When you are feeling sick, you may follow this old advice: feed a cold and starve a fever. But should you do this?
The answer might surprise you. Although you usually don’t eat when you have a fever, it is because you have lost your appetite. But there is more to than that. It’s actually better to feed both a cold and fever.
Why Do We Feed a Cold and Starve a Fever?
The idea for feeding a cold and starving a fever may go back a thousand or more years. People used to believe that some illnesses were caused by low temperatures. If you wanted to raise your temperature, then you would eat.
Others illnesses, so people thought, were caused by high temperatures. Hence, if your body needed to be cooled, you would not eat to decrease your energy and temperature.
Today we know that both colds and fevers are caused by viruses. Since viruses do not have a cure, the best you can do is help boost your immune systems by eating well and drinking lots of fluids.
When you have a cold, you eat more to generate heat and support your immune system. Why don’t you do the same for a fever?
Well, actually you should.
It is very common for people to lose our appetite when they are sick. And, it may actually seem to help, but it actually makes them weaker.
According to Cedars-Sinai medical authorities, both a cold and flu require more food and drink to help immune systems respond to viruses. So, all of us are actually mistaken by starving a fever.
A fever actually shows that your immune system is working hard to push out the virus. While you struggle with a cold or flu, your body temperatures and metabolism rise.
You need more food and drink, not less.
Staying Hydrated is the Most Important Part
Medical experts agree that staying hydrated is the most important element to recovering from a cold or fever.
When you have a fever, your body get dehydrated. This dehydration may even become worse if we have symptoms such as vomiting. You need to keep up with water, juices, and electrolyte drinks.
A very similar logic goes with colds. You may not be as dehydrated from a cold, but your body is still working hard to fight off the virus. You may not be eating and drinking as much as usual.
One medical professional’s advice for a cold or flu is: “You want to stay hydrated so you’re continuing to give your body fluids and electrolytes that it needs to keep fighting off whatever illness you’re fighting.”
How Long Does a Flu Last?
The flu usually has a fever, and a fever usually indicates the hardest part of the flu. How long does fever last?
Usually a fever lasts about 3 to 4 days. Afterwards, you may still have a cough and headache.
Learn more about the flu by visiting the above link, including natural fever remedies. Remember to feed a cold and a fever.
