Tonify your Nervous System
It seems that if you are being chased by a tiger, and simultaneously combatting a bacterial infection, your body will choose to circulate blood to your limbs to help you get away from that tiger, thus shutting down your immune and digestive systems. The same goes for living in a climate of constant fear, watching the mainstream news, and being on guard everywhere you go- your immune system will constantly be taking a back seat. It is important to double down on your grounding practices; walking on the earth barefoot, deep breathing, practicing yoga, tai chi, qi gong, or meditation.
Get outside
Fresh air and sunshine are also crucial for staying healthy. The UV rays from the sunshine help to sterilize the air that we breath in outside. Wearing a mask prevents the lungs from ventilating properly, stresses the immune system, and traps bacteria, mold, and viruses inside of the fabric. According to Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, “very poor filter and fit performance of cloth masks… and very low effectiveness for cloth masks in healthcare settings lead us conclude that cloth masks offer no protection for healthcare workers inhaling infectious particles near an infected or confirmed patient.” Additionally, many Asian countries are accustom to wearing masks for the pollution, and this did not prevent the spread of pandemic.
Exercise can help to mobilize the lymphatic system and increase the body’s healing response. Spending time in natural areas is proven to increase the body’s healing response, as well as modulate the nervous system and decrease inflammation.
Nourish your body
Avoid sugar, as sugar competes with absorbic acid (Vitamin C) for cell uptake. Additionally, refined carbohydrates, sugars, refined vegetable oils, alcohol and other toxic substances can increase cortisol levels. Light fasting can be helpful for combatting an illness at the first sign, as digestion ties up a lot of energy. According to Chinese medicine, a light meal of chicken soup and green onions can help to repel the pathogen, nourish the gut, and resolve illness, especially if followed by a light sweat.
At the first sign of a cold: Take up to 5,000 mg daily if you are fighting a cold or flu. I like this liposomal Vitamin C by Dr. Mercola.
Vitamin D- up to 10,000 IU per day. Vitamin D is not absorbed well without a form of K2 (in fermented products such as nattokinase), so I prefer a formula of Vitamin D with Mk7.
Oregano oil- diluted in water and gargled in the throat, or directly in the back of the throat for sore throat if tolerated.
Zinc can be very effective to fight infection be balancing the immune system response.
To continue to support the immune system, colostrum can be very effective for healing a permeable gut lining. Remember that over 70% of our immune system is in our gut! Colostrum has antibodies which help to fight pathogens, reduce allergies and autoimmunity, and generates growth factors to heal the gut lining.
Mushrooms are powerful immune supporters which contain beta-glucans, which are powerful polysaccharides that support the immune system. Some mushrooms, like maitakes are immunomodulators which helps the immune system to adapt to whatever the situation requires of it. Shitake mushrooms have antimicrobial properties, but leaves beneficial bacteria intact. Chaga has antiviral properties and can prevent viruses from replicating. Cordyceps help to support autoimmunity and benefits gut bacteria.
Take care of your lymph
The lymphatic system is our major drainage valve. It helps to eliminate waste products, viruses, pathogens, and circulates white blood cells. It is crucial to move the lymph using muscles and joints.
Engage in rebounding exercises such as jumping on a trampoline or shaking qi gong. An infrared sauna is a great way to detoxify the body through sweat. This type of sauna warms the body directly, penetrating the skin instead of losing heat to the surrounding air. I personally love my Higher Dose Infrared Sauna blanket as it is portable and fits with my tiny house lifestyle. It is lined with amethyst to amplify the infrared benefits, charcoal to help detoxification, tourmaline to generate negative ions, and is low in EMFs. I find release in muscle tension, better recovery, and improved sense of well being after using it.
Take a shower alternating hot with cold; 10 seconds of hot water and 20 seconds of cold water to help flush the lymphatic drainage and up regulate glutathione levels. Trust me, this gets easier and more enjoyable as you continue to work with it!
Use aromatherapy
The fastest way to attain a physiological reaction is through the sense of smell. There have been studies on spruce essential oil can increase the body’s natural killer cells, which help fight cancer and infections. It is also possible to have same effect by spending time in the forest every day.
Thieves essential oil is very helpful as a preventative for catching a cold. This oil was used during the black plague by four robbers to prevent from catching the illness from the people they were stealing. When they were brought in front of the magistrate for trial, they were given a deal to share their immune secrets with the world. They used cloves, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus and rosemary. Today this has been scientifically proven to reduce airborne bacteria and prevent transmission of pathogens.
I add a few drops of thieves oil and oregano oil to some olive oil for oil pulling, which is the practice of swishing with oil in the mouth for 15-20 minutes. After twenty minutes, all of your blood has circulated through the sublingual vein allowing the oil to adsorb toxins and heavy metals. You can even experiment with sesame oil, walnut oil, or coconut oil. Adding some aromatic oils has a beneficial affect on clearing the sinuses. You can also add a few drops of thieves and oregano oil to water and gargle for a sore throat.
Don’t oversterilize and hug your friends
Too much sanitation can be just as harmful to the immune system as germs themselves are essential to our well being. There are about 100 trillion microbes that populate our organism! These microbes are killed by excessive use of antibacterial soaps, bleach, and overboard sanitation practices. In Japan, children have a higher incidence of allergies and asthma because of the obsession with cleanliness in the culture. A 2015 study in the Occupational and Environmental Medicine showed that the use of bleach in people’s homes increased the risk of childhood illness and infection.
“We don’t hug and kiss as much as we should,” says Kiran Krishnan a microbiologist and chief scientific officer for Microbiome labs . “We need closer interactions with other humans, because that exchange of microbes is important for your immune system.” Additionally hugs release oxytocin which helps tonify the nervous and immune systems
Learn to LOVE viruses…
Viruses can actually strengthen the immune system! A virus called cytomegalovirus increased T-cell diversity in lab mice. The diversity of T-cells, which are white blood cells that fight off infections, allow us to fight off more diversity of infection. Viruses make up 8% of our genetic material. Recent studies have shown the viruses are an integral part of our community of microbes. These viruses have a symbiotic relationship with us that is not fully understood. One such virus helps the placenta develop in pregnant women. The latent herpes virus helps to identify cancer cells and arms them with antigens to fight the infection. A virus called GBV-C helps to people with HIV infection to survive longer by blocking the receptor sites available to the host. Other viruses such as NDV and measles virus are being studied for their anti-cancer effect.
Although a pathogen is part of the equation, microbes still need cells and tissues to thrive. A susceptible host with toxicity is just as important to the equation as a strong pathogen. As Claude Bernard, a french physician says “the microbe is nothing, the terrain is everything.”
https://www.bmj.com/company/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/bleach-childhood-infections.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4112691/
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