22 Apr Doing all you can to stay healthy

These days I keep taking an inventory of my health habits. I want to make sure I’m doing all I can to stay healthy. That is, I’m aiming for prevention and for good outcomes should I happen to get sick. I can’t just rely on wearing a mask. I keep hearing that masks may not be effective. The same about rubber gloves. I have to go to the grocery store, and I’m not sure social distancing is working well there, no matter how careful we all are.

So I’ll share some of my main strategies.

I put sleep as a priority

I really, really try to get a good night’s sleep. It’s not easy for me. It’s been a huge challenge for over 20 years. I used to take Benadryl but the side effects become obvious over the years and I will never take it again. So now I practice sleep hygiene. I’m trying to maximize deep sleep, where my body can regenerate, restore, and detox. Since we’re not out socializing in the evening, this is a good time to try going to bed early and getting 8 to 10 hours of sleep. Yes, 10. When you have enough sleep, your body will wake up. So there’s no such thing as oversleeping, in my opinion. Long sleep is a sign your body needs some extra restoring.

I use essential oils. For sleep I use lavender. For resistance, I use thieves’ oil, which is sometimes called nature’s shield. It’s a blend of oils that fights infection. A legend (since backed by science) says that thieves used the blend to protect themselves from the plague in medieval times. So I use it for the modern plague. I also add an extra drop of eucalyptus (which is antiviral) because I tend to get stuffy at night, which makes my sleep less restful. I put the drops of oil on my foot at bedtime, but you can diffuse it or put some on a tissue on your pillow.

I take quercetin and melatonin at bedtime. The quercetin helps with my stuffy nose and the melatonin helps me sleep, though like most supplements, these may not be what your body needs. I’m glad I take these because I discovered that both these can be helpful for resistance so I can stay healthy.

Minerals and vitamins make a difference

I take a multimineral supplement, plus extra magnesium, potassium (for sleep), and chromium (to control blood sugar). The multimineral includes zinc–a necessity in these times. Our soils are depleted in minerals, so we are all mineral deficient, and the resulting electrolyte imbalance could be contributing to some of the bad outcomes for those who get the virus.

I take vitamin D, a vitamin we also tend to be deficient in, plus I get outdoors to get D from the sun. I could take vitamins C and A, but I drink an herbal blend prescribed for me by a Traditional Chinese Medicine herbalist. So I feel like I don’t need to take those supplements. However, I have a jar of vitamin C capsules in my cabinet, ready for me to add in at the first signs of any virus symptoms.

Eat well, drink well

I take a fish oil supplement and I include healthy fats in my diet. This just makes me feel better, all over. And I eat my vegetable soups and broths and proteins. I minimize starches and sweets. To keep up my water intake, I drink a glass of filtered water before I have any coffee or green tea with lemon. And I drink water with all these supplements.

I’m drinking less alcohol. I wouldn’t underestimate the destructive nature of alcohol on your body and its resistance. I used to have wine (which has resveratrol, which is a good thing) with dinner a few nights a week. Now I drink maybe a couple nights, and try to stop an hour or two before bedtime to lessen its impact on my sleep. I got an Oura ring a few months ago, and it gives me lots of data about my sleep and resting heart rate. I can see how much alcohol affects my sleep so that motivates me to practice moderation.

What should you do to stay healthy?

You could try imitating some of my habits, but that’s up to you. Every strategy you do should be personalized. The TV night and day promotes the same strategies for everyone, no matter how sick or how healthy. The future is personalized medicine, and that includes health coaching. I don’t prescribe supplements. Your healthcare provider should do that. But I can help you put recommendations into practice, so you can be one of the healthy ones who are more likely to come through this with a good outcome. Contact me for a free intro phone call.

Comments: Which of these habits do you follow?

Paleohacks: thieves oil

Dr. Axe: eucalyptus oil

Dr. Mather: functional medicine approach to prevention

Dr. Mignonne Mary and Sophia Riviere, NP: vitamin C

Dr. Jill Carnahan: emerging treatments

This article is for information purposes only. See Disclaimer below.