One of the most important things you can do is to take steps to strengthen and boost your immune system to minimize the ability of a virus to cause infection, whether it is COVID 19, influenza, or the common cold. The following lifestyle recommendations are a good starting point:
- Get plenty of sleep: 7-8 hours per night to restore your immune system. If you struggle with quality sleep try these guided meditations and sleep music: https://hemi-sync.com/experience/sleep or https://www.healthjourneys.com/audio-library/sleep-insomnia
- Strengthen, Protect & Repair Barrier Systems: such as Lungs and Sinuses by avoiding smoking, toxic air fresheners, avoid fragrances: clean up personal care products, laundry, and cleaning products.
- Keep sinuses flushed with a saline solution.
- Stay Hydrated: add fresh citrus to your water, especially lemon.
- Exercise in moderation: especially outdoors in Green spaces, maintain exercise unless you feel sick.
- Eat a healthy diet: Whole 30 or a Plant Based Diet. Reduce or eliminate alcohol and sugars; eat lots of fresh fruits, colorful vegetables, legumes; use healthy oils (e.g. olive oil); avoid deep fried and fast foods; emphasize plant based protein sources. A list of specific foods and spices that can be helpful is included at the end of the newsletter.
- Vitamin and mineral supplements can help support and strengthen your immune system. Please see the list at the end of the newsletter.
- Stress Management: staying calm and coping with stress is very important. Whether the stress is from fear of the virus or other events in our lives, it can weaken our immune response and impair our ability to function effectively. Take time for yourself and family, be a role model to your children on how to calmly handle a crisis.
- Relax & Rejuvenate: Do things together that will have a positive impact on your nervous system such as: taking walks in Green spaces, yoga, tai chi, Qi Gong, meditation, prayer, belly breathing, laughter, and mindfulness practices can all help to reduce anxiety, boost immunity, and lower blood pressure.
- Keep up your spiritual practice; be kind, compassionate and respectful of yourself and others. While this crisis is new for most people in our society, we can minimize the impact if we take care of ourselves, stay calm, and work cooperatively.