I used to think of the experience of being startled as a negative, or even disturbing thing. You’re walking down the street and you hear a car crash. You’re sitting peacefully reading a book and a joker comes up behind you and yells “BOO!”. You jump, you startle, and you definitely don’t find either experience very settling.
But there is a STARTLE experience that may be very important. It can be the moment you realize that you are not solely reliant on experts and external sources for your health and wellbeing. It’s when you realize there are things you can do, actions you can take, that make a difference in your actual survival.
Covid - Again? Still?
We’re having a bit of a back slide on the covid pandemic right now. Vaccinated or not, cases are being reported. Is there something you could be doing other than taking precautions and following CDC guidelines and recommendations? Absolutely!
Lifestyle and Immune Building
We know from CDC reports that health issues or obesity create poorer outcomes from covid. Commit to a lifestyle where more quality, home cooked food, more rest, better stress management and more movement can prevent or improve outcomes should you get covid. Maybe this idea is STARTLING to you. Maybe someone neglected to tell you that lifestyle changes along with health care matter. Living a healthy lifestyle is something you have control over. You live in your body. You can make changes to make it a happier and safer place to live.
As for immune building, I feel especially during a pandemic we need to take extra care of our immune system. We can do it by eating simple whole foods that support a healthy microbiome. We can do it by eating spices like ginger and cinnamon to quiet inflammation. We can do it by calming our fight or flight response with whatever techniques help us relax.
And finally, you can add a little complement to your lifestyle practices by making sure you have some high quality supplements. Grassroots Health is a research organization that has tracked multiple studies during the pandemic and found that adequate Vitamin D is highly effective in protecting and/or preventing ICU/deaths from Covid.
You cannot know if your D levels are sufficient unless you have a blood test, so ask your health care practitioner to check yours, or go to clinic like Quest and request it directly. Once you know your level you can supplement if you need to. I found I needed to in order to maintain my levels. Darker-skinned people are more apt to be deficient as the extra melanin in their skin can block absorption of D.
Adequate Vitamin C and magnesium are also effective and essential for good health. With all the fruits and vegetables in abundance during the warmer seasons, it should be easy to get enough through food. If your diet isn’t great, supplements can be a good alternative. Contact me if you need some guidance in making good choices.
When you think about your health and protecting yourself from diseases and pandemics, STARTLE yourself in a good way. Realize you have the potential to improve your health and longevity and go ahead and do it!