For — Staying well through cold and flu season

The Immune Fortress Stack

Two layers: a daily prevention base (D3, zinc, vitamin C) and an acute toolkit for the first sign of a cold (elderberry, zinc lozenges, NAC). The two are different stacks for different moments — the daily layer runs all winter; the acute layer kicks in within hours of symptoms.

Daily layer — through cold season

Vitamin D34,000–5,000 IU · Morning, with fat
Zinc Glycinate15–30mg · With food (or stomach upset)
Vitamin C500–1,000mg · Morning, with food
Reishi (optional)1g daily · Evening

+ Acute layer — add at first symptom

Elderberry (Sambucol)150mg, 3–4× daily · Within 24–48 hours of symptom
Zinc Lozenges13mg, every 2–3 hours · Dissolve in mouth
NAC600mg, 2× daily · During illness only
Quercetin500mg, 2× daily · With food + bromelain

Duration: Daily layer through winter; acute layer 5–7 days
Skip: Elderberry for autoimmune disease

Long-form: If I had to stay well through cold and flu season →