Is it starve a cold and feed a fever?
The old saying is “feed a cold, starve a fever”. This is based on a wildly outdated theory of medicine in which you’re trying to regulate fuel, like feeding a fire. Colds are cold, so you need more fuel; fevers are hot, so you take it away. Neither is actually particularly good advice. The cold is nothing to go do the doctor over. Stay home, drink plenty of fluids, eat as much as your body wants to eat but don’t force it or starve yourself. The cold will go away on its own in a few days. The fever is slightly more worrisome. If it’s below 102, just ignore it: it’s a natural response to the infection and the high temperature is a side effect of your body fighting it. If it hits 103, go see a doctor; that may indicate a serious problem. He may tell you to take something (like aspirin or ibuprofen) to reduce the fever, but he’ll want to check for other symptoms first potentially indicating stronger medicine. In between, you can take any cold medicine to try to reduce the discomfort. Sourc
