Tips for Effective Flu Treatment
January 26th, 2012
Influenza or more commonly known as flu is an extremely infectious illness caused by a virus. It is extremely transmittable and can easily spread among a group of people or population at any given time. Nearly all people affected by flu experience fever and general body malaise and pains. An individual can also suffer from reduced appetite, feel nauseous and have a dry cough. Symptoms of the flu arise one to four days (two days on average) after being infected; and the affected individual may need to stay in bed until the symptoms convalesce. Flu treatment is commonly geared towards managing the discomforts caused by the symptoms of flu– which may include high fever, headache, fatigue, weakness, exhaustion, cold like sore throat and stuffiness. A individual with flu infection is normally communicable a day before the onset of symptoms until the symptoms totally disappear. The period of flu infection is usually longer in individuals who are immunocompromised, the elderly and infants or children. And flu may even cause individuals with pre-existing medical conditions to experience serious complications. Therefore, flu infection should be treated as soon as the symptoms develop. There are several interventions available for flu treatment and there are also ways to stay away from catching and spreading the infection; you can find some of these below flu treatments:• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Throw the tissue in the garbage after you use it. • Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. You may also use alcohol-based hand cleaners, since they are also effective. • Try to avoid close contact with ill people. • Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Microbes spread this way.• Stay home if you are ill for at the very least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever (100°F or 37.8°C) – without the use of a fever-reducing medicines. • Drink lots of liquids–water, fruit juices, and clear soups–for hydration. • Do not share clothing and other personal belongings to avoid cross-contamination. • When in public places, avoid touching handrails, telephones, doors, faucets, and counters. • Give your body time to repair itself; take ample periods of rest.• Take a rehydrating mixture, especially when you are having a high fever, this will help you avoid dehydration. This can be made at home using salt, sugar, and plain or rice water. In addition some orange juice and mashed bananas enhances the taste and also provides a good source of potassium. • Antibiotics are only effective in bacterial infections; so using them as flu treatment will not be effective. • Alleviate the cough brought about by flu with the use of expectorants and mucolytics. All the points above will help you stay away from flu and help you effectively treat flu when it hits you The best flu treatments are the natural flu treatments.
