What is Plasma?

It is a light yellow liquid, which is an integral and essential part of your blood. You may never have thought about Plasma while talking about blood. Red Blood Cells and Platelets are more commonly used terms by the public. But the fact is that Plasma is the largest part of your blood. More than half of your blood (about 55%) is Plasma.

Why is Plasma important?

Plasma has so many uses and health benefits that some health organizations call it “the gift of life.” Here’s why:

• Plasma carries all parts of your blood through your circulatory system. It also transports hormones, proteins, other nutrients, water, salts, and enzymes to different parts of your body.
• Cells also discard their waste products into the Plasma. Thus, Plasma also helps remove this waste from the body.
• Plasma also contains vital components, including antibodies, clotting factors, and the albumin & fibrinogen proteins. All these parts of Plasma can be separated and concentrated into various products. These products are helpful in treatments of shock, trauma, burns, and other medical emergencies.
• The proteins and antibodies in Plasma are helpful in the treatment of several chronic conditions. These include hemophilia and autoimmune disorders. People with these conditions can live longer and more productive lives because of these treatments.

What is Convalescent Plasma Therapy?

Convalescent Plasma Therapy is not a new invention. It has been used for over 100 years. The idea of using plasma therapy took birth in the late 19th century. Physiologist Emil von Behring and Bacteriologist Kitasato Shibasaburou found out that they could use antibodies present in serum to fight the bacterial infection diphtheria. Serum is also a blood component. In fact, the first Nobel Prize was awarded to Behring for the use of serum to treat diphtheria.

On and off, doctors have been using passive antibody therapy at least since the 1930s. It has been used to treat or prevent bacterial as well as viral infections. These include some forms of pneumonia, measles, and meningitis.

This is the reason that researchers consider the Convalescent Plasma Therapy can help fight against COVID-19.

How does Convalescent Plasma Therapy work?

The principle behind the Convalescent Plasma Therapy is simple. Our blood contains antibodies that protect us from disease-causing pathogens. When people recover from an infection, their blood contains antibodies that have learned to identify and fight the pathogens responsible for that particular infection.

The Plasma in our blood carries these antibodies. Doctors take the Plasma of a person who has recovered from a particular infection and administer it to a patient currently fighting this infectious disease. This helps the patient’s immune system to reject the pathogen more efficiently.

COVID-19 is also an infection caused by a virus. So some researchers believe the Convalescent Plasma Therapy can help the patients of this disease too. While the research and trials are still going on, the results are promising. Many patients have shown positive effects when treated with Convalescent Plasma Therapy. However, so far, we can’t call it a sure-shot treatment to cure all COVID-19 patients.

Use of plasma therapy in previous pandemics

Convalescent plasma therapy has been trialed even during earlier coronavirus outbreaks. A few observational studies were done during the first SARS epidemic in 2003. The studies showed some improvement in patients after receiving convalescent plasma therapy, and no evidence of serious complications. However, most of these studies were just case reports and can’t be taken as full-scale research.

Even during the Ebola virus outbreak in 2013 – 2016, some doctors used convalescent plasma treatment and reported positive reports.

How to donate Plasma for convalescent plasma therapy?

You can donate Plasma at almost all reputable blood banks. You will have to go through a screening process to ensure your blood is safe and healthy. This is similar to the screening done for blood donations. If you pass, your blood will be drawn through a needle placed in a vein in your arm.

Then, a machine will separate your Plasma from the blood. This process is called plasmapheresis. The remaining blood components, including Red Blood Cells, will be returned to your body with a little saline solution.

Who can donate Plasma?

You can donate your Plasma if you are between the ages of 18-60 and have no sickness or comorbidities. You can safely donate your Plasma every 28 days, up to 13 times a year. If you have an AB blood type, then your Plasma is universal. This means that your Plasma can be administered to anyone.

If you want to donate your Plasma for convalescent plasma therapy against COVID-19, you can do so after three weeks of fully recovering from this infection. You must have tested negative for Covid-19 twice.

Find out further eligibility details at https://www.ilbs.in/plasma/.

The post Convalescent Plasma Therapy: Can it cure COVID-19? appeared first on WellnessHub Nourishing Your Mind, Body, and Soul.

Experts fear that low and middle-income countries like India will see a higher rate of anxiety and depression during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. While the immediate necessity is to address the respiratory infections due to COVID-19, the growing threat of stress, anxiety, depression both in the community and among health workers must not be ignored. Once the immediate crises is over, we would need systems in place to assess and treat individuals who need mental health care.

If the COVID-19 pandemic is making you anxious too, don’t ignore it. Instead, make efforts to manage your anxiety and feel better. The following few suggestions can help.

How to manage your stress and anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic

1. Acknowledge your feelings:

First of all, acknowledge and accept that you are feeling anxious, stressed, or depressed. Hiding your fears and keeping up a bold face might do more harm than good. Anxiety can increase your worries manifold. It can disturb your sleep patterns and make it difficult to concentrate on work. Stress and anxiety can also lower your immunity and worsen preexisting health problems. And they can cause an increased dependence on alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs.

It is, therefore, important to acknowledge your fears and anxiety. Don’t feel guilty about it. The world is facing an unprecedented problem, and getting worried about it is understandable. But you need to manage this worry and prevent it from turning into a mental health problem.

2. Limit your consumption of news:

At a time when people are locked within homes, consumption of news has increased manifold. You want to know the latest count of COVID-19 cases in your country. You want to know the rate of fatalities. And you want to know every step that the government is taking to curtail this pandemic.

But so much consumption of news can have its adverse effects. Some news sources might even sensationalize a news story, creating unnecessary panic among people. Avoid all such news sources. Do not believe the content on social media without checking its veracity.

The best strategy would be to choose one or two trusted news sources and resist the temptation of hunting for the pandemic stories wherever you can find them. Also, limit the times you access the news sources. Watching the news one or two times in a day is enough for you to stay informed while preventing unnecessary anxiety. Instead of consuming news all day long, watch something entertaining and fun.

3. Educate yourself:

If you fear you might have COVID-19, educate yourself about its symptoms. But don’t spend hours googling about it. Instead, check out the trusted sources like government or WHO websites. Watch your symptoms calmly. And contact your doctor only when necessary. The healthcare system is already overloaded in most countries. So disturbing your doctor every time you cough or sneeze is not a good idea.

4. Make healthy lifestyle choices:

When you stay inside your home all day and for so many days, it is easy to get languid and listless. But you must stay active and maintain a healthy lifestyle. This includes taking a nutritious diet, exercising regularly, maintaining good personal hygiene, and keeping your home clean and well ventilated. Avoid bad habits like smoking and too much alcohol consumption. Think positive thoughts and adopt healthy habits. Take sufficient sleep and try to relax. Yoga and meditation can help reduce your stress and anxiety.

5. Spend time with family:

Spending quality time with your family will help you relax. Our busy lifestyle often demands the sacrifice of family time. If your area is under lockdown, it is a perfect opportunity for you to enjoy time with your family. Turn off the TV, put your phones and iPads aside, and talk with your dear ones. Share jokes, reminisce good memories, and enjoy family time. Even if you are in self-isolation or home quarantine, you can still converse with your family members. Just follow the necessary precautions recommended by your doctor.

6. Stay at home, but be social:

Staying locked at home no longer means being cut off from the world. And social distancing does not mean cutting down your connections with your loved ones. Instead of spending hours reading worrying news stories on your phone, use it to talk to your colleagues, friends, and relatives. Social interactions are beneficial for reducing stress and anxiety. So talk to friends, renew old bonds, share some laughs and motivating messages, and keep the anxiety and depression away.

7. Do things you enjoy:

You will feel less worried if you engage yourself in something you enjoy. Activities like singing, dancing, gardening, handicrafts, etc. can keep you engaged and make you feel happy. If you don’t have a hobby, pick up one now.

You can also make the best use of Coronavirus lockdown time by gaining new knowledge or skill. You can start some online courses. Or even YouTube videos can teach you cool new skills like Do-It-Yourself crafts.

In short, do something fun, and let it help you forget your worries.

8. Talk to your children to ease their anxiety:

It’s not only the grownups that are feeling anxious about the COVID-19 pandemic. Even children and teenagers are experiencing anxiety. When parents get worried, children notice it and feel worried too. And if a family member is affected by the Coronavirus, children can feel scared and stressed out. Parents must understand this and talk to their children about the Coronavirus problem. Listen patiently to all the fears and questions of your children. Explain to them the details about the COVID-19 in age-appropriate language. Remove their worries. You want to keep your children safe from Coronavirus. Reduce their worries about it too.

Conclusion:

Anxiety and stress can affect your immunity and aggravate your preexisting health issues. While a dangerous virus is spreading over the world, it is vital that you stay physically and mentally strong. So, avoid the things that are increasing your worries. And engage yourself in activities that can make you healthier and happier.

We hope the tips mentioned above will help you manage stress and anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic. If you continue to feel troubled, consult a doctor. Also, look out for any disturbing symptoms in your family members. These might include the person alienating himself or herself from all others, showing increased anger or mood swings, loss of appetite or difficulty in sleeping. If you notice any marked change in someone’s behavior, don’t ignore it. If you and your family can’t help such a person towards better mental health, seek medical advice.

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Words like Social Distancing, Self-Isolation, Self-Quarantine, Lockdown are the buzzwords of these trying times. But what do they mean? What’s the difference between Social Distancing, Self-Isolation, Self-Quarantine, and Lockdown? Let us explain.

Difference between Social Distancing, Self-Isolation, Self-Quarantine, Lockdown

Social Distancing:

Social distancing means “remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings, and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet or 2 meters) from others when possible.” Simply speaking, it means — reduce contact with other people.

• Stay away from the crowd. Stay away from crowded places like malls, movie theatres, markets, religious places, restaurants, gyms, swimming pools, etc. Avoid stepping out of your home unless it is unavoidable. Don’t organize or take part in any activities that involve mass gathering.
• Social distancing does not limit you from going out of your home to buy essential supplies or other important work. But when you go out, maintain a minimum 1-meter distance from others (2 meters is recommended, wherever possible).
• The elderly or immunocompromised people must be stricter in maintaining this social distancing. People who already have poor health and weak immunity can get more severely affected by Coronavirus.

Isolation or Self-Isolation:

While social distancing is for the people who don’t yet have COVID-19, Isolation is for those who have become infected. People who have COVID-19 are advised to isolate themselves to prevent the infection from spreading to others. It is a way of limiting the patients’ contact with those living around them.

Quarantine or Self-Quarantine:

Quarantine is to limit the movements of those people who have been exposed to COVID-19 but are not yet sick. Authorities send people into quarantine to monitor their health and see if they develop COVID-19. Some at-risk people are put in quarantine centers. Others may be advised to self-quarantine themselves at home.

Isolation and Quarantine follow almost similar procedures to distance the general public from people who have or might have COVID-19 infection. The purpose of both these procedures is the same — break the chain of the infection.

When should you isolate yourself?

As per NHS, If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you need to self-isolate yourself for 7 days. After 7 days, if you do not have a high temperature, you do not need to self-isolate. If you have a high temperature, stay isolated until your temperature returns to normal. No need to self-isolate if you only have a cough after 7 days.

If you live with someone who has COVID-19 symptoms, you need to isolate yourself for 14 days from the day their symptoms started. If more than one person in your family has the symptoms, isolate yourself for 14 days from the day the first person showed symptoms. And if you start showing symptoms too, self-isolate yourself for 7 more days from the day your symptoms appear.

Precautions in self-isolation:

People under self-isolation or self-quarantine must be very careful about their health and surrounding. If you are isolating yourself, observe the following precautions:

• Monitor your symptoms and communicate any change you notice in your health to your doctor.
• Eat a healthy diet. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
• Do some light exercise every day if you feel well enough.
• People observing self-isolation or self-quarantine can go out to exercise. But stay at least 3 steps away from other people. Avoid public parks. Walk and exercise in your garden, patio, backyard, etc.
• Do not visit anybody and say no to visitors.
• Do not go out to buy food or medicine. Ask someone to get such things for you and leave them at your doorstep.
• Stay in one room and do not share your bed with anyone.
• Maintain a distance from all family members as much as possible.
• COVID-19 patients should wear masks when they are around other people.
• Ensure good personal hygiene and practice rigorous hand washing, or frequent use of hand sanitizer.
• Do not share your personal items with family members. Things like towels, bedsheets, etc. should be kept separate.
• The household surfaces like table tops, door handles should be cleaned thoroughly and regularly.
• If you have symptoms and someone in your family is of the vulnerable group (Elderly, pregnant, long-term health condition, immunocompromised)arrange for them to stay with family or friends for 14 days. If they must stay with you, try to keep away from each other as much as possible.
• Clean a shared bathroom every time you use it. Wipe clean the surfaces you have touched.
• Educate your children about the need to stay away from you in age-appropriate language.
• Take care of your physical and mental health while in isolation or quarantine. Stay in touch with family and friends over the phone. Stay positive.

Lockdown: 

In a lockdown, people of an entire region are ordered to stay at home. At such a time, you can go out for essential supplies and other emergencies. But you must not step out of home for non-essential tasks. Doing this may even be a punishable offense.

• When you do step out in a lockdown, make sure you can prove it is for an essential purpose.
• Maintain social distancing when you are outside your home.
• Lockdown can extend for many days. At such a time, you must keep yourself busy and engaged within your home for managing your physical and emotional health. Eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly within your home or garden, and stay positive.

Conclusion:

Social distancing, self-isolation, quarantine, lockdown are all measures important to contain the spread of Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Observe them carefully, taking all precautions to ensure that you and those around you stay safe from Coronavirus. When you must stay confined within your home, don’t panic or get anxious. Keep yourself engaged, eat a good diet, and stay connected with your family, friends, and doctor.

The post Social Distancing vs. Self-Isolation vs. Quarantine – What’s the difference? appeared first on WellnessHub Nourishing Your Mind, Body, and Soul.

Adults can understand all this and restrict their movements. But it is very hard for children to understand why they cannot step out of their home or why they need to stay away from the isolated family member. Parents need to be very careful to keep children safe from Coronavirus. They must also ensure kids are happy and relaxed and not getting terrified by the situation.

If you are a parent worried about your children, here are some important things you need to understand:

Are Coronavirus symptoms different in children?

It will be a relief for you to know that Coronavirus symptoms in children are usually milder than adults. Of course, in some cases, the children can become critically ill too from COVID-19. But the percentage of such cases is less compared to adults. Also, infants might have more severe symptoms than toddlers and older children. This is because infants’ immunity isn’t as developed as that of the older kids.

One study in China has revealed the following about children affected by COVID-19:

• Infants: 11% have severe symptoms.
• 1 to 5 years old: 7% have severe symptoms
• 6 to 10 year old: 4% have severe symptoms
• 11 to 15 year old: 4% have severe symptoms
• 16 years or older: 3% have severe symptoms.

Among the children studied in China, it was also revealed that about 4 percent of them were asymptomatic. That is, they had no symptoms of the illness. 51 percent of the affected children had mild illness. 39 percent of the affected children had moderate illness. And about 6 percent of children developed critical illness. This is much less when compared to 18.5 percent of adults. It must be noted that children with a pre-existing medical condition and special healthcare needs may be more at risk of developing severe symptoms.

As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), coronavirus symptoms in children and adults are similar. But children might also develop vomiting and diarrhea.

How to keep your children safe from Coronavirus?

While children are less likely to develop serious symptoms from COVID-19, you must still try to keep them safe from it. This is especially important if someone in your home has the infection.

• Don’t let your children go to crowded areas like public parks. Try to keep them engaged at home.
• If you develop symptoms of COVID-19, isolate yourself. Teach your children why you need to stay away from them.
• If you develop symptoms of COVID-19, wash the toys you might have touched recently before letting children play with them.
• Keep the high-traffic areas clean and sanitized. These include door handles and other surfaces children often touch.
• Designate a caregiver among friends, family, neighbors to take care of your children if you need to isolate yourself and have nobody else in the home to look after kids.

How to talk to your children about Coronavirus?

We may think children don’t know what is happening in the world. But if you are listening to the news all day and discussing the coronavirus pandemic at home, your kids have heard and seen enough to make them scared. They might not reveal their fears to you. So, it is up to you to talk to children and remove their anxiety. This is especially important if anyone at home is in self-isolation or quarantine.

• Talk to your children in age-appropriate language and educate them about the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Use the example of other viruses like influenza to explain Coronavirus effects.
• Explain how social distancing and staying inside the home will keep them safe.
• If a family member is under self-isolation or quarantine, explain to the children why they need to stay away from such people.
• Being confined within homes can be hard for children. Keep them engaged in interesting activities.
• Teach your children the importance of washing their hands with soap and water carefully and frequently.
• Assure your children this is a temporary problem and all will be well soon. Answer their questions patiently and try to alleviate their fears.

Conclusion:

Keeping children safe and happy is a top priority for all parents. Not an easy task even at the best of times. COVID-19 has made it even harder now. But with proper care and precautions, your children can stay safe from the Coronavirus as well as anxiety and boredom it might cause them.

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Obeying the lockdown and maintaining social distancing is essential to stay safe from Coronavirus. But these measures may also give rise to anxiety, depression, and boredom. Staying locked within homes for days can be especially hard for children.

At such a time, you need to keep yourself and your family engaged in interesting activities. Sure, binge watching Netflix or playing games on your phone and computer can be fun. But this kind of fun is not good for your eyes and health. Instead, try spending the lockdown days in other interesting and productive activities.

Here are some ideas for you:

Things you can do in a lockdown

Exercise and yoga

This is a perfect time for you to lose weight and get in shape. You are at home. You are getting bored. Use those exercise equipment you bought and then forgot. Or find some good exercise videos on YouTube and start exercising. If you can’t do strenuous exercises, switch on some music and try walking around in your home. Set up your weight-loss goals and use the lockdown days to achieve it. Yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises help reduce stress and keep the blood circulation going. It’s always good to include some form of exercise in your life.

Innovative exercises during lockdown

Don’t have exercise equipment? Well, then create some! Innovate and use the things at your home to exercise. Share your exercising videos on social networks and motivate your friends to stay active too.

Plan your diet

You have postponed your diet plans long enough. Now is the perfect time to start eating healthy. Sit down and plan your diet. Decide what you need to stop or start eating. You may not get all food products during a lockdown. But your plan will help you eat better after the lockdown is over.

Read

If you are a bookworm, you will have no difficulty doing this. If you are not, give books a try. Choose the genre you think you enjoy. Mystery, fantasy, romance, historical, crime — there are plenty of choices. If you have books waiting in your To-Be-Read list, read them. If you don’t have any book at home, download some. There are plenty of free eBooks available for you to enjoy. Download the Kindle app or any other eBooks app on your phone, tab, iPad, and start reading.

Tell stories to your children

Telling stories to kids does not just help pass time. It is an excellent way to strengthen your bond with your kids. Stories help in firing up children’s imagination and can teach them valuable life-lessons too.

Listen to music

If you enjoy music, then this is the perfect time for you to run through your entire collection, dig up the old favorites, and discover new artists.

Dance

Why just listen to music? Dance to it. It will be fun. And dancing can be an interesting exercise, too.

Plan a family dance competition

Make dancing a family activity. You can organize a family dance show or competition. You can make your kids spend some days in practicing before the final dance performance. Children would love it, especially if you promise some reward to the winners.

Sing

If you enjoy singing, use the lockdown days to learn some new songs. And like dancing, you can organize family singing competitions too.

Learn musical instrument

Did you buy a musical instrument with great enthusiasm but then put it to a side and forgot? Pick it up again and start practicing. If you don’t have any book to guide you, use the internet. You’ll find plenty of music lessons online.

Learn to cook

Use lockdown time to improve your culinary skills. Make the best use of the food items you have at home. But be careful and don’t waste anything. Food is precious now.

Make a wishlist

Lockdown might have restricted your shopping fun. But that doesn’t mean you can’t browse the online retailers and line up your wishlist. Window browsing is fun too, isn’t it?

Clean your wardrobes

You don’t have the excuse of being too busy. So, clean your wardrobes now. After all, you need to make space in them for the celebratory shopping you’ve planned for post-lockdown days!

Clean your home

Why stop at just wardrobe cleaning? Your house can do with some sprucing, too. So, get down to it. Clean your kitchen, bathrooms and all your rooms. It will help you use idle hours. You will have a clean home. And it will give you good exercise as well.

Re-decorate

You can’t go out to shop for decorative items. But you can re-arrange the things in your rooms. So, do it. Try giving your home a new look by moving the furniture and other stuff to new positions.

Draw and paint with your kids

Your kids might get bored with drawing and painting alone. But if you join them and challenge them, it can keep them entertained for longer. It will be fun for you too.

Best out of waste activities

Challenge your kids at a best out of waste activity. Encourage them to use their imagination and make something interesting. You can help them, but let their ideas be in lead. Such activities can help you keep children away from phones.

Play funny games

Think up some funny games and play with your family to make everyone laugh. For example, hold a competition of making funny sentences using the given word, or giving an impromptu speech about a funny topic. Or just have a competition of making funny faces. Use your ingenuity to raise some laughter. It will make everyone feel better.

Board games

Have family tournaments of games your kids love. These can be board games, jigsaw puzzles, Lego toys, etc. Make these games more interesting by holding a tournament with various rounds and prizes to the winners.

Fun with neighbors

If you live in an area where houses are close together and balconies face each other, have balcony singing and dancing programs or competitions among the neighbors. All neighbors can participate from their balconies.

Have haircut fun

Give yourself a haircut. Or make it a couple’s activity and give each other a haircut. Enjoy the romance. But do it at your own risk! And be very careful while giving a haircut to your kids. If you mess it up, your children will never forgive you.

Make old clothes new

Dig out your old clothes and make something new out of them. You will find plenty of ideas on YouTube, Pinterest, etc. Check out some cool ideas from Lifehack.

Meditate

If the pandemic and resulting lockdown are making you anxious, try meditating. Sit in a quiet place. Close your eyes and try to focus your attention on your breath. Meditation can help you relax and feel more positive.

Weird sounds

Record the weirdest sounds you can create using stuff at home. Share with friends and family.

Start a blog

If you had been thinking of starting a blog, do it now. Just decide what you want to write about, set up your blog, and start blogging. It will keep you engaged for hours every day.

Write a book

Have you felt a book bubbling in your heart? Use the lockdown days to pour it out. You can use the quiet time to write a fiction or non-fiction book. It will keep you busy. And when you finish your book, the sense of achievement you’ll get will be an experience worth all the hard work.

Start a YouTube channel or a podcast

If writing is not for you, start a YouTube channel or podcast. Share your fun and knowledge with the world.

Drawing with kids

Did you enjoy drawing as a child? Maybe the busy life pulled you away from it. Well, it’s time to revive your hobby. Sit down with paper and pencil and start sketching.

Give yourself a beauty treatment

You can’t go out to a beauty parlor. But that doesn’t mean you can’t give yourself a beauty treatment. So, use the time to give yourself facial, manicure, pedicure, etc. Pamper yourself.

Give yourself a funny makeover

Not interested in beauty treatment? Have fun giving yourself a funny makeover. Use the stuff at home to give yourself a funny look. Then click photos or record videos and share them with family and friends. You can even have a family competition for it!

Quit a bad habit

With the pandemic spreading death around the world, you can see how precious life is. Take care of it. If you have been harming yourself with bad habits like smoking or alcoholism, quit it now.

Clean the junk out of your computer

You have cleaned your home, start some digital cleaning now. Remove the junk from your computer. Organize your files, photos, etc.

Clean the junk out of your phone

Like computers, smartphones also collect plenty of junk. Sit down and remove all those useless files. You might even reset your phone. But backup your valuable data first!

Clean your social media profiles

Take a look at your social media networks too. There might be some photos on it you find embarrassing or disturbing now. Remove them. There might be some connections that you no longer want or recognize. Remove them. Use the lockdown days to take control of your social networks.

Dig out the old family albums

How long has it been since you last looked at your family albums? Dig them out now and enjoy roaming through delicious memories.

Do an online course

This is the perfect opportunity to do an online course and improve your skills. Whether you want to learn a new language or gain some new technical skills, you have free time to do it now.

Build card castles

Of course, you can use the playing cards to play card games. But when you feel bored with playing, try to build a card castle. Click photos of your ‘architectural’ excellence and share them on social media.

Plan a treasure hunt for your kids

A treasure hunt at home can be entertaining for the whole family. Have fun setting it up. Then have more fun watching your family battling with your clues.

Start Gardening  

If you have a garden or potted plants, tend to them. Gardening will also help you relax and feel less anxious.

Capture the sky

With the humans trapped in homes, the air pollution has reduced and the sky can shine clearer now. Click some nice pictures of the sky from your home or garden. You can have even more fun by imaginatively editing them using smartphone apps.

Discover beauty in your home

Click interesting pictures of your plants or objects in your house. Try to discover surprising angles and make ordinary things look extraordinary.

Start Making Plan

Make plans you had been pushing away. You might be thinking of starting a new business. Or you want to renovate your home. Use the lockdown time to complete your plans.

Plan your next vacation

Here’s another plan you can complete while you are confined to your home. Gather all the information you need from the internet and plan out a perfect vacation for yourself and family.

Be social

Observing Social Distancing is important to be safe from the Coronavirus. But you can still stay in touch with your friends and family through your phone. Such social interactions can help you relax and improve your mood too.

Revive old friendships

Get back in touch with old friends you haven’t contacted in ages.

Bond with your family

Spend quality time with your family. When you sit together, be together. Talk, instead of staring at your phone. Enjoy family time.

Spread motivation

With the world under a pandemic attack, we all are feeling anxious and gloomy. At such a time, reading motivational and funny quotes can help in improving your mood. You can browse for them on Pinterest. And if you find something you love, share it with your friends and family. Everyone can benefit from motivation and smiles, especially in these trying times.

Enjoy the quiet time:

Life is a hectic race. Enjoy the quietness of these days. Just sit down comfortably and let your mind wander. But try to keep your thoughts happy and positive.

Do weird googling

Google using the weirdest phrases and see what you stumble upon.

Journal

Write a journal of the lockdown days. Pour out your thoughts and worries. Note down your experience of this extraordinary time. It will help you relax.

Sleep

We don’t realize how much sleep-debt we accumulate in our busy life. Sleep deprivation can lower your immunity and affect your physical and emotional health. So, use the lockdown days to rest yourself. Relax and sleep. Rejuvenate yourself to face the hectic days that will return once the lockdown is lifted. But don’t over-sleep either! Discipline yourself. It is very important to stay happy and healthy in the long lockdown days.

Conclusion:

With the COVID-19 pandemic spreading across the world, we are living through days that are almost too shocking to believe. At such a time, keeping your mood happy and morale high is important. You cannot step out of your home. But you can still have fun and stay busy in activities that are engaging, entertaining, and can help you stay healthy.

The post How to make best use of your lockdown time appeared first on WellnessHub Nourishing Your Mind, Body, and Soul.

Serious cases of COVID-19 are showing adverse effects on kidneys. So, people who already have impaired kidney functions and need regular haemodialysis are particularly vulnerable. In SARS and MERS-CoV infections, acute kidney injury occurred in 5 to15 percent cases and carried a 60 to 90 percent mortality rate. Early reports of COVID-19 suggested 3 to 9 percent incidence of Acute Kidney Injury. But recent reports show a more alarming picture. A study of 59 COVID-19 patients found that about two-thirds of patients developed a massive protein leak in urine during their hospital stay.

“Unlike other at-risk individuals, these patients do not have the ability to stay at home and not interact with others. Despite being high risk since they must travel to dialysis centers 2-3 times every week. This significantly increases the risk of transmission of infection, to patients themselves, family members, medical staff and facility workers, and all others,” says Prof Vivekanand Jha, Executive Director, George Institute for Global Health India and President of the International Society of Nephrology.

According to a paper entitled “The Novel Coronavirus 2019 epidemic and the Kidneys”, patients dependent on dialysis, and their family members need to strictly follow the precautions to stay safe from COVID-19. For patients on dialysis suspected to have been in contact with COVID-19, treatment should be carried out according to strict protocols. All efforts need to be made to minimize risk to other patients and healthcare personnel.

The directions mentioned in the paper include strategies of managing COVID-19 in patients on dialysis, recommended facility and staff management practices, proper management strategies for such patients, and recommendations for their family members and caregivers. All these recommendations, precautions, and protocols may help in the prevention of COVID-19 in patients with kidney disease, and better management if they catch the infection.

Check out The Novel Coronavirus 2019 epidemic and the Kidneys to know the best preventive measures and management protocol for COVID-19 in people with Kidney disease.

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 How to build your immunity

1. Take proper diet to build your immunity:

A healthy diet is essential for a healthy body. When your diet is deficient in vital nutrients, it can weaken your immune system. A diet high in saturated fat can lead to unhealthy weight. Obesity reduces the number and function of White Blood Cells, leading to weak immunity.

Make sure your diet is high in vital nutrients like protein, vitamins, minerals, and low in saturated fat, salt, and sugar. Include immunity-boosting fruits and vegetables in your meals. Many fruits and vegetables have vital nutrients that help in strengthening the immune system. You need a healthy combination of all of these to have strong immunity.

Some immunity-boosting food items are:

• Vitamin C: Citrus Fruits, Spinach, Kale, Bell Peppers, Brussel Sprouts, Papaya, Blueberries.
• Vitamin E: Peanuts, Almonds, Hazelnuts, Spinach, Broccoli
• Vitamin B6: Lean Chicken Breast, Cold-Water Like Tuna, Baked Potatoes, Bananas, Chickpeas.
• Vitamin A: Pumpkin, Cantaloupe, Squash, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes
• Vitamin D: Fatty fish like Mackerel, Salmon, Tuna, Sardines). Fortified Milk, Orange Juice, Cereals.
• Iron: Chicken, Turkey, seafood. Beans, Broccoli, Kale.
• Folic Acid/Folate: Beans, Peas, Green Leafy Vegetables
• Selenium: Garlic, Broccoli, Brazil Nuts, Barley, Sardines, Tuna
• Zinc: Oysters, Crab, Lean Meats, Poultry. Baked Beans, Yogurt, Chickpeas.

2. Dietary supplements:

As much as possible, try to take a healthy and balanced diet. However, if you are still deficient in some vital nutrients, you can take dietary supplements. Taking fortified food like fortified milk, cereals, health drinks, etc. can help you. However, before you start any food supplement, you must consult a doctor. Don’t take any food supplements without first taking proper medical advice.

3. Take sufficient sleep:

Proper sleep is important for strong immunity. When you sleep, your immune system releases proteins called cytokines to help promote sleep. They also help in managing infection, inflammation, and stress. Constant sleep deprivation can reduce the production of these protective cytokines. Lack of sleep can also decrease the production of infection-fighting antibodies.

In short, lack of sleep can make you vulnerable to infections and delay your recovery. Long-term sleep deprivation can also increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

So, take proper sleep. Adults need 7 to 8 hours of sleep every day whereas children and teenagers need up to ten hours of sleep per day.

4. Exercise & maintain a healthy weight:

Regular exercise doesn’t just help you lose weight. It is also important for a strong immune system. A sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of obesity and heart diseases. It can also weaken the immune system. So, regular exercise is important to stay fit and have strong immunity.

However, excessive exercise is also not recommended. It puts a strain on the body and may weaken your immune system. A moderate and regular exercise like walking, cycling, swimming, yoga for 30 minutes might work better to boost immunity.

5. Avoid bad habits like smoking, alcoholism:

Smoking and excessive intake of alcohol also have adverse effects on the immune system. So free yourself of these bad habits and choose better health.

6. Control your stress and stay happy:

Chronic stress and negative feelings like loneliness, anxiety, grief, etc can also affect your immune system.

When you are stressed, your body increases the production of a hormone called cortisol. This helps the body deal with the stress, temporarily limiting the bodily functions that aren’t needed in fight-or-flight situations. While short-term stress is not harmful, long-term chronic stress can reduce the immune system response. This means, you are left more vulnerable to viruses and infections.

Conclusion:

Having a strong immunity is vital for a healthy body. With a little care, you can strengthen your immune system. Just make good choices. Eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, take proper sleep, and try to be happy and relaxed. Can you do that for yourself?

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This army is your immune system. It works constantly to keep you safe from illness.

The immune system creates and manages the white blood cells. And these white blood cells fight against viruses and bacteria, guarding you against infections. If you don’t keep this natural defense system strong, you will fall sick again and again.

Immunity is a strong system and can withstand a lot. However, you need to make sure it stays strong. While you are caught up in your modern lifestyle, you may not notice the damage you are doing to your immunity. But a strong immunity is essential for a healthy body. If you have a weak immune system, you are more vulnerable to infections. You will fall sick more frequently, and your illnesses might be more severe and damaging.

Modern lifestyle is unhealthy in many ways. It is more sedentary, more exposed to pollutants, and under a constant attack of stress, bad diet and sleeping habits. All this puts our immune system under strain. There are many factors that can weaken your immunity. Some of the biggest causes are given below.

Causes of weak immunity

1. Poor diet

Most people know a balanced diet is essential to maintain a healthy body. Yet, too few care to follow a healthy diet. Your diet is often too high in saturated fat, leading to unhealthy weight and obesity. Obesity has a direct effect on immunity. It reduces the number and efficiency of the white blood cells, weakening the immune system.

Poor diet also leads to a deficiency of vital nutrients. When your body does not get sufficient minerals and vitamins, it cannot function properly. A nutritious diet is essential for a strong immune system too. If you are not careful about what you eat, you are weakening your immunity.

2. Lack of sleep:

Do you often sacrifice your sleep to stay ahead of your workload? Well then, you are directly damaging your immune system.

When you sleep, your immune system releases cytokines. Cytokines are vital protein-messengers needed to fight against inflammation and various diseases. If you don’t sleep enough, you reduce the quantity of these cytokines in your body. Result? Weak immunity and increased risk of serious troubles like obesity, heart disease, cardiovascular problems, and diabetes.

So, if you want strong immunity, you need to take proper sleep. 7 to 8 hours of sleep per day is recommended for adults and up to 10 hours for children and teenagers.

Make a note that too much sleep is unhealthy too. If you spend half the day sleeping, that will not help your immunity either.

3. Stress can lower immunity:

Modern life is full of stress. And stress has a direct effect on the immune system too. A normal level of stress is healthy and boosts performance. But chronic stress exhausts the body and lowers its immunity, making you fall sick more often.

You can’t escape stress in today’s world. But try to ease it out. You need to relax and pace yourself to control your stress level and stay healthy.

4. Environmental pollution:

Environmental pollution is increasing day by day. And so are its negative effects on your health.

According to some studies, air pollution can even weaken your immunity. Certain pollutants in the air are depleting the ozone layer. This is increasing the harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. UV rays have long been linked to skin cancer. But they can also increase the risk of cataracts and weaken your immune system.

So, when you step out in the sun, guard yourself against the UV rays by wearing sunglasses and a good sunscreen.

5. Negative outlook:

Your thoughts don’t just affect your mood. They can affect your health too. Negative thoughts and feelings can attack your immunity, making you fall seek. Feelings of loneliness, anxiety, grief, and depression can weaken your immune system. A study published in the Journal of Neuroimmunology in 2014 shows that increased anxiety associated with loneliness causes increased suppression of the immune system.

When you feel sad, you stop taking care of yourself. You may eat an unhealthy diet, give up exercising, even ignore personal hygiene. All this affects your immune system.

6. Sedentary lifestyle can damage immunity:

Your work may require sitting and working on the computer for hours. Or you may like relaxing and enjoying movie marathons at home. But if you are not exercising enough, you are hurting yourself in more ways than one. An excessively sedentary lifestyle increases your risk of obesity, heart diseases, and weakened immunity. If you combine the lack of activity with bad habits like smoking, alcoholism, you are directly damaging your immunity.

Various Immune system disorders like autoimmune disorders, primary immune deficiency, or acquired immune deficiency also weaken out immunity. These are serious conditions that require proper medical care. But for most people, poor immunity is the result of just bad lifestyle and dietary choices.

Conclusion:

Proper diet, sleep and exercise, and a positive outlook can go a long way in strengthening your immune system. Take a healthy diet. You can take food supplements (after consulting a doctor) if you are deficient in any vitamin or mineral. Take proper rest, manage your stress, adopt clean and healthy habits. Environmental pollution is increasing. Newer and more dangerous strains of viruses are emerging. Modern life is full of challenges. You need to stay strong to face the increasing stress on your body. You need a strong immunity.

The post You are damaging your immunity without knowing it. Stop doing these now! appeared first on WellnessHub Nourishing Your Mind, Body, and Soul.

On December 31, 2019, a new strain of Coronavirus was reported in Wuhan, China. It is called SARS-CoV-2 and causes the disease called COVID-19. This new virus strain has quickly spread across the world and has affected almost 100,000 people. It has caused 3,300 fatalities so far. And if its spread is not contained soon, it will result in many more deaths.

So, what can you do to stay safe from Coronavirus?

When it comes to health problems, prevention is always better than cure. Here are the most important Dos and Don’ts you can follow to stay safe from Coronavirus.

Coronavirus Dos and Don’ts

Do follow these:

• Wash hands frequently and well with soap and water. Use alcohol-based sanitizer when you go out.
• Maintain good personal hygiene.
• If you have a cough or cold, you should wear a mask before you step out of your home.
• Maintain good respiratory hygiene. While coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a handkerchief or disposable tissue. But if you have neither, cover your mouth and nose with the inside of your elbow. If you cover your nose and mouth with your hand, wash or sanitize your hand.
• If you suspect you have COVID-19 disease, consult the doctor immediately and stay confined to your home.
• And if you experience symptoms like cough, difficulty in breathing, or fever during or after travel, consult a doctor immediately. Inform them of your travel history.
• Take sufficient sleep and rest. Avoid stress. Exhaustion, lack of sleep, and stress can make you more vulnerable to infections.
• Eat a healthy diet, take plenty of water and other healthy drinks
• Keep your home clean and well-ventilated.
• Disinfect equipment used while handling animals.
• Wash your hands with soap after touching animals or animal products.
• If you wear a single-use mask, discard it safely after use and wash your hands.

Avoid these:

• Avoid going to crowded places.
• You must avoid touching your nose, eyes, and mouth.
• Stay away from people who have flu symptoms. It’s advisable to keep a distance of at least one meter from such a person.
• Avoid traveling if you have a cough or fever.
• Avoid traveling to countries that are affected by Coronavirus.
• If you wear a safety mask, do not touch it once it is on.
• Avoid going to market places where various animals are kept.
• Avoid contact with sick animals, stray animals, spoiled meat, and waste/fluids in an animal market.

In addition, follow these food safety precautions if you eat meat:

• Don’t eat raw or under-cooked meat.
• Use different chopping boards or other utensils for raw meat and cooked food.
• Wash your hands carefully with soap after handling raw meat.
• Wash your hands between handling raw meat and cooked food.
• Don’t eat animals that were sick.

Basic protective measures against Coronavirus by WHO.

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Here’s all you need to know about Coronavirus

1. Coronavirus is a family of viruses. Not all of them are deadly.

As per World Health Organization, Coronavirus (CoV) is a family of viruses that cause mild to severe illness like the common cold, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). The virus that’s wreaking havoc around the world these days is a new strain of Coronavirus. A new and unidentified strain of this virus is called novel Coronavirus (nCoV). The latest Coronavirus strain that was first reported from Wuhan, China, on 31 Dec 2019 has been named SARS-CoV-2. And the disease it is causing is called COVID-19.

COVID-19 is proving to be more contagious than previous coronavirus infections (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV) and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-Co-V)). It spreads by human-to-human transmission via droplets from coughing or sneezing, fecal or direct contact. The incubation period of COVID-19 is 1 to 14 days (usually 3 to 7 days). The biggest danger is that the infection can be transmitted even during the incubation period when people aren’t aware they have COVID-19.

2. Coronaviruses are zoonotic.

Coronaviruses are transmitted between animals and people. The SARS-CoV was transmitted to humans from civet cats. The MERS-CoV was transmitted from camels. Researchers are still not sure which animal transmits the SARS-CoV-2. But it is certain that its first victims worked or frequently shopped in the Huanan seafood wholesale market. That is where they might have come in contact with this new strain of CoV.

SARS-CoV-2 can also be transmitted from human to human through “droplet transmission.” This means this virus can pass from one person to another through sneezing, coughing, or direct contact.

3. Symptoms of Coronavirus infection or COVID-19 disease:

COVID-19 primarily manifests as an acute respiratory illness with pneumonia. In severe cases, it may affect multiple organs such as the kidney, heart, digestive tract, blood, and nervous system. The common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever (98%), cough (76%), and myalgia and fatigue (18% each). Symptoms like running nose and productive cough are uncommon, except in children.

In most cases, the symptoms remain mild and cause only flu-like illness that resolves spontaneously. These include respiratory symptoms, coughing, shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing, and fever.  However, about 16-20% of cases can be ‘severe’ or ‘critical’. And these can lead to organ damage and mortality. In severe cases, SARS-CoV-2 can cause pneumonia, acute respiratory syndrome, and kidney failure. These can prove fatal.

4. What makes COVID-19 disease so dangerous?

As this is a viral infection, doctors can’t treat it with antibiotics. The currently available antiviral medicines are ineffective against it. And there is no vaccine yet available for this new strain of Coronavirus. It can cause severe pneumonia and organ failure. Those with a weak immune system get more seriously affected.

The epicenter of its outbreak has recorded a 2% mortality rate among patients of this disease. It is lesser in other affected areas. Comparatively, the seasonal flu has a mortality rate below 1% and it causes about 400,000 deaths every year globally.

Most of the people who died because of COVID-19 were already in poor health. The elderly and people with existing respiratory or immune disorders are more severely affected by it. A strong and healthy person has a better chance of recovering from this infection.

5. Why SARS-CoV-2 is a medical emergency?

The first case of COVID-19 disease was reported in China on 31st December 2019. In a short period, SARS-CoV-2 has spread to over 80 countries and has affected nearly 100,000 people worldwide. Over 3,300 deaths caused by COVID-19 have already been reported. That is why the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 a pandemic.

6. What can you do to stay safe from Coronavirus?

There are some simple steps you can take to stay safe from SARS-CoV-2.

• Avoid going to countries affected by it.
• Follow social distancing. Avoid crowded places or wear a protective mask in such areas.
• Wash your hands often and maintain good personal hygiene.
• Avoid touching your mouth, nose, and eyes frequently.
• Stay away from people showing respiratory symptoms like coughing and sneezing.
• Make sure the animal products you are eating are thoroughly cooked.

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