Dr. Jan’s BE WELLNESS Immunity Prescription
Breathing Whakanga : NOSE > belly diaphragmatic slow, prolonged out-breath: in-breath to count 3, out-breath to 5. Your nose is 1st defence from covid & viruses, to warm, humidify & filter air. When talking pause speech to nose breathe. Low belly breathing is calming, increases Oxygen, provides energy to digestion, immune & repair systems, reduces demand on heart / body; BE in present moment with breath reduces fear, anxiety & excessive inflammation. NOSE > LOW BELLY > SLOW OUTBREATH “NOSE – LOW – SLOW” mantra
Essence Equality Wairua connection , web of life energy connects us all, heart connection with our true eternal essence which is love, creativity, gratitude, through connection with all our relations, nature, Papatuanuku, find meaning in this crisis, self love & self compassion, heal childhood trauma of “not belonging or not good enough” to create health through equality for all.
Water Wai & warmth : chilling of airways creates vulnerability to infection, so keep warm, NOSE-BREATH, drink 6-8 glasses of warm water throughout the day [water helps the body to trap & remove bacteria/viruses in the mucous layer lining nose, sinus & airways & sweeps outward via millions of microscopic hair cells ( cilia) beating 7x/second], salt water nasal rinses or salt water swimming, keep your body warm avoid, prolonged chilling.
Enjoy Exercise: persons who are physically fit get average 0-1 respiratory infections/year compared to sedentary persons who get 5-6 colds/yr. Sedentary women who began walking had far less colds which resolved more quickly. Enjoyable exercise at ocean/bush/green spaces (3 hours in bush boosts immunity for a week after). Earth/ocean to skin contact [hands garden / bare feet on grass/ beach]
Love Aroha : optimistic people who love life & its exciting challenges ( vs negative, life as full of problems) get fewer respiratory infections. Mothers who enjoyed their infants had less colds as also their baby. Often young children get infections when too much separation from Mum, eg daycare ( germs+++) overwhelms their immature systems physically & emotionally. In adults lots of social-emotional support, Hugs improve immunity to viral infections
Laughter Kata & Weeping Tangi: Laughter stimulates thymus gland makes infection fighting “T” cells; connects us, reduces pain, stress & strengthens immunity, laughter diaphragmatic breath, clears secretions better than chest physio!, play & laugh with whanau, & friends, pets! Crying improves oxygen & releases emotional pain
Nature Nourishment Whakawairakau : diversity coloured, fresh, raw or lightly steamed vegetables, whole grains, raw nuts/seeds, fruits, homegrown, homemade fermented foods, small oily fish Kahawai seaweeds ( Vitamins A, C, D, zinc, Omega 3 fatty acids, antioxidants, selenium ). Gut healthy micro-biome was shown to be the strongest predictor of serious Covid ( 03 /2021study). Healthy bacteria feed on diversite, whole plant food fibers. Avoid “deadly whites” sugar, white flour bread, pasta, white rice, processed fats/foods impair gut/immune function
Eliminate toxins Paihana: smoking cigarettes/joints / vaping /chemical inhaled toxins increase respiratory infections. Avoid excessive alcohol, sugar, processed foods & repeated antibiotics impair gut biome/ immune system
Social Whanau & Spiritual connection & Stress reduction: intense anger/anxiety(5min) reduces natural killer cells function for 8 hrs (they destroy viruses& bacteria & cancer cells), often colds/ flus are your body’s way of giving you a break from overwork & stress, so pace yourself > balance of rest, play & fun, being in nature connect to whenua, Papatuanuku, meditation, yoga, abdominal breathing, be curious, play life a challenging game,
Sleep Whakamoe/ Sunshine Ra/ rest : your immune system works best in sleep, we need more sleep than we usually get because lights, TV, devices interrupt natural darkness that triggers melatonin (our sleep hormone) which makes us sleepy. Do sleep hygiene, Be in bed asleep by 9.30-10pm, after dimming light & calming “wind-down” eg warm bath, yoga. Often a cold or flu as our body’s signal that we need more rest & sleep or we need to slow down or stop busyness in our lives/children’s lives. Vitamin D strongly protects against covid, influenza & other respiratory infections so expose as much skin area as possible without sunscreen for short times periods to avoid redness or burning. Build up Vit D reserves over summer, supplement over winter
Dr. Jan’s recover your Be Wellness Prescription
Here are simple ways to support your body to heal sore throats, cough & covid infection , but it’s important to contact us if you have worsening symptoms, shortness of breath, chest pain , faint or feel very sick
Breathing Whakanga : NOSE to low Abdomen belly slow, with prolonged out breath: Nose breathe to warm, humidify & filter air & release NO2 gas to increase O2 ), pause speech to nose breath, abdominal breathing is calming, increases Oxygen, provides more energy to fight infection, reduces inflammation & work of heart. BE in present moment with breath reduces fear. Your mantra : NOSE – LOW – SLOW Out
Water & warmth: when ill, you need more water to replace water body losses from fever, increased sweating & breathing rate. Drink lots! (3 litres/day) of warm fluids to liquefy secretions (then more easily drained or coughed up). Keep warm ( in winter) . If chilled, have a hot bath. Inhaling warm steam or infusor is soothing for sore throats/airways ( 6 drops teatree or Manuka, eucalyptus, Thyme, Bergamot, Lavender oils in bowl boiling water with towel over. CAUTION TO AVOID BURNS (DO NOT USE IN CHILDREN AS HIGH BURN RISK). Warm steamed (x4 mins) chopped onion (wrap in muslin) compresses are also very soothing to relieve ear, throat & chest infections. To clear sinusitis squirt warm salt water gently up your nostrils (½ tsp salt + ½ tsp bakingsoda in 250-300ml warm filtered water) salt water gargles (add iodine few days only) , hot foot baths & heat hydrotherapy ( see links below)
Energy conservation is critical to allow all of your energy to be used by your body to fight off the infection & heal. Rest your body, emotions & mind. BED Rest at home with a view of nature,trees etc (instead of continuing work or school). Rest, especially earlier in the illness, helps a faster recovery.
Love: we all need much tender loving care when ill…especially children (naturally become clingy!) give lots of cuddles, touch, carry baby skin to skin speeds healing. Lot of hugs (within your bubble) & touch for adults too!
Listen to your body! Your body knows very well how to fight infection and heal…you need only to listen deeply (especially if you are accustomed to ignoring your body’s needs). listen to what your body needs physically, emotionally & psychologically, support and trust your body! Laugh & Weep to “get it off your chest”
Nurture yourself with easily digestible, nutrient rich steamed vegetables, fresh vegetable soups & fruits. If you’re not hungry do not eat, drink plenty of fluids instead. Your body has little energy to digest, so avoid fats, protein, meat, sugar, white flour products, sugar , processed foods. At 1st onset of cold/sore throat zinc gluconate lozenges 25 mg every few hours (max 150mgm/24hr) halves recovery time. Vitamin C 500mg children , 1000mg adults 1-2 hourly till loose bowels then 3hrly), Tumeric/ Curcumin lipospheric 200mg ( 1 tsp w shake black pepper) twice daily. Herbs: Echinacea &geranium (cough)., N-acetylcysteine (NAD) 600 mg twice daily ( anti-oxidant); Quercetin
Eliminate any physical or psychological factors that interrupt your body’s healing. Avoid cough suppressants. Avoid Brufen (Ibuprofen), Aspirin or Panadol with a fever. Your body creates a fever to stimulate your immune system to fight the infection. Inflammation is also an essential response to infection or tissue injury. Thus drugs like Brufen, Aspirin, Panadol may block your body’s defences against infection. (Adults infected with influenza A virus who did not take aspirin,paracetamol, brufen recovered 3.5 days sooner than those who took these drugs). The primary treatment of fever is rest, fluids & in children, loving observation. Occasional Panadol for Headache/pain is okay to allow sleep, peppermint 10% oil massaged into Headache area is very relieving. Also release fear, anxiety, anger, frustration, at being ill. Carrying frustration or anxiety tends to slow healing. Accept your illness as an important message to change the excessive stresses on your body & to instead nurture yourself. BeFriend your body! Trust your body! It knows how to heal when you provide the support that your body needs.
Spiritual & Social Connection: illness is often a message to change old “ fear, unworthiness, unexpressed emotion & driven” patterns, to align us more fully to needs of our body & spirit, to allow unresolved grief, to have more love, joy, laughter, social connection & meaning in our lives . In moments between resting, contemplate what does this illness teach me? Take in tender loving care you are offered, ask for what you need emotionally & physically
Sleep & Sunshine: sleep frequently & lots ( listen to your body ), go to bed early with darkness. (Healthy mice given all they need but NO sleep all died with infection! ) Sun baths boost Vit D quickly [but avoid burning] or VIt D 4000IU daily. At onset of infection if your Vitamin D low , prescription Vitamin D 50,000 IU daily x 5-7 days
Useful Websites / Youtube links :
- https://www.mother-well.co.nz/expertise/aim/ ( our website and Information)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76YC2qlwblU how to breathe efficiently to get the most Oxygen into your lungs and blood with the least effort. I recommend first practicing lying down and mastering the diaphragmatic breathing into your abdomen/low back/ side ribs only which is how you should breathe most of the 20,000 breaths you take daily (not upper chest)! . Once you can abdominal breathe lying down then practice while sitting or standing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA-7z2EzTjo
Remember to slow your out-breath to calm your nervous system . Inhale to the count of 3, out to the count of 5. Add Chest breathing is for extra Oxygen demand (exercise, covid , illness)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM2A2xNLWR4&t=230s Dr. Roger Seheult’s ( US ICU Doctor with good evidence based practical advise re Daily Regimen (Vitamin D, C, exhale Zinc, Quercetin, NAC)
- https://hydrotherapyathome.com/videos/ Hot packs/ foot baths simple techniques as described by Dr. Seheult
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZoBb-ngk5k&t=58s Home Medical Management Plan for Mild Covid-19 by Dr Sandhya Ramanathan ( Auckland GP) useful information but use iodine gargles only for a few days as can affect thyroid gland , also Nose breath ( you will notice how she is mouth breathing ! )
Health Navigator ( NZ Government) Useful links :
- https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/health-a-z/c/covid-19-positive-how-to-quarantine-at-home/ how to quarantine at home
- https://mcusercontent.com/05dc5eb2ecb6126aeb68f2b2a/files/8a248654-cbb4-77e8-25f5-9d5e037217e7/COVID_19_positive_symptoms_to_expect_PDF_version.pdf what covid symptoms to expect
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ATKrLHfoyU how to monitor symptoms & when to call for help
- COVID-19 positive – symptom diaries | Health Navigator NZ downloadable symptom diary
- Breathing positions and managing breathlessness | Health Navigator NZ https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/health-a-z/c/covid-19-positive-breathing-positions-and-managing-breathlessness/ (good to move and change positions for breathing, but even more important is how you breath, ie with diaphragm abdominal breathing see # 2. above
Recover well so that you regenerate your health for you and whanau and all. May you then Enjoy being; being free with robust health, mauri ora , and connecting with breath, love, joy; this is an opportunity heal yourself, and your relationships to whanau, papatuanuku , all life. In so doing, together we create a better world. He waka eke noa.