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The Scenario:
Jay is basically healthy, but at this time he felt sick as a dog. For a whole week he had been experiencing a cough, stuffy nose, pains in his forehead and cheek areas, a low-grade temperature, and a sore throat. Not only that, but he was also generally fatigued, weak, and achy all over.
So he went to his doctor hoping for an antibiotic. The doctor went over him pretty carefully. As it turned out, his throat looked normal, there was no sign of an ear infection, his lungs did not sound congested, and his sinuses were not particularly tender either. He thought, "How could I feel so bad and have everything look so normal?"
Questions:
Answer:
One way to approach Jay's problem is to think about it from a therapeutic point of view. And for simplicity, let's just say that all the weird illnesses such as mono or diphtheria have been ruled out. We basically want to know, is this a bacterial infection, allergies, or a virus.
About 98% of people thought that an antibiotic would not help. I would tend to agree. If Jay does not have a bacterial sinus infection or strep throat, antibiotics are not going to help, and neither one of these diagnoses seems highly likely.
About 50% of people thought he had allergies. The treatment for this is, of course, very different. You would advise such things as avoiding the allergens (no medical degree required here), or using antihistamines, cortisone sprays, etc.
Most people seemed to think that what Jay had was a virus, and I would also agree with this. All the aches and pains, the fatigue, and the normal examination, tend to support this. The examination is important, by the way. Sometimes you can detect an ear infection, enlargement of certain lymph nodes, or hear signs of pneumonia, all of which may complicate a viral illness. These are findings that would warrant antibiotics, or further tests.
So how to deal with a virus? Answers included rest, hot baths, vitamins (particularly vitamin C), chicken soup, cashews, and so on. The possibility that Jay was under a lot of stress, or depressed was also mentioned. This is good to keep in mind considering the association between the mind and the immune system. Rest is probably the best thing of all. Tylenol or ibuprofen will decrease the aches and pains. Extra fluids will help keep mucous runny, hence easier to clear. I'm not sure which of the other remedies really help, but as long as it makes you feel better, and there are no major side-effects or expense, then why not?
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