COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without
any special treatment. But older people and those with underlying medical problems like diabetes,
chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness.

Below are common symptoms of COVID – 19 disease:

• Runny nose
• Cough
• Breathing difficulty
• Sore throat
• High temperature

While there is currently no cure for coronavirus, there are some sensible steps everyone can take to strengthen natural defences against viruses, colds and flu.

Following are 10 ways in which you can support your immune system to make it as strong and effective as possible to protect yourself from COVID-19.

1. Reduce Stress:
The growing anxiety around the pandemic is another concern that is affecting millions across
the globe. While the uncertainty might be overwhelming, there are  few steps we can follow
regularly to help relieve our stress, stress is known to have an adverse effect on immunity.
Stress can suppress the immune system and make you more vulnerable to infection, according
to experts. Too much stress releases the hormone known as cortisol, which impairs your
response to immediate surroundings and makes your body susceptible to infections; you are
left feeling constantly anxious. The best way to relieve stress is through meditation, it is a
tried and tested activity to calm the nerves.
2. Get quality sleep:
Sleep deprivation suppresses the function of immune system. So it is very important to get
plenty of sleep for fighting with this virus and make your immune system strong.
3. Improve Diet:
Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables every day will work wonderfully for improving your
immune system.

• Foods such as sweet potatoes, carrots, fish (tuna), dark leafy greens, lettuce, bell
  peppers, and broccoli are rich source of vitamin A. We need vitamin A to keep the
  mucosal linings in our nose and lungs robust enough to defend against infection.
• Vitamin C boosts the immunity. Rich sources of vitamin C are lemon, citrous fruits
  like oranges, sweet lime, cranberry, strawberry etc., spinach. So you should include
  all these foods in your diet.

4. Wash your hands regularly:

Washing your hands every time you visit the toilet, before and after preparing food and at other
times during the day will be very helpful for fighting this war with the corona virus.
So you must wash hands when:

• You get to work or arrive home
• Before you eat or handle food
• After you blow your nose, cough or sneeze

Coronavirus is spreading via droplets from coughs and sneezes.

So touching surfaces where these droplets may have landed leads to infection.
5. Use Homoeopathic Medicines:

Homoeopathic medicines are very useful for boosting immunity. Homoeopathy has an
excellent track record in the treatments of epidemics/pandemics. So this time also, to win the
battle with this virus, we must use this weapon of homoeopathic medicine. Homoeopathic
medicines is treating the person as a whole, and not specific organ or body part. So it will
help to improve the overall health.

6. Keep Exercising:

Regular exercise is a great way to support the immune system.
As exercise can help support good circulation, this allows our immune cells to travel through
the body more effectively.

Furthermore, these immune cells seem to be stimulated by even mild exercise. So along with exercise and yoga, meditation is also very important to support your immune system.
People who do regular exercise also experience less severe symptoms when they do get a cold, and
they recover more quickly.

7. Load up on Vitamin D:

Vitamin D is essential for a healthy functioning immune system. Deficiency of vitamin D leads to increased susceptibility to infection. Morning sunrays are very good source of vitamin
D.Dietary sources of vitamin D include eggs and fatty fish.

8. Avoid Alcohol

• Forget boozing through the coronavirus crisis, because heavy drinking is known to deplete
  our immune cells.
• Some studies have suggested that the first-line-of-defence macrophages are not as effective in
  people who are alcoholic.
• And there’s been suggestions that high alcohol consumption can lead to a reduction of the
  lymphocytes as well. So it leads to increase in chances of getting infected.

9. Quit Smoking:

• Smokers may face an increased risk of coronavirus and suffer worse symptoms.
• Experts say that the habit weakens the function of the lungs and could leave people more
  susceptible to the deadly bug.
• There is certainly a respectable body of medical opinion that thinks serious outcomes are more
  likely among heavy smokers.
• Basically, any previous lung damage increases that risk.

10. Wear a face mask & social distancing:
You could spread COVID-19 to others even if you do not feel sick.

Everyone should wear a cloth face cover when they have to go out in public, for example to
the grocery store or to pick up other necessities.

Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has
trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask
without assistance.

The cloth face cover is meant to protect other people in case you are infected.

Continue to keep about 6 feet between yourself and others. The cloth face cover is not a
substitute for social distancing.

Some measures you can take to avoid close contact with others include:

• Stay home as much as possible and reduce visitors.
• Practice social and physical distancing.
• Stay at least six feet away from others in public places.
• Call friends and family or visit by video.
• Ask your employer if it’s possible to work from home.
• Avoid people who appear sick.
• Go grocery shopping and run errands during off-peak times.
•  Wear cloth face coverings in public where other social distancing measures are difficult to
  maintain, especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

-Dr. Shweta Tushar Patil
M.D. (Homoeopathy), C.G.O., C.C.H.