Patrick Mosher has COPD despite no smoking history, suggesting a genetic link. He practices diaphragmatic breathing, 3 liters of daily water, a green-rich diet, 4 hours of weekly exercise, 50 hours of sleep, and humor to strengthen his body against disease. He tracks oxygen, heart rate, and sleep with wearable rings to share data with his doctor.
Chapters
Tomorrow I visit my pulmonologist. Her nurse will conduct the standard breathing tests. I'll blow into tubes. I'll walk up and down the hall with an oximeter on my finger. It looks something like this. Doc will come in and put that cold stethoscope on my front and on my back to listen for any wheezing. And as usual, she won't hear anything abnormal. She'll look at my test results. Let me know where I stand, and ask if I have any questions. A very standard checkup for me. Oh yeah, I have COPD, cardiac obstructive pulmonary disease. I'm an odd case as I've never smoked, I'm not overweight, and I'm not old relative to the other COPD patients. But here's the thing. My brother is diagnosed with COPD as well. My other brother and sister both sleep with CPAPs. None of us smoke. My dad died of emphysema, and so did his brother. And my brother's son died of COPD at just 32, married with 2 young children. He was a competitive cross-country runner and a physical therapist. This lung problem is a not-yet-discovered genetic thing. So I'm not telling you all this because I want you to feel bad or sorry for me. As I told the pulmonologist the day I was diagnosed 11 years ago, basically you're telling me I'm going bald. I'll lose more hair as I get older, and none of the hair is going to come back. What's going on on top of my head is also happening to my lungs. Well, she just smiled and told me I was unique. As the French say, c'est la vie. That's life. But by no means, though, am I giving up the fight. Oh no, no. I'm proudly Irish. I'm a fighter. I've got a plan to turn around tomorrow's conversation with my pulmonologist. Doctors hate it when I— when patients do this. She, however, is going to love this. So here goes. I'll start by sharing a story about Louis Pasteur, the inventor of vaccines like cholera, rabies and anthrax. And here's a quote from one of his contemporaries: Illnesses hover constantly above us, their seeds blown by the wind, but they do not set in the terrain unless the terrain is ready to receive them. And that's Claude Bernard. Claude Bernard was a 19th century French physiologist and contemporary of French chemist Louis Pasteur. The two famous doctors argued, argued throughout their lives as to what was really the cause of disease, the soil or the seed. Pasteur insisted it was the seed or the germ, while Bernard claimed it was the soil or the body. When on his deathbed, it is said that Pasteur admitted Bernard was right. He said, "It is the soil, not the seed. It's the body, not the bug. So my plan to fight this virus includes strengthening my body by boosting my immunity, minimizing the impact of the virus or any other disease. After telling the Louis Pasteur story, I'm gonna share my 6+1 immunity boost plan with my pulmonologist. And note, I'm not a doctor, I'm not providing medical advice. I'm sharing what I do to boost my immunity as a vulnerable individual during this horrible pandemic. Check with your medical advisor before engaging any changes in your daily habits. So here's my 6+1 immunity boost practices. Number 1: Diaphragmatic breathing twice rigorously daily. Number 2: Hydration, 3 liters per day. Number 3, nutrition, lots of green food. Number 4, exercise with 4 hours per week. Number 5, sleep 50 hours per week. And number 6, a positive mindset, repeating my mantra, live 100% empowered, especially triggered in the most stressful moments in the day. And then with this positive mindset, add in lots of humor and some play every day. When I get sick, one or all six of these are out of whack. I do well when these six are working in rhythm in my body. And I'm really weird too, because I track these on a spreadsheet. I know. I might even share some of these graphs with my doctor. Night oxygen readings, from my Wellvue O2 ring, which looks like this. I wear it every night. Daily hydration levels, daily sleep and heart rate from my Oura ring, which I wear all the time. And by the way, I don't hit all of my targets every week. I know, I'm an analytic geek. So what's that plus one practice? Well, many years ago, I made a lifelong promise as a lay Franciscan In the 13th century, St. Francis worked with lepers, giving them comfort in their misery. It was his life's work, and he never contracted the highly infectious disease. With his inspiration and a fraction of his faith, I continue to live wholeheartedly into my life's mission. It's what I was born to do, and I will continue to live in service to the healing powers I've been gifted. Whatever and however form that takes. It's my calling. And that's the +1 practice. Number 7: Work and live in alignment with my life mission. So thank you to all the nurses and doctors and first responders who put themselves in harm's way and continue to live into their life's mission. In this time of great opportunity, Let's use our tools to create a movement. Fight this viral pandemic with viral positivity. Live 100% empowered.
