Resistance Building
I know of many people right now, fully vaccinated, who have a breakthrough case of Covid. They are not in hospitals, Thank God, but I feel inspired to give a list of things you can do, vaccinated or not, to boost your immune system. Some of these are specifically powerful against viruses like Covid. A strong body is going to do better no matter what illness or disease it comes upon.
Take zinc, every day. This is the brand I trust. Here is another one I have taken, which is in pill form, as opposed to liquid. Either way, be sure to eat before you take it. At first, it can cause nausea on an empty stomach. This usually goes away over time. I have heard that it can be best for absorption to take zinc one to two hours after a meal, so if you don’t have issues with stomach upset, then shoot for that. I don’t always do this, I confess. Zinc is a great virus fighter.
Take extra vitamin C, especially when you have been exposed to large crowds - like the outdoor Alanis Morisette concert we went to on Friday night! Won’t be doing that again soon. But it did bring massive joy (see the last recommendation.)
Make tea by steeping chunks of ginger with thyme in a pot of boiling water. Thyme bolsters your lungs. I wash the ginger and grate off most of the skin, most of the time! Sometimes, I just wash the ginger well and skip the skin removal. But it doesn’t taste as strong. Steep for at least ten minutes. I add raw honey and a squeeze of lemon to each cup.
Clean your sinuses. I learned this one from a Doctor who is the mother of my son’s roommate. She recommends using a Nevage, a battery operated device that allows a saline solution to be driven through your sinuses quickly. It takes three minutes a day. But it is around $90. I already owned a Neti Pot and knew how to use it so that was good enough for me. Here is a video of how to use the Neti Pot. You can use any salt that doesn't have iodine. I use 1 tsp. of sea salt in 2 cups of boiled water. In my son’s college household, all of whom are vaccinated, one of them came home with Covid. Jesse and his roommate both do the irrigation regularly and did not get Covid. The first guy with Covid, and another roommate who got it from him, did not do the irrigation. Could be a coincidence but it convinced me to start.
Eat well!! This is obvious. In particular, increase your intake of greens, onions, mushrooms, (don’t you love that they are so healthy?) seasonal vegetables and lots of fruit. I am missing kale, swiss chard and the other heartier greens being fresh right now. Ray made us a Greek vegetable dish called Briam last night. It uses many of the beautiful vegetables that are in season right now, if you are living in the northern hemisphere. It was shockingly good! He used a different recipe that is not online, but this one is very similar.
Get enough rest. More research is coming out all the time reconfirming what we all intuitively know, and resist - our bodies need sleep to maintain good health.
Find the joy! Get into nature as much as you can, write a gratitude list, connect with people you love, watch and read comedies. Or, have a huge gorgeous cry while you dance around your house and sing loudly. Get whatever exists moving a bit, inside and out.
Detoxify. Drink the detox smoothie that I have recommended. Let me know if you don't have the recipe. I'd be happy to send it to you. In addition, it is a great time to do a cleanse. I am offering a group cleanse that starts on September 13. More information is here.
Much love,
Madeline
Ray’s ‘Briam’ Sunday night dinner.
