It was the kind of sore throat that hurt. As firey as it was, in the past, I would have definitely ended up with an infection. But now that I have decades of experience with an overly sensitive body, I thought; “No problem” and I got busy.

First thing, I went to the supplement cabinet as soon as I could. I always make sure I have certain remedies on hand. I used the following:

1. Wellness Formula by Source Naturals – available at Whole Foods and other health stores. I used 2 capsules to start then 1 every two or three hours.
2. Echinachaea and Goldenseal Tincture – available at health food stores also. Tinctures work faster than capsules but many people can’t stand the taste of the herbs in those dropper bottles. Also, if you are avoiding alcohol, you can get it in capsule form. I used 1 dropper full 3 or more times a day.
3. Vitamin C – 1000 miligrams, 3 times a day.

That’s just a great start to elimintating an oncoming throat infection.

Equally important to the healing of such matters is diet. I never recommend milk products when sick. They are mucous producing and cause inflammation – two things you do not want with colds, sore throats or ear aches. They are also harder to digest. Naturopathy teaches that disease begins in the bowels so we want to keep them as clear as we can as we boost our immune systems to heal.

So, this is what I ate that day:

1. Oatmeal for breakfast with fresh blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. I also had a smoothie with almond milk and frozen berries to get plenty of antioxidants in me.

2. For lunch I had raw, spicy kale salad and chicken breast with basil pesto and raw carrots. Both the kale salad and the pesto contain fresh garlic. Garlic is a natural anti bacterial/anti fungal so it kills bacteria. You can always take a garlic supplement if you don’t like the fresh stuff – take five tablets of them twice a day if you do.

3. For dinner, I had more kale, mixed vegetables with Bragg’s Amino Acids (availble at health food stores)and another frozen berry and almond milk smoothie.

Notice I had fruits, vegetables, a very small amount of lean meat and almost no simple carbohydrates. I am not against whole grains like quinoa, millet or brown rice, I just don’t eat much of those.

The other thing I did, and I also think this is as important as diet and supplementation, was a little introspective and spiritual work on this throat issue. So, here’s what I did:

1. I did a little Rohun Therapy (you need a certified practioner to help you with this – I am one of them, of course). I worked with some anger I was holding in my throat towards a friend I was having a disagreement with. When I recognized it, loved it and released it, my throat was not as tight.

2. Meditation is essentially the act of being silent and present. I think of it as focused healing for the self. A simple way to do this yourself is to close your eyes and simply focus on your in and out breath for at least ten minutes.

3. Rest. I spent time napping and engaging in low stress, quiet activities so I could heal.

The result? The next morning I woke up without a trace of a sore throat. Had I not, I knew it was the kind that would have evolved into something much worse. While I have not been able to knock out every sore throat over the years, I have been able to get rid of dozens of them by treating them as soon as they happen with methods just like and similar to the above instructions.

So, if you’re feeling a little off, do something about it right away so you don’t get worse. It’s another key to living a Delicious and Healthy life!