The Nutritional Institute

Many of us live in a state of fear: fear of putting on weight; fear of failure; fear of not providing for our families; fear of becoming injured; and of course, fear of getting ill. The big problem with the ‘F’ word, ironically, is that the more fear you harbour in your heart (not deliberately of course), the more likely it is that you will succumb to what you fear.

Whether our clients realises it or not, Rachel and myself spend a lot of time reconnecting them to the emotion of love: love of self; love of food; love of family; love of others; love of community…

However, in the past two years, our governments and so-called ‘health’ providers (I call them ‘disease care’) have done a fantastic job at massively raising the F-frequency within our bodymind. It has meant that we have learned to fear a virus that leaves the vast majority of people unharmed, and with the big push to isolate and ‘socially distance’, to fear other people. That is a crying shame because the very things we need to be healthy human beings include a strong and interactive society, close family units, and positive mental-emotional care of ‘self’.

Another fear that has recently been added to the mix is the fear that we might succumb to Long Covid, that may linger for weeks, months, or even years. It has been mystically painted as a ‘disease’ that arises after Covid-19 infection, with no known treatment modalities. Let’s just rephrase that last statement though: what they really mean is that there is no drug in a doctor’s armoury that can treat Long Covid. But that also rings true for all lifestyle health imbalances, including autoimmunity, chronic fatigue, and post-viral fatigue syndrome. Long Covid is simply a re-enactment of the same play with different actors - it is a post-viral fatigue syndrome that has resulted from a new virus.

Long Covid is not, therefore, something new like it’s made out to be… Complementary health practitioners understand the lifestyle factors that predispose somebody to have an illness like this that drags on. Please note my use of language - I do not call a Covid-19 or Long Covid a ‘disease’ because that term infers a medical diagnosis (a label) and potentially something you have for life. I prefer to say ‘illness’ or ‘infection’, which is more transient in nature, and gives somebody hope of recovery. We don’t label somebody who is struggling with Glandular Fever as having a disease, yet this is a similar scenario: fatigue and immune disruption that results from a viral infection, that may drag on for some time. Basic immunology, plus observation of peoples’ individual responses to Covid-19 infection, tells us that the strength of your immune response to viral infection depends almost solely on the state of your whole health pre-infection. Yes, there have been some genetic observations made, trying to explain why some people have a rough ride with Covid infection, but we need to remember the phrase ‘genetic expression’. This means that ‘healthy’ behaviours you have in your life (including positive nutrition, exercise, sleep and stress management patterns, plus low levels of toxicity) support the expression of ‘good’ genes and suppression of ‘bad’ genes.

Too often, people who have suffered from some sort of infection expect to just bounce back afterwards. This is often entirely possible after a regular seasonal cold, but in the case of a novel virus (novel ≣ something your immune system hasn’t seen before), it can take a lot longer for your immune system to learn how to seek and destroy this virus, so if you go back to work too soon, or return to exercise sessions before your immune system has properly cleared the infection, it is possible for the infection to drag on longer than you would have liked. This is similar to the scenario of glandular fever, which is normally attributed to an Epstein Barr viral infection.

Another important point to make is that most of the so-called ‘healthy’ people who have ended up with Long Covid were not actually healthy to start with. They may have been devoid of any physical ailments, but that is not necessarily ‘health’. I had an experience in my early 30’s when my life was packed to the brim (busy job, long commute, a part-time degree, renovating my flat, and still trying to train): I got ill one day with fatigue-like symptoms, and didn’t completely recover until six months later. Medically speaking, I was ‘healthy’ until the day I became ill - ponder that statement for a few moments! In the six month recovery period, I had to drop all unnecessary activities, I swapped running for yoga, and I undertook a large rebuilding programme of nutritional therapy.

I know what it takes to be ultimately healthy and I also understand the dynamics between bugs (such as viruses, bacteria and parasites) and our human body. There is not a drug that can help us, nor will the so-called vaccines (gene therapies) save us. We have to support our own health through hard work: all of the following lifestyle factors have been demonstrated very clearly by science to support the resilience of our immune system:

• - Highly nutritious food
  - Botanics and nutrients in a supplement form
  - Attaining restful sleep every night
  - Daily physical movement - not too little and not too much
  - Positive mental-emotional health, including good stress management
  - Minimal levels of toxicity in our life

It is only you who can help you gain maximum fulfilment from this life that you’re living. Become self-empowered and take full control of your health, and enjoy a long and vibrant life.