Wise strategies from a naturopathic doctor to help with the latest virus surges

I've seen 3 COVID posts and have put their names on the prayer roll,  oddly when I search the group for "COVID" or even "covid" nothing comes up even though it's right there.... anyway I'm going to share very wise naturopathic doctor advice that has kept many patients healthy-  he shared this at the beginning of COVID and months in, the news was like "ohhhh what do you know we have 'discovered' that those having taken high doses of Vitamin C fare better" as  if it was brand new and they found it-  meanwhile this doc has been explaining the importance of something so "basic" as Vitamin C for years!!!    That we are one of the only mammals who do not make our own, and the RDA isn't for thriving, it was- what is the minimum we can give sailors to prevent scurvy.   

This is re-shared from one of the best doctors I know!

Virus notes.

Spring virus strategies...

Greetings all and the first thing I’d say is:  be aware but not a-scared!  

The mind is the first layer of our defenses! The science of psycho-neuro-immunology demonstrates the presence of stress hormone receptors on our white blood cells that fight infections of all sorts. If we’re super stressed & worried, it literally affects our immune defenses. Listen to beautiful music, walk outside, read a great book. Trust your body’s ability to protect you AND take the precautions outlined below! The rest is not under our control and therefore not useful to worry about!

Most of the things you’ve been reading from the CDC are useful ways to decrease the likelihood that you’ll pick up the corona bug: wash hands, wipe down surfaces, avoid large crowds in close quarters  and  keep yourself well-rested and well-fed.  Now...some naturopathic pointers on these topics and more!: 

Well fed:    Avoid sugar!!! Concentrated sweets, bakery items, candies, desserts... these tend to slow down the immune system response to viruses and therefore temporarily lower immunity.  Keep this especially in mind for the upcoming holidays as even in a non-corona year; I see a significant boost of people getting sick after the holidays with travel stress, eating & drinking different foods and high intake of sweets. Enjoy the holidays and visiting but keep the food as basic and non-sugary as you possibly can. 

Well-rested:   Being sleep deprived certainly lowers our immune system’s ability to be in top notch shape. Try not to deprive yourself of sleep, if you’re a student or working odd hours or just have a lot on your plate, PLEASE factor in a bit more sleep time to get about 7+ hours if you can.

Steam inhalation:   A very good strategy as virtually all viruses establish themselves in a cooler environment (nose, throat, eyes).   There are OTC personal nebulizer gizmos to inhale steam on the web and these are a good idea at the end of a busy day or following periods of potential exposure. Twice a day if you’re having a cough or other early symptoms! Be gentle with the essential oils or inhaled fragrances, these can be super strong,  a little goes a LONG way!

Nutrients: 

Vitamin C!  Like I’ve stated previously- vitamin C is a simple yet very important nutrient to get plenty of, and you can’t really get sufficient amounts from food     (an orange contains about 35 mg.) I’d recommend 2,000-4,000 mg a day taken in divided doses (i.e. 1,000 mg three times a day) and if you’re in a crowd, or suspicious of exposure or at FIRST SIGN OF ANY SYMPTOMS LIKE SCRATCHY THROAT< HEADACHE< TIGHT CHEST, FEELING WARM/FEVERISH, MUSCLE ACHES...take 5,000-7,000 mg a day.  If you take too much C it can cause loose bowels. IF that happens, reduce the dose and then nudge up gradually. Also...do NOT stop taking vitamin C abruptly after you’ve been on a high dose for a few days, lower the dose down to the 2,000 a day gradually.

Vitamin A & D:  about 5,000 IU of A and 1,000 IU of vitamin D3  per day are good to help protect the nose, throat, eyes and other mucous membranes from viral attack. If you might become pregnant, don’t exceed this amount of vitamin A.

Zinc:  25 mg of zinc a day is a good way to protect the throat from viral attack. Zinc tastes pretty bad but getting it in contact with the throat is a good idea., so crush tablets or open up capsules to release the zinc powder. Prepare for the (chalky, bitter, flat) taste, but there are lozenges out there that are decent.  Don’t take 100’s of mgs of zinc continuously as it does build up gradually in the body.

HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES:   Good to have on hand:  Oscillococcinum, gelsemium, bryonia, eupatorium perfoliatum, influenzinum. These are taken according to the specific indication of the remedy except for the Oscillococinum and influenzinum which are taken at the first sign of flu-like symptoms: muscle aches, fever, headache

Herbs:  Here we have a bit of a challenge. No herbs have been tested in infected humans for effectiveness against this particular virus, even other corona viruses have testing that typically involves test-tube studies rather than testing in real people in real-life situations. Much of our use of herbs for viral immune help involves ramping UP the immune system. With COVID-19 the concern is a dramatic over reaction of immunity (cytokine storm) that ends up creating the severe breathing problems that are a sign the infection is taking a nasty turn. Substances like tnf-alpha, IL-6, IL-4 are body chemicals that, in excess, are associated with an over-zealous immune activity. So... I feel that if the virus is hitting too hard, quieting down these chemicals is a reasonable strategy.

Two herbs to consider therefore are Licorice and nettle leaf.  Licorice is a good anti-viral as well! Both of these are available as a tea or as a powder and thus easy to use as a tea.  One caveat...too much licorice can cause high blood pressure, so if you have tendency to high BP or on medication for it, keep this in mind. Generally, a cup or two of licorice tea for a few days isn’t sufficient to cause the BP to rise, but do watch it!  While echinacea, elderberry and other immune boosters are generally helpful to resist infection, large amounts of these at the beginning of a nasty corona virus infection may not be the best, we simply don’t’ know for sure. I do point out that it has been documented that echinacea can raise levels of CRP in people. The CRP is a general gauge of inflammation in the body so in this example echinacea would not be a great idea. A certain amount of inflammation is good for immune protection, but too much is what appears to cause the worst reactions to the mostly benign corona virus. 

Be vigilant, but not paranoid, if your nose itches, use your elbow!

Testimony of Tithing

I so love hearing people share their testimony of gospel truths like tithing.   Something can be a nice principle to follow but when you see the actual results it makes it that much more desirable.   

Thank you Tanner Dunn from Texas

 “I had a very cool spiritual experience this week that I feel impressed to share: I was stressing out about finances after I dropped over two grand for tuition. I got paid from work last week and I got a massive impression that I needed to pay tithing which is unusual because I pay it without fail. Well I paid it and a couple of days later I get a big impression to look at the institute classes that the city of Rexburg provides which are free to take instead of paying for two credits to take a religion class at school. When I looked, I saw that two spots opened up in the institute class that I needed to take and that day just so happened to be the day I could drop my religion college class and get a full tuition refund. I have received my refund of $310 and am getting my two credits for free! I know that if you faithfully pay tithing, you will see so many blessing come to pass that you may not be able to receive them all at once! Heavenly Father does look after us without fail and He will bless us as long as we faithfully do our part!”

Have you had similar experiences?   I’d like to hear them!    

Met a Character Practically Right Out of A TV Show!!!!

Tonight I met a very cool nurse.  She was actually just filling in for a moment, “helping a friend” so it was like providence that I even got to meet her!   She was a delightfully pleasant lady and when we were talking about PICC lines and keeping them in long enough she mentioned her 6 week stay in the ICU!  For the FLU! If you can believe it! She had H1N1 and a bad case of it and it caused her to lose her leg all the way up above the knee!  I was privileged enough to have her show me and she had the coolest decorative cover on it- I’m not sure what it was made of but it reminded me of wooden cut outs.  It also has a microprocessor chip- she said “you know Nintendo Wii?  I have that in my leg!!!”  It’s amazing the technology we have these days.  And to think that she is on her feet all the hours that a nurse has to be, and she even said being on her feet is better for her.  I exclaimed how much this is JUST like that oh so famous hospital show and she even has some visual features of the same character that experienced the loss of a leg as well!!! She even said that shortly after she lost her own leg, that very episode came out and she said “someone is writing my life!!!”   I am in awe of her cheery positivity and I also asked if she’s had the opportunity to inspire patients in any similar situations.  She dealt with a mother of a young boy who had just lost his leg and the mother thought his whole life was over and she was able to reassure her otherwise. 

Sometimes angels have bionic parts and magic microprocessor legs! 

Hymns to Sooth The Soul

For anyone else who has found hymns kind of boring in church, I can attest there very likely will come a day when you realize all that was just a rehearsal for when you actually NEED them, when they make a huge difference- when you are going to be beside yourself in gratitude that someone came to sing them with you to someone you love who then is beaming and the room saturated with the spirit.  You may come to find it’s unbelievable how much comfort they can bring and how much they can settle your soul and bring peace.

That was the short version.  The longer version I may have to keep adding to, but I often have found the hymns less than titillating. Even as a singer I’ve found myself not even desiring to sing them often throughout church.  I’m amused when, during General Conference, people refer to them as ‘the commercial break” although of course that would be the best time to go to the bathroom or refill snacks.  Most people would agree however, that they do bring a special spirit.  I’ve known many people who will sing hymns either out loud or in their head when they are in the midst of attempting to resist temptation.  So many people I know just have such a love for them and I wondered if I was missing that gene or something.   After the recent experiences and actually FEELING the spirit like so many before me had expressed they’d experienced- I now am a much bigger fan.  Perhaps I’ll write more about the experiences but for now- it’s time to hit the sack- which in this case, staying overnight again at the hospital means a spring loaded chair that folds you up like origami if you dare to breathe too much in the night- or heaven forbid you should take the liberty of trying to turn!   Until next time- Be Happy!