Has anyone found it a bit odd that throughout this global pandemic it hasn’t been THE top priority for the mainstream media, doctors, or scientists to be encouraging us to turn inward and focus on boosting the immune system, exercising, and eating healthy? Don’t you find that strange?
As a shamanic practitioner, yogi, and blossoming herbalist, I am ever striving to maintain optimal health within the body, the mind, and the spirit. I know that it not only helps me stave off illness, but it increases my vitality, productivity, and clarity to boot.
We have turned into a society where our first instinct is to throw drugs at a symptom, or, in other words, put a Band-Aid on a cut when you could have prevented the cut in the first place. It seems almost unheard of to bring the body into balance in a natural and holistic way by looking at all the various parts and the root of the issue. “Ride it hard and put it away wet” is how people seem to be treating their bodies, and then expect a cure to be right there waiting when things start to break down.
I’m not saying there’s necessarily anything wrong with utilizing pharmaceutical medications from time to time. There are certainly instances when western medicine is life-saving. I also understand there are people that have developed a disease or disorder by no fault of their own. However, one of the biggest problems, from my perspective, is that most of the time we don’t bother trying to get to the root of our imbalances and we use pharmaceuticals as a crutch. We don’t encourage a healthy and balanced operating system. We look at actual symptoms as the issue, without considering that things like digestive problems, skin irritations, and headaches, or even heart disease and diabetes, are likely caused by something else. In some cases, that “something else” can be solved by making a diet or lifestyle change. The body is extremely intelligent. We simply do not give it enough credit that it knows what it’s doing, and unfortunately, it’s oftentimes fighting our lifestyle and diet choices just to try and stay afloat.
Symptoms are the body’s way of showing you there is an imbalance in the system. If there’s an acute injury, inflammation, for example, is the body’s intelligent response to protect and heal the injury. Oxygenated blood is sent to the scene. Swelling may occur, which protects the injury and prevents you from moving around too much. When we take an anti-inflammatory, we’re basically telling the body, “You don’t know what you’re doing, let me handle this another way.” Fever is the body’s intelligent way of “cooking” an unwanted virus or pathogen in the system. It assesses how hot you need to get to eradicate the virus and recalibrates the baseline body temperature to that number…102 or 104 or whatever. So initially you start feeling cold because your baseline has risen to 102 but your body is still 98 degrees. The pores close and all the heat gets trapped inside. Once you have successfully “cooked” and eradicated the virus, the fever breaks, and you begin sweating and releasing all of the trapped heat. When you take an NSAID or fever reducer, you’re basically giving the virus free range to set up shop and what could have been a 1 or 2-day illness turns into a 5 or 7-day illness.
In the western world, symptoms of anything and everything are treated with pharmaceuticals. Once you’ve treated that symptom, you risk getting a different symptom because you haven’t actually addressed the cause of the issue to begin with. And if you didn’t realize it already, you are not a patient that they want to heal and never see again. Big Pharma is made up of corporations with an aim to make a profit. Drugs are not medicine, they are a product, and it’s their goal to keep selling it to you. They keep you coming back for more. (Again, not in ALL instances, but overall, we’re much too dependent).
I’ve considered myself super healthy over the past 5-10 years, I take supplements, I eat natural unprocessed foods, I exercise, meditate and work on releasing negative habits and emotions. If I have a symptom, it’s an oddity, and I try to assess why it’s there and heal it as naturally as possible. It’s been a long and arduous journey to find balance and I feel fortunate for all of the teachers that have helped me along my path.
But the more that comes out of the news boxes these days, the less I seem to know. Contradictions and polarities are more prevalent than ever before. One thing I do know, is that no matter what side of the fence your cows graze on, knowing your own body and learning how to stay healthy is THE TOP PRIORITY.
When your body is already maxed out dealing with other imbalances due to food toxicities, digestive issues, or chronic illnesses, you don’t have any spare “men” to go into battle when a virus comes. And that makes anyone facing covid or the flu at high risk. Your body just doesn’t have the capacity to fight the brave battle.
So what can you do? Here are a few basic tips that have worked for me.
#1 Pay attention to what you put into and on your body
I can’t stress this enough. What are you putting in your body? Can you pronounce the ingredients? Are you eating preservatives, fake sweeteners, vegetable oils (safflower, sunflower, canola are oils your body has no idea how to break down)? Did you know that American wheat farmers dump Round-Up on the wheat just before harvesting it? My husband thought he had a gluten intolerance, but turns out he’s just sensitive to toxic chemicals on his food because he can eat Italian flour just fine.
It’s so incredibly difficult to navigate through the questionable food choices on the shelves these days, and many of us don’t have extra time to make all our food from scratch. But more and more products are available in every category that are organic and all-natural. If you think it’s too expensive to purchase these products, just consider the long-term effects of your health bills. I heard someone say one time, stick to the perimeter of the grocery to do your shopping. If you can purchase from local organic farmers, even better. Steer clear of anything processed. Snacks, sodas, frozen foods. Yes, that also means your Beyond Burger. Just cuz it’s vegan doesn’t mean it’s healthy folks.
What’s in your toothpaste? Most toothpastes contain artificial flavors and colors, along with fluoride, which is known to adversely affect the pineal gland in the brain, along with the nervous system. I’ve been using Tom’s fluoride-free for years. I know of other people that use charcoal toothpaste or a baking soda rinse. In Ayurveda, oil pulling is the process of swishing oil around in your mouth to remove unwanted bacteria.
What do you put on your body? A naturopath I follow says… ”Don’t put anything ON your body that you wouldn’t eat.” My moisturizer is organic extra virgin sesame oil (for my Ayurvedic constitution). Coconut or olive oil works too. Or you could make a jojoba oil concoction with essential oils for skin repair such as frankincense and lemon.
Do you use an antiperspirant? You’re blocking your body’s ability to release unwanted bacteria and likely putting toxins onto your skin. If you worry about mercury in fish, then I sure hope you’ve changed your deodorant. Most mainstream antiperspirants contain parabens (linked with breast cancer and messing with hormones), aluminum compounds, silica, triclosan (which the FDA admits on their website affects the thyroid and causes skin cancer in animals), and propylene glycol (considered a neurotoxin). I use Schmidt’s aluminum-free deodorant (not an antiperspirant) when I really feel like I need it, but for the most part, because of my diet, I don’t really smell much anymore. Except for mung beans…mung bean sweat is the worst. Just sayin’
What about pesticides on food? It’s a minefield people. Visit EWG.org to review the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15, the 2021 shopper’s guide to pesticides on produce.
I could go on and on and on, but I’ll stop there.
#2 Get outside
Most people, especially those in northern climates, are Vitamin D deficient. Fortunately for me, I live in the Bahamas and spend at least an hour or two per day outside in the sunshine. The sun has all kinds of wonderful benefits including helping prevent viral infection and supporting immune health, and overall just making you feel happy!
Maybe you’ve heard me rant over the years, but I’m against sunscreen. Perhaps you’ve even heard of some recent sunscreen recalls containing ingredients known to cause cancer. Remember, if you wouldn’t eat it, don’t put it on your skin! If you are pale complexion or have sensitive skin, make sure you bundle up with SPF clothing and hats, limit your time in the afternoon sun, and/or use Zinc Oxide. If you want to listen to a great podcast about it, check out…
Harvesting Light: The Alchemy of Sun & Human
In this podcast, the qualified professionals go into much greater detail than I ever could about the benefits of the sun and the realities of sunscreen.
Even if you’re out in the sunshine quite a bit, it’s still a good idea to take Vitamin D supplements. I take a combo Vitamin D3 and K2. I also take Vitamin C, MCT oil, Zinc, and Cal/Mag daily.
But in addition to all the supplements, please do make an effort to get outside and into nature. Did you know in Japan there’s a practice called Forest Bathing? It’s been proven that when you get out into the forest it reduces stress, blood pressure, heart rate and increases relaxation. Here is a short film I recently watched on Forest Bathing.
#3 Figure out what you should be eating for your body type
If you want to get more into the subtleties of what you should and shouldn’t be eating, I highly recommend you figure out your Ayurvedic dosha and eat accordingly. Before I frighten you with this word I keep using that you probably can’t even pronounce, just hear me out. It’s a tried and tested science from India that they have been using for thousands of years.
There are three basic constitutions. Do you tend towards inflammation, heated body temperature, fiery emotions, and a go-getter personality, or are you always cold and dry with cracking joints, or do you struggle with your weight or overeating, sweet-tooth, lethargic, and unmotivated? Generally, we have a birth constitution and sometimes we have one that is a temporary imbalance because of current lifestyle and diet factors. If you feel like you are out of balance in any way, it’s just not good enough to be taking random supplements and unknowingly consume things that could be aggravating those imbalances, increasing inflammation, or decreasing digestive fire.
For example, for my type, Vata, I need to stay away from anything that makes me too cold and dry, such as coffee, alcohol, dried fruit, raw vegetables, and carbonated beverages. I need to favor sweet, moist, warming foods and herbs that increase digestion and moisturize my skin, joints, and organs. I’ve been skipping the coffee and drinking an herbal remedy tea each morning to increase moisture and I’ve definitely noticed a difference.
The Determine Your Dosha worksheet is a great way to figure out your constitution.
And once you’ve figured it out, then you can take a look at the Recommended Food Lists for each constitution.
#4 Exercise
Of course, I’m probably stating the obvious here, but a lot of people overlook this, especially during these uncertain times where it’s easier to lay on the couch and feel depressed about the current state of affairs. But exercising will make you feel better, I promise. I try to do something active every day. I didn’t say strenuous, I said active. For me it may be going for a paddleboard, taking the dogs for a walk on the beach, or doing an online yoga class. Occasionally I go for a run or do a high-intensity workout, but I generally don’t have the energy capacity for high-intensity workouts.
My grandma used to walk 2 miles every day. When she got to an age where she couldn’t walk 2 miles, she’d take her walker and make the rounds in the hallways of her retirement home until she passed away at 101 years old. One of the keys to longevity is to keep moving.
If you don’t feel like doing anything at all, then at the very least, take your shoes off and walk outside on the earth for a bit. You’ll feel grounded and draw up nourishing energy from the earth.
#5 Spend Time with Loved Ones
I know that probably sounds taboo in this day and age of being told to stay 6 feet away from others. I’m not suggesting putting yourself or others at risk. You do what feels comfortable for you. But there is something to be said about being in the same space as others that truly care about you. In the Blue Zones (places in the world with the highest amount of centurions) one of the most important factors for people living to 100 is belonging or feeling part of a tribe. You can watch this TED Talk How to Live to be 100+
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There are a lot of other things you can do, but I wanted to keep the list short and simple. It’s easy for me to put this all down into words, but taking action is a whole other story. I invite you to take action. I encourage and urge you to take action. You don’t need to change every single thing in your life right now, it would likely be too overwhelming and you’d give up. Tackle one or two things at a time. It takes years to adjust to a new lifestyle, but trust me, your body will thank you. And for the coming times, you’ll want to be the best equipped physically, and mentally, as you possibly can.
I am a Certified Shamanic Energy Medicine Practitioner, a Certified Yoga Teacher and I am currently enrolled in the Evolutionary Herbalism’s Vitalist Herbal Practitioner Program.
I am not a doctor or health care professional. I have studied diet, agriculture and food production practices, and health therapies for years. I’ve gotten to know my own personal body, so I know how to recalibrate myself when I’m out of balance through diet, herbs, and supplements. I am simply sharing what has worked for me. Talk to your doctor, naturopath, or herbalist about the best recommendations for you and your health.