Help yourself get over a virus quickly

You're nearly over your virus, but still feel down in the dumps. It's not just because the laundry's two feet high and you're behind at work. Your immune system is still recovering from its no-holds-barred battle against the illness, which required unleashing chemicals called cytokines that have a good-cop, bad-cop effect: While fighting the flu, they also mopped up serotonin, the key "feel good" chemical in your brain. So there's less of that happy stuff bouncing between your brain cells like a cheerful game of beach volleyball, and it takes time to replenish your serotonin supply. You can help.

Here's how to recover your good spirits faster:

1. Put yourself on light duty.

2. Boost your B-6. Aim for at least 3.7 mg a day of this vitamin. Because B-6 is involved in producing serotonin, you need it to replenish your supply. Find it in B-fortified cereals, fresh tuna, baked potatoes and bananas, though you'll likely need a short-term supplement, too (about 1,000 mcg).

3. Postpone that shopping expedition, weekend trip or skating party till you feel chipper.

4. Munch on apples and broccoli. Both contain the flavonoid quercetin, which keeps immun- ity high even when you're still feeling wiped out. Wash 'em down with hot tea, which is packed with compounds that boost your body's virus-fighting proteins.

5. Keep getting plenty of sleep.

6. Walk it off. A half-hour walk is a proven way to lift mild to moderate depression. Feeling too whipped to do it all at once? Break it up into three 10-minute walks or two 15-minute outings.