By Dr. Rajashekhar, General Physician
Influenza, commonly known as flu, is a very contagious condition that occurs in adults of all ages. Flu is contracted more in the winter months as it spreads when an infected person coughs, sneezes or even through touch. If not treated properly, flu can prove to be very contagious and dangerous. There have been flu outbreaks which can prove to be fatal as the immunity to the viruses doesn’t function very well.
Symptoms of Flu:
- High fever
- Headache
- Muscle pain
- Extreme fatigue
- Excessive coughing
- Sore throat
- Confusion
- Runny nose
- In chronic conditions, flu can become pneumonia
Treatments For Flu:
You can aim to treat flu and get rid of the symptoms quicker by availing the following treatment options:
- Drink Fluids: If you are experiencing symptoms of influenza, consume a lot of fluids as you usually tend to become dehydrated. You can make out if you are drinking enough fluids by noticing the colour of your urine; which should ideally range from colourless to light yellow.
- Over-the-counter Medicines: You can also avail over-the-counter medicines to relieve the symptoms of flu and get rid of it. These medicines not only help you get rid of the infection but also calm down the symptoms.
- Antiviral Treatments: Certain anti-viral medicines can be availed of to cure or get rid of the flu. These medicines do not eliminate the infection completely but can play a huge role in reducing them. The anti-viral agents can help in combating infection if the flu is inherently mild. If your flu is mild and doesn’t display any complicated symptom, you can aim for these treatments.
- Complementary Medication: If you aren’t keen on using allopathic medicines, you can opt for a wide variety of homeopathic or ayurvedic medicines which have been proven to eliminate symptoms of influenza.