Incidentally, I was reading that post, which was from my birthday last year, in which I was reflecting on how I want to live my life. I’m finding it interesting that I took a REALLY long sabbatical from writing to you. I’ve been thinking of all of you a lot and have been wanting to sit and write, but life has been SO busy….not necessarily with all of the things I wrote about in my last post like reading, riding my bike and being with friends (yes, some of that is peppered in my week, but not as much as I’d like).
No indeed. Instead, I’ve been really busy with busy work: insurance billing, following up with attorneys about unpaid fees, and tracking down payments, etc, etc. All of this has kept me from enjoying what I really love about being a Chiropractor and healer….. sharing what I know with you, exchanging ways to improve health and vitality, and to uplift the planet.
I hired a coach last summer, who has been helping me get really clear about what kind of life, and healing practice I want to have now and for the future. I realized that taking health insurance isn’t in alignment with my values as a healer, nor does it empower me to be in my very best place to serve all of you. So, because I’m winding down my ‘insurance’ practice, I can start up again with my writing, which gives me so much joy.
I’ve had several folks asking me when I’d be back, which made me feel happy and that some of you really enjoy these emails. It feels like the world is on fire, in so many ways, so I felt like this might be a good time to jump back into the writing game.
I feel like one of my gifts is to be able to take a step back and assess a situation from a bigger picture stand point and then to share that with others.
In light of what’s going on in the world, I wanted to share some thoughts with you on how you can empower yourself to stay in your own center and to be able too strengthen yourself. Currently, we’re all living in a time when there is a ‘crises’ that we’re facing in our world-wide community.
I’m hearing about people stocking up on food, water, cancelling trips, and even folks making trips to Urgent Care for what’s now being called ‘Corona Virus Anxiety’. Wow! Being so scared of something that may or may not even be a reality in one’s life…..that’s intense.
I’ve been thinking on this, especially as a healthcare professional, a mother of 2 kids, both in 2 different developing countries out in the world, and as a traveller who was about to visit India in the midst of this panic but had to cancel the day before.
And I’ve come to terms with this, as I face all of health care:
- We are a whole person, not a sum of our parts
- In any health challenge, it’s important to look at how we live our lives in relationship to developing a sickness
- Viruses and bacteria are opportunistic creatures who look for a host environment that helps them to grow and develop
- I choose my health and my state of mind. No one or no thing has control over me.
The above being said, I’d like to share with you some tips I’ve found to help boost immunity. When one has a strong, healthy immune system, it becomes more difficult for these critters to take hold:
1. Laugh a lot. Laughter has been proven to boost the immune system. I find something to laugh about every single day. Whether it’s with a friend or finding something on Netflix that cracks me up, this is an absolute must everyday.
2. Take your vitamins. Vitamin C, especially, has been proven to fight viruses. The bare minimum is 2,000 twice a day to boost immunity. 3,000 IU’s of Vitamin D, and 20 mg of Zinc can help fight viruses.
3. Eat healthy. Stay away from fried foods, sugar, dairy, gluten, chocolate and other processed foods that tax the immune system. You can gorge on fresh or lightly steamed veggies, fruits, whole grains like quinoa and millet, nuts, seeds, lots of greens, and good herbs and spices.
4. Exercise. Getting outdoors and getting your lymphatic system moving is a great way to build your immunity. An added bonus is getting out and getting sunshine!
5. Relax. Stress is the number one immunity-busting activity you could engage in. Make sure that you keep your mind and body in a place of peace for your own health. Whatever stressors you are facing currently, practice letting them go. If you need some help getting your mind off of things, try Spotify or iTunes for guided meditations. Deepak Chopra has some wonderful ones!
6. Stay away from the news and social media. For those of you who are glued to the news and your social media accounts, GET OFF! There’s nothing worse than watching the blow-by-blow account of how this is all playing out. For actual, non-sensationalized updates of what’s going on, stay informed by the Center for Disease Control. They update almost daily and have the actual, as they know it, facts about contagion.
7. Sleep lots. Sleeping allows the immune system to rejuvenate, along with the brain and Nervous System. One is able to handle the everyday stressors with so much more vitality when rested.
8. Breathe Deeply. Breath moves the lymphatic system and oxygenizes the blood, which, in turn, helps to move ‘sluggish’ blood and lymph. Take a few minutes out of every hour to breathe in for a count of 5, hold for a count of 5, and exhale for a count of 5.
9. A ‘How to’ video for boosting immunity: ‘Ginger-Lemon Tea’ and ‘Trinity Root Toast’….both, of which, are super for keeping you vital and strong.
My Challenge to You:
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Remember, you ARE in control of your destiny. Stay informed, stay calm and take loving care of yourself.
…..and I promise that I’ll be more consistent with these health tips from now on!
Sending you all the best,
Dr. Arjan