(Breather) I’ve been seeing a lot of content and sitting back; since I’m not a health expert, I felt I had nothing urgent to contribute. But lately, I’ve been thinking about the way life has changed, and so suddenly.

Earlier this month, we were barnstorming Las Vegas for basketball games and checking out a magic show, attended a concert in Nashville, went to Graceland in Memphis, and were sampling bourbon in New Orleans. I felt a minimal personal connection to the news I was reading; I have to confess to a flawed mindset about the early news of the virus and the suggestion of social distancing. I was taking Dr. Bruce Lipton's Biology of Belief message to heart (more on that later), and refusing to live in panic and fear of contracting the virus.

If you’ve listened to my shows highlighting Dr. Lipton’s work about how thoughts affect cell function (part 1 here and part 2 here), you’re familiar with the fact that stored negativity, fears, and anxiety elevate stress hormones, suppress immune function, and can cause illness... such as cancer and stress-related heart attacks. Healing with the power of the mind is profound, so check out books like Mind over Medicine by Lissa Rankin if you’re interested in learning more.

I usually have a pretty positive mindset and in hindsight, I didn't fully appreciate the concept of contributing to the exposure and transmission to those who are weak and vulnerable. The Spring Break partiers in Miami might want to take heed. We are now being forced out of our self-absorbed dispositions to think about how our behavior impacts others globally. This is a huge positive takeaway and hopefully shift in consciousness for the future of humanity. Maybe more tolerance and acceptance will arise out of this, who knows?

Also, something to keep in mind: not all youth are degenerate, insensitive partiers. There was a great LA Times article from UCLA baller Natalie Chou about how she’s been getting dismissive looks on the airplane because of her Chinese-American heritage, which she says has given her a slight sense of how her black teammates might feel every day. Chou also points out how inappropriate it is to call it the Chinese virus, especially certain leaders, considering it’s a global virus.

Here are some things I’ve noticed so far have really helped me retain my positive mindset while dealing with this massive global life disruption:

Challenge yourself to move away from complaining and focus on the positive. Anytime the slightest thought of ‘hassle” (“Oh man, this is totally messing with my spring break!”), I jump right to gratitude. Things could always be worse. Yes, the economy is taking a major hit, but people are resilient and will do their best to recover. We have survived worse as a society. My mother tells stories of growing up on the Oregon coast during WWII and following orders to turn off all lights after dark so enemy planes would not know where the coastline was!

Outdoors: viruses thrive and transmit in colder temperatures (that's why this occurred during winter and cold/flu season) and because people gather more indoors. I’ve noticed more people out on my usual trail runs and hikes, including kids. At least for some, there seems to be more impetus to get out of the house and get some fresh air.
A simpler life: Life is a lot less stressful when you’re not running around doing errands and attending public events. Of course, this is not going to go on forever, but find things to be grateful for, instead of complaining about what you can’t control.
Heightened productivity: I’ve had more time than ever to work on book writing and other content since life is simpler and more focused.
Watching more digital entertainment than ever before (Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 10!).
Greater appreciation for social connection in the experience of social distancing.
More awareness of how illnesses are transmitted. I try not to be a germ freak, but I can sometimes err on the other side of being oblivious or in denial. I'd also suggest that we were all in denial, every step of the way. The President did “an abrupt turn” from saying it was business as usual to sayin, ‘We gotta shut down.’ Maybe everyone was dragging their feet one step behind optimum due to economic fears?
Incredible gratitude for public servants on the front line, including Dr. Steve at Urgent Care, nurse practitioner Marie at Urgent Care, nurse Frances taking care of high risk populations near the epicenter of the disease outbreak in Seattle, and Dr. Katie dealing with administrative aspects as a medical executive... Back to early comments about going from personal to global, how about staying away to put less burden on first responders? Gratitude extends to people at grocery stores and restaurants staying open.

In Bruce Lipton’s The Biology of Belief, he notes that “your thoughts affect cellular function at all times.” Here are some other interesting details:

Viruses thrive in the respiratory tract in the winter, due to the breathing-in of colder air. Flu season is annual and generally the differences among the viruses each new season represent mutations (variations) of previous flu viruses. Human immune systems have dealt with variations of common flu viruses over centuries. The cross-reactivity of antigen sites (the parts of the virus that induces an immune response) on older and newer versions of the flu have pre-primed the human immune systems to suppress the aggressiveness of newer flu mutations.

But once one of these animal viruses mutates, and starts to transfer from animals to humans, then it’s a problem. Why? Because we have no natural or acquired immunity...the RNA sequencing of the genes inside the virus isn’t human, and the human immune system doesn’t recognize it so, we can’t fight it off.

Now.... sometimes, the mutation only allows transference from animal to human, for years its only transmission is from an infected animal to a human before it finally mutates, so that it can now transfer human to human...once that happens...we have a new contagion phase.

Fast forward. Now, here comes this Coronavirus... it existed in animals only, and nobody knows for how long...but one day, at an animal market, in Wuhan China, in December 2019, it mutated and made the jump from animal to humans. At first, only animals could give it to a person... But here is the scary part.... in just TWO WEEKS it mutated again and gained the ability to jump from human to human. Scientists call this quick ability: “slippery.”

This Coronavirus, not being in any form a “human” virus (whereas we would all have some natural or acquired immunity) took off like a rocket. And this was because humans have no known immunity… doctors have no known medicines for it. And it just so happens that this particular mutated animal virus changed itself in such a way that it causes great damage to human lungs..

And this is why the COVID-19 is problematic: This novel version of coronavirus-19 has antigenic characters that have not been previously experienced by human immune systems. Consequently, without any previous infections, almost all humans are susceptible to experience COVID-19. The biological novelty of this virus makes it quite infectious, and for some, a serious illness.

Still, try to remember that the COVID-19 mortality data is biased and massively stress-producing! The percent of victims dying from the COVID-19 flu is based upon the total number of patients dying divided by the total number of cases that have been tested by a doctor or a medical center. The problem with the math is that symptoms of tens of thousands of COVID-19 patients either did not warrant going to a doctor, or they simply didn’t even show up at the doctor’s! Unfortunately, the media’s emphasis on the COVID-19 death statistics is a mathematical bias whose stressful forecast is itself responsible for weakening the public’s immune systems and aggravating the spread of disease. The biggest problem facing the public in this epidemic is not the rate of mortality, it is the overwhelming stress on doctors, nurses and the medical system which is not prepared to deal with a massive epidemic.

The truth is, the majority of COVID-19 deaths have occurred among adults aged 60 years and up, and among persons with serious underlying health conditions. The data is simple: COVID-19 deaths are primarily associated with the elderly and infirmed. If you are not part of that population, the vast majority of COVID-19 infected people will most likely not have serious symptoms.

The government is also significantly responsible for the failure of our medical system to manage infected patients. Between dismissing the country’s governmental committee dealing with epidemics and reducing the budgets of the NIH and other health-related agencies, the medical community has been undermined and left profoundly short-handed by the current administration. To deal with this major COVID-19 threat, it is vitally important to reduce the load on the healthcare system. This is the intention implied in, “flattening the curve,” which simply means reducing the rate of infections through practices, such as those suggested by Dr. Bruce Lipton below.

It should also be noted that it is a scientific fact that positive and negative thinking have a profound effect on the function of the immune system. One of the leading fronts in immunologic research is the field of Psychoneuroimmunology. Psychoneuroimmunology research clearly reveals that consciousness controls the function of the immune system. Positive consciousness is responsible for the Placebo Effect, wherein the mind can heal almost any disease, while stress and negative thinking create the Nocebo Effect, which can cause almost any disease. The fear of COVID-19, coupled with the resulting threats to survival, profoundly inhibits the population’s immune system and further exacerbates the epidemic.

So, is the COVID-19 epidemic to go on and on? The answer is clearly: NO! As is evidenced by the almost complete cessation of new COVID-19 cases in China and South Korea, the epidemic will come to an end. But while we wait for that time to come, check out what Dr. Lipton suggests below. His advice is geared towards anyone wanting to stay healthy by using a few practices that will empower your immune system and lessen any COVID-19 symptoms:

Maintain a healthy lifestyle: Eat nutritious natural, organic food; take vitamins and supplements, especially large doses of Vitamin C; wash more frequently than normal, back away from the computer and move about (something I have to learn to do as well!).
Recognize that the vast majority of healthy people, below 65 years of age, are likely to have only mild COVID-19 symptoms. Those whose health is already compromised and those who are elderly and receiving care are the most susceptible to severe illness. These individuals should take ALL prescribed cautions offered by the CDC.
Make every effort to de-stress! Sports, play, nature walks, meditation exercises, be in love, read a book, watch a movie. Basically, RELAX, for this will significantly enhance the function of your immune system and reduce the severity of any COVID-19 symptom.
You can help in “flattening the curve” to prevent overwhelming the medical system by taking care of yourself and supporting those in need in your community. Following the present governmental guidelines to stay home and physically distance from others will also help to not overwhelm the medical system. These are health-enhancing practices that will empower your immune system while helping others overcome their fears and infection.

In conclusion, many people who fall ill with the new COVID-19 disease will most likely experience mild, flu-like symptoms, fever, coughing and a sore throat, with over 80% of infected people having a mild to moderate illness that lasts about two weeks. The remaining 20% will have more severe symptoms that may need medical attention, but these symptoms can be relieved with proper treatment.

TIMESTAMPS:

If you are harboring negativity, fear, anxiety, you are going to have these feelings manifest in your physical health. [04:01]

Maybe a positive takeaway from this pandemic is that it is forcing us to get out of that self-absorbed disposition and think about how our behavior impacts others around the globe. [08:51]

Escape the mindset of complaining and focus on something positive instead. [11:03]

There is a noticeable increase in the number of people enjoying the outside. [12:34]

We are leading a simpler and more focused life these days. [13:25]

Brad has gained appreciation and awareness of how illnesses are transmitted. [15:34]

We need to have incredible gratitude for the folks on the front lines. [17:18]

In the beginning, the virus jumped from animals to humans but then in two weeks, it was able to transmit human to human. This is called Slippery in Scientific terms. [20:06]

The medical community has been undermined and left profoundly shorthanded. [23:29]

Consciousness controls the function of the immune system. [24:42]

The media’s emphasis on death statistics is responsible for weakening the public’s immune system. [25:58]

Stay healthy. Eat good healthy food. Wash your hands more frequently. Take more time outdoors. [26:57]

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