Late yesterday afternoon, I felt congestion setting in and my voice beginning to go. Thankfully this is happening now and not next week right before my marathon! In order to recover quickly, my two weapons for fighting an oncoming cold are zinc and garlic. (And lots of hot tea too!)

Zinc – Zinc lozenges and syrup interfere with the cold virus’ ability to multiply within the nose and throat. I try to take one every 2-3 hours.

Garlic – It is a bit smelly, but I crush garlic, mix with a bit of olive oil, place on the bottom of my feet, and put on socks. The skin on the bottom of the feet is quite permeable and the garlic is able to seep into the body more quickly. Garlic’s anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic and anti-viral properties stem from a compound called allicin. Allicin is produced when the garlic is crushed or chopped. And, as I said, you will stick, but stinky-ness is better than sickness 🙂