Hi sister! Welcome back to another episode of a Taylored Adventure to Happiness. If you are new, welcome! If you are a regular, you know I love ya!
If you know me, you know that I firmly believe it is my responsibility as a leader to use my platform for the spread of education and awareness. Some of my main goals are to inform you, support you on your path of inner growth and Ascension, and even trigger you in the best way possible!
This process can be tricky at times since everyone has different views about things. But hey, guess what? I fucking love that! I love hearing peoples’ opinions and thoughts — I am a judgment-free zone.
I recently shared some facts on my Instagram story about wearing face masks during COVID-19 and the reasons I chose not to wear one. As expected, some people completely agreed with me, while others held sharply different views. To clarify some things for y’all, I decided to ask Dr. Beth Westie on the show!
Let me tell ya, Dr. Beth Westie is fantastic — she is so open, vulnerable, and real with all of this. She graciously responded to my DM on Instagram right away and hopped on the podcast interview the next day! Today, she shares her insights as a physician about which kind of masks work, why others don’t work, the difference between the flu and COVID-19, the distinction between a virus and bacteria, and so much more!
I am so excited to share this conversation with you! Here’s a quick disclaimer before we get started — I am not a doctor! I am simply here to help educate and bring awareness. I am passionate about learning, growing, and expanding on topics that I’m not familiar with. And I’m still learning so much about all of this stuff too!
My goal is to help you open your mind and heart to learning more about the ever-changing world of science. With all of the confusion going around about the Coronavirus, we are going back to the basics of health and the immune system. We’re all in this together, and we’re all here to learn. So let’s jump into this juicy conversation with Dr. Beth Westie!
Who Is Dr. Beth Westie?
Dr. Beth Westie is a Doctor of Chiropractic, author, speaker, and women’s health and nutrition expert. She is also the author of the bestselling book, The Female Fat Solution, the creator of the 12 Week Female Fat Solution Challenge, and the host of The Female Health Solution Podcast. She has made it her mission to change the way women view their health. Traveling the country to educate and empower women to take their health into their own hands, she uses nutrition to help women work with the natural cycle of their bodies to achieve lasting weight loss results.
This is the second time this wonderful sister has been on the show because she’s so fucking brilliant, and I am obsessed with our conversations. I hope you enjoy learning from her as much as I did!
Back to the Basics: Coronavirus 101
Sister, sometimes you gotta just get back to the basics. It is so easy to get caught up in the details, hearsay, and fear in situations like this. This is especially true in the COVID-19 situation since there is so much information and misinformation being spread from all around us! How do we know what is true? How can we know who to believe? That’s why it’s essential to break things down and get back to basic things that we know to be true before anything else.
“We’re so focused on fighting versus building, right? Building your own health and immunity. And that’s really your best defense against anything, not just COVID.” – Dr. Beth Westie
Isn’t that so true? It seems like everyone is so focused on fighting an exterior threat that they miss the main thing they can do for themselves — building immunity by taking good care of their body and mind. To further simplify everything for us, I asked Dr. Beth Westie to break down the basics of the Coronavirus, starting with the definition of a virus vs. bacteria.
“A virus is just a pathogenic agent. Bacteria and viruses are sort of grouped together … but they are not the same. Bacteria can grow and multiply rapidly … and are larger than viruses. Viruses are teeny, and they cannot replicate unless inside a living host … People might say may ‘well they can live on a surface.’ But viruses can’t live very long comparatively, and can’t replicate on a host that isn’t living” – Dr. Beth Westie
I remember that everyone was initially terrified about the Coronavirus being able to live on surfaces for three days. People were scared to touch anything. Now, more recent information has concluded that the timeline is closer to three hours! By the time this podcast reaches you guys, it might have changed again! That’s the tricky thing about science — it is constantly evolving.
So now that we’ve established the basics of a virus, let’s dive into the Coronavirus specifically. What’s so different about the Coronavirus than other viruses such as the flu?
“So the Coronavirus is a strain of virus … and it’s called COVID-19 because the end of 2019 was when they first recognized that strain. And you know, anything that replicates can mutate. So they are looking at specific mutations of this … Every time it mutates, it can have a different property to it, meaning it can cause a different symptom and live for a different amount of time. And that’s why it is so hard for the science community to keep up with it because we’re learning about it at the time that we are trying to share information. There is a big gap between learning about it and how information is spread about it. I don’t think people realize that.” – Dr. Beth Westie
So think about the flu. Every year, there are different strains of the flu that are continually mutating. The Coronavirus is just a different viral strain that we are learning about. We just have way less information about it!
As for the “gap” in information that Dr. Beth Westie was talking about — y’all know exactly what that gap looks like. It looks like mass panic and fear. The news grabs hold of information, and it goes viral, regardless of the consequences of that information not being true! That’s why I don’t even look at the fucking news at all. I do my research. I talk to people from all sides. I get a better understanding of what a virus is. And sister, I want to empower you to please do the same.
Mask Mayhem: Should You Wear a Mask?
Ok, so let’s get down to the question that started this whole conversation — should you be wearing a mask? This topic has generated so much negative energy. It’s caused all-out brawls in grocery stores. If you know me and follow my Instagram stories, you know that I have been against the mask thing from the get-go.
I’ve been called a murderer, a baby killer, an old-person killer — you name it. But I have always believed in using my own intuition and forming my beliefs from the research I do. It’s ok that other people don’t feel the same way as me!
Before we go into the mask talk, I want to ask you guys to do the same. Use your judgment and your intuition. If you’re thinking, “This just doesn’t make sense to be wearing a mask once I know the science behind it,” then don’t wear a mask! But if you feel more comfortable wearing a mask, by all means, wear the damn mask! There’s no right or wrong about it. This conversation is just to educate you! We are all allowed to have our own opinion about things.
So let’s start with the question of cloth masks. Do they work or not work in protecting you from Coronavirus? Dr. Beth Westie had an answer for us.
“A cloth mask is not going to stop the virus because the (viral) particles are so tiny….The size of the virus is smaller than what the weave in the cloth is! That’s not just the case with COVID, it’s any virus! And if your mask is contaminated already and you’re not careful..it actually can put you at more risk! Also, with cloth masks, you have to trust that other people will be doing the right thing and know what they’re doing in terms of cross-contamination. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve seen people or news footage of people where their mask is below their nose or they move their mask to rub their face and then put it back on. At that point, they should just take it off because they ruined the whole thing!’ – Dr. Beth Westie
So putting that cut-up sock on your face does nothing to stop the virus, and it’s also dangerous! Even the packages of surgical masks are required to state that they do not stop the Coronavirus for legal purposes. Then why would cloth masks with much larger spaces between the fabric be effective?
If we’re going back to the basics, it’s as simple as that. On the other hand, there’s the question of other, non-cloth masks such as those used in settings with sick patients. Dr. Beth Westie brought it down to the factor of common sense.
“If you are around people that are sick, you wear a mask, right? Duh, common sense … If you are sick or around others who are sick, you wear a mask. This is not new to the COVID stuff. If you were going into a clinic before, they would have signs saying, ‘If you’re sick, please wear a mask.’ So who should be wearing a mask? Anybody who is sick or who comes into contact with people who are sick … this has always been the case” – Dr. Beth Westie
It really is all about bringing it back to common sense. If you’re in the medical field on the front lines, of course you should be wearing a mask! This is why it is especially important that good personal protective equipment and N95 masks are saved for those who need it most.
What About the Asymptomatic Carriers?
Ok, so now that we’ve covered the details of the masks, you might be wondering, “What about the asymptomatic carriers? If you’re breathing on people and you don’t know you’re a carrier, you are going to make people sick!” Dr. Beth Westie has an answer for you here too!
“There’s always a risk…you are still a carrier for (other) viruses. Even if you’re asymptomatic, there are people who get the flu. This is not different. This is not new. Have you ever lived in a family and been like ‘Oh, I got the flu, but my husband didn’t — what the heck? Well, he probably got the flu. He just didn’t have symptoms.” – Dr. Beth Westie
Guys, the “magic carrier” of Coronavirus is no different from being an asymptomatic carrier of the flu or of any other virus. We all have viruses — some of us are just strong and healthier than others and can fight them off. So if you want to walk around for the rest of your life with a mask on because you don’t want to give the flu to others or that’s what makes you feel safer — by all means, do so! But the asymptomatic carrier of the Coronavirus is no different.
Everyone has always been at risk when interacting with the world around them. This risk is simply being portrayed very differently now because of the media.
“There is always a risk. So what do you do? You do what you can to take care of yourself, right? And that’s the same thing if you’re an asymptomatic person … The scariest thing for people is the unknown. I think that people wear masks because it gives them something to control when they feel they’ve lost control … a constant in a world where there has been no constant. But it’s a sense of false security because the biggest security you can have is actually your own health.” – Dr. Beth Westie
That sense of false security can be dangerous if it prevents people from focusing on their own health. If we are constantly worrying about each other, our immune systems drop and we become more receptive to catching viruses — which we in turn pass on to the people we were worried about in the first place! So am I worried about the elderly people in the grocery store? Of course! But I am not going to let that worry stop me from living my life, being hygienic and conscious of others as I always have been, and focusing on my own health.
Why You Should Listen to this Episode With Dr. Beth Westie Right Now
Sister, I know times are hard right now. The world seems to have lost its mind, and there is so much anxiety everywhere we look. In all this chaos, a life of abundance and spiritual expansion is now more needed than ever!
I hope I can help you find this abundant life experience as you step into your power and become your own advocate. Learning, researching, and leaning into these kinds of conversations is a great way to start! Remember, come back to what you know. Get back to the basics.
Dr. Beth Westie is incredible at getting back to the basics, and she is an excellent resource. Listen to our full conversation right now — you will get so much out of it! Dr. Beth Westie was kind enough to answer even more questions about her opinion on social distancing your children, the effects of stress on the body, the statistics of the COVID-19 deaths, and so much more!
You can find her on Facebook or Instagram, on her website, or on Youtube!. She also has a podcast called The Female Health Solution (which I have been a guest on!) that you should definitely check out.
Go say “Hi” to her on Instagram and give her a DM! Just share whatever you feel called to share with her. I know she would really appreciate that you were influenced by this conversation.
Thank you for hanging out with me, and always — I love you. I see you. And remember, always choose happiness — because, well, why the fuck not?
In This Episode You Will Hear:
- What is a virus
- Virus vs. Bacteria
- Why is research constantly changing?
- Covid vs Other Deadly Viruses
- Be Your Own Advocate.
- Actual Numbers or Paid Numbers
- Do cloth masks work?
- Should I wear a mask or not?
- Is it legal for businesses to require a mask?
- Asymptomatic carriers
- Ways to stay protected
- How can moms keep their kids healthy and happy
- Family visiting newborns
