What to do when you start to feel sick.

Three steps to immediately implement to mitigate sickness and recover quickly.

The feeling of getting sick can be hard to describe. We've all had days when we feel a little off or run down. In those moments, you pause and think: "I might be getting sick."

These moments are a good opportunity to self-assess and see if you've been working too hard, "burning the candle at both ends," or under too much stress. It's also the moment when you must immediately do three things to prevent a severe cold or flu and recover quickly. Interestingly, these things should already be part of your lifestyle to avoid getting to this point in the first place.

LISTEN | What to do when you start getting sick Dr. Brandan Lee

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1. Up the Vitamin D. Check out this excellent paper published in the journal Canadian Family Physician in 2015 by G. Schwalfenberg. In this paper, the author coined the term "Vitamin D Hammer" after observing that giving nursing home patients who were coming down with the flu a one-time dose of 50,000 IU of Vitamin D helped the patients recover faster.

2. Cease Sugar! Sugar is a chief source of immune system sabotage. Eating sugar will detrimentally slow down your body's attempts to heal.

3. Go to bed ASAP. Sleep! Your body is telling you that you need to rest. Go to bed early.

Other steps you can and should take to recover faster include eating chicken soup made with high-quality broth, staying hydrated, taking Vitamin C, and using a sauna.

Remember, even healthy people get sick from time to time. The goal should be to live a healthy lifestyle that helps prevent you from getting sick often and helps you recover quickly when you do get sick.