March 2020 - Nurtured Bones

How to Protect Yourself and Family from COVID-19

by Susan Brady | Mar 31, 2020 | Healthy aging

The current viral outbreak concerns us both as individuals and as a global community. Finding reliable information about how to protect yourself and your loved ones is challenging and ever-changing.

That’s why you’ll want to check out the Pandemic Recovery Summit.

My friend, best-selling author and MD, Dr. Mary Clifton decided to step up. She has gathered many of our world’s recognized leaders in medicine, science and survival to help you sort the facts from fiction and help you cope with this (and any) crisis.

It’s a free, online summit designed to give you reliable information and valuable tips as you navigate through this extraordinary time in history.

You’ll hear from many experts on urgently important topics, such as:

Nutritional health hacks to protect you from viral infections
Dealing with stress and heavy emotions in times of crisis
Knowing how to recover, and how to support others if they get sick
The basics of transmission and incubation
How to support your kids (and your sanity) during lockdown
Protecting yourself from EMF while working and staying at home
Turning on your natural “killer” cells to fight infection
Food: Sensible and practical prepping for any situation
The hidden dangers of blood sugar when it comes to immunity
How to prepare for the pandemic without going off the deep end

The summit is online, so you don’t have to leave your home (not that you can anyway!) and it is free for the next 4 days (March 31-April 3).

I am going to be speaking on the topic of “What Types of Foods you Should Stock Up on for Emergencies.” Join me and 39+ other experts to get up-to-the-minute pandemic information.

Click here to register for the Pandemic Summit Recovery

This summit should help to quell some of your fears and give you valuable tools and resources to help protect you and your loved ones.

Susan Brady
is a Physical Therapist,
Nutrition Consultant and
Doctor of Integrative Medicine.
She has been treating women with osteoporosis for over 30 years and is dedicated to helping people achieve
lasting good health and vitality.

Want to learn more about how you can improve your bone health? Contact me for a free 15 minute phone consult to learn more about the BONES Method™ and how it can help you achieve strong, healthy bones for life!

Day 8: 3 Favorite Immune Boosting Foods

by Susan Brady | Mar 30, 2020 | Nutrition

When fighting a cold or defending yourself against a nasty virus, your immune system is called into action. Your immune system is a complex fighting machine that includes several different types of cells that identify and attack invaders, such as viruses, bacteria and parasites. These cells need our support!

When writing out your grocery list this week, here are 3 immune supporting foods I recommend you add to your list. Although there are several other foods that can also boost your immune fighting cells, I like these 3 foods because they can last for days without refrigeration and are easy to incorporate into any diet.

Garlic has a long history of being used to treat many health conditions and has been shown in laboratory studies to inhibit certain flu and cold viruses. Its immune-boosting properties come from sulfur-containing compounds, such as allicin. Allicin is a compound produced when garlic is crushed or chopped. After chopping a garlic clove, let it sit for 10-15 minutes before eating or cooking with it since time is needed to activate the allicin compound to ensure its greatest benefits. For maximum flavor and nutrition, purchase fresh garlic opposed to powders or prepackaged options. Garlic is easy to incorporate into your daily meals to add flavor along with a boost to your immune system.

Citrus fruits are well known for their high vitamin C content. Vitamin C is thought to increase the production of your white blood cells, the soldiers of your immune system. It is also an antioxidant that helps to squelch free radicals and is an important part of collagen building. There are reports of intravenous (IV) vitamin C being used in China to treat COVID-19 and several clinical trials are now underway to determine if high doses of the vitamin are effective in treating the virus. We do know that vitamin C can help reduce the severity and duration of the common cold virus when taken before getting a cold. Because the body doesn’t produce or store it, you need to consume vitamin C rich foods everyday for continued health. Citrus fruits are not only an excellent source of vitamin C but the bright orange, lemon and lime colors bring a little sunshine into the home as well.

Pumpkin seeds are one of my favorite foods for supplying the body with zinc. Many studies have shown that zinc can reduce cold symptoms. There is also some evidence that suggests zinc may help increase immunity and prevent respiratory tract infections, particularly in the elderly who are more prone to zinc deficiency. Pumpkin seeds are also known to have anti-microbial benefits and to provide antioxidant nutrients, such as vitamin E. Add pumpkin seeds to a vegetable sauté (along with garlic!), sprinkle on salads, include them in your smoothie, or grind and use as a flour to add extra nutrition and flavor to your baked products. I have a wonderful gluten free bread recipe that uses ground pumpkin seeds.

Although there is no current evidence that eating garlic, citrus or pumpkin seeds can prevent or treat COVID-19, food can play a powerful role in maintaining good health and fighting off disease.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Hippocrates

Susan Brady
is a Physical Therapist,
Nutrition Consultant and
Doctor of Integrative Medicine.
She has been treating women with osteoporosis for over 30 years and is dedicated to helping people achieve
lasting good health and vitality.

Want to learn more about how you can improve your bone health? Contact me for a free 15 minute phone consult to learn more about the BONES Method™ and how it can help you achieve strong, healthy bones for life!

Day 7: Round table discussion

by Susan Brady | Mar 29, 2020 | Healthy aging

Sometimes, it seems like we are collectively watching a bizarre sci-fi movie.

At least that was the consensus among the experts that participated with me in a recent Coronavirus Roundtable.

I joined some wonderful colleagues last Monday to answer important questions about the Coronavirus.

In addition to sharing personal stories and experiences about Coronavirus so far, some of the things we covered in the roundtable include:

● If and when it’s ok to reconnect physically with loved ones you’ve been isolated from

● Why there is so much hysteria around the Coronavirus when the media doesn’t make a big deal about the common flu

● Natural ways to boost the immune system

● How sunlight affects the Coronavirus

● The truth about Colloidal silver as a means of protection

● How to keep a routine while on quarantine

● How to create a “new normal”

We also answered some more general questions about sleep at the end.

The Roundtable is available now for free.

It’s a little gift from our hearts to yours to hopefully make this time a little more manageable and bearable.

→ Here’s the link to watch and share: https://holisticsleepsummit.com/roundtable

You are welcome to share it with anyone you think needs a little extra support right now.

Susan Brady
is a Physical Therapist,
Nutrition Consultant and
Doctor of Integrative Medicine.
She has been treating women with osteoporosis for over 30 years and is dedicated to helping people achieve
lasting good health and vitality.

Want to learn more about how you can improve your bone health? Contact me for a free 15 minute phone consult to learn more about the BONES Method™ and how it can help you achieve strong, healthy bones for life!

Home Health Haven Day 6: Just Breathe

by Susan Brady | Mar 28, 2020 | Sleep & stress reduction

I hope you have been more mindful of your posture over the last 24 hours! Yesterday I mentioned how poor posture can hamper your breathing and today, I am going to emphasize how important optimal breathing is to our health. Particularly, it is crucial to stop throughout the day and consciously take some deep, rhythmical breaths.

Because breathing is something that happens automatically, it is easily taken for granted. However, deep, rhythmical, mindful breathing can be the first line of action for calming anxiety, reducing stress and supporting a healthy immune system. Breathing deeply and mindfully is one of the most effective things you can do right now for your wellbeing.

Mindful breathing works by bringing your body back into the calm part of your nervous system – the parasympathetic nervous system. Your autonomic nervous system is the system that controls all of your bodily functions, such as heart rate, breathing rate, digestion, and blood pressure. This system has 2 branches: the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS). The sympathetic nervous system is often considered the “fight or flight system”, while the parasympathetic nervous system is considered the rest, digest and recover system. The SNS is stimulated in times of stress. The body responds by speeding up your heart rate, dilating airways, constricting blood vessels, and signaling the release of glucose to prepare the body to fight against or flee from a threat. The PNS does the opposite. It slows down the heart rate and breathing, supports muscle relaxation and digestion, and promotes rest and recovery.

In times of stress, by simply taking some deep, slow breaths you can activate the PSNS and stimulate a relaxation response.

Mindful breathing has also been shown to improve immune function. Chronic stress and overactivation of the SNS causes sustained elevation of the stress hormone, cortisol. Prolonged cortisol activity, in turn, suppresses immune function. Breath work, through its ability to ease stress and deactivate the SNS, helps to reduce cortisol levels. It can also increase the number of natural killer cells, the soldiers of our immune system. Lastly, deep breathing improves the circulation of oxygen and absorption of nutrients, further boosting the body’s immune defenses.

There are a lot of different types of breathing techniques. The one I use most frequently is called “box breathing.” Box breathing, also known as square breathing, is a technique often utilized by Navy SEALs, athletes and police officers. It can improve performance and concentration while also reducing stress and anxiety.

Check out this video for a demonstration of Box Breathing

No Matter what rhythm of deep breathing works best for you, mindful breathing is a powerful way to turn down the stress response and activate your immune system.

Just Breathe!

Susan Brady
is a Physical Therapist,
Nutrition Consultant and
Doctor of Integrative Medicine.
She has been treating women with osteoporosis for over 30 years and is dedicated to helping people achieve
lasting good health and vitality.

Want to learn more about how you can improve your bone health? Contact me for a free 15 minute phone consult to learn more about the BONES Method™ and how it can help you achieve strong, healthy bones for life!

Home Health Haven Day 5: Perfect Posture

by Susan Brady | Mar 27, 2020 | Exercise

Yesterday I touted the benefits of technology for keeping us socially connected during this time of social distancing. But with the increased time spent on our computers, using our mobile phones or pads, or watching TV, we need to take extra care to be mindful of our posture.

Prolonged slouched sitting and use of mobile phones and pads can strain the muscles of our back and neck leading to pain and the dreaded forward hunch.

Poor posture can also affect our breathing. If you slump while sitting at your desk or lounging on the couch, your diaphragm and lungs get compressed, hampering optimal breathing. This can lead to the use of secondary breathing muscles, such as the upper trap and neck muscles along with the pec muscles of the chest. When these muscles are overworked in this fashion, they become tight and shortened, furthering postural dysfunction.

Here are some tips for maintaining healthy posture:

Sitting at your desk:

• Sit with your buttocks all the way to the back of the chair, so the chair is supporting your entire thigh.

• Position the height of the chair so that your hips are level with your knees. If your knees point down, the chair is too high. If your knees are above your hips, the chair is too low.

• Make sure you have good back support. If your chair doesn’t have lumbar support built into it, you can place a small pillow or towel behind the lower curve of your back for added support. You’ll be amazed at how just adding a little back support will encourage a straighter spine and improve sitting posture.

• If your computer chair has arm rests, make sure they are positioned so that your elbows and wrist are on the same level. If your wrists are higher than your elbows, try padding the arm rest with towels or pillows to elevate your forearms.

• If your chair does not have arm rests, make sure your keyboard is positioned close enough to allow your arms to hang comfortably at your sides with your elbows bent at 90 degrees.

• Your keyboard and mouse need to be positioned close enough so that you are not reaching for them.

• Your computer screen should be line with your eyes so you don’t have to look up or down at it.

• Don’t sit too long. Get up every hour and move around.

Sitting on the couch:

• Make sure your back is supported so you don’t slouch.

• Try and keep your feet on the floor

• Make sure your neck is properly supported

• Avoid the text neck by raising your phone up to eye level so you don’t have to look down…both in sitting as well as standing.

Now that you are done reading this email…take a break before you move on to the next one. Put your arms up over your head and stretch them back allowing your spine to arch backwards and your chest to stick out. Hold for 10 seconds. Next, move your head side to side and pause for a few seconds while comfortably looking over your shoulder. Bring your chin down to your chest and then slowly look straight up towards the ceiling a few times. Stretch out your legs by extending them out one leg at a time and finish up by marching your legs in place and tapping your toes.

Now you can move on!

Check out these exercises to help stretch and strengthen your postural muscles.

Maintaining good posture not only looks better aesthetically but can help your health as well.

Susan Brady
is a Physical Therapist,
Nutrition Consultant and
Doctor of Integrative Medicine.
She has been treating women with osteoporosis for over 30 years and is dedicated to helping people achieve
lasting good health and vitality.

Want to learn more about how you can improve your bone health? Contact me for a free 15 minute phone consult to learn more about the BONES Method™ and how it can help you achieve strong, healthy bones for life!