How to bounce back more quickly from colds, injuries, anxiety, and more

Unlock your body's innate ability to heal

There are a lot of problems with our medical system. My parents were doctors and I’m married to a doctor, so I say this with love: the system is a tornado.

A typical appointment can feel like a high-speed treadmill: you get a few minutes to describe what’s wrong, your doctor does their best under insane constraints, and the whole thing can tilt toward “a pill for every ill.” Not because doctors are greedy or evil, but because the incentives and the time pressure can have warping effects.

Which is why I was fascinated by my conversation with Dr. Victoria Maizes, Executive Director of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. Her core argument is both simple and hopeful: your body has an innate capacity to repair itself—what she calls the Rapid Recovery Reflex—and there are evidence-based ways to stop getting in its way (and sometimes even turn up the dial).

Here are three takeaways from our conversation:

1. Anxiety solutions beyond meds: Dr. Maizes suggests several lifestyle-based “reset buttons” for the nervous system that provide a much broader toolkit than just medication. (To be clear, take the meds if you and your doctors feel you need it.) Physical activity like taking a brisk walk or going for a run can bring real time anxiety relief by helping the body process stress. She also recommends humming to activate your vagus nerve. Think of it as your body’s internal “off switch” for stress that signals to your nervous system it’s safe to relax.

2. Rethinking “RICE”: For years, the standard advice for musculoskeletal injuries was Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation (RICE), but Dr. Maizes says parts of that advice are now considered counterproductive. Her basic point: inflammation isn’t just an annoying side effect; it’s often part of the healing process. Instead, she emphasizes elevation and compression (an ACE wrap, for example) to manage swelling, and earlier gentle movement to help clear fluid and support recovery. One obvious exception: if you think something’s broken, immobilize it and get professional care.

3. The integrative cold & flu “stack”: Since we are right in the thick of the season, Dr. Maizes shared a specific protocol for when you feel a bug coming on:

• The garlic hack: Crush or chop a raw clove of garlic and—this is the key—let it sit for 10 minutes before eating it. This delay activates allicin, the potent antiviral component. To make it palatable, Dr. Maizes suggests mixing it into cream cheese or whisk it into a salad dressing. A study found that people who took garlic every day for three months (instead of a placebo) had fewer colds.

• Pop a zinc lozenge: Dr. Maizes recommends starting low-dose zinc lozenges at the first sign of a cold, which may help reduce its duration.

• Rinse your sinuses: It sounds like a mild form of waterboarding, but using a Neti pot or squeeze bottle with salt water to rinse your nasal passages can reduce both symptom severity and the duration of a cold.

For more on how to unlock the body’s innate capacity for healing, listen to the full episode with Dr. Victoria Maizes.

Also out this week is my episode with fan favorite Dharma teacher Vinny Ferraro, in which he shares practical advice for getting your shit together.

Finally, we’re on a team holiday this week so there’s no live meditation and Q&A tomorrow. We’ll be back Tuesday, Feb. 17, for the next live session on Zoom with Teacher of the Month Jay Michaelson. Paid subscribers can listen to Jay’s new guided meditation, “Non-Distracted Non-Meditation,” in the app.

Paid subscribers to the new 10% with Dan Harris app get:

• Guided Meditations: A library of guided sessions to help with stress, anxiety, focus, sleep, annoying people, and more.

• Meditation Challenges: Structured programs to deepen your practice with clear goals, daily guidance, and community support.

• Live Meditation and Q&A Sessions: Every week, meditate live with me and some of the best meditation teachers on earth. Ask questions. Get actual answers.

• The 10% Happier Podcast: Subscribers get access to ad-free versions of my pod. Both the new episodes and the entire archive, stretching back almost 10 years.

• Community Connection: Join conversations with thousands of other practitioners who get it. Share your struggles, celebrate wins, get support when you need it.

Join the party.