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Dr. Gerry Curatola
Dr. Gerry Curatola, DDS, associate professor at New York University and founder of Rejuvenation Dentistry, talks about how he is advising patients to remain healthy, and how COVID-19 has changed his dentistry practice.
Q: How is dentistry being limited right now? How do you safely work with clients?
During the current global health pandemic, we have postponed all elective dental treatment. We continue to be available for emergency care for patients with pain or infection. This is important, as those patients could be a burden to hospital emergency rooms and other overly burdened urgent care clinics.
We are also providing essential patient services such as delivery of dental prosthetics and continuance of care for periodontal (gum disease) patients who could develop problems of an emergent nature.
Our entire facility has the most advanced sterilization and sanitation possible. This goes beyond our equipment and instruments, but also includes advanced filtration of air, water and common surfaces. Our office uses UV-C and ionization air filtration systems, ionized water and distilled water purification, and ozone. The safety and infection protocols we implement keep our patients and our team safe. This also includes regular training and emergency medical drills and having all of the best infection control practices.
Q: What does your daily routine look like when you are trying maintain your best health?
One thing is very clear from the patients who had the most difficulty recovering and surviving from COVID-19. A healthy functioning immune system is the most important, and it became clear that there are many more people than is apparent whose immune system is compromised. So, the biggest lesson I can take from all of this is to be the healthiest I can be mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. It’s a time to “rest and recharge, renew and rethink!”
In my book “The Mouth-Body Connection,” I talk about the importance of cleaning out the junk in your medicine cabinet, from detergent toothpaste to alcohol rinses, and chemicals in rinses, gels and soaps. In fact, the average American woman uses 515 chemical ingredients on her body every day.
The second is to focus on good nutrition, reduce sugar intake and use my triple-A moniker: alkalizing, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich foods. Third is healthy exercise, with as little as a 15-minute High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT. And fourth is calming the mind and body with a regular meditation, prayer and/or yoga practice.
Having a daily routine is so important, especially when our daily work schedule has gone off the tracks for many people. When I am trying to maintain my best health, here’s the routine. Before I even get out of bed, I start my day with a simple prayer for two things from the Creator: the wisdom of Solomon and the faith to move mountains — a big ask!
Taking time to meditate has never been more possible than the days we are in, and, boy oh boy, does it open up some great inspiration. That’s the next 15 minutes.
Next, I make a coffee with some MCT or coconut oil and get ready for an early morning workout. Before I shower and dress for the day, I make my Supersmile Smoothie, with a product I developed called Optimal Nutrition — it has photonutrients of 20 veggies, including turmeric, kelp and kale, that tastes great in natural chocolate or strawberry. This generally holds me to the midafternoon, and I am trying to keep more active.
To be honest, it was easy to let everything go initially as I binged TV series on Netflix and walked around in a robe and pajamas. It was a novel thing for a few days — but can degenerate very quickly if you let a good routine go too long. Thankfully, I snapped out of it!
Q: Many people are talking about sleep, or a lack of deep sleep, during the last four months. Stress is obviously a factor in this. How important is sleep in terms of maintaining a healthy immune system, and what are ways people can help improve their ability to sleep deeply?
Sleep is foundational to a healthy immune system, and the daily rejuvenation of every cell in our body. Sleep deprivation has been epidemic long before the COVID-19 global health pandemic.
It is estimated that one in five Americans suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, a dangerous deficiency in our airway that affects our ability to breathe during sleep. The worst part is, 75 percent of Americans with this condition are undiagnosed and unable to get proper sleep. Combined with the mental and emotional stress from the current health care emergency quarantine and ongoing economic shutdown, the dangers can be amplified.
As a biologic dentist, we routinely screen for signs of airway deficiency and obstructive sleep apnea. We are the first office to have the Watch PAT, a home sleep study that can be sent to your home and receive results instantly, that diagnoses the quality of your sleep, apnea (stoppage in breathing), respiratory and pulse rates throughout your sleep, snoring, and the amount of oxygen in your blood at night.
Q: What kind of daily exercise programs would you recommend?
You will be happy to learn that you do not have to commit to long workouts. What I tell my clients is to aim for adding more movement to your life and doing high-intensity strength training twice a week. You want to focus on an approach that will reduce inflammation. What my trainer and I have been doing is two high-intensity HIIT workouts that take no more than 20 minutes, combined with daily movement, whether that is a walk in the neighborhood, yoga, a bike ride — movement of any nature.
Q: Obviously, social distancing and maintaining proper hygiene are key factors to protecting health during the COVID-19 virus outbreak, but you are also talking to clients about how to boost the immune system during this stressful time. Maintaining proper nutrition is a key element. Can you explain a little bit about what you are recommending to patients, family and friends?
Yes, we are spending a lot of time with clients discussing their overall health. My wellness approach is grounded in the principles of bioregulatory medicine, a holistic, evidence-based system that aims to address the whole person from the inside out (i.e physical, emotional, spiritual, environmental).
We should be proactive in our defense against the viruses and illness through our body’s innate ability to self-regulate and heal. I have outlined five important measures that will promote a highly functioning immune system, with optimal nutrition, proper sleep, daily exercise, stress reduction, and elimination of toxicity. These five measures are the most important building blocks to keeping you strong in body, mind and spirit, so that your body can heal itself.
Q: How would you suggest people work on managing daily stress during the time of coronavirus and social distancing?
The term “stress is a killer” is clearly evident by its ability to wreak havoc in the entire body while chronically diminishing the immune response. In turn, this lowers the body’s ability to defend itself from all pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, mold, parasites and candida. When under stress, your body is in an exhaustive state that handicaps its ability to defend itself. Restoring the autonomic nervous system to a parasympathetic state and breaking the destructive cycle of stress is also outlined in my book and can be accomplished through a simple mindfulness meditation practice.
One of the easiest ways in which I recommend de-stressing is by incorporating exercise into your routine, seven anti-inflammatory yoga poses into your day for deep relaxation, all of which will help reset your autonomic nervous system and restore your immune system as well. Additionally, while at home, simply find a quiet place to calm your nerves and immune system. Fifteen minutes a day of mindful meditation and a regular yoga practice will eliminate the toxicity to your nervous system and immune system from a blaring TV or radio.
