The Doctor Is In - A Naturopathic Response to Immunity & COVID-19 at Flow Shala
Greetings everyone, on behalf of the Flow Shala, we’re delighted to introduce Dr. Ervin. Dr. Ervin is a naturopathic physician based in Bellingham and a Qi Gong instructor at the studio. She’s brimming with useful knowledge and graciously put together this presentation to keep the community informed about what can be done at an individual level to maintain a healthy immune system and minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19 in the community.
“I invite everyone to grab a piece of paper and a pencil...there’s a couple prompts”
What’s Covered?
Why we’re all isolated, why it’s a wise choice, how your immune system works and how that factors into isolation
Layers of the immune system, which layers are most important to focus on keeping strong and how to do so.
How to make choices that factor in the economic situation and low-cost home prevention measures.
Qi Gong practice to incorporate for stress reduction and management.
Why are we separating?
Dr. Ervin gives a numerical example of COVID’s potential for exponential growth. Many of us don’t realize how quickly the virus can spread and overwhelm hospitals. Because none of us have ever been exposed to COVID-19, exponential growth of the infection rate is the reality for every community that becomes exposed. This quickly leads to emergency situations where health care systems don’t have the capacity to treat those who develop complications, worsening the outbreak that health care systems are already ill-prepared for (no pun intended).
Isn’t this only affecting “vulnerable” populations?
Many of us may have a false sense of security due to our health-conscious lifestyle factors that keep our immune responses strong, such as regular exercise and nutritious diets. While these lifestyle factors certainly play a role in keeping many of us from developing complications, the virus will still replicate in our bodies as our immune system fights it off, which can lead to vulnerable members of our community being exposed.
“Over time, enough of us will get this illness that there won’t be as many vectors, as much of the vulnerable population being exposed to it. That will mean that as a society, we will have less exposures and less people going to the hospital.”
So, to clarify, even if we feel just slightly ill and our immune response allows us to have a mild reaction, we can still be vectors that contribute to the spread in the vulnerable population.
The mechanisms of the immune system
We have two types of immune responses: Innate and adaptive. Our adaptive immune response is what allows us to build immunity to new infections. Our innate immune response is our body’s initial reaction to a new infection, typically an increase in mucous production and inflammation (this is a mild response and signifies a strong immune response). Our innate response happens during our adaptive response and is when you are contagious, as the virus is replicating in the body. Many of us could be here (and feel relatively fine) if we get it, unwittingly passing it along to others, which is why we’re isolating.
How do we build healthy innate responses?
The first layer of protection against infections are our mucous membranes. Keeping these healthy and hydrated is the most important defense mechanism to keep new infections at bay.
Dr. Ervin describes the second layer of the immune system as the body’s “internal army”. We can keep our internal army healthy and ready, once it’s activated, by staying hydrated and regulating stress and sleep.
Once we feel our innate responses start to kick in, we need to be aware of these responses and take action to support the immune system once it’s been activated.
But How!?!?!
Don’t worry, we’ll tell you all about it :)
In order to support our immune systems once they’ve been activated, we need to mindful of the following:
Immune Suppressors: Stress, aging, sugar, and lack of sleep are all immune suppressors. We need to bring awareness to how these factor into our lifestyles. Chronic illness, lack of proper nutrition, and dehydration can all act as further suppressors to the immune system.
Food: Nutrient-dense foods in your diet are critical for supporting our immune systems. Eat veggies every meal!!! Doctor’s orders - it’s time for us to get creative with how we incorporate veggies into all of our meals. It’s also important for us to eat more immune boosting foods, such as garlic, onions, and (boiled) mushrooms.
Exercise: Continuing to have a movement practice as part of our routines is incredibly important for keeping a healthy immune system. Luckily, most of us who come to the studio on a regular basis have been able to continue our movement practice (that virtual studio, though). Although it may not be as much of a challenge for many of us to continue with our practice, Dr. Ervin highlights some important points.
Moderate exercise is immune boosting. Over-exercise and turning to exercise to cope with stress is an immune suppressor. It’s important for us to be mindful of how and when we’re exercising, and maintaining routine in our home practice. Dr. Ervin strongly encourages us to get on the 4-day wave training cycle if we aren’t already doing so.
Ways to optimize immune system function
Hydration is the number one way to support the immune system
“If your lips are dry, you’re dehydrated. You don’t need chap stick, YOU NEED WATER!”
-Dr. Ervin
Get Sippin’! Dr. Ervin suggests that we all find a “water buddy” to help keep us accountable and aware of our water intake (minimum 60oz per day advised). Once we have our water buddy figured out, we can text back and forth throughout the day about our water intake, when we’re drinking water, and how much we’re drinking each day. Dr. Ervin encourages us to track our intake based on how many ounces our water bottles hold and how many of them we drink each day. We need to stay in tune with our body’s thirst signals and appropriately respond.
Dehydrators to be aware of: Coffee and healthy fibers like chia and flax that are prominent staples in many of our diets. If we ingest these dehydrators, we need to pay attention to how we make up for it with our water intake. Dr. Ervin recommends extra water intake after having coffee and pre-hydrating healthy fibers.
Healthy levels of cortisol (the stress hormone): Dr. Ervin reminds us that cortisol is, indeed, a healthy hormone for our bodies; However, too much of this hormone wears down our organ systems and makes our internal army (the second layer of the immune system) sluggish and less equipped to fight off infection. Stress management is the second most important thing for us to focus on for a healthy immune system.
Sleep regulation: We need to maintain a healthy sleep schedule that helps our bodies stay in a regular routine. Sleep is the third most important factor for the trifecta that ensures our immune systems stay healthy. Getting to bed at the same time each night and getting enough hours of sleep each night will help us maintain regular routines and stay on top of our other important habits, ultimately helping us with our stress management.
Managing the Stress Vibe
The stress vibe is a daily reality for all of us and the majority of us just deal with it. Dr. Ervin reminds us that without intentional practices to manage the stress vibe, our immune systems take a hit.
How do we support one another in managing the stress vibe?
We need to identify our stressors and process them so that we aren’t holding them in our bodies and perpetuating fight or flight mode.
We need to be heard and talk to each other about what’s stressing us out so that we can identify our fears and release tension that leads to excess cortisol.
We need to have a clear and concise understanding of how stress is showing up in our bodies so that we can then move through it and support each other in clearing stress. Dr. Ervin encourages us to journal and write down how stress is showing up and affecting us and then doing movement to help process and release stress.
Take a moment to write down 2 things that bring you joy: Identifying 2 things that bring us joy and setting an intention to make time for those 2 things is a powerful way to ensure a healthy level of cortisol.
Turn off all screens, news, etc. at 8pm each night: In order for us to maintain sustainable sleep regulation habits, we need to mindful of how stimulation from screens can hamper those efforts. Stimulation from screens at night can also increase our stress levels, which is counterproductive to all the measures we’re working so hard to stick to. Dr. Ervin suggests that we utilize audio if we crave some sort of entertainment from media past this hour, but we need to make an effort to stick to the rule of no screens past 8pm.
Additional habits to strengthen immune system function
Now that we have a better understanding of how we can reshape our daily routines and lifestyles to ensure we keep our immune systems healthy, Dr. Ervin highlights 2 additional practices that can further boost our immune systems.
Hydrotherapy:
The use of hot & cold water to stimulate the movement of water in our bodies. Water moves through the lymphatic system of our bodies to facilitate the cycles of our systems. The lymphatic system acts as a structural framework for our immune systems and healthy movement of water through the lymphatic system helps the vitality of our internal army once the immune response is activated. This is an incredibly effective way to support our immune response if it’s activated and avoid developing complications. Dr. Ervin outlines how we can practice hydrotherapy methods at home and provides instructions for how to use hydrotherapy as a means to support our immune response once we feel it activate.
Supplementation:
Many of us already take various supplements and are familiar with how they help our bodies; However, we may not be including supplements that specifically boost immune function. Dr. Ervin recommends incorporating Vitamin D, as it’s a cost effective anti-viral with immune and nervous system boosting properties. We Washingtonians should be supplementing with this anyway, let’s be real. Dr. Ervin recommends 2,000 IUs daily, increasing the amount if we feel an immune response. In addition, Elderberry and adaptogens are herbal supplements that our beloved doctor trusts to help regulate the systems in our bodies and ensure ultimate protection against infection.
Qi Gong:
Qi Gong is a mindfulness practice that is described as an “internal martial art”. We use Qi Gong to bring awareness to the flow of energy throughout our bodies and direct it in a manner that helps us invite balance and harmony into our systems. Dr. Ervin describes this as a means of tapping into the “wisdom gate” of our bodies and using the innate knowledge of our bodies to invite in healing through the direction of our own energy and internal power. An hour of Qi Gong with Dr. Ervin is offered on the schedule every Friday at noon (an excellent choice for our low intensity days) and we’re lucky enough to be led through a Qi Gong practice during the final 20 minutes of the presentation that we can do at home as part of our routine!
We’re remarkably grateful to have such a kind-hearted, knowledgeable and hilarious physician as part of the community and the Flow Shala team. We care deeply about the health and well-being of our community and we’re dedicated to doing everything we can to maintain that as we navigate the COVID-19 crisis. We’re honored to share this knowledge with our community and believe in the power of knowledge and community to get through this together. Although the current situation calls for measures to be taken that we’re unsure how to cope with at a societal level, we CAN continue to show up for each other and maintain healthy lifestyles as we physically separate. We exist and persist because of our wonderful community and we’re looking forward to the seeing the new strength that will be collectively built as a result of living through these measures!
