Currently, there are various half-truths and details hammering around the coronavirus. Well, it is understandable. The virus is new and even doctors as well scientists all over the world are just learning on how this infection works. Plus, they are trying to find out the ways to treat it.
It is confusing about the news reported about the various symptoms, tests, and even treatments. At times it is really conflicting. Also, everyone is thinking of protecting himself or herself as much as they can. Hence, it is not surprising to see people doing all they can do to get rid of or avoid the virus.
Increasing Your Immune System
Unlike other body systems, your immune system contains various collection of complex cells, chemicals, and processes that often defends the body among various invading pathogens like toxins, viruses, and even bacteria. For preventing all kinds of diseases and infections, it is important to keep your immune system healthy all year round.
Sometimes it even involves making the best healthy lifestyle choices that consist of taking nutritious food items. Also, it consists of taking enough sleep and doing a good amount of exercises that ultimately help in bolstering your immune system. Even research and studies show that by supplementing certain vitamins, herbs, minerals, and other substances, the immune system can easily be improved, and our body can be easily protected against all illnesses.
There are certain supplements that can interact with the prescriptions or even the over-the-counter medications that you are consuming. Of course, some of them might not be apt for people suffering from serious health conditions. Just make sure that you talk with your healthcare provider or doctor before taking any of the vitamin supplements.
Essential Ways for Improving Your Immunity Against Coronavirus
Reducing Stress
One thing you need to realize is that when you are stressed out, the body will start to produce stress hormones. This will easily tax the immune system, so it means that the most necessary way for boosting immunity is to lower stress.
For reducing stress, it is important that you create a work-life balance, take some short breaks as and when you need it. Also, it involves employing some relaxing and calming stress-reduction methods. If you are really feeling stress out, then take some adrenal support supplement. It will be quite a helpful thing for you.
Take Naps or Sleep Whenever You Are Tired
If you are not sleeping enough, then you might end up increasing your stress and even affect your immunity. Sometimes some of us consume caffeinated drinks all the time. And in that case, we might not really know how tired we are. Frankly, you must realize that sleep is necessary for rebuilding your struggling immune system. Hence, we should allow our bodies to get enough sleep as and when needed.
Taking Immunity Boosted Vitamins
For supporting your diminishing immune system, try to consume immunity support food items like garlic, citrus fruits, spinach, and broccoli, etc. Also, if your immune system is simply weak, then it can be great to supplement your body with key vitamins as well as minerals. Various vitamins get depleted from your body like Vitamin B, Vitamin C, Zinc, and Vitamin D. Do you know that the best way to get a high dosage of Vitamin B, Vitamin C and Zinc is through IV (intravenously)?
Try to Lower Inflammation
Vegetable oil, sugar, processed meat, and even alcohol is considered as inflammatory food items. These will make your immune system busy, leading to other issues to your body getting unaddressed. Hence, to get a healthy immune system, one needs to avoid such inflammatory foods.
Try to Exercise, But Not A Lot
The best way to increase your immunity is by exercising. However, you should be careful as too much exercising will be stressful for your body. Sometimes it might be tough for the immune system too. Always keep in mind that your stress should be low, and if you’re tired, then take a good amount of rest.
Move Away from Toxin
Now toxins are dangerous for the body’s immune system. For example, mycotoxins that you get from mold are quite harmful to the immunity. There are other toxins that are quite detrimental and have a great impact on the body’s immunity.
It is important that you avoid exposure to chlorinated drinking water, aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides, air pollution, heavy metal, etc. For reducing the toxin burden on your body, you should do liver detoxification.
Vitamins for Improving Your Immune System
1) Zinc Supplements
There hasn’t been any kind of research regarding whether zinc will have a huge impact on the coronavirus. Officially called as SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus can’t have a huge impact due to zinc. However, zinc will interfere with the other six coronaviruses like the original SARS and the other four coronaviruses that lead to the common cold.
Studies haven’t clearly shown that zinc can help in preventing any kind of infection. There have been various studies and as per the one conducted in 2010, when zinc was added to a cell present in a dish, it showed a positive result. You do have to keep in mind that this clearly shows that people can get revived using zinc.
The studies conducted on humans showed that zinc blocked the replication of the first SARS coronavirus, but human data is still conflicting. By doing the meta-analysis of the various seven studies showed that zinc helped in shortening the duration of normal cold especially the ones that are caused by rhinovirus or coronavirus and that too by 33%.
Recently, a double-blind placebo-controlled study was published by a renowned scientist. In that, it clearly showed that there wasn’t any kind of difference among the duration of the cold symptoms for people who took zinc and ones that took a placebo. If there is any effect of zinc on a normal cold, then it would be just modest, and experts feel that there isn’t any particular detail regarding the zinc and coronavirus. As clearly stated, the effect would just be modest and if you are going to take zinc supplements, it might be great but that won’t prevent you from getting the virus.
2) Vitamin D
Recently formed CDC director Tom Frieden, MD stated in the Fox News that consuming vitamin D supplements would easily help in fighting the coronavirus and even boosting the immune system. Frankly, this can be considered as one of the major puzzles in how serious the COVID-19 is.
No doubt, vitamins are important for keeping the body healthy and even the immune system too. Also, if you are vitamin deficient, then it is great if you could take a vitamin supplement. In the USA, very few people are deficient in vitamins and the notable exception is vitamin D.
Certain studies clearly show that half of the Americans are deficient in vitamin D and these are the ones that the human body synthesizes from the ultraviolet lights. Now most of us are sheltering at places where one can’t get enough vitamin D as the exposure to the sun is less. In such a case taking vitamin D would make sense. Clinical studies and research done in 2017 regarding the meta-analysis showed that individuals who took weekly as well as daily vitamin D can lower the risk of getting respiratory tract infection. The benefits can only be found among people having a deficiency in vitamin D. If the person doesn’t have a deficiency, then there won’t be any benefit. Furthermore, it is important to note that there hasn’t been any research regarding the connection between COVID-19 and vitamin D.
Hence, if you are really worried about the vitamin D levels or whether your doctor has informed you that you are deficient in vitamin D, then taking supplements really makes sense. However, don’t go to the doctor now for testing and you mustn’t take vitamin D as an excuse just like obsessive handwashing and following the social protocol of distancing.
3) Ibuprofen
Now even though Ibuprofen is a drug, still some doctors recommend in using it for fighting against coronavirus. There aren’t any published evidence showing that ibuprofen will be able to suppress the immune system. Frankly, either acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen are not only safe as well as effective, but they can help in alleviating pain and fever.
4) Vitamin C
Vitamin C is one of the most popular and necessary supplements for protection against all kinds of infection and it really plays a great role in improving one’s immune health. Vitamins help in supporting the functions of many immune cells and it helps in enhancing one’s ability for securing from various infections. In addition, vitamins also play a great role in cellular death and help in keeping the immune system healthy by replacing the old cells with the new ones.
Unlike other vitamins, vitamin C functions as one of the most powerful antioxidants. Also, it helps in securing against all kinds of damages that are induced through oxidative stress. This will commonly occur through the accumulation of the reactive molecules that are called free radicals. Furthermore, oxidative stress will have a negative effect on immune health and is linked to various diseases.
By supplementing vitamin C helps in reducing the duration and even the severity of the upper respiratory tract infections like the common cold. Even studies show that regular consumption of vitamin C helps in curing diseases. As per the study conducted on 11,306 people, supplementing vitamin C on the average dosage of one to two grams each day reduced the duration of a cold by 9% among adults and 15% in kids.
Furthermore, the study even indicates that the regular consumption of vitamin C supplements leads to reducing the occurrence of common cold among individuals having high stress and these include the soldiers and marathon runners to about 50%. High dosage of vitamin C usage has shown to greatly improve the symptoms among people having huge infections like acute respiratory and sepsis syndrome and this results in viral infections.
This clearly states that the consumption of vitamin C supplements would easily help in affecting the immune system among those who don’t get a good amount of vitamins through diet. The upper limit consumption for vitamin C is about 2,000 mg. The supplement daily dosage would somewhere range from 250 to 1,000 mg.
5) Elderberry
Various researches are being held to find out the effectiveness of Black elderberry. These so-called Sambucus nigra are commonly used for treating infection and even research is being held on finding the effect it has on the immune system. Test-tube studies were conducted, and it showed that the extracts of elderberry demonstrate the potential antiviral and antibacterial potential against various bacterial pathogens, especially the ones responsible for upper respiratory tract infections and even the strains of the influenza virus.
More importantly, it has helped in enhancing the immune system’s response and easily assist in shortening the duration and the severity of common cold. It can even help in reducing the symptoms related to the viral infections.
A random of four control studies were conducted on 180 individuals and it was found out that the elderberry supplements help in easily reducing the symptoms of upper respiratory issues caused due to the viral infections. In 2004 a study was conducted, and it clearly showed that people suffering from flu were given one tablespoon of elderberry syrup four times in a day. They got immediate relief within four days compared to the ones that didn’t take the syrup.
Wrapping Up
Clearly, one really needs to boost his or her immune system. In times when the corona virus outbreak is increasing all around the world and people are subjected to self-quarantine, improving one’s immune system is a good health factor. Vitamins are indeed the best way to enhance one’s immunity, but you would really need to consult your doctor before you take any vitamin supplement, so that you are on the safe side.
