No one likes being sick, and that’s why you may want to know what kills the flu virus to help fight illnesses. Currently, the situation is that the world is facing a global scale infection of the nCoV or the Novel Corona Virus, which originated from Wuhan, China.
It is known for its flu-like symptoms, which can eventually end up fatally because there has been limited cure and prevention for it since it is an unknown and new disease. Fortunately, many people are now working on solutions of air pollution in China.
As with any respiratory and flu virus, it is important to stay safe at home, clean your hands, bathe yourself more often, practice good hygiene, and keep the air clean indoors so that you can stay away from getting yourself sick and ruining your productivity (or quality time with loved ones).
How do you cure the flu quickly?
If you ever got infected by the nasty flu virus, here are some sure-fire ways to keep the symptoms on the low-low:
- Get plenty of rest. Take the day off from work or school. Flu has a better chance of worsening if you are under stress and it will even spread around your office or classroom if you still keep going! Sick leaves are meant to be used as such, so don’t worry about wasting one or two – getting sick is normal for a human being!
Even if you can’t sleep during the day, at the very least taking a nice dip on the couch and binge-watching your favorite Netflix shows can help you to relax while staying hydrated (read below).
- Get lots of H2O. Flu and most nasal problems can be easily alleviated once you start drinking more fluids. Other than water, you can also try fruit juices and even try hot and hearty soup (e.g. the classic chicken noodle soup).
Fluids can help decongest your lungs so you can quickly spit out the mucus that builds up inside your lungs. Think of it as a way to help push the mucus-like a bunch of people working together to get it out. Your cough may worsen if you don’t drink enough water.
In line with this, drinking fluids is also the reason why you need to stay at home – by always drinking fluids, you’re more likely to pee and/or spit out the melted mucus, which definitely needs to get out (and you can’t really always do that in a workplace or in school, right?). Remember that flu is like a bad feeling – you have to release it in order to get better.
- Try OTC fever and pain medications. This can include ibuprofen and naproxen, but it is still best to ask your licensed doctor on which brand or dosage is the best for you since not everyone is the same when it comes to medicine reaction, especially when treating flu in younger kids and teens.
- Steam up. It can help if you inhale some manner of hot steam from, let’s say, your hot shower. Make sure that it sits away from your face to avoid getting burned. This can help you to decongest your nose and may also help with cough symptoms.
- Relieve the cough symptoms. Adults and older teens can buy any OTC medicine to help alleviate their symptoms so they can easily spit out the cough by melting the mucus. Kids, on the other hand, need a prescription cough medicine so you should ask your pediatrician about it first.
For really tough cough symptoms, it’s best to ask your doctor, too, especially for those with other respiratory problems, to avoid getting side effects or complications.
- Drink and eat healthier. Sometimes, going natural is the only way to go if you are on a tight budget or if you want to boost the effects of your medicine and get better quick. Here are some flu-fighting foods you can try on your flu diet:
| juice Orange |
Great for vitamin C and immune system boost; keep the pulp in for added nutrients |
|
Chicken noodle soup |
Great for decongesting your nose |
| Garlic and onions | May help with cold symptoms |
| Ginger | Can also help with decongesting your throat, nose, and cough symptoms; has anti-inflammatory properties |
| Honey | Also has anti-inflammatory properties |
| Probiotics | Can help your immune system to kill the virus faster and keep it away |
| Red wine | Red wine has beneficial bacteria that work as probiotics do |
Note: it is important to disinfect your room and items after you get sick to avoid passing it on to someone else and also to keep the virus away for good. Disinfection is important if you have kids around the house, as well as many family members. To do this, you might want to check out our article on how to disinfect a room after the flu.
How can you catch the flu?
Flu can be caught in different ways, and you may not know it! As a matter of fact, you become even more contagious a few days after you get sick. After all, flu is a virus that’s microscopic so it’s not like you can easily identify when you’ve caught the virus. Here are some ways that it can spread and become contagious:
- Coughing. This is the primary way that flu virus gets transmitted into the air and people who breathe it are at risk. This is why it is important to sanitize your home or indoor space.
- Touching. Any item can catch the flu virus up to 2 days and if you happened to pick up that item, let’s say someone else’s phone (and the person has flu), there’s a big chance you might get it if you accidentally touch your face (e.g. nose, eyes, mouth). This is why washing your hands is a great deal of prevention for flu and other viruses.
- Sneezing. Just like with coughing, sneezing can also spread the flu virus. To make sure that anyone around the house or vicinity is not going to catch the virus, stay at least 6 feet away from them or cover your nose when you sneeze (or cough, for that matter).
Is Cold air bad for the flu?
Yes, cold weather can become a breeding ground for viruses that cause flu. The logical reason for this is that in cold temperature, bacteria and viruses don’t really die out – they just freeze. Some of them even have the ability to survive in the cold air as compared to warm air.
If you live in a community or part of the world where cold weather is an everyday norm, you can lessen your indoor air pollution by using an air purifier. And for that, we have a couple of suggestions for the best large room air purifiers.
Is being sick for 2 weeks normal?
Most likely, it is normal, since colds and cough can go on for up to 2 weeks. There are many factors that can affect this, such as the strength of your medicine, the healthy lifestyle you’re doing, the weather in your area, and others.
But to be sure, we recommend you to ask a doctor about it. It’s best to seek medical attention because if your illness, such as flu, doesn’t go away fast and you feel worried, then you can get some advice from them or have your current medicine upgraded. This is also important for kids since they need to get better fast to avoid getting school absences.
Is viral infection contagious?
Generally, yes, most viral infections are contagious. For example, the flu virus, as we were talking about earlier, can be transmitted from person to person via coughing, sneezing, and sharing items.
However, there are other viral diseases and infections out there, such as:
- common cold
- herpes
- insect bites
- SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome)
- HIV
- Influenza
- Novel Corona Virus (COVID-19)
To know more, you may want to ask your doctor (the next time you visit) as to which viruses and illnesses are contagious or not. They may even give you some information about the COVID-19 and how to protect yourself, especially if you are very prone to getting sick.
Conclusion
To wrap it up, the flu virus is quite a dangerous and formidable foe, especially if you have kids in the house. However, there’s nothing that proper diet and medicine can’t cure, as long as you are determined to keep the virus away.
Curing flu is important for many of us who work in offices and go to school and have exams up ahead. It can make a difference in our career and fulfilling our dreams, as well as with our common duties as parents or family members. If we get sick then we can’t perform any of those responsibilities.
We hope that this informative article helped you a lot, but we still strongly suggest you go to a licensed physician or pediatrician to help out with your flu symptoms and how to treat it quickly.
