Nourish Your Roots//Activate Immunity

The rippling effects of COVID-19 is a big reminder of how connected we all are. As a community, it is our responsibility to care for eachother, we are all weathering this storm together. But this first begins with self care, because we cannot help others if we are not well ourselves. Good news! The human body is beautifully designed to keep itself healthy & balanced. Now is the time to show care for yourself, give your body what it needs to stay healthy & vibrant.

1.) Spend Time in Nature: Stress depletes the immune system. Take a walk in nature. Breathe fresh air. Spending time in the great outdoors is proven to lower stress and anxiety. Go outside, soak up some vitamin D, and put your feet on the planet.

2.) Sleep Soundly: Sleeping strengthens vitality. Turn off all screens 1-2 hours before bedtime, welcome in the restful yin of the night. Lighting candles, basking in a warm bath, meditation, and sipping a cup of comforting tea are all ways to usher in sound sleep. This is medicine for your immune system. Tired, weary people are more susceptible to catching viral crud. Getting 8+ hours of sleep is ideal. My favorite allies for sleep include magnesium, holy basil, passionflower, damiana, oats, blue vervain, and albizia.

3.)Stay Hydrated: Aim for 2-3 liters daily. I love adding elderberry syrup, bitters, and fresh lemon to my water. Drinking herbal tea or kombucha is another nourishing way to stay hydrated. Right now I am sipping on fresh nettle tea with calendula & spearmint.

4.)Move Your Beautiful Body: Go for a walk, dance in your living room, work in the garden- movement is essential to staying healthy. Exercise has many benefits including to stimulate the lymphatic system, which is responsible for transporting white blood cells and clearing toxins & waste from the body.

5.) Eat Like A Goddess: Nourish your body. Enjoy a whole foods diet of dark leafy greens, fruits, clean proteins and fats. Now is a great time to incorporate onions, garlic, mushrooms, and herbs such as thyme, sage, rosemary, and oregano. Fuel your body with delicious medicine!

6.) Cleanse The Air: I’m not one to promote use of essential oils, however it’s a great time to utilize their power. To steam clean the air, put a few drops of anti-microbial oils in a pot of boiled water and reduce heat. Good examples include - red thyme, eucalyptus, and lavender. To relieve congestion, put one or two drops of essential oil into heat safe bowl, add hot water and cover your head with face over bowl and breathe slowly for several minutes.

7.) Plants Are Our Allies: The power of plant medicine is real and they are here to calm, nourish, and strengthen us. Our bodies have co-evolved with these wild, weedy allies. Now is the time to reconnect with the medicine of our ancestors. What am I using right now? Black elderberry, reishi, turkey tail, Oregon grape, echinacea, and astragalus root. These herbs work differently to strengthen the body’s natural defense system against bacteria & viruses, including slowing the replication of viruses & increasing white blood cell count. Utilizing herbal medicine is a powerful way to strengthen your body’s natural defense system.

8.) Take Your Vitamins: The most important vitamins and minerals for immune support against infections include vitamins A, C, D-3, and zinc (a good multiple will supply most of the vitamin A and zinc needed, it is important to not take over the recommended dose for either of these). Personally, I am taking 500 mg of vitamin C, 2-3 times per day and 2,000-5,000 IU’s of vitamin D3 (as an Oregonion, I am always upping my D3 intake during this time of year) to support immunity. Ofcourse, this is not a prescription and it is always recommended to consult with your health care practitioner for safe and effective dosing.

We are here to serve our community. Please feel free to share. We will get through this.