First you need to determine if you have the flu as its symptoms are relatively similar to the ones of a common cold. If you are feeling a brain-mashing headache, together with muscle aches, fatigue, vomiting, sore throat and a fever that makes you shiver and sweat, these are all strong clues that the flu has its hold on you.
How to treat the flu - There are some things you can do to speed up your recovery from the flu
Make sure you give yourself enough time to recover completely, or you could end up with a slower recovery and develop some complications.
Stay home, remain indoors and get a lot of rest. Although it is advised that you stay in bed, some physical exercise such as stretching can help you with your muscle and body aches. But don't overdo it and avoid becoming chilled as this may weaken the body's defense mechanism. It’s best if the treatment is done without leaving the house for a few days. External factors such as cold or bad weather may prolong or even intensify the disease and slow your recovery.
What to eat when you have the flu
You need to keep an effective defense against the influenza virus. Eat vitamin C-rich fresh fruits and vegetables. Vitamin C has excellent antioxidant properties and will help in your effort to recover. Good sources of vitamin C are citrus fruits, strawberries and Brussel sprouts. Eat some lean meats, fish, cereals and whole grain breads to add more zinc to your system.
You could also try eating some starchy foods like bananas, applesauce, dry toast, cottage cheese, baked potatoes, boiled rice, and cooked cereal. When you haven't been eating regularly, starchy foods provide a gentle transition for your digestive system.
You could also try eating some starchy foods like bananas, applesauce, dry toast, cottage cheese, baked potatoes, boiled rice, and cooked cereal. When you haven't been eating regularly, starchy foods provide a gentle transition for your digestive system.
Drink plenty of fluids. The body can get dehydrated when you have fever, pushing the fever up even higher. Proper hydration is essential in removing toxins from your body, and the more fluid you drink, the more your tissues are hydrated and the more mucous flows. Water is the main candidate, but sports drinks, fruit juices, and soups can be beneficial as well. Even if you don't feel thirsty, try to drink small amounts of liquids regularly. Don't drink alcohol; they will dehydrate you and can lower your body's defense mechanism to fight the disease and secondary infections.
Apply a heating pad on your body aches.
As a sore throat cure, gargle as needed. Dissolve 1 tsp of salt in 1 pint of warm water. See other alternatives in Natural Flu Remedies.
When to see your doctor
See your Doctor if you are over 65 years of age and have some chronic conditions such as lung disease or heart disease or if you have been vomiting for over a day or have severe abdominal pain.
Some common medicines to fight influenza are Acetaminophen (such as Tylenol), Aspirin and Ibuprofen. Take two tablets every four hours to reduce fever and relieve headache and any muscle aches that the flu virus may cause. However, be careful not to give aspirin to anyone under 21, since research has establish a link between Reye's Syndrome and the use of aspirin. Cough medicine and decongestants will also help with respiratory congestion.
Some prescription medicines include Oseltamivir (Tamiflu), Amantadine, Rimantadine orZanamivir (Relenza). These drugs are specifically created for preventing and treating the flu. Yet the current flu virus, H3N2 has become progressively resistant to Amantadine and Rimantadine. In 1994 it was concluded that only 1% of the H3N2 cases were resistant to these medications and only 9 years later, by 2005 this resistance ratio was increased to over 90%. There’s no guarantee that these medications will respond in the future as the virus may mutate into a new and improved version of itself, becoming resistant or immune to them. In other words, the best flu medicine this year may be completely inefficient in the next flu season.
You may also want to consider some alternative treatments as well.
Acupressure works by using pressure on a number of points in the body for various flu symptoms. Also, hydrotherapy is a method using water to detoxify the body. The water warms the body and causes you to sweat out harmful toxins. Aromatherapy can be used as a preventive remedy. Protect yourself by applying one drop each of tea tree oil and lemon essential oil in a glass of warm water and gargle. A flu homeopathic remedy may also work. Try Gelsemium if you have a headache and stuffy nose and are feeling weak, tired and chilled. Bryonia will help with general achiness in your muscless and headache; it will also help you if you are thirsty for cold drinks and have a dry cough.
Garlic has antiviral properties and it is a powerful cleanser of the mucous membranes. Chew a clove of garlic as soon as you notice the first flu symptoms.
Garlic has antiviral properties and it is a powerful cleanser of the mucous membranes. Chew a clove of garlic as soon as you notice the first flu symptoms.
Another type of flu that we all became recently aware of is the bird flu or avian flu, which symptoms are similar to a regular cold or flu.
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