You be illin'!

...That's supposed to be a thermometer.

I decided to take a load off the other night by watching an episode of Doctor Who and drinking a steaming cup of rooibos tea.  The Doctor was being delightful as always and the tea was delicious, but I started to notice a burning sensation.

No, not that kind of burning sensation.

It was my sinuses.  For those of you who have known me for quite awhile, it shouldn't be a shock to you that I have sinus issues.  My sinuses are my weakness.  My Achilles' heel.  The Band-Aid in my soup of awesomeness.

So I knew what laid ahead of me.  Headaches.  Stuffy nose.  Light-headedness.  That awful feeling of constantly having to roll over on each side when I'm trying to sleep because everything keeps draining into one nostril.

Then of course, it turned into a full-blown cold.


Suffice to say,  I was not amused.

That's not to say I don't somewhat enjoy being sick, though.  I also saw video games, light reading and many hours of Hulu in my future, as well as what turned out to be a much needed break from my training.  I've never been one of those guys who says things like "Train through it!  You'll sweat out the toxins and the antibodies will make you stronger!" Not in my case.  Strength training with a two-day cold is a good way to make it last two weeks.

And so, in between seeing how long I can last with a six-star wanted level in Grand Theft Auto IV and reading Terry Pratchett, I started my very own sickness supplement routine.

I spent years wasting money on herbal supplements that were supposed to work, but didn't.  This could be because I didn't buy a quality brand of said supplements, because I didn't take mega doses of the stuff, or maybe they just don't do what they've been lauded to do;  I don't know.

Mayyyyybe.

Eventually I figured out a routine that works extremely well.  It actually doesn't differ much from what I take every day, but usually I'll increase my intake depending on what it is.  With this, I rarely get sick these days (I used to get sick constantly before adopting a healthy lifestyle) and in turn, less of my friends and family get a sneeze in the face.

1.  Vitamin D.

This is a big one.  Up until a couple of years ago no one gave this bad boy a second thought.  Milk was fortified with it to fight rickets back in the 1930's and it remains there, but it seemed that no one looked into its benefits for 70 years.  Now it's the biggest thing since fish oil and it might just be what the doctor ordered (HA!  See what I did there?) to build up your defenses and fight off disease.  In fact, a recent study in Copenhagen scientists found that D activates our ummune functions and without it, we won't be able to fight off bodily infections.  Yay for D.

2. Decent multi-vitamin.

Yes, there are certain things in multivitamins that just don't go well together and actually inhibit the absorption of one another, but it's still a good way to balance your diet (especially if you're dieting).  When you're sick, being malnourished is just going to make it that much harder for your body to deal with your sickness.

3.  Superfood/greens powder

If you can only take one supplement for the rest of your life, this would probably be my recommendation.  If the world of nutrition was Mt. Olympus, superfood would be Zeus, throwing lightning bolts at free radicals, estrogen and fat spandex-wearing cyclists.

Okay, maybe that last one is just wishful thinking.

Truth is, one scoop of this stuff can yield 8-12 servings of fruits and vegetables.  All you have to do is mix it in a glass of water and chug it.  Simple.  Biotest Superfood is probably the best on the market, but if you're on a budget, Amazing Grass and NSI make some decent greens powders.

4.  Zinc.

This one is fairly obvious and actually has been studied with conflicting results.  The truth is, there's no reason not to take it.  Along with it's possible immune system benefits, it's also important for maintaining normal testosterone levels and Charles Poliquin, a Canadian strength coach with many gold-medalist clients, says that all active men should be taking zinc.  Just don't take it with dairy or anything containing calcium, as it interrupts the absorption.

Plus, if you take it before you go to bed it'll make you have awesome dreams.  Think about it.

5.  Vitamin C.

Yeah, you know the deal.

6.  Cinnamon.

Yes, it's delicious, but it's also been used medicinally for thousands of years.  A 12th century German nun/herbalist named Hildegaard of Bingen recommended it as the "universal spice for sinuses"  and used it as a treatment for colds, flu, and "inner decay and slime".  How can you argue with that?

When I'm sick, I usually just dump cinnamon into my tea and stir in some raw, unprocessed honey.  It tastes as awesome as it sounds.

7.  Neti pot.

Not a supplement, but if you can get past the initial discomfort of flushing your sinuses with saltwater, it'll become one of your most prized possessions.  Try it.  Hate it.  Then love it forever.

Bonus:  Ashwagandha and Rhodiola Rosea.

I'm lumping these together because A.  They do the about the same thing and B.  I don't always have them on hand, so they're not an "official" part of my list.  These two adaptogens decrease the physical effects of stress, boosting your immune function in the process.  NSI makes a decent Ashwagandha and Biotest makes a good Rhodiola supplement.

Oh, and here's a little tidbit for ya:  Legend says that the Vikings used to consume rhodiola to keep up their strength during long campaigns.  How cool is that?

"Fetch me my rhodiola!"

Well, that's all I've got.  It works for me and it just might work for you.  Just don't come and spit in my rooibos if it doesn't.

Have any remedies of your own you'd like to share?  Comment!