10 Step Coronavirus Sanity Plan
“May you live in interesting times” - ancient Chinese curse
We are in uncharted territory with the COVID-19 pandemic. You are likely wondering how to keep yourself and your loved ones healthy - both emotionally and physically - during these chaotic times. In this post I hope to offer you some Chinese medicine guidance on how to use this time to ramp up your foundation health and immunity and hopefully get relief in the process.
First, we all know about slowing the transmission of COVID-19. At the moment in NYC, it’s best to stay home as much as possible and take social distancing seriously. Honestly, I have been shocked by the number of people who are not doing this. Friends, this is important. There is growing evidence of asymptomatic people spreading this disease. We need to ALL behave as if we have been exposed. The choices we make as individuals now can make a huge difference. Now, more than ever, we are truly all in this together.
Second, we can focus on enhancing our non-specific, innate immunity. This is the body’s ability to mount a defense when exposed to a new pathogen. Traditional Chinese medicine calls this our “defensive Qi.” This is where we can get some leverage and ramp up our body’s general resilience. This is not a short term fix like popping some extra vitamin C pills. This pandemic may go on for a while, so small changes you make now will hopefully serve you well in the coming months. Healthy immune function is a consequence of creating a strong health foundation. So, how do we do this? It requires good basic self-care with a few extra details. This may make the difference between a case of coronavirus being mild and uneventful, and one that becomes more serious.
Here are my tips on boosting innate immunity and building foundation health, naturally.
1. Don’t smoke or vape: Smoking damages the lungs and COVID-19 is particularly devastating to people with compromised lungs. Please be sure to take good care of yours. To quit, try online hypnosis or Allen Carr’s book Stop Smoking Now.
2. Limit alcohol consumption: We all know alcohol is liver-toxic. What many do not know is that the liver plays a critical part in keeping our immune system strong. Please go easy on the quarantinis and those take-out cocktails.
3. Moderate exercise: Working from home (WFH) puts people at higher risk of being sedentary, and this could take away a natural, stress-relieving boost for your immune system. Both being sedentary and overdoing it may compromise immune function. This means if you are accustomed to doing Cross-Fit and working out to exhaustion, cool it for a bit. If you are a couch potato, get moving. Try taking 5 minute dance breaks every 30-60 minutes. This is especially great if you have kids at home to help them burn off some energy. Stream yoga, Pilates and meditation videos on Glo.com or traditional workout videos on BeachBody.com or YouTube. At least for now, we can still go take a walk or run in the park, so get some fresh air and sunshine. You’ll know you’ve found the sweet spot for you because you will feel good!
4. Get adequate sleep: More time to sleep is one of the potential benefits of WFH so please take advantage of it! Aim for 7 hours of actual sleep (not just lounging in bed) as a minimum. 7-9 hours is optimal for most people. If you need more sleep, try going to bed earlier rather than sleeping later. If anxiety is keeping you awake, try 5-10 minutes of meditation or yoga before bed and in addition please see #5.
5. Manage stress & unwind: Calmer nerves enhance immune function. In these trying times many of us need to actively take steps to stay centered. Our acupuncture and telehealth sessions can help . Try to limit news consumption and endless conversations about coronavirus. Instead of looking at the news right before bed, tuck in with a journal and write down three things you are grateful for. If you are really stressed, make that 10 things. Savor the nice feelings from each item for a few deep breaths. Meditation and yoga are also excellent ways to unwind. And here is a relaxing Qigong video specifically for strengthening the lungs. Don’t miss tapping the lung meridian at 17 minutes.
6. Eat your fruits and vegetables: These are great for overall health for many different reasons, there’s no exception for immune function. Aim for half of your plate to be vegetables (ideally, organic) for lunch and dinner. While some shops are temporarily empty, the food supply chain is good, so take a breath and get out the NYT cooking app and experiment with some home cooking. Here are some that are particularly good for immune function:
Dark leafy greens & orange and yellow vegetables: These are rich sources of beta carotene, the precursor for Vitamin A which is important for immune health.
Mushrooms: Certain varieties have well-documented immune-modulating properties. Among these: Shiitake, turkey tail, oyster and maikake can be bought fresh at many shops and markets. Here’s my favorite mushroom recipe from the fabulous Ina Garten. You can mix and match the mushrooms varieties above. YUM! If you prefer to drink your mushrooms, try teas with reishi, chaga, and cordyceps. Here are a couple I recommend:
Four Sigmatic teas & coffees. Personally I like the Mushroom Cacao Mix with reishi mushrooms and only 2g of sugar/serving
Black Chaga Chai. This one is also a favorite, made by a wonderful herbalist.
Citrus fruits & peppers: And many other fruits and vegetables are rich sources of vitamin C.
7. Create rhythms and routines: Our bodies love rhythm. We are governed in many ways by the rhythms of day and night, seasons, moon cycles. WFH can be very disorienting because much of the structure of our day is gone and we may feel quite lost. At the same time, WFH provides a unique opportunity to find our own natural rhythms for the day. Creating some structure can soothe our frazzled nervous systems and help us feel more grounded. Try experimenting with these:
Plan your schedule for the day the evening beforehand.
Take an early morning walk in a quiet place or in nature.
Set a time to stream an exercise video (see #3 above). For many of us, before breakfast or before dinner work well.
Choose when you want to eat your meals and then try to keep it consistent. Leave at least two hours between your last meal and bedtime.
Set a regular bedtime and wake time. The more consistent these are, the better quality the sleep.
8. Consider targeted supplements: Certain nutrients are not easy to get through diet. For these, supplements may be appropriate. Zinc and Vitamin D3 are two that I most often recommend for immune function. Please check with your healthcare provider to make sure you are not getting too much, especially if you are taking other supplements. And please do NOT adopt the kitchen sink approach of taking every immune boosting supplement on the health food store shelf. Focus on the fundamentals of health (nutrition, movement, sleep) and a few targeted supplements and do not megadose. More is not necessarily better and may be counterproductive.
Normalize Zinc* levels: While the data on zinc is somewhat mixed, one trial of over 600 patients in 33 nursing homes in Boston found that supplementing zinc to normal levels was associated with lower rates of pneumonia and death in the elderly with low zinc levels. One way to get an idea of your level is to hold a zinc sulfate solution in your mouth for 30 seconds. If it tastes metallic, your levels are likely adequate. If it tastes like water, it may indicate zinc insufficiency.
Normalize Vitamin D3* levels: A recent analysis of 25 trials including 11,000 patients showed a protective effect of Vitamin D supplementation to prevent upper respiratory infections. The best way to get Vitamin D is from the sun, but in New York, that won’t be possible until late spring or summer when we can expose some skin. Many of us are low in this vital nutrient. The housebound elderly are at particularly high risk of low vitamin D levels. Sunscreen blocks vitamin D absorption. Supplementing can help bring levels into the mid-normal range. In winter in New York, 2000-5000IU/day is good dose for many, especially if you are indoors a lot. There is such a thing as taking too much Vitamin D, so if you take 3000IU or more for more than 3 months, it’s a good idea to ask your doctor to check your level with a blood test.
9. Consider herbs: This is what I regularly recommend to my parents of young children who get sick a lot. Both of these are appropriate for long-term use. They can be taken at a low maintenance dose of about ½ to ⅓ the level on the bottle to increase resistance. These are not appropriate or sufficient if you develop flu or COVID-19 symptoms.
Resilience* - a combination of mushrooms helpful for immunity.
Astra C* - this is based on a simple 3 herb classical Chinese herbal formula for improving resistance to colds & flus for people who are prone to them.
10. Laughter & Love: Sometimes, laughter is the best medicine (and helps mitigate stress, which wears down your innate immunity). So, don’t forget to have some fun and laugh during this crazy time! Stream a feel-good movie or comedy. And last but not least, connect with those you love, safely. Have a FaceTime or ZOOM coffee date or dinner party. Form What’sApp groups of friends and family. Check on your elderly neighbors and offer to help them buy groceries. This pandemic is all about fear and separation. The solution is all about unity and collaboration. We are all in this together. 🙏
Is there anything else that YOU need and or that your are struggling with? Please let us know.
How are YOU staying sane in the face of the Coronavirus madness? Please comment below!
And if you’ve found this list helpful, please share it with family, friends and work associates on Facebook, Twitter and/or LinkedIn.
* We advise against ordering supplements on Amazon. We’ve had too many instances of counterfeited goods. Please buy from a reputable source. If you are already a patient in our practice and need help ordering, please email info@lararosenthal.com and we will send you a link.
Lara Rosenthal is a licensed acupuncturist and board certified Chinese herbologist specializing in women’s health and fertility. Currently, she is the clinical director of Rosenthal Women’s Health & Fertility and runs the acupuncture program at the NYU Langone Health Fertility Center. She has served as a faculty member at her alma mater, Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in New York, and as a clinical supervisor at the NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases’ in their Initiative for Women with Disabilities. She graduated from Stanford University with degrees in Biological Sciences and Economics.
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