A lot of people are curious as to what they can do to boost their immune system amidst the fear surrounding COVID-19 and the possibility of contracting the virus. Unfortunately, there are those seeking to profit from the hysteria and increased willingness for the general public to buy products claiming to increasing immunity.
My recommendation remains the same as it would at any other time, pandemic or not. If the goal is optimized health and wellness your focus should be on eating, training, and proper recovery. Recovering encompasses multiple aspects; some of which include proper sleep, massage, alignment (chiropractic care), and basically anything that supports engaging a parasympathetic response within the body.
If you can achieve addressing these three facets of wellness, your body’s natural defenses will be strong and resilient against viruses and other forms of sickness. Now more than ever you need to make sure you are doing your best to put an emphasis on them.
It is understandable that people are worried about COVID-19 and want to do anything to avoid it. This fear unfortunately has allowed misinformation to spread regarding nutrition and immune response. At this current time, there is no convincing evidence to suggest taking supplements will give us advanced disease-fighting abilities.
Excerpt from “Reclaiming Your Health”
“It seems like every day another study comes out showing the benefits of some vitamin, mineral, or antioxidant supplement in the prevention of a given disease. All these studies taken together send the strong message that doctors still underestimate the power of nutrition to fortify and to heal. Of course, people know this intuitively, which is why dietary supplements and nutraceuticals sell so well. Unfortunately, in all this research there is also something that’s not talked about very often: artificial vitamins and powdered, encapsulated antioxidant products are not as effective as the real thing – not even close. They can even be harmful. A far better option is to eat more nutritious food.”
Food by nature is a mixture of different macro and micronutrients that support a healthy immune system. The same advice once again applies in seeking whole food sources, and a variety of different foods to help ensure the body gets everything required from your diet. “Eat the rainbow” when it comes to fruit and vegetables.
It remains true that you cannot boost your immune system through diet, nor any specific food (superfood, etc.), health product or supplement will prevent you from catching the virus. Hence the CDC recommendations of social distancing and quarantining in place. What you can do is ensure you are addressing optimized health to better position yourself for the next virus to inflict the globe. Think going into battle with a sword and shield, over walking in bare handed. That is the difference between taking care of yourself and not when it comes to fighting off illness or dealing with a virus once contracted.
I am well aware that I am not an MD and that this is merely my opinion, much of which is backed by studies from accredited individuals.
