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:
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.
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.
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.
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Hi Dan - I've also been hearing the "rethink" on RICE. In Sanjay Gupta's latest book, "It Doesn't Have to Hurt", he says to replace RICE with MOVE.
I forget what the acronym stands for, but conceptually, the idea is not to sit still and let your body stiffen up. When injured (as long as not serious), we need to move to keep things mobilized and to heal faster.
I did a double take when I heard the name Andrew Weil on this episode. While many of his and his acolyte Maizes's health tips are solid and well established (foods, exercise, stress, sleep, etc.), the Weil brand has been questioned by scientists for decades. Above all, the man is ethically challenged. The fact that he pushes the very supplements (which of course are unregulated in the US) that enrich him and his Center should have been a red flag for you. (I first learned of this from the unimpeachable Center for Science in the Public Interest.)
Furthermore, a lot of his supplements--and her claims--are NOT supported by scientifically rigorous studies, despite her oft-repeated phrase "science-backed." Your usual healthy skepticism didn't kick in!
Red flag #2: When a scientist shows not the slightest caution or caveat about any of their claims, I get suspicious. (Maybe these show up in the book's footnotes--I'm only going by the interview.)
A personal red flag: When I listened to this, I was lying in a recliner after a knee replacement, knee elevated and ICED. Maizes's bizarre rejection of post-surgical icing elicited utter disbelief from my orthopedist and my PT when I asked them. (For the record, I'm healing well :).)
It feels like your fact-checkers let you down here. This interview was not up to your usual impeccable standards. (You can't have run it by Bianca!) I've listened to and loved the podcast forever. I don't always resonate with every guest and topic, but this is the first time I was really at a loss to see any link between the subject and TPH's noble mission.