Fact or Myth? There is no way to reduce the duration of a cold or the flu.
Answer: Myth
While the mythical status of most of these remedies may suggest that there's no way out of a layover with cold or the flu, there appears to be one way to cut down sick days from the latter if you are quick about it.
"You can, if you catch genuine influenza early enough, actually take an antiviral that can shorten the duration of the illness," said Schaffner.
But the key to cutting the flu short this way is to act immediately.
"You have to get in to see the doctor within the first 48 hours," he said.
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