I know, it’s disappointing to hear that even when my entire life’s work is devoted to getting and keeping people well I still have moments of un-well myself. Well, sorry to burst that bubble but even good doctors do get sick. The first few years of practice we get everything that’s going – simply because we’re exposed to everything that’s going. It’s the nature of the beast. The good news is that after 7 years of practice I’m really good at heading it off before it starts. Here’s my basic plan for when I’m feeling under the weather:
If I catch it when I’m feeling ‘a little off’ but without any specific symptoms (this means tired or unmotivated or just not feeling like me today) then here’s what I do:
I take 25 mg Zinc, 3000mg Vitamin C and a teaspoon of elderberry extract with 8oz water three times that day – with food because otherwise the zinc makes me feel a little queazy.
Wet sock treatment at night while I sleep – I know, it sounds crazy but download the instruction sheet and read more about it for yourself. I’ll do a full blog entry on it soon because it completely rocks. Wet Sock Treatment
Garlic either in everything I eat, or I’ll take some on it’s own. I think the best is just fresh raw garlic in food.
Don’t forget your chicken soup. Yup, mom was right. Even science says so.
This should knock out just about anything if you catch it early enough.
If I didn’t catch it in time and the virus is already in, then I’m not just feeling a little off, I’ve got symptoms. If I’m starting treatment when I already have clear symptoms (fever, chills, swollen tonsils, body aches, whatever) then I’m going to have symptoms for a little while because the virus has already got a foothold. Still, I can make the whole thing shorter and easier to deal with:
25mg Zinc, 3000 mg Vitamin C, 1 tsp elderberry extract with 8 oz water three times daily – every day.
Wet Socks every other night.
Garlic on everything.
Lots of liquids, lots of sleep.
Keep going with the chicken soup.
Seriously, your mom knew what was up. If it isn’t chicken soup, then make sure it’s a simple food. Something that your body doesn’t have to work too hard to get nutrition out of like fruit juice, bananas, vegetable soups and slow-cooked stews.
The zinc and vitamin C and wet socks are a great non-specific immune boost, elderberry is strongly anti-viral, garlic is anti-everything (including anti-date, sorry about that. You shouldn’t be kissing anyway – you’ll spread your germs.) Last but not least is the chicken soup, which really does have scientific studies to back it up. It’s the wonder-drug.
The good news is I stopped this cold before it started. That’s my favorite way to do things. Now if I could just figure out a way to stop the house-cleaning before it starts I’d really be on to something.