Hello, friends,
Last week I shared my journey about having Covid19, and before doing so, my team and I discussed it thoroughly. We ultimately decided to share, because as a company, we believe in complete transparency. The reactions have been numerous, positive and supportive, until this morning. I’ll come back to that.
First, I want to thank all of you for your kind words, your encouragement and support. Even one of my daughters called to congratulate me on the post, aware of how hesitant I am about sharing my personal life. Knowing I have such a strong network of caring people means a tremendous amount to me.
I should have anticipated that my comment about using the cortisone inhaler would have raised questions, so I will share why I did that. I have had a lingering cough for several years, with no known causes. It starts every year in the fall and goes on for a few months. Many doctors over these years have tried to understand why. Is it allergies? Is it post-nasal drip? I’m still trying to find out. What I do know is that my cough got significantly worse with Covid-19, and now it is basically gone. It is a very strange situation.
In early March I went to see my doctor; or I should say doctors; as I saw both my functional medicine doctor and a traditional doctor. I walked out from these visits with a prescription for a cortisone inhaler and recommendations for Ivy extract, Quercetin and NAC. (N-Acetyl-Cysteine) Wanting to focus on prevention, I decided to take it all, including the cortisone inhaler.
It is usually a combination of factors that both cause and help to cure. I think I have learned my lesson. I do believe that supplementing my diet with micronutrients has been helpful in almost eliminating my cough. I do know that persistent health issues can be a complex thing.
So back to that negative comment I received; someone wrote me to say that my story was misleading and “only done to sell products”. That was definitely not my intention. I believe that in sharing our stories, our personal experience and knowledge, we help others. Is that not the basis of education? At least that is what I learned in school, and strongly believe.
I was trained and licensed as an MD. I only believed in allopathic medicine for twenty years. I laughed at other solutions as being unproven and lacking science. Then, I became involved in the food industry and witnessed first-hand the deficiencies that exists in our food supply. Our soil is depleted, and our fruits and vegetables lack the nutrients they once contained in our grandparent’s day. Processing convenience foods strips nutrients, and the majority of today’s supermarket is full of processed foods.
I felt compelled to return to school to study and understand micronutrition and choose a different path. I wanted to find a way to help people enhance their health and their lives. I believe medicine is completely changing. We can help our body, and more specifically our cells (ours and the microbiome cells that live symbiotically with us) be healthier. I believe it is possible to prevent and potentially reverse damage before these cells get sick or before they die.
We don’t go from healthy to sick to dead, It is a continuum. Prevention and helping our bodies get healthier are the keys to how we can thrive.
My intention is clearly to tell as many people as possible that we need to all work on getting healthier. Yes, supplements are an important component as many of us are depleted in basic nutrients. More importantly, we need to live healthier lives, get restorative sleep and focus on our mental wellbeing. I believe this more than ever. My belief is that we can improve our lifestyle and work on our “healthspan”. The quality of the food and supplements we take are a small part of it.
I would like to take this opportunity to talk about the current situation: this pandemic will not go away by itself in a weird way, just with the change of season. Science explains how this works. Some very interesting studies are starting to come out. We can say with much more information now, that some form of immunity is present after being exposed to the virus.
I also believe that 60 to 70 % of the population will be infected with this virus unless we find a vaccine. I know there are many scientists working around the globe, but time will tell how successful the efforts are and what the timing will be. It is only then, when 60 to 70% of the world population has been infected, or vaccinated, that the pandemic will stop spreading.
Until then, we need to keep on being careful with our lifestyle (washing hands, social distancing, etc.). We need to protect the more vulnerable among us.
I want everyone to empower themselves by learning how they can improve their health and strengthen their bodies’ defenses. This is not a short-term endeavor to be pursued only for the next several months until we believe the pandemic has passed.
This is not the first pandemic we have experienced. It is clearly not the last one either. We will experience many more. And our world is constantly aggressing us with more and more. We don’t need to be afraid; we just need to give our bodies what they need to defend us.
I am getting better every day. With the outpouring of support I have received, I know we are on the right track. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of building this community, and hopefully, to help you improve your personal healthspan.
So, to the few people who wanted to say I should not have gotten sick because I take supplements, let’s talk more about that. I’ll be addressing that in my next article. In the meantime, eat well, go for a long walk today, get a good night’s sleep, and yes, take your supplements.
Eric
If you would like to read some books that impacted my beliefs in a profound way, please check out:
The Anatomy of an Illness, by Norman Cousins
The Biology of Belief, by Bruce Lipton