To protect your family naturally during this time of concern over the Coronavirus, there are many things that you can do to stay healthy and safeguard your loved ones. Some of these are to practice stringent hygiene, get a good night’s rest, eat quality natural foods, take high-quality supplements and stay away from crowded places. These things can boost your immune system, which creates a safety net against falling ill from the virus.

Practicing Good Hygiene:

As doctors and health care professionals have been advising; wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water. Standard practice of good hand washing is to wet your hands, apply the soap, turn off the water (to conserve water) and sing the Happy Birthday song twice while you suds your hands, front and back and thumbs. Then rinse well and dry. If your hands get dry from all the washing, simply keep some moisturizing hand lotion with you.

• Wash your hands often or use hand-sanitizer with 60% alcohol
• Cough into a tissue or your elbow (not your hand) and dispose of the tissue
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, mouth or ears with unwashed hands
• Avoid contact with people whom appear sick, and stay home when you are sick
• Avoid shaking hands at this time, just like you do when you have a cold
• If you can hold your breath for 10 seconds, and exhale with no issues, you have clear lungs
• Recipe to make your own hand sanitizer: 2/3 cup 60-99% rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) 1/3 cup aloe vera gel, 8 to 10 drops essential oil (optional) of Eucalyptus, Lavender, Lemon, Rosemary, Oregano and Tea Tree Oil are great options. Simply mix all ingredients and pour into a spray bottle container, spray hands as needed. Nothing could be easier!

It’s also recommended to practice good hygiene in regards to your kitchen and bathroom counter tops. Things that you use frequently and often put down on random surfaces, such as cell phones, travel mugs, purse, wallet, backpack etc. can pick up a LOT of germs! If you can refrain from setting your purse on the floor of a restaurant, bus, taxi, and checkout counters, then you won’t drag as many germs into your home. Likewise for cell phones, mugs and books. We don’t really think about how many places our belongings ‘travel’ with us during the day, so it’s a good practice to wipe them down with a Clorox wipe or spray with Lysol.

During this time of heightened awareness, a good rule of thumb for entering your home is: take off your shoes at the door, wash your hands, then wipe or spray the items you have brought with you. You can also wipe the entrance and exit door handles of your front door, bathroom and bedroom doors, as well as the light switch and toilet handles. Oh, and don’t forget the well-used remote control, iPads and devices!

Get a Good Night’s Sleep:

All kinds of good things happen when you sleep. Sleep is extremely helpful to healing many ailments. Our bodies rest, detox, de-stress and rejuvenate while we sleep. 

Getting a good 7-8 hours of sound sleep per night is critical for healing and optimally functioning throughout the day. We all know how awful it is to drag our bum through the day when we’ve had little sleep, anxiously awaiting bedtime to get over it! All kinds of good things happen when you sleep; your metabolism resets, inflammation is reduced, your memory is improved, you can more easily lose weight, reduce the risk of depression, and your body repairs itself.

Bamboo linens breathe better to prevent sleep-disrupting temperature fluctuations at night. Bamboo fabric has incredible thermo-regulation and adjusts to your perfect sleep temperature. Both softer and cooler to the touch than traditional linens, bamboo fabric provides advanced heat and moisture transfer through evaporative moisture wicking and cooling.

100% Bamboo Fabric Exhibits 99.8% Antibacterial Kill Rate:

BAMBOO BED SHEETS: Sleep safer on bacteria-resistant 100% Bamboo Sheets from Bamboo Bliss. There are many natural benefits to sleeping on bamboo bedding, besides the fact that they are AMAZINGLY soft! – bamboo fabric gets softer with every use and wash.

There are many natural benefits to sleeping on bamboo bedding, besides the fact that they are AMAZINGLY soft! Bamboo fibers have incredible anti-bacterial properties, also called Bamboo Zhukun, which means they are ‘naturally pest repellent’. Bamboo fabric also has incredible thermo-regulation – adjusts to your perfect sleep temperature, is moisture evaporating, antimicrobial, hypoallergenic, stain, odor, and mildew resistant – perfect for allergies and skin sensitivities.

This is why socks, pajamas and gym clothes are made with bamboo, they repel bacteria. Similarly, bamboo wood cutting boards are excellent for their ability to kill bacteria during food preparation. Many studies have been done proving that bamboo fibers kill bacteria, some are noted below:

A quantitative antibacterial capability test was performed by the China Industrial Testing Center (CTITC) in July of 2003. 100% percent Bamboo Fabric was tested over a 24-hour incubation period with the bacterial strain type Staphylococcus aureous. After the 24-hour period the numbers of live bacteria were counted in each sample, and the results showed that 100% bamboo fabric exhibits 99.8% antibacterial kill rate. A separate test was done with 50 individuals suffering from athlete’s foot, which causes burning, itching and blisters. All 50 subjects reported the disappearance of painful symptoms within just 1-2 days, within 2-6 days all sores disappeared, and nobody suffered any adverse reactions.

Studies by the Japan Textile Inspection Association (JTIA) revealed long-term antibacterial efficacy of bamboo fabric. The quantitative test method JISL 1902 was performed using 100% bamboo fabric that had been washed industrially 50 times. Incubation over a 24-hour period with bacterial strain type MRSA Staphylococcus IID 1677 was followed by a count of live bacteria on each sample. Results showed that bamboo fabric showed antibacterial efficacy (greater than) 70% after 50 industrial washings. (Results obtained from Shanghai Tenbro Bamboo Textile LTD)

Other Benefits of Bamboo Bedding:

• Bamboo fibers have micro gaps and holes that allow heat to escape, which makes them thermal regulating and they adjust to the sleeper’s needs. If one person in the bed is hot; the fibers sense this and release the heat, if the other person is cold, the fibers also sense that and keep their warmth in. Two people can sleep side by side and both be comfortable, which is a truly amazing attribute.
• Bamboo Sheets are also hypoallergenic, so people who suffer from any skin sensitivities are comforted by bamboo. Eczema, psoriasis and acne can cause discomfort when sleeping on rougher fabrics, but bamboo fibers are so smooth and round that they won’t irritate tender skin.
• They are also odor resistant as bacteria does not grow on bamboo, so your bed sheets will stay fresh longer. Those that suffer from hot flashes or night sweats will thoroughly enjoy sleeping on bamboo sheets because they wick and absorb moisture 3 times faster than cotton, so you sleep drier and more comfortably.

Eat Quality Natural Foods:

If you've heard the saying ‘Buy only food from the outside ring of the store, and you’ll remain healthy’ it means that all of the processed foods are on the shelves in the middle of the store, and the vegetables, fruits, meats and dairy are on the outer walls. Not everyone is an accomplished cook, or has the time, but if you can try your best to eat the fresh foods (not processed foods in jars, boxes or cans) from the store, then there's a much better chance that you’ll remain healthy, weigh less and have less need for medications.

What are some of the best foods to eat? Another rule of thumb: the darker the natural food, the more vitamins and anti-oxidants it has in it. For instance some colorful (and tasty!) fresh veggies, fruits and legumes are:

• beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, asparagus, spinach, kale, cilantro and red peppers
• pomegranates, raspberries, blueberries and tomatoes
• kidney beans, sweet potatoes and yams

There are literally thousands of recipes that be found online in which you simply type in the ingredients you want to use; and it will give you countless options for meal preparations. If you’ve never had homemade salty and crispy Kale Chips vs processed potato chips, you don’t know what you’re missing! Soups made at home can be chock-full of great ingredients, with no processed sugars and preservatives, unlike canned soups.

High Quality and Natural Herbs and Supplements That Boost Your Immune System:

Anything you can do to safeguard your immune system while Coronavirus continues to be a major concern locally and globally, is highly recommended. Its especially important for those that are most at risk: the elderly, and people with pre-existing health issues or compromised immune systems. At this time, children don’t seem to be as affected, but it’s unknown if that could change, so it would be best to boost the immune system of everyone in the family. Some natural herbs, anti-virals and products that can boost your immune systems are noted below:

• C60evo oils can boost your immune system.
• Organic Oregano oil is a natural anti-viral
• Osha Root Tincture can keep your lungs clear
• Alliderm is a natural topical disinfectant for hand sanitizing
• Sodium Ascorbate is a potent Vitamin C for cell health
• 02Armor is a nose filter to protect your lungs from allergens and pathogens
• Allicin-C is an anti-viral to fight infections and virus
• MMS, is an amazingly powerful compound, known as the Miracle Mineral Supplement
• Spirulina has profound anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory effects
• Nutraceuticals have potential for boosting the type 1 interferon response to RNA viruses

Stay Away from Crowded Places and Events:

The more contact you have, or come near others that could be sick, the more possibility of contracting any illness they have. We all know to turn away when someone sneezes in a public place, and to use your sleeve or arm to open doors or push elevator buttons, but this is much more serious with the Coronavirus. It could have community spread and/or be airborne. This means that any airborne particles from a sick person can get into your eyes, nose or mouth even when you think you are being careful and avoiding sick people.

One way to remain less at-risk is to avoid crowded places, extremely limit or simply don’t attend events or ride public transportation. If you can limit your exposure to people who are either ill themselves or unknowingly have been exposed to someone ill, the safer you will be. Many companies are cancelling conferences, charity events, and sales-related travel. If you can Skype, Zoom or just have a good old-fashioned phone call with clients and customers, its best to do so.

Most airlines and cruises are allowing customers to cancel their booking and allowing credit until the end of 2021, so they can take their trip at a safer time. I don’t think anyone envy’s those people stuck on quarantined cruise ships, so why put yourself in that situation? Dining in at home is safer than dining out, as you don’t know who frequented the venue recently, and you don’t know the person preparing your food or handling your silverware. This is a tough time on the hospitality industry, and its going to take some time to get through this and then allow our economy to recover, but we all remain hopeful that it will happen!

So for now, just be safe and prepared until things normalize.