So what makes up our immune system and how they work?

Your immune system is an intricate network of cells, tissues, and organs that band together to defend your body against foreign invaders – things like germs, viruses and bacteria. A healthy immune system protects you by creating a barrier that stops those invaders from entering your body. If one happens to slip by, it starts to produce white blood cells and other chemicals that attack and destroy these foreign substances. If your immune system can’t get rid of the invader before it starts to reproduce, it simply revs up even more to destroy the invaders as they multiply.

In addition to blood cells and chemicals that physically attack germs, your skin, lungs, digestive tract, saliva and tears are also all involved in the immune response. That’s why washing you hands and not touching your face are so important too.

Here are 6 essential ways to boost your immunity in preparation for coronavirus:

1.Reduce Stress
When we’re stressed out our body produces stress hormones which tax the immune system. So one of the most important ways to boost immunity is to reduce stress. To reduce stress, it’s key to ensure you have work life balance, take breaks when you need them (both short “water-cooler” breaks and longer vacations), and to employ some calming or relaxing stress-reduction techniques. Find ways to lower stress levels by meditating, exercising and controlled breathing techniques.

2.Get enough sleep
By not sleeping enough, we increase stress and hurt our immunity. If we’re drinking caffeinated drinks all the time we may not even realize just how tired we really are. Because sleeping is important to rebuilding a struggling immune system, we need to let ourselves sleep as much as we need.

We heal when we sleep. A healthy immune system can fight off infections more than a sleep-deprived immune system. Adults should focus on getting between six to eight hours a sleep a night. Sleep in a dark room and keep a regular bedtime and wakeup routine. If you’re having trouble sleeping melatonin supplements may be a good option.

3.Consume immunity-boosting vitamins
To support your immune system, you can eat immunity supporting foods like citrus fruits, garlic, broccoli, and spinach. If your immune system is already weak, it can also be helpful to supplement with key vitamins and minerals that may have become depleted like Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Vitamin D, and Zinc. Most effective way to get high doses of Vitain C, Vitamin B and Zinc is intravenously (IV).

4.Reduce Inflammation
Sugar, processed meat, vegetable oils, and alcohol tend to be inflammatory foods so they busy the immune system, leaving other problems in your body unaddressed. That’s why it can be really helpful to remove these inflammatory foods if we want a healthy immune system.

5.Exercise, but not too much
Exercise can be one of the best things to do to boost immunity. But we have to be careful because too much excercise is stressful on the body and can be tough on our immune system. So just keep the other tips in mind: Keep stress low, and if you’re tired, then rest.

6.Enjoy a balanced diet
Nutritional deficiencies make us more susceptible to viruses and bacteria, that’s why it is important to eat nutritional foods that maintain a healthy immune system. Health experts recommend eating certain foods that are high in vitamin C, like red bell peppers, broccoli, strawberries, spinach, and citrus fruits like oranges, lemons and grapefruit. Sunflower seeds and almonds are recommended because they are high in vitamin E, while other foods, like yogurt, garlic, poultry and chickpeas, have other health benefits.