Optimizing Your Immune Health

The biggest part of fighting COVID-19 is prevention; wear a mask, practice social distancing, don't touch your face, wash your hands, first and foremost. But what happens if you're doing all those things, and somehow you still get it? Well, when life hands you a shit sandwich, you make lemonade! Here's how to make your body as strong as possible, so that if you do become infected, there's a better chance of a quick recovery so you can avoid those nasty morbidities we've been hearing so much about.

Immune health is a priority in making sure COVID-19 does as little damage as possible. Here's a quick list of things that can help make your immune system stronger so your body can fight infection if you do become infected. Obviously, not getting infected is the best option, but the law of probability makes it necessary to prepare for the worst. And if you’re prepared for the worst, Murphy’s law says that it probably won’t happen, right? You’ll definitely want to wash your hands and not touch your face, but that’s not the only thing you can do right now.

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Limit sugar and excessive carbs
Well-controlled blood sugar is crucial to optimimal immune function. The World Health Organization recommends 25g or less added sugars per day, and I would emphasize that sticking to that recommendation is reasonable.Make sure to get slower-digesting fibrous carbs like sweet potatoes, beans and root vegetables, which will keep your blood sugar steady and help with those cravings. Check the labels of foods you eat for added sugars. Be sure to look at the nutrition facts AND the ingredients to scan for sources of added sugars.

Protein
Getting enough protein can be crucial to maintaining blood sugar control. Protein makes the stomach feel full and take a little longer to empty, so food will stick with you longer and you’ll be less likely to snack on something that’s not so healthy. Try to get 1 palm-sized serving of high-quality protein at each meal. If you are bigger or have more athletic goals, you may need closer more. Generally, people need 0.70-1 gram of protein per pound of goal bodyweight. So if your goal bodyweight is 150 lb., a good amount of protein would be 1-5-150 grams, depending on activity. A high-quality protein supplement can be helpful for people who need some help getting more protein.

Vitamin D
Vitamin D has immune-supportive properties and helps with blood sugar control. It actually works a little more like a hormone than a vitamin in your body, and can help with balancing your actual hormones, which in turn can boost your body’s natural immunity. Try to get lots of exposure to natural sunlight for at least 10 minutes daily. If not, supplement with D3/K2.

Optimize nutrients
Calcium, magnesium, zinc, vitamin D and vitamin C are a few of the main ones to make sure you get, but a high-quality multivitamin is a great way to make sure you have your bases covered. Omega-3 supplements can decrease inflammation and have been linked to higher survival rates in COVID-19 patients. Chronic inflammation has been shown to decrease immune function, and is a comorbidity associated with many COVID-19 cases. 

Use Herbs and Spices
Eat garlic, ginger and turmeric. In fact, many herbs and spices you might already have in your home have the added benefit of supporting your immune system. Elderberry can also be helpful in boosting immunity, although there is some uncertainty about its use if infected with COVID-19 (search cytokine storm and elderberry to find out more).

Boost Gut Health
A healthy digestive system is linked to healthy immune function. Avoid or limit foods you think you may be sensitive to. Food sensitivities can be a root cause of inflammation, and the body makes the same kind of antibodies to fight foods that it thinks are foreign invaders as it does to fight the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

The microflora that live in the large intestine also play a role in immunity. Studies have shown that patients who were just coming off an antibiotic treatment and were then given probiotics had a better immune system response than those who didn’t receive the probiotics. [1], [2]

Eat probiotic foods like sauerkraut and kimchi, and take a probiotic supplement. A client favorite is Thorne FloraMend, which is viable at room temperature, unlike many commercial probiotics.

Eat dark leafy greens and fibrous veggies
Dark leafies like kale, collards and Swiss chard and vegetables like squash, broccoli and rutabaga are full of fiber and nutrients. Fiber helps stabilize blood sugar, which decreases stress on the body. The nutrients and polyphenols in these veggies help every single cell in the body work better, including immune cells.

Exercise
Strenuous movement releases endorphins, which can up-regulate your body's immune response. Just don't do too much or it can have the opposite effect! 20-60 minutes 5-7 days per week should be the right amount for most people. If you think you may fall outside that range, consult with a fitness professional. Make sure that you give yourself a recovery day every week. Recovery days should include activities like stretching, walking, meditation, breathing drills or yoga. 

Sleep 
Make sure you are getting at least 7 hours of restful sleep every night. This is one of the biggest things you can do. Proper sleep helps the body repair itself and get ready for the day ahead. When we rob ourselves of sleep, we are robbing our body of the opportunity to be at its strongest. For some people, falling asleep and/or staying asleep can be the issue. Often it comes down to a simple matter of cleaning up sleep hygiene in order to fall asleep. Blood sugar fluctuations are the reason we wake up from a sound sleep, and often struggle to fall back to sleep. In those cases, I usually find a few things in that person’s day that need to look a little different, andI’ll usually have a few tweaks for their nutrition, too. Did you know our bodies lose magnesium due to stress? Try taking a bath with Epsom salts or take magnesium in the evening to support restful sleep.

Manage Stress
This is a stressful time, and there’s no one way to do this right. But the better your body is at becoming resilient to the stress of these unprecedented times, the stronger your immune system will be when your body is under attack. The adrenals have a big role in this, and they produce our main stress hormones, Cortisol, norepinephrine and adrenaline and epinephrine. If our adrenals are busy all day responding to every little thing that stresses us, it can be very taxing on the immune system. Being in nature, doing yoga or meditation, Pilates, stretching, breathing exercises, even doing a puzzle can all have a calming effect on the adrenals and help the body manage stress better.

Consult Your Pharmacist or Physician
Talk to your pharmacist about any medications you are taking, and be sure to mention any supplements you are taking or are considering taking. Pharmacists know more than any other professional about how medications and nutrients all work together. 

If you have a compromised immune system already, consider asking your doctor about medications that boost immunity. Many integrative MDs use  low-dose naltrexone with some patients, which works by raising endorphins through the same mechanism as exercise, minus the actual exercise.

Hopefully I've given you some ideas. It can be tempting sometimes to try all the things, but it can be pretty overwhelming. Something I do with clients is to have them commit to implementing one or two of them and build on from there. You can always add on more if you feel ready. 

Stay safe out there, or better yet, stay at home. :0

References:

[1] DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2004.02.005 [2] DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/69.5.1046s