FINDING PEACE OF MIND DURING COVID-19

SUPPORTING MENTAL, EMOTIONAL, AND PHYSICAL HEALTH DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Our mental and emotional health may not be getting all of the attention they deserve these days in the national and global discussions around prevention and treatment of COVID-19.  Our mental and emotional health deserves the same attention we are, hopefully, giving to our physical bodies.  In an age of social distancing (although I prefer the term physical distancing, as we need our connection with each other more than ever now), staying mentally and emotionally healthy is so important.  We are social creatures, and connection is embedded deep in our DNA.  In fact, babies who do not get the attention they need will develop failure to thrive.  

So how can we thrive now, and in the future?

Well, our bodies, minds and emotions are all intimately connected, so as we care for our physical selves, our mental and emotional selves will also benefit some from that.  The basics of self care apply now, more than ever.  

SELF-CARE FOUNDATIONS:

NUTRIENT-RICH DIET

Now and in the future, consider your pantry your medicine cabinet.  Food is our richest, most dense, and most physiologically available source of nutrients.  Focus on a vegetable and fruit-rich diet to supply an abundance of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.  Our immune system requires a variety of all of these for it to function properly in fighting off invaders.  Our brain also requires a variety of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants for it to function optimally.  Our neurotransmitters, like serotonin, dopamine, and others, require ample vitamins and minerals as cofactors to be made in good amounts.  If we do not have enough of these available the levels of our neurotransmitters will drop, causing us to feel depressed, withdrawn, angry, irritable, self-pitying, and other really unhappy emotions.  It’s important to note that an adequate amount of protein is also critical for the formation of our neurotransmitters, as they are all made from amino acids (the smallest parts of proteins).  Plants do have a good amount of amino acids and for some folks this may provide enough protein (nuts, seeds, and legumes are plant-based foods particularly rich in amino acids); however, other folks may need to supplement with meat, fish, eggs, and/or a protein powder.  

Our brain also needs a good amount of antioxidants for it to stay healthy.  One of the jobs of antioxidants is to decrease inflammation.  Inflammation is a normal, natural process that happens in our bodies in response to injury; inflammatory processes ramp up to initiate the healing response.  However, when we live with chronic inflammation from things like a high-sugar diet, for example, the inflammatory process never dies down.  Instead it continues, and over time it does damage to the sensitive tissues inside our bodies.  

Did you know that too much sugar is actually super damaging to the inner lining of our blood vessels?  This is where much of the inflammation happens, and how chronic high blood sugar, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease are all linked: the culprit is inflammation.  

Chronic inflammation can happen in our brains too, and over time it can cause big changes in the function and the structure of our brains.  Shifting to a low- or no-refined sugar diet that is high in veggies and fruits will powerfully shift the balance to an anti-inflammatory state.  In this state your brain works better and you may notice clear thinking as brain fog lifts, and a happier and more stable mood.  

SLEEP 

Getting restful sleep is critical to our mental and emotional health, just as much as our physical health.  A minimum of 7 to 9 hours for most adults is important for physical and immune health; this is also really important for mental and emotional health.  Sleep is when our brains “clean out” the unnecessary information, prune unnecessary connections and memories (for example, your remembering what color car you were next to in traffic as you drove home from the store yesterday is not critical to your survival).  Our brains physically let go of the information we don’t need in order to focus on preserving the information we do need: our family’s names, where we left our keys, tax day, etc.  

During sleep, a compound called BDNF is made and released in our brains.  BDNF stands for brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and that’s a fancy way of saying that this chemical strengthens and rebuilds important connections in our brain, supporting its healthy structure.  A brain on plenty of restful sleep is a brain that’s actively rebuilding its structure: with healthy structure comes healthy function.  That is a fancy way of saying that restful sleep makes our brains healthy, which has real benefits for our mental and emotional health.   

EXERCISE

Moving every day is another great way we can stay healthy in mind and emotions as well as in our body.  As with sleep, exercise can also release BDNF to promote brain and mental health.  It also gets our blood flowing throughout our body, ensuring that a healthy dose of oxygen makes its way to our brains for clear thinking and emotional wellbeing.  

Chinese medicine encourages physical movement for mental and emotional health, too.  In TCM, our liver controls the “free flow of qi,” or the flow of energy throughout our bodies.  When our bodies are stagnant and unmoving, our qi or energy becomes stagnant and backs up into the liver.  This state is called “liver qi stagnation,” but in Western terms we recognize it as stress, anger, irritability, possibly depression or anxiety.  It has long been understood in Asia as a cause for digestive disturbances, menstrual disturbances, and mental health issues including depression and anxiety.  Acupuncture, movement, light food, and herbs including liver-supportive herbs have long been the remedy used in China for liver qi stagnation.  Today, a simple remedy is movement that feels good, as well as some liver support to promote overall health. 

MEDITATION

Meditation may seem really easy; almost too easy…until it gets really hard.  So many people, myself included, find themselves in negative or fearful thought whirlpools that suck them down to very low, dark places.  Meditation is the practice of noticing those thoughts, then letting them go.  Beyond all of those thoughts (that come from a well-meaning place in our bodies and minds, the part that is all about survival) is a place of peace.  In that peaceful place, we have the chance to reset our thought processes by disengaging from the survival-based portion of our minds that wants to freak out about what’s going on.  Once we’re disengaged from those negative, fearful thoughts, we reclaim all the energy that was being sucked down that whirlpool.  We get that energy back, and we then get to use it for more important things like building immune health, digesting our food, going for a walk, engaging with loved ones.

Meditation is an amazing tool to reclaim our energy, our headspace, and our health.  More than ever, now is the time to use it.

LOVE, CONNECTION, SUPPORT

We need each other so much right now. If you can’t be physically together, do the next best thing and pick up the phone, Facetime, Skype, or Zoom. Your heart needs it. Really.

NATURAL REMEDIES FOR MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH

People who are feeling stressed, anxious, worried, or depressed may need a little more nourishment for body, mind and emotions, especially as we traverse these uncertain times together. 

FISH OIL

Fish Oil is a remedy I use for people who’ve lived with chronic stress or mental health issues for a long time; these conditions absolutely can deplete the mind’s resilience and may compromise brain and nervous system structure.  Along with a nutrient-dense diet, a moderate amount of high quality high-DHA fish oil can help do the trick.  For most people, a dose of 1-2 grams of high-DHA fish oil may help rebuild the structure of the nervous system, which can promote a more steady, stable mood and increased clarity of thought.  Signs that a person is getting too much fish oil include easy bruising and new onset of dizziness or lightheadedness.

DHA is one type of omega 3 essential fatty acid that has a strong affinity for the tissues of the eyes and nervous system, therefore it is preferred for people with histories of high stress, anxiety, depression, or other mood issues.  It is also a nutrient requirement for pregnant and breastfeeding women to optimize their baby’s eye and brain development.  

Fish oil is one supplement that you must buy from a reputable company that only manufactures high quality products.  Our world is increasingly contaminated with a variety of toxins and pollutants, and their concentrations are climbing inside the bodies of sea and land animals alike.  Companies that do not prioritize quality may sell you a low-quality fish oil product that is contaminated with many toxicants including the heavy metal mercury which has disastrous effects on the brain.  Spring for a high quality supplement: it’s worth every penny.  A company I recommend to many of my patients is Nordic Naturals, as they batch test every lot of product that goes onto the shelves for mercury content (I have no financial relationship with them).   

VITAMIN D

Low levels of vitamin D have long been associated with depression, both anecdotally and in research.  While we are still learning why this may be the case, we know that there are vitamin D receptors in many areas of the brain that, when they lack the signals from available vitamin D, may affect brain function in ways that manifest as depression.  

We also know that vitamin D helps immune system function, which is so important now.  Our bodies make vitamin D from exposure to sunlight.  However, for some people that may not be enough.  Supplementing with a low amount, 1000-2000 IU daily, is generally safe in the short term, up to two months, for people wanting to promote mental, emotional and physical health.  Long-term supplementation and/or high-dose supplementation should only be done under the care of a doctor along with regular blood tests for vitamin D levels.  

MILKY OAT SEED

Milky oat seeds are harvested early in the growth stage of oat plants.  They have long been used as a food, as well as a gentle but reliable medicine to strengthen and nourish the nervous system.  They are often made into a tincture or glycerite and taken orally, and long-term use is not only safe but is also recommended for full effect.  They have “neurotrophic” effects, meaning that they support the rebuilding of a tired, frazzled nervous system.  Milky oat seeds have also been used to treat people healing from addiction to substances including nicotine, alcohol, and drugs.  To get the full effect, daily use for at least 4 to 6 months is recommended.

ASHWAGANDA

One of my favorite herbs, ashwaganda is prized in Ayurvedic medicine as a tonic and has been used in western herbal medicine as an adaptogen.  Adaptogens are really special classes of herbs that can literally “adapt” to physiological imbalances in our bodies and restore balance back to our bodies.  As our physical bodies come back into alignment, so do our mental and emotional states.  Ashwaganda has effect on the adrenal glands (which have a strong relationship with the brain), and is often thought of in conditions affecting the adrenal glands.  It is a special herb to me because, while some adrenal herbs may be considered overly stimulating (e.g. licorice, ginseng or rhodiola), ashwaganda is wise.  It helps a fatigued, overstressed body brighten up and become alert, and it can help a tired but wired body settle down for rest.  

Ashwaganda may not be appropriate for people with nightshade allergies, and should be avoided in pregnancy and breastfeeding.