How to Give Your Immunity a Boost

“My friend’s son has the chickenpox. So I’m taking my kids over to her house for a playdate.”

Horrifying as that may sound, there was a time when parents made the effort to expose their offspring to this childhood disease. Some of us parents may remember Pox Parties, and may have even been a part of one. Parental urgency for children to contract the disease rose from the risk of complications that increased with age, and the desire to “get it over with,” among other concerns. Thus the rubbing of elbows with families with a literal pox on their houses.

There have been COVID-19 parties, but in the case of the novel coronavirus, this is a terrible idea. The death rate from coronavirus is several orders of magnitude greater than chickenpox.* And this unique virus doesn’t appear to confer the lifelong immunity people received from getting the chickenpox.**

So here we are stuck at home, wondering how to bulk up our immunity. We can’t venture regularly into the ever-germ-infested world to exercise our immune cells, and when we do, we avoid those microscopic barbels like the plague…wearing masks and gloves and keeping our distance. In short, our immunity is experiencing atrophy from lack of use, weakening our ability to fight infection.

So what can we do? Immunity is a highly complex, coordinated system composed of an army of cell types that each have their own part to play in keeping us as healthy as possible. As health.harvard.edu states:

Attempting to boost the cells of your immune system is especially complicated because there are so many different kinds of cells in the immune system that respond to so many different microbes in so many ways.

Well, one thing is for certain: when we take care of our bodies, our bodies work optimally. Which means the immune system coordinates its efforts optimally, too, providing the best defense possible against invading viruses, bacteria and other baddies. There are some scientifically supported (but yet to be “proven”***) lifestyle strategies that boost immunity, so healthy habits that support good health are a great place to start…in the time of COVID-19 and year ’round:

• DON’T STRESS OUT. Easier said than done. Nothing lowers stress like being told not to wig out, right??? Especially when experiencing raging cabin fever, trying to work from home (or worrying about lack of income), all the while learning to help our children learn themselves. Not a prime environment in which to chill. And the studies don’t make for a relaxed state of mind, either: long term studies conducted at Carnegie Melon showed that stress can lead to higher rates of the common cold, and a study at Ohio State University showed that couples with marital strife had delayed healing of simple wounds. Yeah. So instead of recommending a stress-inducing NO STRESS-state, let’s promote a peaceful, easy feeling. Listen to music (may I recommend the Eagles?). Or try meditation, the online options are endless. Or simply take some slow inhales through the nose and slow exhales out the mouth. Close your eyes while doing so. You’ll feel really good after.
• Get some sleeeeeep. In another study involving the common cold people (for some crazy reason) agreed to be exposed to a cold virus. Those who slept fewer than 6 hours a night were 4.2 times as likely to “catch” that cold than people equally exposed but slept 7 or more hours a night. These findings support what we know for sure: that sleep promotes the body’s production of a protein called cytokines, which are important soldiers in the fight against infection and inflammation. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that sleep deficits can decrease the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine. So there are some great arguments for catching plenty of zzzzz’s. And wait, there’s more: adequate sleep reduces stress (see above…), and the risk of diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Difficulty sleeping at night? Most of us can relate due to the current life-routine upheaval and those off-the-wall pandemic-fueled dreams. Try taking two 20- to 30-minute snoozes during the day, but ending before early evening.
• Don’t smoke. Don’t vape. Don’t inhale secondhand smoke. All three stress and damage lung tissue, as do COVID-19 and influenza. If you do any of the above, stop now or at the very least reduce your exposure.
• Limit alcohol consumption. Those to-go cocktails are awesome, right? Just don’t carry out too many. Health experts recommend drinking in moderation even when we can actually belly up to the bar. This means consuming no more than a serving of alcohol daily for women and up to two servings a day for men. (What’s a serving of alcohol?)
• Indulge in some exercise. You just knew this was coming. Even a 30-minute walk a day in fresh air (while socially distancing) is considered exercise. Take a bike ride with your kids. Try a Zoom yoga class. The options outside the gym are endless. As another example my son has a renewed interest in archery, so we set up the target in our yard for him to aim some of his pent-up frustration.
• Eat the rainbow. How I wish this meant Skittles, gummy bears and leftover jelly beans from Easter. But this actually means eating the produce spectrum which does help boost immunity . As does consuming healthy fats like salmon and nuts and avocados and lean protein like chicken. If veggies aren’t your thing and let’s face it, salmon and healthy fish can be expensive in these lean times, so try a multivitamin. (My husband and I did buy gummy vitamins to give our Hot Pocket-loving kids an extra nutritional boost, so I guess “gummies” are on the diet docket…). Scientists don’t know for sure if poor nutrition equals a higher risk of contracting COVID or other infections, but it is widely known that poorly-nourished populations like the impoverished and the elderly do suffer more infections. These groups are, indeed, among the hardest hit by COVID-19.
• Do or decline supplements?: Megadoses of anything won’t improve immunity. No one food or supplement or herb has shown a clear benefit to boosting immunity, despite what those many internet pop-ups claim. (Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it is.) So those claims on garlic “tea,” elderberry, turmeric and bone broth, to name a few, don’t have enough evidence behind them to be the miracle that provides uber-immunity. A possible, singular exception: Vitamin D. Vitamin D is a bodily essential to building proteins that ward off bacterial and viral infections, especially in the respiratory tract. Some studies support taking vitamin D in megadoses for this very reason. However, other studies don’t show that vitamin D has any benefit to reducing the risk of respiratory illnesses. So if you have questions about whether vitamin D is right for you, consult your healthcare practitioner. By telemedicine, that is.
• Commit some kindness. Send a letter to an elderly relative. Make masks for our heroes on the frontline, medical workers and safety professionals. Contribute to a local food drive. Research published by the National Academy of Sciences describes that doing a kindness can boost immunity. And help in the even bigger fight against the novel coronavirus.

Immunity is a complex, interwoven process. And it is one that appears to be influenced more by lifestyle factors and germ exposure rather than genetics. Perhaps we can extend that COVID-19 silver lining to include the chance to reflect on personal and family health and incorporate some positive lifestyle improvements into an already turned-on-its-ear weekly routine. In the scope of things, what’s one (or two) more change-ups?

Stay safe and stay healthy, everyone…

*0.000017 percent according to cdc.gov.

**There are even concerns that people who have tested positive could test positive again.

***Nothing is ever “proven” in scientific study, which is the reason for the quotes. Evidence can mount for or against but can never be entirely proven right or wrong.

Links/References:

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/varicella.html

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-to-boost-your-immune-system

https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/what-standard-drink

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/well/live/can-i-boost-my-immune-system.html