14 Cold & Flu Season Immunity Tips

▼Originally Published, January 2020 + COVID-19 Advisory▼

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MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS | 2020 EDITION | VOLUME 11

I wrote the following a few months before the 2019/2020 China Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) global epidemic, and this piece is simply part of my promised Previously Unpublished Series. So, to be crystal clear:

 

① I am not a medical doctor. Just lucky I haven't been (officially) ill since 1992.

 

 

② As such, what follows is simply lived experience, shared, — not a gloating contest.

 

③ Fully, Moderna-vaccinated, I am pragmatic rather than ideological about vaccinations. And despite my well-documented disagreements with poor CDC messaging and policies, I strongly recommend you get fully vaccinated to protect yourself, loved ones, community and those you come in contact with (in this case, from the flu, but similarly, COVID-19) whenever presented with the opportunity. And particularly, if at high risk.

 

More details below. Click/tap both.

Moreover, despite the feature video, one of my secrets to good health is readily making necessary adjustments. So:

 

③ As you read the 5 tips below, remember that one of the adjustments I've made is suspending cold showers, although I do make it a point to end every wash with a cold shower, knowing the health benefits.

 

Nevertheless, not only am I using warmer water for showers because I have too many things going on and can't afford to unnecessarily fall ill, but importantly, at a time when many are focused on the China coronavirus and surgical masks are out of stock, CNN has rightly pointed out (click/tap below) out that: “There's a virus that has infected 15 million Americans across the country and killed more than 8,200 people this season alone. It's not a new pandemic -- it's influenza.”

Although closer to the epicenter of the coronavirus at the time of writing, I just returned from the States weeks ago, and almost everyone I saw including gym rats walking in shivering at one gym where I worked on my laptop while waiting for a friend, in sweatshirts and jackets, afraid of catching something.

 

Me? I wore t-shirts or some kind of short sleeve shirt most of the time.

 

As mentioned above, I've never had the flu or been ill probably since 1992 when my appendix had to be removed. I personally don't bother with luxuries, Japanese futons or not. But starting with the health reasons (click/tap below) behind why I sleep on the floor, and for receptive readers who naturally want to fight off influenza and other infections, the following comprise my secrets:

Basic rule: Always get good sleep. Every which way.

 

I generally struggle to stay asleep after 4, maximum, 5 or 6 hours. But whether it's 6 or 8, or more for you, do your body and future health some justice, and rest as often as needed.

 

And if you want to be healthier or naturally stronger sleep on the floor often.

 

Timidity is not my thing, so the below is more like me. Plus, I have noticed most people who like everything comfy easily get sick and often lack mental toughness. But we won't go there, — although we just did!

Obviously, as the weather gets colder, switching to something warmer gear makes sense. Just don't overdo it.

 

For example, I went from living in a sub-tropical weather in the Asia Pacific to skipping my assigned bed in Pennsylvania delighted to sleep on a cold basement floor shielded by a blanket, bed sheet and old duvet throughout my visit.

 

You'll understand by the time you get to #4 below. But this is all one of a million ways to be immune from whatever happens to others in the so-called Cold and Flu season.

I start my day with raw ginger.

 

Candy-size cuts chewed with sips of water (warm or hot depending on the weather) here and there.

 

Forget the lemon and/or honey shortcuts. Nature is raw, isn't?

 

Sleepy but got work to do? Chew a piece. And end your day with ginger, sipping water (warm or hot depending on the weather or your preference).

 

Meanwhile, the only hot ginger drink I prefer is Taiwanese. But we're not selling anything here!

 

I have no problem with ginger drinks. The best tend to be Taiwanese-made. But raw and organic is just better. Why? Just like anesthesia and other health mysteries, doctors and researchers don't always have to have the answers. Except that it works! So study the health benefits above.

Skip the coffee hype/addiction machine and embrace spicy food in its purest form.

 

Don't be afraid to start your day with hot/spicy food. Many cultures and civilizations have for thousands of years. So ignore the patronizing, over-Americanized Google search results full of biased articles by softies advising against it.

 

If you're a novice and want to be more cautious, start over the weekends when you don't have to report to work. Just to get to steadily understand your body, in case.

 

I remember a Thai Massaman Curry dish once gave me a bathroom emergency at work. But that's because of all the free, creamy highly processed office food I consumed earlier that morning.

 

Be wiser. Your body deserves the respect, consistency, and moderation.

 

Otherwise, spicy greens are a good start to the day and on your way to becoming more immune. Try it!

Learn to take cold baths and be generally comfortable with inclement weather.

 

Be a rebel, a maverick. And lot of the softness (mentioned above) also contributes to your susceptibility.

 

'Cold & Flu Season' is not a thing to some of us perhaps because of our different mindset, or Ultimate Mental Toughness.

 

I take cold showers year round. And instinctively knew it was the right thing for a healthy body that is optimally and naturally capable of warding off diseases long before I ever heard of Wim Hof (above).

Practice the above and don't be programmed by seasonal illness news cycles or hype about unhealthy lifestyles.

 

Be a rebel. Be a maverick. Reconcile the above with the coronavirus prevention tips above and below.

 

But whatever you do, don't make drugs, alcoholism and unhealthy lifestyle your friends.

 

I don't do drugs, pop pills, smoke, drink alcohol or coffee (only green tea, Japanese style, light, no sugar, cream, etc.) and yet I have more fun than those who use those — tech addiction included — as a crutch.

 

When I have a headache, catch a cold once in a blue moon or feel funny, I instinctively know to rest, drink or chew ginger with warm or hot water depending on the weather. And within a few hours, I'm back in businesses.

 

Do likewise, and soon enough, illnesses will be brief. Recovery, swift.

 

'Cold & Flu Season' will be a thing for you only if you keep dwelling on it and expecting it.

 

The prom was not a thing for me. So I skipped it. Yet, as the joke goes, the prom came to me. In a good way, that is. If you know what I mean!

 

Ultimately, we all die. Nevertheless, the whole point of the above is to keep yourself mentally, physically, physiologically and naturally rejuvenated. And regardless whether you can afford expensive organic foods and gym memberships, it pays to remember: Some of us work out creatively and naturally without those luxuries, eating (almost) anything presented to us (receptivity, remember?) without being condescending.

 

That's where true resilience and health in the midst of all the panic and news about coronavirus lie. Not how "hard" gym membership or society tells you your body looks.

 

Bonus plus video on surgical masks and coronavirus below. Contact or follow me here.

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