What helps you when ill? Need some tips!
What helps you when ill? Need some tips!
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.
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.
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 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.
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 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).
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.
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!
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.
Drink a lot. I personally always like tea brewed with a few thin slices of ginger. It’s refreshing and makes me feel better.
Just as a note, if you're not sure if you have COVID or not, avoid ibuprofen as it can make some COVID symptoms worse
Good luck!
I thought this was an early misconception of the pandemic and had since been debunked?
Hmm, you might be right, I'm too lazy to search it right now tho
My best reading of the data is that it could make things negligibly worse. I'd say avoid it unless you feel your symptoms really warrant it, and if so then don't really worry about it.
Yeah I usually avoid ibuprofen anyways due to asthma! Going to have to try some chicken soup!
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)
“There’s been a rumor that – you know, a very nice rumor – that you go outside in the sun or you have heat and it does have an effect on other viruses,”
"I'm going to speak to the medical doctors to see if there’s any way that you can apply light and heat to cure, you know, if you could."
Last time I was down with the Plague™, I was in bed, chugging jugs of thyme tea (helps a lot with wet cough), and taking ibuprofen/pseudoephedrine for the fever and stuffy nose. Also I watched the entire history of the Earth documentary series while sorting out my mystery embroidery floss. That helped a lot to keep me busy. Sleeping is good but I feel like I lose track of time and that triggers my depression. But I usually recommend it a lot to my patients.
Spicy food.
This helps circulate the sinuses and keeps them ventilated. Doing so prevents infection and overall makes the experience more bearable.
If you've been ill for just a few days and it's available to you, get a COVID-19 test and seek Paxlovid. The new variants are about so many are sick with it and Paxlovid is effective at reducing illness severity. Same is true of Tamiflu for the flu but it's likely to be COVID-19 at this time.
Paxlovid
In the UK I bet it's hard to get this unless you're in a high risk group with severe symptoms. I am up to date on all my jabs though.
Ah, yea the UK is very strict on Paxlovid eligibility. Glad you're up to date on the vaccines, if it is COVID that should help with initial illness and resting as much as possible can help with reducing Long COVID development. I may have missed others make this suggestion but a good heat pad or similar for aches can be wonderful. Hope you feel better soon.
If you're on psych meds, you may not be able to get the antiviral. I couldn't get it. I got Prednisone and it's barely doing anything
The prednisone makes sense, its generally not recommended to start it while sick at least (or any cortico-steroids). I'm not in the medical science field enough to be able to explain why, but I've had to be on prednisone quite often in the past and remember my doctors bringing this up.
Sports drinks like Gatorade or Powerade help me a lot when I can't stomach any food. It gets my blood sugar up makes me feel a lot less crappy.
Not sure what’s going around - but also super sick during summer!!
I was recommended Oregano Concentrate (a natural anti-viral / bacterial) which really helped reduce the respiratory side of the sickness completely.
Why does everybody act like COVID doesn't exist when they're sick?
COVID is like 40% of all respiratory illnesses these days and everybody acts like it's some mystery.
I was recommended Oregano Concentrate (a natural anti-viral / bacterial) which really helped reduce the respiratory side of the sickness completely.
What's that? I.e a juice based on the herb? Not heard of it before.
Depends on your symptoms.
- Paracetamol for a general feeling of malaise
- Ibuprofen for fever and muscle and joint aches
- A decongestant like pseudoephedrine if your nose is clogged up, but not the "alternative" phenylephrine that's often pushed now in over the counter decongestants. It just doesn't work. A xylometazoline spray works too, but I try to avoid it because it can easily lead to rebound congestion.
Spicy food. It makes your nose run like crazy depending on spice level, but it's not a thick, stuffy feeling. It gets the juices flowing! Hydrates your nostrils so you can blow your nose easier.
I swear that high dose vitamin D helps me when I have a viral infection, but only if I start taking it early on. Tylenol for fever, maybe also ibuprofen if there are a lot of aches and pains.
Feel better soon, OP!
For a cold?
Soup, spicy food, hot drinks, salt water gargle, and sometimes I'll use OTC cold medicine (but be careful because they usually have tylenol in them so you don't want to drink or take other medicines that can fuck up your liver).
I like Lemsip. It’s basically paracetamol like you already use but contains pseudoephidrine as well as an “upper”.
If you're congested, put 12 drops of the spiciest hot sauce you can get in a small cup of water and gargle it and swish it around like mouthwash.
You won't enjoy it, but you will be able to breathe.
Sudafed typically gets me the best results when I have the flu
In my US state you have to make sure you ask at the pharmacy counter for the good stuff. The OTC product from the regular shelf is junk.
Whole chicken broth with tons of legumes. This shit works miracles