Oh sick, sick!

[desperance]

Gods, if I'd known I was going to cough this much, I would never have bothered to give up smoking.

Plan for the day: stay indoors. Burn more gas. Drink hot toddies. Eat soup, and anything else I can keep down. [Interpolation: "feed a cold, starve a fever". I had always assumed that was two separate instructions, neatly balanced against each other for easy memorability. But I read last week - possibly here at LJ; possibly from one of you - that it's almost the opposite, that what it actually means is "If you feed a cold, you will end up having to starve a fever", that the one action produces the following undesirable result. Does anyone know anything about this?]

Maybe I'll try to work, if work is cooperative, but I'm not going to sweat it. Not that.

D'you suppose I can have a hot toddy for breakfast? Can I, huh? Can I...?

Comments

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

this site (http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1126/is-it-feed-a-cold-starve-a-fever-or-vice-versa) says that that second interpretation is known but that doctors basically say to just eat properly and not to go to either extreme ... and that the old proverb may be based on "cold=needs more fuel, hot=already got plenty of fuel" and so you eat/starve to bring your temperature into balance ... but that's pretty much rubbish :-)

However New Scientist (http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1777) have published an article from a Dutch research team that seems to show that following "feed a cold, starve a fever" may actually boost your body's defenses against each of those ... but it was a study of six people so it's interesting but not definitive! And alcohol had no discernable effect either way ...

... but mental health is important too, so if a hot toddy makes you feel better while you're ill, then by all means have one for breakfast!

[bellinghman.livejournal.com]

Six people?

They really, really shouldn't publish results based on a p-value that low.

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

Judging by how many people on my f-list are sick right now, there's no shortage of test subjects.

[bellinghman.livejournal.com]

The 'advice' goes back to long before medicine was understood at all (citation: 1574!). And neither your original understanding, nor the odd twist you've heard of seem to have any basis in fact.

I'd suggest you keep yourself warm, and eat when you're hungry. Hot drinks aren't a bad idea, for which Lemsip or equivalent are the obvious suggestions. On the other hand, have you ever tried chicken sou... oh, ah, I see.

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

HAVE A HOT TODDY. You're ill.

I am somewhat improved this morning, although admittedly I have only just got up.

I have always felt like eating when I have a cold, but not at all like it when I have a fever. So I think it is prescriptive rather than causal.

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

A really good chicken soup (AKA Jewish Penicillin) DOES work, apparently. And so does food high in Capsicum.

Speyside malts make terrible toddies - avoid. Stick with highland or island, preferably a really peaty Islay.

Avoid taking paracetamol. It lowers your temperature, which means that your cold will last for longer.

Apparently the "drinking milk increases mucus production" is rubbish. So if you need hot chocolate, have it.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

A really good chicken soup (AKA Jewish Penicillin) DOES work, apparently.

I'm on it.

Speyside malts make terrible toddies - avoid. Stick with highland or island, preferably a really peaty Islay.

Have Lagavulin, will todd. And keep the Macallan for when I can taste it.

Avoid taking paracetamol. It lowers your temperature, which means that your cold will last for longer.

Really? So why do they put it in all the cold remedies - oh, wait. So that people's colds will last longer, and so they will take more remedy. I get it.

Apparently the "drinking milk increases mucus production" is rubbish. So if you need hot chocolate, have it.

Really? I always believed that one. Thank you!

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

Have Lagavulin, will todd. And keep the Macallan for when I can taste it.

*weeps*

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

Toddies made with cheap/blended malts don't work anywhere near as well as, for example, a Laphraoig toddy. It sounds like blasphemy, but needs must for medicinal purposes.

I used to keep a bottle of bog standard Glenfiddich 12 in the cupbaord purely for making toddies. I certainly wouldn't have drunk it for pleasure.

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

If you are dismissing desperance's Macallan as a "cheap/blended malt[s]" I applaud your courage.

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

Good God no, I wouldn't dream of that!

Although I would say that standard Macallan 10 is, to me, merely "very nice" rather than "wooooo!".

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Granted, the Macallan 10yo is not a spectacular event. On the other hand, it may have been the first true single malt I ever tasted, which helps; it's made on Craigellachie, which is clan territory (my mother is a Grant); it's always been my favourite drinkin' whisky (as opposed to sippin' whiskies). There is always a bottle in this house, tho' some mornings it is an empty bottle.

Also, I named my favourite clan of characters after it. But you won't know that, because you do not read me.

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

The first malts I ever tasted were Lagavulin 16 cask strength, and Laphroaig 10. The Laphroaig became my default setting, although I do like to have a nice selection to choose from.

[cristalia.livejournal.com]

Oh, Glenfiddich. Known fondly as "my student ramen scotch". *g*

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Yup. It was a very early understanding, that 'Fiddich was a party whisky, and Not To Be Taken Seriously. Come to think, I'm not sure I've actually tasted it since the days I used to take a bottle of whisky to a party. Unwillingly, perhaps, in a pub that offers only 'Fiddich as its concession to single malts? Or, heaven help us, possibly at a party...?

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

I will, however, grant them that some of the expressions are nice. The Caoran reserve was yummy.

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

That'll be your new lungs growing through. Just like teeth.

[anef.livejournal.com]

I don't really do fevers, except for this summer when I was laid low with real flu. I can report that I lost interest in eating for approximately 4 weeks. I did feel that I ought to eat, but the only thing I felt up to consuming was grapes. This was terrific for my figure! But alas when I got better I ate more to compensate.