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.
There are of course various medications you can get by prescription from your family physician. We're not M.D.s so won't presume to comment on your relationship with your medical professional. If that's the route you choose, probably best to be compliant with the treatment.
On the flu, particularly, though, I will just offer this one morsel of food thought for your consideration. Apparently, in recent years, medical anthropologists have been increasingly leaning toward an explanation for the terrible death toll of the 1918 flu pandemic that lays a good deal of the fault at the feet of the medical profession. It appears now that the virulence of the 1918 strain was dangerously aggravated by physicians prescribing mega-doses of aspirin. The extremely high dosages of aspirin would have caused patients' stomachs to bleed. This allowed the flu infection to penetrate their blood, leading to rapid death.
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 the suggestions here may strike you as a corny: the homespun remedies passed down from grandma. Don't knock it, though, grandma knew a few things. Right off the top, there are the basics: get plenty of sleep and drink lots of liquids -- especially water. Another thing that too many people don't take seriously enough is to keep clean. Warm showers are a good idea. They will offer relief for your aching muscles and maybe ease bronchial congestion. Maintaining cleanliness though is also important as a means of limiting infection. Who is going to care for whom, if everyone is sick?
No one much enjoys a fever, but you should remember you have it for a good reason. Unless the body temperature gets up to 103 degrees, which can become dangerous, don't interfere to bring it down. Your fever is your body's immune system battling the flu. Suppressing the fever is just a unilateral disarming of your immune system in its battle to protect your health. That wouldn't seem smart. Humans wouldn't have survived this long without evolving an effective means of flu resistance. Don't cramp its ability to do its job!
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.
vitamins can really be helpful, too. Take both A and C. Micellized A is best and the C should be food sourced, which is much more potent than the ascorbic acid sort (so you don't have to take as much, of course). Also vitamin D3 can be good, but better if you can get it through regular exposure to sunlight. Admittedly, this isn't always possible during flu season, but, if it is, it's the way to go.
And last but not least, another down home remedy, but a great one, is to drink warm liquids. They provide plenty of welcomed soothing of flu related discomfort. Tea will be a good choice, with Green tea especially recommended for speeding the passing of flu.
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.
There are of course various medications you can get by prescription from your family physician. We're not M.D.s so won't presume to comment on your relationship with your medical professional. If that's the route you choose, probably best to be compliant with the treatment.
On the flu, particularly, though, I will just offer this one morsel of food thought for your consideration. Apparently, in recent years, medical anthropologists have been increasingly leaning toward an explanation for the terrible death toll of the 1918 flu pandemic that lays a good deal of the fault at the feet of the medical profession. It appears now that the virulence of the 1918 strain was dangerously aggravated by physicians prescribing mega-doses of aspirin. The extremely high dosages of aspirin would have caused patients' stomachs to bleed. This allowed the flu infection to penetrate their blood, leading to rapid death.
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 the suggestions here may strike you as a corny: the homespun remedies passed down from grandma. Don't knock it, though, grandma knew a few things. Right off the top, there are the basics: get plenty of sleep and drink lots of liquids -- especially water. Another thing that too many people don't take seriously enough is to keep clean. Warm showers are a good idea. They will offer relief for your aching muscles and maybe ease bronchial congestion. Maintaining cleanliness though is also important as a means of limiting infection. Who is going to care for whom, if everyone is sick?
No one much enjoys a fever, but you should remember you have it for a good reason. Unless the body temperature gets up to 103 degrees, which can become dangerous, don't interfere to bring it down. Your fever is your body's immune system battling the flu. Suppressing the fever is just a unilateral disarming of your immune system in its battle to protect your health. That wouldn't seem smart. Humans wouldn't have survived this long without evolving an effective means of flu resistance. Don't cramp its ability to do its job!
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.
vitamins can really be helpful, too. Take both A and C. Micellized A is best and the C should be food sourced, which is much more potent than the ascorbic acid sort (so you don't have to take as much, of course). Also vitamin D3 can be good, but better if you can get it through regular exposure to sunlight. Admittedly, this isn't always possible during flu season, but, if it is, it's the way to go.
And last but not least, another down home remedy, but a great one, is to drink warm liquids. They provide plenty of welcomed soothing of flu related discomfort. Tea will be a good choice, with Green tea especially recommended for speeding the passing of flu.
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 all the latest news 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 can be a real life saver.
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