There I was ready to start off my powerful week, had my fitness and work planned, I was ready to take over the world. Until a day later I wake up with a sore throat and not the kind of sore throat you know will just go away, the one that is painful upon swallowing, the uh-oh type of sore throat that's followed by an extreme lethargic feeling. Could it be that I'm having flu-like symptoms? As I reminisce about the people that have been sneezing in front of me the past few days, I sink into a feeling of extreme coldness, my head feels heavy, my eyes are photosensitive and hurt my brain as I'm driving home at night with all the bright headlights, and my body aches. I have to kick the bug before it bites.Feels like a kick in the ass! "It's okay, it happens to everyone, I'm only human," I remind myself. It is flu season after all and I've been working like crazy so naturally my immune system has taken a toll. I have been listening to some amazing Caroline Myss audios on YouTube and on the way home feeling ill I heard her say something that really struck a cord with me- stop getting lost in wanting to know why. "Why is this happening to me? Why am I sick? I've been a good person, why is this happening?" The obsession of wanting to know why keeps us stuck. Try telling that to someone who always wants to know why! With that in mind, I accept that my body needs some extra special attention right now.Over the years, I've learned not to procrastinate taking action on these flu-like symptoms. As soon as you feel them, it's time to bring out your health-saving-emergency kit. It's important to be in tune with your body and be able to discern between a small cold that can take it's course versus a bug or virus that has the potential to put you down for a week, especially in the middle of your busy work week.My goal is not to suppress the immune system but boost it by giving it natural herbals, vitamins, and minerals to better do it's job. Let's face it, in today's highly stressful environment, very few of us have extremely robust immune systems. Another tip is that if you want natural substances to work you have to be quite aggressive with them. Taking 2 capsules and expecting it to do the trick won't work. Hit it hard and right away, especially for the first 2 days and then you can decrease the dosages and intake frequency over the next 5-7 days as your symptoms resolve. You aren't taking antibiotics so you don't have to be concerned with the bugs becoming resistant. Afterwards, it's important to stick to a good immune boosting protocol that can be formulated by your qualified healthcare practitioner.I hope these dosages give you an actual perspective of what it takes to beat a bug before it bites. And without saying, a quick disclosure - consult your health care provider about having an emergency go-to kit that works for you.So what do you do? Here's what I did. In my emergency go-to kit, I have the following:

• Nutrient IV Therapy - high doses of vitamin C and other vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants bypass the GI and go straight into your bloodstream for a boost and instant relief. When you need something fast acting, IV Therapy is the best bet.
• Super Bio-Vegetarian - without this product I honestly don't know what I would do. Any time I feel something coming on and worn down, I reach for this potent vitamin. Super Bio Vegetarian is a unique combination of vitamins, minerals and botanicals specifically designed to provide nutritional support to the immune system. It's helpful for chronic infection of bacterial, viral or microbial origins. You dose 3 capsules every 2 hours for the first day. You can take a total of 12 -15 tablets in a day. Because of the high doses of Vitamin A this is not a product recommended for pregnant women or women looking to get pregnant. Really high doses of Vitamin A has possible teratogenic risk for the baby.
• L-Lysine - a natural anti-viral, 1-3 grams per day. I take 2 capsules 3 times per day.
• Olive Leaf Extract - Olive leaf either kills, or resists the multiplication of a broad range of viruses, bacteria, yeasts, fungi, and other parasites in your system. It inactivates pathogens (disease-causing organisms) without harming "good" gut bacteria. I take 2 capsules 2-3 times a day.
• Buffered Vitamin C in powder or capsule form - 2-4 grams a day.
• Flu Bombs with DoTerra essential oils. I always reach for my DoTerra essential oils. You take an empty vegetarian capsule and add 5 drops each of Frankincense, On Guard and Oregano. You can do these 3 times per day, but with all the other stuff you are doing, you can mix and match. Listen to your body! All of these oils are nature's natural antibiotics and are amazing to have in your arsenal. If you have an infuser you can always infuse On Guard in the air or rub a few drops on your feet, or on the inside of your wrists. I never leave home for my travels without these and Oreganol.
• Oreganol Oil of Oregano by Norther American Herb & Spice- my all time go-to, painful teeth? Add a few drops directly on your tooth. Sore throat? Rub a few drops directly on your neck and gargle with water and a few drops. Rub this on your throat and lymph nodes behind and in front of your ears. Oregano oil is a godsend.
• Biocidin TS throat spray - a few sprays in the back of your throat ever so often throughout your day. A. Vogel also makes an amazing Echinacea Throat Spray that really soothes the throat.
• Golden Milk - in 5 minutes you can have a traditional Ayurvedic cup of pure anti-inflammatory goodness filled with healing properties. In my Nutribullet, I blend black pepper, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, coconut oil or MCT oil, honey, and turmeric and heat it up on the stove.
• Fresh lemon tea with loads of honey always soothes the throat.
• Magic Socks- If you are feeling brave and I mean really brave, you can throw in the Magic Socks treatment into the mix.
• Garlic - Chop up a head or half a head of garlic depending on your tolerance but you do want to over kill with the garlic a bit, saute in pan for a minute, keep the garlic semi raw so it keeps all its nutritive properties, make some gluten free pasta with ghee butter or coconut oil and add the garlic. The goal is to heat up the body and help it fight infection.
• Take a Bath - Himalayan sea salt, dead sea salt, and magnesium flakes can only help!
• Sleep - no matter what you do, nothing beats good old sleep and rest! Cover up with as many blankets as necessary to stay warm, wear wool socks, sometimes a cashmere beanie on your head depending on how cold your head feels.
• Hydrate - 2-3 liters of natural spring water, coconut water, herbal teas. Stay hydrated and flush out the toxins.
• Bone Broth - there's a reason why chicken soup is recommended for people who feel ill! Packed with nutrients, if you can have this while you are sick, you're golden. Check out this article, Bone Broth, the Liquid Miracle.
• An old Bulgarian remedy that goes against all odds but when I'm desperate to try anything to feel better, you may be too. Gently heat up 1/2 cup of red wine, a chunk of fresh ginger, a teaspoon of black pepper and a teaspoon of cinnamon.

Having an emergency kit like this will prevent you from feeling helpless when you or one of your family members get sick. It will also prevent unnecessary trips to your doctor, especially when you are feeling like a truck just hit you. Needless to say, if you got the real flu bug, chances are you'll need to clear your schedule for a good few days to sleep, rest, and dose on vitamins.Contact us if you are interested in one of our Health-Saving-Emergency-Go-To Kits.