Should I take a Z pack when I start feeling sick?
Heather Sholl
Concierge Wellness Coach April 2020
Should I take a Z pack when I start feeling sick?
I fully recognize that this is not an exercise question, but I hear it all the time, especially during cold and flu season. As trainers we see our clients exponentially more times in a year than they see their doctors, so we have these discussions often. And though we are not doctors, we work with them frequently to make sure our advice as day to day “boots on the ground” for their recommendations is on par.
So, here’s the general consensus. Nope. Please do not take a ZPack that does not follow a diagnosis and/or isn’t prescribed. The common cold and the flu are viral infections. Viruses are not susceptible to antibiotics such as the Z pack.
The thing is, our bodies are amazing machines. If we take care of them with adequate rest, water, a reasonable diet and yes, exercise, they may not be infinitely well, but they will heal. The sniffles, coughs and the faucet posing as your nose will respond to over the counter meds and you can save the antibiotics for the big nasty bacterial infections. You want that Zpack to do its job when it’s time! So exercise as a regular conversation with your body, get your stress test, bloodwork, colonoscopy, and/or pap smear, but let those colds heal themselves. And resist that urge to grab one of those meds from your last vacation to a more lenient country! (Hey, we’ve all done it).