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Embracing Illness: Finding Balance Through Cold and Flu

• me&my wellness / Anthony Hartcher • Season 1 • Episode 233

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What if a cold or flu wasn’t just an inconvenient setback but an opportunity for self-reflection and personal growth? Could illness serve as nature’s way of resetting priorities and fostering deeper connections?

In this episode, Anthony Hartcher recounts his recent experience with a viral infection and the unexpected lessons it brought. He explores how the immune system responds during illness, the protective benefits of fever and elevated heart rate, and the idea that viruses might contribute to human interconnectedness. Anthony also reflects on how overcommitting to extreme health routines left him vulnerable, forcing him to reassess his approach to wellness.

Listeners will gain insights into supporting recovery through nutrition, natural remedies, and key nutrients like vitamin C, zinc, and vitamin D. The episode offers practical tips on maintaining balance, managing stress, and embracing vulnerability during challenging times. Tune in for inspiration to adopt a more holistic approach to health and reconnect with what truly matters.


About me&my health up & Anthony Hartcher     
me&my health up seeks to enhance and enlighten the well-being of others. Host Anthony Hartcher is the CEO of me&my wellness which provides holistic health solutions using food as medicine, combined with a holistic, balanced, lifestyle approach. Anthony holds three bachelor's degrees in Complementary Medicine; Nutrition and Dietetic Medicine; and Chemical Engineering.

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Any information, advice, opinions or statements within it do not constitute medical, health care or other professional advice, and are provided for general information purposes only. All care is taken in the preparation of the information in this Podcast. [Connected Wellness Pty Ltd] operating under the brand of “me&my health up”..click here for more

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Anthony Hartcher:

Welcome back to another insightful and exciting episode of me&my health up. I'm your host, Anthony Hartcher. I'm a clinical nutritionist and lifestyle medicine specialist. The purpose of this podcast is to enhance and enlighten your wellbeing. And today you have me doing that just for you. And we're talking about colds, flus, and how they can be beneficial to your wellbeing. I've recently had a bout of a flu or some virus or bacteria that certainly overwhelmed me for a period of time. And you've probably noticed from previous episodes that have just been released that, yes, I was a bit under the weather. However, it was a real learning experience and an educational experience for me, and also a great reset. So I just wanted to share with you some of the health benefits that come from having the common cold or flu. We often think of the common cold as flu as a setback or a negative because I can't function like I would, or I miss opportunities. And we we focus and dwell on the negative side of having a cold and flu. However, I took the opportunity to look at the other side. I wanted to balance my perception of the cold and flu and see it as it is, and be grateful for having the flu or the bacteria or whatever overwhelm me for a period of time in my life. And, yes, I'm coming off the other side and so I'm on the increase. However, I've still got some of slight symptoms of cold and flu. My voice isn't quite the usual voice, and I'm still a bit blocked up in some way, and my energy levels are rebuilding. So I'm in the rebuilding phase, but certainly on the upward trend, which is great because I was certainly knocked around for a period of time. So let's start with some of the benefits of having the cold and flu. And it's probably worthwhile me sharing what's actually going on with the cold and flu and how these bacteria and viruses interact with us. And so really begins with our immune defences and having our immune defences robust in order to not get sick too often. But the sickness that we do experience, there's an upside to it because it puts our immune system into function. It gets it turning over. It gets it working and working more efficiently eventually once it overcomes the virus or the bacterial infection. However, initially our system is a bit overwhelmed and hence why we experience the signs and symptoms of the flu. And I'll probably focus on the flu because it does knock us around a bit more and that generally comes from a viral infection. And so viruses are out there all the time. They're invisible. And so they're like a invisible aspect that we can't see. However, our body's constantly defending them and defending them off. And sometimes you hold them off or you stop them from overwhelming your immune system. And other times your immune system's overwhelmed and that's when you experience the signs and symptoms. And as you know, around flu symptoms, it's very much that that fever response. And that fever response is actually trying to, it's part of a defence mechanism against the virus. It wants to elevate the body temperature so the virus replication is slowed down. So it's actually healthy being able to maintain a fever. However, it's when the fever gets out of control and we lose control of the elevated body temperature, that's when it can become quite dangerous for us. But if we're able to maintain, I guess, an elevated body temperature, but it's not escalating and continuing to escalate at an accelerated rate, then we don't need to intervene. And so it's actually good to sit with a temperature. And the other thing you'll notice is that your heart rate increases. I certainly noticed that through my Oura ring. And that is obviously the body working hard to defend itself, pumping around the blood, getting the lymphocytes around to obviously fend off the virus. And so the virus will enter our system. We have first line defence, which is our mucous membranes, which is saliva, and we have obviously our skin, which is a first line of defence. However, if our first line of defence and our white blood cells that are in that defence area, if they get a bit overwhelmed, and the reason why they might get a bit overwhelmed is that we've been very busy. So periods of ongoing stress will downregulate the immune system. So that downregulation of the immune system can make you more susceptible to getting sick. And I certainly had a busy period and I was busy with work and also busy actively. So I, I would have had, I guess, a immune system that might not have been so robust to keep this viral infection away. I was generally sleeping well, however, very active, very busy with work, and I was overwhelmed by the virus. And the thing about viral infection is when we look at our human DNA, it's actually made up of eight to 10% of viral components. And so when I reflect on that, I'm thinking viruses are certainly a way in which we stay connected in our human consciousness in some way, because we're obviously sharing components of someone else within us through viruses. And that, for me, is quite insightful, because then I can see a virus in terms of a benefit is that it keeps us connected with human consciousness. That's obviously my hypothesis based on when I look in and sort of really think about the purposes of viruses, they certainly not only challenge our immune system and keep it robust, keep it working, it also, there must be an element of connection and connection at a much higher level that we don't really recognise. And certainly, I think there's something to do with keeping us connected as a human race. So some way in which if this virus had to come from North America or Europe, it keeps me connected with those human species in North America and Europe. So I think that's quite fascinating. And obviously, research in time will either, I guess, prove me wrong or might actually validate what I'm sharing. So that's an interesting aspect of viruses and certainly one insight that I've really thought about deeply, obviously. So it keeps us connected as a human species, keeps human consciousness interwoven, and I think that's incredible in terms of the way in which viruses can help us connect. And not only do they help us connect at that sort of level that I'm hypothesising, they also help us connect at a human to human, I guess, a closer connection with others around us. So family, friends, they hear about you not being well, and they show care towards you. And it makes you feel valued. And it really helps strengthen that relationship. And so relationships will certainly improve and bonding will improve with one another that are, you know, people that are close to us. And so in that way, it connects us. But in another way, it disconnects us because we're not wanting to infect others. And so I was making a conscious effort to keep away from others in order to not infect them. But so I guess from a physical point of view, I was feeling a bit disconnected. But from an emotional point of view, I was feeling very connected because people would show that care and I felt valued. And that was really important at an emotional level. And that really plays in part the importance of it really helps balance our nervous system. So we get that support and that elevates us and gives us the strength to fight it. So the support from others is really important and it comes from being sick. And so people rally around us and support us emotionally. Physically, we might not have the same level of connection. However, we get that sense that we have that connection through the emotional connection. And that really helps balance our autonomics and keeps us regulated. Now, I've diverted a bit away from what what's happening with the virus. And so, yes, it gets into our body via via the mucous membranes or via the skin, depending on if, you know, if we've had a like bacterial generally enter via the skin, if there's a rupture to the skin, and the immune defences around that area of skin aren't really working well, and viruses through mucous membranes, and when they get into our system, the viruses will, funny, they either they go enter directly into the cell, the human cell, or they actually just inject their, I guess, parts. And when they get those parts, or they actually enter the human cell, what they do is overtake the human cell. So they actually intersect or they like, they're sort of a hijacker, they're they're a hijacker of our cell. And what they will do is then replicate themselves using our components. It's fascinating. And they continue to replicate the more they can overtake our cells. And it's really once we get overwhelmed that there's quite a number of these viruses that their replication is is taking off and our immune system's not keeping up, then that's when we notice the signs and symptoms. So that's the virus is entering the cell. But what it does, it initiates our immune system, which is there to defend us. And we we get that adaptive response. So initially, we have that sort of innate response where we just attack the foreign body with natural killer killer cells and neutrophils and and we will try to break it down and destroy it because we recognise it as foreign. But then our adaptive system also is initiated and that adaptive system is then us creating a specific way of us terminating that, that virus. So in essence, what we're doing is coming up with antibodies that will destroy that body. So we develop that. So that takes time. And this is why we we have this infection and overwhelm for a period of time until our bodies enabled to develop enough of these antibodies to then us get on top of the virus. And so we also retain a memory of those antibodies. So if we encounter that specific virus again, we can faster overcome that response. Hence why sometimes with the flu, you might find that it doesn't overwhelm you or doesn't really have a, you know, I guess a major implication on your wellbeing because you've already encountered that and you've developed an antibody to that. And that's how vaccines work. So they're, they're about retaining that memory of that antibody so that when that our immune system recognises that antigen on the virus, then it will then start generating the antibodies in order to fight off the cell. So that's that's why it takes a bit of time to overcome the cell, but that time is our body working. And the most important thing you can do during that period is to look after yourself. And so this is what it really helped me do was it helped me reset. So what COVID gave us as a society was that reset, that reflection time, because you can't do a lot, right? You're pretty much bedridden and you don't have a lot of energy. So there's a lot of thinking time. And so you start to question things. And so for me, I started looking at what was most important because I had very limited energy. In terms of the energy I had, I wanted to make sure I was doing the most important things. And so I was really connecting with what was most important to me. And one of the most important aspects to me is my health. So I reconnected with my health. I reflected on my health. And for me, it was, I may have been trying to do too much with my health and I actually overwhelmed myself. And so I was doing, you know, changes around my diet, changes around my lifestyle, been doing that for a period of time. And I've shared that in terms of what I'm doing around light is medicine, what I'm doing to deplete deuterium and and what I'm doing around fasting and and changing, I guess, the composition of my diet. I've been doing lots of these changes. And there was a phase there where I pushed it a little bit harder. I was fasting for longer. And, yeah, so really, and then exercising a bit more and doing a bit more saunas and cold baths. And so what I realised is I actually overdid the health. And I overdid the health to the point that it was stressful on the body. And I put too much stress load on the body, which made me susceptible to infection. And so that was one of the learnings for me was, yes, I have a high value on health. I was investing a lot of time and energy into health, but I overdid it. I lost sight of the bigger picture and I wasn't allowing enough recovery, recuperation. And I wasn't looking after myself, in essence, I was really pushing limits. I was pushing limits of how long I could fast and and time in the sauna and time in the cold baths. And that was a learning for me was that I need to find a better balance and and I, yeah, I overstepped the mark. So that was a big learning for me and that reconnected me with health. And that made me reflect as to, I was probably doing too much around health and I needed to restore more balance. And I think what it really helped me do was reconnect with family. So starting to think about family needs and other needs within the family, and it really helped assist those relationships and that connection. And so as much as I felt that in some ways I could have perceived myself losing my health. What what I gained was connection with family. But in actual fact, I didn't lose connection with my health. I still had that focus. I just didn't have that over all that extreme sort of intensity that I can get around my health. And so I realised that I've got to bring that down a bit. And it allowed me to invest a bit more time into family and spending time with family and really quality time with family. Because this also helped me disconnect from my work, because with my work, there's an association with health, and I didn't want to show people that I was sick, because there's an element of my identity that's tied up with health. And so it made me reflect on that dynamic as well, as is it important for me to showcase that I'm human and yes, healthy people do get sick, which I did. I certainly did that. As you can listen to previous recordings, I sound under the weather and they probably weren't the best recordings. But I, for me, it was I, it was part of my recovery and it was important for me to let people know that I'm human. And then I was and I've certainly been very open to let people know I've been very sick because I think it's important to certainly just be open and allow people in, in terms of, you know, just recognising that, yeah, healthy people do get sick and that we're not invincible. And there's always, like, I could be perceived as healthy, but in actual fact, as I said, I was overdoing my health. I was doing too much and that was quite stressful on the body. So in some ways, I probably need to, and it helps me in my practise because I don't want to push my clients so that they break. It's sort of finding that nice, I guess, optimal point of which we do health, but we also not overdo it. So that was one of the major learnings. And, and for others, like when I think about how this corresponds to others when they get sick is maybe they've lost focus on their health. And what the virus does is get their focus back on health. So they get that, they reprioritise what's important to them based on what's happening to them. And that is that they're sick. And so therefore they start looking at their health and they start doing things to support their health. So that's how it really helps in terms of, I guess, other people. I mean, for me, it wasn't, it was me overdoing health. And then, yeah, so I think you understand what I'm getting at here. And then I was able to focus on other areas that are important to me, as I said, my family and connection with them and being present with them. And for me, it was really just spending time with them, being, just being present really, because I was, I didn't have the energy to work. And I didn't have the energy to do health extremism. And I was stationary. I wasn't moving. I was with them. And I've just made a real conscious effort just to be very present and to take each moment and be, yeah, just really live every moment as opposed to just wishing I was better and why, why am I sick? And so I didn't, I let go of that self-pity and more focused on this is where I'm at, this is what I can do, and I can focus. I'll just focus on the energy and my capacity in terms of what I can do. And that's just being present with my family. And we were on holidays at the time, and I was just doing what I could to allow them to have a holiday, but also make sure that I didn't overdo it. And that was a nice sort of dance in terms of me pulling back on some things, allowing them to do it, and then me engaging in what was appropriate for where I was at in terms of my recovery. So that was, I think, a big learning for me is that when we're sick, we've got limited capacity, limited energy. And so therefore, it makes us look at what's most important to us. And so we prioritise based on what's truly most important to us. And so it allows you to reprioritise. And this is what COVID obviously did to us as a society, was look at what is really, really important to us and just do that, as opposed to thinking we need to keep up with the Joneses and try to do everything. So that reprioritisation and refocus was a big, big positive around the virus for me. And then so I had the opportunity to reflect what I was doing in health and how I could pull it back and still be healthy, but not overdo it and actually stress the body. And so I've found a better harmonious blend with what I was doing around health. I obviously connected with my family more. And with work, I was, I had very limited capacity. So I was just focusing on the big things, the most important things. Obviously, my clients were number one. And so just focusing on my clients is all I did whilst I was sick and how I could continue to help them and serve them with my limited capacity. So that was really that reprioritisation, focusing on what was most important to me was a big insight, and the ability to then rebuild in terms of what I'm doing. So it's now I can continue to take this reprioritisation, this more balanced approach to health going forward. And so that's a big learning as a result of having the virus. So if I didn't have the virus, I would still have this imbalance, or total extremism, and I would still be pushing. And obviously, now it's enabled me to look at the bigger picture and to reconnect with other areas that are really important to me, such as family. And also, in terms of the business and my podcasting is you reflect on what's really most important to the business, and podcasting is up there. So obviously I really have connected deeply with podcasting, and it enables me to share these insights and learnings that I can pass on to you. So as you can hear, my voice is fading and I, you know, I'm still my my breathing's not where it used to be. So that's a little sidetrack. But in terms of other like importance and learnings that came from being sick is that I can better relate and empathise with others that are sick. And so it enables me to connect with others that have similar ailments. And so I was thinking about my dad and his struggle with his respiratory system and how impactful it is on your life and how impactful it is on your sleep and how impactful it is on your energy levels. And so I was able to better connect with my dad around his health struggles. And so that for me was empowering to me because I have a better understanding of what he was going through because I had a bit of lived experience of struggling to breathe, struggling to breathe at night, constantly waking at night, not being able to sleep. And then when that happens for like 10 consecutive days, your energy is depleted, your emotional or your ability to be resilient is quite depleted, your ability to do things is quite depleted and it's a real, it's a real challenge. And so that I was able to, I guess, develop a deeper connection in terms of understanding what it's like to have a respiratory illness. And certainly with my clients, I better understand what it's like to go through those struggles. The other thing it helped me with was obviously better understanding ways to overcome and support the immune system. So I was looking at what I could do in order to better, more naturally approach or support my body to overcoming the virus. In the past, I would have done a lot of supplementation. And so I reflected on that and I thought, look, I, with supplementation, I think there's a place for it. But sometimes for me, I think it's too much for what the body needs. And I'm more into, I guess, that more natural approach and more natural amounts of things. Like when you think about supplements, they're very concentrated and high, high, really high dosages of things. And I'm thinking how much of that you simulate, how much of that is just wasted and how much of that really resonates with what the body really needs. You know, like in terms of artificially being made versus, you know, from a tree or plant. And, and so what I did is very much use food as medicine. So obviously I'm trained as a nutritionist and I looked at what are foods that contain vitamin C and I ate more of those foods that contain vitamin C. And for you, it's like, and what's in season. So I very much focused on seasonal. So I was in New Zealand, so I was able to get kiwi fruits and kiwi fruits are high in vitamin C. So in New Zealand, I was eating kiwi fruits predominantly. When I returned to Australia, I was eating more mandarins and oranges and some apples. And so they all contain vitamin C, certainly not as, you know, not to the level of the supplementation that you can get in terms of levels of vitamin C. But for me, I was focused more on the assimilation and what would really get into the cell and really support the cellular function. So vitamin C, I was, you know, looking to do more of Zinc is also an important mineral. So zinc is found in nuts, seeds, animals, animal products, and seafood. And so I was then consuming various amounts of those products in order to get zinc. Oysters are really high in zinc, so I actually had a dozen oysters at one stage. And so I, yeah, I was looking after, you know, focused on zinc. Selenium is also important. Selenium you'll find in seafood and in Brazil nuts. I was having a bit of that as well. Vitamin A, so vitamin A is really, I guess, high in, certainly organ meats. I had a bit of organ meats whilst I was sick, but vitamin A, you can find the precursor in, I guess, fruit and vegetables that are yellow and orange and red. We get the precursor and then the body can make vitamin A. So I was, again, focused on what was available, seasonal, and I was eating them, eating what's seasonal and available and fresh and getting that vitamin A and vitamin D. So vitamin D was probably my major focus, particularly around the lung function and knowing I had a heart condition. And so I really wanted to hone in on how I could maximise vitamin D production. Obviously, I can get some vitamin D from dairy products, but I didn't want to have dairy products because I was, because it encourages mucus production and I already had a lot of mucus that I needed to get out. And I didn't want to, I didn't want to generate more or clog my system up anymore. My sinuses were already clogged. So I stayed away from dairy. And what I focused on was seafood. So I was the I guess, the, you know, so seafood contains vitamin D, eating seafood and and then particularly oily fishes such as salmon, sardines, anchovies, mackerel. They're very much those deep water or cold water, cold water fish will contain a lot of fatty acids and vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. So I was eating more of them and I was getting more sunlight. So I spent a lot of time in the sun and I was doing it based on, you know, conservatively, obviously, I don't really have extremely dark skin, but I can certainly produce melanin. I do go quite brown. And so I was just managing the sun. And what we need in order to get vitamin D, it's UVB light that we need. And that is the strongest in the middle of the day. And so being winter, the UVB isn't all that strong, intense, the UV light that's getting through the atmosphere isn't that intense. So I was able to spend longer and hopefully, you know, get that vitamin D. Well, I guess, the precursor produced in my skin, which obviously is activated through the kidneys and liver. And so I was doing what I could around getting natural sunlight. The other thing that's important around natural sunlight is keeping your body in the circadian rhythm in order to get a good night's sleep. And as I said, I struggled for 10 nights sleeping because I was struggling to breathe. I had so much mucus production on my lungs and obviously the oxygen wasn't getting around my system. And I was waking constantly trying to get up get the mucus out so I could breathe properly. So that was problematic. So I was just doing what I could around, but keeping myself in the circadian rhythm, optimised sleep the best I could. Now, so the other thing that was really healing about sunlight is the infrared and red component of sunlight, which is always there all day, around, around about the 50% level. So 50% of what our photoreceptors in our skin and eyes in terms of what they register this infrared light and infrared light can penetrate deep into the body. And so I was really focused on spending time in the sun and burying my chest as much as I could to get deep penetration of infrared light so that it could then initiate regeneration and rebuilding. So I wanted to, obviously when we go through fighting a flu, there's a lot of breaking down the virus, destroying the virus, there's a there's a lot of autophagy going on, a lot of natural cell death. And so there's a catabolic process going on and part of autophagy is, you know, recycling components and stuff like that. So there's a lot of breakdown of cells. And what I wanted to do is balance that with anabolic, anabolic processes, which is the rebuilding, regeneration. And sunlight is really good for initiating that and particularly that red and infrared spectrum of the sunlight, which is 50% of what we register in our photoreceptors. So just spending a lot of time outside was really important. And typically when we're sick, you know, spend time indoors and under doonas and covers. Yes, that rest is important, but what I was wanting to do was do more rest outside in natural sunlight. So yes, I was spending a lot of time outside lying in the sun in order to, but relaxing. I was obviously closing my eyes. I was sleeping or, you know, just meditating. And sometimes I would listen to education. So obviously educating myself on the areas of health and the areas I love human behaviour. So I kept studying that, but obviously I didn't want to overwhelm my brain with study and education because, you know, you're thinking and cognition and that drains a lot of energy. So, you know, like our brain can use up to 30% of our energy needs. So at times, I wanted, well, less brain energy in order to divert that energy to the immune system to overcome the virus. So I wasn't using my brain too much. I didn't wanna stretch it anyway, compared to what I normally do. One of the insights for you in in terms of recovering from an illness would be to get outside, stay warm, get natural sunlight, but rest outside. So sunbaking and doing what you can around that. So I think that's really important, but still resting, you know, not being too active. The other aspect I did was I stayed active enough because I was well aware that I needed to get the waste products out. So if we're breaking down a lot of cells to, you know, destroy the, to destroy the virus, then we need to get that lymphatic drainage. We need to get the waste products out and that comes through activity and movement. So I wasn't totally sedentary. I saw it as important for me to do light exercise, light exercise, and all I did was walk, but walk really slowly. So I was walking super slowly, probably half the pace that I normally walk at. However, it was allowing that lymphatic drainage, allowing that lymphatic movement. If we stay sedentary and just watch TV and lie in bed, then those waste products aren't as effective getting out. So we want to make sure we're getting those waste products out through moving the lymphatics. Now there's other ways in which you can you can get a lymphatic massage, for example. So that can also help without doing too much energy expenditure around activity. That mobilisation also helps rebuild energy as well because it drives energy systems, but you just can't overdo it. And so, as I said, I was walking really slowly, probably half the pace that I normally walk at. So it's important to move the body. It's important to get outside. Now, in terms of socialisation, obviously, I mentioned the disconnect from physical connection, contact, because you don't want to infect others. You respect others. But the other thing about socialisation is for me, it takes energy, right? So I'm not a naturally, like, I don't get a lot of energy from people. I get more energy when I'm doing inward things, like, I'm a more introverted person in terms of creating energy. And so it was important for me to, I did less socialisation, obviously. And so I was obviously not socialising a hell of a lot and not wanting to, because it's draining for me. So, but other people, so for example, if you get energy from being around others, then it's important for you to connect with others, whether you do it on the phone or whether you go out and still maintain safe physical distances, but you're interacting, because if you get energised from being around other people, then it's important that you do that because that will give you energy to fight the virus. Whereas for me, being more of an introvert, that was draining. So that was just another sink and loss of energy. And so I did, I really pulled back on socialisation because I didn't have the energy. It doesn't energise me, but I didn't lose total social connection, obviously. As I said, those close with me connected more strongly with. And obviously, but still maintaining physical boundaries, not to infect them and to respect them. So that socialisation can be beneficial for those that are extroverts, obviously those that are introverts, then you like, I guess less of it is going to be and you just gotta play it with where you're at. The other thing that really benefited me from having the virus was as much as like, in order to stay focused on priorities and do what's most important to us, that is really important in terms of our motivation and our meaning and purpose around life. And what can happen is that we get drawn into other people's priorities, but that aren't a priority to us. And we don't know how to say no. Well, the virus gives you a fantastic reason to say no. So that's the other thing. If you're struggling to say no and define those boundaries and really focus on what's most important to you and wanting to do less of people-pleasing, then the virus certainly gives you that permission to say no. And so I did enjoy that because it was easy. I didn't feel like I was letting anyone down. I was able to define those boundaries, not I don't. I'm not doing it because I don't want to infect others. And so obviously it gave me that easy excuse, but it sort of then made me reflect that, yes, I need to, you know, focus on my priorities, do what's most important to me, and not get drawn into other people's dramas, not get drawn into other people's priorities or them injecting their priorities into me and allowing that injection and taking me away from my priorities. So it really helps you to define you and develop those safe boundaries that protect you, that provide you self-care and keep you on purpose. So that's the benefit of having a virus is that it is a great way to reconnect with setting boundaries and maintaining boundaries to obvious, your wellbeing, essentially. Because if we get pulled into doing other people's priorities and living other people's lives and people-pleasing, what that does is depurpose us. We get frustrated because we're not doing something that's meaningful to us and we get irritable, and that drives an imbalance within us physiologically because we get into that sympathetic nervous system. And as I said, if that sympathetic nervous system or that stress system is highly activated, then our immune system is down-regulated, making us more susceptible to getting sick. So if we stay on purpose, we have more balanced autonomics so that they can switch on either sympathetic or switch on parasympathetic, which rests and digests. So it's really important if we maintain our boundaries in order to stay on priority, do what's most important to us, and that's when we have the most balanced autonomics to enable maximum, optimal immune function, okay? So it really helped me reestablish those boundaries and focus on what was truly most important to me. And now I'm very focused on that going forward to maintain health. But as I said, I'm not going to overdo the health components. So that's probably the big shares in terms of this virus. It really, first of all, allowed me to pause, reflect, and focus on what's most important to me and reprioritise things. I was overdoing health and underdoing family connection and it enabled me to get that better balance. And then it also enabled me to reflect on what was most important with work and reconnect with clients, reconnect with clients through they are the priority and reconnect with clients in terms of better understanding what they go through when they come to me with respiratory illnesses or, you know, and I have a better understanding of what it's like to have the symptoms of respiratory sickness. So that really helps my connection with clients, connection with family and me not overdoing health. And then also it enabled me to keep my boundaries around what I value and make sure that I stick with those boundaries to really live a meaning and purposeful life and not get dragged into other people's dramas and and other people, you know, allowing other people to inject their values or importance things onto me and me think that I should be doing that or I should do that to people please them. Ultimately, I need to focus on being the best version of me and that enables me to best do what I do best and help others in that way, as opposed to de-purposing and and doing things of low priority, frustrating me, driving that stress response and ageing me in essence. So when we've got balanced autonomics, we have longevity. When we have dysregulation, then obviously that is going to drive ageing. So that's pretty much the insights I wanted to share around my journey. I've lasted this episode, which is fantastic because when I did a previous recording of similar length, I was really fighting towards the end. I think my energy certainly come back in a big way. It's probably a week since I did my last recording. So yeah, I'm starting to rebuild. The other thing I love about having a sickness is that you come back more energetic in essence, and more vibrant towards life because it's enabled you to reflect, reprioritise, focus on what's most important to you and your body's had that washout in essence, a total clean out and cleanse. And so when we're sick, we do we do a complete cleanse. Emotionally, we do a complete cleanse. We do a complete cleanse in terms of focusing on what the most important things and dropping off the things that are of least importance. So that really helps with mental health. And we reestablish our connection with health so that, you know, we we do start looking after ourselves. And then, so therefore we bounce back. We bounce back from being sick. And that's how I feel at the moment is that I'm really starting to bounce back and I'll be healthier than I was before the illness as a result of having the illness. So I want to express extreme gratitude for the virus, for coming in and taking over my system, helping me reprioritise, reconnect, and also allowing it to take components of me to give to someone else. And I'm hoping there's some great genes around health and great DNA that will help the next person that receives the virus that I inadvertently passed it onto. As you know, nature makes no mistakes and it was all meant to evolve in this, in this fashion. So that person that's got the virus for me, I just hope you've got great DNA components for me and that you've got an intelligence boost around health and maybe it's helped you reprioritise and focus on health and you have some of that health intelligence that I've been building over the years and I've passed that on through my DNA to you. So I don't see viruses certainly like I used to in terms of a setback. I actually see them as they are and I see the purpose the viruses have in our life and the value they have and give to human consciousness. So I'll wrap it up there and I'd love your feedback on this episode as to whether it was insightful, what you'd like to hear more about or where we, where you'd like to take this conversation. Please give me that feedback and for you, continue to health up, continue to take the learnings of every episode, a gem and implement it into your life. And so whether that gem today for you was just, I've got to get back to priorities, what's most important to me, that is a key takeaway or whether you're getting extreme in any part of your life, then maybe it's time to pull back in that extremism like I was doing around my health. So yeah, I hope it was really insightful. Please share any feedback and until next time, please continue to health up.

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