# Flu still exists and it fucking sucks, share tips on fighting it here



## NoReturn (Oct 16, 2021)

My personal favorites:

"Excessive" amounts of roasted garlic
Saenggangcha if you can get it/make it, otherwise regular ginger tea with honey
Saline nose spray
Eucalyptus balm


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## Grub (Oct 16, 2021)

Soup and honey lemon ginger tea with a shot of whiskey.


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## eDove (Oct 16, 2021)

1-4 drops of 100% pure oregano oil in some water — it's intense stuff, but it kills everything icky.


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## RomanesEuntDomus (Oct 16, 2021)

Warm beer.


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## Slobber Mutt (Oct 16, 2021)

near-overdose levels of every vitamin you can get your hands on & meat twice and fruit 5 times every day
keep yourself toasty if you contract it
man up


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## soft breathing (Oct 16, 2021)

If you have a lot of thick mucus stuck in your bronchia/nose, a hot bath with some drops eucalyptus oil works wonders. 

Drink a lot of tea - fennel tea especially. It might taste like shit but I feel like it helps with loosening up the icky stuff. 

Golden Star Balm (VapoRub from Vietnam basically) smudged on your back and your chest before you go to sleep.


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## NigKid (Oct 16, 2021)

Slobber Mutt said:


> near-overdose levels of every vitamin you can get your hands on


i started chugging vitamins at the start of autumn like 3 years ago and never got really sick again, i feel the beginning symptoms sometimes but then theyre gone after 2 days or so. Can recommend!


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## WhoBusTank69 (Oct 16, 2021)

If you don't have access to any fancy shit, just drink lots of fluids to cycle everything out and wrap yourself in blankets.


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## NoReturn (Oct 16, 2021)

NigKid said:


> i started chugging vitamins at the start of autumn like 3 years ago and never got really sick again, i feel the beginning symptoms sometimes but then theyre gone after 2 days or so. Can recommend!


Which vitamins?


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## NigKid (Oct 16, 2021)

NoReturn said:


> Which vitamins?


this shit: https://vicnic.com/products/orthomol-immun-vials-immune-system-supplement
Its insanely overpriced though, ive been told that as long as you get A, B, C, D, E, Zinc, and Iodine you should be good, ive just been getting the fancy stuff for the convience but i might start mixing my own when i have the time. You can get vitamin powder in bulk for crazy cheap


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## Agent Abe Caprine (Oct 16, 2021)

My solution for everything health is eating spicy food. By spicy food, I don't mean junk food like hot chips. Hasn't failed me yet. Rarely get sick thanks to my hot sauce habit.


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## WhoIsSutterKane (Oct 16, 2021)

Getting sick is for subhumans with weak immune systems. I've only been sick twice in my adult life, both times I thought it was just allergies until other people complained that I got them sick and they were bed ridden for a couple of days.

Closest experience I've had to the flu was probably when I had an infected tooth and had a fever for a day and a half until it finally broke, then I was 100% the next day.

Once when I was a teenager I ate some LSD when I was feeling kind of bleh and by the time it wore off I felt fantastic.


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## A-Stump (Oct 16, 2021)

WhoIsSutterKane said:


> Getting sick is for subhumans with weak immune systems. I've only been sick twice in my adult life, both times I thought it was just allergies until other people complained that I got them sick and they were bed ridden for a couple of days.
> 
> Closest experience I've had to the flu was probably when I had an infected tooth and had a fever for a day and a half until it finally broke, then I was 100% the next day.
> 
> Once when I was a teenager I ate some LSD when I was feeling kind of bleh and by the time it wore off I felt fantastic.



Do you want us to throw you a ticker-tape parade or what


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## WhoIsSutterKane (Oct 16, 2021)

A-Stump said:


> Do you want us to throw you a ticker-tape parade or what


nope, just stop being an unhealthy fuck


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## MediocreMilt (Oct 16, 2021)

NoReturn said:


> Which vitamins?


Vitamin D is probably the most important. Did you not doom-scroll the Rona Doomer threads?


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## Idiotron (Oct 16, 2021)

When I get the flu, I do a long really intense physical workout, sweat it all out.
I usually feel much better the next day.


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## totallyrandomusername (Oct 16, 2021)

Literally every FDA approved medication for the flu is essentially shit. So, you're just as well off using alternative medicine that might work (but nothing that is complete nonsense, so, no homeopathy, chiropractic [come on, for a virus, really?], reiki, crystals, "Zapping" [Don't ask, it's likely what you think it as, and just as stupid] etc... or any other bullshit).

The most important things to do are make sure you get plenty of rest and make sure to try and take in plenty of fluids. Try to eat a regular diet, but stick to foods that actually sound appetizing.

All western medicine can offer is symptomatic relief, all of it, except for one thing, is OTC. Oxymetazoline nasal spray for when your nose closes, Mucinex if you develop a cough, Tylenol if your fever goes above 101.2 °F, Motrin for any muscles/joints that are painful. For a sore throat, any of the OTC numbing sprays/lozenges might help. For diarrhea, if you are certain it is the actual flu, and not food poisoning, Imodium (loperamide) is a good bet. Also get Pedialyte AdvancedCare or the generic. The zinc in it is the most important part, since you lose a significant amount with diarrhea.

For nausea/vomiting, if it won't let up, and you are sure you have the flu, and not food poisoning or norovirus, you can ask your primary care provider for a few tabs of Zofran ODT. It is Rx only, but it has a generic so it should be inexpensive. It tastes like shit, but, it is almost magical, as soon as it starts to dissolve within seconds nausea is gone.

A natural alternative for nausea/vomiting that might work is ginger. Many people swear by ginger tea. If you can't sleep, because you feel like shit, melatonin is your best friend.

If your fever consistently stays above 102 °F for more than 24 hours, especially if you are taking Tylenol, you develop a sinus infection with yellow/green mucus, the vomiting/diarrhea doesn't stop after 24 hours, consider seeing your primary care provider since you may need some additional supportive therapy to get through this, especially for the sinus symptom, since it is possible to get a bacterial sinusitis on top of the flu which could get quite bad without treatment.

If you start to become confused/disoriented, your cough gets significantly worse/productive with yellow/green mucus, or you can't seem to catch your breath, go to emergency room. Confusion/disorientation can signal a critical electrolyte imbalance or other serious issues that need to be attended to immediately. A sudden onset productive cough with yellow/green mucus  and/or difficulty catching your breath is also cause for an immediate evaluation. It could be a symptom of pneumonia that has developed in addition to your flu infection, and it can quickly become very serious.


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## SeniorFuckFace (Oct 16, 2021)




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## Get The Gerbil (Oct 16, 2021)

The best preventative is the flu shot.

A hot toddy is good for helping with a cough if you are of drinking age and are not taking any medications that prohibit alcohol use.


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## Stoneheart (Oct 16, 2021)

Grog, chickensoup, walks in the park while wearing 20 layers of cloth to be super warm. 



Get The Gerbil said:


> A hot toddy is good for helping with a cough if you are of drinking age


people below 18 are not allowed on the farms...


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## deadeggbeard (Oct 16, 2021)

Hot baths. Like as hot as you can stand, at least once a day. Or anything else that gets your temperature up in short, manageable bursts.

Tinned chicken soup or zinc supplements.

Regular exercise boosts the immune system too. If you can work up a sweat 2-3 times a week you'll notice a difference. I find weightlifting helps me the most. YMMV. It's more of a preventative but it's extremely effective anyway.



Stoneheart said:


> people below 18 are not allowed on the farms...



Not every country has a drinking age of 18


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## Stoneheart (Oct 16, 2021)

vageen haver said:


> Not every country has a drinking age of 18


Every country that tries to enforce drinking age has.
I dont know how high the drinking age in russia or serbia is, but i have seen very young slavs drinking spirit from the bottle in public....
so those dont count since they dont have a real drinking age...


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## deadeggbeard (Oct 16, 2021)

Stoneheart said:


> Every country that tries to enforce drinking age has.
> I dont know how high the drinking age in russia or serbia is, but i have seen very young slavs drinking spirit from the bottle in public....
> so those dont count since they dont have a real drinking age...



Fair. I'm not sure how common underage drinking is in the US; as I understand it, most states (or all states??) have a drinking age of 21. But I could be working on out-of-date information.


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## Fanatical Pragmatist (Oct 16, 2021)

Sunlight.
Being outdoors also quickly lets me hone if its allergies or viral.


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## Stoneheart (Oct 16, 2021)

vageen haver said:


> Fair. I'm not sure how common underage drinking is in the US; as I understand it, most states (or all states??) have a drinking age of 21. But I could be working on out-of-date information.


well if you are in the us and over 18 you have a gun on your hip, so who is going to ask you for your papers if you want some rum?


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## Billy Beer (Oct 16, 2021)

1 Pint, fresh squeezed orange juice
30 minutes sitting under/in a shower so hot that it burns. Baths work as well. You want to feel light-headed like you're going to pass out.
Another 1 pint of fresh squeezed orange juice.
Chicken soup for dinner/tea.
Water all day

Flu Status : Cured.


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## lurk_moar (Oct 16, 2021)

Get vaccinated every year.

Take your vitamin D and make sure your values are in the reference range. I am taking zinc too now because I'd be damned if I could not be an underwater tourist in December.

Thanks to Covid we learned that the obese are more prone to viral infections. If you have excessive adipose tissue, lose it. As a former fat fuck, who is on her way to become one of them skinny, anorexic bitches, I barely never get sick anymore.

Prevent is the best cure.


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## NoReturn (Oct 16, 2021)

vageen haver said:


> Fair. I'm not sure how common underage drinking is in the US; as I understand it, most states (or all states??) have a drinking age of 21. But I could be working on out-of-date information.


It's 21 for all states, but that's only because everyone wanted that sweet government money.


talk sh1t said:


> Doesn't honey lose some of its beneficial properties if it's heated above 40°C? I usually take it on the side when I'm doing the ginger tea thing. Also, by ginger tea I mean thinly slicing up a chunk of ginger and boiling it for 10 minutes. No clue if it's really actually any good, though. But it makes me feel manly because I make it nice and strong and it burns the hell out of my throat (not because of the heat) and I like to pretend I have a big penis. Roar.


It's 60°C for 2 hours, or 70°C for any amount of time. Beehives normally sit around 95°F/35°C.


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## Agent Abe Caprine (Oct 16, 2021)

vageen haver said:


> Fair. I'm not sure how common underage drinking is in the US; as I understand it, most states (or all states??) have a drinking age of 21. But I could be working on out-of-date information.


It's 21 to buy it in all states. It's not illegal to consume alcohol someone else bought unless you're in some magic underpants theocracy like Utah.


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## Weed Eater (Oct 16, 2021)

talk sh1t said:


> Doesn't honey lose some of its beneficial properties if it's heated above 40°C? I usually take it on the side when I'm doing the ginger tea thing. Also, by ginger tea I mean thinly slicing up a chunk of ginger and boiling it for 10 minutes. No clue if it's really actually any good, though. But it makes me feel manly because I make it nice and strong and it burns the hell out of my throat (not because of the heat) and I like to pretend I have a big penis. Roar.


That's why I will literally eat the honey first, as much as I hate it. I'd rather ingest it straight up and not risk killing off the beneficial properties, and unsweetened tea is better for you anyway, especially if you are sick.



lurk_moar said:


> Get vaccinated every year.


Hahahaha, _*NO.*_
Unless you are over 55 and cannot handle the slightest sneezing or coughing symptoms, then no, people don't need yearly flu shots. This is why we have an immune system.


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## Liber Pater (Oct 16, 2021)

Take Arbidol. Works as well as Tamiflu but is cheaper to get without a prescription and can also be used as a prophylactic.
I haven't had any symptomatic respiratory illnesses since I started using it during cold and flu seasons a few years ago.


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## GHTD (Oct 16, 2021)

lurk_moar said:


> Get vaccinated every year.


This. Most insurers will pay 100% for a flu shot. Mine did.


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## RSOD (Oct 16, 2021)

lurk_moar said:


> Get vaccinated every year.
> 
> Take your vitamin D and make sure your values are in the reference range. I am taking zinc too now because I'd be damned if I could not be an underwater tourist in December.
> 
> ...


Pls sen feet pic


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## Massa's Little Buckie (Oct 16, 2021)

Don't get sick lol.


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## sadbird (Oct 16, 2021)

Massa's Little Buckie said:


> Don't get sick lol.


seconded. also try having an immunity to it? Hope you found this helpful!


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## Joe Swanson (Oct 16, 2021)

Chicken soup and bed rest always did the trick for me


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## Get The Gerbil (Oct 17, 2021)

Stoneheart said:


> people below 18 are not allowed on the farms...


The drinking age is 21 in the US, and regardless of country there may be minors lurking without an account.


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## Leotardo DaVinci (Oct 17, 2021)

lurk_moar said:


> Get vaccinated every year.


Yep this. Also just double your multi-vitamin dose, eat plenty of red meat that day and drink lots of water.

Usually whenever I can feel a cold or flu coming on, I bunker down and start sleeping an absolute ton, so that my body immediately starts fighting it.


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## Derka Derka (Oct 17, 2021)

The old timers had some advice





Your browser is not able to display this video.


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## RumblyTumbly (Oct 17, 2021)

I am no medical expert, but I can tell everyone what I do:

Years ago, before I started working out regularly and eating healthy, I would get the flu every year. I would get the flu shot, but I would get sick whenever I got it, and then I'd get sick with the flu anyway. It fucking sucked.

Then I decided to change my diet, get into regular cardio exercises and weight training, and drink lots of water. I also stopped getting the flu shot. Since then, the worst symptom I have gotten is a runny nose, and those sicknesses that leave me bedridden for a day or two have been a thing of the past.


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## N hollandicus (Oct 19, 2021)

Shit tons of water, shit tons of vitamin C and vitamin D, and hoping for the best.
I got a nasty flu in early 2019 that seemed to have permanently damaged my lungs. Developed a loud obnoxious wheezing that never existed before and never went away. Could have been covid but the government refused to test me so whatever I guess.


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## Lichen Bark (Oct 20, 2021)

Jesus H. Christ said:


> Literally every FDA approved medication for the flu is essentially shit. So, you're just as well off using alternative medicine that might work (but nothing that is complete nonsense, so, no homeopathy, chiropractic [come on, for a virus, really?], reiki, crystals, "Zapping" [Don't ask, it's likely what you think it as, and just as stupid] etc... or any other bullshit).
> 
> The most important things to do are make sure you get plenty of rest and make sure to try and take in plenty of fluids. Try to eat a regular diet, but stick to foods that actually sound appetizing.
> 
> ...


Holy fuck, taking ondansetron for flu nausea, yea gimme them chemotherapy pretreatment meds please, that seems insane to me, but you do you. Nuking an anthill is what that seems like to me. I used to get flat ginger ale as a kid, but fresh ginger root tea works wonders for nausea. I swear by that shit, and every shitty feeling friend I gave a cup to knows it works to. If you have the dry heaves, black tea helps.


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## totallyrandomusername (Oct 20, 2021)

Lichen Bark said:


> Holy fuck, taking ondansetron for flu nausea, yea gimme them chemotherapy pretreatment meds please, that seems insane to me, but you do you. Nuking an anthill is what that seems like to me. I used to get flat ginger ale as a kid, but fresh ginger root tea works wonders for nausea. I swear by that shit, and every shitty feeling friend I gave a cup to knows it works to. If you have the dry heaves, black tea helps.


Ondansetron isn't routinely used in chemotherapeutic pretreatment. Typically Granisetron is now used. Ondansetron is literally one of the safest medications that can be used for nausea, it is fast acting, durable, and works against any nausea that is not based on motion sickness (that's a totally separate mechanism that doesn't involve the chemotrigger center in the brain). All of the older medications for nausea that are commonly used, such as Phenergan or Compazine are far more dangerous and have several very serious risks. For someone that has nausea that is unable to tolerate fluid intake, especially in the context of vomiting, it can be a very short road to dehydration and decompensation. This is particularly true in the elderly, who generally have lower fluid intake to start with, or people with comorbid conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease or cardiac difficulties. If you don't want to not take a very common medication that is frequently prescribed for a range of conditions, even for conditions that are generally not considered serious in nature but are impairing, such as migraine nausea, that's your business, but trying to scare people away from using a safe, effective medication that could keep them away from the ED or hospital admission is irresponsible.


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## Lichen Bark (Oct 20, 2021)

Jesus H. Christ said:


> Ondansetron isn't routinely used in chemotherapeutic pretreatment. Typically Granisetron is now used. Ondansetron is literally one of the safest medications that can be used for nausea, it is fast acting, durable, and works against any nausea that is not based on motion sickness (that's a totally separate mechanism that doesn't involve the chemotrigger center in the brain). All of the older medications for nausea that are commonly used, such as Phenergan or Compazine are far more dangerous and have several very serious risks. For someone that has nausea that is unable to tolerate fluid intake, especially in the context of vomiting, it can be a very short road to dehydration and decompensation. This is particularly true in the elderly, who generally have lower fluid intake to start with, or people with comorbid conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease or cardiac difficulties. If you don't want to not take a very common medication that is frequently prescribed for a range of conditions, even for conditions that are generally not considered serious in nature but are impairing, such as migraine nausea, that's your business, but trying to scare people away from using a safe, effective medication that could keep them away from the ED or hospital admission is irresponsible.


I think framing my reaction as irresponsible is a bit rich. This isn't a geriatric treatment thread, and OP didn't say he had comorbidities. Ondansetron is used during chemotherapy treatment, the other drug you mentioned is also used, we don't all live in the same jurisdiction. I think suggesting that a drug that acts on serotonin is absolutely safe with no wacky side effects is funny. If you're a healthy person I think you can make it through the flu, why reach for ondansetron? You want to chance a rare neurological side effect from a drug in that ondansetron family go for it.

Treating the elderly is a whole 'nother can of worms. You seem to like your pills though, the problem with people who push them to hard though, is when you do end up with one of those funny side effects good luck getting help for that. If my post makes someone look into Zofran a little more carefully then I say that's a good thing.

EDIT: As for a flu tip, if I feel something coming on I make a huge pot of chicken soup with chicken thighs, cut up some celery, carrot and onion, that way when I feel like shit I can still have a nice hot bowl of something with very little effort, and it lasts me for a while. I add lots of parsley to it as well, and some sliced up seaweed for iodine. Usually I can manage to heat noodles and warm soup on the stove. I also switch to zinc lozenges, instead of the usual pill, there's some study saying oral zinc might help more than pill zinc for respiratory stuff, but they go back and forth on that "does it actually help? does it not?" I do it anyway.

I don't think I've had the stomach flu since I was a kid, I did have the flu with just fever back in 2018. I always separated the flu from colds, I don't normally get a fever with a cold.


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## David Brown (Oct 24, 2021)

How do I know if something is the flu or the cold? I had a pretty nasty cold in my sinuses this weak but I don't know that I've ever had a fever from getting sick in my life, or whatever a flu is. I guess there is muscle achiness or something?


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## NoReturn (Oct 24, 2021)

David Brown said:


> How do I know if something is the flu or the cold? I had a pretty nasty cold in my sinuses this weak but I don't know that I've ever had a fever from getting sick in my life, or whatever a flu is. I guess there is muscle achiness or something?


I know know if it's genetic or what, but sometimes you can smell the difference. Flu has a smell that colds don't, and when you wake up in the mornings you're all stuffy and it's all you can smell so you kind of memorize it.
Otherwise, check against this chart:


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## David Brown (Oct 24, 2021)

NoReturn said:


> I know know if it's genetic or what, but sometimes you can smell the difference. Flu has a smell that colds don't, and when you wake up in the mornings you're all stuffy and it's all you can smell so you kind of memorize it.
> Otherwise, check against this chart:
> View attachment 2655054


That's very cool, I have never seen that chart. Thanks.


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## Gravityqueen4life (Nov 1, 2021)

i hate getting colds now since its the perfect excuse for my boss to hunt me at work.


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## Slimy Time (Nov 27, 2021)

-Vitamin C,
-Lemon and honey, maybe turn that into a hot toddy late at night. Drink lots of fluids,
-Bowl of steaming water with vicks or equivalent mixed in, put head over it and cover with a towel and breathe,
-If nose/symptoms are worse then take some over the counter medicine,
-Eat/drink soups, more liquid diet. It's easy to do, you get the nutrients out of the veg/meat, and you can keep it rolling for a long time/add more water or stock to it. 
-Keep wrapped up,
-Don't exercise/exert if you can avoid it. Do that when you are well, not when you are sick,
-And most importantly, rest/sleep. If symptoms aren't great, you aren't going to be getting much of it at bedtime, so if you can get away with some in the afternoon, or go to bed early, do so.


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## Archeops (Dec 13, 2021)

I haven’t gotten the flu (Wu or otherwise) in recent memory but when I was younger my folks would always make me a cup of chamomile (or Celestial Seasonings’ Sleepytime or Bengal Spice) tea mixed with a bit of maple syrup and lemon juice, whenever _they _got sick (and now I do it too) they’d do the same but add a dash of cayenne pepper powder to the mix. And I can see why, it’s REALLY good at clearing stuffed sinuses.

Oh, and in addition to the above teas I’d also have a tea called Gypsy Cold Care (that’s since been renamed Herbal Cold Care due to wokeness. Bastards.)

As far as more medical stuff is concerned I just have the standard throat lozenges, vapor salves, and regular hot baths with epsom salt and eucalyptus oil. AFAIK I’ve never gotten a flu vaccine or taken antivirals like Tamiflu to get over it, the only shot I remember taking for similar symptoms was an antibiotic shot to deal with a REALLY nasty case of strep throat I supposedly caught at a water park.


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## Hathungor (Dec 13, 2021)

The last two times I had the flu it just floored me for a solid 5 days. Fever, runny nose, cry cough, headache and every muscle hurt.

My tips on fighting it:
-lie in bed
-sleep as much as you can
-if you aren't sleeping wish you were dead or at least sleeping
-drink a lot
-eat if you can
-complain to your friends and family so you're not the only one who's miserable
-if you go out after the worst is over, practice Covid protocol for another 10-14 days (mask, distance, disinfecting). You might remain contageous for approximately that long even after making an apparent recovery


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