Good Nature Wellness

Boost Your Body’s Defense Against the Coronavirus with Water

Barbara Walsh — Fri, 15 May 2020 20:45:16 +0000

So…it’s been a couple of months since the Coronavirus took the world by storm, and most of us are still hunkered down at home! Kind of a crazy “new normal” that we’re all experiencing.

In my last post, I shared some thoughts about how we can protect ourselves in the face of the coronavirus, by being proactive and doing what we can to keep our immune system strong.

Since we’re still in a holding pattern, waiting to see how things with the virus continue to unfold, I thought I would share another simple, but powerful way that you can support your immune system with something you have in your home right now: water!

Physically, more than half of the body is made up of water. And scientifically, water is absolutely essential in order for a person to live. Interestingly, on the spiritual side – the bible refers to Jesus as a fountain, or source, of living water that springs up to eternal life. So, I guess you could say that not only do we need water to live physically…but spiritually, too!

Staying hydrated by drinking water is pretty easy to do, and it’s actually an amazing way to give your immune system a boost.

1) Drinking plenty of water helps our blood carry oxygen to all the cells of the body. Oxygen ensures that all of the body’s muscles, organs, and systems, will function at peak, including the immune system.

2) Water actually flushes toxins from the body. Water helps our cells to take in nutrients, and it also allows them to expel waste products through the kidneys. If we don’t drink enough water, toxins will build up in our bodies, resulting in a weakened immune system.

3) You’ve probably heard the term “lymph” before. But, what you may not know is that it’s a part of our immune system. Lymph is a fluid in our bodies that contains white blood cells – which are our disease fighters. The immune system uses lymph to do a couple of important things: First, the lymph helps to carry water and nutrients to the blood, so the blood can bring those nutrients to all of the cells in our bodies. Second, the lymph carries white blood cells and T-cells, from our thymus and our bone marrow (where they are created), to where they are needed in the body to fight illness. And, third, the lymph removes toxins from the blood. Our bodies NEED water to produce lymph. Without it our white blood cells and T-cells have no way of traveling throughout the body to fight off viral and bacterial infections, and disease.

Water is also important to support our lungs and respiratory system – which is the system of the body that the coronavirus targets.

So, in terms of the coronavirus, it is especially important to drink water. And, here’s why:

Our lungs NEED moisture! In fact 83% of all of the water in our bodies resides in the lungs. Water also helps to carry immune cells to create a natural protective layer of mucus that lines the lungs and the digestive tract – incidentally, the digestive system is where 70% of our immune system lives! When we don’t drink enough water, we are actually leaving ourselves and our lungs without protection.

If a person is dehydrated and they come into contact with the coronavirus, they are at greater risk for the virus to enter through the windpipe and setting up shop in the lungs. So, it’s super important to drink lots of water to make sure that you are hydrated and stay hydrated!

So, you might be asking: “does it have to be water?” And, scientifically speaking, water really is the best choice. Other drinks – especially caffeinated ones — will actually cause the body to become dehydrated – which is exactly what we don’t want for our lungs. And, avoiding sugary drinks is also a really good idea, because sugar actually surpresses the body’s immune response – which is the exact opposite thing that we want when it comes to our immune system.

Another question you might have is: “so, how much water should I be drinking?” I’m sure most people have heard that we should be drinking 8 glasses of water a day. While that’s not bad advice, the amount of water a person should drink actually varies for each person.

So, a good rule of thumb when it comes to water is to drink ½ of your body weight in ounces per day. For example, if a person weighs 120 pounds – they should be drinking 60 ounces of water throughout the day which would be 7.5 glasses – if the glasses are 8 oz each.

And, if you’re not exactly a “water lover,” you can try adding a squeeze of lemon, or lime, or even fresh orange to make it more interesting – and the extra vitamin C is an added immune boosting bonus!

Hopefully, this was helpful and this encourages you drink more water…starting today! So, you can keep those lungs hydrated, boost your immune system, and stay healthy!

I’d love to hear your thoughts, or if you have any questions, please post them below. And, if you are interested in learning more about natural ways to improve your health, be sure to send me an email: barbara@goodnaturewellness.com.

I’ll be praying that you all stay well, and hydrated (physically and spiritually) and that we can see each other in person, soon!

Overcoming the “Scariest” Thing About the Coronavirus

Barbara Walsh — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 14:17:17 +0000

Like most of you (if not all of you), I’ve been hanging out at home in “quarantine mode.” So, I wanted to share some thoughts about overcoming what I think is the “scariest” thing about the Coronavirus.

With the non-stop reporting on how the COVID-19 Coronavirus is impacting countries around the world, and here in the US, it’s easy to get caught up and become overwhelmed by fear. We’ve all been well-informed that this is a new virus can be deadly, and that there are no vaccines to prevent it, or medications to treat it. Pretty serious, and scary sounding, I agree.

While that is some pretty bad news, the good news is that God designed our bodies with built-in protection through our immune system, which can be our 1st line of defense against illness – including viral illnesses!

While it’s important to follow the CDC’s common-sense guidelines to help to prevent the spread of germs, it’s equally important to be proactive and do what we can do to keep our immune systems strong. That way, if anyone happens to come in contact with the Coronavirus, their immune system will be prepared and up to challenge of defeating it.

It’s obvious, at least to me, that information overload surrounding the Coronavirus has been fueling a panic – from empty shelves in the stores, to people trampling over each other to buy a roll of toilet paper, to uncertain future forecasting.

The constant updates in the news, and on the internet – although intended to “help” us by keeping us informed – may actually be having the opposite effect.

Being in a constant state of stress, fear, and panic, can take a toll by causing people to lose the only defense that they have against the Coronavirus. Because, Fear actually shuts down the immune system.

Ongoing fear causes the brain to prepare for a perceived emergency/threat by triggering the endocrine system to release the hormone Cortisol. The purpose of cortisol when responding to fear is to temporarily “turn off” functions in the body to reserve energy, so we can “fight” or “flee” when we are in danger. This flood of cortisol actually decreases the number of white blood cells (T-cells) and NK cells – those are the body’s natural “killer cells” – effectively de-activating the immune system – leaving us vulnerable to infection and illness.

If you ask me, NOT having an immune system that is working optimally, is actually the scariest thing when it comes the Coronavirus!

So, a big key to keeping our immune system strong is to keep stress and fear in check. How can we keep ourselves from being overwhelmed by fear? Here are a few suggestions:

Exercise – I know for some this might be a “dirty” word! So, let’s call it movement. Movement – any kind, yoga, taking a walk, running, working out – actually activates the immune system! It helps us to release stress hormones while boosting the production of natural “feel-good” chemicals in the brain; protects the body from inflammation; increases circulation and mobilizes our disease-fighting white blood cells (T-cells) which helps to guard the body from infections and chronic illness, and fight off viruses and colds.

Staying Calm– some people find that meditation helps. But, for me it’s prayer. Research studies show that people who pray are healthier! Prayer boosts the immune system and stimulates the body’s immune response when facing illness. Another bonus of prayer? Peace can be found when spending time in prayer and in God’s presence. The bible actually says, that we shouldn’t be anxious about anything, but in everything, through prayer with thanksgiving, we should present our requests to God, and the peace of God which goes beyond human understanding will guard our hearts and minds, through Jesus. I have always found that prayer helps me to turn my thoughts away from the problem and focus on the solutions – especially the ones found in the Bible. When I am facing something big and scary, I pray and I am always reminded that God is faithful, and I can rely on Him and his word, to turn impossible situations into amazing possibilities for me.

The Belief Effect– There are some research studies that have proven the power of believing! It has been shown that when a person believes that their immune system is fighting effectively, and will fight off any illness it is faced with, the brain mobilizes the body’s T and NK killer cells, and the body actually DOES defeat any illness! If you ask me, this one is tied pretty closely to prayer and faith! When I think about the amazing way that God created our bodies, I’m pretty sure that wasn’t a coincidence!

Hopefully, this encourages you, and gives you some tools that you can use to overcome fear, and help protect yourself from the Cornonavirus – or any illness for that matter – by keeping your immune system strong!