You can take all three herbs at once, on an empty stomach. You should take it all at bed time. I would zap at the same time too. Are you doing the 7 minutes on, and 20 minutes off sequence? If you aren't, then- yes- your cold was from the zapping. Dr. Clark recommends zapping for seven minutes, three times, with 20 minutes rest in between. When I first started zapping, I also came down with a cold. Then I got her book and realized I had been zapping the wrong way. Your zapper is good for parasites, circulation, and some candida. Just in case you don’t have her book, here is her free on line book.