Have the Flu, skip the Tylenol says a new study. Tylenol has had a tough time in the news lately, proven ineffective for musculoskeletal pain and now being shown ineffective for flu symptoms. We are at the beginning of flu season, and what do we do? Should we get the flu shot, how can we improve our immune system response to the flu and if we do get the flu, how can we improve our response to the virus and its symptoms. One of the things we recommend is our cold survival kit, which we have in our offices to help prevent the flu. Since the effectiveness of the flu shot has been less than stellar (20% last year) and the side effects for some people can be measurable, a strong immune system may be better protection than the flu shot, even though it is widely promoted. Recently, the NY Times cited a new study suggesting that it is ineffective for the flu. Check it out here Tylenol Is Ineffective Against Flu Symptoms By Nicholas Bakalar December 9, 2015 Tylenol is a popular remedy for treating the symptoms of flu. But a randomized trial has found that the drug is no more effective than a placebo, with no discernible effect at all on reducing fever or other flu symptoms. Researchers in New Zealand randomized 80 adults with flu symptoms to either 1,000 milligrams of acetaminophen (Tylenol) or a placebo four times a day for five days. Twenty-two people in the placebo group and 24 in the Tylenol group had laboratory-confirmed flu virus infections. The study, published in Respirology, detected no differences between the two groups in severity of symptoms, mean daily temperature, maximum temperature, viral load, adherence to the medicine or time before the symptoms went away. There was one serious side effect in one person in the placebo group, but beyond that there were no adverse side effects in either group. Read more