Hello everyone! I am back with Day 2 of our 10 day posts event.
In case you missed my last post, read it Here.
Today,I shall be taking up the topic of health & wellness & shall be writing about our immune system and why do we need to boost our immunity.
With the coronavirus outbreak gripping the world, much brouhaha has erupted about health & immunity.
In this post, I aim to write 5 simple things which you can do to boost your immunity levels and keep yourself safe during this tough time.
WHAT IS OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM?
Let’s start with the fundamentals.
The immune system is the most complex system in our body. It is made of tissues, cells and organs.
The main parts of the immune system are:
1. white blood cells
2. antibodies
3. complement system
4. lymphatic system
5. spleen
6. bone marrow
7. thymus.
WHAT DOES OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM DO?
Our immune system looks out for us and fights against any invaders which enter our body. It is essentially like a soldier, warding off attacks on our system and it is our best line of defence against many illnesses.
For example, if you inhale a virus through your nose, your immune system targets that virus and either stops it in its tracks or primes you to recover. It takes time to get over an infection, and sometimes you need medicine to help; but the immune system is the cornerstone of prevention and recovery.
Hence, your immune system plays a vital role in staying safe during a global pandemic.
Apart from practising social distancing, it is essential to keep your immune system strong, so as to keep coronavirus or any other disease at bay.
There are several factors which can either weaken or strengthen our immunity.
Today, I shall be sharing 5 simple ways to strengthen the immune system and keep your health in good shape.
- INCREASE YOUR WATER INTAKE
Drinking water to stay hydrated has a big impact on your immunity. The fluids in the body, help the systems in your body to function to their optimal level.
Drinking enough water throughout the day flushes out toxins, thereby preventing their build-up which could have a negative impact on your health.
Drinking water can also give you better digestion, which is an important factor for your health because it breaks down food into nutrients, vitamins & minerals that your body needs to stay healthy & maintain immunity.
Water also helps your blood deliver oxygen to your orgrans to help them function properly. Your muscle fibers & organs need water to function efficiently.
Thus, drinking enough water will help boost immunity.
2. REDUCE OR ELIMINATE SUGAR FROM YOUR DIET
Excess sugar in the diet is bad for your health. Not just for factors like gaining weight, but it is also known to weaken immunity.
An excess of sugar in the diet has serious consequences on your health.
In fact, sugar is an immunosuppresant.
Did you know? Consuming as little as 3.5 ounces of sugar can suppress the immune system by upto 50%
This is one of the major reasons why people who are diabetics (having high blood sugar levels) are more susceptible to diseases & infections. The primary reason being a weakened immune system. This is one of the biggest reasons for many medical issues today; as the consumption of sugar has increased,strength of the immune system has decreased.
Of course, it is practically impossible to avoid sugar completely all the time, but we can make certain changes in our diet such as replacing sugar with jaggery, coconut sugar, maple syrup, stevia, honey, etc and limiting it’s intake as much as we can.
3. EXERCISE
Exercising a few times a week can help to improve our overall health. When we exercise, our heart gets stronger and can pump more blood throughout the body. Our lungs also improve their ability to distribute oxygen to our ograns.
Just getting up and moving around and doing a few stretches and exercises can help in strengthening our immunity. Our lymphatic system gets a boost as movement helps in increasing the lymphatic flow, thereby making exercise an important tool for boosting immunity.
One need not exercise to the point of stressing oneself, since stress weakens the immune system. Just simple exercises & movements are enough.
4. INCORPORATE HERBS/SPICES
Now the average Indian diet is full of spices, but irrespective of where you come from, it is necessary to know the importance of spices & herbs in the diet.
Turmeric, pepper, ginger,lemon and holy basil (tulsi) are excellent for boosting immunity.
Citing a few examples:-
-Research says that the curcumin in turmeric may be a therapeutic agent in the fight against diseases like cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic uveitis & pancreatitis. Turmeric is an excellent immunity booster & in India, it was added to warm milk and given to children to drink, thousands of years before the ‘Turmeric Latte’ became fashionable.
-Ginger has been used in 5000 years old ancient Ayurvedic medicine as a way to cleanse the body & digestive system and boost immunity due to it’s anti-inflammatory & antioxidant properties and has been a cure for common cold & cough in many households.
-Holy Basil (Tulsi) has a strong spiritual significance in Indian culture, and is known as a miraculous Ayurvedic immunity booster. Therefore, it also gets its name “the Holy Basil”. It has purifying properties that help in fighting respiratory diseases, fever and any kind of infections by building one’s natural immunity. Include this as a diet supplement to beat infections & boost immunity.
Thus, the key to boosting immunity lies in our day to day habits & it doesn’t take much to add certain immunoboosters in the diet.
5. PRACTICE GOOD PERSONAL HYGIENE
This is basic and it is what every single health professional out there is telling you, including me.
Health & Hygiene go together, so your first line of defense is to practice good hygiene habits. This can help infections stop even before they start, especially now.
Washing hands several time a day for minimum 20 seconds, especially beofre preparing food and after using the bathroom. Making sure that you get the soap in between each of your fingers & under your nails as best as you can and drying your hands with a clean towel. This is a very basic yet extremely significant step to stop spread of any virus or infection. Also, please bathe daily, no matter how ridiculously unimportant or basic it sounds. It goes a long way in maintaining good hygiene.
Wearing masks when you need to go outside for groceries or if you need to use the public transport, cleaning & covering any open wounds on your body and making sure you tend to any wound right away so that they are not exposed to germs are great ways to maintain good hygiene.
While cooking, please ensure that you wash your fruits and vegetable thoroughly and store food in a clean place.
Mainting hygiene in all aspects of your daily life is a great way to strengthen and protect the immune system and prevent any attacks on it.
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Thus, the key to boosting immunity lies in our day to day habits & it doesn’t take much to follow certain tips which help in long term strengthening of our immune system & aid in keeping us healthy.
I hope you enjoyed today’s post.
See you tomorrow on the blog with a different topic!
Till then,
Dream, Imagine, Be Crazy, Be You.
A Cupful Of Everything 