It’s official – the coronavirus is now a pandemic; the hysteria surrounding it and its affects on our lives is real.
Your best defense is …
… a good offense – which is to be healthy in general, and support and strengthen your immune system in particular.
What we know:
99.8% of people infected recover – remember that particular stat. Our bodies are designed to be healthy, designed to fight off infection.
The 0.2% fatalities occur among elderly, and those that are sick, weak or otherwise immuno-compromised.
Panic is gripping the globe – from real concerns about the unknowns (a must read, on the topic of ‘gain of function’ What is gain of function research and who is at high risk), to wondering if stockpiling toilet paper, bottled water, and food is necessary. The lock down that’s occurring is unprecedented, and hugely disruptive to life, to the economy, and not to be minimized, to our collective psyches. So, don’t panic – get proactive around your health. Remember, it’s not always about ‘fighting the disease’ – so important to build/maintain your health.
What you can do:
At Bonfire we obviously cannot guide you in terms of the pending/possible shut downs, and the resultant major inconveniences to your regular lives and routines.
But what we can do is help you become healthier in general, and strengthen your immune system in particular.
Watch: Nutrition, Immunity and a Global Pandemic [link to Scientific American article – June 2021]
It’s so important to understand that your lifestyle choices in general, and within the nutritional or dietary realm in particular, make a huge difference in the strength and performance of your immune system, thereby lessening the likelihood of being infected; or if you are infected, helping your body fight and recover.
FIRST STEPS – Focus on your health instead of the overwhelming media coverage or fear of ‘getting sick’. There are specific things you can do without going to extraordinary efforts that will markedly improve your health directly and thereby decrease your susceptibility to infection in particular; or should you get sick, help you to have a mild version of any sickness:
- Get sufficient sleep: It can’t be overstated how critical getting enough sleep is for your health and staying well. Aim for at least 7-8 hours/night [read Go To Bed for key healthy sleep strategies]
- Eat fresh whole foods: lots of greens, healthy fats, and quality proteins
- Exercise daily – every measurable health metric improves with regular exercise. Every. One. And remember, the key to getting the most from your workout time is to exercise to the point of exertion – that’s where the benefits of exercise become extraordinary.
- Avoid sugar and processed vegetable oils – these foods weaken you body in general and your immune system in particular. For the complete list of the most toxic/health-damaging foods, read The Top Ten Never Eat Foods.
- Take Vitamin D – to read more on this critical nutrient and how best to supplement if you’re not able to get adequate exposure to the sun, click here
- Take 5 grams of vitamin C daily (best is the ascorbate form instead of the ascorbic acid form) – there’s reason Linus Pauling won the Nobel prize for his work with Vitamin C – it’s an inexpensive ‘tool’ that yields great health outcomes. Study linked here.
- Remember too that Probiotics are a first line of defense within the body’s immune system.
- Get adjusted – keeping your spine and nervous system in top functioning order is foundational for health.
Here are helpful strategies and information – articles to equip you to get/stay healthier:
The American Immune Society – The strength, the health of our immune system should be our first line of defense (or is it offense?) for creating wellness and avoiding – not simply fighting – disease. This seems to be missing from the conversation. Get adequate sleep, exercise regularly (to the point of exertion),
The Bonfire Truths – the body is designed to be healthy, it’s designed to fight infection. You can leverage that truth to your advantage.
Get adequate Vitamin D into your body – Vitamin D is much more than your run-off-the-mill vitamin; it’s more of a hormone that plays a central role in our body’s health in general and the strength of our immune system in particular. Buy here.
Avoid eating sugar– when you eat sugar it immediately weakens your immune function (some research says instantaneously by 50%).
Get regular chiropractic care – it was once called immunology; now it’s referred to as neuro-immunology because the integration between the nervous system and the immune system is critical for proper/optimal health and healing. Don’t overlook the essential element of healthy nerve flow between your brain and the body. Here’s a list of Bonfire wellness doctors that you can trust to help you and your family stay healthy.
Help your body – eat quality food. The cells of your body – 100 trillion of them – are as good as the nutrition they’re provided. You wouldn’t put diesel fuel in a gasoline engine; stop putting crap food into your body and expect it to function well.
2) Follow the common sense recommendations such as regularly washing your hands, avoiding touching your face, etc. It is said that on average, we touch our face 90 times each day – crazy, right?
Now more than ever, practicing self-care is essential when it comes to taking care of our emotional health and well-being, says Christine Carter, PhD, a sociologist and senior fellow at the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California in Berkeley.
“Self-care is not selfish,” says Dr. Carter. “This is a time of incredible anxiety and stress. Focusing on what makes us feel nourished, on what gives us meaning, is part of easing those feelings and giving us a more solid foundation.” [link to full article]
Finally, be careful as to how this crisis unfolds and what the government, what the CDC says – they don’t always have our best interests at heart. Many things are in play within this situation – big money is on the table and whenever that happens, things get squirrely – fraud, corruption and misguided recommendations can be part of the situation.
