Just today I have spoken to two friends and a cousin of mine whose entire families are down with Omicron, the Wuhan virus variant that may spell the end of the pandemic if some in the medical fraternity are to be believed.
I never wrote about the Omicron variant because I don’t want to think about it. Are we taking precautions ? heck, yes. Have we put travel plans and our get togethers on hold ? Yes. But am not wanting to give it any mental space. That’s just my way of dealing with this pandemic.
There is some silver lining – people affected are recovering faster, the symptoms are milder, hospitalisation is minimal and there are no crippling lockdowns. Also doctors are coming out and speaking about why lockdowns are no longer necessary and how the Wuhan virus may have turned endemic.
Basically it means, Covid will be around, but a much milder version like the Spanish flu ending up as “just” flu. Only the Americans take annual flu shots, the rest of the world, sleeps it off :).
Dr. Devi Shetty had written an article and I got the following snapshot off somebody’s Twitter timeline.
I totally agree with Dr. Devi Shetty. We have more information and resources to deal with the Wuhan virus and it has weakened over these two years. Lets work on building our immunity and not waste time trying to stay locked in.
My school friend Anuradha Gupta, who is a born Vaidya (healer) and now has the formal qualification too, has also written a brilliant article on how to build immunity – Ayurveda and Immunity in the Time of Covid.
Am posting some excerpts here, the statements in italics are my comments –
“Five Ways to Boost Your Immunity During the Pandemic –
1. The Three pillars (trayopstambh), Nutrition, Sleep and Lifestyle (My comment- While we fuss over nutrition and count calories 🙄, we tend to ignore sleep and lifestyle !!)
2. Daily routine (Dinacharya) and Seasonal Regimen (Ritucharya) (My comment – Nature changes her food offerings, fruits and vegetables, as per the changing seasons, Mangoes are to be eaten during summers and Oranges come around in winters for a reason. Just because man has figured a way out to store Mangoes throughout the year, your body will not accept it as nourishment except during summers. So Ritucharya is very important – the seasonal regimen that changes with the changing season.)
3. Cleansing or Shodhana (including Panchakarma)
4. Immune boosting herbs and formulations. (My comment – Our traditional Indian food has immunity boosting herbs in every preparation. Turmeric, cumin, pepper, mint, coriander, fennel, fenugreek, mustard, caraway seeds, etc are a part of our everyday food. Haldi, Jeera, Kali Mirch, Pudina, Dhaniya, Saunf, Methi, Sarson, Ajwain – Yes?? Ofcourse do have Guduchi or Giloy and other herbs that Anu mentions in her article, but remember most of them are part of your kitchen !)
5. Meditation. “
Vaccination helps too ! And if you are living in India, you are probably vaccinated already, otherwise do get yourself vaccinated. It has certainly proven beneficial.
Will close with the same shloka that I have used in all the posts related to the pandemic –
ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः। सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः। सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु। मा कश्चित् दुःख भाग्भवेत्॥ ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः॥
May all beings be happy, May all beings be healthy, May everyone experience auspicious events and May no one witness sadness. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.