Immune System Support

/ Associates of Integrative Medicine/

Dear Patients,

The situation seems to be getting worse before it gets better. And in no small part because of the nationwide shortages in everything from supplements to antibiotics.

Please do not hesitate to schedule 15 min to check-in and make sure we are adjusting your plan to reflect that data. You can do that at dr.roy@aimnatural.com

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When things get challenging we MUST go back to the basics and trust the wisdom of our ancestors. 

While it may be the only tool we have, it’s also, even in crisis, the most powerful.

As a matter of lifestyle, consider the following:

  • Be out in nature OR stay home as much as you can. Try to avoid going anywhere else unless you have to.

  • Wash your hands frequently, especially before eating and touching your face. Wash for 30 seconds with soap and water.

  • But wait….Do not touch your face. Really. 

Stop here. If you JUST do the first three, you will not get a virus. 

  • Start to really check-in and listen to your body. Stay home if you simply feel “off”.  Even if you do not have a cough, fever or shortness of breath. 

  • Cover your cough with your elbow and teach your children to do the same

  • Don’t hoard, and ration what you have…think about letting all those groceries and supplies get you through a whole year. Teach your children to ration as well. We over-consume as a culture, let’s try to minimize the pressure we are putting on our pocketbooks and our suppliers to meet our demand. 

Stop here. If you did these next two, NICE job. You are protecting others AND the economy.

  • In the morning and at night, after brushing your teeth, unless you have had a head or neck cancer or a history of alcoholism, use Listerine, Dental Herb Company’s Under the Gums Irrigant, or in a pinch, coconut oil with 10 drops of eucalyptus and lavender essential oil, and swish for 120 seconds minimum. The essential oils have potent antiviral activity, including against the flu and other viruses that have an ‘envelope’ around them. 

  • Use a Nasal irrigant in the shower. It can be a neti pot like Neil Med or just a clean mug with a little bit of salt and hot water. Make sure you sterilize it after use. Viruses love the mucus membranes in the nose and attempt to colonize there for days before they make their way through the respiratory tract.

  • In the shower, when you are done bathing, turn the water as hot as you can and run it until you really can’t take any more heat, quickly turn it all the way cold for 30 seconds and then back to hot. Repeat this three times.

  • Play a guided visualization at bedtime. I like Healthy Immune System from HealthJourneys.com

Again, Stop. If you have gotten this far, you have done a ton of work on prevention and have used ancient Indian techniques to do so….go you.

  • Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, more than you eat anything else. If you are worried about keeping fresh veg in the fridge, freeze and blend into soups and smoothies. Talk to Dr. March about recipes.

  • Drink half your body weight in ounces water with a little bit of electrolyte in it daily. The best way to get it in is to drink 5 big glasses first thing in the morning of room temperature water. It won’t feel easy, but you will start to notice a definite change in the quality of your day.

  • Healthy blood sugar is critical to fighting infection. AVOID processed sugars, junk food, and pop. Your immune system takes a hit within 30 minutes of eating refined sugars.

  • Take a brisk walk outside, be careful of falls, 30-50 minutes every day. Bundle up and listen, if you can, to music that inspires you.

  • Be mindful that emotional stress results in direct physiological stress. It causes our sugar to rise, it raises our inflammation levels and it handicaps our immune systems.

  • The most important piece of all is sleep. Sleep for 8-9 hours a night, is the foundation of our emotional and physical health. Without it, our immune system is unable to fight off infection.

Don’t stop now! Nothing can stop you now. Here’s where we start to lose weight, reverse disease and improve long term outcomes!

Laugh freely and often with those you love. On the phone or 6 feet away from them….of course.

A “quarantine” doesn’t mean we have to sit around getting chubby, worrying about money, relying on old Survivor re-runs….wondering if you dare eat that last bag of chips.

It can be, instead, a time for quiet, self-reflection, a reset, a hiatus, and a way to finally invest in you.

When has the world ever asked of you to stay home, sleep and play outside?