It used to be that I felt like we were all helpless victims of winter viruses – just waiting to get attacked by them and having to go through the inevitable misery of a cold or flu. I used to get a cold at least twice per year, but since I have started implementing the following protocol, I rarely get sick anymore. This is what I do whenever I get that first little nagging sensation that an upper respiratory infection may be brewing – like the start of a sore throat. The important thing to remember is that if being fully well is like being at the top of a mountain, and starting to get sick is like going off the edge of the cliff, then it is critical to start pumping immune boosters right away when you first start going off the edge of the cliff –  at the first sign that you might be getting sick. Once you are already halfway down the hill or already at the bottom of the hill (so to speak) it is too late – you will get sick and it will have to run its course – and taking the immune boosters may only shorten the illness by a day or two.

So – what is the “magic elixir” or “secret sauce” that can help to prevent the majority of nuisance viral colds and flus that people suffer from mostly during the winter months? Remember, this won’t prevent every serious illness or stop pre-existing conditions from taking you down (always contact your doctor if you are really sick), but if you have a decent immune system that just needs a little boost – this may do the trick.

What I do at the first sign of illness is to take a whole list of supplements that help to boost my immune system. Here is a list of several of the tools that I keep in my tool kit to help fight off viral upper respiratory infections when they first try to rear their ugly heads.

Extra minerals such as Zinc – up to 50 mg twice daily for a few days can help, as can special herbal liquid anti-viral tinctures such as IMN-V and others – 1 dropper 2-3 times per day.

I also recommend nasal sprays such as OTC X-Clear – a natural anti-microbial spray containing Xylitol – a natural agent for killing bacteria – 2 sprays up each nostril every few hours when getting sick and as needed after that. Then add other anti-microbials such as Biocidin TS (throat spray) – 1-2 sprays in the back of the throat every few hours initially. Many upper respiratory infections start in the sinuses and the back of the throat. Addressing those areas directly can really help stop illness.

Often, a booster dose of Vitamin D can be helpful – depending on what your maintenance vitamin D level is (which you need to know) – you can take an extra 5000 – 50,000 iu of Vitamin D – ONE TIME – to kick start your immune system. Another one of the fat-soluble vitamins that can be really helpful is to take a loading dose of mycelized Vitamin A – up to 100,000 – 200,000 iu  – but again just ONE TIME. It is important to remember that the fat-soluble vitamins (D, E, A, K) can become toxic if you take too much.  Vitamin A for example can poison your liver if you take too much, but a safe loading dose can really help kick start your ability to fight viruses. Don’t do large doses of these two vitamins without consulting your doctor.

In addition, it is important to remember our friend, vitamin C. When getting sick, most people can tolerate taking 1000 mg Vitamin C every 2-4 hours initially to help the immune system. If your stomach gets upset, cut down. Also – a special combination of mushroom extracts and transfer factors called Oramune Max is one of my favorites when getting sick. Up to 2 capsules every 2-4 hours initially can also help stop illness in its tracks. Other immune supplements such as Immunomax and ImmPower are also helpful.

Don’t forget the basics like getting enough sleep, controlling stress, maintaining optimal hormone balance, and maintaining overall nutrition with a healthy diet and medical grade specially tailored daily supplements. But this immune boosting “cocktail” can be a real lifesaver in cold and flu season – whether you are travelling or working among sick co-workers – or you are a doctor seeing sick patients.

I hope this combination of immune boosting treatments helps you to stay well this fall and winter and every year thereafter – just like it has helped me.

Author Dr. Lynne Mielke Dr. Mielke takes a whole-person approach and uses specialized testing to determine the underlying cause of each person’s health condition.