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Starve a cold, feed a fever... what does that mean? (1 Viewer)

Dave Poehlman

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After my recent bout with the flu (hey, I lost 5 lbs!), I thought about this common phrase and realized... I have no idea what it means.

Am I not supposed to eat when I have a cold? Or are they speaking metaphorically and saying I should stay warm when I'm sick? Thus "starving" the "cold" and "feeding" the "fever"?.. I don't get it.

Can anyone tell me what I'm supposed to do?


WORD OF ADVICE: Never eat Thai food if you're planning on getting the flu.... yeowch!
 

BrianW

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Many people think that it’s a form of advice, meaning that if you have a cold, you should cut down on your food consumption (starve a cold), but that if you have a fever (something worse than a cold), that you should increase your food consumption (feed a fever).

But that’s not right. It’s actually an admonition, warning that if you cut back on your food consumption while you have a cold (starve a cold), you’ll end up making it worse (a fever) and have to deal with a worse malady down the road (feed a fever).

What to do: Drink lots of fluids.
 

Jason Bovberg

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The way I understood it is that you're supposed to starve a cold OF COLD TEMPERATURES (i.e., stay out of the cold) and feed a fever WARM TEMPERATURES (i.e., bundle up).
 

Ron Etaylor

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I say if you blow chunks, stick with water/sprite/and a coupla saltines. If your head is all plugged up, have some spicy Mexican or Cajun food, or put tobasco on anything. You'll be breathing easily soon.
 

BrianW

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The problem is that this silly phrase is worded in such a way that it can be taken either as advice OR as an admonition.

There are many others that share the same syntax/structure, but their meaning is more obvious.

Advice: Lefty loosey, righty tighty - Something you should always do (or at least try first).

Admonition: A minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips. - If you eat it, you're gonna get fat. (In other words, a "minute on the lips" is not advised.)

I can't think of any others, but I'm sure there are more that are just as confusing as "feed a cold, starve a fever."
 

Dave Poehlman

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"Feed a bear, lose a hand".

Thanks for clearing it all up, Bri. Thankfully, I'm over my bug and I plan on hitting my local margarita establishment tomorrow night.

Anyone ever hear that when your sick, you're body will crave what's best for it? Someone told me that once. I was craving salty snacks the other day while I was sick. Probably to help retain fluids.

I was really jonesin' for some Totino's pizza rolls.
 

Joe Szott

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Since most people I know (including me) are about 99% full of BS and any idiot back in time could have made this up, just ignore it. You can trust a catch phrase, but I would rather take the unsnappy yet thouroughly researched and documented plan of the modern doctor:

* Rest yourself
* Stay bundled up / warm
* Drink lots of fluids
* Take mild medications as needed
* See a doctor if it gets extreme

Works for almost any flu/cold ;)
 

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