Coronavirus is a trending topic in the world now. This viral infection has caused a huge number of deaths in the world today. Some are still being treated while a very huge number of people have recovered from this viral infection.
What is the difference between those who died from this infection and those who are recovering and have recovered? The difference is in their immune systems.
The state and strength of their immune system determined if they survived or not.
The Immune System and How It Works
The immune system of man is very powerful and it was not designed to be overcome by any virus or pathogen. The study of immunology is interesting and I have come to appreciate this complex and powerful system.
The human immune system is related to the gut. 70 to 80% of your immune system is in your gut. Your gut is simply your digestive system and the state of your digestive system can make your immune system strong or weak.
If you have a strong immune system, no virus, bacteria, pathogens, fungi, or any pathogens at all can make you sick. Even when they find their way into your body, they won’t cause sickness or death.
But if they meet a weak, acidic, and compromised gut/immune system, they make you sick and can even cause death in some cases. What makes your gut powerful or weak is the presence of living microbes in your gut called probiotics.
These are also called microbial biome, healthy bacteria, and friendly bacteria. They are present in your gut in a balanced proportion. If these microbes are killed and their population reduced, then your immune system becomes weak.
To keep your immune system strong, alert and agile, you have to protect your microbial genome. Protect them like your life depends on them because your life and existence depend on them.
Things/Factors That Affect Your Gut Floral
Stress: This is one of the leading factors that weaken the friendly bacteria in the gut. And the modern lifestyle is stressful. This means a lot of individuals will be affected in the case of an epidemic like coronavirus.
Lack of sleep is also making the matters worse. Scientists described this generation as the “most sleep deficient” generation. Sleep time is healing time. This is my slogan.
During a state of a deep sleep, your body relieves stress, energizes you, boosts your immune system, and restores your body to normal. If you keep skipping sleep, you will definitely come down with any epidemic because your immune system is weak.
Antibiotics: Prolong use of antibiotics is not good for your gut floral. It kills all of them and this makes you susceptible to infections and diseases.
Even the meaning of the word antibiotic means “against life”. If your condition is not life-threatening, you should not use antibiotics. It should only be used in very critical conditions.
There are lots of natural probiotics (opposite of antibiotics but they act better than antibiotics) in nature that can heal infections and do many more without all these dangerous adverse side effects.
Examples are garlic, fermented fruits, and vegetables, Greek yogurt, etc.
Refined sugar: Refined sugar affects your white blood cells, the soldiers of your body. Refined sugar and other types of artificial sweeteners can make these cells inactive for up to 12 hours.
Imagine loading up on one or more bottles of sodas or sugary drinks and then you come in contact with a virus or bacteria, do you think your white blood cells would be active to fight off these foreign invaders?
No, they won’t. And before you know it, you are down with an infection. If you want to have a strong immune system, avoid sugar, sugary foods, and drinks.
The natural sugars you get from natural foods are okay. You can also choose to use raw honey in place of refined sugar.
Processed foods: The friendly bacteria in your gut depend heavily on nutrients for their survival and reproduction. This is why you should avoid taking processed and junk foods as your main meals.
These can be taken occasionally. Your main foods should be healthy and nutritious foods. There should be natural foods because the nutrients provided by these foods are used by your gut floral.
Processed and junk foods have been stripped of all their nutrients leaving behind only carbohydrates. There are no fibers which these healthy bacteria can feed on and multiply.
There are no minerals like zinc which these organisms need. You can indulge in junks and fasts foods once in a while, but healthy foods should be your main dish and not the other way round.
This will help you have a strong and functional immune system.
Toxins: These are unwanted and poisonous substances in the body. They kill your microbial biome and weaken your white blood cells.
Examples of toxins are heavy metals like mercury, lead, etc, chemicals like arsenic, phthalates, BPA found in processed foods packs, foods, treated drinking water, and so.
Some chemicals are also found in skin and hair care products. This is why I advise people to make their creams or go for more natural products.
Avoiding toxins is a good way to fortify your immune system.
7 Effective Ways To Boost Your Immune System
Sleep
As you have seen above sleep time is healing time. It is not a waste of time. So you should factor 9 hours of night sleep into your daily routine. When you are in a state of a deep sleep, your immune system and your entire body comes back to life.
A lot of damages and mutations are repaired. The stress hormone is brought down and stress relieved. Your white blood cells are energized. A lot of miracles take place when you sleep.
Good nutrition
Good nutrition boosts your immune system in two main ways. First of all, it detoxifies. Toxins cripple your immune system and make you susceptible to pathogens and infections.
However, the intake of healthy foods will help your body remove these toxins. The second way good nutrition improves our immune system is to serve as foods for the healthy bacteria in your gut.
These include fibers, B vitamins, zinc, manganese, vitamin D, vitamin C, E, A, and many others. All these can be gotten from green vegetables, fruits, and natural foods.
Exercise
Physical movement and an active lifestyle help eliminate toxins from your body. A sedentary lifestyle leads to the accumulation of toxins in your body.
Over time, your liver would be clogged and slow in action. And toxins are not good for immune functions. You can try and walk for at least one hour daily. This would boost your immune system and detoxify your body.
Hydration
Water is important for your health. It plays a lot of roles in your immune response to diseases. Water is used to eliminate toxins, waste products, and unwanted substances in the body.
All these can affect your immune system negatively. Water is also used in making your immune cells and the liquid (blood) that they flow in. Proper hydration promotes the flow of blood to all parts of the body.
Listen to your body and drink enough water. Note that sugary and sports drinks do not hydrate you, rather they make you dehydrated and deplete your body of its nutrient store.
Negative emotions
Negative emotions such as fear, anger, jealousy, envy and so on wreck your immune system. They make you susceptible to epidemics and infections.
Try and get rid of all these and only feed your mind on positive emotions.
Herbs and supplements
There are a lot of natural immune-boosting herbs and probiotics in nature. I will be listing out popular herbs and supplements that boost your immune system.
- Echinacea
- Licorice roots
- Vitamin C
- Olive leaf
- Astragalus
- Oregano
- Vitamin B6
- Colloidal silver
- Garlic
- Probiotics
- Elderberries
- Zinc
- Vitamin E
- Ginseng
- Medicinal mushrooms
- Myrrh
- Calendula
- Turmeric
- Ginger
- Cayenne
- Cat’s claw
- Lemons
- Onions
- Citrus fruits
- Green leafy vegetables
- Nuts and seeds
Sunlight
Sunlight boosts the activities of your white blood cells. It makes them more agile and active. It also dilates your blood vessels and promotes healthy circulation of blood.
This will ensure that your white blood cells can reach many parts of your body. You can receive a good amount of sunshine each day. Avoid high sunlight.
You can start exposing yourself to sunlight gradually by doing that in the morning (sunrise) and in the evening (sunset). However, do not stay in the high heat of the sun for a long time.
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