How to Naturally Boost Your Immune System During COVID-19
Although it was first identified in Wuhan, China in late 2019, coronavirus has already spread throughout the world . While the majority of the people infected are recovering from the comfort of their home, some people are getting severely sick, eventually dying, due to a poor immune system.
Your body will be less likely to become sick if you have a strong immune system, which in most cases can fight potential, invisible enemies on its own. Even potentially dangerous viruses!
Some dietary and lifestyle changes can help you fight against harmful pathogens by strengthening your natural defenses.
Best Natural Ways to Boost Your Immunity
While maintaining social distance and proper hygiene, make sure you’re following a healthy diet and lifestyle to improve your immunity.
Here are some of the natural ways you can try to boost your immune system.
Consider Eating Whole Plant Foods
You need to make sure your body gets enough vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Whole plant foods such as fresh vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts are rich in such nutrients that will help your body fight against deadly pathogens.
Some fruits and vegetables contain a significant amount of vitamin C, A, and D. All of them are essential for improving immunity.
Although vitamin C has been endorsed by the Chinese doctors as a potential treatment for COVID-19, there’s no such proof it can actually fight the disease.
However, taking a certain dose of such vitamins can lower your chance of catching a cold and other respiratory illnesses.
Opt for Medicinal Mushrooms
Mushrooms are considered superfoods and for good reasons. They contain strong immune-boosting properties that can improve the activity of your immune cells, such as natural killer cells and macrophages.
The medicinal components of mushrooms are quite effective against respiratory illnesses including influenza and the common cold.
There are several types of medicinal mushrooms, such as shiitake, chaga, maitake, and reishi mushroom extract, that are available in capsules, tinctures, liquids, and powder forms. often available from online specialists such as Zamnesia in capsules, tinctures, liquids, and powder forms.
Consume More Healthy Fat
Chronic inflammation can take a toll on your overall immune system. Healthy fats can improve your body’s immune response against disease-causing viruses and bacteria by reducing inflammation.
Foods like salmon and olive oil contain a significant amount of omega-3 fatty acids and anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce oxidative stress and boost your immunity.
Limit Your Sugar Consumption
Several studies have suggested that an increased amount of sugar and carbohydrates can contribute to obesity, eventually making you sick.
Obese people tend to get the flu more than those who have a balanced weight.
This is because sugar is an immunosuppressant. It can feed pathogenic bacteria and damage mitochondrial function, thus imbalancing your gut microbiomes.
Avoid adding extra sugar to your dessert and juices. If you love sweets, then go for fresh fruits that have natural and healthy sugar, such as mango or pineapple.
Have Some Probiotics
Fermented foods such as yogurt, kimchi, kefir, and natto are a good source of healthy bacteria known as probiotics. These bacteria help improve the functionality of your digestive tract and boost immune function.
Due to the presence of these healthy gut bacteria, your immune system can differentiate between a healthy cell and a harmful organism.
If you don’t find any good probiotic foods, consider having some supplements to improve your gut health.
Get Proper Sleep
Sleep is often underrated as people don’t understand its connection with the immune system. But the truth is sleep and immunity have a close relationship.
Inadequate sleep can increase your risk of getting sick as it can compromise your immune system. It’s essential to get at least 7-9 hours of sleep every night to strengthen your natural immunity.
You can easily improve your sleeping pattern by reducing your screen time, sleeping in a completely dark room, and exercising regularly.
Do Some Moderate Exercises
While you’re stuck at home due to COVID-19, it’s the perfect time to do some light exercises. It will not only help you stay in shape, but it will also boost your immune system.
Research conducted in 2015 showed that doing regular exercise can decrease inflammation and improve the effectiveness of vaccines in those who have compromised immunity.
To stay healthy, try to do at least 150 minutes of moderate exercises every week such as jogging, bicycling, brisk walking, and swimming. If that seems like too much, that is just over twenty minutes a day.
Reduce Your Stress
While it’s quite normal to get stressed and anxious due to the overflowing of news regarding coronavirus throughout the newspaper, social media, and TV, staying stressed for too long it’s worse you can do. Sometimes switching off the news or Facebook is the best way to go. Instead of worrying to much, make sure your your body is ready to fight if needed!
Try your best to cope with the anxiety caused by the corona pandemic, as stress is a huge factor which weakens immune system.
Chronic stress can increase the adrenaline and cortisol hormones that produce inflammatory chemicals and cause an imbalance in immune cell function.
Besides, long-term psychological stress can compromise the immune system of children, which is why it’s important to stay calm.
Time of self- isolation can be the perfect time to finally learn or master meditation and other zen techniques to increase the power of your mind. If you have any hobbies such as writing or painting, try to spend some time doing things you love.
Use Essential Oils
Essential oils can be another excellent option in boosting your immune response. These oils are rich in anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties that can prepare your body to fight against several respiratory diseases.
There are some popular essential oils such as eucalyptus, clove, tea tree, and cinnamon that you can try to boost your immunity.
Since these oils are quite strong, it’s highly recommended that you use them only externally through an essential oil bracelet for instance or in aromatherapy.
Final Thoughts
While you cannot boost your immune system overnight, eating healthy foods and doing moderate exercise will keep you healthy and active in the long run.
Instead of being tense and panicked about this deadly virus, prepare yourself to prevent it from getting you. You can do that by staying home, washing your hands properly, and following a healthy diet.
Remember, having a good immune system doesn’t mean you will not get infected by COVID-19. However, it will lower your chances in getting sick and improve your overall health. If you do catch COVID-19, getting an at home monoclonal IV in San Francisco can help reduce the severity of symptoms and get you back on your feet faster. It can also decrease the chance that you will develop complications that require hospitalization.
