Hi everyone,

I haven’t been inspired to write here for quite some time but now I feel compelled to do it! It to advise you how to improve our immune system. Due to the uncertainty and the news, related to the spread of Corona virus, called the biggest health threat of our time, fuelling panicking. Yes, the scary virus is here and we can’t ignore it, while at the same there are some things we can do. We need to keep calm and to prepare well. Strengthening our own immune system is the best approach.

Stress is the biggest enemy of the immunity, so we need to address it and reduce it to the possible minimum. The well-known methods are good diet, appropriate work/rest balance, enough sleep. How many of us could have this ideal balance, especially now when we are told how many already are or are going to be sick, meaning that the healthy ones would need to do even more work. Adrenals are the glands helping us to deal with stress so their health is of utmost importance! Good rest naturally nourishes them but supplementing some Magnesium could do even more. Some people would go further, taking the so called adaptogens – herbs or mushrooms with medicinal properties. I personally haven’t used them, so just research the web for them. I will advise you on everything I know that it works.

Meditation is a very good de-stressing technique as we all know. So is tapping, listening to calming music (plenty of it on the Internet) watching or listening to comedy. Religious people shared with me that praying helps removing their fears. So, do whatever gives you calm mind. A calm mind would make better decisions than a stressed mind!

The alcoholic drink many people would take every evening in order “to unwind and relax” actually damages your immunity in a long run. Being just sugar, alcohol feeds candida albicans and gives it a very high rise. Sometimes it reaches such overgrowth that it breaks through the brain barrier and slows down the brain functions, which are too many and too important to ignore. Candida contributes to forming the phlegm, which according to the Traditional Chinese medicine gets stored mainly in the lungs, after getting produced by the digestive system. When working on preventing a very serios flu, we need to strengthen the lungs by improving our digestion.

Nutrition:

Hollands and Barratts do not pay me to advertise their products, but as I have been using them for many years, I know they are the medium range in quality and price. If you can afford higher quality products, do it.

For enhancing your immunity you can use the Hollands and Barratts tablets of Magnesium and Zinc, good to take in the evening as Mg will help you sleep. Vitamin C goes well with the Iron sold in liquid form, preferably to be taken during the day. You see the recommendation for dose on the bottle and do not exceed it, you only need to supplement your system, not to overload it.

Amino acids are the building blocks for all hormones and contribute to immunity, so some supplementation could be helpful. This is valid especially for the diabetics, who have difficulties digesting proteins, which are made of amino acids. Some people would prefer the powder form of the protein supplements, offered to the body builders. You don’t need to reach the dosage for them. Remember that any protein supplementation will put some pressure on your kidneys, so adequate intake of water is needed to accompany it. You will find information about the normal daily intake to be in the range between a litre and two litres a day. I personally am happy when I can drink 1.5 litre.

The good oils are needed for all purposes of metabolism, so you can take one spoon a day of the ones Hollands and Barratts sells.

Keep the good fibre intake in order to make sure you evacuate regularly and this way to  get rid your body of all the waste products efficiently,  to prevent further multiplying of bugs. I recommend raw cabbage as it’s vitamin C content is high. Pickled cabbage is especially efficient for good digestion.

Always keep some lemons in the fridge. Vitamin C is water soluble, so you can make a drink by squeezing half lemon in a glass of water. It helps digestion of proteins, hence its use with fish and with meat. Note: heat kills vitamin C, so when you put lemon juice in hot water, you lose the vitamin C.  Always wash the lemon with soap before cutting it!

Garlic and onions are good for cold and flu when eaten raw. Squeezed garlic with some salt, lemon juice and olive oil could be added to salads, sandwich spreads etc. Of course, you need to eat them in the evening when not going out. You need to give some to your partner, this is the only way they won’t smell it on your breath. If you keep a bunch of parsley in your fridge and you eat some of it in the morning the bad breath will disappear. When you get bad breath after having eaten raw garlic, this means it has worked and has killed lots of bugs. I am sure you don’t get the same effect when you take garlic tablets, so don’t’ waste your money on them. People seem to be more used to eating raw onions in salads, but remember that their bug-killing efficiency is highest when freshly cut and chopped.

Ginger and turmeric tea are warming and will help with feeling cold and with the shivers at he beginning of cold/flu. They will induce sweating, which is the way body gets rid of bugs and toxins and also cools itself. I firstly heard about turmeric in the 90-s in relation to its traditional use for colds. I buy it from the Asian shops in packages large enough to share with friends and I use it regularly in my cooking. It is one of the ingredients of curry powder. When I feel cold or shivery I poor some hot water over a pinch of turmeric powder and drink this tea. The taste could be quite unusual for you, so you can add some enhancers to it. I would normally combine it with a few slices of ginger. I make my ginger tea strong, but people who are not used to it can take it slowly, starting with 2-3 slices of ginger in hot water. Gradually, you can reach the point of tolerating double amount of ginger boiled in the water for a few minutes.

Cayenne pepper is known to be very hot, so you can use it in very small amounts (on the tip of the knife) in your food for warming your body. It will give you burning sensation in your mouth, but don’t’ be scared of it. As long as you don’t overdo it, cayenne pepper will not cause any damage. Strong sensation in the stomach after taking any of the aforementioned herbs and spices may indicate some problem in the stomach, which needs investigation.

Tea Tree essence is anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal and this is why every household needs to have it at home. Gargling with 2 drops of T-tree in a cup of water every evening after coming home from work would be good prevention. The good care for your mouth and throat, where the infection meets the first line of defence is of utmost importance! Remember that essences do not dissolve in water, so you need to stir well for dispersing them well.

The aroma therapy essences are well soluble in oils and spirit (Vodka). You can prepare your own massage oil by adding three drops of Lavender essence in a soup spoon of base oil. For cold/flu and cough this could be massaged over your trachea and to the sides of the top of your chest, forming a crest. Lavender is preferably used in the evening as it will also help you sleep. For clearing your breathing, the well-known essence is Eucalyptus, best inhaled. I recommend putting a few drops of it on a tissue and inhaling it without touching your nose with the essence. The other methods, which I will describe are with using hot water which evaporates the essence dropped in it, but they will give you reduced effect. Put two drops in the water of a burner for refreshing the air of your room/office. Make sure you add water and essence throughout the burning time of the candle. You can also inhale the evaporations of some boiled water in which you put a few drops of essence.

The inhaling of an essence from a tissue could be used with T-tree and Lavender as well, again, making sure you don’t’ touch your skin with the neat essence. T-tree is considered much harsher than Lavender. If you are a real fan of aromatherapy you can place a few tissues or cotton buds with some essences in different places in your room/home/office. Only be aware that the neat essences can damage the furniture and should be out of reach of children, as well your nose, eyes.

Chamomile tea in the evening is good for calming and relaxing. If you boil it for a few minutes, it will make a soothing gargling, but not a drink.

Peppermint tea is also calming and a good digestive aid. Traditional Chinese Medicine considers is cooling and this makes it good for the times you may feel hot. Sometimes the body produces extra heat (I call it empty heat), when overworking, as it is when we are stressed. If you have proper fever, Peppermint tea will not be enough to bring it down, but it will give you good feeling.

I am afraid, if your get very high fever, you will need to consider calling the doctors. Fever is the natural way of the body to fight infection, but there is a point when it could be damaging to the body and needs to be curbed. I am not taking the doctor’s job here, but it is a common sense to try and lower it if it reaches 39C or higher.

Hydration is very important, dehydration could lead to fever. Fluid in the body is used to expel the bugs in all possible ways, so make sure you drink plenty. As I mentioned above, 1.5 litre could be enough, you can go above, but it is not desirable to go below this amount. Just to remind you that ordinary tea and coffee are diuretics, so only herbal teas count towards the fluid intake. It is best to drink water, but in case you dislike the taste so badly that it puts you off drinking it, add something to your water, preferably a few drops of lemon juice. Always wash the lemon with soap and water before cutting it. It goes without saying that you always wash your hands before handling food. You can prepare a bottle to take with you at work. It is not only cheaper, but much healthier than the different flavoured waters in the shops.

Exercise is good for you! The ones who are already on a program I would advise to take it easy, as over-working your body with exercise can add unwanted stress. Just keep up at the level you are and don’t worry about progressing. Avoiding a heavy illness is a progress by itself!

If you are intending of starting a program now, take it easy too. Preferably, start with power walks and small runs in the park/common, followed by good stretching and a hot shower to wash out the toxins from the skin surface. Staying indoors afterwards is also highly advised.

The habit of many professionals to shower in the morning and then go out in the cold or the “wind” of the air conditioning of the public transport and offices in London is very damaging to the immune system. My vote is for the shower/bath taken last thing in the evening. You wash the grim of the day, you warm your body after the exposure to the aforementioned “wind” and you sleep and rest well for the next day. In the morning you can do a quick rub with a wet soapy flannel to refresh yourself. This acts as a sports massage before the event – waking up the muscles, improving the blood circulation to the brain, which improves its functions. Your skin will be grateful, too.  You need only ten extra minutes in the morning and may well end up with no need for a large morning coffee. Coffee is a strong stimulant and it also exhausts the adrenal glands in a long run, especially if overused. If hot shower/bath before bed prevents you from falling asleep, take it earlier in the evening, when you are not going out afterwards. If you have difficulty falling asleep frequently, this needs to be specially addressed. As a first step towards sorting it out I recommend reducing your stress level.

Treatments that I can offer are very supportive of the immunity. Booking only after consultation on the phone with me.

Here are some links for the tapping videos I recommend, in case you are interested.

Boost your immune system https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDn85B6Nkkk&list=RDCMUCiHZMZejDS4RIxDdBwoie9A&index=2

Healing from inside https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6Ua7T01cdY&list=RDCMUCiHZMZejDS4RIxDdBwoie9A&index=3

You are gonna be OK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP70Et2d3Lw&list=RDCMUCiHZMZejDS4RIxDdBwoie9A&index=4