inspiration


In times of environmental stress, supporting the body’s immune system is critical.


ents, called polysaccharides. T ese special, naturally occurring agents promote the activation of the immune system—which means a big boost to immune health and overall wellness. Studies have shown that a combination of maitake, shitake and/or reishi mushrooms signifi cantly improved immune system function by increasing natural killer cell activity. One of the best ways to consume


mushrooms is by taking a fermented mushroom powder. Fermentation easily boosts the mushroom’s natural immune compounds, making them easier to digest. In addition, releasing the mushroom’s nutritional payload through fermentation breaks down the chitin in the mushrooms’ cell walls and provides postbiotic metabo- lites to further support immune health.


T e Bottom Line Adopting a comprehensive nutritional program, including immune-supporting botanical agents, is one of best ways to support the immune system from daily environmental invaders. T ere is no better time than now to start!


Sponsored content. Quantum Nutrition Labs partners with industry leaders in botany, microbiology, and laboratory analysis to produce clean products rigorously screened for purity, identifi cation, and contaminants. T eir manufacturer is one of six compa- nies in the United States to be awarded the prestigious USP GMP-Certifi ed Program. More information at QNLabs.com. See ad, page 18.


FINDING CALM F


During Trying Times by Laurie Nadel


rom the moment we wake up and log on to our day, we are fl ooded with news about people whose days


started off much the same, with an expec- tation of going from point A to point B, to lunch, to point C and then back home. But something happened. A tornado


touched down in the neighborhood. Or a train derailed in a cousin’s hometown. Or, like now, an invisible killer stalks the globe, threatening to take our life or the life of someone we know. Within seconds, we are fl ooded with


horror and helplessness. Unable to stop the cascade of acute stress hormones, our bodies shiſt into fi ght-or-fl ight mode or leave us frozen like deer in the headlights. Whether we see what is happening online, on screen or in real time, we feel unsafe in our own skin. Although disturbing images can be swiped away, when something bad happens to us, we don’t know what to do. We can’t change the channel. Even during these tough times, we


can fi nd opportunities to develop new strengths and grow individually and together. To start with, we need emotional fi rst aid to help us fi nd calm quickly. We can do this by locating the tension points in our body and asking them what color would help them feel calm. T en we can inhale that color, letting it fi nd its way within to soothe our cells, and exhale our stress by breathing out a diff erent color.


We can repeat this technique as long and as oſt en as needed. Teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Park- land, Florida, report that this really works for kids, too. To heal means to make whole.


It doesn’t mean to make something go away. Hardship is part of life’s journey. Even this global pandemic can serve as our spiritual wake-up call to learn how diff erent spiritual traditions heal from life-shattering events. Five giſt s off er us the keys to wholeness:


 Humility helps us accept what we cannot change.


 Patience takes the edge off when the hurt lasts longer than we want.


 Empathy keeps us connected for the long haul.


 Forgiveness means forgiving ourselves, our leaders and God.


 Growth lets us look back with thanks for what we learned when the journey of life was anything but comfortable and easy.


Let’s journey together.


Laurie Nadel, a Manhattan psychotherapist, is the author of T e Five Giſt s: Discover- ing Hope, Healing and Strength When Disaster Strikes.


May 2020 21


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