinking is that the aspirin caused patients' stomachs to bleed, allowing the flu infection to get into their blood.
This observation is not meant to demonize the medical community. Surely those physicians did the very best they could in light of the prevailing medical knowledge. The lesson shouldn't be lost though that any time you're using potent pharmaceuticals even very small errors can have devastating outcomes. Using such drugs always involves some level of risk. Surely, for most cases of flu less risky options are viable.
Some of these are going to sound kind of corny, the advice that mom told you. But, heck, mom knew a thing or two. Get plenty of sleep and drink plenty of liquids. Water is the best fluid to drink. Also, keep clean: warm showers do that as well as providing relief for aching muscles. Keeping clean is important for getting the infection under control, both in terms of avoiding reintroducing it to your own system as well as to prevent spread to others.
A few words on fever are required. Fevers are not fun and often the temptation is to take measures to eliminate a fever. However, unless it reaches 103 degrees, this is a very bad idea. Your fever is your body's immune system doing battle with the flu -- why would you want to unilaterally disarm it? We humans didn't get to where we are today without evolving some pretty effective virus fighting biochemistry. Let your immune system do the job for which it has evolved!
Some other good ideas include the inhaling of the essence of essential oils. This offers much appreciated relief. Pour yourself a steaming hot sink of water and mix in the ingredients. Then you can drape a towel over your head. This allows you to capture the full effects of the essences. Breathe it in deeply. Here are some good options to go with for mixing into your steaming hot sink of water: add a couple teaspoons of freshly chopped ginger, eucalyptus or menthol. As you'd like to know which one works best for you, it is wise to try each one separately, taking note of the affects you experience.
Another valuable option is the use of vitamins . Particularly useful for the flu are vitamins A and C. Micellized A is best. If ascorbic acid, for whatever reason, is your only choice for vitamin C then by all means take it, but you'll get a more potent result from food sourced C. Another valuable flu-fighting vitamin is D3. The best would be to get it through regular sunlight exposure. This may be a challenge during flu season, but if it's an option, it's the preferred one.
Finally, drinking warm liquids can be soothing (no, not coffee or mulled wine). Tea is good and apparently Green tea has shown some ability to actually reduce the time to clear the flu out of your system.
We hope this bunch of classic remedies help do the trick for you. Being classics doesn't make them any less effective, just tested by time. These are good places to start in figuring out how to get rid of the flu fast.
For many people the immediate go-to solution is turning to various medications, either bought over the counter or prescribed by your family physician. I'm not a physician and won't insinuate any comment on that choice or your relationship with your M.D. Should that be the path that you take it is probably advisable to follow the prescription provided.
However, here's an interesting thought to ponder. Medical anthropologists and others are discovering that the terrible death toll of the 1918 flu pandemic was significantly aggravated by physician mega-dose prescribing of aspirin. The thinking is that the aspirin caused patients' stomachs to bleed, allowing the flu infection to get into their blood.
This observation is not meant to demonize the medical community. Surely those physicians did the very best they could in light of the prevailing medical knowledge. The lesson shouldn't be lost though that any time you're using potent pharmaceuticals even very small errors can have devastating outcomes. Using such drugs always involves some level of risk. Surely, for most cases of flu less risky options are viable.
Some of these are going to sound kind of corny, the advice that mom told you. But, heck, mom knew a thing or two. Get plenty of sleep and drink plenty of liquids. Water is the best fluid to drink. Also, keep clean: warm showers do that as well as providing relief for aching muscles. Keeping clean is important for getting the infection under control, both in terms of avoiding reintroducing it to your own system as well as to prevent spread to others.
A few words on fever are required. Fevers are not fun and often the temptation is to take measures to eliminate a fever. However, unless it reaches 103 degrees, this is a very bad idea. Your fever is your body's immune system doing battle with the flu -- why would you want to unilaterally disarm it? We humans didn't get to where we are today without evolving some pretty effective virus fighting biochemistry. Let your immune system do the job for which it has evolved!
Some other good ideas include the inhaling of the essence of essential oils. This offers much appreciated relief. Pour yourself a steaming hot sink of water and mix in the ingredients. Then you can drape a towel over your head. This allows you to capture the full effects of the essences. Breathe it in deeply. Here are some good options to go with for mixing into your steaming hot sink of water: add a couple teaspoons of freshly chopped ginger, eucalyptus or menthol. As you'd like to know which one works best for you, it is wise to try each one separately, taking note of the affects you experience.
Another valuable option is the use of vitamins . Particularly useful for the flu are vitamins A and C. Micellized A is best. If ascorbic acid, for whatever reason, is your only choice for vitamin C then by all means take it, but you'll get a more potent result from food sourced C. Another valuable flu-fighting vitamin is D3. The best would be to get it through regular sunlight exposure. This may be a challenge during flu season, but if it's an option, it's the preferred one.
Finally, drinking warm liquids can be soothing (no, not coffee or mulled wine). Tea is good and apparently Green tea has shown some ability to actually reduce the time to clear the flu out of your system.
We hope this bunch of classic remedies help do the trick for you. Being classics doesn't make them any less effective, just tested by time. These are good places to start in figuring out how to get rid of the flu fast.
About the Author:
Be sure to follow Tosh Caliberni for the latest scoop on fast non-medicated relief at the blog: How to Get Rid of the Flu Fast . Also his piece on the 3 Top Ways to Get Rid of a Headache without Medicine is a great relief to headache sufferers.
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