I have flu like symtems, and am taking lemsips. Someone said I should not eat much but drink loads...is this true about the eating less? Also when I sleep for short periods i wake soaked, but always feel much better for it/. Why is this?
2007-09-19 00:15:41 · 10 answers · asked by Stuart B 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Infectious Diseases
It's from an old fashioned saying ' feed a cold starve a fever'. I dont agree, i think when we are ill we need all our strength to get well again. Go on, order that pizza and cheer yourself up a bit.
2007-09-19 00:18:46 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yea starve a fever. When you have a fever you dont feel like eating anyway. Drinking lots flushes out the poisons and rehydrates you when you sweat lots.
Thye thinking behind a cold is that if you have lots of vitamins and nutrients your body will be able to fight the virus.
Hope you feel better real soon
2007-09-19 01:19:44 · answer #2 · answered by mez 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The best thing to do is sweat out a fever, see above answers for an explanation. Sleeping gives your boday a chance to shut down functions (sight, hearing, motor functions etc) which let's it concentrate on fighting the bacteria etc that are making you ill. The side effect of this is excessive sweating - your body does this to try and cool you down. Get in bed with socks and jammies on, and wrap yourself up tightly. Drink plenty of water to replenish the fluid your body is losing through sweat and sleep as much as you can.
2007-09-19 00:23:05 · answer #3 · answered by Gem Gem 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the theory behind not eating is that when u have a fever your body needs all its energy to fight the fever and wont be able to digest food hence why u are sometimes sick with a temperature. however if u feel like eating then eat plain easily digestible things. yes u should drink a lot as if ur sweating its easy to become dehyrated.
2007-09-20 10:40:08 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Starving a fever is old wives tales. But you should drink lots of liquids to help your body replenish lost fluids from sweating. The sleep is helping your body to recover because when you are sleeping, you body can work solely on making you heal.
2007-09-19 00:19:40 · answer #5 · answered by beanie 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It definately works, when you eat you're body has to respond to the food, this causes a physiological response that will limit your bodies state in figthing off the infection.
Not eating means your body can optimise temperature for your immune system to work.
Do drink loads though, it allways help.
2007-09-19 00:28:35 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I always thought "starve a fever, feed a cold" meant fi you starve the fever you will feed the cold...as in make it worse...as in you SHOULD eat to get better....So i'd go with eating. Plus y'know, its fun to eat.
2007-09-19 00:56:14 · answer #7 · answered by MiniMed 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
With a cold you should drink and eat as normally as possible.
Sweating it out is good Also I find a good hot curry seems to work wonders!
2007-09-19 00:29:12 · answer #8 · answered by Spiny Norman 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ey, during fever there is an increase metabolism that is happening within your body since your body is trying to compensate with the elevation of temperature.. meaning the body is trying to neutralize to achieve balance and keep you at your normal state.. when you eat too much it does contribute to the metabolism of your body.. thats why more fluids is needed because fliuds help eleminate waste products from those metabolites... Anyway, bed rest is needed as well as Vitamin C to boost your immune system.. ;-)
2007-09-19 00:25:53 · answer #9 · answered by _smithy_ 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Kill a cold. Eat as much as you want.
2007-09-19 00:18:24 · answer #10 · answered by elizadushku 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋