Today, I rejoin the public after spending the past five days in self-imposed quarantine.
It all began last weekend with a tickle in my throat. Within 12 hours, I was bed-ridden. My chest burned and my body ached. I had the chills; I had the cold-sweats. I had the flu.
I spent most of those days in and out of fevered dreams, entertaining strange, non sequitur thoughts. For instance, I thought laboriously over the old maxim, “Starve the cold, feed the fever.” What did it mean? What is a cold compared to a fever? Was I supposed to be eating more or less food?
I would have done anything to feel better. And now that I finally do, I’ve done a little research.
According to an article in “Scientific American,” that old maxim dates back to 1574. Back then it was believed that fasting helped lower a fever. But modern medical science tells us that, actually, the opposite is true. As the article states, “It should be ‘feed a cold, feed a fever.'”
The reason is twofold. First, when your body fights a virus, it needs as much energy as possible – which is best supplied through healthy foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Second, a fever raises the body temperature, resulting in an increased metabolism and burning more calories.
During my isolation, I ate my weight in grapes, tangerines and spicy pho. And now here I am, alive to tell the tale. It feels good to be back amongst the living.