What Doctors Do When They Get Sick
Do as the doctors do… (Photo: Getty Images)
No one is immune to cold and flu bugs, and that includes doctors. But what do they do when they’re stuck in bed and feeling less-than-stellar?
Six docs shared with Yahoo Health their go-to recovery processes:
(Photo: Phrawr/Flickr)
“Every now and then I get bad enough symptoms and I’m laid up for a couple of days. Usually, my answer is soldier on with lots of fluids, good food, and extra rest. I almost always exercise in spite of it unless I’m nauseated or vomiting. Keep on keepin’ on.”
- David Katz, MD, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center and author of Disease-Proof: The Remarkable Truth About What Makes Us Well
(Photo: Bradley Stemke/Flickr)
“I up my dose of vitamin D and probiotics, take a lot of herbs and glutathione (a powerful antioxidant), drink lots of water, and sometimes I get an intravenous drip of vitamins called a Myer’s cocktail.”
- Frank Lipman, MD, integrative and functional medicine expert and author of The New Health Rules
Related: The Weirdest Things Doctors Get Asked
(Photo: Getty Images)
“I let my wife take care of me. A little nurturing is the best medicine.”
- Steven Nissen, MD, chairman of the department of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic
(Photo: GothamNurse/Flickr)
“I’m big on echinacea, and I’m a big matzo ball soup guy. It’s really hard to go wrong with matzo ball soup when you’re not feeling well. Also, getting a lot of sleep and lying in bed with my French bulldog. That usually works.”
- Michael Breus, PhD, sleep expert and author of The Sleep Doctor’s Diet Plan: Lose Weight Through Better Sleep
Related: Go On, Take A Nap — It’s Good For Your Immune System
(Photo: Getty Images)
“If I’m mildly sick like [with] a cold, then I take to the bed and rest. I find that if I just stay in bed for 12 to 24 hours and convince my husband to bring me tea and orange juice, that I will get better. If I feel really sick, I call the doctor. I don’t self-diagnose. The worse thing a physician can do is self-diagnose.”
- Hilda Hutcherson, MD, gynecologist and associate dean of the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and author of What Your Mother Never Told You About S-E-X
(Photo: Samrat Jain/Flickr)
“I call a doctor. I do not treat myself.”
- Neal Schultz, MD, New York City-based dermatologist and founder of DermTv.com and creator of BeautyRx by Dr. Schultz.
Up Next: What Doctors Wish You’d Ask Them
