by Don McCann, MA, LMT, LMHC, CSETT
You can either wait to see if you are going to be one of the up to 65% of Americans to be infected with COVID-19 or you can look for ways to minimize your susceptibility and maximize your immune system to prevent it. I see taking personal responsibility for maintaining and maximizing your immune system is the most important job you can do at this point. Following the CDC recommendations of distancing and sanitizing is just the first step. There are many ways you can be responsible for maximizing the effectiveness of your immune system.
I have been contacting many massage therapists, nutritionists and health professionals on steps that can help your immune system defeat exposure to COVID-19. Below are many of the suggestions that can make a difference:
Lower your stress levels. Stress dramatically inhibits our body’s immune response, and anyone going through this period of time has a higher than normal stress level. This is the time to pay attention to your breathing and every time you are aware of not breathing in a normal pattern consciously take 10 deep relaxing breaths. While breathing concentrate on releasing the stress with each exhale and expanding the restriction to breathing with each inhale. The more often you tune in and are aware of your stress level the more often you can go ahead and lower it, so tune in and make relaxation part of your life.
Meditate. The benefits of meditation are extensive. Suffice it to say that relaxation, positive attitude and increased immune function are universal results of meditation. If you do not meditate and need a guided meditation there is my free Light Meditation on www.cranialstructuralenergetics.com that you can download from that site. This meditation is also specifically a healing meditation with a Light Meditation, a Chakra Balancing meditation, and a Pineal Gland Meditation. These will all help bring about a state of homeostasis. If you already have a meditation that you do regularly please meditate.
Positive attitude. Fear and a negative attitude lead to negative results and a compromised immune system. It is hard not to be afraid when hearing about the effects of COVID-19. However, even the immune-compromised have a fatality rate of less than 5%. When thoughts that promote fear get stuck in your mind a very helpful action to take is to repeat the words “cancel-cancel” repeatedly until the thoughts and emotional fear diminish. This is a Silva Mind Control technique that Jose Silva said “if there is only one thing you get out of my training, learning to cancel your negative thoughts and feelings by using “cancel-cancel” will be worth the cost of the entire training. Once negative thoughts are canceled it is important to replace them with positive thoughts. Positive affirmations such as “I am healthy,” “I am loved,” “I am happy,” “I am successful,” “I am not the circumstances of my life,” “I am grateful for my life.” These positive affirmations and others you may choose for yourself need to be repeated at least 10 times 3 times a day for maximum effectiveness. They may also be magnified in effectiveness when repeating them in the meditative state of the Light Meditation.
Get plenty of sleep. Sleeping 8 hours a day not only allows you to be rested but also allows your glymphatic system to detoxify your brain and bring your brain into homeostasis which is a huge step in maintaining homeostasis for your entire body. A toxic brain is slow to respond to initiating the immune system.
Stay hydrated. Your immune system cannot function well when you are not hydrated. Be sure to drink more than the minimum necessary for hydration. Stay away from alcohol, large amounts of coffee and tea, soft drinks, and even fruit drinks that have added sugar or high levels of fructose. Good old water is your best friend and should be chemical free.
Laughter is the best medicine. Bernie Siegel tells a story of sitting under the table with an 11 year old who had cancer and laughing with him by describing what was wrong with the shoes of the people at the table. This boy’s cancer showed a definitive decrease shortly thereafter. Tune in to the comedy channel, find some movies that are comedies, watch some feel good programs that have some humor and laughter, share funny stories with your loved ones.
Sunlight is your friend. We know your body creates vitamin D from sunlight. Did you know that viruses cannot exist in the high temperatures of sunlight found in Florida. Sherry Bell, a go-to holistic health practitioner, shared with me that 130 degrees will kill this virus and that our sunlight outside (not the air temperature) will help kill the virus around us and boost our immune system. Jonathan Fuentes, a SET therapist and Ayurvedic Practitioner, says spend as much time in the sun as you can to maximize your health.
Limit your sugar. Viruses feed on it. do not give the virus an opportune environment inside your body. Sugar can also deplete vitamins and weaken the immune system. Best case, eliminate sugar entirely from your diet. This includes alcohol, fructose, corn syrup, fast carbs, high sugar fruits, raw sugar, and any other form of sugar. The low glycemic index diet is a good source for identifying other areas where sugar is found in our diet.
Detoxify. A cleaner less toxic body has a higher immune response. Now is a great time to start using detoxifying herbs or supplements, juicing, and fasting to eliminate toxins from your body so your body’s immune system can operate at its highest level. (there will be more about detoxifying in specialty products and supplements in future installments).
Next installment will be about supplements and specialty products to boost your immune system.
