I like to think that when we hunker down in our homes, we are activating our survival circuit and boosting our longevity. The pause in our social routines is giving our over-stressed post Industrial Revolution ecosystems a much needed break.

Stores run out of toilet paper? Use what you have. You can turn old clothes, towels, sheets, whatever you don’t use, and cut them into scrap pieces. And when we emerge from this global hibernation, let’s be more thoughtful of what we buy. Let’s not buy toilet paper made from old forests. Let’s make things run more efficiently. Let’s get recycling up and running here in the states. Waste by definition is not efficient.

Stores run out of food? Eat less. Fast one meal a day. Use up the unused ingredients stuffed into the back of the cupboards. And don’t eat late at night, which is a dangerous habit that can lead to Alzheimer’s, according to Dr. Dale Bredesen, author of End of Alzheimers. Eating late at night does not give the body a chance to “induce autophagy and remove accumulating amyloid and various damaged protein debris.” Autophagy is a word that keeps coming up in the health and longevity literature. Dr. Sinclair describes autophagy as a metabolic process which digests old proteins and reuses cellular components. This global social quarantine is a form of planetary autophagy, in my opinion.

In the meantime, breathe through the nose and use the diaphragm to pull air into the lower lungs. Nasal breathing warms/humidifies air, filters germs, and creates nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is produced inside the nasal cavity and the lining of the thousands of miles of blood vessels throughout the body. It plays an important role in opening and closing of the lungs and blood vessels, writes Patrick McKeown in The Oxygen Advantage.

Gargle with warm saltwater. Drink lots of water, about 1/2 oz per lb of body weight.

Avoid sugary foods and drinks. Sugar lowers immune system by 50%, writes Dr. Elisa Song, a holistic pediatrician in her blog Top Ways to Boost Your Child’s Immune System. Blood shows lab evidence of a lowered immune system within 30 minutes of eating simple sugars (like glucose, refined sugar, and fructose), and causes a 50% reduction in your white blood cells’ abilities to kill germs. White blood cells are our “army” cells that fight off germs.  This effect is most noticeable 2 hours after ingestion, but is still present 5 hours later! And to echo a yoga/meditation teacher friend Marguerite B, it’s no coincidence that flu season kicks into high gear during Halloween and the holidays.

We will get through this. And when we’re on the other side of this, I hope we are kinder, more loving, more efficient, and more resilient.

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