Uses

Vitamin C is one of the most widely known vitamins these days. It will surprise you that body needs vitamin C for over 300 plus functions. Vitamin c is also known as ascorbic acid, water-soluble, carbohydrate like substance involved in various metabolic processes. Vitamin C has the power to heal the body and without it, the body won’t be able to heal itself either. The body is not able to make vitamin C on its own neither it stores vitamin C. That is why you should include plenty of vitamin C-containing foods in your daily diet. Vitamin C has been proved to help protect against heart disease, cancer, and other serious illness. Vitamin C is also vital for the synthesis of collagen. The collagen helps in quick healing in case of cuts or other injuries by repairing the damage. Without sufficient C vitamin, this would be very hard. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant and helps other vitamins and minerals to be absorbed better by the body. Folic acid and iron, for example, need vitamin C to show their usefulness to the best. Its antioxidant power protects body cells against damage from harmful molecules called free radicals. The more vitamin C body has a better defense system and immunity against colds and other ailments. Vitamin C does not guarantee that person will never catch a virus but helps as a shield for early recovery. Vitamin C has a vital role in managing high blood pressure.

Source

As per experts, the recommended daily intake for vitamin C is about 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin. It must be obtained from the diet or supplements.  Citrus food is a rich source of Vitamin c. Cranberries, kiwi fruit, melons, acerola cherry, strawberries, bell peppers, broccoli, kale, and spinach have high c vitamin content. Unfortunately, since the C vitamin is water-soluble, many vegetables lose much of their Vitamin C content if they are boiled for a long time. If you feel you are not getting sufficient Vitamin C from your diet, vitamin C supplements are an excellent way to boost your vitamin C intake. Consult your doctor before having it.

Conclusion

For strong body immunity and protect your body from high blood pressure, flu, cancer risk, eye diseases or treat lead toxicity daily intake of vitamin C is very essential.

The post How Vitamin C Benefits Your Body And Its Vital Role In Immunity appeared first on WellnessHub Nourishing Your Mind, Body, and Soul.

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.

 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?

The post 7 Easy Ways To Build Your Immunity appeared first on WellnessHub Nourishing Your Mind, Body, and Soul.

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.