How to Protect Yourself from the Coronavirus and Boost your Immune System

Welcome to my blog and to this article,

Because of the current world situation with the Coronavirus crisis and the fears that it triggers among a lot of the population, I decided that it was important for me to share with you as soon as possible some of the powerful health “hacks” I have personally come across, researched and experimented with in the last 14 years. Some of them can boost the immune system in general, and others are specifically useful against flu viruses. 

Because of the urgency of the situation, I make the choice to publish this article while it is still a work in progress. I shall add to it when I get chances to work on it. 

For those of you who would like to go further than simply reading about these and doing your own research, I am planning to set up a series of zoom sessions to show you how I use some of them and to answer your questions, starting this coming week of March 16. These zoom sessions shall be recorded and available as replays if you cannot attend in person. Send me a message on Whatsapp (+32-485-027-734) if you are interested in joining this live video coaching program.

Please also feel free to ask me your questions and share your personal experience and views in the comment area below. 🙂 

Table of contents

• Why should you listen to me?
• Energy, Prayers, Mantras, Meditation and Laughter
• Possible symbolic meaning of the coronavirus crisis
• Fever
• Quercetine
• Foods that stimulate the production of mucus
• Importance of the Gut Flora
• Fermented Foods
• Vitamin C
• Sea Salt
• Vitamin D
• Amaroli/Urine Therapy
• Clay
• Nose Hygiene
• Fasting
• Natural and man-made electromagnetic fields
• More to come…

Why should you listen to me? 

First, a compulsory legal disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor and this blog is not intended for the purpose of providing medical advice. All information, content, and material of this blog is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.

I shall therefore only share my personal experience (writing “I” and “If I were you, I would…” sentences ) and links to information you can freely find on the internet.

Now that this is out of the way, here is my story and why you should listen to me…

You see, before I was interested in ways to experience more Joy and Happiness in my life, I was more “down-to-earth” and “simply” interested in being as healthy as possible.

It all started 14 years ago, in early 2006. My ex-husband and I had decided that we wanted to have our first child and because my dietary habits were appalling (I was on a see-food diet, as my ex-husband used to say… I see food, and I eat it… 😉 ), I visited a dietitian/nutritionist for the first time to see what I could do to prepare my body for this pregnancy. I still remember the first time I went to an organic store to buy what she had recommended. I was totally lost among unknown products and felt like I was in a different world… 

Around the same time, I visited a local doctor who had me do some blood tests to make sure that my body was indeed ready for a pregnancy. She noticed some problems with thyroid-related anti-bodies in my blood and sent me to a specialist for more tests. I was diagnosed with a thyroid-related auto-immune disease called Hashimoto thyroiditis and immediately put under daily thyroid hormone medication, for the rest of my life, or so I was told. 

Before I got the results of the blood tests, I learned that I was already pregnant. My feeling of elation quickly changed into a traumatic experience when, during the first echography, my obgyn announced to my ex-husband and I that our baby’s heart was not beating… Long story short, I plunged into a deep depression. After a few days off work to recover from the shock, and in the loving company of my ex-husband, I went back to my teaching job and he went back to the US for a few weeks. I was alone in Belgium. Lots of friends but no family.

I could perform in front of my students and colleagues all day long, but then I would collapse and cry in my car on my way home and I would spend the rest of the day home alone watching back-to-back comedies on TV to recover. I already knew back then that laughter was one of the best medicines, so I kept going at it and it did indeed help me through this difficult time, together with the help of my dear friend Concetta, a skilled professional psychologist who treated me with EMDR sessions to recover from this trauma. 

In my belief system (I’m a member of the Baha’i community), the soul of the baby is connected to its physical “body” from the moment of conception, so I chose to honor my baby’s short life and gave him/her a symbolic name : Forest. 

Forest’s death spurred me into a journey of discovery and learning about the human psyche and body. I did everything I could, back then, to recover from this trauma and prepare my body for a new pregnancy, and started to learn gradually more and more about nutrition and alternative medicine. 

Again long story short, a year later, our son Adam was born. This was another powerful motivation to continue to learn. 

Almost 4 years later, at the beginning of 2011, after much learning about health and psychology to accompany Adam in the challenges he had been facing, he had an accident in the school playground and ended up in the emergency room. This was the 2nd time. The experience was so difficult and the circumstances of the accident so linked to his risk-taking behavior that I remember sitting down in front of my computer once we were back home, exhausted and desperate. I googled the words “Why can’t my child behave?” This simple and naive question led me to a new discovery about the effects of food on behavior… this was a true turning point, a quantum leap into the knowledge and experience of the power of the food we ingest. 

Because I wanted to make sure that what I was learning was true and safe, I always cross-referenced the information I found and used it on myself first. And there started my journey back to more of my own physical health and connection with my body. 

9 years later, as I write these lines, I have been off my thyroid medication for more than 6 years (well, when I think about it I believe I have not taken any medication in the past 6 years either), and I know enough about health, nutrition, psychology and energy work to feel totally safe and at ease in the face of today’s Coronavirus crisis, and ready to share some of what I have learned with those of you who are interested. 

There is so much that I can share but I do not know how much time and energy I will find to be in front of my computer to write it down, because I do have other things to do too, you know… ? However, it was important for me to start writing this so that you know that there are natural and proven ways to protect oneself from viruses (including the coronavirus), to get better if we already have symptoms, to boost our immune system, and that you can contact me if you want to learn more than what is written here. 

I shall also repeat what I mentioned above: I am NOT a doctor and this is NOT medical advice. I am simply sharing information about my own experience and I am planning to set up a series of zoom sessions to show you how I use some of the tools I mention in this article and more, and to answer your questions, starting this coming week of March 16. These zoom sessions shall be recorded and available as replays if you cannot attend in person. Send me a message on Whatsapp (+32-485-027-734) if you are interested.

Energy, Prayers, Mantras, Meditation and Laughter

I may lose some of you here. I’m sorry if I do but I do need to say that the most important thing I have learned these last 14 years is that energy is everything and everything is energy. 

What do I mean by that? 

Scientists have already known this for some time… you can read more about quantum physics here: 
Quantum physics made easy | Clear, Simple, no nonsense
Quantum physics | New Scientist

Spiritual traditions have known this for even longer and they use the power of prayer, meditation and mantras (more about his below). 

Apart from believing in a benevolent higher power who guides us, I am very pragmatic and personally like to put as many chances on my side as possible… so I do use prayers, meditation, mantras and laughter extensively. 

Prayers

I personally say this one almost daily and it is written in French on one of the walls in my kitchen:

” Thy name is my healing, O my God, and remembrance of Thee is my remedy. Nearness to Thee is my hope, and love for Thee is my companion. Thy mercy to me is my healing and my succor in both this world and the world to come. Thou, verily, art the All-Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.”  -Baha’u’llah

Here is a musical version

Mantras

Personally, in addition to the daily Baha’i mantra “Allah’u’Abha” (God is the Greatest), I also regularly use Hindu and Bouddhist mantras such as “Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu” (May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all), “Om Mani Padme Hum” (sometimes called the Compassion mantra) et “Om Ma Tri Mu Ye Sa Le Du” (also called mantra of Compassion). 

You can find them easily on youtube. 

Meditation

I meditate daily and often listen to guided meditations. You can find many of them, including some focused on strengthening the immune system on the Soulvana App and Youtube. 

76 Benefits of Meditation and Mindfulness (Scientific Research)

Laughter

The Healing Power of Laughter 

Possible symbolic meaning of the coronavirus crisis

Could this crisis be an invitation to look at which emotions are being triggered within you… fear, sadness, anger, longing, powerlessness… ? In my humble opinion, this is one the most meaningful symbolic opportunities this crisis is giving us. The invitation to reconnect with ourselves and liberate emotional memories that do not serve us any longer. Having the courage to liberate them and their accompanying uncried tears. Clearing and refreshing our bodies, hearts and spirits, so we may have more space for love, joy and happiness, and be more ready, willing and able to contribute in our own way to the betterment of the world.

If you would like more information about how I could help you with this, please have a look at my post How to Detox your Body Naturally.

You can find other possible symbolic meaning of this crisis here:

L’amour au temps du corona

Fever

TCM Home Remedies for Colds & Flu: FEVER is the Body’s FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE
Fever – Myths Versus Facts

In short, from the above links: 

MYTH. All fevers are bad.
FACT. Fevers turn on the body’s immune system. They help the body fight infection. Normal fevers between 100° and 104° F (37.8° – 40° C) are good for sick people.

MYTH. Fevers above 104° F (40° C) are dangerous. They can cause brain damage.
FACT. Fevers with infections don’t cause brain damage. Only temperatures above 108° F (42° C) can cause brain damage. It’s very rare for the body temperature to climb this high. It only happens if the air temperature is very high. An example is a child left in a closed car during hot weather.

Quercetine

Quercetin as an Antiviral Agent
Nature nominee quercetin’s anti‐influenza combat strategy—Demonstrations and remonstrations

“Summary: Nature’s providences are rather the choicest remedies for human health and welfare. One such is quercetin, which is nature’s nominee for cancer cure and recently demonstrated against influenza attack. Quercetin is highly recognized for its anticancer applications. This review emphasizes on yet another gift that this compound has to offer for mankind, which is none other than combating the deadly evasive influenza virus. The chemistry of this natural bioflavonoid and its derivatives and its modus operandi against influenza virus is consolidated into this review. The advancements and achievements made in the anti‐influenza clinical history are also documented. Further, the challenges facing the progress of this compound to emerge as a predominant anti‐influenza drug are discussed, and the future perspective for breaking its limitations through integration with nanoplatforms is envisioned.”

Quercetin: 8 Proven Benefits of This Antioxidant

Foods that stimulate the production of mucus

Gluten-containing food (bread, pasta, pizza, biscuits, etc.) and dairy products stimulate the production of mucus, especially noticeable in the nose, ears, throat and lungs. I rarely consume these, but when I try to prevent or recover from problems related to colds or the flu, I reduce or stop consuming them until the risk is gone. 

Importance of the Gut Flora

More about this soon. In the meanwhile, you will find many interesting Ted talks on the subject, like the one below…

Fermented Food

More about this soon.

Sea Salt

More about this soon.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C for Coronavirus

Vitamine C antwoord op het nieuwe Coronavirus?

Vitamin D

Study confirms vitamin D protects against colds and flu

Amaroli/Urine Therapy

So much scientific research has been done in the past 100 years over the content and use of urine for therapeutic reasons.

However, be aware that this scientific research will rarely be mentioned by some people… there is no profit to be made if people start using urine therapy to take care of themselves… so it is commonly discarded as “folk’s tale”, “non-scientific”, and other adjectives meant to discredit it. In my experience, if I had to choose only two physical remedies/”hacks” from all those I have come across in my life, urine therapy would be the first one. The second one being fasting. Their results are nothing short of miracles… in fact, when you consider everything that happens in our body every single minute of our life, our body is a miracle in itself and these 2 remedies/”hacks” “simply” allow it to do its work in a natural way…

For example, here : The “urine cure”
“A report on urine therapy by Vanderbilt University’s Health Psychology Department says that although small amounts of toxins are found in urine, they are not abundant enough to be harmful to the body, and that, in fact, they may be helpful. Ingesting one’s own urine is a type of auto-inoculation or self-vaccination. Reintroducing these expelled substances in small amounts, they suggest, acts like receiving a vaccine. It creates a positive stimulus of the immune system, giving it the chance to act appropriately and strengthening the patient’s blood by increasing the number of white blood cells.”

And here: Urine therapy through the centuries
“Urine has always interested and attracted the attention of people. It was in fact never considered a waste product of the body but rather as a distilled product selected from the blood and containing useful substances for the care of the body. It was referred to as the “gold of the blood” and “elixir of long life,” indicating its therapeutic potential. This paper reports on the practice of urine therapy since its origin attributed to the Indian culture, and briefly reviews its use through the centuries and different cultures and traditions. Records from the Egyptians to Jews, Greeks, Romans and from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance testify to the practice of urine therapy–a practice that continues to be found in more recent times, from the 18th century to the present. Experiences with the practice of urine therapy have even been discussed and shared recently in 2 different conferences: in 1996 in India and in 1999 in Germany, where people from different countries shared and presented their own research on urine therapy. “

Here are a few good books on the subject (Amazon affiliate links):

The water of life : a treatise on urine therapy

Your own perfect medicine  (with a list of and summary of main scientific research)

Clay

More about this soon.

Nose hygiene

More about this soon.

Fasting

More about this soon.

Natural and man-made electromagnetic fields

More about this soon.

Conclusion

There is so much we can do to boost our immune system and protect ourselves from the coronavirus and any other virus, for that matter. Let’s be open-minded, curious, cautious, and empowered. 

As I mentioned in the paragraph about the possible symbolic meanings of all this, I would also invite you to see this crisis as an invitation to look at which emotions are being triggered within you… fear, sadness, anger, longing, powerlessness… ? In my humble opinion, this is one the most meaningful opportunity this crisis is giving us. The invitation to reconnect with ourselves and liberate emotional memories that do not serve us any longer. Having the courage to liberate them and their accompanying uncried tears. Clearing and refreshing our bodies, hearts and spirits, so we may have more space for love, joy and happiness, and be more ready, willing and able to contribute in our own way to the betterment of the world.

Again, if you would like more information about how I could help you with this, please have a look at my post How to Detox your Body Naturally.

To our Joy and Happiness, and to our Health,

Nathalie