(My article written in Medium today)
Defense is about evading the virus. Fortifications against contracting it, guarding against spreading it. It is all about reducing risk. Nothing wrong with defense. It is needed too. But can lead to a bunker mentality and with zero offense… hurt your game.
Playing offense is proactive. Taking steps forward. Becoming energetic. Improving your situation. Growth. Building stronger. Attacking.
So how do you play offense against Covid? Much the same as you would battle other illness. Sure, a vaccine might be the ultimate. But personally, it is beyond your reach. What you can do is attempt to build your immune system. Make yourself stronger, potentially tougher for the virus to infect you, tougher for it to kill you.
Silly? Take a look at the below CDC chart of Covid deaths by age. During the April 18th peak only 17 people died under the age of 24. Over 10,000 died over the age of 75. There is still not “settled science” when it comes to all things Covid. But one thing is clear. You should want your body to be more like someone under 24… or under 34… or under 44…
Playing Offense
Attack underlying conditions that gather with age. Like blood sugar levels. Do you have Type 2 Diabetes, or pre-diabetic, and not know it? In January I didn’t know. There were warning signs I ignored. Finally I went in to my doctor. Fasting blood sugar of 298. Six months later down to 121. Still a ways to go.
Obesity? I’ve lost 60 pounds so far. Also, still a long ways to go.
The point is, many underlying conditions can be successfully attacked, and help your immune system.
But isn’t it all about age?
Perhaps it is about the age of your immune system. Your immune system peaks at puberty. Then slowly begins to decline. Can this decline be reversed? Research is ongoing for this holy grail, but there is broad agreement on stress reduction, exercise, diet, and sleep. I could go on and on about the importance of each… but y’all know it already.
So do all those. It will help, and it is playing offense.
Want more offense?
Research has proven the benefits of exercise, sleep etc… but science is now tackling the positive immune response of spending time in forests. Natural Killer immune cells (NK cells) can be measured for effectiveness response and levels in the lab. What the hell is an NK cell?
“Natural killer cells (also known as NK cells, K cells, and killer cells) are a type of lymphocyte (a white blood cell) and a component of innate immune system. NK cells play a major role in the host-rejection of both tumours and virally infected cells.”
These cells have a powerful impact on health. And we tend to lose them as we age. Three days in a cypress forest has been documented to boost NK cells by 40%. And the effect is not short-lived after leaving the forest.
The chairman of the Japanese Society of Forest Medicine offers this advice:
“If you have time for a vacation, don’t go to a city. Go to a natural area. Try to go one weekend per month.
Visit a park at least once a week. Gardening is good. On urban walks, try to walk under trees, not across fields. Go to a quiet place. Near water is also good.”
First, wait. What? Yes, the Society of Forest Medicine is a real thing.
Japan and Korea are well on their way to scientifically documenting the tremendous health and productivity benefits of investing time in the natural world. And prescribing it for treatment. Fascinating research happening right now. Back in the early 1990’s the research on the benefits of exercise were building. Now, it is accepted fact. Now, the research on the impact of investing time in the natural world is developing to the same conclusion.
Research ongoing in Japan, Korea, Europe and the US… all supporting the strong health benefits of spending time in a forest. Stress reduction, changes in blood chemistry, lasting impacts on the brain.
Food… some more easy offense
Turns out those terrific NK cells can be boosted with a variety of foods… one in particular… blueberries. Thankfully they are everywhere here in Michigan. If you really want to boost those NK cells enzymatically modified rice bran (EMRB) might be just the ticket for you.
What about that little bottle?
We all love easy. As Cher famously said in a fitness commercial…
“If it came in a bottle, everybody would have a great body”
They have linked just the smell of hinoki cypress oil to many of the health benefits. The chairman of the Japanese Society of Forest Medicine also recommends using cypress oil in a humidifier every night during the winter.
They have performed some limited studies measuring the impact of just the cypress essential oil on NK cells. Nearly the same effect of being in the forest. While I don’t have a Hinoki cypress forest nearby, I do have this little bottle. A few drops every night in a diffuser can only help. (warning… whenever using essential oils beware of any potential impact on pets).
My personal game
Yes, I do play defense. But living where we do, it really is fairly unobtrusive. Social distancing outside is extremely easy. The several hours a day I am outside I almost never need to wear a mask. I wear one walking in and out of a restaurant. And wash hands. I rarely enter a store. Groceries delivered to the trunk of my car… even before the pandemic. And buy most everything online.
So, it is not “all about the offense”. But it is a lot about the offense. I am working hard on the blood sugar and weight. Walking everyday with my dog. Continued social interaction every day… just safely. Eating at our favorite restaurants most days… just outside, or ones with high ceilings and great ventilation. Eating fresh, local, balanced. Visiting one of our countless four season beaches every day… even if just to watch and listen to the waves when it is cold. Enjoying eight hours of sleep. Eating blueberries year round… fresh now, vacuum sealed from our freezer in the winter. And at night, a few drops of essential cypress oil in my bedroom diffuser.