A healthy lifestyle requires eating properly and more.

There is no treatment for the coronavirus. We hear that a vaccine might be ready in a few months. And, not all vaccines are 100% effective. What options do you have? Harvard Health Publishing has several options. They all address improving your personal immune system. It starts with a healthy lifestyle.

Don’t smoke. That is a no brainer. Don’t drink alcohol. Yes, some medical professionals will tell you that alcohol in moderate amounts, especially red wine, is OK. Given normal situations, this advice is probably not bad. But, given the coronavirus in your near future, it is best to stop drinking any alcohol for the next month or two.

I am an advocate of balanced nutrition. Why choose foods that leave your deficient on nutrients (over 30) that your body needs daily. You are putting yourself, via your immune system, at risk. Every nutrient deficiency increases your risk of catching the coronavirus. One percent of the United States adults eat nutritionally balanced meals daily.

If you are infected, your symptoms might not be worth writing home about, but you could infect others with a more challenged immune system. It is no longer our worry to take care of ourselves. With a virus that spreads through the air with no symptoms, we can give this disease to anyone. Eat your fruits and veggies daily. Cut back on red meat. Minimize refined carbohydrates.

Selenium, magnesium, zinc, vitamin E, and vitamin E are typical deficiencies found in the United States. Each is critical to building a strong immune system. Many supplements are not as effective as eating real foods.

Vitamin E is eight different chemicals (four tocopherols and four tocotrienols). No one food has all eight. Vitamin supplements usually give you one vitamin E and it is synthetic and not really of any value to your health. Astaxanthin is the king of carotenoids and something you should include in your diet. Increased levels of vitamin D support a strong immune function.

Exercise regularly. Yes, we hear this all the time. It is good for our health, especially your age-related health. Your immune system needs it on a regular basis. Daily, if possible. Exercise can be walking, swimming, jogging, etc. Include periodic training for stretching and balance.

Maintain a healthy weight. Another piece of advice we hear all the time. Obesity wrecks your immune system. Being overweight taxes your immune system. If your immune system is going to get you through this year’s viral epidemic, then maintaining a healthy weight is a great start to be prepared for the next flu season, and the one after that.

Get quality sleep. Many of us don’t get quality sleep. As a result, our bodies can’t make all the repairs needed daily to meet our bodies’ normal needs, not to mention allowing time for our immune system to improve. Many of us are now subject to self-imposed quarantined, house arrest, working from home, etc. Call it what you want. Sleep is critical for daily health and an improved immune system.

Wash your hands often. This should be part of your healthy lifestyle. Many of us tend to push the limits of acceptable washing of hands. The CDC says at least twenty seconds. I know most, from what I’ve seen lately, prefer to use the hand sanitizer.

Nanotechnology used in many personal care products today allows toxins to enter the skin as if there were nickel-sized holes in our skin for those toxins to enter. Using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer might be the worst possible option. People use it a lot and frequently. The alcohol dries the skin and opens minute cracks to allow germs and other toxins into your body.

Minimize toxins. This applies primarily to personal care products and foods. There are dozens of toxins in commonly used personal care products used in the United States. Foods have antibiotics, artificial colorings and flavoring, preservatives, and more. I suggest organic when possible. I noted that toilet paper is off the shelves at most stores, but the organic fresh fruits and vegetables are available in copious amounts.

Stress management is a critical part of a healthy lifestyle. All of us should be using several stress-reducing methods multiple times a day. Stress can be a killer. Add the coronavirus scare and your stress multiplies. A negative attitude is counter-productive to enhancing your immune system.

Aging has an impact on our bodies’ immune systems. Getting older makes it more difficult to fight new viruses. The previous exposure to other flu viruses does not provide any protection against the coronavirus.

It seems that aging also increases the number of prescription drugs needed to treat the diseases that creep into our lives as we pass 50, 60, or 70 years of age. Several of these prescription drugs impair your immune system from operating at an optimal level.

Our medical professionals will become inundated shortly as the virus plows its way through our society. A strong immune system will provide support to you in that you might have reduced symptoms to no symptoms at all. Eighty percent of coronavirus cases are mild. Fourteen percent are severe. Five percent are critical requiring hospitalization. Two percent are fatal.

A strong immune system will ratchet down the level of intensity your body might see when the coronavirus walks into your world.

Live Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin

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