Building natural immunity

DR FAITH BYISRAEL

We all want to be healthy. We all want to be naturally healthy. We all want to ensure that our immune system is as healthy as possible to fight against covid19. “Why don’t medical professionals speak about building your body’s natural immunity?” This is a question that I get all the time when talking about preventing covid19 by using vaccines. The reality is that building natural immunity takes time, effort and dedication. If you are willing to do the hard work (yes, I said hard work), keep reading.

WHAT ARE YOU EATING?

What you put into your system is what you will get out of it. Think about what you had for breakfast, lunch or dinner yesterday – do you think those items are building your immunity? Did you eat fresh fruits and vegetables? Did you drink at least eight glasses of water? Did you have balanced meals? How many calories do you think you consumed? Did you have processed foods?

I know that we love the quick fixes. You want me to tell you about the powers of garlic, a food that is rich in Allicin, which is known to boost your immune system. You want me to tell you to eat foods rich in Vitamin C and D, or take supplements of those vitamins, because they reduce the severity and duration of upper respiratory infection symptoms. You want me to tell you about foods like colourful fruits and vegetables including berries, carrots and spinach, which are rich in antioxidants that protect you against oxidative stress, which translates to a stronger immune system. I know that you want to hear all of that, but the reality is that you already have this information – are you using it?

HOW MUCH ARE YOU MOVING?

The United States Department of Health and Human Services recommends the following guidelines for physical activities:

Aerobic activity: get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week. Moderate aerobic activities includes brisk walking, swimming, mowing the lawn. Vigorous includes running, aerobics or Zumba.

Strength training: do strength training exercises for all major muscle groups at least two times per week. Aim to do a single set of each exercise, using a weight or resistance level heavy enough to tire your muscles after about 12 to 15 repetitions.Strength training includes using a weight machine, your own body weight, resistance tubes, or activities like rock climbing.

Even though the state of emergency and public health measures to manage the covid19 infections restricted our ability to do some of these activities, those restrictions have since been lifted, so you can go ahead and start doing what it takes to make your entire body strong, and therefore improve your immune system.

It’s important to note though that some of the people with long covid (covid19-related symptoms that seem to persist for months or longer after infection) have happened to individuals who were relatively healthy, and exercised frequently. This is a situation that we don’t really understand, and therefore needs to be further studied. Either way, how many minutes of moderate or vigorous exercise did you get this week? What is your plan for next week?

ARE YOU SLEEPING ENOUGH?

One of the most important components of building natural immunity, is allowing your body the time to rest and rejuvenate. This happens when we sleep. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends the following hours of sleep, based on age:

• Infants aged 4-12 months: 12-16 hours a day (including naps)

• Children aged 1-2 years: 11-14 hours a day (including naps)

• Children aged 3-5 years: 10-13 hours a day (including naps)

• Children aged 6-12 years: 9-12 hours a day

• Teens aged 13-18 years: 8-10 hours a day

• Adults aged 18 years or older: 7–8 hours a day

It is critical to understand that if you don’t get enough sleep, the sleep loss adds up. The total sleep lost is called your “sleep debt.” For example, if you lose two hours of sleep each night, you'll have a sleep debt of 14 hours after a week. It is almost impossible to “make up” sleep, and therefore reduce this sleep debt. It's best that you sleep the right amount, at the right times, for the most effective bodily functions.

How many hours did you sleep last night? Is that enough? When you calculate your “sleep debt,” how well (or bad) are you doing? What about tonight? What will you do to ensure that you and your entire family gets the amount of sleep that’s recommended?

IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS

The reality is that SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes covid19) is a very strange virus. There is a lot we don’t know about the virus and the disease. We do know that there are several mechanisms that work well at preventing infection. These include:

1. Washing our hands with soap and water, because the soap strips away the protein covering of the virus which ultimately kills the virus.

2. Wearing a mask, which prevent us from spreading the virus that may be found in the mucus of our nose and mouth.

3. Staying at least six feet away, because the droplets of mucus that may house the virus are relatively heavy, and will most likely fall to the ground before travelling six feet in the air.

4. Getting the vaccines, which are safe and help prevent infection and severe illness (if you do get a breakthrough infection).

5. Staying healthy, because the body that is in a state of peak health is more likely to fight off the virus if it comes into contact with it. This process takes time, so if you are have just started following the recommendations above, your body will need time to “get healthy.”

It is our responsibility to do all of the above, because collectively these are the measures that will safe us and our friends and family.

Dr Faith BYisrael is a health educator, social scientist, public health specialist and politician.

Email address: Imani.Consulting.Tobago@gmail.com

Phone number: 494-8827

Facebook Page: @ImaniConsultingAndFoundationTobago