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…

How much thought do you give to dietary fiber? If you’re like most of us, it’s not a priority—but it should be! Dietary fiber is one of the most important determinants of your health! Almost everyone today does not get enough fiber in their diet. Our lack of fiber awareness has created a health crisis. Lack of fiber is a major contributor to our epidemic of chronic disease and can be a significant factor in causing diabetes, cancer, heart disease, obesity, depression and other mental illness, allergies, autoimmune syndromes, and infections.   Why is fiber so important? Dietary fiber, plant material that can’t be digested, is essential to our health because it nourishes the healthy flora in our guts known as the microbiome and helps to maintain the health of our gut tissue. Your health is completely dependent on the health of your gut flora. Healthy flora helps to digest our food and enhance the absorption of nutrients. They produce certain essential vitam…