Can We Improve Our Immunity?
Friends!
I have been thinking a lot lately about immunity. What is it? Can we improve it? Is it like a muscle that can be practiced? Or is it more genetic and, therefore, out of the scope of our control?
Whenever I think about something I really don't understand well, I start with etymology – the original meaning of the word and how it has possibly changed over time.
Here is what typical etymological sources say about immunity:
immunity (n.) late 14c.
"exemption from service or obligation" from Old French immunité (privilege
immunity from attack, inviolability) and directly from Latin immunitatem (exemption from performing public service or charge, privilege). The medical sense of "protection from disease" is from 1879, from French or German.
Clearly, for most people, particularly during a pandemic, it is the "protection from disease" that predominantly comes to mind when we think of immunity. But I would like to "upgrade" our relationship with immunity a bit. Or, at least try to.
Bad things happen. They certainly also happen to good people. And since most people are good, they happen to most of us. Not perfectly or fairly distributed, but, still. Every day. It's part of life. Strengthening our "immunity" (i.e. improving our resistance and recovery from the bad things thrown at us) MUST be something become better at.
Certainly, we are all born with a particular genetic code. Most living adults were educated to believe that our genes were NOT something we could change. They were seen as "the hand we were dealt." Changing our "componentry" wasn't available to us. Today, we know that we can change the expression of our genes via lifestyle choices – just because we have a gene, doesn’t always mean it will be expressed. The science of how your genes express themselves is novel and fascinating. Epigenetics is a growing field that studies how our genes behave. We can also soon "edit" our genetic makeup with new technologies, such as CRISPR gene editing.
Personally, while I am fascinated by what technology can and cannot do, and even more importantly should and shouldn't do, I am not that focused on my human constraints. They are what they are. It could be good to be aware of some, but I think focusing too much on them might make you a prisoner of your limitations, rather than a pilot of your opportunities. I prefer the latter. I am MUCH more interested in how to acquire new capabilities and attitudes so that I can improve my contributions to whatever I am trying to serve. As many of you have heard me say many times over: If you believe more than you can do, you can do more than you believe.
I think that the world is suffering from a poor immune system in two critical areas that keep us from a more prosperous society: IDEAS and INFECTIONS. Let me start with IDEAS.
I have stated here before (and will do so again) that the biggest problems facing our world are not the problems in and of themselves, but rather our inability to hold a productive, objective, and balanced public dialogue around them. I wrote about that before here and here. To remind you, the very reason for this entire newsletter is that I so desperately want to try, first for myself, then hopefully for others, to elevate my understanding of the world we live in. Too much news, media, and social media are shallow, binary, and incredibly divisive.
It seems we have an "infodemic" alongside the pandemic. We react poorly to ideas we are not comfortable with. We collectively display severe "immunodeficiencies" whenever we are faced with new ideas we don't like. It's paramount for our future that we rebuild our immune systems relative to ideas, as well as infections. The question is: can we do anything to improve our own ability to embrace new ideas and our own tolerance to things we don't like? YES, is the short answer. Here would be my top 5 habits to strengthen your social and ideological resilience:
Every day, read or watch something (a paper, a channel, a voice) that you don't typically agree with. It will change you. And make you better. We are basically the average of who and what we spend the most time with.
Make sure your conversations are about ideas. Not things, not people. Just ideas. Too many conversations are about other people. That is not productive. If you find yourself talking about folks that aren’t in the room, try shifting your topic of conversation to include ideas, instead. As a general rule, we should only speak about people in present company.
Commit to understanding "the other side better.” If you ever find yourself in a conversation where you and the person you are talking to can't get past each other, try this. Say to them, “Stop. Let me articulate YOUR point of view until you tell me I got it right.” Almost in all situations, you will discover there has been a misunderstanding. Once you understand their point of view, the fear, anxiety, or distaste you once had for that idea is reduced. And then, hopefully, they will be able to do the same with you. It's a great way to close the idea divide. I was fortunate to be trained 25 years ago by Marshall Rosenberg. His techniques are brilliant, and you can read a short tutorial about them here.
My favorite idea: FOOD. Share great food with folks. Nothing brings people together better. Great tasting food (and wine!) makes us more human. We can eat even through a pandemic: outside or distanced. And if you don't want to cook, you can order Rōti (at least in Chicago, DC, Minnesota, and Texas) and let us do the cooking for you. (Sorry for the shameless plug.)
My last tip is something I’ll discuss in more detail below. If you eat better, sleep better, love more, stress less, and exercise more, you will also develop, over time, more resilience not only to infections, but also towards different and new ideas -- no matter how challenging they may initially appear to be.
Now, the more urgent (and perhaps more discussed) aspect of immunity is relative to COVID. Actually, I take that back. It is not well discussed, although the virus is. Most of the advice we hear from experts outlines ways to help us limit our exposure to the virus. I think, by now, there is a rather strong consensus scientifically that you will reduce your risks of contracting COVID if you do five things:
Stay socially distant (six feet or more).
Avoid large crowds (particularly in loud surroundings where people are talking, singing, etc.).
Opt for outdoors whenever you can.
Wear a good mask when you are around people you don't know, particularly indoors.
Wash your hands often.
That's all good and clear. People should comply until we are over the pandemic. It's the right thing to do. It's the precautionary principle. When you don't know for sure, assume you are at risk and/or that you pose a risk to others. Particularly when the consequences of infecting vulnerable people are potentially fatal. This is NOT a political statement. It's just common sense.
However, what is sad to me is that public officials NEVER (or, at least far too rarely) talk about what we can do to improve our immunity. There are two things that need to happen for the virus to negatively affect a human. First, you need to be exposed. And second, your environment (think your body!) rejects or embraces the virus. Our public dialogue centers almost exclusively around the first. But we know that people are affected and infected VERY differently by the virus. A large number of people get it and are completely asymptomatic. They have no symptoms at all. (Although, they can still give it to others, which is critical.) Yet many others get it with (fortunately) very mild symptoms. A third (large) group doesn’t get it at all after exposure. Then, lastly, a small part of the population gets it and suffers mightily, and way too many ends up losing their battle for life.
So, what accounts for the differences?
Well, the real answer is: we don't know. Or, at least not enough. But we are not completely powerless in this area. Here is where I differ from our public "announcements." We do know that America's population is supremely unhealthy from a metabolic perspective. We know that Americans suffer from a host of chronic diseases (high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, etc.) that are associated with obesity, poor diet, and insufficient exercise. Many of the typical conditions that come with these lifestyle conditions are massively overrepresented among COVID ICU and deaths. We also know from many other studies pre-COVID that your immune system is affected when you have high glucose levels, which sadly is very common in the SAD (Standard American Diet).
I believe passionately that eating differently is the path for America towards better health, lower health costs, and reducing risks of climate change. But it is also, so far, a missed weapon against COVID. Below, I share some information, articles, and podcasts where you can learn more. Like I shared above, here’s also another list of the top five things we all can do to improve our immune systems. What I love about food (and supplements in the correct dosages) is that they are harmless. Worst case scenario, you wasted small amounts of money, and they had no effect. Best case, you lost some weight, felt better, and became more immune. CAVEAT: I am not a doctor. I don't even play one on TV. Please consult with a medical professional if you have questions or concerns.
Check your vitamin D level. According to most research, a significant part of the US population is vitamin D deficient. Taking a vitamin D3 daily supplement and also magnesium (which helps absorb vitamin D3) could be very beneficial to your immunity and overall health. See this Nature study recently on Vitamin D deficiency and COVID.
Get a good night's sleep. Shoot for 8 hours
Reduce stress levels. Breathing through your nose helps. I have written about meditation and breathing here.
Eat less sugar, fewer carbs, plenty of vegetables, and the right fats (olive oil, coconut, avocado etc.).
Move your body. Go for daily walks. 10,000 steps per day. Stretch. Add some weights. Get your pulse up 2-3 times per week.
Lastly, and perhaps really importantly, these two areas of immunity are HIGHLY INTERDEPENDENT. The "connection" is around daily, healthy habits. Furthermore, I believe the division and polarization in our society has caused stress, emotional anxiety, and has negatively impacted our overall immune system. Conversely, the pandemic itself has been politicized, and it has made our divisions deeper and more painful. It's a doom loop. It has to be broken. In order to do so, we have to work on both aspects of immunity. First, close the gaps between people, listen to each other, and be more tolerant of divergent views. That's the only way we can rebuild a stronger fabric in our society, and then focus our collective energy on what matters: improving the health of our country and getting back work.
Here are some articles that I liked in the past few weeks on what we can do to improve our immune system:
What does food have to do with COVID19 - great podcast (only 16 min) interviews by Dr. Mark Hyman with important facts and suggestions.
CNN opinion from March on how diet can flatten the curve. (Immunity, nutrition, and COVID. And this was in the early stages of COVID. We now know more!)
This is a good article from my friend Dr. Ari Levy on Immunity. Here is his blog with more inspiration for healthier living
Paul Graham wrote a great piece on how to think for yourself and what you can do to get out of too much groupthink.
This is a super short TED video with Matt Walker on why you can improve your immunity by sleeping better.
Great article reminding us of the importance of the non-violent commitment of MLK. Thought this was inspiring, human, and encouraging.
One of MANY articles publishing research around metabolic syndrome and COVID. The indications are very clear and alarming. Here is another.
So, until next week. Breathe. Sleep. Love. Eat better. Find the best in people. Laugh. All are great things to do humanly and will improve your immune system, which in turn will help all those around you! It starts with us.
