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Respiratory Flu


Recovery Time: About seven days. “Often the flu means a week of feeling flat-on-your-back sick,” Legato says, “and another two weeks of feeling very tired.”

How To Speed Recovery: Baby yourself at the beginning, Schiller advices. When you feel it coming on, go home and rest. If the fever is bearable, try to avoid drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen—some studies show that reducing a fever lengthens the duration of the flu, possibly because a slightly higher body temperature gives white cells an edge in their attack on the virus.

Also Try: Echinacea and the homeopathic treatment Oscillococcinum at the first signs of illness.

Stomach Flu


Recovery Time: Typically one to two days. It’s short, Schiller says, because your digestive tract lining turns over fully every three days (so you start with a clean slate and no trace of the bug).

How to Speed Recovery: Wait three days before returning to your typical diet. Until then, take in only clear liquids and plain starches like crackers, toast, rice, and pasta.

Also try: Chamomile tea.

Urinary Tract Infection


Recovery Time: With antibiotics, symptoms resolve in 24 to 36 hours (but be sure to finish the full course, which can last up to two weeks). Some symptoms will go away on their own, Legato says.

How To Speed Recovery: Drink lots of water. Help prevent a UTI by urinating before and after sex.

Also Try: Cranberry juice or cranberry extract. Schiller also suggests acidifying your urine with vitamin C (several doses of 500 milligrams throughout the day).

Pulled Back


Recovery Time: Extremely variable, from one day to several weeks.

How To Speed Recovery: Ice if it’s a sudden pull. Take an anti-inflammatory until two days after the pain stops, to reduce swelling. Doctors may also prescribe Valium, Legato says, because it relaxes muscle tissue.

Also Try: Therapeutic massage and acupuncture.

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