As the flu blankets the country for the third straight week, some suffering from the virus' relentless symptoms have found respite in a technique used for treating hangovers.
"It'll make you feel better 50 to 60 percent better," said Dr. Jack Dybis, medical director at IV-me Wellness and Performance Center in Chicago, "and if you come in again the next day, it'll pretty much knock it out."
Intravenous hydrotherapy, Dybis said, helps fight off the flu and lessen its impact.
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The staff at IV-me in Marina City Towers, one of two locations in Chicago, mixes up a cocktail of vitamins given to the patient through an IV.
Listed on its website for $159, the "Cold and Flu IV" claims to "alleviate symptoms and decrease the severity and duration of your illness from the common cold, flu, or food-poisoning. Our super-supportive therapy keeps you moving on instead of missing out."
Dybis said he considers this an option for people who aren't feeling awful enough to go to a hospital but don't want to just sit at home and ride it out.
"We're in that middle, where you're feeling bad and you're not feeling any better where you have work to do or something, and you come in and you feel better," Dybis said.
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That concept came a little late for Felix Cruz, who is now back at work.
The flu hit Cruz hard, but when his 5-year-old grandson, Santiago, came down with it, he grew concerned.
"That's just scary. It's dangerous. I feel bad for everybody having it," Cruz said.
He's just grateful that the worst of the flu season for him is in his rear view mirror, and Santiago is thankfully on the mend.
"I'm 100 percent better, thank God. My grandson is good, so right now I'm just glad to be back at work."
Some Chicagoans aren't waiting it out. At IV-me, Dybis said, "We are extremely busy."
Flu isn't the only target for the clinic. Other listed hydration therapies include IVs for migraines, sinusitis, jetlag, athletic performance and, yes, hangover recovery.
"A major contributing factor to the aches and nausea associated with a hangover is dehydration and certain vitamin deficiencies," the Recovery IV boasts. "Our combination of expedited IV hydration, medications for pain and nausea, and vitamin additives will virtually eliminate your hangover and allow you to reclaim your day."
