My supply of beans, lentils and quinoa for "stay at home" orders.
We are living through an unprecedented crisis that is creating history for many generations to come. As a global community, we all share susceptibility to covid19, because it is a novel pandemic virus. Infection with covid19 has dire and horrific aspects, but like so many complex things, it appears to have benign aspects as well. Why are there asymptomatic cases alongside cases that are tragically deadly? We have been plummeted into an environmental renaissance which is as if the Earth put us on pause in order to reset. The economic impact is proving to be very painful, especially for those with less income. We are told there is no proven medication and are bewildered by all the possibilities but no consensus. There hasn’t been time for controlled studies to scientifically conclude that a particular drug will work. . We have to change behaviors to help us get through this pandemic and some people are revolting against this rather than adapt to the needed changes. But through all of this, I have wondered if there is a diet that would help reduce the severity of covid19 if we are infected by it. What I have learned about human vulnerability and this virus has led me to conclude that I should adopt a more vegetarian diet with even less sugar. I found reason to believe that a plant-based diet mattered more now and would be more affordable in times of economic hardship. Diets can add or subtract to our baseline levels of overall health. Inflammation is tied to chronic diseases and appears to also be a factor in the severity of the virus infection, but would a better diet change that? There are indications it is likely to help which I will explore here. The cliché applies: there are no guarantees in life except death, taxes---and complexity. Since genetics also determines immune response, and the degree of inoculation hasn’t been quantifiable, dietary changes will play a role, but will be a variable factor in our susceptibility. This diary will explore well founded guidelines that go beyond the vagueness of what are culturally thought of as “healthy” foods and cites some expert advice on supplements.
Let’s start with the bigger picture. The Gaia theory or the Gaia principle, as proposed by James Lovelock in the 1970s, proposed that living organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings on Earth to form a synergistic and self-regulating, complex system that helps to maintain and perpetuate the conditions for life on the planet. Conceptually, Gaia would thus include atoms, nuclei, cells, and complex organisms composed of such. It contains all the life forms and all the building blocks for those life forms and has proved to be a remarkable self-balancing system, which mankind is now threatening. Pope Francis is suggesting that this virus is Nature’s answer to the Climate Crisis. I am not implying that Nature or Gaia has its own will, beyond maintaining a balance. Please do not turn the discussion about this diary into a debate about the term “Gaia”. For an excellent discussion of the controversial term “Gaia” please refer to Angmar’s blog. But I do know I can be informed by the world around me and the best way to refer to the grand scale of that world is through the encompassing Gaia concept. This concept helps me connect the following two questions: Are most humans eating a diet that helps the planet? And, is a diet which helps the planet also the best diet for supporting health in the face of covid19?
A novel virus is taking us down on a grand scale, not just as individuals, but as all sorts of social systems, especially our medical and socio-economic systems. Whether you believe a virus is a life form or not, which is a debate among biologists, we can say this “gift wrapped nucleic acid”or primitive life form is invading us and a global crisis has ensued. If a “gift wrapped nucleic acid” is part of life forms or sub-forms of life, it is still part of the living system of our outer shared world that can inform us rather than terrify us.
By hijacking a cell’s replication processes, viruses cause the cells they invade to replicate more virus particles. Covid19 is using our cells to replicate itself, at sometimes billions of replicated virus particles a day, and then we spread it. This virus is overwhelming too many people’s immune systems. In these ways it appears to acquire a force all its own, although it is our life force that it is required for it to continue infecting. This leads me to ask, how is it that a Gaia “life force” in the form of an invisible virus is forcing mankind into an energy descent? Viruses appear to exploit our vulnerabilities. We are changing our behaviors as we learn to adapt because of the contagiousness, virulence and sometimes deadliness of this virus. It is likely that our socio-economic systems will be changed irreversibly to one extent or another because of the actuality and the fear of this virus. When will our economic systems be less vulnerable? It would be ideal to have an economy that benefited the planet, rather than so much of what creates wealth causing damage to the planet.
We are needing to practice social distancing and enact more effort and techniques to avoid breathing in virus particles or inoculating ourselves after we touch possibly contaminated surfaces. We must wash our hands more frequently and avoid touching our faces. We need to be wary of asymptomatic carriers, because we don’t really know who might spread this virus without much more widespread testing. We must travel less in areas of a lockdown to flatten the curve. And flattening the curve can lead to more time for experts to determine effective ways of dealing with the worst medical aspects of this virus. I liked this attitude about lockdown:
Lockdown isn't about losing your freedom, but regaining it from the virus...
As a result of a lot less travel the air is cleaner now in places like LA and in India. Now people will have an idea of how clean the air could be if electric vehicles were the norm.
“It seems entirely probable that a reduction in air pollution will be beneficial to people in susceptible categories, for example some asthma sufferers,”...“It could reduce the spread of disease. A high level of air pollution exacerbates viral uptake because it inflames and lowers immunity.”
The water in Venice is clarifying. Endangered sea turtles are laying a record number of eggs on India’s beaches without the human disturbances experienced in past years, because India has a lockdown due to covid19. The same is true in Brazil. We can all agree that cleaner air and water including perhaps even fewer endangered species are all good things. But why did it take a virus to get us here? Besides travelling less, washing my hands more, and socially distancing, I am further reducing my meat intake which is part of the formula for an energy descent. Why the latter?
The answer to this question is well summarized in the Atlantic article published in 2017, written by James Hamblin, called “If Everyone Ate Beans Instead of Beef: With one dietary change, the U.S. could almost meet greenhouse-gas emission goals.”
“Rather the beans for beef scenario is the dietary equivalent of effective altruism—focusing on where efforts will have the highest yield. “It’s kind of a worst-first approach, looking at the hottest spot in the food system in terms of greenhouse-gas emissions, and what could that be substituted with without losing protein and calories in the food system? And at the same time, gaining health benefits.”
But this diary is a much more than just about beans!
Snoop Dogg just partnered with Beyond Meats to feed millions as part of a response to the coronavirus crisis! Maybe there will be more converts to reducing the demand for meat in our culture.
From another article:
...foods with among the lowest environmental impacts often have the largest health benefits (lowest relative risks of disease or mortality), and that the foods with the largest environmental impacts—unprocessed and processed red meat—often have the largest negative impacts on human health.
Maybe we should be going further than just busting up the wildlife markets in China to stop future pandemics?
“Preserving intact ecosystems and biodiversity will help us reduce the prevalence of some of these diseases. So the way we farm, the way we use the soils, the way we protect coastal ecosystems and the way we treat our forests will either wreck the future or help us live longer,” she said. Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, the acting executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity
When Jane Goodall, the renowned British primatologist was asked how she viewed this pandemic, she said the following:
It is our disregard for nature and our disrespect of the animals we should share the planet with that has caused this pandemic, that was predicted long ago.
This virus is leading to a lot of dietary changes. People can’t eat out in many areas of the world for the next several months. With massive unemployment more people are turning to food charities for help. There are shortages and limited choices at grocery stores or online due to supply chains breaking down. People who have rarely or never cooked for themselves are especially challenged. But we could improve our diets from now on. I have always been wary of eating out because the questionable fat and sugar content of the foods offered. I am using this time of staying at home as a way to explore more recipes and improve my diet further. I found good reason to do this, but one of the best is that it will benefit me and the planet.
If most of us are likely to eventually get infected by this highly infectious virus, is it possible to be one of the asymptomatic or mild cases of covid19 through dietary changes? Is it worth making the change if it was remotely possible? I think it is worth it. I am not claiming the changes will make myself or anyone as bulletproof as being a hermit and having phenomenal genes might. But let’s look at this question first: what is the rate of asymptomatic virus infections? The following early study suggests the answer:
High incidence of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, Chongqing, China
This study showed an asymptomatic rate of only 5.4% for ages 30 to 39, and 28% for those under age 14 and 27% for those over 70 years old. Percentage-wise, there were more older and younger asymptomatic patients, and even they had ground glass opacity on CT scans. And despite this they weren’t complaining of shortness of breath or having symptoms of pneumonia. Older patients can have pneumonia with very few symptoms with even bacterial infections. There was mention without much discussion of 3 cases that seem to have had a recurrence of the covid19 infection. There are limitations of this study. But with the hunger for information about this virus, we need to be informed by some of the findings and hopefully verify them or not with additional studies. It has been a marvel that younger people are not sicker with this virus as they are with influenza or other viral illnesses. It has also been a surprise that people in their 30s and 40s are ending up on ventilators. We know older patients are more likely to do so. But we also didn’t expect such a high percentage of those over 70 years of age to be asymptomatic.
We now are seeing reports of asymptomatic cases being up to 50% of a given population tested, and these cases are predominantly people in their 20s.
In a clinical resource called Up To Date, they discuss that asymptomatic people may show the ground glass appearance on CT scan. It is currently believed that these people fully recover. At what point will such an infection of the lungs leave scarring and cause vulnerability later in life? There are so many questions about this virus and our susceptibility to it.
Antibody testing would help to show who has already had the infection and now has antibodies, whether they had symptoms or not. But it isn’t such a simple matter, as discussed by Dr. Robert Gallo:
Sometimes the antibodies are positive and the person is still very infectious. So, you have to remember that.
I'd like to say there are antibodies and there are antibodies and there are antibodies. Some are nothing at all. Some are protective indicators. And sometimes, though not so commonly, they can make matters worse.
For example, dengue fever — if you get infected and have antibodies and they get infected again, you do worse. Another one is in babies, the respiratory syncytial virus. They can have antibodies that make things worse...
The question is, do antibody tests for this coronavirus pick up antibodies for other coronaviruses? It looks like with many of the assays, there are some cross reactions. So that's a problem because we're gonna get false positives.
Survivor Corps is a Facebook page for those who have recovered from a covid19 infection and wish to donate plasma or partake in research.
Inflammation markers that determine which covid19 infected patients will do worse are IL-6, a regulator of immune response that indicates inflammation, and myalgias (deep muscle aches), which is related to higher levels of inflammation, as well. This study discussed the AI determined markers to predict which patients would go on to develop ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome), which were ALT (a liver enzyme), degree of myalgias, and hemoglobin.
IL-6 is also released from muscles with strenuous exercise and then the immune system helps repair any damage. There are nutritional aspect to protecting from such excess inflammation. Might this help explain why there are reports of some very athletic people are having more severe cases of covid19?
Research shows the human body is more vulnerable to virus infection for a period between three to 72 hours after heavy exercise.
Heavy exercise isn’t such a good idea, but regular exercise that doesn’t lead to really sore muscles actually may protect someone who gets covid19 from developing ARDS, due to an antioxidant called "extracellular superoxide dismutase" (EcSOD).
This potent antioxidant [EcSOD] hunts down harmful free radicals, protecting our tissues and helping to prevent disease. Our muscles naturally make EcSOD, secreting it into the circulation to allow binding to other vital organs, but its production is enhanced by cardiovascular exercise.
In other words, moderate regular exercise is great, whereas heavy exercise may not be best idea.
The comment below stopped me in my tracks and led to writing this diary:
Dmace6-z
I’m thinking catching it is related to the persons inflammation levels - eg ESR and CRP levels being above their age baseline. Kids very unlikely to be inflamed but middle-aged people who eat high meat in take, drink or smoke are going to have higher inflammation levels. The world avg for that is 20% which matches the rate we are seeing of uptake. Also, if you look at Okinawa in Japan they had that first cruise ship yet only have 3 cases. They traditionally eat a 98% plant-based diet! Could also be why it’s been a surprisingly lower Indian uptake?.. for now.
This comment suggests we should not eat high amounts of meat, and we should also limit our drinking and smoking to have lower inflammation levels and reduce cases of infection. Is that what can make a difference if severe inoculation is not a factor?
The stay-at-home orders with alcohol still available for purchase is leading to more drinking. The Detroit Metro Times issued this warning:
“During this time of coronavirus, be careful of excessive drinking because it can compromise a person’s immune system,” commission chair Pat Gagliardi said in the release.
“…smoking is most likely associated with the negative progression and adverse outcomes of COVID-19.”
The world would have been spared some pandemics and will be spared future pandemics if Chinese didn’t eat strange animals and have such crowded and unclean meat markets. Just watching the video of the Wuhan China public market is enough to lead me to be a vegetarian, which turns out to be a good way to reduce inflammation as I will discuss later. It’s a good example of what is good for us is good for the planet and vice versa.
Americans have the highest levels of obesity in the world, and, as a consequence, they are proving to be the sickest population in the covid19 pandemic.
Overeating increases the immune response. This increased immune response causes the body to generate excessive inflammation, which may lead to a number of chronic diseases.
Being malnourished, or excessively nourished impairs the immune system. Obesity leads to more complications with infections. The visceral fat, deep abdominal fat, is an inflammation factory. It secretes IL-6, a marker of inflammatory processes.
A February 2020 article, published in Lancet in April 2020, is entitled COVID-19: combining antiviral and anti-inflammatory treatments. The thrust of the anti-inflammatory aspect is to reduce the severe inflammation in the lungs of patients with serious infections.
Acute inflammation is a needed response to injury and infection. We are discussing the problems that can lead to either an exaggerated acute inflammatory response or chronic inflammation, neither or which are good.
Here are sobering statistics on chronic inflammation related diseases:
Chronic inflammatory diseases are the most significant cause of death in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) ranks chronic diseases as the greatest threat to human health. The prevalence of diseases associated with chronic inflammation is anticipated to increase persistently for the next 30 years in the United States. in 2000, nearly 125 million Americans were living with chronic conditions and 61 million (21%) had more than one. In recent estimates by Rand Corporation, in 2014 nearly 60% of Americans had at least one chronic condition, 42% had more than one and 12% of adults had 5 or more chronic conditions. Worldwide, 3 of 5 people die due to chronic inflammatory diseases like stroke, chronic respiratory diseases, heart disorders, cancer, obesity, and diabetes. [4][5][6]The prevalence of some specific chronic inflammation-mediated diseases are as follows...:
diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis and joint disease, allergies, COPD.
Cardiovascular disease, diabetes and COPD are the top three pre-existing diseases that are associated with more deaths from covid19.
Chronic inflammation can result from the following:
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Here are tips on reducing inflammation in the body, and it isn’t only diet:
Follow these six tips for reducing inflammation in your body:
- Load up on anti-inflammatory foods. ...
- Cut back or eliminate inflammatory foods. ...
- Control blood sugar. ...
- Make time to exercise. … [moderation is best]
- Lose weight. ...
- Manage stress.
Jan 15, 2020
The anti-inflammatory diet has been promoted by the Integrative Medicine guru Dr. Andrew Weil for years and is an excellent diet to follow. Some of the essential anti-inflammatory diet tips are summarized as follows:
- Aim for variety.
- Include as much fresh food as possible.
- Minimize your consumption of processed foods and fast food.
- Eat an abundance of fruits and vegetables.
With regards to protein:
Decrease your consumption of animal protein except for fish and high quality natural cheese and yogurt.
This diet is well summarized at the link above. One of the parts of the food pyramid for the anti-inflammatory diet is that it recommends 1 to 2 servings of different legumes per day. Additionally, this dietary guidance recommends avoiding simple carbs, sugar, and bad fats. If lower levels of inflammation can be related to a plant-based diet, then is that also the best diet for our immune systems?
There is also the well-researched Advanced Glycation End Products (AGE) to substantiate food related inflammatory processes leading to chronic diseases. Meats cooked at high heat have the highest levels of AGEs. AGEs are important in clinical science because they are associated with OS [oxidative stress] and inflammation, processes that eventually cause most chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and neurodegenerative diseases. Of note, AGEs cause OS but OS also leads to AGE formation (1).
In other words, there are foods and food preparations that lead to higher levels of inflammation and unhealthy aging. There are many studies showing the health benefits of a plant-based diet.
Meat supplies are being threatened in the USA and this might turn out to be a good thing. The largest pork plant in the USA is closing indefinitely due to covid19 sick workers. Pakalolo recently detailed the refrigerant aspect of our meat eating habits and how it is threatened by disrupted supply chain as a result of this virus.
With America’s dedication to fast foods and processed food, will they fare worse when infected by this virus? They might appear healthy but have a greater tendency towards higher levels of inflammatory processes. This aspect is compounded by the utmost failure of Trump and other Republican leaders to organize a prompt and appropriate national response which would have reduced people’s exposure to covid19.
What defenses do I or any of us have when faced with the covid19 pandemic? Can I resource my health and well-being with better food choices? Is it wrong to feel as though the threat of this virus is urging me to change my diet?
Here are a few links that I found interesting:
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/diet-affects-autoinflammatory-disease-gut-microbes Diet Affects Autoinflammatory Disease Via Gut Microbes
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28916568?log$=activity Perspective: The Paradox in Dietary Advanced Glycation End Products Research-The Source of the Serum and Urinary Advanced Glycation End Products Is the Intestines, Not the Food.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...The role of intestinal microbiota and the immune system.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...Is eating behavior manipulated by the gastrointestinal microbiota? Evolutionary pressures and potential mechanisms (I just knew it was some nasty microbial colony in my gut that made me crave potato chips!)
A reasonable summary of this information is that eating a more plant-based diet is less inflammatory which helps our immune system (and our planet) and may very likely reduce the severity of any infection or chronic disease pattern.
Lise Alschuler, ND, is a professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and an Assistant Director of the Fellowship in Integrative Medicine at Dr. Andrew Weil’s Center for Integrative Medicine. She wrote an article entitled Integrative Considerations during the Covid19 Pandemic, dated March 18, 2020, which focuses on supplements and how and when they might optimally benefit us in this pandemic. I encourage you to read it even if the terms used are a bit bewildering to those not well versed in the science of our immune system. She writes:
While the pathogenicity of COVID-19 is complex, it is important to understand the role of inflammation in this disease. The virulence and pathogenicity (including acute respiratory distress syndrome) associated with SARS coronaviruses develops as the result of viral activation of cytoplasmic NLRP3 inflammasome. This inflammasome within activated (upregulated NFkB) macrophages and Th1 immune cells releases proinflammatory cytokines, namely IL-1B and IL18, which dictate the pathogenic inflammation responsible for the virulence and symptoms ofCOVID-19.1 Understanding this component of COVID-19 infection provides a mechanistic underpinning to several of the following:
She then summarizes risk reduction methods that include adequate sleep, stress management, zinc, vegetables and fruits +/- isoflavonoids, vitamin C, melatonin, sambucus nigra (Elderberry) and vitamin D.
If you become infected with covid19, she recommends you avoid the Sambucus nigra (elderberry), polysaccharide extracts from medicinal mushrooms, Echinacea angustifolia and E. purpura, larch arabinogalactan and vitamin D.
Dr. Alschuler notes the following as likely safe because of their immunomodulatory actions, but stresses the benefits of the following during a covid19 infection is unknown for now: garlic, quercitin, astragalus, full mycelium mushroom extracts, peppermint (mentha piperita), andrographis paniculata, zinc, vitamin A and vitamin C. There is discussion on dosing some of these items, so I encourage you to read her piece if you are considering taking supplements She ends her document by reiterating that there are no clinically evidence-based integrative prevention or treatment strategies for covid19 infections. Which is true for pharmaceuticals and dietary changes at this stage as well.
Lise Alschuler, ND’s article above didn’t mention NAC, N-acetylcysteine, although it is one of the better anti-inflammatory supplements. It’s role in covid19 infections was discussed by Wilderness Voice’s recent diary and is mentioned in the covid19 FAQ sheet from Dr. Andrew Weil’s Center for Integrative Medicine; please check out this information. This site mentions the potential benefits of Boswellia serrata in preventing or at least reducing mild cases of cytokine storm involving the lungs.
Our immune systems are genuinely remarkable and varied. There are ways to tone down the immune system when it is over-reacting and responding to self as with auto-immune processes, or when we want the immune system to accept a transplanted organ. And there are ways to improve the immune response to what it sees as “not-self.” This has been the subject of a lot of studies, and our knowledge of the important pathways is helpful in understanding our response to this virus.
I am not proposing to eliminate inflammation, which isn’t possible or desirable, because inflammation is an essential response of the body’s immune system response to infection or injury.
During acute inflammation, chemicals known as cytokines are released by the damaged tissue. The cytokines act as "emergency signals" that bring in your body's immune cells, hormones and nutrients to fix the problem.
What is not healthy, and is particularly damning with covid19 infections, is an over-reactive acute inflammatory response, as seen sometimes in young adults, or chronic inflammation that is underlying when acute inflammation occurs. You also have the senescent immune system of the very elderly which doesn’t mount an appropriate immune response.
The above information points to our many “allies” in the fight against a mild, and perhaps even a moderate covid19 infection, but what should you specifically AVOID diet wise?
An anti-inflammatory diet also means staying away from foods that can promote inflammation. It's best to minimize the amount of foods you eat that are high in saturated and trans fats, such as red meats, dairy products and foods containing partially hydrogenated oils, according to the University of Wisconsin. In addition, limit sugary foods and refined carbohydrates, such as white rice and bread. And cut back on the use of cooking oils and margarines that are high in omega-6 fatty acids, such as corn, safflower and sunflower oils.
Eating a more plant-based diet is less inflammatory which helps our immune system and may very likely reduce the severity of any infection or chronic disease pattern. A link between our diet and our immune system is our gut microbiota. One way to understand this is that what we eat determines the characteristics of our gut microbiota which influences inflammation and thus our immune health.
“In this review, we outline the roles of gut microbiota in immunity, starting with the background information supporting the further presentation of the implications of gut microbiota dysbiosis in host susceptibility to infections, hypersensitivity reactions, autoimmunity, chronic inflammation, and cancer.” (Emphasis added.)
The crosstalk between microbiota and the immune system at the level of the gut is extensive and critical, and not only allows for the tolerance of commensal bacteria and oral food antigens, but also enables the immune system to recognize and attack opportunistic bacteria thereby preventing bacterial invasion and infection. In addition to influencing localized immune responses, these microbiota also have broader effects contributing to innate and adaptive immunity at multiple levels. This concept is supported in preclinical models, as germ-free (GF) mice that lack intestinal microbiota are noted to have severe defects in immunity, with an absent mucous layer, altered IgA secretion and reduced size and functionality of Peyer’s patches and draining mesenteric lymph nodes (Johansson et al., 2015, Spiljar et al., 2017). Overall, there is compelling evidence that the microbiota helps to shape the immune system as a whole (Honda and Littman, 2016).
8 Steps to a Healthier Microbiome
Eat a Plant-Based Diet with Lots of Fiber. The fiber in plant foods passes through the digestive system until it reaches the colon. ...
Eat Fermented Foods Every Day. ...
Consume Prebiotic-Rich Foods. ...
Choose Polyphenol-Rich Foods. ...
Take a Probiotic. ...
Incorporate Collagen. ...
Limit Sugar Intake. ...
Be Mindful of Antibiotics.
May 1, 2019
SUMMARY
I asked myself: If I drifted away from dietary changes that helped the planet, would I renew those efforts if it also helped me through this pandemic?
Results from the current study show that high legume intakes are associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality.
Ok, so the answer is “Yes!” I stocked up on dried beans, lentils and quinoa before reading about fewer covid19 infections, or at least fewer symptomatic covid19 infections, in a cruise ship population that primarily ate a plant-based diet. But these foods can be bought in bulk, using your own bags, have plenty of protein and fiber, have a very long shelf life, and they are generally considerably cheaper. I can hear someone singing, “Beans, beans the musical fruit...” One tip I have utilized is to soak and then sprout my beans and lentils, which you can also do with raw nuts. It releases enzymes that help with utilizing their nutrients. I’m finding some great new recipes online, so it is like an adventure.
For me, I now am informed that I should resume vigilance regarding sanitation, add wearing a face mask in public during a respiratory spread pandemic, travel less, eat little to no meat, eat less sugar, and ideally eat little to no processed foods. I found a source of fresh shiitake mushrooms and am enjoying that regularly. I already know my entire family has a zinc deficiency, so I am continuing to supplement with zinc. Additionally, I take vitamin D and I’ve also started taking quercitin phytosome. (Quercitin is very good at reducing biofilm production which allows viruses and bacteria to hide out from our immune system.) I make my own yogurt using A2 milk with a new probiotic capsule each time. Also, I need to continue moderate exercise, including yoga and breath work, and get good and adequate sleep. I also fully understand that those of us who self-isolate won’t spread this virus. Yes, that is a sacrifice I am making and am willing to make to help others and myself.
Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, had this warning on 13 April 2020:
"[Today's death] is a timely reminder that our battle with this virus is far from over. While overall case numbers have continued to fall, even one case can become many. Our clusters have shown that the simple act of coming together for a social occasion... can lead to more than 80 cases, as we have seen," she declared.
In January of this year, I wrote this diary,www.dailykos.com/…, foretelling more dire events if humans don’t change their behaviors. But I never had this pandemic in mind. If this pandemic can be viewed as a message to our human life form from what supports all of life, and if we don't respond aptly to that warning, there will likely be further, more severe messages/events. We should consider that our experience of the world outside of us should inform us about that world. That world is a teaming diversity of life forms and includes what is needed to sustain those life forms including our own, but in a balanced way. We should learn from all of life, rather than fear it and try to excessively control it. Those who won’t heed the message that individuals need to practice social distancing for the greater good of all, will more readily spread this virus and likely get infected themselves. And besides, social distancing might just lead to fewer pregnancies and be a better form of population control than many deaths due to an infectious disease. I think Gaia is telling us to work for the common good, not just focus on selfish concerns. You may have a different opinion. I am not telling you what to think.
Pandemics aren’t going away. Many countries were ill prepared for this pandemic despite expert warnings that a pandemic of this very sort was a matter of when, not if. We need more anti-fragility of our socio-economic systems, including our medical systems and our individual health. I don’t support going back to “the way things were.” Do we want to support an economy that ruins the planet? Our food habits and supply systems can change to improve the overall health of our population, and our planet, and will increase our resistance to diseases and likely also protect us in any future pandemics. Fortunately we don’t have to do this perfectly, only better.
This virus is teaching me, and hopefully more than just me, a lot about ourselves and the sicker individuals in our society. We know those who are older and those with chronic medical conditions are more vulnerable but hidden vulnerabilities are being exposed now. Reliance on science at this time is a must.
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center teamed up with the Department of Medicine at the University of Washington and developed a mathematical model to predict outcomes of different covid19 treatments. Conclusion: We need early detection and early treatment to get on top of this viral pandemic. Most trials are set up to test and treat only those who are sickest when the chances of a good outcome are slimmer. That approach won’t stop this pandemic. This type of information should inform all of those working for a solution to this pandemic.
We have a crisis involving our medical and economic systems and thus it is a crisis for all of us. We are calling upon our most insightful minds to guide us as some of our leaders fail us miserably. We have those who will not sacrifice anything personally for the good of others. I see those individuals as the cancer cells of our societies and our worldwide human community. Will the virus be a lesson to those who are following that destructive path?
Isn’t Gaia sending us all lessons to be learned through this virus? We are being “forced” into an energy descent right now. What changes can we hang onto to that help ourselves AND the planet?
Gaia has been sending us messages of the unbalanced life support systems it encompasses for some time now, and most of us aren’t listening. What are the lessons to be learned through our experience of this virus? We will all experience it in our own personal and collective way. Sadly, some may not learn anything. We are living through history and determining our fate.
We are living in the time of the Great Turning
Turning away from making war
We are living in the time of the Great Turning
Turning back to natural law
Flowing with nature heals our spirit
Going against her harms us all
Rooh Star
