Many people are turning to IV therapy to prevent and manage flu symptoms. Because intravenous infusion delivers fluids, vitamins, and nutrients directly into your bloodstream, this type of treatment is the fastest and most effective option for helping you recover when you’re down with the flu. 

What Is the Difference Between a Cold and the Flu?

The flu is a highly contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It spreads through the tiny droplets that form when people who are sick talk, cough, or sneeze. 

The common cold is another type of respiratory illness, caused by different viruses. However, because the two share many symptoms, it’s not always easy to tell the difference. The most common symptoms include: 

• Sore throat
• Dry cough
• Chest pressure and pain
• Runny nose
• Nasal congestion
• Headache 
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Chills and sweating
• Body aches.

There are a few simple ways to distinguish a cold from the flu:  

• A cold is less often accompanied by a high fever and muscle aches.
• If you have the flu, you’re less likely to have a runny or stuffy nose. 
• The flu has more intense symptoms and progresses more rapidly than the common cold. 
• A cold will make you feel sick for a few days, while the flu often lasts longer. 

There’s another major difference between the two illnesses—unlike a cold, which you can get at any time of year, the flu is generally seasonal. 

When Is Flu Season? 

In the United States, flu season runs from fall to spring, peaking between December and February and sometimes lasting until May. 

When you get sick with the flu, IV therapy is a fast and efficient way to relieve the symptoms. Here’s how it works.

How IV Therapy Can Help You Recover from the Flu 

IV therapy helps boost your immune system and alleviate flu symptoms. It replenishes your fluid levels and delivers a powerful mixture of ingredients directly into your bloodstream. This allows vitamins and nutrients to get fully absorbed, something that is not possible with oral supplements and medications that first need to be broken down by your digestive system. 

The Reset IV Cold and Flu Package contains a unique combination of ingredients:

• Normal saline, a mixture of water and sodium chloride, replenishes the fluids and electrolytes that you lose when you are sick with the flu, loosens the mucus, and relieves your nasal congestion.
• Vitamin C is a key element in maintaining a strong immune system. It reduces inflammation and infections and helps ease the flu symptoms, making the illness less severe. 
• Multivitamin provides all the nutrients that are indispensable for maintaining a healthy immune system, fighting infections, and relieving symptoms of the flu. 
• Pain relief medication is a combination of anti-inflammatory medication and painkillers that eases muscle aches and discomfort associated with the flu and provides added relief. 

We will be happy to further customize your IV treatment depending on your specific needs. We also offer a wide range of add-on vitamins and other nutrients that will allow you to enjoy additional benefits of your therapy, such as increased energy as well as improved mental clarity and overall well-being. 

Reset IV is a concierge service that allows you to get treatment in the comfort of your home. We can accommodate same-day appointments and will usually be at your door within an hour of booking, depending on availability. If you’d like to learn more about Reset IV therapy and schedule an appointment, feel free to call us at 1-833-737-3848 or send us a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

In addition to IV therapy, there are a few practical ways in which you can prevent and ease the flu symptoms.

Ways to Avoid the Flu

Here’s a look at some healthy habits that can protect yourself and others from flu and avoid spreading germs.

Get the flu shot

A flu shot significantly lowers your risk of getting the flu. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this is the single best way to prevent seasonal flu. Even if it can’t completely stop you from getting sick, a vaccine can lessen the severity of your illness and reduce the risk of serious complications. 

Vaccination is especially important for people who are at high risk, like young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with chronic medical conditions (asthma, cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, kidney or liver disease). 

Hydrate

Staying hydrated improves blood circulation, allowing your white blood cells to better fight off flu and other viruses. What’s more, when you get sick with the flu, running a fever and experiencing digestive problems can cause dehydration. It is essential to drink plenty of liquids to keep you hydrated, but also to keep your nose and throat moist and prevent the build-up of phlegm or mucus in your lungs, which could lead to an infection. 

Get plenty of vitamins and nutrients

Eating foods that contain plenty of vitamins and nutrients will give you more energy, strengthen your immune system, and help you fight the virus.  

Vitamin C

Fruits and vegetables like peppers, broccoli, brussels sprouts, oranges, strawberries, and kiwi, are rich in vitamin C. They will reduce the severity of your flu symptoms and help you recover faster.

Vitamin D

Salmon, sardines, egg yolks, mushrooms, and fortified foods contain vitamin D with disease-fighting properties that will help boost your immunity to fight off infections. 

Vitamin B6

Chickpeas, liver, tuna, salmon, chicken, and potatoes are good sources of vitamin B6 that can ward off the flu infection.

Magnesium

You can find magnesium, a nutrient that plays a key role in regulating the immune response, in pumpkin seeds, avocado, legumes, leafy greens, and dark chocolate.

Potassium

Eating foods rich in potassium like bananas, avocados, and sweet potatoes, is especially beneficial when you have the flu because fever, diarrhea, and vomiting can deplete your levels of potassium and other electrolytes.

Zinc

Zinc is an essential mineral crucial for the normal development of germ-fighting white blood cells. Foods high in zinc including red meat, shellfish, legumes, nuts, seeds, dairy, and eggs should be an essential part of your diet when you’re sick with the flu. 

Practice good hygiene

As a general rule, you should wash your hands with hot water and soap to get rid of germs before cooking and eating, and after using the toilet, coughing, sneezing, handling trash, and taking care of someone who is sick. Keep your hands away from your nose, eyes, and mouth when they’re not washed and make sure to cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. 

What Happens if the Flu Is Left Untreated?

For most healthy people, the flu is a short-term illness that goes away without any lasting effects. But if your symptoms are severe or you are in a high-risk group, going without treatment could lead to serious and potentially life-threatening complications, such as pneumonia, inflammation of the heart, brain, or muscle tissues, and even multi-organ failure. The flu can also worsen long-term medical conditions, like congestive heart failure, asthma, and diabetes.