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Build Your Immune System
by The Dragon's Den Herb Shop
April 21st, 2020
Covid-19 has taught us a lot.
We still have a lot to learn, and what we do know is that our underlying level of health has a profound impact on how the body responds to any infection.
The best defense is a good offense.
We also know that a healthy and optimally-functioning immune system is a critical line of defense against viruses of all kinds.
The immune system is the body's network of organs, tissues, and cells that work together to keep us healthy by fighting off harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi.
Please know that coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that may cause illness in both animals and humans, often leading to respiratory illness that may become severe.
General guidelines
The best way to avoid getting sick, whether from coronavirus or any other infectious disease, is to avoid the germs in the first place.
Here are some of the best health and safety practices you can follow to minimize your exposure risk and prevent exposing others even if you may be a carrier.
Viruses can be introduced into your respiratory system simply by touching a doorknob, faucet, countertop, or towel that has the virus on it then touching your face with that hand.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, mouth, or hair unless your hands are freshly washed and sterilized.
Avoid public spaces as much as possible, and if you must enter them, try to minimize touching "high traffic objects": things that have a lot of public contact.
Some of these include gasoline pumps, shopping carts, credit card machines, touch screens, door handles, light switches, and elevator buttons.
When you touch these things, keep disposable gloves or paper towels with you that you can use as a barrier and toss them after use.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces, using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
To stay healthy, wash your hands many times throughout the day, especially before cooking, preparing food, or handling dishes.
The proper way to wash your hands is to lather them with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds.
Soap and hot water are remarkably effective at breaking down and destroying viruses.
Get sufficient rest, 8 hours nightly, do breath practice twice daily or more, stretch, drink ample amounts of water, be in nature, meditate, exercise, be kind to oneself and others, practice gratitude and random acts of kindness anonymously, and let your eyes smile from behind your face mask.
Immune Supportive Foods
Because immunity typically declines as you age, it becomes especially important to eat more immune-supporting and anti-oxidant foods.
These are garlic, onions, ginger, green tea, cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens, beans, prebiotic, probiotic, fermented foods, nutritional yeast, berries, citrus fruits, seaweeds, mushrooms, apples, sunflower seeds, beets, dragon fruit, purple fruits and vegetables, zucchini, and red and green peppers.
Autophagy - what does it mean? Autophagy literally means "self-eating", and it's the cell's ability to self-regulate and remove any damaged, unnecessary, and dysfunctional components. If the body doesn't take care of these damaged components, that leaves room for cancers, viruses, and other foreign objects to take hold. With that being said, we recommend eating foods that promote autophagy in the body:
Green tea, ginger, turmeric, sulforaphane (found in cruciferous vegetables), cayenne pepper, olive oil, Earl Grey tea, coconuts, berberine found in the herbs like goldenseal, Oregon grape root, uva ursi, Reishi mushroom, red grapes, blueberries, onions, apples, strawberries, citrus fruits, and the herb Schizandra also known as Wu Wei Zi.
Herbs and Spices for Prevention:
Turmeric, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, Hawaiian chili peppers, echinacea, black and green tea with matcha appearing to be the best, as well as oregano, citrus peel, elderberry, and cat's claw. Make tea with ginseng, astragalus, schizandra, isatis, echinacea root, licorice, polygonum multiflora (He Shou Wu), and ganoderma (Ling Zhi/ Rei Shi).
Immune Supportive Supplements
In addition to a healthful diet, a few single nutrients appear to help immunity and may be worth adding to your routine in supplement form. These are:
- Vitamin D: a typical dosage recommendation for a health adult is 1,000-2,000 IU per day as well as direct daily sunlight. 5,000-10,000 IU is a therapeutic dosage.
- Zinc: Found in oatmeal, tofu, sunflower seeds, lentils, chickpeas, and pumpkin seeds. General dosage is 11-13 mg per day for most adults. 30-50 mg is a therapeutic dosage.
- Vitamin A: found in orange and yellow fruits and vegetables like sweet potatoes and carrots, as well as leafy greens.
- Vitamin C: Found in all plant foods. Dosage: 1,000 mg plant-based vitamin C (not ascorbic acid), 5-10x per day. Get food based-plant based Vitamin C as this made be one of the best defenses available.
- Vitamin E: 400-800 IU daily. Can be found in cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens, nuts, and seeds.
- B-Complex Vitamins: Can be found in whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds, avocados, spinach, and broccoli. High potency dosage: 100mg of B-complex, twice daily.
- Folate: Found abundantly in leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, oranges, and bananas.
- Iron: Rich in molasses, tofu, beans and legumes, chia seeds, and chickpeas.
- Selenium: Best plant source is Brazil nuts. Dosage: 200mcg daily.
- Chinese Herbal Formula: Dan Shen Yin - Chinese herbal blood-thinning supplement. Invigorates the blood, breaks up blood stasis. We recommend this because it has been found that COVID-19 creates blood clots.
Additional Virus Protection Supplements:
* Iodine: Recommended bottle dosage. Iodine has been shown to destroy SARS and MRSA viruses and, in its atomic form is a powerful antiviral.
* Nano Silver or Colloidal Silver: 1 teaspoon twice daily. Silver has been shown to destroy SARS and MRSA viruses.
* Quercetin: 500 mg. twice daily
* Red Algae: 2 capsules twice daily such as on waking and bedtime (away from food)
* Turkey Tail, Rei Shi, Agarikon Mushrooms and/or a comprehensive mushroom blend: 4 capsules twice daily (for building and protecting the immune system)
* Antioxidant Supplement from Pure Encapsulation: Recommended bottle dosage
* Immune Tonic Tea or Anti-V tea (Dragon's Den, Makawao): 1 cups 2 - 3 times daily. Preventative.
Chinese herbal patent formulas
* Yu Ping Feng San - 8 pills 3 times daily
* Gan Mao Ling - 3 - 5 tabs 3 times daily
* Yin Qiao - 4 tabs 3-4 times daily
* Chuan Xin Lian - 2 tabs twice daily, 5 days on, 3 days off repeat
References:
This information comes from an email blast from Dr. Gabriel Cousens, from Stephan Buhner's book 'Herbal Antivirals', from the Hong Kong Medical Journal volume 17, from Bob Flaws book '160 Essential Chinese, Herbal patent Medicines', and 'Viral Immunity' by J.E. Williams O.M.D. Material compiled and edited by Dr. Malik Cotter D.Ac./DOM with assistance from Meghane Hernandez and Jenny Fialho.
Much of the information in this article was resourced from:
Smart Immunity: How Diet and Lifestyle Can Help You Stay Healthy in the Time of COVID-19 by Ocean Robbins
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