If you do come down with COVID, please just remember that there is so much I can do to help, if you need it!

But, what I want to talk about today is the question I’ve been asked more often recently. What do you do if you’ve been around someone who then finds out that they either test positive or become symptomatic?

First and foremost, don’t panic. Many many people I’ve talked to have been exposed, and never develop symptoms. And, if you do, just remember naturopathic medicine has so much to offer to help.

Secondly, you don’t really need to do anything, except quarantine yourself, and make certain you aren’t accidentally exposing someone else the way you may have been exposed.

Third, if your immune system is a little compromised, or you worry about your lungs, there are 3 simple precautions you could take.

1. Use your Neti-Pot (or get one :-) ).
Not only can this clear out any “bugs”, but it helps stimulate the little cilia inside your nasal passages, that move mucus along, and prevent new bugs from getting into your sinuses and lungs.

2. Increase your Vitamin C.
Interestingly, you will be able to take a certain amount of vitamin C before it affects your digestion, and causes loose bowels. When you are getting sick or actually are sick, you can often tolerate 5-8 times as much Vitamin C, before it affects your bowels. This is because your immune system is using it up, to fight off the bug. So, I recommend taking a little more until it just starts to cause loose stool, then back off a bit. When the threat of the illness has passed, you won’t be able to tolerate as much, so simply back your dose down, or stop for at least a few days.

3. As you have hopefully seen in my last blog post, or in the news, Vitamin D is incredibly helpful, so make sure you are taking yours!
(Click Here if You Missed that Post)

Hi Everybody,

Interesting news? A study just came out that supports everything I believe about Vitamin D is helpful for your immune system!

In the study, they showed a few things:

1. A MUCH higher percentage of patients with severe COVID has low Vitamin D when compared to those with mild cases.
2. Low Vitamin D was correlated with higher rates of hospitalization and mortality
3. But low vitamin D did not increase a person’s risk of getting COVID.

AND, the study used a level of 20ng/ml as the “low” mark!!!

Some of you know this from years of working with me, but in my mind, 20 is not just “low”, it is EXTREMELY low. I think 60-80 is actually healthy, and that is what I strive for.

Vitamin D could be helping with COVID in a few different ways. It could be it’s anti-inflammatory effects, and it could be it’s immune-enhancing effects.

Personally, I think it’s both.

Food for thought, but Vitamin D levels tend to drop in the darker months of the year. We need sunlight for our bodies to make vitamin D, so when we don’t have as much sunlight, nor spend as much time in it, our levels drop.

Our levels also drop when we have more stress. I think of it as if we are using it up because our bodies are using it to help us counteract stress.

Just curious to me, that during these darker, more stressful months, the numbers of COVID infections are skyrocketing.

So, this is great news because these are things you can do something about!!!

If you haven’t done it lately, consider getting your Vitamin D levels checked!

If it is helpful, here is a blog I wrote on ways to naturally get more Vitamin D:-)

And, do something to give yourself a break this holiday season. Take a bath. Read a book. Go for a walk or hike. Play cards with your kids. Sit on the floor with your dog. Cook your food with patience and love. Take slow breaths. And, hug whoever is in your inner circle!!!

Thinking of you all, and wishing you a safe holiday season!
Dr. Cari

This is crazy. As if we didn’t have enough to think and worry about, this smoke is unprecedented.

Up in Washington, and likely other coastal areas, there has also been fog which makes it seem like the air is a little better, but please still be careful. Those smoke particles are still in the air and in the moisture.

I feel like I am writing this every year now-a-days, which stinks, but here are a few more tips on how to protect yourself when the air is so horrible.

1. The basics.

** Drink lots of water.

** Stay inside and run whatever air filter or air conditioner you have available.

2. Support your lungs.

** If you have a nebulizer, use it!!! 

OR, If you just feel like you need the extra support, get one!! 

** You can just use saline to keep your lungs hydrated and to help them flush out those toxins.

** You can also use Glutathione if your lungs need a little more support/healing.

This is simply a potent antioxidant that is amazing at helping lung tissue heal.

I only use the sterile, injectable form of glutathione in a nebulizer, so if you feel like you need this, just give my office a call and we’ll get it to you!

** NAC – this is something you can take orally that I talked about for keeping your lungs healthy when thinking about COVID. It can be incredibly helpful during the smoke too!!

** Curcumin – this is the active ingredient in Turmeric, and it’s anti-inflammatory properties are wonderfully helpful when the air is so inflammatory.

3. Use what you have!

** Since we all have masks, you can use them to help right now. Not only by wearing them, but try getting your mask wet, and sprinkling a few drops of peppermint essential oil inside. Breathing the moist, fresh-smelling air is incredibly refreshing.

** You can wear the wet mask if you have to go outside, to help stop those smoke particles from getting into your lungs.

*** Note this is NOT to protect from COVID, only from smoke. So, don’t wear a wet mask around other people, only if you need to go outside.

** Steams!! Boil some water, pour it into a bowl, cover your head and the bowl with a towel, and breath in the steam. You can also add a couple of drops of almost any essential oil. Pick one you like :-)

Please stay safe!! And let me know if you feel like you need more help!!

Dr. Cari

What are you doing to celebrate?

It’s definitely an interesting year, as some say Mother Earth is recuperating. You’ve seen the stories. Dolphins are returning to the clear water in the canals in Italy. The pollution rates plummets in major cities allowing clear views. 

Closer to home (and, yes, really really close to home ;-) ), we can still have an impact. 

Are you doing an art project with the leaves you gather around your home?

Planting a tree?

Starting a vegetable garden?

Recycling more?

Making sure you turn off lights you aren’t using?

Making the pudding that looks like dirt, with gummy worms in it?

No matter what, I want you to know we are thinking about you and wish you a wonderful day!

Up in Washington, our schools are got closed for at least 6 weeks, and I know we aren’t the first, nor will we be the last. 

It’s all very interesting for me to watch. Some people are panicking, overwhelming our stores and our hospitals. Some people are ignoring the fact that there is any risk, so are changing nothing about their habits. Others are calmly and carefully taking precautions and being proactive.

I just wanted to check in and remind you of a few things:

#1 BE SMART

1. 1. Washing your hands with soap FAR supersedes the effectiveness of hand sanitizer. And, using hand sanitizer FAR supersedes doing nothing.

***Interesting fact – in a study on preventing Influenza A, hand washing out-performed the vaccine. I am only telling you this to drive home the fact that washing your hands is WAY more important than you can imagine! And, now I’ll be quiet about that ;-)

0. 2. Do NOT believe anyone who tells you they have a cure. There is always someone willing to take advantage of people in times like this. If you read something, or hear something and you want to run it by me, PLEASE do!
   3. Naturopathic Medicine DOES have amazing things that are anti-viral and immune-boosting that can be incredibly helpful.

#2 BE HELPFUL

1. 1. If you have mild symptoms, please take care of yourself and stay home! Our hospitals are already having difficulties managing serious cases. Rushing in because you have a cough will only make things worse! Call me, or the nurse hotline if you are not sure whether you should go in
   2. While we are still learning about the transmission of the virus, we know for certain that you CAN spread this virus, when you have NO symptoms. Keeping your social distance is only partly about protecting you. If you have a strong immune system, though, distance is more about protecting the people who don’t.

***Help where you can! We have asked my in-laws not to go to the stores any more. We will do their shopping for them, protect ourselves, and deliver what they need, while maintaining a bit more distance so as not to expose them unknowingly.

#3 BE PROACTIVE

1. 1. Support your immune system!
      1. Drink Water!!! Simple, yet effective
      2. Avoid, or at least lessen, alcohol intake
      3. Minimize sugar
      4. Eat colorful foods to get your antioxidants!
      5. If you feel like you need an extra boost, consider:
         1. Vitamin A
         2. Vitamin D
         3. Vitamin C
         4. NAC

****All of these have immune boosting properties, help to support lung tissue, or have anti-viral activities. (As I said above, nothing has been proven to kill

2.  Don’t let stress get the better of you!!!

Stress can have a significantly negative impact on your immune system.

What can you do to de-stress?

**take a walk?

**listen to an uplifting podcast?

**take a bath?

**learn something you’ve always wanted to learn?

**just breathe?

What works for YOU?

AND, if you need it, make sure you take your adrenal support.

Adrenal Essense is becoming one of my new favorites. It’s gentle, supportive, yet effective!

 ***I’m purposely not putting up dosing information because NOT everyone needs all of these things!

And, most of all, please be safe!!!

Coronavirus

want to catch. That said, there is also no reason to panic! 

Knowledge is power, so let’s make sure we all know what we are talking about, and how we can keep ourselves healthy.

The Coronavirus Disease of 2019, now affectionately called COVID-19, started with an outbreak in China, and as of today (2.26.20) there have been 14 cases in the US.

Here is a brief rundown of what you should know:

1. 1. The actual virus has been named SARS-CoV2
   2. It is a respiratory virus
   3. It is spread by respiratory droplets, as when someone sneezes or coughs. These droplets then need to get into you via your mouth or nose.
   4. It is possible to be spread by touching a surface that has the virus on it, although this is not it’s main way of spreading
   5. People are most contagious when they are most symptomatic, although there is the possibility of being contagious with few symptoms

You can be proactive in preventing it!

1. 1. WASH YOUR HANDS – I know this is so simple, but you can prevent SO many illness, just by getting those little bugs off of you.
   2. Drink water, avoid sugar, and eat your vegetables!  Keep your immune system working well by giving it what it needs, and avoiding the things that knock it down unnecessarily.
   3. Be careful when traveling on a plane! Take extra Vitamin C, avoid people who are coughing, and maybe even wear a mask.
   4. If you feel like you are getting sick, or want to have something on hand, you can always take anti-viral supplements. Here are some of my favorites:
      1. V-Clear – homeopathic that is easy to take, and great for anyone who doesn’t want to take another pill. Also great for kids
      2. Biocidin – this is an amazing, all-around, “bug-killer”. It can be taken orally, or even put into a 
      3. Olivirex or OliveDefense – My favorite ‘anti-virals’. You can start taking them the minute you feel symptoms coming on, and head them off at the pass!

Of course, if you have other questions, please let me know!

In the meantime, let’s stay healthy!!!

Naturopathic medicine recognizes an inherent self-healing process in people that is ordered and intelligent. Naturopathic physicians act to identify and remove obstacles to healing and recovery, and to facilitate and augment this inherent self-healing process

2. Tolle Causam – Treat the Cause

The naturopathic physician seeks to identify and remove the underlying causes of illness rather than to merely eliminate or suppress symptoms.

3. Primum Non Nocere – First Do No Harm

Naturopathic physicians follow three guidelines to avoid harming the patient:

• • Utilize methods and medicinal substances which minimize the risk of harmful side effects, using the least force necessary to diagnose and treat;
  • Avoid when possible the harmful suppression of symptoms; and acknowledge, respect, and work with individuals’ self-healing process.

4. Docere – Doctor as Teacher

Naturopathic physicians treat each patient by taking into account individual physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, social, and other factors. Since total health also includes spiritual health, naturopathic physicians encourage individuals to pursue their personal spiritual development

5. Prevention

Naturopathic physicians emphasize the prevention of disease by assessing risk factors, heredity and susceptibility to disease, and by making appropriate interventions in partnership with their patients to prevent illness.