Turning Crisis into Opportunity
This incredibly fast-moving form of coronavirus is pretty scary for a very good reason and one you may not be really aware of. It targets the interstitium or fascial interconnected web of your body. This miraculous web of fluid-filled connective tissue is a medium for immunity and communication between all cells and structures inside of you. The interstitium is really new to western scientific understanding. Think of these fluid-filled spaces of webby, connective tissues permeating your entire body— from below the skin’s surface to the lining of your lungs, digestive tract, urinary system, it surrounds and penetrates your muscles, nerves, and is woven into the very substance inside your cells and all around them. It is literally everywhere. It also changes constantly according to what we feed it (food is your biochemical soup) and how we move and treat it. In my therapy sessions, I encourage restoring better patterns of alignment, and movement for less pain and greater health. It’s simply stunning stuff.
So what does this have to do with coronavirus and staying well or getting better if infected?
The state of health of your interstitium is critically important to the state of your immune and nervous system. What we know is that the crap in the standard American diet (given the appropriate acronym- SAD), and the boatload of toxins we are exposed to each day, settle into and foul these vital fluid-filled tissues in your body. They have settled into and fouled the very fabric of the planet. It is time for change. Starting with YOU.
f you are exposed to the virus and get ill, your lungs will create super-sticky mucus that is very hard to dispel. If your body is already dealing with a lot of sticky mess from an overload of junk coming in from your everyday world, this means real trouble and pneumonia can set it. But it does not have to!
The Chinese kanji for CRISIS means both “danger” and “opportunity.” Here we have exactly that.
Assess your body and lifestyle right now. How are you doing taking care of yourself? Your food? Your water intake? Stress levels? Sleep? When was the last time you really nurtured this body built to serve you?
Seize this remarkable opportunity to shift your health needle upwards. Its ironic but now there is quite a bit of time to actually look at yourself and your life. Everything is being cancelled and people are self-enforcing isolation in an attempt to slow the spike of this thing. Take this time now to create a powerful shift in how you do your life; it could literally save it!
Here are some tools you can use right away to protect yourself, your health and your loved ones.
The virus is transmitted by droplets of nasal mucus that spread when people cough and sneeze. Interestingly these droplets stay suspended in the air longer in cool weather than in warmer times. This is why the flu wanes in summer and picks up as the seasons change. Be prepared for this. Most cases are pretty mild, but if you have a chronic health condition —and unfortunately this is the majority of the American population now (obese, inflamed, over 40, eating a SAD diet and having no clue about the toxins they’re pulling in every day)— you are much more likely to develop pneumonia and get really sick. If you are taking meds for any of these issues you are often further at risk. Dang.
The opportunity is you can start NOW to have a major positive impact on your health. You CAN improve your resilience and increase the probability of only having a mild infection of this nasty bug.— So…
Wash your hands after touching anything outside of your self-isolated spaces. Wash long enough to sing “Happy Birthday” with hot SOAPY water. Soap breaks down the fat lining that surrounds the virus and it becomes inactive. Period. It works. Do it.
QUIT EATING SUGAR. This includes white flour, pasta, sodas and other fake food-like substances. Get over the cravings with the right food. There are LOTS of resources to help you do this. You are addicted and more sugar eating makes more craving. Learn about it and most importantly what you can do! The good news is there are lots of ways to overcome and there is NO better time than NOW. It is not your fault but it IS your challenge. Take it!
The SAD diet makes your fascia congested and this interstitium become gummy. It is a food related preventable sickness increases your likelihood of contracting pneumonia or other illnesses. Real food is, well… real food. It doesn’t have a label or a list of ingredients; it just is what it is. Like an avocado or a turkey breast or a carrot. The sugar based SAD diet is dangerous. It dumps a lot of processed glucose and fructose (sugar) and preservative based chemicals into your bloodstream. These act like toxins and decrease your immune systems’ ability to protect you from illness. Clean up your fascia.
Be responsible and stay home if you become ill. If you frequent a public place you could spread the disease and maybe shorten the life of an at-risk individual. Compassion is called for in these times.
There are specific foods that help you overcome sugar addiction. Adding good oils to your diet, and avoiding all processed oils and bad carbs, will help not only your immune system but be a game-changer for your nervous system and heart. Check out my amazing friend Cavin Balaster’s Keto Guide to Fats and Oils. His book, Feed a Brain, will help you optimize your body with a great and simple approach to deeply nourishing it. His story is phenomenal.
Eat organic, non-chemicalized, real vegetables and pasture-raised meats (legumes and gluten-free grains for vegetarians and vegans).
Wash your hands with soap and water vigorously, front and back for enough time you could sing the Happy Birthday song.
Get enough sleep, like 7 to 9 hours of it. Sleep is essential to keeping immune cells ready to fight viral infections. Not enough of it suppresses your immune system’s ability to help you.
Limit all social media. Take this time to sit quietly each day and resent your brain. Try watching your breath or eyes open and a point that doesn’t move. When you mind wanders, bring it back to just watching. Stay with it a few minutes at first and increase time.
Be aware of your vitamin D level: Too low— 20-40 ng/ml (and most Americans seem to be)— increases your risk of infection. Even the recommended 30-100 ng/ml may not be enough to optimize health. The optimal range, per the Institute of Functional Medicine, is 50-80 ng/ml
Try eating raw garlic four times a day. This helps elevate your natural killer immune cells to prevent illness. It also helps breathing and reduces mucus.
Try cooking with or taking enhanced vinegar each day. Here is a cool recipe for Fire cider… a spicy combination that boosts the natural killer cells that protect you from infection. I take one tablespoon a day to prevent sickness, and one tablespoon four times a day if I am already feeling ill.
Increase important vitamins and minerals known to help you prevent or heal if you get sick. I suggest, my as “go-to,” medical information on flu vitamins and minerals from orthomolecular scientists. They specialize in nutrients-as-medicine, and this info could really help you. Things like vitamin C, D3, selenium, magnesium and zinc can significantly boost immune cell activity and strength. Deficiencies are very common in chronic illnesses.
And behold, the humble elderberry. Its syrup has been shown to be helpful in preventing the influenza virus. If you show sign of actually having contracted the virus it is best to stop taking elderberry as it can make symptoms worse.
Avoid shaking hands. I would suggest NOT bumping elbows to say hello because this is where we are requested to sneeze into! A simple bow should do.
Wash your nose and sinuses twice a day with a Netipot® and a small amount of sea salt. This cleans your nasal tissues and reduces the virus’s ability to take hold.
Be responsible and observe strict social distancing. Comply with testing recommendations so important data can be gathered. Stay home if you become ill. If you frequent a public place you could spread the disease and maybe shorten the life of an at-risk individual. Compassion is called for in these times.
Be well and reach out with questions or thoughts. We are all in this together!
To Life!