Individual Health for Herd Health

By now you’ve certainly heard the imperatives to socially distance, wash your hands and to stay home if you’re sick. These tried & true suggestions are our best bet to reduce the impacts of COVID-19 on the health of the herd, though I think there are additional measures that are worth mentioning. In these challenging days, I keep in mind a sentiment that I’ve heard attributed to Louis Pasteur; the condition of the host matters more than the virulence of the pathogen. To this end, I am focusing on three factors that I believe are important for maintaining the vitality of the hosts (me, you and us); good diet, plenty of exercise and compassion.

As many of you may know, I’m a strong believer in a whole-foods, plant-based diet. In addition to my usual adherence to a plant-based diet, the recent uptick in reported COVID-19 cases has inspired me to make additional changes. In the interest of increasing my chances of staying healthy, I’m focusing on nourishing my gut health by eliminating refined sugar from my diet. The understanding of the microbiome’s influence on health has grown exponentially over the past few years, and I’m hoping to nourish the beneficial gut flora by bumping up my intake of fermented foods such as kimchee and miso. At the same time, I’m hoping to starve the population of not-so-good gut flora by withholding what’s reputed to be their favorite food - white sugar. Staying healthy in these times will most likely be primarily related to good hygiene and a large measure of luck, though I’m hoping that additional attention to gut health increases the odds that I can stay healthy.

What I see when I meditate each day. 

Staying healthy is also a function of healthy movement. Human bodies are built to move, and during times of stress, anxiety and isolation, it can be tempting to park until this situation blows over. Movement makes your body stronger, and perhaps most importantly, movement keeps your lymphatic system in tune. The type of movement doesn’t so much matter, though its regular practice does matter. Whether you choose to dance around your kitchen, take a walk in the forest, or do some Yoga or Pilates, please be sure to keep moving. Your lymphatic system is a key component of your immune system, and the lymphatic fluid doesn’t have a pump like your circulatory system does. The lymphatic system is kept in tune by movement, and now is the time to move for the benefit of others.

Thinking of others - their wellbeing - is perhaps the most important element to maintaining optimal health. Humans are by nature social creatures, and keeping your heart open in these challenging times is imperative. When I find myself frustrated by admonitions to socially distance, I remind myself that this instruction is about the health of the herd. I cannot remember a time in my life when considering the wellbeing of the community has ever been more important than it is now.

Staying healthy is a slippery endeavor. It’s very easy for healthy behavior to devolve into a reinforcement of the individual-I. While our culture holds out the rugged individual as the ideal, this individualist view flies in the face of historical and scientific evidence. Humans thrive when they work together, and adopting healthier individual habits has benefits that extend outward. When you stay as healthy as possible, it’s more likely that we can all stay as healthy as possible.