Your Immune System A Time-Tested Vaccine Against Coronavirus

The human race has outlived many epidemics and pandemics. From antiquated cholera to the more recent celebrity kinds like the ebola, SARS-CoV, H1N1, Zika, Nipah and now the latest New Coronavirus which first surfaced in Wuhan, China. And there are so many more viruses yet to be discovered.

Life's DNA is programmed to procreate, to function and to evolve. The primary objective is to ensure the survival of its species. This is true for all, be it humans, animals, plants, bacteria and viruses.

It is this very reason why bacteria and virus not only survived billions of years but also managed to outsmart human devised weapons like vaccines, antibiotics and anti-virals. These pathogens mutate and change their genetic code even as we are busy creating the next-generation drug to get better of them. They use their innate intelligence to move from one host to another and in the process employ an adaptive immunity to survive and evolve in our body.

Have you ever wondered why all members of a family do not fall sick at the same time?
And even if they do, most recover and few perish. Even the pace and intensity of the illness, as well as the recovery, varies from person to person.

Even in human, every cell is endowed with this same program to ensure its survival. Collectively the cells work in unison to help us survive. In other words, Immunity is a collective intelligence of all our cells acting symbiotically to resist harm, to preserve life.

So, we see that it is a fight for survival and that we are as strong as our weakest link. We need to focus on boosting our immune system to ward them off

Let's look at a few of the important ways to boost our immunity

Human Microbiome:

We are host to an estimated 39 Trillion microbes which include bacteria, fungi, viruses and archaea, collectively they are referred to as the human microbiome.

Millions of years ago we made a pact with some of them, we give them shelter and food, and in turn, they work for us.

The microbiome co-evolved with us to be able to communicate with our body. They have a real motivation to do this - to survive and to ensure their survival they need to ensure our survival. They produce messenger substances, that help to educate our immune system to identify the good microbes from the bad ones (5). Some of them even spew out their antibiotics to ward off harmful microbes that enter our body. So to keep ourselves healthy we need to keep them healthy. Majority of them live in guts and we call them as good or healthy bacteria. They play a significant role in regulating your immune system, inhibiting the growth of pathogens (disease-causing bacteria) and digesting food.

We have to ensure that the healthy microbes always outnumber the bad guys (pathogens) in system

We need to provide nourishment for

these microbes in us in the form of Prebiotics. Prebiotics are classified as the non-digestible food a type of fibre that the human body cannot digest but serve as food for probiotics (tiny living microorganisms, including bacteria and yeast). The major source of prebiotics is a dietary fibre occurring naturally in fruits and vegetables., Good bacteria You can find prebiotics in some everyday foods including onions, garlic, leeks, Jerusalem artichokes, asparagus and bananas.

Addition of probiotics to our diet is also important. Probiotics are live microorganisms that help our body maintain a healthy community of microorganisms also aids return to a healthy condition after being disturbed after indiscretion in our diet, abuse of antibiotics etc. They can be found in yoghurt and other fermented foods like pickles, Congee (Rice Gruel), Kambucha, Kefir, Sauerkraut, Tempeh, Kimchi, Miso etc.

Food & Nutrition:

Today, in times of affluence, many are well-fed but nutritionally starved. Eating plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits will provide with the much-required minerals, vitamins and trace elements needed to boost our immunity.

Remember, you have to provide nourishment not just for yourself but also for the 39 trillion guest microbes living inside who are helping you stay healthy.

International nutrition expert Luke Coutinho recommends adding two essential micronutrients Zinc and Selenium as crucial to building our immunity.

Zinc helps in regulating immune function, treating diarrhoea, promotes learning and memory, help treat the common cold, plays a role in wound healing, contributes to a decreased risk of age-related chronic disease. Zinc is found in Pumpkin Seeds, Hemp Seeds, Shiitake Mushrooms, Green Peas, Bamboo Shoots, Lentil Sprouts etc.

Selenium is an antioxidant that helps lower oxidative stress in your body, which reduces inflammation and enhances immunity. Higher levels of selenium are said to help boost the immune systems of people with HIV, influenza, tuberculosis, and hepatitis C. You will find Selenium in sunflower seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds etc.

Sunlight & Physical Activity:

Plan to get both sunlight and physical activity at the same time. Instead of hitting the indoor gym, get on to do an outdoor activity like walking, trekking etc which exposes you to the blue light from the Sun. The UV light triggers the generation of vitamin D, which assists us to absorb nutrients like calcium and iron and signal certain immune cells that it’s time to get to work to fight off an infection.

Georgetown University Medical Center researchers have found that sunlight, through a mechanism separate than vitamin D production, energizes T cells that play a central role in human immunity.

T cells, whether they are helper or killer, need to move to do their work, which is to get to the site of an infection and orchestrate a response. this study shows that sunlight directly activates key immune cells by increasing their movement.

Sleep:

Sleep is the time when your body goes into the repair and restoration mode.

More sleep will not prevent you from falling sick, but lack of sleep will surely lead to compromised immunity making you susceptible to illness.

You know you have slept adequately when you wake up feeling refreshed and recharged. So get off your late-night binging on Netflix and social media disruptions and catch with this natural health restorer.

Emotional Health:

Prolonged or consistent stress, anxiety and fear lead to overproduction of cortisol a stress hormone and lead to a lowering of immunity. Meditation, Mindfulness, Yoga, Prayers etc go a long way to help you neutralize the ill effects caused by negative emotions.

If you fail to get this right all your the nourishment from the best organic food and workouts will come to a nought.

The anxiety that you buildup at the outbreak of an epidemic is capable of lowering your immunity and making you a soft target for the pathogen to take hold over you.

Hygiene:

Improved hygiene and sanitation in the latter half of the twentieth century have been a very important factor in the improvement of health and longevity of the human race. So pay attention to personal hygiene at all times, especially in public places. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has provided with guidelines to help in checking the spread of the virus.