Brain-based Covid Remedies

As a brain-based fall prevention specialist, I train the nervous system and the organ that determines everything in life.  The brain has two primary jobs; survival and movement.   During this Covid pandemic, our brains feel threatened because our survival is at risk.  If you're over 70 years of age with multiple chronic conditions, you're high risk and your brain is freaking out.

One way the brain keeps us alive is through prediction or the ability to predict what might happen so it can respond appropriately.  When the brain cannot predict what will happen, it is on high alert.

Brain-based Covid Remedies with Coach Kelly

Weeks and weeks of unpredictability take a toll on the brain and the result is pain, fatigue, anxiety, falls, and difficulty breathing or sleeping, poor vision and other inconviences.

The neat thing about making the brain feel safe is you don't need drugs.  There are holistic drills that activate areas of the brain that calm you down!   

Simple ways are: Nasal breathing and humming on the exhale, gargle for 30+ seconds and doing my favorite, the cheesy grin and swallow.  These brain-based covid remedies activate areas of the brain to increase immunity and decrease threat.

I specialize in applied neuro-anatomy and applied neuro-physiology.  In other words, I know anatomy of the brain and what each area needs to be healthy.   This is important if you want to life the life you want.

Education credit: Z-Health Performance Solutions

If you're interested in a brain-based approach to the prevention of falls, express your interest in my new book.  Education is power.

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How to Breath When You're Breathless

Breathlessness is a symptom of the Covid19 virus.  The feeling of not getting enough air causes people to do the worst thing possible; breathe in more air!  What?   You need more carbon dioxide, not more oxygen.

Because covid is an upper respiratory disease, it attacks the lungs, particularly the lung surfactant.  This substance allows for lung movement and elasticity.

Lowered levels of surfactant result in stiff lungs that do not move.
Lungs that do not move cannot take air deep enough in to feed the lower portions of the lung.  
Stiff lungs result in the panicked feeling of not being able to breathe enough air. 

Breathing expert, Patrick McKeown of Oxygen Advantage, suggests a simple breathing exercise to calm brain and get the proper blood gases in balance so the oxygen can get into the cells for energy and into the deep portions of lungs.

Gases that are produced by Nasal Breath Holds:

1. Nitrous oxide

2.  Carbon dioxide  

We need these gases to get oxygen into cells, into the lungs

We don't need more oxygen, 

we need the complimentary gases   

Check out this video for a great breathing exercise to help deal with breathlessness or short of breath: 

Breathe regular for 10 seconds.

Exhale.  Pinch nose for 5 seconds.

Inhale through nose.  

Breathe regularly for 10 seconds.

Exhale.  Pinch nose 5  seconds

Repeat for 2 and one-half minutes.  

PS....if you cannot hold breath for 5 seconds, hold until you feel discomfort and want to breathe.  Just practice pinching nose and holding breath then breathe regularly by breathing in nose first. 

Breathing is Your First Line of Defense Against Covid19

Because the coronavirus is an upper respiratory disease that attacks the lungs, breathing is your first line of defense against the virus.   Thankfully, God created us with a powerful immune system to fight against evil viruses and bacteria so it's time to harness the power of breathing in order to stay healthy.

This weekend, I listened to a super informative webinar by breathing expert, Patrick McKeown of the Buteyko Clinic.  I learned about the power of nasal breathing and how our body produces nitrous oxide, a powerful defense against the coronavirus.

Patrick explained that nitrous oxide (NO) is a powerful gas that is naturally produced in the paranasal sinuses (aka, nose) through nasal breathing.  Our nose hairs trap NO and distribute it throughout the body.  

The benefits of nitrous oxide:

1.  Sterilizes air going into the lungs.  Nitrous oxide is proven antiviral, antibacterial, antimicrobe
2.  Bronchodilator.  NO opens UP the lungs to fight the breathlessness of the COVID19 virus

3.  Increases lung surfactant.  Surfactant in lungs is responsible for elasticity and movement of lungs.  Covid19 decreases lung surfactant, nasal nitrous oxide increases lung surfactant. 

Healthy lungs create surfactant which allows for movement and elasticity of the lungs.  

Bad news:  Coronavirus, aka COVID9 and/or SARS2, decreases surfactant.   

Good news: Nasal breathing creates nitrous oxide which improves surfactant.  

Here's an awesome breathing drill to increase nasal nitrous oxide production and get the NO into the blood for use:  Nasal breathing IN and Hum OUT.

As a health educator, I appreciate the power of prevention and know that the choices made today will affect health and vitality of tomorrow.  Just do it.  What do you have got  to lose?

Coronavirus Wellness at Home Tip #3: Nasal Breathing

Breathe in and out of your nose to reduce risk of coronavirus infection!

I'm not a doctor.  I'm not an infectious disease specialist.  I am a nervous system specialist and I've been reading a lot of government and medical suggestions to help you stay healthy at home.

I'm here to share simple, holistic practices that you can EASILY incorporate into your daily routine.  This one is as easy as it gets; breathe through your nose!

Why?

• Nose hairs trap pathogens.  
• Nose hairs increase carbon dioxide (good gas needed in blood/gas balance).  
• Nose hairs increase nitrous oxide which has been shown to defend against airborne viruses.  Nitrous Oxide is produced in the paranasal sinuses.
• Nasal breathing is the body's first line of defense against infection

I suggest breathing in AND out of the nose.  If necessary, exhale through the mouth.  Try to breathe in and out of the nose.  I have a "Relaxator" in my mouth in this video.  A Relaxator is a respiration training tool that forces you to breathe in the nose and long, strong exhales through the mouth. 

The more actions you take, the safer you will be....after all, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

From Conscious Breathing (Relaxator maker), 

another important reason why you should breathe through your nose:

1. A COLD NOSE WILL INCREASE THE RISK OF VIRUS INFECTIONS:  Our nose can be compared to a highly efficient heat exchanger that warms up and moistens the air. 

When inhaling, our nose becomes cooled and dry as it moistens and heats the inhaled air, which is usually cooler than our body temperature. 

When we exhale, the temperature inside our nose is raised, and the area is moisturized by the 37 degree Celsius (98.6° Farenheit) temperature and 100% moist air being returned from the lungs. 

If we, on the other hand, breathe in through our nose and out through our mouth, the nose will not restore it’s warmth and moisture upon exhalation. And if we breathe both in and out through our mouth, our nose will be constantly cold and dry.

Research shows that the rhinovirus, which is known to cause colds and infections in the upper respiratory tracts, will multiply when the nose cools down. The colder it is in the nose, the more the immune system is suppressed, which will create a favorable environment for the rhinovirus to reproduce (ref 2). Now, we do not know exactly how the coronavirus behaves, but it is not inconceivable that a cold nose offers an environment that is favorable for this virus to also propagate.substance.