While vaccination campaigns have been launched to prevent influenza among the most at-risk population, the fact is that this virus affects thousands of people every winter. Biological medicine defends the prevention and curative capacity of fever. With control, of course.

Influenza affected more than 750,000 people in Spain in 2017. Most of the cases were not serious, but it is true that some 52,000 people were admitted to hospital due to the disease. The cause of the strengthening of the virus during the winter is the drop in temperature and humidity.according to virologist Peter Palese.

The World Health Organisation recommends seasonal influenza vaccination among the population most at risk of severe influenza: people over 65 years of age (among whom mortality from the disease is higher), children under 59 months of age, pregnant women and people with chronic diseases and immunosuppression. In Spain, the vaccine is also recommended for healthcare workers.

In terms of treatment, they generally focus on symptom relief and warn against staying at home to avoid infection. Biological medicine goes further.

Treatment of influenza and biological medicine

Biological medicine tries to activate the body's own healing forces, its own defence mechanisms or immune system. Precisely, as Dr. Mariano Bueno explains, one of these defence mechanisms is the cause of the fever.e. The medical director of Biosalud and specialist in biological medicine believes that it is a mistake to use antipyretic drugs. Our body creates a reaction in which on the one hand it facilitates the arrival of a large number of defence cells and on the other hand it warms up the environment so that the defence cells can work more effectively.

If we take medicine to reduce the fever, we are apparently improving the symptoms but we are chronifying the process. Does this mean that the higher the temperature, the better? No, in biological medicine this temperature of 39 ºC is the limit, and 38 in the case of children. Above these figures, we do recommend controlling the temperature so that it does not rise any higher.

Let thy food be thy medicine, Hippocrates said, and it is true that food is a good ally in flu treatmentsespecially when it comes to Vitamin C.

For the prevention of influenza, Dr. Mariano Bueno recommends kiwifruit in particular, and oranges and mandarins if they are organically grown.. The problem with oranges and mandarins is that they contain a large amount of pesticides and in this case, unlike other fruits, these pesticides do not remain on the skin and penetrate the pulp, so we ingest them without realising it, he says.

When we talk about treatment to cure the disease, we may even recommend the following intravenous Vitamin C application for its effectiveness.

What can we do at home if we have the flu?

Rest, avoid cold environments, wash hands and take care of the external respiratory tract with eucalyptus gargle or eucalyptus vapour.. These are some effective guidelines but the most important thing is to see a specialist before taking any medication.

When there is fever, sleep and rest is very important as the body can recover its strength. In addition, it is important to try to cover yourself wellThe main focus is on the chest, feet, neck and back, and avoiding cold and sudden changes in temperature.

Here you will find other guidelines for managing the fluand others, to differentiate it from a cold.

Infographic by EFESalud