Create a New Normal

I've recently been blogging health tips that we should add to our daily routine.  They should be our new normal not only now but also after the pandemic.  What else should your new normal be? We can’t go back to the way things were. First, it wasn’t working. That’s how we got to a pandemic level to begin with and second, we are different people now.  This is a wake up call to keep ourselves healthy.  With the world on pause this is a perfect time to get new healthy habits in place. When we do start getting back to our new normal I want to warn you about the gaslighting we will be under.
Gaslighting, if you don’t know the word, is defined as manipulation into doubting your own sanity; as in, Dave denies smoking cigarettes even though you saw him do it. Dave is trying to gastlight you.

Pretty soon, as the country begins to figure out how we “open back up” and move forward, very powerful forces will try to convince us all to get back to the old normal, that COVID-19 never happened. Billions of dollars will be spent on advertising, messaging, and television to make you feel comfortable again. It will come in the traditional forms — a billboard here, a hundred commercials there — and in the new-media form memes to remind you that what you want again is normalcy. In truth, of course we all want the feeling of normalcy.  We want desperately to feel good again, to get back to the routines of life, to not lie in bed at night wondering how we’re going to afford our rent and pay the bills, to not wake up to an endless scroll of human tragedy on our phones.  We will desperately and simply want to leave the house for work. 

The need for comfort during these dark times is real and every brand in America will come to your rescue to help take away that darkness and get life back to the way it was before the pandemic. I urge you to be well aware of what is coming.

What the trauma has shown us, though, cannot be unseen. In a quiet New York, I can hear the birds chirp in the middle of Lexington Avenue.  There are photos of a carless Los Angeles  that has clear blue skies as pollution has simply stopped.  Coyotes have been spotted on the Golden Gate Bridge. These are the postcard images of what the world might be like if we could find a way to have a less deadly daily effect on the planet. What’s not fit for a postcard are the other scenes we have witnessed: a health care system that cannot provide basic protective equipment for its frontline; small businesses — and very large ones — that do not have enough cash to pay their rent or workers, sending over 16 million people to seek unemployment benefits; a government that has so severely damaged the credibility of our media that 300 million people don’t know who to listen to for basic facts that can save their lives.

This pandemic hasn’t broken us, it has brought to light the truths of how we live, all of the beautiful and painful truths. So I ask you What do you want to do now that these truths are exposed.  How can we heal and grow from this, together?  How can we create a better country and a better world for our kids? I beg you, do not blow this opportunity to recreate.  Do not  look at McDonald’s, Macey’s and Target to make you feel normal again. I know what you are thinking, If I could just have the new iPhone in my hand, because that’s what my daughter thinks.... if I could just go try on the new Nikes. if I could drink a venti blonde vanilla latte then I could feel normal again. Instead of running to the normal consumerism and distractions I dare you to take a deep breath, ignore the deafening marketing that will come, and think deeply about what you want to put back into your life. This is our chance to define a new version of normal, a rare and truly sacred opportunity to get rid of what was broken and to only bring back what works for us, what makes our lives richer, what makes our kids happier, what makes us truly healthy. I am proud of us. I see us supporting one another through this in every positive Facebook post, in every meal dropped off for a neighbor, in every Zoom birthday party, I had my own last week. We now have a chance to define — on our own terms — what this country will look like in 5, 10, 50 years. This great pause is our chance to do that.  We’ll never have a chance like this again.

We can recreate what we want on a personal scale in our homes, in how we choose to spend our family time, what we watch, what we listen to, what we eat, and what we choose to spend our dollars on and where. We can do it locally in our communities, in what organizations we support, what truths we tell, and what events we attend. And we can do it nationally in our government, in which leaders we vote in and to whom we give power. If we want cleaner air, we can make it happen. If we want to protect our doctors and nurses from the next virus — and protect all Americans — we can make it happen. If we want our neighbors and friends to earn a dignified income, we can make that happen. If we want millions of kids to be able to eat if suddenly their school is closed, we can make that happen because we already did it. And, yes, if we just want to live a simpler life, we can make that happen, too. But only if we stay strong and resist the massive gaslighting that is about to come because I am warning you it’s on its way.  So please stay healthy and strong during this time and during the transition that is to come.  Together we can do this.

Deep Breathing to Boost the Immune System

Exercise is known to boost the immune system. It also is a great stress reducer which can help if you are doing too much quarantine snacking out of being stressed.  Go for long walks or runs if you can do it safely, staying 6 feet away from people.  Do yoga from home.  I use an app called down dog that I pay for but since March has been free and continues to be free during the quarantine.  The same company also has free apps for Barre and HIIT which is important for you to get your heart rate up and your lungs working harder.  We actually want to exercise the lungs.  I never thought about exercising an organ until the coronavirus hit and pulmonologists shared that it would help preventatively to do deep breathing exercises to strengthen the lungs.  Before the pandemic I only thought of people with trouble breathing as needing breathing exercises.  

So on a daily basis I want you to do lung exercises both preventatively and if you are feeling symptoms.  Make sure when you do lung exercises you breath by first pushing out your stomach, filling the bottom of the lungs first and then the chest.  Don’t pick up the chest first when breathing, because then you aren’t using the diaphragm to breath.  The diaphragm is the only breathing muscle in the body.  If you don’t use it you are then using the trap and other shoulder muscles to pick up the rib cage and this is why so many of us have knots and tension in our shoulders and neck.  But if you breath using the diaphragm is allows the lungs to expand automatically.  You see the diaphragm is a muscle that sits at the bottom of the rib cage, over the stomach and when looking at the body is an upside down U shape that when inhaling, flattens, enlarging the rib cage allowing the lungs to expand.  When the diaphragm moves like this it applies pressure on the stomach, almost like a massage that is good for digestion.  

The deeper the breath, the more oxygen can come in per breath.  The amount of oxygen that we inhale through our breathing, influences the amount of energy that is released into our cells. On a molecular level, this progresses all sorts of chemical and physiological processes. Breathing is controlled by the autonomic nervous system.  The part of our nervous system we don’t have to think about that makes our heart beat and digests our food.  There are two parts to the autonomic nervous system, sympathetic and parasympathetic.  These two parts control different things in the body.  The parasympathetic controls the breathing, digestion, sleep and libido.  This is the part of our nervous system that makes us feel relaxed and that is why breathing is so good to do during stressful times. It helps get us out of fight or flight mode. Breathing is also the easiest part of the autonomic nervous system to control and navigate. In fact, the way you breathe strongly affects the chemical and physiological activities in your body. It’s amazing what you can do when you can control your breath.  I’m not just talking about how long you can swim under water for but Wim Hof has developed special breathing techniques that keep his body in optimal condition and in complete control in the most extreme conditions. The breathing technique is first and foremost premised on inhaling deeply and exhaling without any use of force!  With his controlled breathing the heightened oxygen levels hold a treasure of benefits, more energy, reduced stress levels, and an augmented immune response that swiftly deals with all germs.

Wim Hof got his nickname “The Iceman” by breaking a number of records related to cold exposure. His feats include climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in shorts, running a half marathon above the Arctic Circle on his bare feet, and standing in a container while covered with ice cubes for more than 112 minutes.  Patients who have used his method say that it helps with stress and it even helped one patient heal from his eczema.   

In 2011 researchers at Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands brought Hof into a laboratory and started poking and prodding him, trying to figure out how he did what he did. At one point they injected his arm with an endotoxin, a component of E. coli. Exposure to the bacteria usually juices vomiting, headaches, fever and other flu like symptoms. Hof took the E. coli into his veins and then breathed a few dozen  breaths, willing his body to fight it off. He showed no sign of fever, no nausea. A few minutes later he rose from the chair and got a cup of coffee.  There's all the proof you need to know how deep breathing boosts your immune system!

To practice the Wim Hof‘s breathing method, start by finding a quiet place and lay flat on your back with a pillow under your head. Relax the shoulders, trunk, and legs. Take a very deep breath into the pit of your stomach and let it back out just as quickly. Keep breathing this way for 30 cycles.  It should take about 3 minutes if you are breathing about 6 seconds in and 6 second outs.  If possible, breathe through the nose; if the nose feels congested then breath through pursed lips. Each breath should look like a wave, starting with the stomach lifting, then the chest. You should exhale all the air out in the same order. At the end of the 30 breaths, exhale naturally, leaving about a quarter of the air left in the lungs, then hold that breath for as long as possible. Once you reached your breath hold limit, take one huge inhale and hold it another 15 seconds. Then exhale and start the 30 cycles of breathing again. Repeat the whole pattern three or four rounds and add in some cold exposure, cold shower, ice bath, a few times a week. The controlled breathing and then breathing all out, then not at all, getting really cold and then hot again is the key to the body’s magic. It forces the body into high stress one minute, a state of extremely relaxation the next. The body becomes more adaptable and flexible and learns these bodily responses can come under our control.

Wim Hof sees this controlled breathing as being able to create amazing physiological responses with the body.  His feats speak for themselves.  But I think it’s not just about biochemistry.  There’s more going on then we can see under a microscope or find in a college textbook.   In energy medicine (which I guess can be partly found in a quantum physics textbook) we see pumping the lungs with breath like this isn’t just about oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules moving in and out but it’s also about the movement of the chi, prana, kundalini energy, chakras,  or the meridian system. It’s all the same. This life force goes by many names.  Chi has it’s origin in Chinese medicine and is used by acupuncturists.  Japanese call it ki, Hebrews call it ruah, Greeks call is pneuma.  The Iroquois even had a word for it, orenda. Prana has it’s origin in yoga and comes from the Hindu culture.  Chakras are energy centers of this life force.  Kundalini is the name of the life force energy that is stuck at the bottom of your spine.  Guess what you do to get it unstuck? You use breath.

I'm not waiting for science to catch up to tell me to use breath to be able to hold more life force in my body.  I see the results with my patients and you can too.  

For a Stronger Immune System Take Wellness Blend

There has been a lot of talk in the office about the coronavirus.  Let me rephrase that.  The coronavirus is all we talk about.  I understand the upset and fear.  We ask patients to do their due diligence and wash their hands, sanitize surfaces, don't touch their face etc. AND let the fear go.  Stress will lower the immune system and we don't want that.  Stress management and boosting the immune system with the right supplements is important and at Healing Arts we are doing just that.  Testing each one of our patients for the right immune support is crucial right now.  Every program looks different but to give you an idea of the main supplements that we are seeing people test for are Standard Process's Antronex, Immuplex, and Healing Arts own Wellness Blend.

I created this supplement in 2018 because I wanted one supplement that boosted the immune system and killed everything.  I wanted an antiviral, anti-parasitic, anti-fungal and antibiotic all in one.  Patients were coming to the office not feeling well and I would have to give them 4 or 5 new supplements to help their immune system and it was just too much.  Wellness Blend kills everything because it has kyolic garlic, liposomal vitamin C, mugwort, echinacea, oregano, lysine, eucalyptus, beta glucan and goldenseal.

In China they are using IV vitamin C to treat coronavirus patients and NYC hospitals started including vitamin C last week.  

Dr. Andrew G. Weber, a pulmonologist in NYC, has been giving his intensive-care patients who have been infected with the coronavirus 1500mg of intravenous Vitamin C several times a day - anywhere from 4500 to 6000mg in total - as part of an anti-viral protocol. Compared to the daily recommended allowance of Vitamin C - 90mg for men and 75mg for women - 6000mg is a massive dose.

Nearly all of the Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) supplements you see at the supermarket or a drugstore are chemically synthesized, meaning that they are not food-derived. Synthetic Vitamin C is created in a process involving cornstarch and volatile acids. Natural Vitamin C is more complex and contains plant compounds like rutin, bioflavonoids, Factor K, Factor J, Factor P, tyrosinase, and ascorbinogen.  While both forms of Vitamin C provide health benefits, depending on the dosage, less than 50% of the synthetic Vitamin C is actually absorbed by the body. The rest is eliminated when you urinate, creating the bright yellow urine which you see in the toilet. Natural, food-derived Vitamin C, on the other hand, is absorbed in its entirety, assisted by the micro- and macronutrients which are co-factors for the absorption of Vitamin C. Vitamin C occurs in a wide variety of foods, but most notably in: citrus fruit (oranges, grapefruit, lemons) kiwi fruit strawberries black currants red and green bell peppers tomatoes cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts) The reason I made Wellness Blend with liposomal vitamin C is that liposomal technology enhances absorption and has higher bioavailability when compared to standard oral vitamin C.  Liposomal technology uses phospholipids from sunflower lecithin to help carry, protect and deliver vitamin C. Garlic kills everything! It is an anti-parasitic, antiviral, anti-fungal, and antibacterial.  The reason I use kyolic garlic is because it's aged and loses it's odor and harshness that sometimes you find with other garlic supplements.  If you want to use garlic cloves medicinally and if you can handle it, chew a raw garlic clove a day with food already in your stomach. You can also take garlic in a tonic (here's my immune boosting tonic recipe you can make at home).  Cooked garlic loses it's medicinal value. One study found that as little as 60 seconds of microwaving or 45 minutes in the oven can deactivate the medicinal properties of garlic.  However, it was noted that crushing garlic and allowing it to stand for 10 minutes before cooking can help prevent the loss of its medicinal properties.  The loss of health benefits due to cooking could be compensated for by increasing the amount of garlic used.

So to maximize the health benefits of garlic: 

• Crush or slice all your garlic before you eat it.
• Before you cook with your crushed garlic, let it stand for 10 minutes.
• Use a lot of garlic — more than one clove per meal, if you can.

 

Mugwort is added into the Wellness Blend not as an immune booster but as a liver tonic.  If the liver is healthy then toxins won't build up.  Keep the body detoxed is important to keep the body healthy. Echinacea not only supports the immune system, it also has been proven to reduce the severity and duration of viral infections. Oregano is a very good antibacterial and is supports the lungs so it's good for any illness with a cough, bronchitis and asthma. Lysine is an amino acid that is anti-viral.  L-lysine works by helping to increase the number of antibodies called IgG. IgG antibodies fight infection, the more we have, the stronger our immune system is.  Studies have found that when lysine and vitamin C are used together, the levels of these antibodies in the blood rises even more.   Eucalyptus leaves and oil have been used for generations as a cure-all for respiratory issues, particularly in removing excess phlegm and mucus from the sinuses and respiratory tracts.  Eucalyptus is specifically good at killing bacteria and candida.   Beta glucan is a soluble fiber that not only boosts the immune system but also is good at lowering cholesterol and improving blood sugar management which is needed for diabetes and pre-diabitc situations.   Goldenseal is also used for the common cold and other upper respiratory tract infections, as well as stuffy nose and hay fever. Goldenseal is also really good at killing parasites and for helping digestive disorders including stomach pain and swelling (gastritis), peptic ulcers, colitis, diarrhea, constipation, hemorrhoids, and intestinal gas. So as you can tell Wellness Blend has a great variety of different herbs to help with all germs when sick, average dose is 3 a day and as a preventative, take 1 a day.  To order, click here. Stay well!  Stay healthy! Stay safe!

Immune Boosting Tonic

Here is a powerful all natural antiviral recipe that became my favorite remedy during cold and flu season over the last 5 years. This immune boosting tonic recipe is quite easy to make. It’s a garlic, ginger, lemon, honey remedy that’s suitable for the entire family, including kids!  Aids digestion and promotes detoxification too.

Ingredients:

• 2 small fresh lemons (~1/2 cup) – (with the skin or not, cut into large chunks)

• 1/2 cup fresh ginger – (peeled, cut into chunks)

• 1/2 cup fresh garlic cloves – (peeled)

• 1/2 cup raw organic Manuka honey

Instructions:Add all ingredients roughly chopped in a blender, pulsing for a few seconds until everything turns into a paste.

The mixture contains not only the juice but also the fibers from the whole fruit/vegetable which makes it even more beneficial for your gut microbiome.
This immune boosting tonic is best taken on an empty stomach in the morning and/or half an hour before meals or before going to bed.

As a preventive measure you can take one or two teaspoons per day based on personal requirement.

If you are in the middle of fighting a cold or an acute infection take 1 teaspoon every 3-4 hours.

The benefits of this tonic are best experienced if used regularly. 

Storage:

Store the immune boosting tonic in a seal-able glass container in the fridge. The longer its sits in the fridge the more potent it gets.