Influenza treatment at home

Flu symptoms generally begin about one or two days after your exposure to the virus and may seem to hit you suddenly. Among healthy people, flu symptoms vary in severity. Signs and symptoms range from a sore throat and runny nose to fever, chills and muscle aches. Flu symptoms can generally be treated at home with supportive care. Flu symptoms can make you feel awful. But if you're otherwise healthy, younger than age 65, and not pregnant, you can generally take care of yourself at home rather than going to your doctor. Try these remedies: • Take acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) to reduce fever and muscle aches. Don't give products containing aspirin to children or teens recovering from chickenpox or flu-like symptoms. This is because aspirin has been linked to Reye's syndrome, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, in such children. • Drink clear fluids, such as water, broth or sports drinks. • Rest as needed or change some of your activities, depending on your symptoms. To avoid infecting other people, stay home from work, school and other public places for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medications. Most people feel better within a week of becoming infected with the flu virus. However, coughing may last for another one or two weeks. • Flu symptoms & complications. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/symptoms.htm. Accessed May 10, 2021....

Sleep boosts the Drink plenty of fluids. High fevers can cause dehydration—which will make you feel even worse—so keep a glass of water or cup of tea nearby and take a few sips at least every hour. Your urine should be a pale light yellow. Dark yellow urine is a sign you need to increase your fluid intake. Home Remedies for Flu Some time-tested home remedies can help ease the cough and congestion that frequently accompany flu. Home remedies for congestion include: • Nasal saline rinse. You can use a neti pot or other nasal rinse system plus a small amount of salt, baking soda and distilled water to clear your sinuses. Do not use tap water unless you’ve boiled it first and allowed it to cool. Not sure how to do a nasal rinse? Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist to explain the procedure to you. • Saline spray. You can use an over-the-counter saline nasal spray 3 to 4 times a day. The directions for use are on the spray container. • Vaporizer. Running a cool-mist vaporizer adds moisture to the air and may ease congestion. Make sure it is clean before use and rinse it clean every day. • Steam. Really stuffed up? Spend some time in a hot shower, or simply run the shower and let the steam build up in the bathroom. To ease a • Hard candy or cough drops. But, don’t give hard candy or cough drops to children under the age of 6, due to the risk of • Honey. According to scientific studies, 2 teaspoons of honey is as effective at relieving cough—and safer—than over-the-counter ...

Prescription antiviral drugs may ease symptoms of the Here are10 natural remedies for the flu: 1. Drink up. The flu can leave you dehydrated, especially if have How about drinking alcohol? No way. “When you have the flu, the last thing you want to do is drink alcohol,” says William Schaffner, MD, chairman of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tenn. “It makes you sleepy, and flu does that already.” 2. Sip some soup. For generations, caring parents have been serving chicken soup to kids with colds and flu. But was mom right? Possibly. A study published in the journal Chest showed that chicken soup may help with symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections like the flu. “I believe that chicken soup does help with symptoms,” says Reid B. Blackwelder, MD, professor of family medicine at East Tennessee State University in Kingsport. But not all doctors agree that chemistry alone explains the soup’s apparent benefits. “When you lean over a bowl of hot chicken soup and the vapor gets up your nose, you feel better,” Schaffner says. “But some [of the benefit] is clearly emotional. It just makes you feel better having someone make soup for you.” 3. Be a couch potato. Listen to your body. If it’s telling you not to exercise, don’t. If it’s urging you to spend all day in bed, do. Don't press on with daily chores even in the face of severe cold or And don’t skimp on nighttime sleep. “Good 4. Humidify. Breathing moist air helps ease nasal cong...

People who catch influenza or COVID-19 may have no symptoms, only mild symptoms, or serious symptoms. These infections can cause fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, nasal congestion, fatigue, aches and pains, and headaches, among many other symptoms. Symptoms alone can’t differentiate the flu from COVID-19. An OTC test can detect if you have flu or COVID-19, which have different incubation and contagious periods. Getting an answer quickly in your home can prevent you from transmitting the virus before or after symptoms appear. • Flu can be transmitted about one day before having symptoms, and you're usually most contagious in the first three to four days. • COVID-19 can be transmitted for two to three days before symptoms appear. You can transmit the virus even if you never have symptoms and can keep transmitting the virus for eight or more days after getting sick. Unlike programs that offer free COVID-19 tests out or cover them by insurance, there's no information about health insurance reimbursements for these at-home flu tests. Because they also test for COVID-19, these tests may be covered under private insurance reimbursement regulations, but that may be capped at $12 apiece, not enough to cover the full cost of the Lucira test kit. Check with your insurance provider regarding coverage. • Open the test unit, insert the batteries, and then open the sample vial pouch and seal. • Put the vial into the test unit but don’t push it down. • Swab both nost...