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The original maxim is "feed a cold, starve a fever." In other words, eat plentifully to fight a cold, and resist food if you have a fever. To avoid confusion, we recommend steering clear of both versions of this myth. The Straight Dope dates the practice of fasting to combat fever to a 1574 dictionary. As do many other medical practices from the Middle Ages, starving yourself when you're sick seems to us to be a pretty questionable tactic. However, opinions on the issue differ. A 2002 article from New Scientist cites a Dutch research team that ran an ad hoc experiment and came to the conclusion that "eating a meal boosts the type of immune response that
destroys the viruses responsible for colds, while fasting stimulates the response that tackles the bacterial infections responsible for most fevers." But the evidence is far from conclusive. Colds and flus are caused by viruses, and your body needs energy to fight them. Stay at home, eat light, healthy food when you're hungry, and drink lots of fluids. You can find lots of other ways to fight the flu naturally at eHow.com.
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