Hiiee  folks!

As I write this article sitting in my bedroom, I can hear the voice of an electronic siren.

I live very close to the hospital, so I am assuming it could be the siren of an ambulance. And this siren voice has been on rise since morning.

‘How are you feeling today?’ , ‘Don’t go to the balcony. Stay inside as much as you can!’, ‘It’s okay if you don’t meet your friends. Your immunity is already compromised. No need to take a risk!’

Phew! Universe! Are you listening? Keep me protected and safe, please!

But I am so happy that I did a Vipassana meditation retreat couple of days ago, and it is keeping me sane in this insane environment. I won’t talk much about this virus, and its origin as the whole world is talking about it. And therefore I advise myself AND advise you too to be mindful, to not get swept away by the negativity around.  While something bound to happen can’t be prevented, that doesn’t mean that we should not take preventable action. And here comes the importance of self-care.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the majority of people who contract Covid-19 suffer only mild, cold-like symptoms (fever, cough, headache, chills). WHO says about 80% of people with Covid-19 recover without needing any specialist treatment. Only about one person in six becomes seriously ill “and develops difficulty breathing (link). 

Besides washing my hand at least 5-6 times a day, and not touching my face, there are a few other things too that I am doing to keep my immunity intact, and felt like sharing this with you all.

• Wheatgrass shot: Wheatgrass juice or Wheatgrass shot is known as one of the best foods for boosting immunity. By boosting your immune system, it prevents your body from infection and disease. I drink 20-30 ml of wheatgrass juice daily. However, if you don’t feel like juicing it, you can always buy its powder which is readily available on Amazon.

•  Increase your Vitamin C intake: Vitamin C helps encourage the production of white blood cells known as lymphocytes and phagocytes, which help protect the body against infection. I have Vitamin C tablets, and I am taking 1000 mg daily. If you don’t want to take any supplements, make sure you increase the intake of food high in Vitamin C.

• Soak the sun, soak the sun!: This is for people like me who get to see the sun rarely in winters. If you too live in such a place, make sure that you get enough vitamin D through supplements as your immune system depends on vitamin D too. It triggers a strong micro-bacterial effect on your body and improves T-cells’ response to infections. I have it in liquid form, and I take 8-10 drops daily. (Consult a naturopathic doctor for the dosage.)

• Garlic: Anthony William has written a lot of good stuff about garlic in his book  ‘Liver rescue‘. Raw garlic has strong anti-viral properties. He says that phytochemical compounds found in garlic seep through the walls of the intestinal tract into blood vessels, and kill the virus and pathogens moving freely in the body. I read somewhere that ‘Garlic can kill Corona virus‘ is a myth. Now, I am not saying that garlic kills it, I am saying that it helps strengthen your immune system so that it can better fight off infections. And since no research has been done on garlic’s effect on Coronavirus, who knows it might kill it too! Better safe than sorry! 😐 Just try to eat 2-3 raw garlic cloves every day. Make sure that you cut it into a few pieces, and don’t eat it whole.

• Tap your thymus gland every day: This is something interesting I read a couple of years ago when I was researching natural ways to boost the immune system. The thymus is a specialized primary lymphoid organ of the immune system where T cells mature. (On the right side you can see the image for the location of Thymus glad.) So, when you are watching TV or doing something which doesn’t involve your hand, use your three fingers to tap on this area 20-30 times in one go. I try to do it 2-3 times a day though there is nothing specific written about it. Tapping is a healing modality. You can read more about it here.

• Remain Stress-free: I try to do Yoga at home. Not much but just half n hour of yoga puts me into a relaxed state.  It’s okay if yoga doesn’t interest you much. You can opt for 5 minutes of deep breathing, book reading, music, meditation anything.! Just give some time to your immune cells to relax, rejuvenate and feel happy.

• Sleep like a baby: You have to do everything to protect your immune system and boost its response. And not sleeping enough can put stress on it. It’s better not to be sleep-deficient and have a good 7-8 hours of sleep every day.

Here is an immune-boosting shot you can make easily at your home, and have any time during the day.

• 1-inch ginger root.
• 1-inch turmeric root/ 1 teaspoon turmeric powder.
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
• Half apple.
• 1/2 lemon juice.

Juice all the ingredients, and drink it in one go.

Lionel Kendrick says that we cannot always control everything that happens to us in this life, be we can control how we respond.  And your response is everything!

Being critically ill I can assure you that it’s pretty tough for me. And you might be in the same boat as mine in spite of being healthy. However, we still gotta try. Try to do better, think better! Today, every day. For the last couple of days, I am trying to limit my exposure to news. No, I am not trying to be ignorant of the world around, I am just trying to safeguard my mental health first. And that would be my advice to you too.

What you choose to focus on, grows.

Instead of focusing on fear, focus on health.

Focus on well-being.

Focus on living with ease.

After all, ‘This too shall pass…..‘

Health and healing on your way…….

Ankita

NOTE : PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY. A LITTLE HELP GOES A LONG WAY!