This is a tip that I’ve used with myself, family and clients to battle oncoming colds for several years now and when used properly, it has never failed. It was taught to me by world renowned strength coach, Charles Poliquin, who used it on his hockey players during the 1996 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. There was a cold going around the Athlete’s Village, and none of the athletes whom Charles was coaching got it, primarily due to this protocol.
It’s quite simple, however it must be followed strictly. First of all, you MUST start this at the earliest sign of a cold coming on. Do not wait. So it’ll be important that you have all of your supplies on hand. Also, having this protocol available doesn’t mean that you can disregard the usual healthy habits to improve immune function such as, getting proper amounts of sleep, avoiding sugar and alcohol, drinking enough water and eating plenty of colourful vegetables and fruit.
Now with that covered, we can get to the actual protocol. It’s a three step process, to be repeated every hour on the hour for six hours, even if you start feeling better after three.
Step 1: You start by gargling salt water for at least 30 seconds.
Step 2: Then you soak a cotton swab with rubbing alcohol and wipe the inside of your nostrils with it. It’s an interesting feeling, but trust me, it’s worth it.
Step 3: Finally, you take 10g of L-Glutamine. L-Glutamine is an amino acid used for many purposes with one being an immune booster. It can usually be found in either capsule or powder form at most health food stores. We also carry it at AIO.
There’s one last part that we haven’t covered. Your mindset. It might sound a bit woo-woo-ish, but again, trust me. You need to have the mindset that you do not have time to get sick. The mind-body connection is very important when it comes to your immune system. After all, there’s a reason that emotional stress can lower immune function and increase your risk of contracting an illness.
Use this protocol to help you stay healthy over the cold season, but don’t use it as an excuse to not follow general sanitary habits. You should still wash your hands regularly, get proper recovery from your workouts, sleep as much as you need and eat a healthy diet. Try it out and let us know how it goes!
Coach Carlo
