My Answer to Breast Cancer, Let's talk immunity!

Hello, hello, hello, Facebook, it's so good to see you. This week it is seven o', clock, it's Tuesday night. And that means it's time for my answer to breast cancer. It's Dr. Jen Simmons from Real Health MD and I'm here tonight just wanting to talk about pretty much what's on everyone's mind. So I didn't put it in the title and I didn't really promote it because I know that there, there is a lot of apprehension around talking about this, but I am getting a lot of questions as to whether or not I am going to get the vaccine. So I wanted to talk about that and talk about my feelings about it and talk about the facts which, the way that I understand them. And I am in no way saying that I am an expert on the vaccine, I am not, and I'm using that general term, but there are a number of different, different vaccines. So let's get into it and talk about the vaccine and talk about my feelings about it and how I think that, how I'm telling my community to approach it. And you can make the decision for yourself. So first know that the vaccine that we're talking about in terms of COVID is different than a lifetime immunity vaccine. So a lifetime immunity vaccine is something like the measles vaccine where you get it once and then you're immune for your lifetime. So the COVID vaccine is different. It's much more similar to the flu vaccine where you get the vaccine and it decreases your chances of getting it, but it does not negate your chances of getting it. And in fact, 40% of people that get the vaccine, and it doesn't matter which one you're talking about, 40% of the people that get the vaccine will still get Covid. They may get a more mild case, they may be more, they may be less symptomatic, they may be asymptomatic. And let's talk about the implications of that a little bit because I know from personal experience from a lot of people who have, who have gotten the vaccine, and I think there are four of them or maybe five, and they all work a little differently. And some confer different immunity and different levels of immunity, but by and large that immunity is temporary and you will likely need to be revaccinated. But the issue is that because the vaccine doesn't prevent you from getting the virus, there are many people who have taken a lot of comfort in having gotten vaccinated. And so they're living their lives, lives differently. They're going out more, they're having more exposures, but it doesn't mean that they're not getting the virus. And what they may be getting is less symptomatic. And so they in turn will likely spread it to more people. And so I think ultimately, at least until we get to a point where like 90% of people are vaccinated, which I doubt we're ever going to get there, we can actually be creating a little more of a problem with the vaccinations than taking away the problem. But that being said, there is definitely a vulnerable population and that vulnerable population if they are made to feel more comfortable by getting the vaccine. I think that that's very important in and of itself because I have said this before, I firmly believe that it is the belief of the severity of the illness that has a significant impact on your immune system and how your immune system responds to this. So I've said before, if you think that you're going to get Covid and it's going to be a disaster, I can guarantee you that it's going to be a disaster. But I also want to point out that there are people who fit the high risk category who have gotten Covid and done things to improve their immunity, even in that moment, even in the post exposure time, that have changed the course of that illness. And so I am back to where I was before in that I understand that lots of people take a lot of comfort in the vaccine. And I am not saying to not be vaccinated. What I am saying though is that more important than vaccination is improving our immune system and improving our own health. And the way that we do that is that we make sure that we are living our best lives. And that looks like eating a whole food, nutrient dense diet. It looks like getting daily joyful movement. It looks like managing the stress in your life using techniques like meditation or yoga or tai chi or breathing exercises or whatever those things are that help you to alleviate the stress response. I know the stress isn't going anywhere and I know that this is a very stressful time for everyone. Believe me, I am not living underneath a rock. I understand what's happening right now. But the stress itself is not the issue for anyone. It's the meaning that you give to the stress that's important. So I went off track. So we were talking about stress, we're talking about movement, we're talking about eating a nutrient dense whole food diet. Also, we need to think about sleep because sleep is when the healing happens and you cannot have health and you cannot have hearty immunity in a sleep deprived body. So making sure that you're getting that nightly nourishing sleep, making sure that you're getting somewhere between seven to nine hours. And I don't know what that right number is for you. Only you know what that right number is for you. I do know that sleep before midnight, every hour that you're asleep before midnight is worth two hours afterwards. So trying to not burn the midnight oil, it's simply not good for you. And so putting all of these things together and living that anti inflammatory lifestyle, that is going to serve you quite well even if you do get Covid. But some things, let's say that you get there and you haven't made any of these changes and you're not at optimal weight and you do have some chronic inflammation and some chronic illnesses. There are things that you can do right away, right away, in order to decrease the likelihood that you're going to wind up with a serious case of COVID So probably the most important predictor of who winds up in the ICU and who doesn't is vitamin D. Vitamin D is such an essential, essential nutrient. It is actually, it's not so much a nutrient, but a hormone. And vitamin D levels are something that are so easy to check. Ask your doctor to check them. It is imperative that you know your vitamin D level and it is very important to keep that vitamin D level somewhere between 60 and 100. So that vitamin D is involved in so many processes in your body that you need adequate amounts of vitamin D and we do not store vitamin D well, so you need adequate amounts at the ready every single day. So the way that we get vitamin D is through sunshine. But most of us don't live in a place where we have 75% of our skin showing unprotected for 15 minutes every day. It's just not realistic for most of us. And even if you do live in that kind of climate, how many of us are really having 75% of our skin exposed without sunblock for at least 15 minutes every day? It's just not happening. And it's only worsened by the fact that we have completely vilified the sun. And so everyone's out there with their sunblock and they're protecting this and protecting that. And I certainly understand that people have risks of skin cancer, but so much of skin cancer is tied to low vitamin D levels because vitamin D is that acid central element of our immune system. So make sure that you're checking your vitamin D levels. Samira, I love you so much. Thank you for, for putting all of this in the chat. You are awesome. I am just sending you out so much love. So making sure that you check your vitamin D levels and if your vitamin D levels are below 60, you ought to be supplementing because again, that is the number one predictor of who does and who not wind up in the icu. But let's say that you're just starting out, you're, you know, turning over a new leaf tomorrow and you just happen to have Covid. Well, there are so many things that you can do right there and then in order to change the course of that disease. So things like again, vitamin D, but vitamin C, vitamin A, zinc, quercetin, mushrooms, especially the medicinal mushrooms like Reishi, that really help to boost your immunity. And if you don't want to take a supplement, you can eat shiitake mushrooms. That's a medicinal mushroom. So all of the medicinal mushrooms will have some part in immunity. But Reishi in particular is really good at boosting immunity. So you know, there are things that you can do starting the second that you get exposed that can really change the course of what happens in your body with that virus. So I hope that you come away from all of this feeling empowered, knowing that you can change your health, you can change your immune system, you can change how you respond to that virus should you encounter it. And so again, it's about eating a whole food plant based diet. It's about getting proper movement, nourishing sleep, managing your stress and decreasing your toxic load. And that toxic load includes relationships. Remember, anything that weighs you down is going to weigh down your immune system. So really thinking about those toxins in your environment, making sure that your vitamin D levels are adequate and that you are getting a daily supply. So you're either getting sunshine or you're supplementing with vitamin D. And for many of us it's both because we live in areas where we just cannot get enough sun exposure. And remember, the darker your skin is, the longer that sun exposure needs to be because you're not getting the same penetration of sunlight. So remember that the people that need vitamin D, the darker your skin is, the more supplementation you're probably going to need. And then if you do encounter the virus, then vitamin A, vitamin C, zinc, quercetin, making sure that you're getting that vitamin D and the medicinal mushrooms, reishi mushroom in particular. And then there's still the question as to whether or not I'm going to be vaccinated and whether or not you're going to choose to be vaccinated. So that's absolutely a decision that you need to make for yourself. I do fear that we will all be put into a position where we're going to have to be vaccinated. We're going to be required to be vaccinated if our children want to come to school or if we want to travel somewhere. I want to be clear that these vaccines have not been studied in children. They have not been studied in the pregnant population. And so there's still a lot of information that needs to be put forth before I think that we can require these things. And I'm hoping the longer the better. I'm hoping that we learn a lot more and that we evolve as a society to know that we can empower our own health. And I hope we move towards a healthier place so that we maybe don't need things like vaccines. But in the meantime, I do not plan on getting the vaccine. Now, many of you know I did have the virus. I had a very, very, very mild course. I also don't think that was an accident because the second that I tested positive, even before I tested positive, the second I developed symptoms, I started to do all of that supplementation that I just told you guys about. So if you need help with that, that program, there's lots and lots of things. I think the ifm.org, the Institute for Functional Medicine.org I think that they have a supplementation schedule. I know I published a supplementation schedule in fullscript, which is an online supplement fulfillment company. And so there's lots of places to get those supplements if you need those supplement. I do discourage a little bit getting them from a drugstore because they tend to have very low quality supplements that won't help you as much as these high quality pharmaceutical grade supplements will. But in any event, I guess some is better than nothing. I hope that this was helpful to you and that you start tomorrow on a healthier path. And I will see you next week right here, Tuesday, 7 o' clock for my answer to breast cancer. Bye for now.