Introduction to Flu and Flu Treatments

One of the less appealing things in life is getting the flu. There are not many things that make you feel as bad without being close to death. Many try their best to keep from getting the flu by getting a flu shot every year, but there are no guarantees that you will not get the flu, even with a flu shot. There are many symptoms to the flu and it affects everyone differently, however, the flu is a respiratory virus and it starts in the lungs by infecting them first. The flu, short for influenza, can be very serious and has the potential to put one in the hospital or worse, the flu can cause death if not treated right away. The last deadly outbreak was called Spanish flu at the start of the 20th century and it killed more than 20 million people worldwide, there have been other outbreaks but this was and still is by far the worst epidemic in U.S. history. Even with our technology today, approximately 20,000 people die of the flu every year.

Symptoms and treatments for the flu
Some of the most common symptoms of the flu may start off as a cold but will quickly becomes something worse such as fever, chills, dry or wet cough. Many claim they know their going to come down with the flu when they start getting a sore throat or a tickling sensation in the back of the throat. The flu tends to affect every part of the body with muscle aches, extreme fatigue, headaches and if that’s not bad enough nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may attack too, making one wonder what they ever did in their life to deserve all of this. Children and seniors are more susceptible to catch the flu virus; really small children don’t have the immunity built up enough to fight the virus while seniors’ immune systems tend to be worn down leaving them very vulnerable to the flu virus. Once you realize you’ve got the flu the best thing to do is get plenty of rest and get as much liquid through your body as you can. If it persists you may want to see your doctor who may prescribe any of the virus attacking medications on the market today. There are many good over the counter flu remedies today too, go down any cold & flu isle in a drugstore and see all the colorful boxes of flu medicines. The flu is very contagious too and by calling in sick from work you will really be doing your co-workers a favor, at least the first three or four days of having the flu. Take care of yourself when you get the flu, the sooner you start, the sooner you will be rid of this nasty virus.