Mindful Monday - May 18th
A reminder our clinics are still open, so please contact us if you’re in need of help.
Hi everyone,
I’ve always been a fan of the handshake, the man-hug or the reassuring hand on the shoulder. It’s probably due to my work as a chiropractor for 25 years – touch is just part of my daily life. It’s also why I can’t wait to get back to life as we have been used to living it; yes, possibly with a few tweaks, but bring back some kind of normality!
However, after speaking to our remote reception team, I understand not everyone may feel this way.
After isolating ourselves for several weeks to protect ourselves and those around us, it’s perfectly normal to feel some kind of hesitation towards a return to the outside world. In order for us all to be ready, I thought it would be good to discuss some science to allow us to better understand this:
What is a virus? How does our body react to it? What else can we do to be extra resistant? What does life look like on the other side?
The information below, although quite in-depth, will hopefully be useful in helping to prepare yourself mentally as we start looking to come out on the other side of this.
A virus is a half-alive zombie like object that has some elements of a cell and some elements of a simple particle. It cannot exist for long without a host. It is not like a piranha (or a Walking Dead), lurking in every nook and cranny, poised to eat our flesh. Viruses are “microscopic parasites, generally much smaller than bacteria. They lack the capacity to thrive and reproduce outside of a host body.”
A virus can easily be removed from your external system by washing your hands regularly. The chances of you inhaling droplets of virus in normal social interaction is low. Even if you do, the chances of a virus replicating is even lower. Remember all those crowded bars/nightclubs, concerts, hot yoga classes and tube rides you’ve made over the years? We’ve been able to do this because the risks are so low and our immune response is rapid. Yes, C-19 has a higher rate of transfer than some viruses, potentially more severe symptoms, and yes, occasionally we did get the flu or a common cold in previous years, but the odds will ever be in our favour with our body operating efficiently at fighting any invader.
Our immune system is AMAZING! If a virus does start replicating in our lungs, we have the response nailed, as we have done for centuries.Parents will tell you kids under the age of two always have snotty, runny noses. This is their immune system developing and learning about their new environment and how to combat it. When the child has built up a bank of antibodies, they are better prepared to fight the viral challenges and the snotty nose dries up.
Now, let’s look at the specifics of an immune response. Not to scare you, but to help you understand and remind you how it works.
Viruses typically attack us in three phases: viral replication, immune reaction and, if things get out of hand, you can end up with pulmonary (lung) damage. In the early days of a viral infection (like C-19), the virus invades human lung cells after gaining entrance via inhalation or mucus membranes on our faces. Those lung cells come in two classes: ones that make mucus and ones with hair-like batons called cilia. Mucus, though gross when outside the body, helps protect lung tissue from pathogens and makes sure your breathing organ doesn’t dry out. The cilia cells beat around the mucus, clearing out debris like pollen or viruses. This is a normal, everyday process that mostly goes unnoticed (yes, we swallow most of it!).
Phase two and the immune system kicks in, aroused by the presence of a viral invader. Our bodies step up to fight the disease by flooding the lungs with immune cells to clear away the damage and repair the lung tissue. If phase two is effective, we recover. If not, we enter the third phase – lung damage continues to build, which can result in more advanced lung tissue damage and clogging of the airways.
Most viral infections happen without us being conscious of there being an invasion. Some give us a cough, as the cilia cells need help to remove the mucus produced as part of the protective immune response.
It’s important to know that it’s the autonomic nervous system that controls your immune response. Here is a simple breathing exercise from Dr Andrew Huberman that will directly affect your nervous system and hence your immune response (listen from minute 29 for the good stuff). Dr Andrew details why inhaling twice through your nose and then exhaling through your mouth can calm you instantly. “It immediately balances the ratio of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the lungs and bloodstream properly, and it triggers activation of the sighing neurons, which have a direct and fast route to what we’re calling the calming circuit (the parasympathetic arm of the autonomic nervous system).”
What else can we do to boost your immune function? Here are five important things that can improve your immune response.
Good sleep – Doc Bridget has written a blog post on how you can improve your sleep hygiene to get the best night’s rest possible.
Good nutrition – eat a balanced diet with an abundance of fruit and vegetables.
Regular exercise – regular, moderate intensity exercise is key, plus the endorphins released during a workout aid with sleep and stress.
Stillness – breathing, meditation or gratitude (or all three). Check out this post on WHOOP for other mindful immune amplifiers.
Manage any health and stress challenges – take a look at Doc Anthea’s blog on cultivating control and Bridget’s blog on how to calm the sympathetic nervous system.
Ami-Bree has also written a blog post expanding on these ways to strengthen your immune system, plus a few more.
Much to our dismay, the official worldwide guideline on chiropractic is that there is no research to prove it can improve your immune response. However, given its track record of helping nerve-related problems and decreasing stress generally, it certainly does a great job of helping your autonomic nervous system, and it’s not too much of a stretch to think there is some benefit of attending your local chiropractor.
Remember, we’ve dealt with many viruses before this, and we will be able to again. But, for now, we do need to stay safe and distance ourselves – we should be physical distancing rather than social distancing, as non-physical social interaction is still vital for our mental and immune health. It’s important to remember the reason behind distancing is to prevent our incredible NHS from being overloaded, not just to lessen the risk of us getting the virus.
Like many people, I can’t wait for my first pint poured from the tap, in a busy pub, into a (maybe not perfectly clean) glass. I look forward to a big hug from my children after they’ve been playing in the school yard and return hot and grubby (or my sweaty, lycra-clad Nuun teammates!). I certainly can’t wait for the social group gathered around a large restaurant table, sharing stories dishes, and eating from restaurant crockery and cutlery (also possibly not perfectly clean).
In the meantime, I’m grateful for the extra time I get with my family and being able to do those things we didn’t prioritise before. Grateful for still being able to ride my bike on much quieter roads, for the lack of flights overhead, for actually being able to see stars in the sky at night, and for hearing more birds chirping than I can ever remember.
It is true, there are things that many of us won’t want to give up when life goes back to ‘normal’. Therefore, I believe the future will have an increased focus on health and life, over success and money. My nervous system will be primed, my immune system ready and my life will again resemble balance. How will yours look?
Have a great week,
Craig
P.S. Congratulations if you made it to the bottom of this epic post! Your reward is watching Hafthor Bjornsson (“The Mountain” in Game of Thrones) break a deadlift world record by lifting 501kg.