Four important immune enhancement strategies now

As you can see at a glance outside the window, it’s winter. COVID-19 is endemic at record levels in many parts of the country. Keeping your immune system healthy can help keep your immune system healthy, as many of us want to prevent the flu, winter colds, and even the nasty variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, whether delta or omicron. It has taken on new importance.

Not surprisingly, marketers are taking advantage of our concerns. The entire cottage industry is dedicated to chewables, pills, and powders that claim to “strengthen” or “support” the immune system. Some people even claim that a healthy diet and intense training are all that you really need to avoid getting sick. But is any of these claims true?

Best strategy to stay healthy

We asked Michael Sternbach, a professor of microbiology at Harvard Medical School, for advice on steps to help maintain good health this winter.

“The best strategy is to stay away from the place without vaccination, skepticism about other products that claim immune effects, and universal masking,” he says. This is why these approaches are important.

Get vaccinated

When it comes to improving the immune response, it is best to get a COVID vaccine and booster shots, along with other recommended vaccinations. Think of vaccination as a cheat sheet for your immune system. When a virus intruder invades your body, your immune system prepares to fight. But first you need to figure out what is attacking. This will take some time. That is, the time it takes for the virus to continue to grow in the body.

Vaccines allow intruders to introduce an immune system in advance and develop combat plans. Therefore, if the virus appears on the door, the immune system can react quickly. This may mean asymptomatic, or at least prevent serious illness. Booster Shot is a review course to keep these lessons fresh.

Although vaccinated can still be infected, the immune system is prepared to remove the virus more quickly, making the infection much less likely to be serious or life-threatening. “We need to get all the vaccines and boosts available so that we are more likely to have mild cases if we get infected,” says Starnbach.

Be skeptical

A number of vitamin preparations and probiotics claim to strengthen or support the immune system. And while some of those claims have a grain of truth, the big picture is that they often don’t work. For example, vitamins help immune function, but in reality they are only people with vitamin deficiency, not the average healthy adult.

Probiotics are also promising.this Mini universe of creatures living in your intestines What is called the microbiota plays an important role in immunity. However, experts are not fully aware of its role in creating products that can manipulate microbiota to boost immunity. That could change over the next decade, but for now, look at the skeptical probiotic claims, says Starnbach.

Mask up

After all, nothing is better at staying healthy than completely avoiding exposure to the virus. Wearing a mask is not on anyone’s favorites list, but COVID (and some other viruses) for unvaccinated people, including children who are not yet eligible for shots and people with an immune system. Deficiencies that do not provide adequate protection from vaccines that help reduce the risk of spreading, say Sternbach. The mask is most effective when everyone around you is wearing it. “We now clearly know that the best way to prevent unvaccinated people from becoming infected is due to the obligation to use indoor masks,” says Sternbach.

Practice healthy habits

But what about exercise and good nutrition? Do they have a role in supporting your immune system?

The answer is yes. Strategies for improving your overall health are never wasted. Healthy people are more resistant to illness and often work well when infected. Good health habits can help your immune system work at its peak. Exercise and good nutrition are not the only habits that help. You should also try to get consistent, high quality sleep and manage your stress levels. Sleep deprivation and chronic stress can impair immune function.

However, if you want to avoid COVID-19 and other viruses, these strategies should be done in addition to vaccination and vaccination, not as an alternative. Other protective measures..