Wellness Tips During this Challenging Times

Helpful Suggestions for Your Immune Health During this Time 

The current focus is on the Coronavirus(COVID-19), worldwide. This is invoking quite a bit of fear, as anything that could potentially be life threatening to ourselves and our loved ones does. Everyone is approaching this in their own way, and doing the best they can, based on the information they have. Generally speaking, with or without a collective “scare”, such as the Coronavirus, I want to invite you to take this opportunity to ask yourself how you could improve and prioritize your self-care? I would like to share with you some helpful thoughts and suggestions, from my experience as a nutritional health and wellness coach and from my personal experience with my immune system. My suggestions extend beyond the more obvious hand washing and prevention protocols, which are especially important during this time. If you are interested in holistic and effective ways to amp up self-care and your immune health , then read on. 

What I have discovered in my research and experience is that when we experience chronic stress in our bodies, our bodies begin to break down. Fear and stress are catalysts for an increase in cortisol production. When this becomes a regular, continuous response in our body, it affects our hormone balance, and creates an inflammatory response in our bodies. This combination impacts our immune function. A large part of the “hype” about mindfulness is rooted in this understanding, because a regular (ideally daily)practice helps to regulate our nervous systems and supports mental and physical health and well being. We can eat the most nutrient rich foods available, but if our body is in a high/chronic state of stress, it has difficulty being able to effectively assimilate these essential nutrients. We need energy to metabolize our food and if our energy is caught up in our “fight or flight”, stress response, there is little left over to support our immune systems. How, then, do you stop this vicious cycle? I suggest you begin by taking on this challenge by exploring a mindfulness activity, daily, by starting with just 5 minutes, and increasing your time incrementally, as you become more comfortable with this. We are fortunately inundated with a variety of options in this area. There is an app called the CALM app, that many of my clients use. I have a daily meditation, yoga, and Qi Gong practice, but this is not for everyone. I have discovered that listening to Yoga Nidra before bed, supports a deeper state of relaxation and improved sleep. Some findings have shown that Yoga Nidra is comparable to 2 hours of sleep. In our sleep deprived nation, that is worth its weight in gold, in my opinion! Some of my clients have more time in the evening, like to find, and do a winding down, progressive relaxation exercise before bed. One very powerful exercise I do is called the Gratitude practice. The way I learned to do this practice is important, because I am not just thinking about what I am appreciative of, which only activates the left/analytical part of my brain. I write out 3-5 things, people, and or acts of generosity , etc. that I am grateful for, either in the morning or at night, or both. When you write, you access the left/analytic part of your brain. This allows the right, creative, intuitive aspect of your brain to relax and become more receptive, which, in turn engages your parasympathetic nervous system response. Your parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for your relaxation response, and, in turn, lowers your cortisol output, supports sleep, and your immune response! The gratitude practice also helps your mind focus on and anticipate the very best, along with a feeling of appreciation, which helps flood your brain with happy chemicals. When your brain is happy, your body relaxes, and your immune 

system regulates itself. That is what you want, especially while you are being inundated with so much fear of the worst, during this time. Lastly, diaphragmatic breathing is a simple and effective exercise you can do sitting, standing, or lying down. The reason this is so effective is that it helps turn on what I refer to as your parasympathetic switch, responsible for your relaxation response, located in your abdominal area. You must breathe into this part of your body in order to activate it. When your outbreath is longer than your in breath, you experience a more deeply relaxed state. I invite you to try this activity for 3 minutes, unless you feel lightheaded, then stop, and write down your experience. Rate your stress level before you begin, 0 being no stress at all, and 10 being the most stress you could be experiencing. Begin by placing a hand over your abdomen to guide your breath into this area. Many of my clients never take a deep breath and aren’t even aware of this until they do this exercise! Did you know that the habit of shallow and chest breathing contributes to a state of stress and anxiety? I invite you to softly place your tongue on the roof of your mouth, just behind your front teeth. Next inhale to the count of 4 through your nose, and at the top of your breath, gently pause, up to a count of 7, only if there is no strain(do not hold your breath), then exhale through pursed lips for the count of 8. My suggestion is to pick one or 2 exercises that you like and are ready to try and implement these daily. Keep it simple, and build from there. 

While you are strengthening the foundation of your nervous system health with a variety of mindfulness approaches, the nutritional approaches I suggest will be able to take root, more effectively.Your nervous system health affects your gut, which is why I emphasize cultivating your nervous system health. It is important to eat whole, unprocessed foods, local, in season and organic, if possible, for optimal benefit, such as vegetables, fruits, healthy fats(olive oil, for its antiviral properties),ghee, and coconut oil(contains monolauric acid, which has antiviral, antifungal, and antibiotic properties), legumes, grass-fed beef, wild caught fish and shellfish(high in zinc for immune function), bone broth, for gut and immune health, along with sauerkraut and fermented foods. Garlic, onions, kiwi, pear, and really raw honey have been found to support lung health. Bromelain, found in pineapple, has anti inflammatory properties. Keeping your stomach warm, by eating warming foods, drinks, herbs, and spices, supports healthy digestion, lung, and immune health. For this reason, it is important, especially during the colder seasons to avoid cold drinks and foods. Did you know the health of your gut is a major contributing factor to both your immune and mental health? When you eat sugary and processed foods, the “bad” bacteria begins to override the “good” gut bacteria, responsible for your immune health. One finding shows that when someone eats a sugary food or drink, their immune response is lowered for 24 hours. Keep this in mind before you take on a stressful activity, plan to be in a crowded, public area, or go on a trip. I would like to mention a key vegetable for your immune system; asparagus, which is a vegetable that has been found to contain the highest amounts of glutathione, a major antioxidant for your immune function. It was suggested by my teacher, that I eat this daily. I tend to focus on deriving my nutrients from whole foods, rather than supplements, but there are some exceptions. I will share with you some of the supplements I use for my immune health: Vitamin D(amount varies according to blood test results), sunshine at least 10- 20 minutes a day, Elderberry(liquid form), because of its antiviral properties and immune support, Echinacea, Vit C, with bioflavonoids, along with zinc for its immune support, 

when I’m feeling run down, Reishi mushroom(liquid, if possible), because of its immune properties. Reishi is significant for those with autoimmune disease, Reishi, is known to regulate, not amplify or strengthen the immune system, which is key, and has also been found to support lung health. Drinking ample water helps the cells stay nourished and detoxify, regular Epsom salt baths, diffusing essential oils(check for contraindications with medicines and also for animals), “On Guard , from DoTerra, or “Thieves” from Young Living, (for external use only),these can be placed on the bottoms of your feet for immune protection, oregano, thyme(both good antivirals and for respiratory health), basil, frankincense(antiinflammatory), apple cider vinegar( a tsp in water before meals to alkalize the blood), *Make sure you receive your doctor’s consent before implementing supplements for your immune health to rule out any contraindications with any medicines you may be taking. The rule of thumb is typically to take supplements outside of a 4 hour window of any medicines you are taking, to avoid interference. 

If you want additional suggestions or support, and want to set up a phone, online, or in person consultation, you can contact me through Therapeutic Kneads Wellness center 410-549-7711 or Mother-touch.com. Join my facebook group for support and community; Navigating Through Challenging Times. In conclusion, the Corona Virus, brings with it a call to increase our awareness about who and what is really important to us. We are being asked to prioritize our mental and physical health and wellbeing, by implementing a lifestyle that is supportive of our overall well-being, going forward.