By Dr. Keith Sheehan
March 19, 2020
At this point, I think we’re all sick of hearing about the coronavirus. Some people say it’s the end of days, and some people say it’s totally overblown. This blog isn’t about that. I’m here to tell you what you can do besides the obvious things (wash your hands, stay away from sick people, etc.), strengthen your immune system to confront the coronavirus, or for that matter, any infection.
1. Get enough sleep, probably 7 to 8 hours per night.
Not making this a priority boggles my mind. Everyone should know that getting less than seven hours of sleep will suppress your immune system. So, get 7 to 8 hours per night.
2. Don’t eat sugar.
Depending on the study, sugar can suppress your immune system 50% for up to eight hours. I think we all should realize that if we’re not feeling so great, and we go on a sugar binge, we get sick more often. Until this whole thing either blows over or goes away, don’t eat sugar. For more information on a healthy diet – the foundation of health! – check out this article.
3. Get enough—but not too much—exercise.
Once again, study after study shows that getting enough exercise, but not too much exercise, is a healthy stimulus for the immune system. Why is too much exercise bad for the immune system? Because it causes the release of stress hormones that suppress immunity and depletes key vitamins and minerals necessary to the immune system such as vitamin C, B complex, potassium, and magnesium. As a general recommendation, 3 to 5 hours per week is optimum: three hours if you’re not used to it, five hours if you are.
4. Wash your hands!
I listened to a recent podcast with Chris Kresser that stated that only 20% of people actually wash their hands properly! If you’ve ever been in an airport bathroom, I would say this estimation is correct! I see people walk out of the stalls all the time, and just go about their way without even washing their hands!
The moral is, wash your hands with soap and water for 15 seconds every time you use the bathroom or any time you feel you may have touched an infected surface. In this study, it’s stated that if 60% of people wash their hands properly, communicable diseases would decrease by 70%! As an aside, it seems like hand sanitizers are bad for your microbiome, so unless you can’t wash your hands, you don’t need to use them, and they might actually be harmful. Just wash your hands after using the bathroom!
5. Support your immune system naturally.
Here is a list of things that are not well-known ways to help your immune system naturally.
A. Fight the infection that you already have.
I was shocked. When I first started running blood tests and urinalysis on all of my patients, I would say that conservatively, 1/3 to 1/2 of my patients had some kind of acute or chronic infection that I did not even know about! Killing the already existing infection will strengthen your immune system against any potential cold or flu. All you need is a complete blood count and a urinalysis from any lab to find these.
B. Make sure that you handle any with problem blood sugar levels.
Once again, once I started running lab tests on all my patients, I would say that 1/3 to 1/2 of all my patients had non-optimal blood sugar. Blood sugar issues wreck your immunity because of the inflammation they cause throughout your body.
C. Handle all the nutritional deficiencies that you have.
As confirmed via a blood test, a lot of people have suboptimal levels of vitamin D, magnesium, zinc, vitamin B, and other nutrients. Eating the right foods that contain these nutrients, and supplementing where needed will give a much-needed boost to your immune system.
The truth is, you can’t avoid all possible threats to your health. However, by following the steps outlined in this article, you can greatly strengthen your immune system, and increase your chance of avoiding any kind of cold or flu. If you have any questions, feel free to call our office. 717-392-6606
Yours in health,
Dr. Keith Sheehan
Are you struggling with a chronic health problem? It is time to take your health into your own hands. Find out where your nutritional status lies by completing a nutritional blood test. Take a couple of months to try a safe natural drug-free approach. Results can often be seen in just a few days or weeks. Let us guide you down the right path with an individualized plan that is constructed specifically towards your needs and help you discover a safe and natural option to benefit your health.
