Viruses are and will be a regular part of our environment. While some are helpful, many are dangerous. This COVID-19 pandemic is and will be a game changer in ways that most of us will only fully appreciate with the aid of hindsight. The question is “are you prepared” and no, I am not talking about toilet paper!
While it is important to avoid exposure through implemented “social distancing” and other measures, It is also important to recognize that you can support your immune system during this unusual time in other ways. The stress from all these protective measures can contribute to more anxiety and therefore contribute to depleting your immune system. Each of us has our own emotional coping style but our bodies’ physiologic stress response is the same. The familiar “fight, flight or freeze” describes our initial protective responses to a threat but unless that threat is quickly resolved our bodies transition to a more complex and damaging stress response headquartered in our adrenals. This threat response is the same even if the threat is later determined to be a “false flag” – remember how your heart rate increased while watching a scary movie or roller coaster ride. This causes elevated cortisol and stress hormones resulting in many things like elevated heart rate, increase blood pressure and elevated blood sugar. This issues in turn compromise the health of our immune system. During this pandemic, stress will be the biggest threat on many fronts. So how do you prepare?
In upcoming blogs, I will share some stress reducing nutritional essentials to help you fight the good fight. We will cover three essential vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements which can help you better weather the storm. For those of you who can’t wait, make sure you take enough vitamin D, magnesium and adrenal supporting herbals called adaptogens. Finally, as your mother would remind you – please wash your hands after touching common public objects and avoid touching your face. This is especially true if you are over 65 you and/or have health issues. Get outside in the sunshine to get some extra vitamin D, share the walk with a friend or family member, remember to say your thank you prayers and be grateful that we live in the great United States of America. In my next blog post I will be diving into those essential vitamins which can support and aid us in this stressful time. Stay tuned
