BATON ROUGE — There have been high levels of acute respiratory illnesses around the country and state.

"Most upper respiratory infections can be managed at home," Mayo Clinic's Dr. Tina Ardon said.

She says there are things you can do to manage respiratory illness at home. The first is staying hydrated. It's an important part of the body's
recovery process.

"If we are feeling sick and we're not drinking enough — maybe we have a high fever or throwing up, we have diarrhea — we are at risk of dehydration. And that may need more urgent evaluation, perhaps in the ER settings," Ardon said.

Cough is a very common symptom of upper respiratory infections and is usually the last symptom to leave.

When it comes to cough, time is the best treatment.

"For the most part, cough will resolve on its own, but some patients may benefit from using things like honey at home as long as you're over the age of 1," Ardon said.

She says if a cough lasts more than two weeks, that's when you should contact your healthcare team.

The other thing you can do for your body when you're sick can sometimes be the hardest.

"Take the time to rest. That's one way to help your body recover faster," Ardon said. "I often find people have a hard time turning things off to be able to rest and recover. So that really is probably key for most patients to recover fastest."