Boosting Your Immune System When Bombarded With Dirty Objects & Germs
Let's face it. The world is full of nasty germs and bacteria. We are in contact with things every day that 100s or 1000s of strangers before you have touched and wiped their nasties all over.
And with the fear and worry floating around about the Corona virus, it’s important to understand what some of those nasty items are and how best to support your immune system.
Here a few ITEMS WE OFTEN TOUCH IN PUBLIC that you may want to be a bit more hyper vigilant about:
Pens - We sign receipts at restaurants, stores, doctor’s offices and pretty much everywhere, all of the time. Think about how many people before you touched that same pen and where those fingers were before you. Consider just using your own clean pen.
Menus - Think about all the hands that touch restaurant menus everyday. I’m pretty sure restaurants aren’t disinfecting those badboys after each patron orders their food. So, read your menu, place your order and then go wash your hands or use anti-bacterial sanitizer before you eat.
Doorknobs - We open public doors all of the time, everywhere we go. You can consider trying to push or pull the door open with your body, like your tush, or if you touch a doorknob, simply wash your hands afterwards.
Keep in mind, Instead of becoming a neurotic worry-wort, let’s just stop the panic, because worry never was a very effective anti-viral tool.
Here are some basic strategies you can do to help boost your immune function.
Lifestyle strategies to boost your immune system:
SLEEP. Get 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep to give yourself the best chance of anti-viral activity. Sleep deprivation results in increased inflammation and decreased anti-viral activity. So, go get your Zzzzzs!
STRESS MANAGEMENT. Try 5-15 minutes of mediation, ideally twice a day (first thing in the am before coffee or technology and again in the evening). Get comfy, focus on your breathing. Take some deep inhales and slow exhales. Sitting quietly will allow your nervous system to de-stress and when we are less stressed, we have more effective immune systems.
TAKE IT EASY. If you feel a bit weak or tired or even under the weather, avoid excessive exercise, especially cardio, and just rest.
LIMIT ALCOHOL & SUGAR. ‘Nuff said.
Nutrition strategies to boost your immune system:
Vitamin D:
You can get your Vitamin D straight from food, such as salmon, fatty fish, egg yolks, cheese, and mushrooms
If you need to supplement, 5,000 iu/day is a good first start, but the best course of action is to get your blood levels tested and always check in with your doctor.
Vitamin A
Good food sources of vitamin A include liver, cod liver oil, mackerel, salmon; and beta-carotene: sweet potato, winter squash, kale, collards, carrots.
5,000 iu/day (retinyl palmitate form) for the next month is a good start if you haven’t been taking it, but be sure to have your blood levels tested by a health care professional.
Zinc:
Zinc MAY reduce the duration or severity of the common cold.
If you are already sick, you could take 9-15 mg zinc lozenges, to be taken every 2 hours while you are awake.
Good food sources of zinc include seafood (especially oysters), pumpkin seed, sea vegetables, beans, lentils and legumes.
Elderberry:
Studies show that Elderberry can reduce the severity and duration of the flu.
Look for Elderberry syrup that is organic and homemade as it will contain less added sugars or preservatives.
Honey
Raw honey has been shown to have anti-viral properties. Do not heat it.
Vitamin C:
Taken in high amounts (2 grams per day), Vitamin C may reduce the severity of the common cold, but it won’t prevent the transmission of a cold or the flu.
Foods rich in Vitamin C include oranges, papayas, strawberries, kiwi, organic leafy green vegetables (spinach, bok choy, kale), broccoli, and bell peppers.
How about our home items?
Everyday items we come in contact with at home are a lot nastier than others. If you're taking a wild guess that a toilet seat 🚽 is the dirtiest thing you touch every day, you would be wildly wrong. In fact, toilet seats are among the most pristine objects we touch, mainly because they are typically cleaned and disinfected so often.
So, what are the dirtiest things we come in contact with daily art home? Here are the Filthy 5 in descending order 🤮
5. 📱Let's talk about your cellphone. Or let's not; because one in six cellphones hold a dirty, little secret: they're contaminated by fecal matter. Blech. Just swab yours down on the regular with a disinfectant wipe to be safe and to keep it from being one of the dirtiest things in the house.
4. 🧼 Bathroom hand towels. Yes, you wash your hands after going to the bathroom. The problem is most of us don't wash them too thoroughly. We then wipe them off on a hand towel, which remains damp and serves as a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Compound that with the fact that most people only wash their towels once a week or so, and you have an even bigger problem.
3. 🧫 Your toothbrush holder. The chances are it's one of the dirtiest things in the house. In fact, a 2011 public health organization report found that 27% of toothbrush holders tested positive for coliform bacteria, which includes Salmonella and E. coli.
2. 🔪Your kitchen cutting board. You've probably heard about this bacteria breeding ground before, so we can't stress the importance of thoroughly cleaning and scrubbing this surface enough. In fact, a run through the dishwasher occasionally is ideal.
1. 🧽 And finally the winner (or loser) is – “ding!” “ding!” “ding!” – your kitchen sink sponge. This household item is home to hundreds of millions of potentially harmful bacteria. In fact, a whopping 75% of kitchen sponges are teeming with coliform bacteria.
So, what's the solution?
✅ Disinfect and wash these common items – and your hands 🤲🏼 – frequently.
✅ If an item gets too gross to clean properly, don't take a chance. Just toss it.
NOTE: All of the information provided in this article is for information purposes only. The information here should never be taken as medical advice and is not meant to diagnosis or cure any illness. Please consult your healthcare provider before starting, changing, or stopping any supplements. If you are concerned about the flu or the Corona virus, please see your doctor.
Jessica Kishpaugh is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist & Life Coach and owner of LoYo Wellness in Bergen County NJ (www.loyowellness.com). Jessica specializes in healthy weight loss, intuitive eating, recovering from emotional eating, stress reduction and mindfulness. For your FREE nutrition breakthrough call, schedule a consultation here.