I’m full of cold or flu. Taken some paraceptamol to reduce the fever. What do you like to do to feel better even for a short period of time. Need some tips! Feeling so crap
Fevers are your body fighting the infection so unless it gets too high you should just let it do it’s thing. Keeping the fever will shorten the duration of a mild or moderate illness. If your fever gets up to 102-103f or ~39c take medicine to reduce it, if it hits 105f or 40c then you are in danger of cooking you brain and should go to the ER. Stay well hydrated, getting some electrolytes is a good idea if you are sweating more than usual or vomiting. Eat regularly, your body is using extra calories to fight the infection so even if you activity level is lower you need the same or a little more calories than normal. The more balanced your diet the better. Have something to do. Don’t just focus on the illness and lay around getting bored, do some light housework, engage is a light hobby, catch up on some TV or movies, replay an old favorite video game. Anything to keep your mind engaged and to make the time pass faster.
I agree. Unless it is too high or too long, let it work it’s magic. You will be miserable, but likely get well faster. Take something for the congestion, drink plenty of fluid, and go to bed and sleep or lay on the couch and watch movies.
Chicken soup (placebo yes but works for me)
Ibuprofen
Had this bad boy in the fridge…
Time to give it a go. Get well soon!
Plus one for chicken soup, always seems to help. Also orange juice and fresh air (while keeping warm)
Not just a placebo! At least when made with a proper bone broth. There have been some studies showing it has anti-inflammatory properties, not to mention all the great nutrients it has! (source)
Yes, I always leave the bones when making the chicken soup . And it has a lot of nutrients, but I meant placebo because it doesn’t help fight off an infection like a vaccine or an antibiotic would, and it also doesn’t help with fever or inflammation in a noticeable manner. It helps with hydration and some electrolytes I guess, but I suspect an over the counter solution is probably even more effective than the soup.
Benefits are if you regularly include it in your diet. It takes time for your body to pack up its nutrient reserves and make something useful with it. Myth has turned chicken soup into something similar to Popeye’s Spinach or Mario’s Mushrooms and that’s not true.
I don’t mean to imply anything magical about it, just thought I’d mention that it has some legitimate benefits beyond placebo for anyone unaware! The site linked above has all the information I was talking about, and cites the source studies too.
Ibuprofen all the way for the flu. I think its a more effective antipyretic, and it will help with the inflammatory response that causes the body aches.
Paracetamol is acetaminophen and is not supposed to be regularly mixed with ibuprofen.
Edit for clarity, it’s not recommended to do so regularly.
That’s not true
You can take it at the same time and usually you take it in 2 hour intervals alternating.
You are not supposed to swallow them together or right after the other, that’s right. But you can alternate them safely and take ibuprofen before the paracetamol starts wearing off (roughly four hours after the other).
Of course it’s not ideal to take ibuprofen regularly for days on end. And don’t exceed the maximum dose at any given time.
Personally paracetamol does nothing for me, so I rely on ibuprofen solely.
This isn’t true. You can take them together. You should not take them together regularly though without a doctor’s okay.
They are entirely different drugs with different mechanisms. Taking too much paracetamol/Tylenol/acetaminophen is extremely dangerous for your liver and dosing instructions should be followed exactly. Prolonged use of ibuprofen or other NSAIDs can lead to gastrointestinal ulcers and kidney damage, so only take it for as long as you have to. They both have instructions to take a dose every 6 to 8 hours, so if you’re in significant pain or you have a really bad fever, you can alternate them every 4 hours. For example, paracetamol at 8am, ibuprofen at noon, paracetamol at 4pm, etc.
Also, be careful of “cough” or “cold” medicines like NyQuil/DayQuil, because they usually have paracetamol/Tylenol in them and that counts towards the daily dose limit.
Water + rest. Take off work!
Your body is fighting hard
Soup always makes me feel better. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just something hot and healthy and tasty. And a piece of bread to mop up afterwards.
My mother always made chicken soup when I was sick with a cold/flu. I always felt worse afterwards and she would be upset when I told her because “that’s so unkind to say”, like it was a criticism of her cooking. It took me so many years to figure out that I am slightly allergic to celery which I was only fed when I was already sick …
Mostly, I sleep. When I’m not sleeping, I play relaxing video games or watch older TV shows/movies. So it’s like Stardew Valley and Better Off Ted/Airplane all day.
And, of course, chicken soup or your regional equivalent sick people food.
I got people calling it “the undead-turning lamen”:
Get some chicken (thighs? breast? whatever, include the bones but take them afterwards). Dice it, season with ginger, red pepper, black pepper, brown sugar. Brown it in a pot large enough to make some soup out of it. Then add wasabi, vinegar, minced garlic, soy sauce and water or chicken stock, fix the seasoning as necessary. (It’s fine to add a bit of salt to avoid making it too soy saucy.) Then add sliced cabbage, carrot, onion, leek, whatever you have in your fridge (see note on order), plus instant noodles (no packet seasoning). Let it cook all together and serve it.
It won’t cure your cold or flu. But it’s comforting, and nutritive. Make it spicy, but not uncomfortably so. If you’re struggling to chew it’s fine to just sip the liquid itself, as plenty nutrients from the vegs will leak into it.
NOTE: vegs and noodles take different cooking times, so plan accordingly. If using the ones that I’ve listed I’d probably add the carrots and cabbage, wait a bit, then onion and leek, wait a bit more, then the lamen. I usually go by texture but I guess five minutes between steps is reasonable?
Well that’ll clear the sinuses right up lol
Yup - the heat (wasabi, ginger, red pepper, black pepper) is part of the “raising undead” combo, not just seasoning. The rest is just a bunch of easy to digest nutrients, including water (people tend to get dehydrated when sick).
A hot, spicy, citrus-laden soup loaded down with potatoes, chayote, spinach, onions, cilantro, and a protein source of your choice. Flavor with stock. Broccoli and/or carrots added in late in the cooking to preserve their crunch.
The psychological effects of a hearty meal and the nutritional benefits are great. Make it in a big enough pot and you can keep coming back to it over 2 days, leaving you free from cooking and limiting additional dishes to mess with while sick.
Spend that time practicing self-care instead. The mental boost is considerable and lessens the awful feeling of being sick.
Also, make sure to take in sunlight, but also spend some time cozy in a dark setting. Falling into a hard habit can adversely affect your mood.
Don’t neglect grooming. A hot shower and a clean, head of hair/scalp is something people may take for granted, but I’ve had to go days without a shower sometimes and the feeling of a freshly washed head is revitalizing.
That sounds delicious. I never considered citrus in soup. Lemon, I’m guessing?
There’s a delicious recipe for chicken/tortilla/lime soup somewhere on imgur… Lemme find it rq… Here we go:
Lime, actually. Lime pairs a little better with legumes or red meats in my opinion, and pairs equally as well with pork as lemon. Lemon is a winner when paired with chicken, however.
I like to cook a spice tea with cinnamon, star anise, cloves, and black pepper (cook it all for 10 minutes), and then add some fresh orange juice and honey. Goes well with deliriously binge-watching a series from my “to do” list.
Sounds nice, I think feel like having a cold now.
So do you actually add tea leaves or you just cook the spices? I suppose ground versions don’t work for this?
If you want to add tea (sometimes I add black tea), just let it steep for the normal duration after cooking the rest and before adding the orange juice and honey. For the best result/taste you should grind the spices right before cooking. (Pre-)ground spices work to; you might use a little bit more of them. A word of warning on the pepper: use very little at first. Cooked it the water it is a lot hotter/more stinging than you might expect.
Cheers! Thanks for the recipe
If you can stand it and the temperature isn’t life threatening, let the fever go without fever reducers. It may shorten the duration of your convelesece.
I agree with what everyone else is saying. Keep your electrolytes up, eat healthy foods, eggs, liver, if you can. Stay hydrated. Rest. And sleep.
In addition to what people have advised so far, I can’t stress enough how important rest, and especially sleep is when you’re ill. Whenever I’ve fallen ill with a cold, flu, cough, etc., I find that if I try to fight it and go about the day as normal, the illness lasts much longer. If I try to sleep it off, I get better a lot faster. If you can, and especially on the first day, don’t go to work, don’t run errands, and especially don’t go to the gym/exercise. Good luck!
If it’s not too hot outside, sunshine. It helps get rid of that icky, germy feeling of being cooped up inside and the vitamin D doesn’t hurt either.
Drink a lot. I personally always like tea brewed with a few thin slices of ginger. It’s refreshing and makes me feel better.
Vitamin C , lots of water. Rest and real non processed food such fresh fruit and vegetables. I also avoid carb heavy meals when unwell to give my system a break. I still eat some carbs but just keep it light.
It is important to drink enough. If your nose is swollen and shut, xylometazoline does handle that. Paracetamol (1000 mg for adults) or Ibuprofene (400 mg for adults) will help against pain and fever.
Far out. 400 ibuprofen is more than enough for most people. Always try the smallest recommended dose first.
You’re right, I updated my comment.I tend to take 600 mg when I have severe pain, but I’m 203cm/110kg.
I sit on the couch with a comfy blanket, a giant thing of water nearby, and play video games. Usually some Zelda game, but always something gentle where it doesn’t matter if I fall asleep while playing.
Also, I have some form of chicken soup (see my other reply for a delicious recipe)
