When you read article about how to prevent a cold when you feel it coming on, you’ll see all the same information like lower your stress or make sure to sleep well and stay hydrated.

As if you don’t know that information already!

I noticed the same general health information being shared, which to me is boring.

I want to share with you some more advanced “biohacker” type information about preventing a cold when you feel it coming on.

I’m going to assume you already know to reduce your stress, getting optimized sleep and drinking lots of mineral rich filtered water. I’m going to assume you got that.

In my Cold and Flu Protocol I discuss the top 9 supplements  you need to have in your medicine cabinet at home. I will not be discussing all of them here but I will be highlighting a few of them along with some other strategies to prevent a cold when you feel it coming.

Whenever I feel the first signs of sickness coming on I get right on it immediately. I’m not sure what it feels like to you but for me a cold always seems to start in my throat.

I can feel it either like a golf ball where it’s really difficult to swallow (that’s more rare for me) or a scratchy feeling that makes my throat hurt to talk.

I’ve talked to other people who say it might start as an ear infection (which I got rid of mine recently using ozone machine to do ear & sinus insufflations) or sneezing a lot and having a stuffy nose. Other people will feel really lethargic or hot and then cold. I’ve had that before.

And I’ve also had the feeling of a cold coming on where my skin feels really sensitive. It’s such a strange feeling but since we’ve all had colds and flus you probably know what I’m talking about.

Here’s how I prevent a cold when I feel it coming on.

I lean into it and….

Embrace Sickness

I look at illness as a lesson that needs to be learned. My view is that there’s something in my life, that God was trying to show me, but I’ve been too stressed out, too busy or focused on the wrong things for me to wake up and learn that lesson.

The first thing I think is “what is the lesson in all of this?” and I think “how can I learn that lesson quickly (and grow by changing) so that the cold can go away quickly?“.

I’m a firm believer that we are here on earth to grow and to connect with God. The only way to learn lessons and to grow is by having a physical body that can be “forced” to learn lessons. I try to be conscious and aware enough to pre-emptively learn lessons so that I don’t have to be hit over the head with a cold or an “accident” of some kind.

With that said, lean into the sickness. Embrace the stuffy nose. Be okay with the sweats and the the chills.

Whenever I get a cold or flu and I have a fever, I’ll usually hop into my sauna.

Why?

Because the infrared sauna benefits especially for colds and flus are incredible. Heating up your body allows for the production of heat shock proteins and immune cell production, antibodies antimicrobial peptides, lymphatic circulation, pathogen replication reduction, cytokine production and even white blood cells become stronger.

Other times I’ve taken a warm bath with mineral salts, baking soda and boron to increase my core body temperature.

The body is trying to warm itself up (turn its engines on) to kill infections and detoxify them.

Most people when they have a fever will try to cool down. This works against the body and I don’t recommend it. Work with your body. If you have a temperature, lean into it. Help it reach that higher temperature so it can heal.

With that said, always check with a doctor skilled in natural medicine as I’m not a doctor. I’m only a health researcher and advocate for natural health.

Supplements

Vitamin C

There are many supplements you can take to speed up the healing process. One of the most popular supplements is vitamin C for obvious reasons. We did a show about 10 years ago now with Dr. Andrew Saul author of Vitamin C: The Real Story about high dose oral vitamin C.  I’ll post that show below.

In that episode he mentioned the idea of taking 1,000mg of vitamin c literally every 15 minutes. He would set a stop watch and swallow a capsule or two ever 15 minutes until the cold or flu was gone. Talk about how to prevent a cold when you feel it coming on! That is one of the most powerful ways to prevent your symptoms from getting worse.

I’m going to share a few studies below that might pique your interest…

One study published in Frontiers in Medicine in 2020 found that vitamin C significantly shortened the duration of respiratory infections caused by viruses, indicating its potential effectiveness against viral infections in humans. The study involved multiple human trials focused on respiratory health. It concluded that vitamin C has beneficial effects on viral infection recovery. – Source

Another study from MDPI in 2020 reviewed the role of vitamin C in treating respiratory infections and sepsis. The study highlighted how vitamin C deficiency worsens the outcomes of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, and emphasized vitamin C’s role as an adjunct therapy. It concluded that vitamin C supplementation is helpful in improving immune responses during respiratory infections. – Source

A study published in Frontiers in Immunology in 2021 found that in five trials with 598 physically active participants, vitamin C decreased common cold risk by 52%. This study emphasized that vitamin C was particularly effective in individuals exposed to extreme physical stress. It concluded that while vitamin C’s overall effects on the general population may vary, it shows promise in high-stress scenarios. – Source

Zinc

Zinc has been shown in studies to reduce the symptoms of a cold and flu. Whenever you take zinc it’s always important to take copper as well. Typically the zinc to copper ratio is about 15:1. That’s 15 milligrams of zinc to 1 milligram of copper. The best way to regulate this is to take them at the same time.

I also like to suck on a few zinc lozenges to get some extra zinc ions into my blood stream. There are several studies showing how zinc is a powerful immune booster.

Here are some really cool studies on zinc that I found…

A 2011 study published by the Mayo Clinic found that zinc shortened the duration of cold symptoms when taken within 24 hours of the onset. The study involved various doses of zinc across multiple participants and concluded that zinc lozenges could reduce the length of illness by a day or more. The researchers noted that while zinc is effective in speeding recovery, it does come with side effects like upset stomach and mouth irritation. – Source

Another study published in NCBI in 2012 titled “Zinc for the common cold—not if, but when” reviewed several randomized, double-blind studies showing that zinc reduced the severity and duration of colds. In particular, zinc was most effective when taken early in the onset of symptoms. The conclusion was that zinc is beneficial, though the optimal timing and dosage can vary depending on the individual. – Source

A 2024 article on Medical News Today reported that zinc may slightly shorten the duration of common cold symptoms by a few days. The study suggested that while zinc doesn’t prevent colds, it can help reduce the intensity and length of symptoms. Participants taking zinc saw faster recovery times compared to those who didn’t take it. – Source

Melatonin

Many people incorrectly think that melatonin is just a sleeping pill. In reality it’s a very powerful circadian rhythm regulator and one of the most powerful antioxidants in the world. When you’re sick your body needs more electrons and more antioxidants to be able to donate those electrons to molecules that need them.

The added benefit is that melatonin also helps with sleep, which you desperately need to prevent a cold when you feel it coming on.

Here are three interesting studies on melatonin…

A 2024 study published in Respiratory Research found that melatonin had protective effects against infections like the influenza virus and even SARS-CoV2. The study focused on how melatonin supports lung health and reduces inflammation during viral infections. Researchers concluded that melatonin could offer potent immune support during respiratory infections. – Source

Another study from 2022 published in NCBI reviewed the effects of melatonin on cold stress-induced immunosuppression. It showed that melatonin helped improve immune responses in conditions where cold weather weakened the immune system. The study concluded that melatonin supplementation could be beneficial for boosting immunity under cold-induced stress. – Source

Although not many studies directly link melatonin to cold prevention, its ability to reduce inflammation and enhance immune function during viral infections highlights its potential role in supporting the immune system during the flu and other respiratory illnesses. – Source

Connect With Nature

Many times when you’re sick and feeling achy, sore and coughing all day, the last thing you want to do is be outside. If it’s raining, snowing, windy or nighttime then by all means stay inside. When you’re inside, if you can open your windows getting that natural light in will help you heal.

You don’t want to exert yourself physically outside but you want to be outside with your skin exposed to UVB radiation from the sun while also grounding to the earth. When you stand barefoot on the earth (or sleep with an earthing grounding bedsheet) your feet receive free electrons from the earth which has a negative charge.

If it’s sunny and not windy, when I’m sick I’ll take my shirt off and lay in the sun or sit in a chair with my bare feet on the grass in my backyard. This is incredibly healing to your body. As a result the longer you can do this each day, the faster you’ll notice the healing.

Ideally though you’re resting in nature, not exercising or exerting energy.

Detoxification

When I get sick I immediately pull out all the stops. I want to prevent a cold from becoming worse. I know I’m coming down with something when I get a sore throat in the early evening. I can just feel it.

I like to do things like coffee enemas and regular sauna sessions in order to sweat out toxins, chemicals and heavy metals. Just remember if you sweat on a regular basis (like I do) to remineralize your body afterward.

I also like to castor oil packs over my liver. I’ve found that if I do a castor oil pack that first night that I feel a cold or flu coming on, I can often times “nip it in the bud” so it never turns into anything major.

If it does and the next day I feel achy and terrible, I’ll increase my immune boosting protocols like doing rectal ozone insufflations. I typically will do these just once a day just like the coffee enemas. If I do them both on the same day I’ll space them out by a few hours. You’ll just have to figure out what works for you.

Finally on the detoxification aspect, I like to take charcoal before bed. Normally I’ll add a small amount in some water and drink it down right before I go to sleep for the night.

Diet

When it comes to diet while you’re sick, I’ve found what works for me is warming foods that are mostly liquid. For me this means lots of medicinal mushroom teas, mushroom tinctures, warming soups and other forms of herbal teas.

Since digestion requires the most energy out of all biological processes, I try to focus on consuming easily digestible foods while eating as few calories as possible. This way I can save the energy I do make in my mitochondria to fight the infection. This means I focus on liquid nutrition and nutrient density.

I want as many nutrients as possible while also not eating a whole lot. I usually do this by adding vitamins and minerals to my water while also drinking lots of fluids of different kinds like.

• Water kefir
• Milk kefir
• Bone broth
• Chaga and Reishi tea
• Green juice
• Water
• Smoothies
• Soups
• Kombucha
• Beet Kavas

I would avoid non organic foods, processed carbohydrates, seed oils, dairy, sugar, corn, wheat, high oxalate plants, high phytate foods and vegetable oils. You really want to keep the food you eat highly simple and digestible.

Conclusion

Understanding how to prevent a cold when you feel it coming on comes down to leaning into the cold or flu and trying to learn what life lessons there are to it. It also comes down to working with the body by taking supplements that your body will recognize found in nature instead of pharmaceutical drugs. Detoxifying regularly by taking charcoal and sauna therapy has always been very helpful to me.

I hope this article has been helpful for you as well. If you’d like a more comprehensive plan take a look at my Cold and Flu Protocol for even more information about how to boost your immune system for any health condition, not just colds flus.

Questions

1. How do you prevent a cold when you feel it coming?
2. How long do they normally last?
3. What are your symptoms?
4. What seems to work well to get rid of them quicker?

Comment below.