Fight Coronavirus
Our Top 5 Daily Health Tips
by Nancy Hearn, CNC

In addition to the CDC guidelines to fight coronavirus (such as washing our hands often and avoiding close contact with others), there are a number of things we can do to boost immunity and prevent serious illness.

You can fight coronavirus by following our top 5 health tips for boosting overall health and immunity and providing anti-viral support.

Tip #1:  Stay Hydrated

Water regulates ALL the functions in the human body. Just a few of the most important functions include:

• The flow of blood and lymph through the body,
• The functioning of our brains,
• The cushioning and regulation of organs,
• The transfer and absorption of nutrients into cells and tissues,
• The removal of waste out of the cells, and
• The regulation of body temperature.

Thus, it is critical to get enough filtered drinking water to stay hydrated and support your body's ability to fight coronavirus. 

For most adults, this means drinking about 2 quarts of water a day or, more accurately, ½ your body weight in ounces of water. For example, if you weight 200 pounds, you should drink about 100 ounces of water (roughly 3 quarts).

Tip #2: Eat Several Servings of Vegetables 

Eat a variety of fresh vegetables daily provides an abundance of enzymes, vitamins and minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients that are needed to keep our bodies healthy and immune systems strong.

Try to eat 5 to 7 servings of vegetables daily—preferably fresh and organic but frozen is better than canned vegetables.

Including 1 serving of fermented vegetables such as kimchi will provide additional gut health and immunity benefits. Also adding 1 or 2 servings of fruit, primarily berries, can also boost immunity without spiking blood sugar too much.

Avoid excess animal protein, processed foods, fast foods, sodas, fruit juices, sugar and alcohol.

Tip #3: Get Exercise and Work up a Sweat

Exercise boosts immunity and reduces risk of almost every type of illness. It also helps to flush the lymph system, improve circulation and rid the body of toxins.

Walking, running, or riding a bike for 20 to 30 minutes can make all the difference!

If you can exercise hard enough to work up a sweat, even better.  If not, taking a sauna (if available) to generate body heat can also help rid the body of toxins, kill some pathogens in the body and increase immunity.

Tip #4: Get Enough Sleep

I think everyone knows what a difference good sleep makes and how it helps us stay physically, mentally and emotionally strong.

Ideally, we want to get 6 to 8 hours of sleep between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am. 

If needed, take natural supplements to aid sleep and fight off coronavirus. I would start with taking magnesium (magnesium glycinate or magnesium citrate) supplements at night and if that doesn’t work, try herbal sleep formulas.  If those don’t work, adding melatonin (1 mg-10 mg) might be necessary.

Tip #5: Take Key Nutritional Supplements 

I know there is a lot of info online about which supplements to take that might help fight coronavirus. From my research and personal experience, I believe the most important immune-boosting supplements to take to fight this virus are the following (suggested daily dosages are listed).   

Vitamin C (2,000 mg). Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and acts as an enzyme cofactor.  I prefer Nature’s Way Vitamin C, a liposomal vitamin C, or any quality food-based vitamin C such as Camu Camu. 

Vitamin D3 (1,000-2,000 I.U.). Research has shown that vitamin D supplementation lowers the risk of respiratory illnesses and lung infections in the elderly by 40%. Get 30 minutes of daily sun exposure whenever possible and take vitamin D3 supplements. Brands I prefer are Jarrow, Country Life, Garden of Life, or Natural Factors.

Quercetin (500-1,000 mg). Quercetin is a broad-spectrum anti-viral and powerful immune booster. It also inhibits the release of inflammatory cytokines, which may be beneficial since serious COVID-19 infection may be due to cytokine storm activity.  Jarrow or MRM are my favorite brands of quercetin. 

Zinc (20-50 mg). Zinc supports the effective function and rapid reproduction of immune cells. Research has shown it can be effective at fighting viral infections. I prefer zinc picolinate or zinc gluconate from Jarrow, Nature’s Way or Now brands, but many others are adequate.

N-A-C (500 -1,000 mg) – N-Acetyl-L-Cystein promotes glutathione production in the body, thins mucus, and reduces risk of developing bronchitis and severe respiratory infection. I prefer the Jarrow brand NAC.

Probiotics (10 billion or more cfu) that also contain prebiotics. The Probulin and Dr. Ohhira brands are my go-to shelf-stable probiotics with prebiotics. Garden of Life also has high quality refrigerated probiotics with prebiotics. 

The other supplements I keep on hand and start taking if I have any type of cold or flu symptoms: 

• Herb Pharm mullein garlic ear oil,
• Sovereign Silver colloidal silver,
• Nature’s Way zinc lozenges,
• Natural Factors oregano oil liquid or capsules,
• Nature’s Way or Gaia liquid elderberry,
• Source Naturals beta glucan,
• Host Defense immune support (mushrooms), and
• Raw honey or manuka honey to add to hot lemon water.  

See Mercola reference below for a link to more detailed info on the immune boosting or anti-viral benefits of some of these supplements.

Reference

Mercola.com; Coronavirus Resource Page; 2020.

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