Admit defeat when sick; stay home and rest

Posted on February 12, 2014 by 40 Mile Commentator

The last couple weeks have been filled with coughing, sneezing, and sniffling, as the influenza virus travels its way around the region. Having only resulted in one death in the South Zone, the total in the province has hit 19, a number that hopefully gets no bigger in the upcoming months.

As others fight off different virus’ of the same family, there is no shortage of cold and flu medication in the pharmacies and grocery stores around.

With the recent cold snap taking temperatures below -15 degrees, there is no better time to be cold and flu smart, bundling up when going outside and taking all precautions to limit the sicknesses going around.

But for those of you unlucky enough to be plagued with the common symptoms keep in mind a few tips and tricks to getting better quick.

Every sickness is different, but for the most part, you get all stuffed up, you develop a cough, and you have issues sleeping at night.

Runny eyes, sneezing, and loss of voice are just a few other lovely symptoms a person suffering may experience.

Some people don’t believe in over the counter remedies, but something so simple as Vics Vapour Rub can cause the largest difference. Investing in a small tub leads to easier breathing as the nights drag on due to lack of sleep and coughing fits.

The biggest thing to remember when fighting an illness is to stay hydrated. So many forget to keep the fluid intake at a maximum. Water, juice, broth, or clear liquids are a must to fighting any sickness, adding honey as a sore throat soother.

Coffee, caffeinated sodas, and energy drinks are advised away from, as they can do more harm than good.

Getting rid of the nasal congestion is usually the next best thing to completely avoiding being sick. Using a saline spray to clear up nasal passages keeps a person functioning throughout the day.

Keeping a tender throat numb is also a recommended activity, by using cough drops, throat spray, or over the counter cough suppressants. These all help end the endless coughing that works at damaging precious vocal cords and making life all around miserable.

Avoiding smoke, or smoking, taking over-the-counter acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen also helps to bring down inflammation and tenderness.

Should all these home remedies fail, calling the doctor or visiting a walk in may be the only thing left for you to do.

Getting antibiotics for different viral infections could be your only means at getting better.

The doctor may also prescribe rest and relaxation, the two most important words uttered when talking about beating that awful sickness.

You are sick. You are given permission to be sick. Stay at home, drink fluids, and rest. Really, what better prescription could there be?