Did you know that a lot of people have COVID-19, but don’t even know it? That’s because their adaptability to the virus is much stronger than someone who got the virus and got seriously sick from it. When it comes to CV, your health outcomes are directly related to your adaptability to the actual virus. If your internal environment is healthy and flourishing then your chances of being negatively impacted greatly decrease.
The mindset of Western medical doctors typically tends to focus on the germ, meaning they just want to treat the symptoms. But that band-aid approach to health doesn’t teach people how to improve their terrain-the environment within the body. Germs include bacteria, viruses, fungi and all sorts of microbes, and we need these things to live symbiotically in nature.
The Problem With Banishing All Bugs
With the coronavirus, we’re over-sanitizing everything. Walk into any store and you’ll see hand sanitizers. Here’s the thing-many of those are for bacteria AND many of them are also carcinogenic. We’re in a pandemic due to a virus. Sanitizing won’t help a virus at all; if anything it’s going to get rid of the good bacteria, not just getting the bad bacteria.
Getting rid of all the bacteria that are on your hands by using sanitizer is problematic. That’s because the hand sanitizer is going to absorb into the skin. Your skin is your largest organ and that will have a big influence on your gut microbiome-80-90% of your immune system comes from your gut.
We have to change our line of thinking here. We, humans, are also a part of nature, and we need to have a balance with our environment in order for us all to survive and thrive. This is of upmost importance in clinical practice, as we can’t just kill all the germs we think are “bad”. They have a crucial role in the system. Germs are ubiquitous – meaning they are everywhere! There is no avoiding germs, they are often more of a part of us than our own cells are. Microbes are found throughout the human body, mainly on the external and internal surfaces, including the gastrointestinal tract, skin, saliva, oral mucosa, and conjunctiva.
Our immune system develops and grows with introductions to this new bacteria such as new viruses and microbes. Without that exposure, your immune system begins to fail its job and become hyper-reactive and can’t handle even a simple exposure to a common bacteria that’s out there.
We Don’t Keep Our Kids in a Bubble
This is why we don’t raise our children in these bubbles. When kids teethe they put toys in their mouth; when they nurse they get the microbes from Mom’s skin and milk-rich antibodies to help train that early immune system. We are constantly inundated with germs everywhere and on everything!
According to Dr. Mike, you typically see kids who grow up on a farm being healthier than other kids. They don’t have as many incidences of asthma, allergies and other health related issues for example.
In their environment these children are playing in the dirt and the mud, and with animals. These exposures are making them healthier because they’re more resilient to these different microbes that are everywhere and they’re constantly being exposed to them.
It’s Not About the Germ-It’s about the Environment
These days, however, we’re all wearing masks and washing our hands like crazy. We’re staying home and limiting our exposure to a variety of microbes in and around our communities. We’re quarantining the healthy, which makes zero sense. We’re not creating the real herd immunity which is what we need to actually get over this pandemic.
Fortify Your Body’s Defenses
Now for some good news: by supporting the terrain you don’t need to fear the germ. One of the analogies Dr. Mike likes to use is it’s not about the germ-it’s about the individual terrain. “A mosquito is drawn to stagnant water. The mosquito didn’t cause the stagnant water; the mosquito went to the stagnant water and now you have a mosquito problem because there’s standing water everywhere,” he said.
It’s much the same with our bodies; we’re not getting sick because of the germs-we’re getting sick because the germ was stronger than our inner environment. That’s when it causes sickness and disease.
Here are some great ways to strengthen the terrain of your body:
- Get good sleep each night (minimum of 7 hours).
- Take a walk in nature and soak up the sun and fresh air.
- Eat whole nutritious foods that support your body
– Be sure to stay away from food that you’re intolerant or sensitive to. - Supplement where you need to supplement.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Meditate and/or start a gratitude practice to reduce stress.
– Spend less time on social media and on technology, in general. - Workout and/or move your body for a minimum of 20 minutes per day.
– Sweat to detox! - Get adjusted to support your immune system.
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