What NOT to take when you're sick...

DECONGESTANTS: If you are infected with a cold virus, your nose is running for a reason. It's your body's way of flushing as much of the virus out as possible so it can't take hold. If you start taking decongestants at your first sniffle, get ready to be sick for a long time. The decongestants may make it possible for you to sit at your desk at work in a more socially acceptable condition, but you should be home in bed with a box of Kleenex and an endless stream of hot fluids within arms reach. I know it's not always possible to get off work, but you may save money in the long run if you just take the first two days off and aggressively fight the virus with your body's natural defenses.

When you take the decongestant, the mucus that your body is wisely producing will be dried up. Now you still have a virus partying in your sinuses, but now you've fired the bouncer, and the unwelcome guests are gonna really make themselves at home. Let your nose run. Consider that your part of the battle. Don't blow too hard, or you can just cause greater impaction of your sinuses, and you can hurt the Eustachian tubes. Hot fluids will help things move along.

CAFFIENE AND OTHER STIMULANTS: Don't take anything that interferes with your body's energy regulation; of course, I'm not talking here about thyroid, insulin, or anything prescribed for you by a physician. When you're sick, your body's fatigue is telling you to slow down and focus on healing. Stimulants suppress your body's desire to rest. Also, coffee is a diuretic, and you want to stay as hydrated as possible.

ASPIRIN AND OTHER FEVER REDUCERS: Unless you have another medical need for these, hold off. Even if you're taking it for the discomfort caused by the cold or flu, try to get through by without it. Unless your temperature is so high that you may suffer brain damage, you do NOT want to reduce your fever. Your fever is a blessing, although it may not feel like it. The fever is not the illness any more than a runny nose is the illness. Your body turns up its thermostat as a defense against the invading bug. The invader is destroyed at higher temperatures, so if you have a fever, encourage it!! Wrap yourself up and sweat it out. See how long you can stay uncomfortably hot. It will shorten the life of the illness in the end. If you don't have a fever, stay uncomfortably warm anyway.

For muscle aches, try a hot bath with a generous portion of Epsom Salt. This is a great idea anyway when you're sick.

COUGH SUPPRESSANTS: Avoid them if you can. Your body knows best, and it gives you the impulse to cough in order to prevent fluids from settling in your bronchia, or worse, your lungs. There are herbal remedies that can provide relief without inhibiting your bodies own defenses.

ALCOHOL AND OTHER DEHYDRATING BEVERAGES: With a good cold or flu you can actually lose a gallon of fluids a day. No wonder you can go through a box of Kleenex. Your body is doing its part, and your part is to support your body by giving it what it needs. You should be drinking such large quantities of warm liquids that you are up to urinate every hour or so. In fact, that's about the only reason you should be getting up, except to get another bowl of soup. Alcohol almost instantly tells your body to dump all of those good liquids before you've been able to fully benefit from them. You need to be hydrated to give your body a chance to flush out the illness.

For all of the reasons described above, I don't recommend taking an all-inclusive night-time or day-time remedy that is likely to contain most of the items on the no-no list.

I learned much of the above information and that in the follow-up article What to do Instead, from various health professionals, from my students and colleagues, of course, and from a Pharmacy Technician course I interpreted in 1997 and 1998. In my early years of singing and teaching, I worked as a freelance sign language interpreter, primarily in the area of medical interpreting at UCLA Medical School and various hospitals in the Los Angeles area. This gave me some very rich experiences and a makeshift, paid education in anatomy, biology, physiology, psychology and pharmacology. I make no claims of being a doctor, and I certainly recommend that you seek the care of a professional if you suspect a chronic health problem such as a recurring cough. But I'm happy to share the information I've gathered over the years and answer the kinds of questions I've been asked so many times by students about common colds, flu's, run-of-the-mill throat irritation and vocal fatigue.

What to do instead...