Editor’s note: This article is based on the author’s personal experiences and is not intended to diagnose or treat any health condition. If you are experiencing any health concern, consult a licensed healthcare professional.
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At a time when people are uncertain and afraid some scramble to find a magic pill or “hack” in their effort to best the pandemic at their doorstep. Sadly, companies have appeared out of the woodwork with their fantastical claims and promises. A trusted-source-worthy friend of mine recently shared the article Don’t buy these ‘false’ coronavirus treatment claims, FTC warns that illustrates the snake oil salesmen knocking at our door.
It’s important to note that our immune system is just that — a system. It is not a single entity and for it to function well requires harmony and balance. Another important note is that “there are no scientifically proven direct links between lifestyle and enhanced immune function.” That said, there are proven benefits to a healthy lifestyle such as longevity, vitality, and wellbeing all of which can help combat illness.
I wanted to share what I do to strengthen my internal health based on years of my own research, my years of n=1 studies, and a plant-based nutrition certificate from Cornell. These are not magic pills, they are healthy ways to nourish your body to best prepare to prevent illness and to fight it if we contract it.
More Than an Apple a Day
Let’s start with the low-hanging fruit (pun intended). Eat more fruit! In a staggeringly large study called Health effects of dietary risks in 195 countries, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 (funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) found that the biggest diet-related cause of illness was lack of fruit, followed by a lack of beans, and lack of nuts came in third. Eat probiotic foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, non-dairy yogurt, other fermented foods. Also, eat turmeric…every day! Eat it fresh, add some powder on food or even in a capsule. Turmeric’s benefits are well established.
We all know to avoid processed foods, but what does that mean exactly? The definition of processed food is any food where good things have been removed or bad things have been added. Of course, avoid dairy and limit animal products.
Learn More
- Nutritionfacts.org
- How Not to Die by Dr. Micheal Greger
- Super Immunity by Joel Fuhrman
- Almost any credible book, documentary, or study on nutrition
Mushrooms Will Save the World!
Claims that any mushroom can stave off Coronavirus are unfounded as there is no evidence to even suggest that they do. That said, there have been hundreds of studies done that show that various mushrooms do have anti-inflammatory effects. Admittedly, I have a bias for mushrooms from the books, studies, and documentaries I’ve consumed.
According to Micheal Pollan (an impeccable journalist and author) and Paul Stamets, a world-renowned mycologist, in an effort to combat a potential use of bioweapons such as SARS, agarikon “showed potent activity for reducing infection from vaccinia and cowpox, which are in the same family as the smallpox virus.” I take an agarikon supplement.
I’ve taken Chaga mushrooms as a warm tea for years as they are harmless and their early laboratory and animal studies that show that anti-cancer, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory effects. I also take a blend of Turkey Tail, Lion’s Mane, and Cordyceps.
Learn More
- How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan
- Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets
- Healing Mushrooms: A Practical and Culinary Guide to Using Mushrooms for Whole Body Health by Tero Isokauppila
- Also, check out this gorgeous documentary, Fantastic Fungi!
Breathe Mutherf#$cker — Wim Hof
Wim Hof holds an impressive 26 world records, including a world record for the longest ice bath. Other feats include climbing Mount Everest in just a pair of shorts and running a marathon in the Namibian Desert with no water. He has broken his own longest ice bath record numerous times.
Hof has developed his ability through extensive training that allows him to control his breathing, heart rate, and blood circulation. Hof believes that ordinary people can control their bodies to accomplish difficult feats, and he teaches these techniques through online and in-person classes. I’ve taken the 10-Week course which I’ve written about here. I can only speak to how it made me feel and that was incredible. The cold improved my mood and mental clarity and I was able to not breathe for four minutes and eleven seconds. I could also do seventy-five pushups consecutively sans breath! Under medical observation, Hof and twelve of his students were injected with a strain of e-coli and were able to fend it off. What’s even more impressive is that these claims are being tested rigorously and suggest that we can alter our own sympathetic nervous system.
Learn More
https://www.wimhofmethod.com/science
Geek Out
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4034215/
Meditation
Sometimes consuming nothing, really nothing helps more than consuming something. I’m a daily meditator and it has dramatically changed my life for the better in many ways but when speaking about body health and wellness I’ll let the science speak for itself. There have been thousands of studies conducted on meditators and the evidence is clear. A large study that employs the term “immune system” narrows it down to measurable markers such as stimulated inflammatory proteins, cellular transcription factors and gene expression, immune cell count, immune cell aging, and antibody response to promising results. Meditation is a practice that helps mitigate stress and stress adversely affects our health in many ways including our immune system.
Data from a UCLA study show how Tai Chi helps boost some immune system markers as well.
Learn More
- My favorite app: https://insighttimer.com/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2016/09/06/new-clues-into-how-meditation-can-boost-the-immune-system/#2a123de03698
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/In_Brief_Tai_chi_gives_immune_system_a_boost
Geek Out
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4034215/
Let Me See You Move! — Exercise
Instead of belaboring what you know already, I’ll just suggest you sweat!
Want to go ever deeper? Check this macro-study.
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