Nourishing the immune system during the pandemic (no recipes)

First, I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to all the people whose loved ones have been effected by this virus. May God be with them.

People react to crisis differently. Some people start to hide, others worry about the stock market and then there are those who want to help others. So I’m in the third group and have been thinking to write about what to do during this pandemic. I’ve been contemplating to write this blog for at least a month so here I go finally. I know my blog is all about food in general but after all I don’t have a boss who tells me what I can do. I really would not want to offend anybody or push ideas on others but I’m hoping my writing will help someone.

We are experiencing something new, a game changer for sure these days. I feel it is quite an interesting phenomena that we are all doing the same thing. It is hard to believe that we are dealing with the same issues on the entire Earth but at the same time it is a bit eery that the whole world is in a lock down …

There has been an interesting phenomena since people have heard about the pandemic … the toilet paper shortage…  What is the deal with toilet paper especially that the virus does not necessary cause diarrhea? … and it is not just the Virgos who are doing it. This got the attention of many psychologists too. Here is my take on it …. People got so scared and wanted to do something, just anything to protect themselves. In fear, people started running to the stores buying toilet papers.

So I would like to write a blog on what people could do in addition to buying toilet papers and now this leads me back to the original mission of my blog …  using natural foods to stay well and be happy. I would like to take the opportunity to do a blog on what to do for the immune system at an energetic level. 

But before I do that, let’s talk about the nature of this virus quickly. From an energetic perspective, it is a cold virus that is capable of causing dampness that can lead to toxicity. So what does this mean? Natural Medicine differentiates conditions based on their nature: cold, hot, damp, dry. This is a cold disease that is capable of injuring the warm loving organs the lungs and the spleen. If they don’t work properly, fluids can accumulate so there can be wheezing, shortness of breath, digestion problems, loose stools, vomiting etc. In the third stage, accumulated fluids can start becoming toxic. So keeping the lungs and the digestive system healthy would be crucial for a strong immune system. This is based on the reports of Chinese doctors who had treated people with the virus.

So let’s get back to the topic of this post, the immune system.

What is the immune system?

Western and Chinese Medicine have different understandings of what the Immune system is.

We can all agree that it is the body’s mechanism to defend against foreign bodies. I will focus on the Chinese medicine’s understanding of the immune system.

According to Ancient Chinese Medicine, the defense system of the body consists of two parts, one being the external and the second being the internal. I will discuss here the internal aspect. The immune system comprise of the lungs and the skin and their functions and are called the Wei Qi. They are the organs of first line of defense that are in contact with the outside world.

But what do you do to keep it healthy?

Just for the records, currently, modern medicine does not understand how to keep the immune system healthy. So let’s turn to ancient medicine to find out what we can do at an energetic level.

In Natural Medicine everything is connected in our body. The food we eat and the air we breath in support our Wei Qi. Furthermore, healthy kidneys support the lungs and are important to move energy. Then the healthy liver removes the toxins from the body and moves the Qi, energy. Of course, if our Qi is not moving efficiently, things can stagnate. Our mental state can influence this entire process, too. A healthy body and mind with a strong immune system is more capable to deal with foreign bodies.

So what can we do?

1. Relax! Honestly the best thing to do is to stay calm. Try not to panic. If you are stressed, the body cannot work properly. Do things that you enjoy, reading, hiking, dancing etc. Of course, meditation is always great. Fear may effect our kidneys negatively. A fear ridden kidney will not be able to support the rest of the body and we will not be able to war off pathogens as well as a healthy body should. Not to mention that we do things that we later will regret.
2. A very important factor for a strong Immune System is to keep our our Digestive Fire strong. In general, a strong and balanced Digestive Fire is essential for good health. It gives energy and heat for breaking down food, absorbing nutrients, and aids in removing toxins. If impaired we can see poor digestion and toxins accumulating. Poorly functioning digestive Fire can result in Dampness accumulation. Signs of poorly functioning Digestive Fire are watery stools, undigested foods in the stools, cold hands and feet, clear urine, pallor. To support the Digestive Fire, include ginger (fresh or dried), small amount of cayenne pepper, black pepper corn, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, warm cooked foods, and pungent vegetables in the diet (1,2).
3. Fresh air. The quality of the air we breath in is super important for the lungs. Honestly this is a must. The quality of the Wei Qi greatly depends on the air we breath in.
4. Exercise! Exercise makes your lungs work harder. The fresh oxygen is the greatest for the lungs. Try to go outside as much as you can. I see so many more people walking outside than before.
5. Eat with the seasons! It seems like this virus has made a lot of people start cooking and eating healthy. Try to eat with the seasons and your constitution. Please, check my blogs on the lungs (Metal element) and the spleen (Earth element). Avoid greasy, toxic and over-processed foods. Limit dairy and sweets if you tend to have dampness issues like shortness of breath, cough with sputum, edema, gain weight easily. Remember we are in the spring season (Wood element) and are trying to nourish our lungs and digestion. All the carminative kitchen spices for digestion (ginger, caraway seeds, rosemary, thyme, lovage, cumin, fennel) and pungent spices (horse radish, raw turnips, cinnamon, garlic, onions) are great. Foods that help drain, transport dampness are moong beans, asparagus and cranberry juice. Don’t forget the fermented foods to keep the digestive tracts healthy. All my recipes are supposed to nourish the immune system but the best foods for now would be the ones that I have posted in the past 6 weeks.
6. Stay hydrated! Drink lots of water.
7. Sleep! Make sure you get as much sleep as your body needs.
8. Just like with any upper respiratory problem, nourishing the immune system is important. Taking immune system remedies is great but it is also important to deal with individual issues. Herbs like Astragulus and Calendula have traditionally used to support the immune system.
9. Help people in need. This will give an immense boost to the Heart and the Shen, the spiritual layer of our being. Like I said before, everything is connected in our body.

Of course, none of these recommendations will kill the virus but that is not the goal of Natural Medicine anyway. According to Chinese Medicine, nourishing the immune system in general is important for staying healthy. The ancient Chinese work called Shang Han Lun (around 200 AD) is of significant interest. It discusses cold diseases and is one of the greatest contributions to the world of Natural Medicine. It was composed by Zhang Zhong Jing (142-220 AD). He lost many members of his family during the great epidemics of the time. It was the first clinical manual to systematically describe the pathology of diseases. It also detailed the treatment of diseases caused by invasion of exterior pathogenic factors. In addition, the theories and the formulas extend beyond exterior invasions. They are applied every day for cases without an exterior invasion. Historically, Shang Han Lun’s principles resemble the work of the famous Greek physician, Hippocrates. I wanted to make this connection known.

Hippocrates (460-370 BC) is known today as the Father of Medicine. He lived through one of the worst epidemics of our humanity, the Plague of Athens (430-426 BC). He contributed a great deal to Natural Medicine as well. He observed how diseases progressed in different people. He concluded, “It is far more important to know what person has the disease than what disease the person has.” He recognized the crucial role the immune system played in recovery. People’s constitution was also vital during the epidemics. His great contribution to everyday diet was the addition of the valuable carminative (digestive) herbs that are today known as kitchen spices (garlic, onions, hot peppers, cinnamon, ginger, caraway seeds, oregano, rosemary, thyme, lovage, cumin, fennel). He saw that digestion was crucial for good health and wanted to make sure people would incorporated these herbs on a daily basis. 

DISCLAIMER. Please, note that these are recommendations for nourishing the immune system on an energetic level and are not a replacement for medical care from a physician. Also these recommendations are no way a guarantee so you can avoid getting the virus.

Stay healthy!

Sources:

Text, pictures by twincitiesherbs.com.