Boost your Immunity
MEDICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH UPDATE
This week, the most frequently asked COVID-19-related question from my patients has been:
How can I prevent getting seriously sick if I’m exposed to coronavirus?
First let's take a QUICK dip back into biology class and recall that our immune system is typically divided into two categories: innate and adaptive.
INNATE immunity refers to nonspecific defense mechanisms that are triggered immediately or within hours of any virus or bacteria’s appearance in the body. These mechanisms include changes in our body’s own blood chemistry and the appearance of immune cells that attack foreign cells or material in the body.
ADAPTIVE immunity refers to our body’s SPECIFIC immune response to that particular virus or bacteria (for example, making specific antibodies) and is more complex than the innate. The virus or bacteria first must be processed and recognized. And THEN the adaptive immune system can create an army of immune cells and proteins specifically designed to attack that invader or “antigen.”
This distinction is important as we consider ways to optimize each system to fight against coronavirus.
To boost our ADAPTIVE immune system, we need a vaccine. (Alternatively, your body needs to have developed neutralizing antibodies a result of getting sick with COVID-19.)
To optimize our INNATE immune system, we need to work on our foundation of health. This is now more important than ever.
So the answer to the question of how to fight coronavirus is: TAKE CARE OF YOUR GENERAL HEALTH.
Why?
BECAUSE OUR BASELINE HEALTH DIRECTLY AFFECTS OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM AND ABILITY TO FIGHT DISEASE
While the major risk factors for complications from COVID-19 include things you cannot control (such as your age and gender), there ARE some things you can try to control such as your day-to-day habits and your chronic conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes with the help of your doctor.
The first step in optimizing your health and immune system is going back to the basics (aka “STEM”). Indeed, you are doing your body and mind a favor when you prioritize sleep, daily movement, healthy eating, and stress management.
So why do these matter more than ever?
Because research continues to show that CHRONIC INFLAMMATION takes a toll on the innate immune system. Common sources of inflammation include lack of exercise (independent of weight), poor quality or inadequate sleep, diets that are high in sugar, and acute and chronic stress.
And because ALL of the medical conditions that can predispose us to worse outcomes from COVID-19 are improved with these measures, too.
For example, when my patients with high blood pressure walk outdoors most days of the week, practice good sleep hygiene, each lots of fresh fruits and veggies, and build their arsenal of tools to manage mood and anxiety, their blood pressure ALMOST ALWAYS comes down, as does their risk for worse outcomes from COVID-19. Not to mention, they feel better!!
What about supplements to boost immunity, you ask? Indeed, I’m up against Dr. Google every day, so while there is a lot about the supplement industry that drives me insane—and indeed it is best to get your vitamins through food—there IS strong data showing a correlation between low Vitamin D levels and COVID-19 deaths. However, the relationship is not necessarily cause and effect. What makes sense to me and other medical doctors is the correlation between low Vitamin D and frailty—and the correlation between frailty and mortality. Another reason to pump iron and build muscle, no matter your age!
However, given the safety of Vitamin D3 at reasonable doses, I’m advocating for taking 1000-2000 IU of vitamin D3 daily depending on my patient’s blood level.
Zinc and Vitamin C remain controversial, and most supplements do not stand up in rigorous trials for any disease so I’d save your money to buy more hand sanitizer.
UPSHOT:
Make it a top priority to have a plan to manage each of these (STEM) elements.
Know that by doing so you are exercising control over your innate immune system and its ability to fight coronavirus. (Which is more important than ever as we wait for a vaccine to boost our adaptive immune system.)
Know that taking care of your basic health needs is helping you prevent diseases of all kinds. From dementia to diabetes to depression, I can’t think of an illness that ISN’T improved with these basic measures.
This summer is probably a good time to schedule an annual check-up with your doctor. Addressing the basics is indeed necessary but certainly not sufficient for treating every health condition.
I will see you tomorrow. Until then, be well.