As of 12pm 4/6/2020, Los Angeles has 6360 cases of confirmed COVID19 individuals. The Public Health Department is asking all Los Angelenos to continue to Shelter in Place, and in particular for this week, to even avoid grocery shopping if you can, as we have a critical week ahead of us. This is because if we don’t slow down the infections this week, our numbers will double next week to over 12,000 confirmed cases. Stay at Home mandates are to slow down the rate of infections to give hospitals and healthcare workers time, manpower, and equipment to care for the sick.
And we now have recommendation to wear masks in public and at home if you are sick or with someone who is sick, wether COVID19 or not. In Asia, we have always been wearing masks both as a preventive measure and as a protective measure – if we’re healthy, we want to prevent catching germs if others are sick,, and if we’re sick, we want to protect others from catching our germs. I hope the US makes this a common social habit moving forward, like wearing sunglassess. It will overall slow and prevent the spread of any communicable disease, cold, flu, COVID19 or any other infectious disease in the workplace, at school, and at home.
Here is handy video on how to make a mask at home if you have some extra handkerchiefs or fabrics lying around
See this video from NHK to understand how microdroplets work and linger in enclosed spaces. This will help you understand why wearing a mask is important when out in public/working, even with people who may not be exhibiting symptoms, or with people at home who are sick.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU OR YOUR LOVED ONE GETS INFECTED WITH THE SARS-CoV-2 VIRUS?
If you do find that a family member in your household – or yourself – or even a friend or relative is confirmed with COVID19, follow these helpful home care practices to protect yourself and others and CONTACT ME ASAP for a telemedicine consult for herbs. It is more important for me to make sure your symptoms don’t get worse. With the right herbs, we can help prevent the symptoms from getting worse. I have been studying all the information coming out from my acupuncturists colleagues in Wuhan on how to treat symptoms of COVID19 very effectivley with Chinese Herbs, as well as from colleagues in the US who are now actively treating symptoms of COVID19, or suspected COVID19 via telemedicine herbal consults.
As many of you have experienced under my care taking herbs, there are powerful anti-viral, anti-phlegmetic, anti-pyretic, anti-inflammatory herbs found in the vast cornucopia of Chinese Herbology. The Chinese have been treating eipdemics successfully throughout their long history using chinese herbs and acupuncture, and was one of the first countries to develop a precursor to vaccines, an inoculation against the small pox. Chinese medicine played an important role in controlling the spread of SARS back in 2002-2003, and this time around, it is no different with SARS-CoV-2. In China, Chinese medicine and western medicine is being used jointly to protect healthcare workers and to improve the outcomes of those infected with the novel virus very successfully.
I have thus now gained a wealth of information in understanding how this disease begins and evolves, with specific herbal formulas to address the stages of COVID19. In Chinese Medicine, we see COVID19 in 5 stages: Preventive, Mild, Moderate, Severe and Recovery.
I am covering the Prevention Stage and how to stay there, as that is the tenet of Chinese Medicine. Our medicine’s core belief is to keep our patients and family as healthy as possible, both physically and mentally, using natural ways to boost our own immune system so that it can do its innate, intelligent job of protecting ourselves from exterior invasions of pathogens. And by incorporating these suggestions and recommendations, you have several more weapons against upper respiratory infections to help keep you and your family/loved ones safe and protected. Please feel free to share this newsletters with others. Check also my previous previous blog with other practical prevention information and COVID19 information.
Prevention Stage
- No infection, no symptoms of COVID19. We are strong, healthy, and happy and invincible to COVID19. Hear me roar! 🙂
What keeps us in this stage? Lifestyle habits, healthy-mind habits, and self care methods. These three help keep our mind and body in top shape, supporting all aspects that work towards prevention and improved immune function against upper respiratory infections, COVID19 or not.
Lifestyle habits include:
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healthy, varied-diet filled with vegetables, whole or ancient grains, high quality proteins in the form of meats, seafood and/or legumes, fresh fruits, good fats and drinking clean water
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good sleeping habits by going to bed early, rising early
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incorporating cardio exercises on a regular basis to raise your heart rate so your lungs and heart are pumping good blood and oxygen amply to keep those important organs functioning optimally. Incorporating cardio exercises also promotes good bowel movements to help eliminate toxins from the body, so even doing brisk walks around the neighborhood is a good idea
Healthy-mind habits include:
- incorporating mindfulness practice like tai qi or qi gong, meditation, or mindfulness activities like knitting, coloring, wood working, gardening, etc.
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keeping your mind with a high vibration as much as possible, thinking positive thoughts and sending love and compassion out towards the world, those around you, and very importantly, yourself. Fear is a very heavy, draining energy. Literally drains our adrenals to a weak state. Love and Positivity instead is an energy that uplifts our spirits and our immune system and protects us from all the chaos and negativity out there. So limit the amount of negative news you watch. Don’t obsess over COVID19 statistics. Instead, start thinking, if you already haven’t started, on the Gift of Corona – even though the world has turned upside down, what do you still have that you can be grateful about? What have you gained having to Stay At Home? Make a habit of watching funny movies and videos. (This creative, funny family is one my family is currently really enjoying watching!)
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finding Hope, because that is what will help us through these trying times right now, and we will. I’d like to share a wonderful 21-day free meditation going on right now that helps us all to find Hope during these uncertain times.
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how we perceive tragedy, challenges and chaos and be able to, according to my therapist friend, Kimberly Gibson, cultivate a sense of tragic optimism. “The term was coined by Viktor Frankl, the Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist from Vienna. Tragic optimism is the ability to maintain hope and find meaning in life despite its inescapable pain, loss and suffering.” This sense of optimism will imbue our mind and body with strength, which then strengthens our immune system as well. Energy follows intention, we say in Chinese Medicine, so allow your core beliefs and convictions guide your energy. Here is a New York Times article that talks about COVID19 and tragic optimism.
Self-care methods include:
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taking immune boosting supplements like vitamin C, D, zinc, medicinal mushrooms (I have access to these if anyone needs them; inquire within.)
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taking constitutional Chinese herbs to keep you as strong as possible. If your constitution, your core self, is strong and balanced, your immune system will then be operating well, allowing your body to detect any infection quickly and fight it off quickly and effectively. It’s like keeping your infrastructure operating well. Therefore, taking Chinese herbs that address the upkeep of your constitution is very important right now. I am taking my own constitutional herbs right now to make sure I don’t get out of balance, making me susceptible to a weakened immune system.
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At the same time, because the virus we’re dealing with is novel, we have to be mindful of the toxic-ness of this virus, therefore, taking low doses of antiviral herbs periodically to support your immune system is very beneficial. What I have been doing is on the occasion I’ve had to go grocery shopping, I make sure to take specific antiviral herbs before and after I go grocery shopping to keep my viral load low. I make my husband do the same thing when he goes out to keep any exposure at bay. I have specific antiviral/preventive chinese herbs at the office, and these are really hard to come by right now because everyone is purchasing these (just like vitamin C, D, Zinc, A). This is something I would recommend to anyone who is still having to work in public and not being allowed to Stay At Home. I would have these individuals take a low dose of these antiviral herbs on a daily basis if they can’t Stay At Home. Inquire within to purchase and pick up at the Playa Vista Adjacent office. (As supply starts to replenish in the Chinese pharmacies, I will be able to put prescriptions through my online pharmacies for you to conveniently have it shipped to your home.)
- Here is a ADULT link to purchase these supplements and Chinese herbs (for adults and children 12 and older or who can swallow capsules).
- Here is the PEDIATRIC child link and infant link to purchase supplements and chinese herbs (geared for infants and children)
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When you look at your well-being and health from the trifecta of lifestyle, healthy-mind and self-care, I hope you understand that there is more to being safe and protected from COVID19 than just disinfection and sanitization. It’s a multipronged effort of mind, body and spirit. Allow your core beliefs of hope and tragic optimism to guide your decisions as you move forward every day during the chaos and upheaval we are currently facing, as this will guide you to make decision from strength and conviction as opposed to from fear and hopeless.
We will overcome this. It will take a while, there will be moments of anxiety, grief, anger, and fear, and for many of us, rebuilding our lives financially and emotionally, but we will overcome this. And by being mindful of and incorporating aspects of the trifecta I listed above, you are promoting wellness and well-being, improving your chances to stay viral-infection free.
Stay safe, be well. |
Disclaimer: The information here and on the Iyashi Wellness website in general is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with qualified health care professionals. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.