April 6, 2020
Gloria’s Acupuncture and Wellness is with you.
I hope this note finds you all in good spirits and good health.
We have all been told that the most important strategy into avoiding sickness is to AVOID EXPOSURE. But, what other proactive measures can we take? Chinese medicine provides other strategies such as proper diet, qigong, meditation, herbal formulas, and healthy lifestyles to help us fortify our bodies’ natural protection against external pathogens. I wish to offer an example of some if not all.
We must enhance our immunity and become proactive to ensure the wellness of ourselves and those around us.
The truth is that we have more control of our health than you might think.
Below you will find a list of lifestyle and dietary suggestions that will help increase your immunity and overall health, and some more specifically to avoid exposure to COVID-19. Please note that none of the following recommendations help cure COVID-19.
The recommendations are as follows:
Frequently wash your hands with soap and water rubbing your hands for 20 seconds and use hand sanitizer when out in public.
Practice social distancing by maintaining at least 6 feet (2 meters) distance between yourself and anyone, regardless if they are asymptomatic. Wear a mask when out in public.
Develop new ways of greeting others. Make it fun! Say hello with a wave, a nod, a bow.
Have weekly sauna or steam baths to help remove waste via pores, decreasing lymph load. If you have access to infrared sauna, enjoy it.
Exercise daily to help move lymph circulation and enhance immunity. Don’t over exercise. Research shows that more than 90 minutes of high intensity exercise can make athletes susceptible to illness for up to 72 hours after the exercise.
Get 7 – 8 hours of good quality sleep.
Eat for only 8-12 hours during the day. Try not to eat after 7pm. According to Chinese medicine, our digestion is the weakest after 7pm. Having good digestion is key!
Diet to support your immune system:
Keep hydrated. Drink between 6 to 8 glasses of purified or filtered water a day. This will assist in preserving appropriate lymph fluid levels.
Eat plenty of easy to digest, cooked foods such as porridge, congee, and soups.
Eat plenty of nutrient dense rich foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables and leafy greens.
Include plenty of anti-viral foods in your diet such as raw garlic, ginger, and onion.
Eat smaller meals. Eat until you are 80% full. The idea is that you do not want to overwhelm the digestive system.
Eat plenty of wild caught salmon, mackerels, anchovies, sardines and herring.
Eat grass fed meats.
Eat high fiber content foods, nuts and seeds.
Eat plenty of chicken soup and broth. Bone broth is great for gut health. Remember that the gut contains 80% of immunity cells.
Include immune boosting mushrooms (i.e. Reishi, Chaga, Turkey tail, Maitake, Oyster and Lion’s main mushrooms).
Avoid…
Dehydrating foods like alcohol, carbonated beverages, and caffeine.
Phlegm-producing and inflammatory foods such as…
Greasy, fried, hard to digest foods such as French fries, mozzarella sticks, fried zucchini, etc… Yes, all the “yummy” stuff!
Cold, raw foods and drink.
Sugary/artificially sweetened foods. 100 gms of carbohydrates from glucose, fructose, sucrose, honey or orange juice begins to decrease immunity within 30 minutes after ingestion. Immunity suppression peaks within 1-2 hours after, and lasts up to 5 hours after ingestion. One can of soda has approximately 39 gms of sugar.
Wheat. Gluten damages the gut. The gut contains 80% of immunity.
Dairy products. Dairy creates phlegm. Phlegm is considered the “mother all of diseases” in Chinese medicine.
Eating between meals. Give the digestion a chance to make strong qi and rest.
Old or “dead” foods. Foods that have been cooked over 24 hours have begun to lose their nutritional value, therefore more difficult to digest. Do not eat foods that are more than 3 days old.
Processed food, they have a lot of hidden sugars.
Nicotine, it damages lungs.
All these foods will negatively affect digestion, thicken fluids and create phlegm that can clog the airway.
The next newsletter will contain a nourishing bone broth recipe that can be used to strengthen our constitutional health and stimulate our immunity.
Together we will surpass this,
The Team at Gloria’s Acupuncture and Wellness Clinic
3045 N. 1st Street, Ste. E
Tucson, Arizona 85719
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