Do Flu Shots Work? What Are Your Home Remedies for the Flu?
I just got over the flu, in fact, here's a look at my life last week:
It's definitely flu season here in Yakima. It's flu season in the entire state of Washington for that matter. The Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic tried to warn me, but I didn't listen.
The other day, my 8-year-old daughter Willow asked me if we were getting a flu shot.
"Pshht, I don't know why people get flu shots. They don't work anyway!" I told her.
Willow is wise beyond her years. She quickly asked me, "Mom, if flu shots don't work, then why are they always telling us to get one?"
"I really don't know, Willow, I just don't know," I replied.
I suppose that flu shots work for some people. The only time I've ever had a flu shot was when I was pregnant and my certified nurse midwife strongly suggested it. I didn't get the flu while I was pregnant, but I have no way of knowing if it was because I had received a flu shot.
One sure way of preventing the spread of the flu is to thoroughly wash your hands as much as possible throughout the day. I can't stress this enough. I get so irate when I see people not covering their mouths when they cough or sneeze. I think to myself, "Ew, how nasty! Who raised y'all?!"
Meanwhile, I should have listened to my child. We didn't get flu shots this year and we both ended up getting the flu (still getting over it, in fact). I missed three days of work and my daughter missed a whole day of school and was too sick to attend any of her weekend Girl Scout activities!
I tried everything to get over the flu as quickly as possible and nothing seemed to work. I ended up with a fever of 101.2 and thought my head was going to fall off.
I stumbled my way into Walgreens for something to medicate me and I grabbed the first thing I saw as I walked through the sliding doors (even though the packaging was mostly written in Spanish and I had no idea what it said). The picture on the box looked like something that could help me so I bought it quickly, hopped in my car and jumped back into bed.
Tukol did wonders in helping me clear my sinuses but did not reduce my fever.
When Willow got sick with the flu last week, I tried to recall all of the home remedies my parents gave my younger brother and me when we got sick as young children. I sucked on a lemon, like my daddy used to make us do when we got a cold. I should have gargled with hot salt water, like my mamma used to make us do whenever we got sick. I gave Willow an aromatherapy bath hoping that would open up her sinuses and get rid of her 102-degree fever (it definitely didn't work, she had a high fever for 4 whole days).
The only "cure" I've found for the flu is taking off work (or school) and getting yourself a bunch of sleep! I also highly recommend you keep a new roll of tissue near your bed (for blowing your nose every two seconds) and be prepared to press "play" on some movies. You're gonna need something entertaining to distract you from your misery.