Trust your Body: Viruses and the Immune System
There has been recent discussion about the mutation of the COVID-19 virus. This is normal and expected in the life of a virus. A virus needs a host to survive, if the virus kills the host the virus also dies. For this reason a virus will mutate, evolve, in order to stay alive. This means the virus mutates to “save” the host. In this way, we can expect that a mutated COVID-19 virus will be less virulent than the initial strain.
There is so much information available and everyday there is something new it’s hard to know what is “correct.” Because this is a virus we have never seen before nobody has completely accurate information therefore it is important for you to follow what gives you peace of mind and lets you sleep at night. As a healthcare practitioner and person who had many respiratory illnesses throughout my teens and twenties, many of which I was in bed for a week or more, I want to share my experience and knowledge.
The reason I caught every cold or flu virus that came around when I was younger was because my immune was depleted. My immune system was not robust for various reasons. It wasn’t until I started working with an acupuncturist, changing my diet, sleeping more and receiving acupuncture consistently that my health started to shift and my immune system strengthened. For years now I haven’t been as sick as I was during that time of my life.
If your immune is strong you should have no problem handling viruses. In fact, our bodies deal with many viruses daily and we don’t give it a thought. Of course if we come down with the flu, especially if it’s a bad flu, we are made aware of the virus that made us ill. As a healthcare practitioner it is important to me to empower my patients and fellow human beings, so they may gain trust in their immune systems and bodies. The body is amazing at remaining healthy. The body knows how to heal and how to handle things as they come up. If the mind is confident and on board with the body the human body is able to handle most situations.
By practicing self-care, like eating nourishing food, sleeping enough and managing stress, the immune system remains strong. If your immune system is compromised it’s important to take the right steps to keep yourself well. Focusing your time and energy on strengthening your immune system is important. Acupuncture, herbs and essential oils are great ways to strengthen the immune system. One of the immune system’s jobs is to “fight” pathogens and it does it very well. Be confident in your body and immune system. Trust yourself. If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact me.