How to boost immunity?

The unthinkable is here and we must prepare ourselves to better our odds at surviving it. The current climate calls for immediate preventive measures from our end to ensure our safety because Coronavirus, or more specifically, COVID-19, is spreading in the world like wildfire. Healthcare sectors around the globe are urging people to have a clear understanding of increasing immunity to fight off not only Coronavirus but also other disease-causing microbes. And that’s why the internet is flooded with terms like ‘how to increase immunity!’

Your safety has never been more in your hand than it is now. So, learn what you can do to improve your immune system during this pandemic.

Learn How to Increase Immunity with Five Simple Steps

It is of utmost importance that you abide by the guidelines laid by the government and international health organizations to tackle this situation.  You need to understand that COVID-19 is a rather new type of virus, and we have very little information regarding this. Researches are still going on, but finding a vaccine against this disease may take a little time. Therefore, you need to be pro-active in ensuring you are cooperating with the authorities to curb this virus.

We, at 7DMC, are performing strict guidelines laid by the UAE Ministry of Health and WHO (World Health Organization) to keep the numbers of affected people low. Let’s hear what our Chiropractor has to say in this regard.

Sometimes, little changes can bring about a whole of protection. Today, we are enlisting five simple steps that you need to follow to boost your immunity system to fight Coronavirus and other diseases. Take a look:

Include Immunity-boosting Foods in Your Diet

There is not an easier solution to fight Coronavirus than following a healthy diet because the nutrients that you will gain from the healthy foods will improve your immune system, thereby keeping you safe to a great extent. It has been seen that people with Type 2 diabetes and other similar metabolic conditions are more vulnerable to get infected with COVID-19 than others; therefore, extra caution must be practiced by them in their diet.

Look for food items that are rich in vitamins B, C, and D, zinc, selenium, probiotics, and beta-carotene since they will help you increase your immune system to fight viruses and diseases. Here is a list of the food items that are mandatory during these tough times:

• Ginger
• Garlic
• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Oysters
• Wheat Germs
• Green Tea
• Turmeric
• Sweet Potatoes
• Almonds
• Watermelon
• Yogurt
• Sunflower Seeds
• Papaya
• Poultry

In the same line of thought, minimalize the consumption of inflammatory foods such as processed meat, vegetable oil, alcohol, and sugar. Having too much of these foods can be a hindrance in your effort to boost your immune system.

Sleep Whenever You Are Tired

Don’t underestimate the value of rest. If your body is asking for rest, you need to listen to it and act accordingly. So, the second step in figuring out how to increase immunity deals with the proper care and rest of your body.

A key point here is to minimize caffeinated drinks because they kill your urge to sleep. As a result, you would not even know when your body is craving sleep. We understand that many of you are highly dependent on tea, coffee, and other similar beverages. Therefore, we are not asking you to cut it off completely, but, yes, drink them in moderation.

Prioritize Basic Hygiene

The next step in figuring out how to increase immunity, we’ll take into consideration a few personal hygiene factors. This involves washing your hands with a soap-based product every two hours for at least 20 seconds.

Besides, try and use a sanitizer that has an alcohol content of at least 60%. Avoid touching your face, especially your mouth and nose as much as you can.

Feel free to exercise at home, but don’t overexert yourself because that may jeopardize your immune system instead of boosting it.

Manage Your Stress Level

For a lot of people, this is a completely one of a kind situation since you spend the majority of your time outside in school, college, or at work. Being at home for a prolonged period can be stressful, but you will be safe.

Try and keep yourself busy with any indoor activity that keeps you relaxed such as listening to music or reading books, dancing, watching movies, or even spending quality time with your family. 

Don’t try to keep up with every piece of news item because that will make you go crazy. It will cause panic, which will result is stress, which, in turn, will release stress hormones that will negatively affect your immune system. This means all your effort in increasing your immunity will go in vain. So, follow three Cs – ‘Be Calm, Cool, and Collected’.

Stay at Home

Finally, as we stated above, stay home, no matter how difficult it is. Understand the importance of social distancing. We should have special care for children, pregnant ladies, and older people. Even if you think your immunity system is pretty good and you won’t get infected by COVID-19 (which is anyways a myth since anyone can get attacked by it), you are still at risk of spreading it to other vulnerable people.

You should go out only for necessary actions such as buying groceries and medicines or to visit a doctor. Wear a mask every time you go out and immediately wash your hands after reaching home. If possible, take a shower and wash your clothes as well. 

Staying home would ensure that you are not exposed to any viruses. Thus, your body gets time to strengthen its immune system. Moreover, if you go out, you may get infected and your family members can be infected through you! So, in order to keep your loved ones and yourself safe, staying home is the best you can do!

To Conclude

Due to the unprecedented situation that we are in now, the need for medical help is being felt tremendously.  But, remember not to head out to the hospitals and medical centres after just one instance of cough and cold. Instead, call our team of medical professionals first, inform them of what exactly you are suffering from, and then take in their guidance. Talk to them regarding how you can improve your immune system to stay safe.

Our team is always available to assist you. So, feel free to reach out whenever necessary. Taking medical help instead of figuring out on your own by searching online unauthorized information is recommended.

At the end of the day, the idea is not to crowd the hospitals and medical centres, but to work hand-in-hand with them to create a manageable and healthy situation for everyone. So, to add a layer of protection around you, simply follow the aforementioned steps of how to increase immunity to fight off Coronavirus and other diseases.  Stay safe and stay healthy; we’ll get through this together!

References

Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China – NCBI – The epidemiological characteristics of an outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) in China. Available at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32064853

World Health Organization – Global research on coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Available at:

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/global-research-on-novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov

Hayk S. Arakelyan – ResearchGate – Coronavirus and Health. Available at:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338680627_Coronavirus_and_Health

Chaolin Huang, Yeming Wang, Xingwang Li, Lili Ren, Jianping Zhao, Yi Hu, Li Zhang, Guohui Fan, Jiuyang Xu, Xiaoying Gu, Zhenshun Cheng, Ting Yu, Jiaan Xia, Yuan Wei, Wenjuan Wu, Xuelei Xie, Wen Yin, Hui Li, Min Liu, Yan Xiao, Hong Gao, Li Guo, Jungang Xie, Guangfa Wang, Rongmeng Jiang, Zhancheng Gao, Qi Jin, Jianwei Wang, and Bin Cao – ResearchGate – Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Available at:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338806634_Clinical_features_of_patients_infected_with_2019_novel_coronavirus_in_Wuhan_China

Cristian Biscayart, Patricia Angeleri, Susana Lloveras, Tânia Do, Socorro Souza Chaves, Patricia Schlagenhauf, and Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales – ResearchGate – The next big threat to global health? 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV): What advice can we give to travelers? – Interim recommendations January 2020, from the Latin-American Society for Travel Medicine (SLAMVI). Available at:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338913974_The_next_big_threat_to_global_health_2019_novel_coronavirus_2019-nCoV_What_advice_can_we_give_to_travellers_-_Interim_recommendations_January_2020_from_the_Latin-American_society_for_Travel_Medicine_S

Arthur Cassa Macedo, André Oliveira Vilela de Faria, and Pietro Ghezzi – ResearchGate – Boosting the Immune System, From Science to Myth: Analysis the Infosphere With GoogleTable_1.XLSXTable_2.XLSXTable_3.XLSX. Available at: 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334688309_Boosting_the_Immune_System_From_Science_to_Myth_Analysis_the_Infosphere_With_GoogleTable_1XLSXTable_2XLSXTable_3XLSX

Chris Mcewan, Emma Hart, and Ben Paechter – ResearchGate – Boosting the Immune System. Available at:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262406225_Boosting_the_Immune_System

Silvia Maggini, Adeline Pierre, and Philip C. Calder – PMC – NCBI – Immune Function and Micronutrient Requirements Change over the Life Course. Available at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6212925/