I want to write a practical post about what’s happening at the moment and what you can do to strengthen your immune system. There are so many FEAR posts being written that I feel I need to give a practical guide to this topic as a Wellbeing Practitioner. Nothing can prevent this spread unfortunately but you can make smart choices to give you and your loved ones the best chance of getting through this uncertain time. Yes this is serious, yes we need to sensible, yes we need a plan, yes it’s friggin scary, especially if you have loved ones susceptible which most of us do but what will not help is fear. Now let’s be compassionate here I am not judging anyone in fear as I have been dipping in and out these past few weeks so unfortunately it’s hard to avoid it but I choose and you can also CHOOSE FREEDOM. When control is taken away from us we don’t feel safe and it may feel like that at the minute but it doesn’t have to be. Yes we cannot control the future or the past for that matter but what we can control is where we are right now and for most of us WE ARE OK in this moment. Let’s build on that strength and prepare our bodies and minds for what will come and go within. Go deep within yourself and get to know you, spend time with you, love you and that internal integration will filter out helping those around you. Hay house are giving away free ebooks, courses and journals at this time so make the use of the gift of the heart from those around. It just takes one person to hold the space of love and that will then become contagious on a big scale so I say SPREAD LOVE NOT FEAR.
Let’s reframe this for a minute…duality is a REAL thing… Love and anger/ resentment and forgiveness/ black and white/ good and bad/ fear and safety. We actually need one to truly appreciate the other. One of things I have learned over this past year is about LOVE over FEAR. I wanted (no actually craved it) from those around me so much that the exact opposite presented itself because a craving is an unhealthy addiction based on fear that will only attract more of the same. What I really needed to do was find that deep love within and truly love me, warts and all, and then that vibration would emanate from my very being and I would attract that wish I had truly longed for all my life. You see I was focusing too much on outside of me, expecting too much from others when they were really providing this gift of duality so I could really know and experience both. And I had a choice. I didn’t know that I always had a choice, at times I felt truly paralysed in my own fear and grief but slowly through the process of wellbeing and re-discovering me I got there and you can too. I thank those experiences and the people involved now because I have faced fear square in the face I am calm now when many around me are not so I am reaching out and hopefully it helps.
When there is CHAOS around we are not conscious, not aware of a higher power, of that higher consciousness that is available to us which is why I have opened my closed support group The Sunflower Sisterhood up on facebook until 7th April if anyone wants to join as its my group’s 1st birthday on the 8th. I do a weekly energy reading, a weekly hang out with meditation, movement or card readings and a monthly ‘moon zoom’. Please send me a message for more information. Also look out for a special 4.4.4. portal meditation I am doing on Saturday 4th April 2020 on my You Tube Channel to help us enter into new energy and create the life that is available to us right now so please subscribe if you feel called to. .
What I have found in my own life and those of my clients is that we get signs of what to do to be healthy or happier but we miss them because we are unaware that they are signs and we are also so busy we miss them. We want a quick fix without much effort. We want to take that slimming pill and still eat the chocolate or keep taking medication so we avoid doing our part on our own health and wellbeing and sometimes we just follow the sheep because that’s what we have been taught to do. We have been taught to put so much of our life decisions on a physical higher power like the government and doctors and don’t get me wrong they do an amazing job but they can only do so much to help us then we need to help ourselves. We have to let go of blame and go inward reflecting on why you are so triggered. Please understand people are only doing the best they can depending on the tools, beliefs and inner journey they have been on as we all operate at different vibrational levels of consciousness.
Let me ask you this what if awful situation was an invitation to break down the hierarchy that controls us and connect with our own intuition, our own gut feeling about our own lives because that is the most powerful tool we have in our armour, and it’s within us always. It’s just about accessing it.
I believe in a BALANCED (holistic meaning whole) approach to physical and emotional (mindfulness) wellbeing is required here and one will knock the other on it’s head (knocking us out of balance) if both are not adhered to but I do understand it’s not easy as it’s taken me years to master this. A couple of week’s ago I watched my children sing in the local music festival (with many tears in my eyes) and the song from The Jungle Book came on called ‘Bare Necessities’ and the words just vibrated through me. “Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities, forget about your worries and your strife, I mean the bare necessities, old mother natures recipes, that brings the bare necessities of life” so let’s get back to the simple things in life, life has be become too rushed, too materialistic, too much about what this or that person has or does, so reframe this situation and allow it to make you appreciative of the simple things as really that is all that matters and right now and remind yourself YOU ARE SAFE, we have a home, we have our loved ones around us or in another house and we have phones to talk to them and the internet to see them and most of us have toilet roll! The second verse of this song goes like “Wherever I wander, wherever I roam, I couldn’t be fonder of my big home” We are now in local down in the UK, we have to adhere to social distancing of 2 metres but what if we are all just cleansing and clearing our auric field. God bless Boris Johnston, I hope he recovers well like many others who have this V and I thank him for keeping us safe. Use this time wisely to connect with loved ones, read that book ( I literally have about 30 half read), to clear out that cluttered room that you have always wanted to do and please limit social media. We have even been listening to classical music throughout the house and actually talking to each other!
Ok so from a physical point of view statistics show that those with a compromised immune system are highest at risk so lets put a plan in place to address this. I literally started this article weeks ago and it was so mental around here I couldn’t get it finished but better late than never so I’m sure many of you are following this but just in case. Yes keep doing all of the things advised like washing hands, staying in doors if you have flu symptoms but let’s do it from a place of love for yourselves to get healthier and not from a place of fear and that way if you do contract it your body has a greater chance of healing from it quickly.
LOVE ACTION PLAN:
1. Conscious Breath: When we mention love we have to start with the breath (lungs/thymus/heart are right beside each other). Your thymus gland controls your immune system and this sits in the area around our chest near our lungs and heart. This gives us a clue as to where to go next. What was I saying LOVE. That is what our hearts are for ‘feeling love’ but what most of us have done (unknowingly) is to close them because we have been hurt. That is totally understandable, but now we are going to open them a little to flush any unwanted toxins and emotions from this area. We hold lack of forgiveness, hurt, anger, pain, grief in our heart areas without benign aware of it and this can weaken our physical immune system. One of the ways we can do this is through our breath or more specific our CONSCIOUS BREATH. This is breathing in and out of the mouth with a deep sigh on the out breath. The conscious breath bypasses the ego mind’s ability to hold on to energy so that what you are consciously ready to let go of in your mind so that the action created by the conscious breath releases layers of old issues from your cells. Secondly, in TCM (Traditional Chinese medicine) the lungs are connected to the bowels which is the organ of letting go and when you focus on your breath by expanding the lungs you are, in fact, massaging the bowels for release at the same time which is how toxins get released along with carbon dioxide from the breath. Oxygen helps the body absorb vitamins, nutrients and minerals more effectively so as we breathe in this oxygen gets transported in your blood throughout other organs.
2. Diet: I have tested many people in my clinic for food intolerances and the most common ones that come up day in day out are cow’s milk, sugar, yeast, citrus fruits, mushrooms and pork. Anyone with a weakness in the lung or bowel area I would eliminate dairy (or reduce) for a period of time whilst encouraging my client to take a probiotic to heal the gut wall and then if they wanted to add it back in to do so slowly keeping an eye on their symptoms. I was off dairy for years and as a big chocolate lover I really struggled but as I healed my physical and emotional body I can consume it now but I am careful to find a balance which is what I recommend. Here is a tip, whatever you crave the most you need to avoid or reduce. It’s important though that you do it slowly to avoid strong detox symptoms so if you are feeling particularly stressed and drink tea or coffee then reduce this slowly over a week whilst increasing water at the same time. Most of us are very dehydrated and in fact the most common signs of dehydration are headaches, joint pains and tiredness. When we have a dry mouth this is actually a sign that the body is very dehydrated. Just note that for every cup of coffee that you consume your body need that replaced with two cups of water and for every cup of caffeinated tea you need to replace this with one cup so aim for 2.5 litres of water or herbal teas daily to help flush toxins and keep the body healthy. I would also avoid or significantly reduce alcohol at this time as this drastically weakens your immune system. Juicing is powerful to give your cells the most concentrated, live, bioavailable nutrients and antioxidants for your immune system so leave the freezer stuff and get the fresh vegetables stocked up like celery, lemon, ginger and turmeric and even cut these up and freeze them. Leafy greens are a good foundation also and you can buy frozen spinach as a back up. I use turmeric essential oil as this can be hard to get fresh and it comes up in most people’s scans if they are not well. Turmeric is high in antioxidants to protect immune cells from free radical damage and helps support the body against viruses. I also advise taking Pukka Three Tulsi Tea daily to increase your warm water intake and this powerful help will balance adrenals and is well known in other cultures to help the respiratory system. Lastly apple cider vinegar appears to be very powerful to kill toxins in the throat before it reaches the lungs so drink 1 tsp regularly (every hour) if you develop a sore throat with warm water, wedge of lemon, pinch of sea salt and garlic clove if you are brave, I talk a little bit more about this further on.
3. Exercise: I find that the best form of exercise is getting outside in nature…If I feel like running I will, if I feel like walking I will and if I cant be bothered doing any I will just sit in the sun or stand outside and breathe a little. Sunlight triggers the skin’s production of vitamin D which is difficult to get via foods. Low vitamin D levels correlate with a greater risk of respiratory infection. There was a study carried out in 2010 with kids that showed that 1200 IU a day of supplemental vitamin D reduced the risk of the general flu. Moderate exercise is key for a positive immune system response and a temporary boost in the production of macrophages (cells that attack bacteria). Regular exercise strengthens the cardiovascular system improving blood circulation, making it easier for your cells to transport oxygen and other vital nutrients to other cells that need it. The lymphatic system is a major part of your immune system that needs a bit of help and relies on physical movement to distribute immune cells throughout the body through the lymph fluid). Increased lymph flow makes it easier for cells to protect you from infection so movement is key, regular skin brushing and other treatments like massage, reflexology and reiki (energy work). Yoga covers many areas such as deep breathing, movement, relaxation and there are many local teachers have been brave and embraced this whole on line world during this pandemic so please support them.
4. Supplements: Your body cannot absorb most vitamins and supplements on the market due to binding ingredients so yes buying some brands is a waste of money but what I have found through research is that a ‘Food Grade/State’ supplement that the body recognises in part, as food can be absorbed easily so I take these to help keep me and my immune system healthy. My family takes a food grade brand (called Cytoplan) a daily multivitamin, vegan omega capsule and vitamin C (food state as vitamin C is water soluble so we pee it back out again) every morning and magnesium, probiotic (if needed) and essential oils (topically and diffused) every evening. Two of my kids have asthma so I spend about an hour going round all three with their nightly routine and also giving them energy healing on particular areas depending on the child. We are all energy and we all have love running through us particularly for our kids so spend some time checking in with them, rubbing their feet, massaging their hearts and back because they will absorb our fear without us even saying a word. I keep them all in the loop and explain as much as I can to them otherwise they will get confused and make something false up in their own heads as they over hear conversations. Back to the supplements, I recommend a pro and prebiotic so that you are clearing the old bacteria and replacing this with new bacteria but not everyone needs this. If you struggle with bowel movements or have a bloated tummy then yes as 70% of our immune resides in our guts but you can also eat probiotic rich foods and drinks if budget is tight eg kombucha, sauerkraut, sour dough, kimchi and kefir and even make your own. I have SCOBY’s (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast ) here which is what you need to make kombucha if anyone wants one. I have mentioned drinking raw apple cider vinegar(ACV) but make sure it contains ‘the mother’ similar to the SCOBY. Raw ACV is packed full of enzymes and beneficial bacteria that promote intestinal balance. ACV also helps to balance your body’s PH and transition it into a more alkaline state which is crucial for a health immune system response. I literally just take a tbsp every morning but some people like to mix it with warm water and lemon. One of the things I have researched is this thing (I will call it) starts in the throat with most people and warm drinks with vinegar and lemon can help ease things a little before it travels down to the chest.
5. Sleep: simple, free but the most overlooked. When we sleep we heal. I used to suffer from insomnia and it’s only through reducing the stress in my body physically and emotionally by following these protocols that I have became a good sleeper. I find Doterra essential oils have really helped me. I bought them initially for my youngest as she is a little hyper active and struggles to wind her body down at night which was really difficult when she was a baby with two other young children. Literally after the first night putting a diffuser in her room with Serenity and Juniper Berry she slept through the night and that was about 2 years ago now. This coupled with a nightly routine of rubbing lavender around the back of her neck and the souls of her feet or if she is sick I add in oregano, thyme or on guard. For me my husband snores at times so I have found that the Air blend essential oil really helps open his airwaves and I add lavender in also for relaxation purposes. I also take a magnesium supplement each night or have an Epsom salt bath to prepare my body for relaxation and if I don’t do either I get eye twitches or restless legs which can be a sign of low magnesium levels in the body. Sleep resets your entire system and provides an avenue through which we can relieve stress and improve our immune system. I always advise to not watch TV in bed, make your bedroom a sanctuary of calmness with very little clutter around and turn off your phones at night. One of the things I also do is have a notebook at hand beside my bed because for many of us we are busy so when we lie down all our thoughts come racing in to be processed so writing them down to come back to in the morning will clear our heads along with the deep breathing I mentioned at the beginning.
So in summary let’s take the word STRESS and reframe it to keep things simple so that it’s easy to remember in a 6 point action plan.
S – State of mind
T – Time for you
R – Rest & Breathe
E – Exercise
S – Sleep
S – Supplements & sugar free
Useful links:
SUPPLEMENTS
I buy all my food grade supplements from Cytoplan as I have said. You don’t have to buy supplements you can focus on getting essential nutrients from your diet. This is just what works for me as a busy mum of 5 who is not the best in the kitchen.
Personally I take the following:
1. P5P Extra – B Complex with vitamin C with probiotic x 1am
2. Omega 3 vegan x 1am
3. Vitamin C x 1eve (I take this at night as it gets depleted with caffeine or sugar intake)
4. Magnesium 100mg Elemental (NB take 4 times the amount daily if you have magnesium citrate) x 1 eve (I take this at night as it gets depleted with caffeine or sugar intake)
5. Pre & Probiotic x 1 eve
6. In addition I also take Doterra Phytoestrogen complex to balance my hormones as I used to get bad migraines and connected it back to the hormones
7. Other ones I would advise taking if not getting outside would be vitamin D
My children’s protocol is as follows:
1. Multivitamin called Cytoplex for young children from age 4 this is a smaller tablet this is one called Little People x 1 daily
2. Omega 3 vegan x 1am
3. Vitamin C x 1am
4. In the evening they take magnesium (above), doterra oils in their diffusers and massaged onto their chest, spine and feet diluted always with children with Fractionated Coconut Oil which you can get from Amazon.
NB: If anyone is sick or immune system compromised I will add in extra vitamin C and a probiotic at night usually and the anti-viral oils mentioned below.
It honestly if took me a while to believe that these essential oils where like holistic medicine and not just like other essential oils on the market but believe me they are powerful but that’s a whole other post. I have an account with Doterra so I buy them from there and if anyone that wants a bottle I will add it to my order or a cheaper option is I will make them 10ml blend up to try or a 3rd thirdly I recommend if you have a family to set up you own account as the starter kits are really good value. Really just do what work for you and your budget and if anyone is struggling financial I will send some samples out in the post for FREE. If anyone wants more information on this send me a message on facebook or email me info@soulselfmastery.com or have a look at my website
Immune System
• On Guard ‘Protective Blend’ (wild orange, clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus & rosemary). Helps to kill germs and airborne pathogens & boosts immune system
• Air ‘Respiratory Blend’ (laurel, peppermint, eucalyptus, melaleuca, lemon, ravensara & cardamom). Diffuse or massage for anyone with asthma or allergies. Helps ease coughs, congestion, influenza an sinusitis. Rub onto the chest with fractionated coconut oil if breathing is constricted.
• Anti-viral oils: Thyme, Oregano and Melaleuca are added to air or on guard in the diffuser or when massaging the kids feet if their immune system is compromised.
Stress Relief:
• Lavender- properties include sedative, antihistamine, nervine, soothing, antibacterial and regenerative.
• Serenity ‘Restful Blend’ (lavender, cedarwood, ho wood, ylang ylang, marjoram, roman chamomile, vetiver, vanilla and Hawaiian sandalwood)
Amazon:
Fractionated Coconut Oil
Best value so share a box with family. Three Tulsi Herbal Tea Bags (Pack of 4)
Please note that everything I have mentioned here is a natural approach to help strengthen our immune system and ease the stress on our body and minds at this time and is not a guarantee to prevent illness. Always read the label and guidance on any product that you purchase. Thank you for your support as always, god bless & stay safe. Leigh xx