Uncontrolled diabetes increases risk for severe illness with COVID-19. If you are diabetic, or pre-diabetic, your doctor may have recommended taking metformin to lower your blood sugar.There is almost always a better natural alternative to pharmaceutical medications, and metformin is no exception. According to renowned alternative doctor Jonathan W. Wright, MD, berberine, a botanical found in plants like goldenseal, barberry and Oregon grape, can do everything metformin can do with far fewer side effects.Like many pharmaceuticals, metformin has its origins in botanical medicine; it is derived from goat’s rue, also known as French lilac. Like berberine, metformin activates AMPk (5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase), an extremely powerful enzyme in every cell in the body that’s been called the “youthinizing enzyme.” AMPk is a “master regulating switch” for energy metabolism. Want more energy? Boost your AMPk! Want to reduce body fat, especially belly fat? Boost your…

The new COVID-19 world is a world beset by fear. Unseen viral particles can be lurking anywhere. Should one find us, we don’t know for sure how we would respond. And with social patterns dramatically altered and the economy collapsing, we are losing our sense of comfort, safety and being in control, leading to a stressful sense of chronic uncertainty and anxiety. We know from many scientific studies that stress negatively affects health. But although there may be little we can do to avoid stress in a COVID-19 world, we can use self-care to decrease and minimize the negative effects of stressful feelings. For example, you can pray or meditate.  Or you can simply bring calm and non-judgmental attention to how you’re feeling.      We’ve talked before about a helpful exercise called Body-Feelings-Mind. In this exercise, you find a comfortable position in a quiet place and, with eyes closed, check in with how you’re feeling, first physically, t…

A strong immune system is your best defense against COVID-19, and drinking enough water is crucial for supporting immunity. But it needs to be pure water; contaminated water will hamper an effective immune response. Unfortunately, most tap water is contaminated with hundreds of toxic chemicals! Most people believe the government makes sure their tap water is safe to drink, a belief bolstered by yearly reports from local water departments showing low levels of certain contaminants in their water.  But thousands of contaminants aren't included in these reports! The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established safety standards for only 87 of the thousands of chemical compounds that have been found in public water.  Pesticides, herbicides, toxic wastes from landfills, fertilizers, chemical and oil spills, acid rain, run-off from feedlots and sewage treatment plants, prescription drugs, industrial waste, toxic heavy metals, petrochemicals a…