Let’s talk about what we CAN do to support our bodies through COVID-19. Most of the COVID-19 prevention strategies coming from mainstream sources are centered around social distancing and disinfecting (i.e.: avoidance). These measures are important. However, it’s also important to fortify our bodies with health promoting habits that help build resiliency. The more resilient we are, the more resistant we’ll be to disease in general.

One of my favorite stress reducing breathing techniques is alternate nostril breathing. Alternate nostril breathing is the act of breathing in through one nostril at a time in a rhythmic pattern. This is an ancient Ayruvedic practice that can help quickly calm anxiety and stress, balance the left and right hemispheres of the brain, and balance the nervous system.

“Leaky gut,” more accurately known as intestinal hyper-permeability, is one of the drivers of many health conditions and disease processes. While certainly not complete, our understanding of this condition has been growing over the past several decades. So, what is leaky gut and why should you care about it? In this article you’ll learn why the anatomy and function of the gut lining are so important, some of the various influences that can make the gut “leaky,” and symptoms/diseases associated with leaky gut.

Since cortisol is termed the stress hormone, it might be intuitive to think the less of it the better. However, cortisol has functions beyond the stress response and we need it to survive our daily lives. High cortisol can lead to many unwanted symptoms, but low cortisol is also an unfavorable, and potentially dangerous, situation. As with most things in life, it’s about balance.