Unless you’ve been living under a rock somewhere, you’re likely feeling some anxiety or possibly fear over the constant news reporting on the Coronavirus.  I want to share my opinion with you to calm your concerns and give you tools to be in better control of your future health.

First, I want you to be assured we are following the guidance of the CDC and the Tennessee Department of Health regarding our practice protocols.  It is our goal, like everything we do, to exceed those recommendations.

The family of Coronaviruses are not new, and man is not extinct.  Viruses are part of everyday life.

Let’s assume we’ll be exposed to this newly identified virus either this year or in the future.  What can we do to improve our ability to survive and thrive ?

I can sum up my approach with the phrase… “Move Well, Eat Well, Think Well.”

#1: Move Well

If you haven’t seen your Chiropractor recently for a check-up and adjustment, you need to do that now.  The presence of spinal subluxation will prevent your nervous system from functioning at its best.  Our ability to adapt to stress and mount a robust immune response is controlled by our nervous system. It is the interface between who we are and the environment around us.  In my 38 years of practice I can clearly see that people who get adjusted regularly are healthier.

Get a little exercise, but not to the point of exhaustion.

#2: Eat Well

Our bodies work well only when they receive the proper nutrients, in the right amount and form, from the foods we choose to eat.  In general I advise focusing on God-made foods rather than man-made processed foods. Organic fresh vegetables, fruits, wild fish, meat, nuts and seeds are ideal. Drink enough clean spring water to keep your urine clear.  Eat protein three times a day and avoid the starches (bread, potatoes, pasta and rice) to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Avoid sugar.  Sugar will decrease the immune response by 50%!

Our diets are pretty horrible compared to our ancestors.  I don’t eat a perfect diet and even when I’m trying I know the foods I’m eating were likely grown in nutrient depleted soil.and don’t contain the same nutritional value as the same foods grown even 50 years ago.  I take food based nutritional supplements to fill in the gaps and make sure my body is getting what it needs. I recommend you take them as well.

Foundational support for nourishing and supporting the immune system should include a variety of supplements and herbs.  Ideally a one-on-one evaluation to determine your specific needs would be best, however most people will benefit from a few basics.

1) Echinacea Premium (Medi-Herb)

Echinacea works very well to help prepare the immune system for challenges.

2) Immuplex (Standard Process)

Think of Immuplex as a multivitamin for your immune system

3) Calcium lactate (Standard Process)

This is the right form of ionized calcium our tissues need to kill bacteria and viruses.

4) Cataplex D, or Cod Liver Oil (Standard Process)

Vitamin D helps move calcium from the gut to the bloodstream.

5) Cataplex F (Standard Process)

This is the right type of essential fatty acid to help transport calcium from the blood into the tissues (lungs, mucous membranes, heart, liver, etc.) where it’s needed.

6) Thymex (Standard Process)

This is a thymus gland support product that helps stimulate our defense mechanisms against bacterial and viral infection.  It will support production of killer T-cells.

These are a few of the nutritional tools we use daily in the office and that I take. You can learn more about them at http://www.standardprocess.com  There are others, including some antiviral liquid blends we will recommend if you are actively fighting a viral infection. The purpose is to support a normal healthy immune response.

I recommend everyone strongly consider taking the first three listed if you’re not already. Add the second three if you’re in a higher risk group or just want to do your best.

If you’re not already taking these supplements and would like to start, you can call us during office hours at 615-794-3002 or email us any time and we can have them delivered to your door within 2-3 days.

#3) Think Well

Mental, emotional and spiritual health have a direct impact on our physical health. Limit how much time you spend watching the news. If you feel burdened by a particular emotional or mental stress this would be a good time to get up the courage to confront it and handle whatever it is.  Free up some space in your head and your heart.  Talk to God and give him a chance to talk to you by reading his Word.

I hope this information is helpful for you and your loved ones. Please never hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have. Let me close with a quote from the Great Physician.

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not worth much more than they?  And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?  And why are you worried about clothing ?  Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will he not much more clothe you ?  You of little faith !  Do not worry then, saying “What will we eat?” or “What will we wear for clothing?”  For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Be well,
           Dr. David Pence