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Infrared Sauna: Flu killer

Amanda, walkamyelinmyshoes

We made it the whole winter with nary a sniffle, then the first day of spring our eldest woke up with the flu. Then our youngest succumbed. It’s a nasty one too, (what flu isn’t), fever, dizziness, headache, nausea and a deep, retching cough.

Having MS, I’m pretty paranoid about getting sick. Simply because what could be a three week ordeal for a healthy person, could drag me down for months. So, I followed my Tips for staying healthy in cold and flu season. Oh, and ate LOTS of garlic! 🤭

Still, the achy, weak fatigue descended. Although, it was difficult to tell if that was the flu because it’s pretty much how I feel all the time. It was when the cough appeared, painful as a badly scraped knee, accompanied by a killer headache that I knew it got me.

So, that’s when I followed my ultimate tip, and got myself into the infrared sauna. I stayed in for thirty minutes two days in a row, and while I have a cough and a bit of a headache, I believe the heat of the sauna staved off the worst of it. It’s like having a fever to kill off the nasties, without having to go through the nastiness of a fever.

A lot of people with MS suffer from heat intolerance, and I’m one of them depending on the day. The kind of heat produced in an infrared sauna is different though, not at all like the dry heat of a traditional sauna, or the sun. I find that if I don’t do it very often, it doesn’t affect my symptoms at all.

And if it killed off those flu bugs before they took a real hold, it’s definitely worth it. Mind you, my other theory is that my immune system is so overactive, that it might not have got me as badly even without the sauna.

Other MSers, do you find that don’t get sick as often or as badly since you had MS? Probably it’s like everything with this crazy disease, different for everyone. Well, I hope none of you have been ravaged by the flu this year, and if you feel something coming on, I strongly urge you to find an infrared sauna near you.

Stay healthy, lovelies!

❤️ Amanda

Published by Amanda, walkamyelinmyshoes

ms warrior, gardener, writer?, daydreamer, beach comber, kitchen dancer, lucky Mama, happy wife

21 thoughts on “Infrared Sauna: Flu killer”

  3. I used to joke all the time that I don’t get simple illnesses like colds flues etc, because I have ms and had cancer ( you know the BIG stuff)…until last year…a simple cold knocked me out for almost a month… glad you are feeling better

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    1. Oh I know, that’s why I’m so germ-phobic. Doesn’t seem fair though, to suffer the big crap daily and then to also get taken out by a cold. Chronically ill people should be exempt from colds and flu, in my humble opinion. We should talk to someone about that. 😉

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  4. The infrared was a great idea! Do you take vitamin C to boost your immune system? I was surprised by how much it cut down on the number of flus and colds I contracted by just taking 1000mg daily. Hope you’re back to yourself soon!

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    1. I don’t take vitamin C actually. I do take so many damn supplements, I can hardly make myself swallow them every day. Maybe I’ll try the orange chewable, it’ll take me right back to being a kid. 😊 Thanks for the well wishes – getting there!💕

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      1. Ha! I know what you mean. I’ve gotten so good at taking them I swallow all 18 at once in the morning…. don’t ask me how….stretchy collagen? 😁 I joke my blood is more antioxidant than water these days! At least the chewable are usually tasty. Xx

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      3. Wow! You move fast! It’s just too miserable to prolong, so I gulp them down with a big glass of water. Some are tiny rx pills. Usually if they don’t go directly from pill case to mouth, I’m picking some off the floor. I’m a mess! 😁😍

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  6. Since my immune system weakened I seem to catch more ‘bugs’, with repeated chest infections and a particularly nasty flu last year. Sorry you’ve been feeling extra rough on top of MS, but it’s great to hear an infrared sauna can stave off the worst of the flu. Fingers crossed you continue to pick up and that’s the end of it for you and the family for this year!
    Caz xx

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  7. I’ve had MS for 19 years and hardly had flu – until I moved to the US and was around grandkids plus greats. Had two bad winters, and this was the worst. I’ve been sick almost all of March as has my wife who has been ill since March 1st. She’s my carer. When my mother was alive, I got homeopathic flu medicine, but here the doctor insisted we needed flu shots. Never had them as never worked. And now we’re sick. Sadly, we’ve got no sauna.

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  9. thank you for this wonderful post. I do use an infrared sauna but never tried to get in with flu symptoms but will absolutely do it next time. just like you, if i get the flu i am down for a min. of 3 weeks………it’s horrible.

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