by Dr. David Pollack

Whatever your personal beliefs about COVID-19 are, most of us are at least a little concerned about the state of our immune system and preexisting conditions.

What is a preexisting condition? This is really a term created by the medical insurance industry to describe the fact that a person has a medical condition that started before a person’s health benefits went into effect. Before 2014, some insurance policies would not cover expenses due to preexisting conditions. This is not allowed anymore, so now it is just a politically correct term for having a medical condition. 

Up until COVID-19, many just succumbed to having illness and simply took medicine. It seems a lot of people have woken up and realized that even though they take medicine, they still have a “preexisting condition.” Medicine will never change that fact. This might be a hard pill to swallow for those that rely on the convenience of pharmaceuticals to alleviate their health problems. It seems now some are asking if there is a way to get rid of these issues or at least significantly change them. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health both admit most health problems are reversible with lifestyle changes and modifying environmental factors. What are the environmental factors? Environmental factors are everything we experience from our diet, stress, inflammation, and toxicity of the things we come into contact with from the air, water, and food, to the chemicals in our clothes, furniture, and cosmetics. We can change most of these easily, and the quality and availability of natural alternatives are fantastic. 

What does it take to reverse a medical condition? First is the want—the true desire. This sounds simple and obvious, but it is a big deal. If you really want and desire something, you would do anything to have it. You would not miss the things you give up like bacon or smoking. That is not to say there isn’t an addiction that must be dealt with, but there is a real reason to change. Wanting is not the same as deciding. We decide to do things based on external factors: “I want to quit smoking because they say it’s bad for my health” or “I need to change my diet because my doctor says my cholesterol is high.” These are very weak reasons from a psychological perspective. True want is only because you desire. “I want to be healthy, strong and capable to climb a mountain or roughhouse with my kids.” So first we need to identify the real want. COVID-19 being scary is not a want; that fear will disappear with time. 

Changing our health is the second step. After identifying we want to change, figuring out how to do it is next. First, we must get some information regarding how our body is working. Our immunity is really a function of our overall health. The more issues we have, the less powerful our immune system is. Our digestive system is home to more than 70 percent of our immune system. Digestive prowess is the ultimate single factor in our immune function. Hormone balance and our organs of detoxification are next. How well do the signaling systems of our bodywork? Can we eliminate toxins and waste products appropriately? This will determine our overall systemic inflammation levels. Chronic levels of inflammation will wear down and fatigue our immune system. Addressing these factors first will give us a head start in creating a strong immune system and a strong body.

Source: Dr. David Pollack, of Pollack Wellness Institute, located at 66 Commack Rd., Ste. 204, in Commack. For more information, call 631-462-0801 or visit https://www.pollackwellness.com/.