Feeling ill?

No, not an "anti - Obama" post. Not a "hey, how does it feel Arizona?" post. No, it begins with a confession.
I used to be a antibiotic addict. No, it wasn't for the rush of dry mouth or the need to be disciplined enough to remember to take 3 pills the size of Rosie O'Donnell's sweat drops (what the?) each day. It was because I would get roughly 3 sinus infections each year. Sinus' drain down the back of my throat day one, sneeze like crazy day two, stuffy head and nose day three through seven, and then asthma and chest congestion for the duration. Sometimes I would get a prescription for a decongestant the size of Oprah Winfrey's hypocrisy (a crack at her postmodern theology, not her weight) and forget which I was supposed to take two of and either be really decongested or not at all. Also, not good to mix with two glasses of champagne on New Years eve at Michael and Michele's house in 2000. Not drunk, just vomiting for hours quietly so no one would have less of a good time. I figured back then there had to be a better way.
A guy we had on staff suggested echinacia to me. Being that he had an extensive narcotic background (as in, did drugs. Way in the past though we would joke about it a lot. He would laugh so hard he'd cry, only I never saw him laugh...just cry). I figured it to be highly suspect if not illegal. I mean, cocaine could clear your sinuses too but has it's drawbacks. I didn't trust him. So I tried it, the echinacia not the cocaine. I stand here today free of antibiotics for 9 years.
I have learned a few things about herbal supplements.
1. I don't take them everyday. When I start to feel my sinus' drain, I start popping. Usually, it stops there. It never, ever stopped there before echinacea
2. As I have spread the love about echinacia I have found that one should only buy it at GNC or Vitamin World. They will guarantee you how much of the supplement is in each capsule. Other brands do not do that. I buy the Herbal Plus Standardized Extract, 100 -500mg capsules from GNC for about $16.
3. Many studies have "proven" it doesn't work. Granted, these studies have been funded by the medical or pharmaceutical industries who have every reason to not want it to work but there's nothing to see here...move along.
4. I nice boost of emergen-C (powdered vitamin c) will help as well when you are ill. Ummm, make sure you mix it with water and don't eat it like a Dip n Stick (remember that crazy candy and how sad you were when it was gone and you ate the stick)?
5. I have probably had 3 or 4 full blown infections over the past 9 years but they have lasted no more than a week when I treat it with my herbal attack. I used to go to the doctor for my antibiotic after one week and it would then last two more.
6. I nice pick me up when you are ill or near ill is one of favorite finds...5 hour energy. I could post about this bad boy all by itself, and perhaps I will soon but it helps too. I will sip on one for a few hours (rather than drink all 2 oz. at once as usual). It is chock full of B6 and B12 vitamins and other good stuff. I have found it to help.
7. If my throat is a little scratchy I take Halls Sugar Free Vitamin C drops. Tasty and another boost of Vitamin C. Just don't take too many. Your lips will get those nasty splits/cracks that remind you of the time you let your mouth touch the water fountain.
8. There are many in the zinc or Airborne product line camps. More power to them. The zinc and vitamin C don't like each other so I pass on the zinc. The Airborne is fine but is just a mix of all of the things I take in larger quantities.
All that being said, our society is way too dependent on drugs and prescriptions. I want to save my antibiotics for when I get something nasty (probably from a hospital visit and unrelated to the reason I was there in the first place). If you have any of your own remedies, I want to hear them. I'm always open to new thoughts. An ex-something of mine once said, "Your problem is, you always think you're right." Yeah, YOU'RE right. I should walk around thinking, "I'm sure I'm wrong...tell me what to think. Well, that's what the drug companies want me to believe. I will tell you this. If I only think that all of the above help me...and THAT helps me? Boo yeah! Nine years free of Anti-biotics my man, nine years.
Lastly, what's the deal with all of this "pro-biotic" stuff being good for you? Does that mean the anti-biotics are really...really bad? Do they not like each other? Sharks vs. the Jets kind of thing? I'm out of my league here.