The Dread Dog Disease.... beer as medication

[Owly055]

I'm self medicating with hoppy beer for the "dread dog disease" or flu as it is more commonly known. None of the information on medicinal value of hops mentions flu or flu symptoms. I rarely catch the dread dog disease.... perhaps once every 10 years, as I don't have children, the worst carriers of it, like the rats that carried the fleas during the black death!

Symptoms started out with constant aches in various body parts, joints, muscles, etc, making me think my body was going to hell in a handbasket.......I'm only 60, I shouldn't feel like I'm 90. Soon upper sore throat hit and I realized what I had, then it dropped into the chest and I've had headaches, eye pain, fever, etc. Today I'm feeling much better, but with a cough and lots of congestion..... day 4. I plan to be back working by Tuesday and up to snuff by Wednesday with only a few residual symptoms. Today wasn't bad, but I felt it was a good idea to lay low...... It's cold and windy out there anyway. I worked Friday and Saturday, so taking Sunday and Monday off didn't seem outrageous.

I don't know if the beer has done me any good........but it makes me feel better at least for awhile. Everywhere I go, people clear a wide space around me. It kind of reminds me of a deer I once saw that had a long coil of barb wire wrapped around one foot..... she would try to join up with the herd, and they would all run from her....She'd run with them, and they'd run away from her.... She never seemed to realize they were running from her. It was pretty funny.... I feel like Typhoid Anne....it's pretty lonely around here with the yellow flag flying over my house.

I'd love to hear stories about how hoppy beer cured you of this or that.....It would support my program of self medication ;-)

H.W.

 

[jschein]

Where are you at? I want to stay far, far away.
Feel better.

 

[GNBrews]

My doc always says to "force fluids". Beer is a fluid.

 

[Owly055]

My doc always says to "force fluids". Beer is a fluid.

That was my thinking too..........

 

[Fedora]

I use whiskey.

 

[1977Brewer]

Facepalm.

I see it more as a preventative. Get some chicken broth and OJ down you ASAP. Chased with whiskey.

 

[Owly055]

Facepalm.

I see it more as a preventative. Get some chicken broth and OJ down you ASAP. Chased with whiskey.

I don't drink OJ........it's disgustingly sweet. Will grapefruit work? Perhaps chicken barbecued with a citrus and whiskey glaze rather than chicken broth with OJ??? Unfortunately the only whiskey I have on hand other than home made is Woodford Private Reserve.....it's hard to justify wasting Woodford on a sick guy, and the home brew, aged on charred maple is for special occasions only. Perhaps I need to run to town for a bottle of Old Crow or something cheap like that. I don't drink "blended", only bourbon and single malt. The Canadians never seem to have figured out how to make good whiskey!

H.W.

 

[GNBrews]

I don't drink OJ........it's disgustingly sweet. Will grapefruit work? Perhaps chicken barbecued with a citrus and whiskey glaze rather than chicken broth with OJ??? Unfortunately the only whiskey I have on hand other than home made is Woodford Private Reserve.....it's hard to justify wasting Woodford on a sick guy, and the home brew, aged on charred maple is for special occasions only. Perhaps I need to run to town for a bottle of Old Crow or something cheap like that. I don't drink "blended", only bourbon and single malt. The Canadians never seem to have figured out how to make good whiskey!

H.W.

There's rumors of an oak-aged Canadian Club that's quite good. I've never found it though. Sounds like a Bigfoot story to me....

 

[Owly055]

There's rumors of an oak-aged Canadian Club that's quite good. I've never found it though. Sounds like a Bigfoot story to me....

Actually a lot of Canadian whiskey is barrel aged. The life cycle of oak barrels is interesting. They generally start out aging bourbon or sherry, then progress to Scotland where scotch is aged in one or the other or a combination of them, and then to Canada where some Canadian whiskey is aged in the twice used barrels. Of course there are barrels used in other brewing, but this is a fairly common cycle.

I'm not a fan of blended whiskey.... I drink bourbon or single malt scotch, tequila, some gin, etc, but never buy Canadian whiskey which is all blended as far as I know. Blending creates a smoother product with less aging, but in my opinion it has a nondescript character..... sort of reminds me of BMC beers.


H.W.

 

[ImNoExpert]

When I get sick, I abstain from any and all alcohol. It will work to dehydrate you, prolonging the disease.

What do doctors say? Fluids (non-dehydrating) and rest. No fun, but my goal is to get better sooner so I can feel better and get back to drinkin'.

 

[m00ps]

Ive always had success just downing those "Emergen-C" packets the second I feel the "pre-cold" stage. I think the stuff works. Havent had a cold in over 3 years

But when in doubt, beer always helps make me feel better. Although I do remember in highschool when I would get $h1tf4c3d that it definitely lowered my immune system. Im guessing thats not what you are trying to do though

 

[Owly055]

When I get sick, I abstain from any and all alcohol. It will work to dehydrate you, prolonging the disease.

What do doctors say? Fluids (non-dehydrating) and rest. No fun, but my goal is to get better sooner so I can feel better and get back to drinkin'.

I do agree with this in principle............ but I like my beer.

 

[Owly055]

Ive always had success just downing those "Emergen-C" packets the second I feel the "pre-cold" stage. I think the stuff works. Havent had a cold in over 3 years

But when in doubt, beer always helps make me feel better. Although I do remember in highschool when I would get $h1tf4c3d that it definitely lowered my immune system. Im guessing thats not what you are trying to do though

I've been slamming vitamin C since the first symptoms........ I always have a huge bottle of Costco 1000 mg tabs. (also B complex and D )


H.W.