So I went to bed on Tuesday evening knowing I was going to be SUPER sick yesterday. I could feel the congestion and the whole 9 coming on and could hardly sleep.

When I woke up today, although it was entirely too early, I felt great and even hit a new PR at the gym This was really surprising considering how out of it I was yesterday, hacking, sneezing and fever. I figured I would share my personal "cold" protocol here:

• Cut any and all sugar

• Tons of water (obviously)

• With fresh squeezed lemon (yum!)

• Hyland's Homeopathic Cough Syrup (this is so I can sleep at night without a runny nose and cough)

• Good quality vitamin D3/K2

• Vitamin C as Camu Camu powder

• A couple additional shots of YL Ningxia Red (antioxidants and vitamins)

• Yeast Defense (just because it has a lot of herbs that boost your immune system like pau d'arco, garlic, caprylic acid, etc.)

• Chicken broth (see previous article)

• With non-pasteurized sauerkraut (probiotics)

• And finally Raven or Breathe Again Essential Oil (this is the first time I used an essential oil for illness — because it was free! — and boy did it feel great. I had an Epsom salt bath in it and I diffused it.)

So, what do you do to help speed along illness?