How you can strengthen your defence against Covid-19 with these easy-to-follow tips from
an academic who’s studied the wonders of the human immune system for 20 years
Organic produce has a much more diverse bacteria population that can help
Sunshine is also good for immunity and can significantly improve your health
A bad night’s sleep can be terrible for the immune system so try and get rest
Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
If Dr Jenna Macciochi’s behaviour is a barometer of how wary we should be about
the immediate threat of coronavirus, It’s natural, when in the grips of a global pandemic,
to want to grasp onto things you can do in order to shield yourself from harm.
Dr Jenna Maccioch, a lecturer in Immunology at the University of Sussex and author of
new book Immunity: The Science Of Staying Well, understands why people are wanting
to do all they can to protect themselves.
“People are desperate,” she says on the latest episode of Women’s Health’s podcast,
Going for Goal. “There is so much uncertainty – it’s completely understandable that people
will cling to something that makes them feel as though they have some control in what is,
ultimately, an uncontrollable situation.”
Can a strong immune system resist covid-19?
Her take home message? Covid-19 – the name of the disease which is caused by the
coronavirus – is too large and too new to be fought off by any one individual action,
until a vaccine, currently in development, is made readily available.
“The immune system is the most complex system in the body,” Dr Macciochi explains.
“Try not to think of it as a binary ‘on-and-off’ switch, but rather as a whole series of switches
that turn on and off to calm and control and clear up any
damage that’s been done by an infection.”
There are, some practical things you can do to build up your immune system’s strength.
Dr Macciochi’s number one?
Why sleep is essential for a strong immune system!!!
“Sleep is the bedrock of your immunity, as lots of calibration happens when you’re sleeping
that allows your immune system to work optimally,” Dr Macciochi explains.
The time when you’re resting – and not really coming into contact with anyone – is when your immune system heals and repairs, ready for the challenges it will inevitably face when you’re up and about the next day.
And, yes, even if the sum total of your outside-the-house activity is maintaining social distance on your daily park jog – you’ll be coming into contact with far more germs than you do whilst asleep. So, you don’t get enough good quality sleep, you’re essentially expecting your body to heal and repair its defences while stripping its resources with which to do so. If you’re feeling tired and lethargic,
listen to the signals your body is sending you.
“That’s your immune system doing its job,” says Dr. Macciochi. “When fighting an infection,
it produces certain chemicals that act on our brains and direct us to change our behaviour that gives
us the best possible chance of recovering.”
What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
According to the NHS website, the primary symptoms of coronavirus are:
A fever
A new, consistent cough
Other coronavirus symptoms that have been reported include:
Tiredness or fatigue
A headache
Shortness of breath
A loss of smell or taste
Muscle pain
What should you do if you have symptoms of coronavirus?
The bad news is that there is no magic pill or miracle broth that will ‘boost’ our immunity against coronavirus overnight. The good news is there are many ways we can give our immune system
the best possible chance of operating at its optimum level.
When it comes to maintaining good health, the immune system is our most precious asset.
Yet we rarely appreciate our essential defences until something goes wrong. Most of the time our immune system works quietly away and we don’t even notice it. Deeply entwined with every aspect of our physical and mental health, it acts as a fortress and lays the foundations of our health and longevity.
It is all that stands between us and 38,000,000,000,000 (that’s 38 trillion!) microbes in our body that threaten us constantly – although 99 per cent won’t hurt us. As our sixth sense, this system connects our health to our environment, feelings and emotions.
When it comes to maintaining good health, the immune system is
our most precious asset.
Crucially, it’s as unique to each of us as our fingerprints – and with good reason,
as this diversity helps sustain the human race: if our immune defence systems were identical,
a single deadly disease could wipe us all out.
That’s why we all know someone who ‘never gets a cold’. They may have an immune system that
is perfect at dealing with the common cold, but they might fare worse when faced with
a different germ.
But while, broadly speaking, we are all different when it comes to immunity, there is evidence
that nowhere is the difference greater than between the sexes.
This suggests that men aren’t just being drama queens – man flu is real.
Indeed, we know that significantly more men than women die from infections.
The reasons are complex and only partially known, but one theory is that because women can pass bugs from mother to child during gestation, birth, or breastfeeding, they need a hardier immune defence against germs. Devastating outbreaks, such as infection epidemics like coronavirus, have all been caused by the smorgasbord of micro-organisms with which we share this planet.
Over the last decades, our fear of them has been realised, with outbreaks of swine flu, Zika, bird flu, ebola
and many others – each outbreak prompting new concerns about infection protection. But from birth to death we are silently bombarded, minute by minute, with an untold number of potential infectious threats.
And whether or not we get sick is decided by the integrity of our immune system.
Thankfully, there are ways in which we can help train and maintain it.
Searching ‘immunity’ online or among the aisles of health-food stores reveals an abundance
of nutritional supplements, cold remedies and fortified foods all promising to ‘boost’ our immune system.
But is there any scientific truth in these claims?
The notion of the immune system as some kind of internal force-field that can be easily
ramped up makes little sense scientifically and is one of the biggest misconceptions
I come across in my work.
True, researchers have looked at whether things such as echinacea, green tea, garlic and wheatgrass supplements can help see off germs. But evidence in support of a single immune-boosting nutrient or superfood is not strong.
If you are looking to strengthen your immunity, the best way is through a combined approach – by adopting these science-backed lifestyle tweaks and changes. They are in no way prescriptive, nor a magic bullet to health, simply a gentle nudge in a better direction…
GO ORGANIC
Organic produce has a significantly more diverse bacteria population, especially when eaten raw, since cooking would destroy these good bugs. Anecdotally, I’ve heard of many benefits from consuming fermented foods and drinks like kimchi, kombucha, kefir and sauerkraut which contain a natural synergy of many different types of yeasts and bacteria.
ENJOY SOME SUNSHINE
Sunshine is good for immunity and bad for viruses. One reason that flu is a winter problem is because the influenza virus is transmitted best at cooler temperatures and low humidity. But there are other reasons for seeking sunshine. Research suggests it makes disease-fighting cells in the skin move faster and work more efficiently. Sunlight also helps our bodies to make Vitamin D. The World Health Organisation suggests five to 15 minutes of casual sun exposure a few times a week (between 10am and 2 pm) is more than sufficient
to keep Vitamin D levels topped up.
The vitamin’s crucial role in immunity is not fully understood but ample levels can help
protect against a lengthy list of ailments, including multiple sclerosis, asthma, depression,
heart disease and cancer.
The World Health Organisation suggests five to 15 minutes of casual sun exposure
a few times a week is more than sufficient to keep Vitamin D levels topped up.
Public Health England advises that adults and children over the age of one should consider taking a
daily supplement containing ten micrograms of Vitamin D, particularly during autumn and winter.
BRRR… COLD SHOWERS!
There’s a growing – albeit still rather small – body of evidence that being cold can benefit
our immunity. In the right doses, exposure to cold temperatures can help reduce stress, which can have a detrimental impact on immunity. It won’t happen straight away but over time, our body can improve its resistance to stress. Research shows that people who take regular cold showers are almost 30 per cent less likely to call in sick to work than others, due to the improvements in immunity. At the end of every shower, turn the water to the coldest setting and stand underneath for about 20 seconds. Build up to as long as you can tolerate.
TAKE THE COUNTRY AIR
As well as getting microbes from our mothers and our diets, we get them from our environment.
The air we breathe carries bacteria, which together with organisms that come mostly from soil and plants, are deposited in our mouths and airways as we breath and swallow. These are known to have potentially beneficial immunological effects. That’s great if you live in the countryside, but less so if you live in an urban environment that is low on microbial diversity.
Urbanites are more susceptible to allergies and inflammatory disease, and there is also clear evidence that childhood exposure to outdoor microbes is linked to a more robust immune system. So city-dwellers should spend time in a garden, visit the countryside, go for a walk in the park, eat home-grown food or head to a local farmers’ market. Even just digging your fingers in the soil of a potted plant can improve your mood and nourish your immune system.
I’ve always found something about being in nature –
whether it’s the sound of the sea, the scent of a forest or an impressive countryside vista –
eases my stress and worry, and helps me to relax and think more clearly. Exposure to nature works primarily
by lowering stress – immune-cell function improves after walking in a forest for a few hours each day.
Nature, it seems, is particularly good for strengthening our main virus-fighting cells and cancer-surveillance system. Aromatic substances called phytoncides from trees and plants bring about these amazing health benefits. If you can’t get outdoors to decrease stress and assist with immune balance, you could put woody essential oils in a diffuser. Some of my favourites are sacred mountain, pine, cypress,
Idaho balsam fir and palo santo.
TRY PROBIOTICS
The official definition of a probiotic is: ‘a live micro-organism that when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit’. But few products meet this definition as it’s tricky to keep the organisms alive. Also, we don’t know if they are useful for everyone or which specific strains should be taken. In fact, most microbes from probiotics do not take up residence in our guts, but are transient, detectable only for a
limited time during frequent consumption.
This is not a reason to dismiss their health benefits though, as they can help improve the availability of nutrients from food and produce compounds that strengthen immunity.
One interesting piece of research suggested that taking probiotic supplements is linked to a reduced likelihood of getting colds, and making them shorter in duration and less severe.
SLEEP ON IT
One of our least valuable cliches is that we can sleep when we die. Much truer is: if we don’t sleep, we will die – sooner. While more sleep won’t necessarily make us invincible, lack of sleep almost immediately tips our immune system into imbalance, simultaneously dampening parts of it and empowering others. A single night
of poor sleep leads to a decrease of up to 70 per cent of our natural killer cells – our first-line defence against viruses and potentially cancerous cells.
Other research has shown that people who sleep for six hours a night or less are four times more likely to catch a cold when exposed to the virus, compared with those who spend more than seven hours a night asleep. No matter what your starting point to wellbeing is, I’d say sort out your sleep before anything else.
(See Dr Michael Mosley’s guide to a good night’s sleep).
EAT CHICKEN SOUP
In my line of work I’ve heard it all, from chicken soup for the sniffles to copper bracelets for arthritis.
The former was prescribed for colds in ancient Egypt considered a powerful remedy through the Middle Ages. The 12th Century Jewish doctor Moses Maimonides recommended it for everything from haemorrhoids to leprosy, leading to it becoming known as ‘Jewish penicillin’. Although not technically a supplement, chicken soup is one of the most effective feel-better foods.
This could be due to a number of substances in it, such as carnosine, which enhances the power of immune cells. And properties from the chicken released during cooking resemble the drug acetylcysteine, commonly prescribed for respiratory ailments.
If we listen to anyone about the pandemic, perhaps it should Dr Macciochi, therefore,
Hannah Devlin speaks to Dr Jenna Macciochi about how our immune systems fight off infections such as coronavirus, and – answers per lots of your questions –
Listen to podcasts: Covid-19: what if I’m immunocompromised?
© Dr Jenna Macciochi, 2020
Ask the scientist: here’s what to do to boost your immune system!!!
Another quick watch and listen to is Sharon Stills, NMD, who is a primary care health practitioner who provides therapeutic and diagnostic services to women. Dr. Stills is also a member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, the Arizona Naturopathic Medical Association and the Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians.
Dr. Stills develops content and reviews articles for Women’s Health Network and is a
sought-after lecturer and natural medicine consultant. Dr. Stills founded one of the largest
and most successful Naturopathic Clinics in the country and now sees patients in a unique retreat setting where they receive specialized one-on-one care in Tucson, Arizona.
She practices a comprehensive natural holistic healing system that promotes self-healing without the use of drugs. With conventional DEA pharmaceutical training & extensive experience compounding pharmacy prescriptions, Dr. Stills can help her patients with custom supplements, remedies and targeted formulations.
People Are Coughing on Food and Pretending to Have Coronavirus —
Why Would Someone Do That?
Coronavirus patient, 87, who was pictured watching the sunset with his doctor
in viral image recovers from the deadly disease!!!
When Lauren Rowello, a New Jersey resident, developed a mild cough in early March,
she didn’t think that it could be the coronavirus.
It’s been about a month, and the mom of two – lives in the epicenter of the pandemic
in the US – is still recovering from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Rowello regrets having not adequately prepared and outlined the things she wishes
she had done differently.
Immune System Boost, How to Stay Healthy,
Immunity, Nutrition, Health Tips, Sleep, Stress, Anxiety!!!