541-633-4633 | theelementsofhealth.com make sure to get bioflavonoids in the diet. broccoli, red and yellow onions, cherries, and grapes are important sources. the white pulp of citrus (lemons, limes, grapefruit, oranges, tangerines) and bell peppers. include some citrus in the diet by peeling and eating the whole fruit to benefit from the white pith high in bioflavonoids. homemade ginger tea is a wonderful way to benefit from ginger and get more bioflavonoids in your diet. fresh ginger root tea make a pot of tea to have available; it keeps remarkably well. pot of filtered water - from a cup to the whole pot to last the day fresh whole ginger washed well and thinly sliced - experiment to find out how strong you like it citrus sliced and put in whole (tart and full of bioflavonoids!) boil for 5-20 minutes - the longer you boil it, the stronger it gets add a little honey or maple syrup to taste exercise move. take a walk, hike, stretch, yoga, qi gong/tai chi, aerobic exercise, strength train. the key is enough, but not too much. you want to build up, not break down. do something every day. one way you can tell you’re not doing too much exercise is to keep a log of your pulse in the morning. if your pulse jumps up significantly, you may be exercising too hard. overtraining is a very common cause for getting “run down” and getting sick. don’t do it! aerobic base training is moderate exercise for a minimum of 45 minutes. it increases energy efficiency and improves your health including resistance to infection. the heart rate for aerobic base training is calculated from the 180 formula. the will feel too slow to improve your health. stick with it - there is a lot of research behind this approach. you can use walking, swimming, biking, rowing….there are a lot of options for doing aerobic base training. sleep get more than you think you need. a little more and see how you feel. go to bed around 10pm or earlier. you will probably feel better and your immune system will be happy. breathe breathe more deeply and regularly. learn how to breathe in and out through your nose, if you haven’t already. nose breathing provides some protection from infection over mouth breathing. breathe so deeply you can feel your diaphragm move or, better feel the floor of your pelvis move. learn to breath all the way out. doing this gets rid of more of the residual air in your lungs. being engaged self-quarantine/isolation you don’t have to self-quarantine unless you have evidence of being exposed in a way that makes you reasonably certain of becoming infected. the standard period for this is 14 days. if you have contracted the infection, you need to isolate to minimize exposing others for the during of having symptoms - fever, dry, cough, shortness of breath - usually ~14 days. masks are for people with the infection to use so that they aren’t broadcasting the virus from coughing or sneezing. getting outside, taking a walk/walking the dog, answering the door, signing for a delivery… …these are fine. isolation is avoidance of close proximity or prolonged contact. stay engaged. interact as able - phone, screen, email/mail, etc. being out and about and being aware for people who don’t need to self- quarantine or isolate, get out and about! live your live. just be aware. avoid crowds where you end up shoulder to shoulder. you can still go out to eat, work, meet at the coffee shop, and live your life. living in fear won’t help you; living consciously and taking reasonable precautions will. and, wash your hands before you touch you face. be aware when eating or drinking to not touch utensils, cups, glasses, etc. where they will touch your food, drink, or lips. consider washing your hands before eating or drinking when you can reasonably do so. nasal lavage the most effective method for nasal lavage based on clinical experience (35 years in practice) is the neti pot. there are two types of neti pot, a taller version that looks like a teapot and a squat version that looks like an oil lamp (aladdin’s lamp) . the reason the squatter version works better is that it provides more flow pressure. if you’re not able to find this type of neti pot, you can order online. use this method once or twice a day during periods of possible virus exposure for prevention. making the nasal lavage solution use a 16 oz. glass jar with a lid to mix the solution boiled filtered water (chlorine and fluoride free) cooled to lukewarm - 12 ounces 1/8 - 1/4 tsp of celtic sea salt (don’t use commercial salt) 1 drop of tea tree oil put the lid on the jar and shake vigorously to emulsify the tea tree oil note: if the tea tree oil is too strong, you can mix the oil in 12 ounces filtered water, shake to emulsify, pour out half the solution and then refill to 12 ounces. voila! half a drop of tea tree oil. to improve the nasal lavage, add vitamin a, zinc, and iodine to the basic solution. this improves health of the nasal mucosa. the same solution can be used as a solution for gargling. for this protocol, i recommend using the same sources i use in practice - you can get these ingredients by calling the elements of health (541-633-4633) or email. biotics research liquid iodine biotics research aqueous zinc biotics research bio-ae-mulsion note: do not use the liquid iodine if you’re allergic to iodine or have thyroid issues that contraindicate the use of iodine. using the neti pot for nasal lavage position lean over a sink so your head is over the basin. rotate your head to one side and gently insert the spout of the neti pot into the upper nostril so that it forms a comfortable seal. avoid pressing the spout against the “middle”, or septum, of the nose. lavage/irrigation breathing through your mouth, raise the nasal irrigation pot so that the solution enters the upper nostril. the solution will soon drain from the lower nostril. when the nasal pot is empty, exhale through each nostril to clear excess solution and mucus. use a tissue to clear nasal passages. repeat on the other side. neti pot care wash the neti pot after irrigation. always mix the nasal lavage solution as you use it and keep the mixing jar clean and dry before use. mouth washing and gargling gargling with salt water is a known method for decreasing the risk for viral infection and improving outcomes from infection. viral replication is inhibited by salt, epithelial cells have an innate immune mechanism promoted in the presence of salt, and dna, rna, enveloped and non-enveloped viruses are all inhibited in the presence of nacl. for mouth washing solution, you can use the same solution as for the neti pot with the exception of being able to use more salt (~1tsp). when gargling relax your throat and gargle as deeply as can comfortably. aggressively and completely swish the solution around your mouth, teeth, and gums. avoid drinking or eating for a while when done to optimize the benefit. if you have a history of chronic strep infections, tend to having sinusitis and commonly get colds and flu, consider using a specifically designed oral probiotic for a bottle or two to inoculate your mouth, throat, and sinuses with healthy infection- resistant flora. it’s called children’s ent-pro, but don’t let that fool you, i use it more for adults than kids. call the office (541-633- 4633) or email to learn how to buy this oral probiotic. get chiropractic care by improving autonomic nervous system (ans) tone and regulation, chiropractic care supports resistance to infection and resilient response to infection. good ans tone as measured by heart rate variability is considered a measure of survivability nutritional supplementation for prevention cod liver oil (vitamin d) this is an excellent way to support healthy vitamin a and d levels. carlson and nordic naturals are good sources for cod liver oil. these forms come flavored and are easy to take; ~1tb a day for young kids and ~2tb a day for teens and adults. getting tested for vitamin d is a good idea to make sure you’re sufficient. vitamin d deficiency is a critical marker for immune sufficiency. for optimal immune function, it is good to be 50 ng/ml or above. if you have low vitamin d levels, it will take more than the cod liver oil to get the vitamin d levels built up. most of the vitamin d supplements - even prescription forms - aren’t very effective. if you need to raise your vitamin d levels, i recommend biotics research bio-d-mulsion forte. multi-mineral formula supplement zinc (~30mg , selenium (50- 60mcg), and manganese (~2mg). take minerals after meals. it is best to take zinc (~15mg) at lunch and dinner as zinc lowers cortisol - a stress hormone - and improves immune response, generally, and secretory iga, specifically. this effect will balance the circadian rhythm of cortisol and improve sleep and adrenal function, hereby, improving robustness and resistance to infection. vitamin c more isn’t better, unless you do become infected. take ~200-1,000mg a day. it doesn’t need to be an exotic or expensive form. immune support formula this could be a paper in itself, but i’ll “cut to the chase.” my wife and i are taking biotics research bio-immunozyme forte, 1 capsule twice a day, and i’m recommending it for my patients. kids take one a day. it takes care of the minerals and the vitamin c - through professionals/physicians only. available through the office (541-633-4633) or email or through physicians/professionals carrying biotics research products. covid-19 infection selfcare: general the recommendations above for prevention are helpful for you to continue if you become infected - adding isolation, more rest and sleep, staying hydrated, monitoring temperature, and following any specific recommendations by your primary doctor. there are certainly specific treatment and selfcare protocols that go beyond the recommendations herein. however, the specifics will depend on the individual and it would be irresponsible to make recommendations that you might rely upon that wouldn’t be appropriate based your health and specific needs. if you believe you have become become infected with covid-19, contact your primary physician!! here is a flyer from the cdc that directs you what to do if you believe you are infected has directions ion taking and charting temperatures. if you are 50 or older, the risk for complications increases, and more so with each increasing decade of life. it is a good idea to monitor yourself for complications and be able to report useful data to your physician. make sure to have a blood pressure monitor, pulse oximeter, and thermometer - available at pharmacies. keep a daily log of your morning and afternoon temperature, pulse, breathing/respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and blood pressure. update your primary physician if - temperature is 103 degrees or greater (102 degrees or greater with lung/heart disease) breathing rate at rest is 24 or more pulse at rest is consistently 100 or more blood pressure shows a sudden increase or an increasing trend oxygen saturation shows a trend of lower and lower numbers oxygen saturation at rest is 90 or less note: oxygen saturation of 85% or less is a medical emergency and indicates the need for immediate medical attention summary covid-19 is not “just the flu.” it has a significantly higher mortality rate than annual seasonal flu and social isolation and transmission prevention practices/ precautions are warranted. there is, however, much hype and hysteria and, hopefully, this paper will provide you with a reasonable strategy to avoid contracting a covid-19 infection. if you are 50 or older, i strongly urge you to use the ideas in this paper fully. be clear that your risks from contracting the virus are greater and prevention is your most powerful tool to stay safe! may the information in this paper serve you and others. please share it freely. please, too, let me know if you find any errors here that may have been overlooked during editing. my intention is for this paper to be as accurate and useful as possible. yours in health, mark force, dc please say you saw it in the localsguide localsguide communit y newspaper | w w w. localsguide.com 11