Cold and flu care from a former doctor
Disclaimers: I no longer have a medical license. I last practiced medicine in 2001. This recipe is not scientifically based. It's just what I do for myself.
TL;DR: Water, Advil, Afrin, rest.
* Drink water. You know you're drinking enough when your urine is clear or just slightly yellow. If it's clear you don't need to drink more.
* Caffeine: Don't change your caffeine intake. If you stop you'll get withdrawal symptoms. Increasing might interfere with your ability to sleep. Caffeine is also a diuretic and might interfere with your ability to use your urine color to track your fluid intake.
* Fevers / aches: Take your favorite medicine (Advil, Aleve, Tylenol) around the clock for 48 hours. They seem to work better if you take them before you have a fever spike instead of after, probably because it takes a while for them to kick in. Of the three choices there is no best choice -- pick the one that has worked for you in the past.
* Aspirin: Skip it. That stuff is dangerous -- did you know it dramatically increases your risk of bleeding? There's also a small chance of Reye's Syndrome.
* Generic medications works just as well as name brand. Only buy the name brand if you like the pill coating or taste (I buy name-brand Advil because it has a nice sugar coat).
* Don't take combination medications (meds like Theraflu with multiple ingredients). You can do a better, cheaper job by taking the ingredients individually.
* Don't take antihistamines (like Benadryl). They probably increase the duration of your illness.
* Runny nose / nasal congestion: Afrin nasal spray is an amazingly effective treatment. It's like alien technology. Starts working in 10 seconds, lasts for 12 hours. But you can only use it for 3 days, otherwise your nose will get dependent on it. Really. You only get 3 days.
* Name brand Afrin tastes much better than generic and you'll get a touch of it in your mouth when you put it in your nose.
* Infection control: Don't go to work! You'll infect others. Do the right thing and wait at least 48 hours after your last fever.
* Rest! You're going to be out of commission for a few days. It's just the way of things.
They say that untreated a cold lasts a full week, but with good treatment it only lasts 7 days. :-)
TL;DR: Water, Advil, Afrin, rest.
* Drink water. You know you're drinking enough when your urine is clear or just slightly yellow. If it's clear you don't need to drink more.
* Caffeine: Don't change your caffeine intake. If you stop you'll get withdrawal symptoms. Increasing might interfere with your ability to sleep. Caffeine is also a diuretic and might interfere with your ability to use your urine color to track your fluid intake.
* Fevers / aches: Take your favorite medicine (Advil, Aleve, Tylenol) around the clock for 48 hours. They seem to work better if you take them before you have a fever spike instead of after, probably because it takes a while for them to kick in. Of the three choices there is no best choice -- pick the one that has worked for you in the past.
* Aspirin: Skip it. That stuff is dangerous -- did you know it dramatically increases your risk of bleeding? There's also a small chance of Reye's Syndrome.
* Generic medications works just as well as name brand. Only buy the name brand if you like the pill coating or taste (I buy name-brand Advil because it has a nice sugar coat).
* Don't take combination medications (meds like Theraflu with multiple ingredients). You can do a better, cheaper job by taking the ingredients individually.
* Don't take antihistamines (like Benadryl). They probably increase the duration of your illness.
* Runny nose / nasal congestion: Afrin nasal spray is an amazingly effective treatment. It's like alien technology. Starts working in 10 seconds, lasts for 12 hours. But you can only use it for 3 days, otherwise your nose will get dependent on it. Really. You only get 3 days.
* Name brand Afrin tastes much better than generic and you'll get a touch of it in your mouth when you put it in your nose.
* Infection control: Don't go to work! You'll infect others. Do the right thing and wait at least 48 hours after your last fever.
* Rest! You're going to be out of commission for a few days. It's just the way of things.
They say that untreated a cold lasts a full week, but with good treatment it only lasts 7 days. :-)
Thanks for this :)
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