Dear friends and healing community,
Let’s talk about the current epidemic Coronavirus (COVID-19) and how best to protect yourself and your loved ones.
In Traditional Chinese medicine there’s a saying “If you already have an upright Qi, the evil cannot attack!”
This means that the strength of our immune system is directly related to how often we catch colds & flus and how severe they are.
There is uncertainty of how widespread the virus will be in the population however there are certain precautions we can take and things we can do to boost our immunity.
In a perfect world we would all have super strong immune systems and the reality is that our immunities are often needing extra support in this modern world of ours because we are constantly being exposed to different pathogens and bombarded with pesticides, other toxins, radiation and toxic heavy metals that are compromising our immunity.
Other than some obvious precautions to take such as washing your hands frequently, avoiding touching the openings on your face (eyes, mouth, nose), wearing a mask if you are coughing, using a alcohol based hand sanitizer, and avoiding crowds when possible, here are some of my favorite tips to boost our immune systems and how to stay calm:
ADEQUATE SLEEP in a dark room to boost melatonin production and boost immunity.
EXERCISE; if you cannot do so, just move your body the best you can.
SUNSHINE; exposing your skin to the sun without any sunscreen, especially earlier in the morning for at least 20 minutes daily when possible.
GROUNDING; placing bare feet on any natural surface. Some studies in PubMed show that grounding appears to improve sleep, normalize the day–night cortisol rhythm, reduce pain, reduce stress, shift the autonomic nervous system from sympathetic toward parasympathetic activation, increase heart rate variability, speed wound healing, and reduce blood viscosity.
HYDRATE; Lemon water is the perfect way to hydrate, purify, and revitalize your body each morning. It is a good source of vitamins C and B and minerals such as calcium and magnesium. Lemon water is excellent for weight loss, the immune system, alkalizing the body, controlling high blood pressure, anti-aging, detoxification, purifying the blood, and regulating body temperature. Lemon water is particularly beneficial for the digestive tract and can help relieve constipation, nausea, and even parasites. ~Anthony William
EAT YOUR FRUIT. It is the most important food group to consume in order to protect you and your loved ones from chronic illness and a lifetime of unnecessary suffering. Fruit not only prevents illness, it slows down aging, kills off pathogens, and heals our bodies on a cellular level. ~Anthony William
EAT YOUR VEGGIES. Greens are king but also those anti-viral in nature; garlic, ginger, turmeric, etc. You can try this turmeric ginger shot: https://www.medicalmedium.com/mm101/medical-medium-turmeric-ginger-shots.htm
DRINK YOUR HERBAL TEAS; Fresh thyme tea (add some raw honey to it), ginger tea, rose hips tea, peppermint tea. Traditional Medicinals is my favorite tea brand.
AVOID REFINED SUGARS, EGGS, DAIRY & GLUTEN. I know what a bummer but these foods all hinder our immune system, create inflammation and feed pathogens. “Eggs may be considered the perfect food in some circles, but in reality, they are the perfect food fo viruses. Eggs are used in labs by research and science to feed viruses.” ~Anthony William
SUPPLEMENTS the above with: Zinc, Ester-C & elderberry syrup as a daily minimum baseline. A study is underway in China looking into the effects of high dose vitamin C as a potential treatment for the coronavirus. The truth is that not all forms of vitamin c are beneficial. Ascorbic acid/vitamin c in packages per example are abrasive and not really helpful. They are not useful and gimmicky. You want the Ester-C (calcium ascorbate) because it is easy on the stomach, and don’t tend to cause diarrhea. Additionally, when we catch a flu or a virus, it knocks down our immune system and we loose all of our zinc reserve available. Soils are depleted of zinc so almost everyone are deficient in zinc. The liquid zinc sulfate is the one that our body uses because it is stabilized. I personally use the brand Vimergy (www.vimergy.com) for their ester-c and zinc and I make my own elderberry syrup.
BREATHING; anti-anxiety breathing exercise: 4 second inhale through the nose, 7 second hold at the top, 8 send exhale through the mouth.
I have many other tips, supplements and herbal medicine suggestions depending on each individual constitution, past and current health history.
I also have registered to three different online viral infection webinars to stay on top of how best to take care of ourselves.
Remember that acupuncture in conjunction with proper hydration, supplements, heal medicine and healing foods helps to regulate our immune system and strengthens our protective Qi, which is our 1st line of defense from external factors but also strengthens our nutritive Qi, which nourish the internal organs and the whole body.
As always you can also reach out directly to me via text/phone or email.
Be sure to check-out my new online consulting. It is great for tight schedules and for individualized support needed if you can’t make it to my office.
Be well,
Catherine Provencal, MSOM, L.Ac.
PS. Your referral is my best compliment!