By Golden Sikorka @ Shutterstock.com
In the age of coronavirus:
Fear can hijack our imaginations and prompt us to discard facts.
Practicing proper hygiene and bolstering your immune system are the one-two punch in safeguarding your health.
You Can Make Yourself Safer
Being totally stressed about getting sick can only put you more at risk of getting sick. Dwelling on a perceived threat can produce acute stress that lowers your immune function.
Court Jesters Sell Fear
Fear sells. Fear wins votes. Fear is easily weaponized and commercialized.
The “wretched” CNN court jester Jim Acosta,” Roger Kimball reminds readers in spectator.us, “complained about Trump calling the virus foreign and his identifying the source of the virus as China. Would Acosta feel the same about calling German measles ‘German measles’, or that Zika is named after some other “God-forsaken place in the dark continent. How about Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever: is that racist about the Rocky Mountains, Jim?”
Boost Your Immune System
The best defense against any virus is a strong immune system. Little in life compromises your immune system more than stress.
Exercise. Eat well. Get sleep. Open your windows. Meditate. Get out in nature.
Don’t shake hands.
Carry hand sanitizer.
Wash your hands like you are Lady MacBeth.
Empower and Educate Yourself
Become empowered by educating yourself. Do not immerse yourself in the fear mongering nightly media broadcasts. Read and actively seek out information that negates the perpetual state of anxiety the media offers.
CODVID-19’s lethality is modest, Mr. Kimball reminds us. It’s a powerful propaganda weapon “in the hands of power hungry politicians and bureaucrats” who exploit it for their own authoritarian impulses.
Take Sensible Precautions and Get on with Your Life
According to Forbes magazine, every year 60,000 people die of ordinary influenza. Few people outside of Wuhan province who have contracted coronavirus have died outside of the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions.
Common Sense Goes a Long Way
Wash your hands, up your hygiene, and stay home if you’re not feeling well, but don’t feel that you have to cancel your life.
As Always, Lots of Water
Advises Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious-diseases expert at Vanderbilt University: “We always caution anyone healthy and people who are sick to keep up fluid intake and keep mucus membranes moist.”
Drinking water will prevent dehydration. It will not prevent anyone from catching coronavirus.
Boost Your Immune System
Experts suggest these supplements:
- Liposomal Vitamin C
- Elderberry Extract
- Spirulina
- Beta-glucan
- Glucosamine
- Selenium
- Zinc
- Lipoic acid
- Quercetin
- Whole Life-Cycle Activated Mushrooms
Supplement with D3
According to some studies, Vitamin D supplementation will lower the risk of respiratory illnesses and lung infections, especially in the elder. Vitamin D can improve the immune system’s ability to fight infections because it bolsters the first line of defense of the immune system. Sun is the best source of Vitamin D, of course, but not always available in northern climates. If you decide to supplement VD, be sure it’s with Vitamin D3.
Support Your Microbiome
Eating plain yogurt is an easy way to boost your probiotics and help support your microbiome. It helps support the good bacteria that live in your body, which help to fight bad bacteria or viruses.
Other foods that can help support the microbiome include garlic, onion, ginger, sauerkraut and fermented foods.
Remember, antibacterial hand sanitizer is not only unnecessary, it’s not recommended because it can disrupt the skin microbiome and, theoretically, contribute to antibiotic resistance. That said, if you don’t have access to soap and water, it’s better to use hand sanitizer than not do anything at all.
P.S. In the Age of Coronavirus: a Homemade Throat Sanitizer.
