I woke up Friday morning with a bit of a sore throat. Maybe it was something I ate, maybe I overdid the exercise during the week, I don’t know. Regardless, the obvious question was what to do about it.
I skipped breakfast and lunch both Friday and Saturday, and ate dinner only. The idea was that by restricting food intake for a bit (intermittent fasting), it would give the body a chance to repair itself.
The old saying, "feed a cold, starve a fever" probably isn’t correct. Intermittent fasting is most likely a good route to take whether one is suffering from a cold or fever. I don’t think this has been shown research-wise yet, but it’s only a matter of time.
Speaking of fevers, an evolutionary perspective is useful for understanding fevers as well. Fevers are the body’s natural response to infection. Taking a fever-reducing medicine (unless the fever is quite severe) will actually slow the healing process. Fevers may be uncomfortable, but they are a means to end: the body is raising its temperature to fight the infection.
For a good read on this subject, check out the book, "Why We Get Sick: The New Science of Darwinian Medicine."
