By Jon P. Frieda, MBA
“He who sweats more in training bleeds less in war.”
– This is the Spartan warrior creed.
A fitting thought for how you can protect yourself during the era of Covid-19 and beyond. Specifically, before you enter a battle it is a good idea to know the terrain so that you can respond tactically and increase the likelihood of achieving your strategic objective of winning the war. Regarding the battlefield of our spirit, mind and body, how we have gotten to where we are is a direct reflection of where we have been. With this in mind, let us briefly explore some of the tactical power moves that you can take to achieve and maintain immune resilience such that you can prevent pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungus and parasites from seizing upon the opportunity to infiltrate your body.
In short, bio-pathogens are opportunistic in nature. So, we must increase our awareness of how to ensure that they will not be given the opportunity in the first place. Let us direct your attention to your thoughts, words, and actions. Be honest with yourself. How does it feel to contemplate what you are thinking, speaking and doing on a routine basis? Is your constitution anti-inflammatory or pro-inflammatory? This should give you an accurate indication of your bio-chemical individuality and the degree to which your body is tactically ready to defend its terrain on a cellular level.
Sleep hygiene is of vital importance. During a normal sleep cycle, you may be in a relaxed state, but internally your body is hard at work performing the functions necessary to maintain homeostasis. Detoxification, neurotransmitter production, healing and reducing inflammation are among some of the numerous processes that take place during your sleep cycle. Sacrificing sleep results in a less restorative and more immune suppressing experience, weakening your body’s defense capabilities and creating a state of imbalance, inflammation and disharmony. Plan on getting eight hours of sleep a night. Avoid stimulants like television, phone, and computer activity at least two and a half hours before bedtime.
Diet is also very important. Eating foods that are low in micronutrients and high in refined sugars serves to catalyze the process by which your body’s terrain is altered. Is your diet sometimes, always or never anti-inflammatory? It becomes more advantageous for the pathogens to invade when your diet is pro-inflammatory since you are not providing your body with the tactical resources necessary to hold off their opportunistic advance. The same goes for alcohol consumption and beverages that contain concentrated sugars and high fructose corn syrup. Consume these things in moderation. Lean meats along with fresh fruits and vegetables are a better way to go. Moreover, maintaining proper hydration is of key importance. Each day, drink half of your body weight in ounces to avoid dehydration. For example, if you weigh 100 pounds, drink a total of 50 ounces of water throughout the day. Test it out for a week or two. Observe how you feel physically and mentally when consuming healthy versus unhealthy foods and beverages.
Exercise and especially moving your body out in nature is another tactical move that will help to maintain your physical and mental fitness as well as your immune resiliency.
Among the many benefits of exercise is the production of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which bolsters learning, memory and mental sharpness, as well as reducing the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, daily exercise and increased BDNF enhances the processes of DNA methylation which include detoxification, protein synthesis, neurotransmitter production and DNA expression. In the alternative, a dysregulation of DNA methylation increases systemic inflammation and increases the likelihood of developing autoimmune disorders. Developing pre-existing conditions like this reduces immune resilience by creating a virtually defenseless terrain and a forfeiture of your bodily sovereignty.
Why is being outside important? The truth be told, our body is a community of bacteria, viruses, fungus and other microbes that live on and within us. Otherwise known as the microbiome, this community is unique to each individual and consists of our genetic and epigenetic makeup. The microbiome is a reflection, collection and consequence of our thoughts, what we eat, and how we live our lives. As far as the immune system goes, we have two lines of defense, our innate and adaptive components. Our innate immune system is generalized, while our adaptive is specialized. While both work together they engage in different functions and are responsible for different tasks. The innate defends against foreign bodies, pathogens and injuries. The adaptive defends against specific pathogens and triggered changes in bodily cells. By staying inside consistently and not engaging with nature, your immune resiliency becomes diminished on both fronts.
Supplementation can prove to be a tactical game changer and assist in maintaining dominion over your body’s immune resiliency. When it comes to supplementation, we prefer to keep it simple. To handle your body’s daily stressors, it is necessary to produce the cellular energy to do so. In addition to a high potency multi vitamin, B Complex, Vitamin C, Magnesium, D-Ribose, L-Carnitine and CO Q10 are the “Big Six” on Neels Pharmacy’s list for synergistically cascading your systemic anti-inflammatory beingness daily. Specifically, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Selenium and Zinc can be of assistance as they are naturally anti-viral.
Jon P. Frieda, MBA is Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Neels Pharmacy. For more details on the specifics of the content discussed in this brief article, please contact us and we will elaborate. Neels Pharmacy, #8 Crestwood Executive Center, Crestwood, MO 63126. 314-849-3123.
*The biggest minority is the minority of one. The unknown is what people fear the most. Stay in your power and maintain the expectation of increasing your knowledge and awareness daily. The truth is that it is you who saves yourself.