A (Possible) Influenza Prep You Already Have and Didn't Even Know It

Disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health practitioner.  This is just another post on an item you might wish to have available if needed so that a physician can treat you and your family as best as possible.  No medication, including those available over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.  Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes only.  It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical care.  A qualified, licensed physician or other medical provider should be consulted before beginning any herbal or conventional treatment.

A few years back as I was eating lunch, I came across an article suggesting that naproxen sodium (Aleve) could be a valuable OTC pharmaceutical in treating influenza.  It's cool and intriguing idea, even if it hasn't undergone clinical trials yet.  It's really worth knowing and won't cost you any extra money.  And because it's so potentially valuable, being as it's the beginning of flu season and all that, it's worth mentioning again.

The study was published by researchers in China in 2019.   Some of the authors disclosed a loosely related financial interest, but being as the topic of this study was naproxen sodium and its efficacy as an antiviral, it appears that their financial interest would have no real bearing on the results of the study.

I highly recommend taking a look-see at the study yourself, at least at the summary (which is near the top of the page) and the discussion (which is just below the halfway mark for me) if you're scientifically inclined.  If not, it will be a bit of an overload on the data.

The researchers studied naproxen's antiviral activity against influenza A and influenza B.  It had previously been reported that naproxen had some effect against influenza A.  What was found in this study is that naproxen inhibited virus replication both in the culture medium (in vitro) as well as in mice (in vivo).  And as you know, mice and rats are common guinea pigs for medical experiments.

Not only that, the researchers also found that naproxen was more effective than oseltamivir (Tamiflu) in mice.  And naproxen is more effective against influenza B than influenza A.  (If the flu viruses would now just identify themselves when they infect, that would be super helpful.) 

The authors conclude, "If naproxen is an effective anti-influenza drug for humans, it could be implemented into influenza treatment protocols more quickly than other antivirals in development."

In a nutshell, their preliminary research shows that Aleve is more effective than Tamiflu.  In mice.  Like the disclaimer above says, I'm not a doctor and this isn't medical advice.  You need to talk to your doctor before using any medication.

I do, however, find this research very intriguing.  If anyone around here dares to start exhibiting flu symptoms, we'll break out the Aleve, along with everything else.  

Links to related posts:
Influenza--Diamond V XPC Yeast
OTC Pain Relievers
Elderberry
Gloves and Masks  

For further reading:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124719305261?via%3Dihub
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27884765