Turn off the news and build a garden...

One of the most sound pieces of advice I’ve heard for how to manage the mental, emotional and physical struggle of lockdown and the uncertainty that we now face in our world. This song is sung by Lukas Nelson, son of Willie Nelson and also responsible for the soundtrack to the movie “A Star is Born”.

And this is exactly what I’ve done in the last three weeks. While others were panic buying alcohol and chocolate, I was panic buying organic seedlings, terrified that I might no longer be able to access fresh greens. Check out my babies now!!! We had our first feed of salad greens in the weekend.

I can’t tell you how beneficial this process has been for my wellbeing. Every time I feel a little overwhelmed, I simply go out into my garden patch, breathe the fresh air and put my hands in the dirt.

I’m convinced, after 20 years as a naturopath, that the way to heal our bodies is to eat good food. But because of the degradation of our soils and the crazy chemicals used in agricultural practices, it’s no longer that easy to access good food. It’s not enough to be spray free or even organic, what is needed is nutrient dense food, that contains the building blocks our cells need.

If you’re looking to access organic veggies during level 4 and level 3, Sally and Hunter from Heirloom Organics are taking orders and doing deliveries to the Parnell Blind Institute on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Email: organicseedlings2020@gmail.com. Their produce is incredible and I love connecting with the people who are growing my food. They also supply organic seedlings. Check out Organic Herbs and Seedlings. Simply the best seedlings I’ve ever come across!

Growing Your Own Garden

From everything I’ve read, I’m convinced that if we could get everyone in our community on board to be growing our own food organically, it’s a major solution for global health and also climate change. Microbes in healthy soil use plants to pull carbon out of the atmosphere, sequestering it in the earth, exactly what is necessary to reverse global warming.

But more importantly, growing our own food reconnects us with the earth and the cycles of nature, which is fundamental for the health of our bodies.

It doesn’t have to be challenging - buy one punnet of greens or some herbs and put them in your garden or in a pot on your balcony. Water them every day and watch for when they are ready to eat!

If you decide you want to investigate more, my favourite gardening books are: “How to grow more vegetables” by John Jeavons and “The Koanga Garden Guide” by Kay Baxter. The seed companies are considered essential services at this time and so you can order online. Check out Koanga Gardens and Kings Seeds. Koanga Gardens also has some incredible online education resources.

If that all sounds too hard, check out my friends Tina and Arnaud at Branche Landscapes. They are incredible human beings who understand that your garden should be a source of inspiration and health. They can help you get your vege patch going, or transform your garden into a space that nourishes your soul. Being confined in our homes right now, you realise how much the space you inhabit influences your wellbeing.

Pregnancy and Coronavirus

In this moment, my heart goes out to women who are pregnant or preparing to give birth. Even in the best circumstances, this time is vulnerable and full of the unknown. Now let’s throw a global pandemic in the mix… 

While everything may seem scary and overwhelming right now, there are many positives within our current situation, which I have discovered from the medical literature emerging from China.

The first is that COVID-19 doesn’t appear to be transferred to the baby through the placenta. So if a woman contracts the virus while pregnant, the foetus could be affected if she becomes seriously ill and her body goes into organ failure, but the foetus is not dealing with the virus itself. So if you are pregnant, and you contract the virus in a mild way, there will likely be no ill effects to the baby. Similar to catching a normal flu when pregnant, you wouldn’t expect any negative outcomes for the baby. This is a huge positive. 

It’s well known that pregnancy can compromise the immune system.  I’ve been getting a lot of questions asking whether pregnant women are likely to catch the virus and experience more severe symptoms. Again, according to the research coming out of China, the clinical characteristics reported in pregnant women with COVID-19 are similar to those reported for non-pregnant adults with the virus. So the fact you’re pregnant doesn’t appear to increase your risk. Phew. This is great news.

Another question that keeps coming up is whether coronavirus is transmitted through breast milk. It’s not, another win. It is possible for the baby to contract COVID-19 from an infected mother through droplets in the breath, but there are things that can be done to prevent this - hand washing, wearing a face mask and expressing milk.

What can you do?

• So while all that research is really positive, you still want to be doing everything in your power to avoid contracting the virus. Firstly, make sure that you and the members of your household are vigilant with social isolation and hand washing. Send other family members to the supermarket and other essential services, so you limit your possible contact with the infection.

• Ensure you remain in close online contact with friends who are giving birth, or members of your antenatal class. Keep this community strong around you through regular online contact. This can be a fantastic source of information and normality at this time.

• This is the time where we need to look after our nervous systems more than ever. All of us are feeling more fear and anxiety than we would normally experience, and if you are pregnant this is likely to be heightened even further. Some things you can do right now to help calm your nervous system are starting a daily meditation practice and talking to your friends and family about how you are feeling. A problem shared is a problem halved. 

• Please be mindful of not becoming obsessed by the news. This simply heightens our anxiety and won’t change the outcomes for us. You want to be informed and to understand the implications of the virus on you as an individual, but other than that, you want to be logging out of Instagram and chatting to a friend instead. 

• Finally, organise a meeting with your lead maternity carer via online portals. There are currently no international or national recommendations for how to manage Coronavirus in pregnant women, and therefore all decisions will come down to your midwife or obstetrician. Here are some questions you should be considering and discussing with your partner and lead maternity carer. 

  1. In light of the lockdown, should my birth plan change?

  2. In the event that the hospitals are overflowing with cases of Coronavirus, do you recommend an alternative location for giving birth?

  3. If I have an active case of Coronavirus at the time of going into labour, how will you manage my health and the health of the baby?

Now this may seem odd, but try to see this as an incredible time for your baby to arrive in the world. Every individual will be changed by this event, and I have hope that it will bring a greater awareness of our interconnectivity, and therefore the need to look after each other and the planet. It’s a huge opportunity for positive change for us all.

Please don’t hesitate to book an online consultation with me if you’re struggling or have further questions.

Rich Roll and Zach Bush MD: A Pandemic of Possibility

Rich Roll and Zach Bush are two of my heroes.

Rich Roll is a Californian podcaster whose content continues to blow my mind and expand my horizons each time I listen to a new episode.

Zach Bush is an incredible doctor, who has used his vast experience to make connections between what is happening in our environment and what is happening with the health of human beings. He somehow manages to mix cutting edge science with poetic philosophy, to create a beautiful picture of the fundamental connections between cause and effect.

I’m sharing this podcast with you as an opportunity to engage COVID-19 from a different perspective. To truly listen to the wake up call that mother earth is trying to give us, about how we are treating the planet and the decisions that we are making everyday about our health.

Here’s what Rich Roll had to say about this podcast.

“Without minimizing the profound severity of our current situation, I cannot overstate the unique opportunity we are being gifted.

Like an addict’s moment of clarity, the pandemic presents a singular occasion to break the chains of denial that imprison us. A moment to objectively examine that which no longer serves us. The behaviors that repeatedly lead us astray. An economic system that demands constant growth at the cost of the collective good. A political system that preys on fear to divide. A conglomerated food apparatus that foments disease. A pharmaceutical complex that relies upon that disease to create dependency. And and ultimately a collective obsession with ego, power, money, and material consumption that is rapidly eroding our biosphere, degrading our integrity -- and separating us from others, ourselves and our innate divinity.

I aspire that we emerge from this planetary wake up call not as victims, but empowered -- armed with greater clarity to reimagine and actualize a better, more sustainable, purposeful, intentional and fulfilling life experience for ourselves, our loved ones, future generations and frankly the world at large.”

If you find the content of this podcast a little overwhleming, I suggest you listen to Zach Bush talking about how to create a healthy microbiome, which is the very foundation of a kick arse immune system.

Dr Graham Mead: Practical Support in Challenging Times

My friend Graham Mead has had a profound impact on my life with his unique approach to personal development.

In the video below he talks about the internal crisis that is prompted by world events such as these, and offers some practical tools for coping with anxiety.

And a separate video with a breathing technique to settle anxiety and panic.

Free Online Meditation Course

This is a time of unprecedented fear and uncertainty.

At times like these, our nervous system kicks into almost constant “fight or flight”, our minds spin like crazy and panic becomes a state of being.

Never before has it been so important to have a daily practice to calm the nervous system, quieten the mind and ground into the body.

When I talk about meditation with people, the resounding response is: “I’m terrible at meditation! My mind never quietens.” My answer often surprises people. “We’re all terrible at meditation. Some days the mind is an insane schizophrenic. The idea is not that we always find some idyllic state of peace. But that we spend time with what is actually happening in our body, rather than chasing the never-ending barrage of thoughts that our mind produces. It is the interruption of this habit of listening to the crazy mind, that begins to change the unconscious state of our nervous system.”

My friend Dr Graham Mead has profoundly changed the course of my life with his approach to authentic personal development.

He’s created a free online meditation course, available on Youtube, to help introduce new ways of approaching our mind and calming our nervous system.

Check out www.grahammead.com

RECIPE: Daily Flu Tonic

Lots of people have been asking me about what they should be taking to strengthen their immune system. In actual fact, you’re way better off making food your medicine. So rather than popping a pill, consider making this tonic tea from fresh ginger, tumeric, lemon and orange every morning. It’s a rockstar way to begin the day, and give your immunity a serious rev up. It works best before you’ve eaten breakfast, but can be enjoyed at any time of the day.

Daily Flu Tonic

Makes 2 large mugs

Prep time: 5mins

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2tsp of ground tumeric

• 1 heaped tsp of fresh ginger peeled and roughly chopped or 1/2tsp of ground ginger

• 1 small lemon or 1 small lime with rind removed completely

• 1 orange/grapefruit with rind removed completely

• 1 1/2 cups of hot water

• 1tsp coconut oil

• 1-2tsp of honey (manuka if possible) OPTIONAL

• Pinch of cayenne pepper or cracked pepper OPTIONAL

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place ginger, tumeric, lemon, orange, coconut oil, honey and pepper in a blender and blend on high for 30secs until completely liquidised. Beware - the tumeric may stain your blender. Alternatively add it to the blended puree before adding the hot water.

2. Add 1 1/2cups of hot water to the blender and pulse for 10 seconds to mix well.

3. Allow to stand for 10 minutes so the herbs infuse into the water. If you’re time poor you can avoid this step.

4. Enjoy.

Click here for my next article: Dietary advice to prepare for COVID-19

Herbal Prescription to Support Immune Function During COVID-19 Outbreak

I’m a medical herbalist and I usually create herbal prescriptions that are specific to an individual’s health. In light of recent times I’ve been inspired to create a generic formula to strengthen the immune system and warm and nourish the qi of the body, to help combat the threat of coronavirus. My inspiration has come from the following sources:

In the last few days I’ve been analysing lead health journals for Traditional Chinese Medicine. Theses are predominantly articles written by doctors in Wuhan and other affected areas of China, who treat patients using Traditional Chinese Medicine as well as western drugs. In a county hospital in the Henan Province, all health workers were required to take Chinese medicine formulations to fortify their health as they dealt with patients with COVID-19. This makes so much sense to me! Prevention is always more effective than cure. I’ve based my herbal formula on the theory of these formulations, but have instead used western herbs in tincture form.

Secondly, people are running into the health food shops to buy generic anti-viral supplements. The reason why this is largely ineffective is because you should first attend to your diet and lifestyle, before thinking pills will solve the problem. However, if you are going to take anti-viral herbs, it makes sense to choose ones that are formulated specifically to strengthen the body in the areas that coronavirus will target.

From my research, these 5 herbs are my top picks:

Elderberry - a warming immune stimulant proven to have anti-viral activity with influenza

Withania - to calm and nourish the nervous system

Licorice - soothes and protects lung tissue and acts as an anti-asthmatic

Cinammon and Ginger - warming stimulants to nourish the digestion and the energy of the bod

Nettle - is a natural anti-inflammatory helping to remove excess water and damp via the kidneys

Preferably book an online express appointment so we can tailor a formula to your specific health needs and check in about your current state of health. Alternatively, you can drop me an email and I’ll make up these herbs and courier them out to you, or leave them in the clinic letterbox.

Click here for my next article: Supplements to support your immune system during COVID-19 outbreak

Lifestyle Advice to Prepare For COVID-19

Nothing I am going to write here is rocket science - in fact it’s all common sense, which we invariably forget in moments of mass panic and huge fear. Please don’t buy into the idea that the strength of your immune system relies on some fancy herb or fabulous vitamin that costs a fortune. It’s simply not true. Your health is a simple equation: Put petrol in your tank and don’t run your engine excessively.

In regards to COVID-19, the best way you can support yourself is to come back to the fundamentals of good health with a few added extras:

• Get at least 8hrs sleep per night and preferably more if you can. It has been recorded that on average centenarians (people who live past 100yrs) sleep 9 1/2 hrs per night. Take this as fact, if you want your immune system to function optimally you need to allow it to properly rest and repair overnight.

• Drink at least 2L of water per day - but only water at room temperature or warmer (as in non-caffeinated herbal teas). Cold fluids like ice water and smoothies introduce cold into the digestion and the body. COVID-19 will flourish in a body that contains too much cold, so one of the most important ways we can prevent this is to predominantly be drinking warm liquids. If you want to take this one step further, add a slice of ginger to each cup of hot water, which warms and nourishes the digestive energy.

• Ensure your home is warm and dry - an environment that is cold and damp is the easiest way for viruses to spread. Use a dehumidifier in bedrooms and keep windows open to keep fresh air flowing. Don’t skimp on heating this winter.

• Exercise everyday - preferably walking outside in the fresh air for an hour per day. The sunlight and fresh air will strengthen your immune system and the exercise will be absolutely vital to your mental health at this time.

• Look after your mind and your heart - keep yourself occupied, connect with other human beings, and limit your time on devices. Your mental health and the amount of stress in your nervous system will have a huge impact on your immune system.

Click here for my next article: Dietary advice to prepare for COVID-19

Dietary Advice To Prepare For COVID-19

In terms of Chinese Medicine, Coronavirus is a damp and cold infection that invades the lungs. So to counter that, we need to support the body to be warm and dry, and for the lungs to be clear and open.  We can do this by avoiding food groups which are cold, damp and inflammatory. At the same time we increase food groups that warm and dry the body and act as anti-inflammatories.

Foods to avoid:

• DAIRY - Minimise dairy as much as possible, or avoid it altogether. Dairy products create a damp and cold condition in the lungs and the digestive system, predisposing a person to excess mucous formation.  Avoid milk, ice-cream and cheese as much as possible to give your lungs the best possible chance to clear mucous.  Use alternative milks such as almond, oat and coconut milk.

• SUGAR - Minimise refined sugar which is very inflammatory and immediately suppresses your immune system when you consume it.  In terms of strengthening your body to ensure you cope well with COVID-19, the best thing you can do is dramatically reduce your consumption of cakes, biscuits, icecream and soft drinks.  Replace these with dates or fresh fruits instead, but aim to keep these to a minimum as well. Chinese medicine also recommends that you avoid bananas at this time, which are incredibly damp forming in the body, and will not support your digestion or lungs to clear the infection.

• MEAT - Avoid eating too much meat at this time. It is heavy, congesting and your body will have to use vital resource to digest it rather than clearing your immune system.  Minimise your portions and maximise your portions of vegetables instead.

• RAW FOOD - As a rule don’t eat too much raw food. Lots of fruit and cold food won’t serve you right now as the weather gets cooler. Instead opt for nourishing soups and casseroles that warm and sustain you. Avoid cold water and instead consume warm drinks rather than cold smoothies and juices.

Foods to include:

• SALAD GREENS - If possible have one fresh nutrient packed salad per day.  I’m talking a range of greens, carrots, capsicum, tomatoes, cucumber, avocado - the works!  This will be a fantastic source of nutrients that cleanse your digestion and your liver, making your system vital and resistant to infection.

• LOTS OF VEGETABLES - Really, vegetables is where it is at. See if you can include a serving of vegetables with every meal, to crowd out the foods that don’t serve you as much. Vegetables are our best source of phytochemicals that will make our immune systems rock star. If you’re going to do one thing to support your health during this time, make it a serious commitment to vegetables.

• SOUPS AND CASSEROLES - Chinese medicine is very keen on warm and cooked foods, as they help to strengthen the digestive fire, which is vital for strong immune function. Choose to make soups and casseroles rather than salads and smoothies at every meal. The advantage of this type of food is that it is predigested so your gut is more easily able to assimilate nutrients.

• LICORICE TEA - Start drinking licorice tea on a daily basis.   Licorice has been shown in some research to have a positive impact on infections that are similar to COVID-19. My favourite is the Red Seal Black Adder tea.  This herbal combo will warm and dry your digestion.

Click here for my next article: RECIPE: Daily Flu Tonic

Supplements To Support Your Immune System During COVID-19 Outbreak

I can’t stress this enough. The way to look after your immune system is not to pop pills, but instead to be mindful with your diet, your mindset (how much fear are you carrying?) and your lifestyle. When it comes to supplements your best bet is to talk to a naturopath, who can advise you with a plan that is tailored to your specific health needs. But in the interim, if you’re looking for off the shelf supplements, here are my 3 favourite nutrients to help bolster the immune system.

Zinc

There is initial data coming out of China where zinc has been used to support western drugs, with promising results in treating COVID-19. Zinc has also been shown to inhibit coronavirus in vitro. All of this data is very much in it’s initial stages. Either way, zinc aids the activity of white blood cells and increases the antibody response, and is probably quite key at this time.

Take 30g of elemental zinc per day. If using zinc liquid drops - take up to 30drops per day.

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Vitamin C

Our old favourite! Don’t forget you get the most potent vitamin C from green leafy veges, so it’s much more powerful to have at least one serving of them everyday rather than forking out for expensive supplements. But in case you want to pop the pill as well, aim for 1000mg per day. I’m also very fond of the lipospheric vitamin C, which seems to be taken up more easily by the body.

Take 1000mg of vitamin C per day

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B-Vitamins

B-Vitamins are our stress vitamins, and help to regulate energy metabolism in our bodies. What is clear, is that all of us are stressed at this time, and we want to be sure that our energy is rocking and rolling so our immune system can fight this virus. So if you’re feeling slightly below par, consider a bottle of high strength B Complex.

High strength B Complex (contains all of the B Vitamins) - one dose in the morning with food. (Will turn your urine bright orange and can upset the tummy if not taken with food).

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If you would like to get some personalised advice as to the supplements that are best for you to take at this moment, click on the book now button on this site and book an express online consultation.

Click here for my next article: Lifestyle advice to prepare for COVID-19