I don’t know about you but every time I feel a cold coming on I sorta freak out. If I don’t beat it early, my colds turn into 2-3 week events with runny noses, low energy, sore throats and lots and lots of coughing. I really don’t like going there.

So over the years I’ve developed some tricks for keeping cold and flu viruses at bay. There are basically three mechanisms to beating cold and virus symptoms: 1) stay away from people who already have them 2) maximize your immune systems ability to fight back and 3) make your body as inhospitable to viruses as possible. I’m going to share some of the specific tricks I use with you right here and I hope they help!

  1. Use a Sauna or Steam Room – When you get sick with a virus, often your body will go into a fevered state in order to kill off the virus. You can actually simulate a fevered state by raising your body temperature in a sauna or steam room. Saunas and steam rooms also help relieve painful symptoms from congestion to body aches. Make sure to drink plenty of liquids though.
  2. Eat Elderberry, Olive leaf, Ginger, Rosemary, Garlic – You can take these as supplements, in teas, foods, other drinks, etc. Why do they help? Because they are both anti-inflammatory and viral inhibiting.
  3. Alternate between Emergen-C and Airborne Effervescents. I like to keep a supply of both Emergen-C and Airborne on hand in the cold and flu seasons. As maintenance, I’ll take one or the other once a day. When I feels something coming on, I’ll start alternating between the two every 4 hours until the symptoms are gone.
  4. Load up on Vitamin D – Most people are familiar with the need to take Vitamin C and Zinc to fight back sickness. However, Vitamin D is very important too. I take 5,000 IU throughout the cold and flu season and up my daily intake to 10,000 IU when I feel symptoms coming on.
  5. Use Zicam Nasal Swabs Unlike many oral viral treatments, this is a treatment that you put in your nose and does not include Zinc or other immune supporting vitamins. Instead it uses these anti-viral ingredients: Galphimia glauca, Luffa operculata, Sabadilla – which help make your nasal and sinus system inhospitable to viruses.
  6. Take Zicam Rapidmelts. I always have Zicam rapidmelts on hand and will take them every 2 hours when I first noticing symptoms coming on. This is basically a customized formulation of Zinc designed to shorten the length of your cold.
  7. Eat Low Inflammation Foods – Part of the symptoms from your cold are related to inflammation, which is a tool the body uses to fight against viruses and other ailments. However, sometimes the inflammation can go overboard, especially when we’re contributing to it with our diet. Minimize sugar, grain and dairy intake. Perhaps the very best food to eat when fighting off colds and viruses is chicken or beef bone broth (the active ingredient in your grandmas chicken noodle soup).
  8. Use Thieves Essential Oil Spray for Sore Throats. If your throat is terribly sore, use some thieves spray to bring reliefs to your symptoms. I spray three times and it usually lasts long enough for me to fall asleep.
  9. Take lots of Zinc, C and B6. Your immune system depends on Zinc for maximum efficiency. So make sure you have plenty of it in your supplements during flu and cold seasons.
  10. Drink Lots of Non-Sugary Fluids. Your body needs to stay hydrated to fight against flue and cold viruses. Green tea. Water. You can also include a low-carb, low-cafeine, anti-inflammatory rejuvenation drink like Kill Cliff.

Bonus: Get plenty of rest and sleep and avoid working out. Fight off a cold or flu virus is very hard work for the body, and it needs lots of sleep and lots of rest during this time. Working out or any strenuous activity will suppress the immune system and set you back a few days.


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