My theory on rebound immune distress
The news is changing every day, so it’s hard to imagine what life will be like months from now. Honestly, it’s hard to even imagine what life will be like one WEEK from now, right?
There has been a lot of discussion on the fallout for the economy. Of course we’re concerned about businesses that will be forced to close, and people who will not get their jobs back. We’ve thought about how this will impact our children’s education, and how it will feel for our kids who don’t get to have a formal graduation ceremony.
What about the effects on our health? I’m not just talking about whether or not we’ll contract Coronavirus. We need to be thinking about our susceptibility to ALL forms of infection and disease.
Our weakened immune systems
We are currently spending 24/7 in our homes, surrounded by the same few people. We are sanitizing everything, killing all germs and bacteria around us. We are avoiding contact with strangers in public. We’re breathing very little fresh air.
Our children are not interacting with other kids. They’re not putting their hands on monkey bars or passing a ball with friends. They’re spending less time outdoors running around in grass and dirt, kicking up natural bacteria that builds their immune systems.
We currently have little to no exposure to outside bacteria – good or bad. And what about the bacteria within our homes? We’re killing it. There is beneficial bacteria that lives in our own home and on our own skin, and we are murdering it in an effort to eliminate one particular pathogen that we’re scared of.
Is bacteria good for you?
Absolutely! Bacteria are a part of us. We have as much or more bacteria living in/on us than we do regular human cells. We coexist with bacteria because we rely on those beneficial bugs to protect us and keep our body systems working properly.
Most of our bacteria live in our gut, tucked inside the intestinal mucosa, which is the inner layer of the intestines. That thick inner layer provides a habitat for healthy bacteria so they can do their job of evaluating everything we consume and determining whether it’s friend or foe.
That’s right, we rely on bacteria to protect us from bacteria – and viruses, and fungi, and anything else that might adversely effect our health.
What’s going to happen?
What is going to happen to our health when we all suddenly return back to our regular daily activities? Picture it: the governor lifts the lockdown policy and there’s a mass exodus of people with cabin fever flooding the city streets.
Suddenly we’ll find ourselves sitting in a restaurant booth behind someone who’s coughing and sneezing. Sitting in a movie theater seat where a sick person sat before us, and we proceed to stuff our faces with popcorn using our bare hands. We’ll touch gas nozzles, door handles, and card readers with bare hands. Our kids will return to their classrooms and share a pencil with a friend who’s wiping their nose with their hand.
It’s bound to happen.
How will our immune system respond?
That all depends on what we do during our time spent in lockdown.
Building our Immune System on Lockdown
The state of isolation that we’re currently living in is triggering a somewhat dormant state for our immune system. It’s still working, but it’s facing less exposure and therefore less activation. This is highly abnormal.
Our immune system is used to being on high alert as we move throughout our day and come into contact with countless pathogens. What I’m concerned will happen is a wave of illness, COVID-19 or otherwise, due to our desensitized immune systems.
Think about what happens when our children return to school after summer break. Many of them catch the common cold. This happens because they go from playing outside with a few friends to being cooped up indoors with dozens of friends. And this wave of sickness still happens after spending summer break traveling, eating at restaurants, and going to various other public places.
The way we can avoid rebound immune distress is by building a robust immune system while we have this opportunity. We can do this by eating certain foods, taking plenty of vitamins, and nurturing our microbiome.
Foods that build immunity
- Dark leafy greens
- Mushrooms
- Bone broth
- Allium family (garlic, onion)
- Vegetable rainbow
Which vitamins support the immune system
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
A healthy microbiome
Take a spore-based probiotic to help fight off unwanted invaders and strengthen the good guys. Side effects: improved digestion, elevated mood, regulated hormones, and so much more. You can’t go wrong with supporting the microbiome.
In my practice I use Megasporebiotic by Microbiome Labs. This is the best probiotic I’ve ever used. It’s highly effective. In fact, in works alone to kill parasites and yeast. You can order it and have it shipped directly to your home.
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