The repeated news thread looks to the latest advances of a vaccine for the coronavirus. While you wait for this suggested solution, you are encouraged to practice social distancing and wear a mask to slow the spread of the virus. But there is so much more you can do that will improve your health and strengthen your immune system.

Right now, the majority of individuals who test positive with the coronavirus have a immune system that responds quickly and they are able to move on with life. All of us are on this journey to move from the “Not Immune” to the “Immune” side. You have a choice on how you cross that line. You can prepare your body with nutrients so your immune system is ready to fight, or you can wait for the vaccine and hope that you do not have a reaction.

Every season of illness is a test to evaluate if you are living a healthy lifestyle

As of August 3, 2020

4,822,833 positive coronavirus cases in the USA (1.5% of the USA population)
2,381,596 recovered (49% )
158,466 deaths (3.2% of cases)

Key observations since the beginning of 2020:

1. 70% of hospitalizations for COVID involve underlying health issues.

2. Most children are not effected, or recover quickly from the virus.

3. High density living and staying indoors with circulated air promotes infection rates.

Key Steps for Building your Immune system:

Vitamin C has been used successfully in hospital settings around the world to help reduce the inflammation reactions caused by Covid-19. You can increase your intake through quality foods like Red Bell Pepper, Broccoli, Strawberries, Kiwi, and Mango. These whole foods are rich in Vitamin C and additional nutrients that will strengthen the white blood cells so they are ready to fight. Most people may also take Vitamin C tablets of 250 mg or 500 mg through out the day with a total intake of 2 grams a day without major concern.

Quercetin is a nutrient that has special activity when fighting viruses. Quercetin is able to stop viruses from being able to multiply in the body. The special tags or chemicals that these viruses have to slip into a cell and take over are “turned off” by Quercetin, so the virus is unable to enter and is left vulnerable to active white blood cells or enzymes that will digest the intruding virus. Asparagus and Buckwheat are rich food sources of quercetin. A 50 milligram capsule of quercetin every other day would be a good maintenance dose.

3. Check your Vitamin D Level

Vitamin D helps the immune cells to activate correctly and respond to the environment to provide the defense you need. In the results reported above, a blood concentration of 30 ng/ml or higher greatly improved the recovery rate for those patients age 60 years and older. A simple blood spot test is available from your doctor, or can be purchased from Grassroots Health.

Your immune system needs to be on “high alert” during this season. Your immune system cannot function at its best when there is a lot of celebration going on with treats and drinks. Sugar intake will cause the white blood cells to move more slowly and not be effective for about 5 hours after consuming sugar. Alcohol intake can also cause communication challenges in the body, which will make the immune system less effective. Find other ways to celebrate and enjoy the relationships you have.

The coronavirus starts in the sinuses and nasal passages. If you feel a sore throat starting, or the beginning of a sinus infection, try to increase your body temperature to improve the activity of your immune system. Take time to sit outdoors in warm climates, take a hot bath with steam, wrap a winter scarf around your neck to raise the temperature around your neck. Along with getting plenty of rest, the heat protocol will help activate your immune system to get the job done. Click on this link: Heat Protocol to learn more from Karen Hurd.

We all can move safely to the “Immune” side of this whole situation. These are a few of the things you can do right now in your own living situation to prepare your immune system for action.

At Nutrition Proportion, we help individuals learn a balanced lifestyle that will promote health and sustain a strong immune system for every virus and challenge that comes along. Contact us today for a personalized assessment and plan.