By Alliance President Terry Gips
Given these times of so much stress and spreading illness, I want to widely share four of my favorite, easy and cost-effective bio-hacks to keep you feeling well.
Given my commitment to health, well-being and sustainability, I’m not a fan of silver bullet approaches for overcoming sickness. I much prefer going beyond treating symptoms to addressing underlying causes. Consequently, I practice a preventive approach embodying adequate sleep, social connection, mindfulness, Sabbath, exercise, play, nature and nutritious, whole food plant-based nutrition.
But…there are times, especially for me, my family, friends and the staff and interns at the Alliance for Sustainability, when there are simply too many to-dos and we may need to just get the job done. It’s important that we not make those situations into our norm.
If you are needing a biohack, here are four of my trusted, proven and simple strategies that can make a difference with everything from sore muscles and back pain to sore throats, colds and sleep:
MyoCalm and MyoCalm Plus by Metagenics – These all-natural muscle relaxants are two of the best kept secrets for quick, effective and inexpensive relief from sore muscles and back and other pain, plus sleep in the case of MyoCalm Plus. And neither has negative side effects. I should go out and get some stock in Metagenics before you read this or they should pay the Alliance a commission!
MyoCalm can be taken during the day with no drowsiness or slowing of reaction time. It has only three simple ingredients – calcium, magnesium and passionflower – which are actually good for you.
MyoCalm Plus can be taken at night to allow a wonderful sleep. It has the same three ingredients, plus Valerian Root. It’s one of the most effective sleep aids I know, helping to reduce pain-caused fitful sleeping with tossing and turning while providing a quick sound sleep in 15-30 minutes with no drowsiness in the morning.
Somehow the formulation of both is extremely effective, possibly because so much soreness and pain come from muscles impinging on nerves. I’ve been using it when needed for nearly 20 years after a friend told me about it for dealing with the horrible pain I had from osteoarthritis in my hip.
I got a bottle of it from a chiropractor and with two or three tablets and in just 30 minutes, it relieved all the pain, including the referred pain shooting down my leg. And I felt great.
Since then I’ve given this unheralded remedy to hundreds of family, friends and colleagues, including my mother who used it to control the neck pain she had from polio complications. It’s one of the rare supplements WebMD says has few contraindications. It’s safe for nearly all people, even if they’re on other drugs, with the exception of pregnant women.
You can order them online but it’s often cheaper to get them from a chiropractor:
Metagenics MyoCalm: $17 – $20 (60 tablets – 20 – 30 days worth)
Metagenics MyoCalm Plus: $22 (60 tablets – 20 – 30 days worth)
Elderberry Red Root and Elderberry Syrup – If you notice that your throat is starting to get sore, take a few sprays of Eclectic’s Elderberry Red Root. It might sting a little bit but it’s usually a quick fix to a sore throat if you use it at the first signs of soreness. You can spray it as much as needed and it will quickly help heal your throat.
One of the best cold preventatives and remedies is Elderberry Syrup. Take a tablespoon or two every few hours if you feel you’re starting to feel sick and it will help strengthen your immune system. And you can take it preventatively as well. Please support organic farmers and purchase organic elderberry syrup.
Both are available online and at most co-ops, Whole Foods and health food stores:
Eclectic Institute Elderberry Red Root spray: $16 (1 fl oz)
Organic Elderberry Syrup: Flora (8.5 oz for $13) and Garden of Life (6.6 oz for $25)
Pay Attention to Your Body to Avoid Getting Sick – One of the simplest and easiest ways to avoid getting sick is noticing your body’s early warning system that signals something is off with your body’s functioning. For me it could be anything from my nose starting to run, my throat getting sore or feeling some achyness to my inadvertently dropping something or having a slowed reaction time, like when stopping for a car in front of me.
My solution is to stop everything as soon as possible and lie down to rest, whether for a half hour or longer. It seems to allow my body to recover. I notice that for every hour I put off resting that I will pay for it with a day of not feeling great or being sick. I don’t like feeling badly for a day so I figure it’s worth it to just stop and rest rather than pushing through the day or taking some kind of medicine.
I found that since my giving up alcohol, marijuana and other stimulants in 1981 following a near-death experience in Sri Lanka, I’ve become much more aware and attuned to my body and its very clear messages, that I might have previously ignored. The result is that I rarely get sick while so many family members, friends and colleagues are ill all around me.
I do think having adequate Vitamin D (most of us are low), a HEPA air purifier ($100) and KN95 masking (not surgical masks) all help, especially during flu season. Did you notice that during the COVID-19 pandemic when people wore masks that there was almost no flu vs. this year with no masks and flu at a 17-year high with packed hospitals and death?
- Take a Nap – At a young age I learned to follow in my father’s footsteps and take a power nap, nearly anywhere, whether it’s 5 or 10 minutes, an hour or more. What I noticed is that they not only relaxed and refreshed me (even if I had to awaken with an alarm), but cleared my brain of sleep chemicals so I could think clearly.
I know some people struggle with naps because they feel drowsy after or it throws off their sleep cycle. I have no challenges with either of these and seek to integrate naps into my daily routine, especially in the late afternoon after lots of meetings or hard work. And I particularly rely on them if I need to clear my head to take on a challenging project requiring clarity.
But my favorite time to nap is on Saturday afternoons when I take a Sabbath Nap. I give myself permission to just relax and let go of everything and just drift into a restorative place.
I hope you’ll consider checking out napping and even encourage your workplace to allow them or even create napping zones. It’s good for you and for your productivity and overall wellness.
I hope these bio-hacks are helpful for you. Let me know if you use or try them or if you have some additional ones to share.