Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Aspirin and Other Meds in a Time of Coronavirus

I was catching up on Woodpile Report, and he mentioned the connection between aspirin and the 1918 flu. Aspirin, then a new drug, was routinely prescribed for the soldiers who became sick. It apparently worked like a minor miracle, bringing down fevers, and enabling the men to return to the front within hours.

They were crunching aspirin tabs like candy. Until the fluid build-up (both mucus and blood) in the lungs caused them to drown in their own bodily fluids.

For this reason, most physicians won't prescribe aspirin for the flu. The dangers are known, and a mild fever can actually be beneficial - the rising temperature will kill off many viral invaders.

My home remedy for viruses:

  • Take a HOT bath - as hot as you can stand
  • While in bath, drink several cups of HOT tea (your choice of flavor or kind)
  • Immediately after the bath, bundle up in warm PJs/nightgown/sweats, including socks and a head scarf or hat. Get into a pre-warmed bed (that's what heating pads are good for) and cover up with blankets. But, you'll sweat! That's the idea.
  • If you like (my husband swears by it), use Vicks on your chest. It couldn't hurt, and it may help keep the nasal passages open.
By the next morning, you will be weak and shaky, but well on the road to recovery.

No meds/OTCs needed.

4 comments:

Francis W. Porretto said...

This is all excellent advice, Linda. Few people think about why the body's temperature rises when it's beset by a hostile microorganism. It's part of the defense.

Some bugs won't die even in a high fever, but many will. Moreover, staying warm -- both internally and externally -- is a good way to prevent secondary, "opportunistic" infections the body might not be ready to resist. Not to mention, who would want to be sick and cold? Sheesh!

NITZAKHON said...

My wife panics at every rise in temperature of our kids. Me? "Fevers happen for a reason"!

Now if it gets to 103 or so, then it's time for a trip to the clinic.

I have to wonder: was it the anti-coagulant nature of aspirin that did people in?

Emmett Fitz-Hume said...

I remember taking one of our newborn twins to the doctor in a panic (circa 2009). He had a fever of 105. And when I was a child, that was an ER visit. And you were always directed to try and bring the fever down. I was terrified. That was the way I remembered it.

No longer. They understand fever and disease better now and I just missed the memo. It’s the combination of fever and other symptoms that can be worrisome. But in children, if they are drinking liquids and don’t seem lethargic, the doctor said the best thing is to let the fever do it’s job.

Linda Fox said...

Yes, it appears that the anti-coagulant nature of aspirin that causes the leakages into the lungs.