So you got the jab. Now what?

Remember how in our last article we talked about how critical balancing your health and clean living is? We are still big fans of this. In fact, this is at the core of our understanding of how you can support your body’s defense system.

You know by now if your injection experience came with some short lived side effects. These are your body’s way of showing that your immune response was revving up, kicking in and doing its job to create the desired protective antibodies.  

Tips to smooth the process

• Local pain over injection site?  Try topical Arnica gel or Traumeel.
• Whole body muscle aches? Consider Magnesium. This mineral helps the muscles relax. Epsom salt baths are also a good way of getting magnesium absorbed into those sore body parts without adding in an oral supplement.
• Fatigue? Nap! Give yourself the permission to rest and relax for the day. Even if you cannot nap, close your eyes, dim the lights, and listen to gentle music or a guided mindfulness meditation.
• Headaches? Drink ginger tea! Prepare by chopping 1 TBSP of fresh ginger-root or steep 2 dried ginger tea bags per cup of hot water.
• Fever? Don’t cut it! Let the fever run its course, as this is an indication that the body is producing a robust immune response. Support the process with a Warming Sock Treatment.

To support your body’s balance we are asking our patients to stick closely to an anti-inflammatory diet (low sugar, no processed/synthetic foods, no alcohol) for 24-48 hours after their vaccine side effects have resolved.  Stay well hydrated, keep stress down and prioritize sleep during that window.  

Don’t forget that your body is working hard to create these protective antibodies for several weeks after each vaccination.  Create a plan to help you stick to your health goals to support your body during this time.

And what about the day to day? To mask or not to mask, that is the question. With more and more activities and businesses opening back up it is critical that we all do our part to reduce the spread of variants. We urge you to continue to mask in public, especially in a public in-door space. Remember children and some adults are not able to get the vaccine so we want to help reduce the chance of exposure not just for yourself but our community. 

A quick plug for proper masking

We should be double masking as much as possible to protect from current variants with a surgical mask under a double layer cotton mask. Why? The researchers suggest that the cotton masks provide the synching action on the sides of the face to protect from gapping of your mask. Cool fact– It turns out the double layer cotton isn’t just helping to keep particles from going in our airway as a physical barrier. It also enhances the moisture content between the skin and the mask which makes it harder for SARS-CoV-2 to travel into our airways. And while we are on the topic:  Don’t hang your nose out there uncovered. It puts you and others at risk.

Once you have waited out the window required for your body to create protective antibodies (which varies with each vaccine so check with your healthcare provider), you may decide to start seeing other fully vaccinated individuals without wearing masks. The CDC has now cleared vaccinated adults to safely interact mask free indoors in a private setting. 

Think through opening your pandemic pod, considering the relative risk of each individual new members may come in contact with. Make sure to keep communication open about your comfort level and theirs as so much is changing. Stay flexible. There’s constantly new research becoming available and more and more of our community are taking steps toward immunity.

Remember, you can support your body and your defense system with focusing on healthy choices as you create your holistic vaccination plan.  We can help you fine tune your health to support you during and AFTER the vaccination process. Contact us to get scheduled and optimize your body’s defense system.