DENVER -- Getting the flu can knock you off your feet for a week. If that happens, Dr. Kristin Woodward says there are seven things you should not do if you have the flu.
- Don’t wait to call your doctor. “You want to call your doctor right away and talk about your symptoms because you may benefit from some anti-viral medication if it’s started early,” said Dr. Woodward.
- Don’t exercise. It could cause dehydration.
- Don’t drink hot toddies. Alcohol can cause dehydration.
- Don’t take a cold shower or ice bath to reduce fever. That could have the opposite effect.
- Don’t give kids aspirin for fever. That could cause Reye’s Syndrome. Give them acetaminophen or ibuprofen instead.
- Don’t take cough medicine. “Especially in children, don’t give them cough and cold medication. We know that it’s not effective and actually it can be harmful,” Dr. Woodward said.
- Don’t go out. Don’t go to work, to school, on a plane or even to the grocery store. You don’t want to spread that nastiness to anyone else.
