Post by Dr. Tejal Daftary , Jul 18, 2020.
Boost your immunity
Pumping up Immunity in COVID-19 times While the race is on to find a vaccine for COVID-19, there are plenty of steps you can take to strengthen your immune system. To help you (and your family) with this, we’ve compiled a list of key steps to take to support a healthy immune system. 1. Follow the advice........... Whatever your age While the elderly are of course more at threat of COVID-19, your immune system actually declines too. Relatively young and healthy people moreover should have a responsibility to stay protected so that they can avoid the possibility of infecting someone more vulnerable. 2. Dose up Vitamin C (and D) Certain nutrients, such as vitamins C and D have been identified as essential for improving immunity across the lifespan. Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant and manufactures antibody molecules required to help the body fight viruses and bacteria. Best sources are Tomato, Broccoli, Green & Red Peppers and Citrus fruits like oranges, Lime and Lemon Moreover, a good intake of Vitamin D reduces the risk of experiencing at least one respiratory infection including pneumonia within three weeks. While early morning sunlight is a natural way to get Vitamin D, supplements should be good too. 3. Exercise Regularly You can stay physically fit avoiding gyms too. In addition, it adds years to your life besides bringing a quality life. Walks after meal times should be a must. This builds lymphatic system which assists your immune cells to perform their surveillance function of moving around the body killing germs which may be trying to get inside your tissues. Though it’s not really that quick, exercises are essential to immunity as you age. Muscles make chemicals which pump our thymus gland (where immune cells are born) and help its functioning as we get older. 4. Plenty of water intake So many metabolic functions of our body depend on a good amount of water intake. Water flushes out toxins and facilitates your body in detoxifying itself thereby crucially relieving fatigue. How much water should you be drinking? • 60 kg = 2 litres •75 kg = 2.5 litres •90 kg= 3 litres •105 kg = 3.5 litres 5. De-Stress and Sleep adequate Stress disrupts the functioning of our immune system. The more you push your mind, the more nutrients your body uses up. Meditation and Mindfulness help in mitigating negative impact of stress on our lives. In fact, having adequate sleep is the key to of our whole immune power. Other lifestyle measures won’t make much of difference if there is lack of sleep. This is simply because the hormone melatonin stimulates new immune cells while we sleep. Visit DrTejalDaftary.com for more info
