You felt great yesterday. After tending to your garden, you have a great brunch with your girlfriends, took a nap, spent the evening with your husband, and the next thing you know, you’re feeling 100 years old and experiencing common flu symptoms: You’re forehead is on fire, you feel cold, you are suffering from headache, you feel sore everywhere, and you are chilling even if it is sunny and bright. Ah, welcome to the world of flu.
Understanding Flu and the Flu Virus
Essentially, people use the word “flu” to just about anything that involves upper-respiratory-tract infection, something that is really distinctive and different from influenza, notes Dr. Marcia Kielhofner of Houston, Texas. Flu viruses are really something that people can look forward to annually; but expect it to be stronger between the months of October and April, says Kielhofner. There are actually two major strains that people need to know about: Influenza A and, of course, influenza B. Every year, these two strains change and vary, so catching flu this season doesn’t guarantee flu-free months next year. These viruses change once in a while, essentially getting stronger and becoming a new class of flu virus, boasting much higher rate of death and infection, when it comes to evolution, there is no such thing is getting weaker, you always expect things to be stronger, every time they evolve into something new, notes Kielhofner.
But regardless of the strain that you have caught last night, you will essentially feel the set of symptoms the rest of the world experiences. You feel sore, unbelievably high fever, chills, sore throat, severe pains and muscle aches, loss of appetite, fatigue, and dry cough. For women over 40, stiffness and pain in the joints that can last for at least three days are symptoms that they just need to expect. Cough and fatigue, on the other hand, can and will usually linger for several weeks.
Do I Need Flu Shot
While a getting a flu shot is one of the best ways you can build a stronger defense wall for your body, what you will be getting from your doctor’s office may not be 100 percent effective. Why? Because flu strains change from year to year, essentially one of the biggest challenges that most health experts need to face. In the process of creating vaccines, we only have the last year’s strain to actually help us protect people, notes W. Paul Glezen, professor of microbiology and immunology, and of pediatrics. The effectiveness of the vaccines to protect you from flu? Approximately 80 percent. So does this mean that you should forgot about driving your family to get your annual shot? Not really. Most of the vaccines available today can be around 80 percent effective when you ask for it before the flu season sets in, which you can expect between September and October.
Most of us can’t afford to get sick. But how badly do you need these flu shots? Here we detail the high risk groups that should not definitely miss their annual flu shot schedule:
- Those who have chronic lung and hear disease. Flu viruses, whatever strain it may be, can aggravate or worsen your condition and may actually lead to serious conditions or, worse, death.
- Individuals over the age of 65. Women over 40 have relatively stronger immune system than those elderly people, especially those who live in chronic-care facility or nursing homes. If you have someone over these facilities, ask the representative if they have been providing their patients with an updated vaccine. Flu viruses are expected to spread faster in these environments and can, therefore, easily weaken the immune system of elderly people.
- People who have been battling chronic diseases like diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, or even asthma.
- Children who take aspirin daily for conditions like chronic arthritis.
Flu is something that we don’t really take seriously. But when is something not too serious should be taken seriously? Check for these signs:
- High fever that won’t go down and have been lingering for more than three days
- Cough that worsens with each day
- Severe chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- And, essentially a flu that won’t go away
Home Remedies to Fight the Flu Bugs
Flu bugs can be really persistent and relentless. Here are some helpful home remedies to help you fight those pesky flu bugs, ease some discomforts, and, of course, give your body a fighting chance to beat flu down:
Rest, as long as you need. Most books about natural remedies boast that getting adequate rest is all you need to stop flu from its track. And most of these home remedies book are right; it is during these times that your body needs to get plenty of rest so it can recover from high fever and even fatigue, notes Dr. Evan Bell, a specialist of infectious diseases based in New York. Lounging around, either in bed or couch, shouldn’t be specially hard since you don’t have the energy to move around or even do something. Feeling guilty about being in bed all day? Just think of recovering from flu as a perfect excuse to take the much needed and most awaited break you have been wanting for so long. If you have been working hard year long, sometimes all it takes is some illness to tell you that you and your body really needs to have some downtime. If you feel that you really need to get down to work, go home earlier than usual, head straight to bed, and report a little later than your usual time.
Drink and drink some more. But not the alcoholic ones, of course. One of the best home remedies that can help you and your body recover fast is drinking plenty of decaffeinated and nonalcoholic drinks. You know that those with caffeine are actually diuretic, which essentially hastens the body’s fluid loss; so no matter how you crave that macchiato, strive to stay away from those that contain caffeine in it. Choose those that can help you keep hydrated and clear mucous by encouraging a productive cough (we’ll discuss about this later).
Take acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen, but only if you must. One of the very first things that you should remember when being on the process of recovery from flu is that your body essentially knows what it must do. Fever is essentially a natural way for your body to cope with and even fight influenza bugs, so you may want to re-consider your option of popping that acetaminophen-containing drug in your mouth. So what should you do with the headache and, of course, chills? Avail of home remedies that will help you lower down your fever for the sake of preventing dehydration and, of course, lessening the occurrence of shaking chills. When possible, allow your body to take its own phase; bottom line is you should sometimes allow your body to take its own course because it knows what it is doing.
But practical home remedies tell you about the benefits of taking acetaminophen, aspirin, and ibuprofen when it comes to tackling fever? So what should you do? Take ibuprofen
or aspirin-containing drugs to provide instant relief for aches and pains and acetaminophen to help your body to cope with fever. But if you have gastrointestinal problems and/or have a history of ulcer disease, you may want to ask your doctor for a better option. These medications will only leave you more problems than you can actually think of; studies show that acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and even aspirin can actually complicate these conditions.
or aspirin-containing drugs to provide instant relief for aches and pains and acetaminophen to help your body to cope with fever. But if you have gastrointestinal problems and/or have a history of ulcer disease, you may want to ask your doctor for a better option. These medications will only leave you more problems than you can actually think of; studies show that acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and even aspirin can actually complicate these conditions.
Call for “productive” cough, which is different from dry cough that prevents you from taking a much needed rest. Experts classify a cough as productive when it clears and brings up mucus and should, therefore, not be suppressed with OTC cough medicines. To help encourage productive cough, Glezen recommends drinking up nonalcoholic and caffeine-free drinks whenever you can. Have a pitcher of water or freshly squeezed juice at your bedside so you can conveniently grab a glass or two whenever you feel like it.
Put a lid on dry cough. Or those dry, hoarse, hacking, and downright painful coughs. Dry cough will not help you, only making you feel worst, cough after cough. This is where the experts will be more than willing to give you OTC cough remedies like those dextromethorphan-containing meds.
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