Coronavirus: How to Protect Yourself

At Healing Arts, we are closely monitoring the recent outbreak of a viral infection called the Coronavirus (COVID-19). There has been a lot of news coverage on the Coronavirus and it can be scary not knowing how rapidly it will spread and how it will affect us or one of our loved ones. With all the research that we have done we truly believe it is like any other flu virus but has a way of spreading faster.  The common winter flu infects millions of people every year and kills thousands.  We all have to be cautious but those who have to be extra cautious are the elderly and immune suppressed. Currently in New York there are more than 400 cases of the Coronavirus with one death of an 82 year old woman in Manhattan.  This woman already had emphysema which contributed to her death.  This is like how the flu works every year with the elderly and immune compromised making up the majority of the deaths.  Schools in NYC are to stay open whereas there are 12 cases of coronavirus in CT and schools are closing taking an approach of teaching online, even the elementary schools.  I am so grateful to the teachers who I know worked really hard to implement online teaching in such a short amount of time.   My daughter, in 5th grade, came home and said, 'Don't worry mom.  This is how you do it.' She then proceeded to show me how to log in and look at all her classes set up on a google classroom account.  I was amazed. I am grateful to have childcare so that I can go to work to continue servicing patients.  We will be open in NY and CT until the government mandates otherwise.  It is important now, more than ever, to stay healthy and that includes getting checked regularly for what supplements would be best for your health and having your immune system as strong as possible. However, we do want to take extra precautions at this time to avoid any undue exposure, so we are asking the following from our patients and our team: If you have: Flu-like symptoms, including fever, achiness or a cough Traveled abroad in the last 14 days Recently experienced a shortness of breath  Have come in contact with anyone who has these symptoms PLEASE refrain from coming in for treatment – we will gladly reschedule your appointment after a two-week waiting period.

Don't Weaken Your Immune System DO get sufficient sleep DO drink plenty of water DON'T eat sugar (sugar will weaken your immune system). This would be a good time to start the sugar cleanse. DON'T eat many carbohydrates (carbs turn into sugar, which weakens your immune system)

Avoid Possible Contact With Pathogens (Germs/Virus/Bacteria) DO wash your hands frequently with soap DON'T sneeze/cough into your hands/DO use a tissue or your elbow DON'T touch your eyes, nose or mouth  DO use hand sanitizer without rubbing alcohol (at office for purchase, rubbing alcohol is toxic)

Maintain A Healthy Immune System Chiropractic Treatments: Spinal adjustments have been shown to boost immune function because they serve to correct the spinal misalignments that cause neural dysfunction. Even one adjustment can bring about an immediate immune boost.  Chiropractors were key in 1917 during the Spanish Influenza.  To read more, click here.  Exercise: Just like a healthy diet, exercise can contribute to general good health and therefore to a healthy immune system. It may contribute even more directly by promoting good circulation, which allows the cells and substances of the immune system to move through the body freely and do their job efficiently.

Boost Your Immune System Of course having a healthy diet supports your immune system, but adding key nutritional supplements will strengthen your immune system. I love using Standard Process's Immuplex and Antronex for viral infections and they can be used preventatively as well. IV Vitamin C is what they are using in China as a cure for those infected with the coronavirus.  Don't ask me why the media isn't talking about that.  So taking vitamin C can be a great preventative.  Not all vitamin C is the same quality so make sure your vitamin C comes from food or is liposomal vitamin C.  Zinc is also great for the immune system and because the coronavirus hits the throat first zinc lozenges are a great preventative too. 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. Essential oils are great too!  They have a faster way of getting into the body and working at the cellular level.  We love doterra essential oils for they test the best and suggest putting oils in a veggie capsule to boost your immune system.  This is the recipe I like to follow if you can't be muscle tested for your specific essential oil formula. 2 drops Frankincense 2 drops Melaleuca (Tea Tree oil) 4 drops On Guard Blend 2 drops Oregano 6 drops Lemon Directions:  Place all drops into an empty Veggie Cap. Take one capsule every 4-6 hours. Be sure to fill each Veggie Cap immediately before ingesting as the essential oils dissolve the capsules very quickly.  Take capsule with food. Repeat daily as desired. Healing Arts has it's own Wellness Blend developed by Dr. Armitstead that contains a 'blend' of great immune boosters.  It has the garlic, oregano,  and liposomal C we already talked about along with echinacea, goldenseal, lysine and more!

Disinfect Commonly Used Areas Lastly, at Healing Arts we want to proactively provide details and transparency around our cleaning processes. We have implemented an increased protocol to regularly and aggressively disinfect counters, chairs, doorknobs, treatment rooms and other frequently used areas of the office. All staff are regularly washing their hands and all patients are welcome to continue using our already established hand sanitizer stations. Our patients have always been our number one priority. We will continue to closely monitor the CoronaVirus and update our practices as needed.

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What to do About the Flu this Season

This winter seems to be worse than others for people getting sick.  I have been a doctor for over 11 years now and this seems to be one of the worse flu seasons.  Because of it being worse than others media seems to be pushing the vaccine now more than ever but the first data on how well the flu vaccine is working this season in North America has just been published — and it helps explain why everyone appears to be sick right now.  

It actually explains the vaccine's ineffectiveness so getting the flu vaccine makes even less sense right now.  The study, from the journal Eurosurveillance, found that the flu vaccine was only 10 percent effective against H3N2 (the main flu subtype going around in the US this season) among adults aged 20 to 64 years old in Canada.  The protection rate rose to 17 percent when considering all age groups.

In most adults, the study suggests the shot would only prevent 10 percent of H3N2 flu cases. So if 100 in 1,000 unvaccinated people develop flu, the number would drop to 90 in 1,000 among vaccinated people — a very small difference in flu risk between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. And more than 80 percent of confirmed US flu cases have involved H3N2.

“The evidence is mounting, from Australia and now from Canada, that the vaccine protection is low [this year],” said lead study author Danuta Skowronski, an influenza epidemiologist at the British Columbia Center for Disease Control. “Given the same H3N2 subtype [is circulating in the US], our estimate of low vaccine protection should also apply to the US.”

In a good year, the flu shot’s effectiveness hovers between 50 and 70 percent. But in years when the H3N2 type of flu virus circulates — as it is this year — the vaccine tends to be less protective.

So Skowronski wasn’t surprised by the dismal data. Plus, in Australia, where the flu season peaks in August and H3N2 struck as well, early estimates suggested the shot was only 10 percent effective there too.

There are a couple of reasons why it’s harder to vaccinate against H3N2. For one, the virus mutates as it moves through the population at a faster rate than other flu viruses — making it even harder to design a shot that matches the circulating virus.

One other reason the flu vaccine tends to underperform in H3N2 years has to do with ... eggs. To produce the vaccines, manufacturers need to grow a lot of flu virus — and they discovered long ago that flu virus grows extremely effectively in eggs. So viruses are injected into fertilized hen’s eggs, incubated for several days while they replicate, then harvested from the eggs, killed (or inactivated), and purified to go into vaccines.

“It’s an antiquated process, but it’s time-honored,” Anthony Fauci, the head of the NIH’s infectious diseases division, explained. While flu vaccines developed with more modern (cell-based and recombinant) methods of production have been licensed in the US, it’s not yet clear they are more protective against flu than the egg-based vaccines.

Plus, no other cell system comes close to growing the flu virus as cheaply or efficiently as eggs, and the industry has invested a lot in the egg-production infrastructure. So, Fauci explained, “We are stuck in the [egg-based] way, and it’s tough to transition to a more modern technology.”

But lately, researchers have found that there are problems with the egg-based approach that specifically relate to H3N2. “In the process of adapting virus to grow in eggs, that seems to introduce further changes to the [H3N2] virus, which may impair the effectiveness of the vaccine,” Belongia said. In other words, while growing the flu virus for vaccines, H3N2 mutates to adapt to the eggs, which seems to result in a vaccine mismatch.

Flu activity most commonly peaks in the United States between December and February so we have a few more weeks before we are in the clear.  Until then if you want to do what you can to stay protected Healing Arts does offer the homeopathic version of the 2017-2018 flu vaccine. It's only $16 and will last you the rest of the flu season (we now have the 2018-2019 version). 

We also have Wellness Blend that I formulated because I wanted that one supplement to help people both prevent and fight both bacterial and viral illnesses.  Sometimes when people come to my office sick they need 3 new supplements just to fight off their cold.  It's ironic but sometimes when we feel the sickest is when we feel the least inclined to take our supplements.  So to help I wanted to create one supplement that would cover what 3 supplements would do to try to make it easier for my patients.  

It's formulated to also help prevent getting sick. Just take one capsule a day.  When feeling run down, like you might be catching something, take 2 capsules a day and when sick, take 3 capsules a day.  Best is to get muscle tested for it but if you can't get muscle tested those are my suggestions.  

Stay hydrated, eat well, get good sleep and then take those two supplements to prevent getting sick and you should do well this flu season!

DIY Remedy for Boosting the Immune System

This winter season has been brutal on our immune systems.  Even people who never get sick through the flu season are sniffling, courageously fighting whatever germs come their way.  Here is my favorite remedy to make when starting to feel under the weather.

Why this home remedy for cough and cold works:

This recipes contains the best things for you to fight a cold or flu naturally:
Lemon: High in vitamin C, which keeps the immune system strong and neutralizes the free radicals in your body. This reduced the inflammation and swelling.

Ginger: Helps you sweat out the toxins in your body, which is helpful when you have a cold or flu. Ginger is also helpful for settling upset stomachs, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and cold sweats.

Garlic:  Rich in antioxidants, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and manganese. A recent study on the antibacterial and antiviral properties of garlic shows that it can help boost the immune system. This means that garlic can help reduce the occurrence and the severity of the symptoms of a cold and shorten the recovery period as well. Garlic may also help with congestion in the sinuses by reducing inflammation in the nasal passages. 

Manuka Honey: Soothes a sore throat, making it an effective and natural cough suppressant. This improves the body's ability to fight infection and decreases the risk of fevers. The natural sweetness of honey also balances the tartness of the lemon and the ginger's and garlic's spice in this concoction.  Read this to learn more about Manuka honey. 

You can make this immunity boosting, body soothing concoction ahead of time and store in the fridge. I usually keep my mixture for about two months, and then make a new batch.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lemons thoroughly cleaned
• 2 piece fresh ginger about the size of your pointer and middle finger togehter
• Manuka honey
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 12 oz mason jar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Slice lemons and ginger. Chop garlic.
2. Place the lemon, garlic and ginger slices in the mason jar, alternating layers of each.
3. Slowly, pour honey over the lemon and ginger. Allow the honey to sink down and around the lemon and ginger slices. Fill jar to the top with honey and seal tightly.
4. Store in the refrigerator. Over time, the mixture will start to turn into a loose jelly.
5. When you are in need of some soothing tea, scoop 2-3 tablespoons into a mug full of hot water—be sure to scoop whole pieces of garlic, ginger and lemon. Allow to steep for 3-4 minutes and sip away.

Fight the Flu with Elderberry Syrup

Like it or not, cold and flu season is here! We should all be thinking about how to keep our immune system strong so it’s ready to combat these viruses. One of my favorite remedies to help boost my immune system to prevent these nasty viruses from taking a hold is Elderberry syrup. Loaded with antioxidants, vitamin C and immune supporting minerals, Elderberries have been used for centuries in Europe, North American, North Africa, and Western Asia, and people are catching on to its medicinal benefits. The bioflavonoids in the juice weaken the ability of cold and flu viruses to infect a cell. It enhances the body’s immune system, and can be used not only for colds and the flu, but to lower cholesterol, improve vision and heart health.




Raw or unripe elderberries contain a toxic chemical called cyanogenic glycoside. Once you cook the elderberries, the chemical is not a problem, so if you do decide to buy them to make your own syrup, don’t try them raw! Otherwise, you can find this already made in a syrup, or in capsules. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you shouldn’t take this. Otherwise, if you feel that cold coming on, you may be able to thwart it with this amazing berry! To make your own elderberry syrup, click here.

Stop a Cold Before it Starts

You've been there. Adults average 2-4 colds a year that last about 7 days. So don't let your sniffle or slight cough turn into something big that lasts a week. My favorite things to take when starting to feel under the weather are Immuplex and Antronex by Standard Process. Every medicine cabinet should have one. If your medicine cabinet doesn't have them start with these steps until your next appointment:

1. Pop zinc. Research shows taking zinc within a day of your first symptoms can reduce both their severity and duration. Taking a zinc supplement regularly can help, too.




2. Then destress. When you’re under stress, your immune system ends up under-reacting to viral and bacterial infections. Stress goes up, immune system goes down. Use lavender essential oil. Rub on wrists or tension headache, bottom of feet when going to bed or even a few drops in your bubble bath.

3. Increase your water intake. Water helps flush out whatever little thing you are fighting so it doesn't become a big thing.

4. Swish. Evidence shows oil pulling helps clean the lymphatic system which helps boost the immune system.

5. Pop a probiotic. In a recent study, probiotic supplements shortened the duration of a cold from 6 days to 4, made symptoms a third less severe, and halved the number of days subjects stayed home.



6. Try an herbal remedy. It wasn't until recently I started using echinacea in the office. I had written it off as most of us had as being ineffective but when I understood that there were different types of echinacea and which one to use I couldn't believe the results patients were getting.

7. Hop on the D train. It seems like no coincidence that colds hit hardest when the sun is lowest. Add vitamin D during cold season to reduce risk and speed recovery.

8. Pause your workout. Regular moderate exercise is best for warding off bugs, research shows. But once you’ve caught a cold, take a rest. You just need to listen to your body. Don’t try to push through it.

9. Get garlic breath. Used as a home remedy for its supposed antimicrobial and antiviral superpowers, garlic hasn’t been formally studied much. However, some evidence shows it may ward off colds. Eat it raw if you can otherwise rush a clove with dinner.


10. Head to bed. Since sleep boosts immune function, that “pre-cold” may be a good indicator that you haven’t been getting enough lately. A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that people who slept less than 7 hours a night were three times more susceptible to colds than those who slept 8 or more hours per night.