Airway health, gut health and immune system strength will determine resistance against all viruses, including the corona virus. Remember, antibiotics do not work on viruses, they only work on bacteria.  Corona is a virus.

We don’t live in a bubble.  We need to go out and live life even in times like this. What will happen we don’t know, and there are things we cannot avoid.  People will sneeze and cough around us, viruses will fly and they will land on surfaces that we touch.  Making contact with a contaminated surface and touching face, mouth and eyes brings the virus inside the body. The virus travels to the lungs (that’s the target for the virus to survive and thrive) where it starts making “copies” of itself and consequently breathing becomes compromised.

What can we do?

Step 1: increase awareness!

Being more aware of our surroundings, how often we touch surfaces (counters, door nobs, elevator buttons), how often shake hands with others, hug others. Trying to limit those actions doesn’t mean that you’re rude, it just means that you’re cautious.  Notice how often we touch our eyes, nose, face, comb through the hair with our fingers.  Be aware of your actions.

Step 2: wash your hands often and longer!

When I was in Physical Therapy School and went through my first year clinical rotation (6 week in a local hospital) I certainly learned what it meant to wash my hands for longer.  The end of the rotation we had a written and practical exam (passed both with flying colors, yee for me!), and somehow I still failed.  Guess what I failed on!  Handwashing! I only washed my hand for 1 minute and 45 seconds, and I supposed to wash my hands for 2 full minutes!  They made me retake written and practical exam, just because of that!  2 minutes seems an awful long time nowadays when we don’t even have the attention span anymore to watch a video for 30 seconds. Take the time, it can save your health.

Step 3: keep your airways healthy!  How?

Learn to breathe through the nose.  I might have mentioned a few times  in my previous blogs about the importance of nose breathing.  I have explained that the nose has a  built-in filtering system.  The inner lining of the nose together with the hair in the nose have the ability to purify the incoming air and do not let the viruses travel into the airway and down to the lungs. Corona virus is a respiratory virus, it wants to make it to the lungs where it can comfortable multiply.  Increasing the filtering of the air that we breathe in by breathing through the nose helps to prevent the viruses entering the body. They simply get stuck in there, and we get rid of them when we blow the nose. Our nose is a better “equipment” than an” ill-fitted” mask over the mouth.

Step 4: keep your gut healthy!  It’s important to have an intact gut lining.

Not only for digestive health but also for brain heath.  A leaky gut will affect brain health, since the gut and brain has a loop-feedback connection through the Vagus nerve.  Anything that happens in the gut (good or bad) will travel to the brain via the ascending part of Vagus nerve and anything that happens in the brain will circle back to the gut via the descending part of the Vagus nerve. When the gut lining is “leaking”, unfavorable particles from our food will travel through the “blood-brain” barrier in to our entire body, creating increased inflammatory response in each cell.  Remember, the whole structure (body) is only as strong as its weakest parts (cells)!   Minimize inflammation anyway you can.

Step 5: strengthen your immune system!

The weaker is the immune system, the more susceptible to lose the battle against viruses.  For a very long time I have not taken vitamins.  As I went through more and more education, I started to understand that as healthy as I eat I still need to supplement my body with vitamins, and minerals.  The quality of the soil where our veggies are coming from are far from optimal. That is common knowledge. In addition,  we don’t know what kind of chemicals have been used for pesticides, etc…for veggies and fruit.  We just don’t.
Now I take vitamins and also minerals (since our bodies are not capable of making minerals at all) throughout the year.  Some of them are seasonal, some I take all year around, changing only the dosage.
My basic supplements for the winter season are: probiotics, fish oil, multi vitamin, COQ10, magnesium, zinc, D3, B complex and Vitamin C.  For the next few weeks  I’m increasing the dose for B complex, Magnesium, zinc, D3 and vitamin C.  It is a choice I made, and I cannot tell you what to do.
We are all adults in here, we make our choices and from  those decisions consequences will arise.  For better or for worse.

The thing to remember is that we have to do the work on a personal level, since we cannot control the environment.  We cannot control other people behaviors, a person sneezing or coughing close by. We can only control our choices.

Let me know if you have any questions.

All breathing related videos are available on my YouTube chanel.
P.S.  If you don’t want to workout or take yoga classes in the gym, remember my studio is open for private training and yoga.  Not just rehabilitation and “weird” brain staff…

Best in Health!
Ildi