Coronavirus - Six Ways To Helping Yourself

It's key to Keep Calm and look after yourself at all times, but particularly right now. Not only do we keep hearing about the spread of COVID-19 and it's symptoms, there is also the incredible amount of stress and anxiety it is creating for many along the way:

How it's going to effect work? Will I still get paid? Should we stay indoors anyway? Am I someone with an underlying condition? How will we get our food?

These are questions I have heard a lot the last couple of weeks.

If like myself, you're unsure on how much the media is exaggerating with repetitive warnings and dramatic headlines, a really good source of information is the World Health Organisation (WHO) https://bit.ly/38Sgt0D.

Here they express that for COVID-19, data to date suggest that 80% of infections are mild or asymptomatic. When comparing with seasonal influenza the WHO estimates that between 290,000 and 650,000 respiratory deaths occur globally each year, currently there has been 6500 world wide with COVID-19. These numbers are not meant to scare you but to give some comparison and reassurance if anything.

Who is at risk?

The WHO express that older age and anyone with any underlying condition are at risk of severe infection. Unfortunately this is very vague! However it does suggest that like flu, creating a strong immune system is really important alongside washing your hands and avoiding crowded places.

So how do you improve your immunity?

Here is how....

1. Exercise

This does not have to be the gym! Use You Tube for exercise videos to follow at home. Or dig out that old exercise book you've never actually used! Look at beginners Pilates or Yoga.

Contact me if you're worried about what exercises are right for you. I am currently establishing how to live stream for my Body Movement Classes and One To One if you are interested. Keeping active at this time is vital.

2. Breath

Deep breathing, breath in for 4 (nose) and out for 6 (mouth) seconds. This will help stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system and relaxation. Stress lowers your immune system (hence why the media is not helping!!).

3. Walk

Get out in nature, not only is walking a fantastic exercise for the physical body, exposure to green space has shown to reduce the risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death, preterm birth, stress, and high blood pressure.

LEAVE YOUR PHONE AT HOME!

See this site for more details https://bit.ly/2vpqWD3.

4. Eat well

One of the most common reasons for a low immunity seen in the older age. This is usually due to the lack of variety in the diet.

A number of additions to diet can have tremendous effects to your immunity, some of the most effective include:

• Turmeric

• Broccoli

• Bone broth

• Garlic

• Ginger

• Omega 3 Fish Oil (found in nuts/ seeds or supplement)

For more information on diet including information on multivitamins see: https://bit.ly/33wSza9

5. Sleep

Ok the stress and hype on the news is probably not helping even if you did sleep well before all of this! However try the breathing technique explained above or there are a number of short meditations on You Tube, try this one - tiny.cc/lqidlz.

6. Moderate Alcohol Intake

I always feel this goes without saying but I will add it in as it's often not considered enough. Alcohol creates inflammation in the body, similar to sugar. The higher your intake, the more the body will be trying to cope with detoxing and reducing this and therefore any other bugs or viruses flying around get an easy ride in. Ideally you want at least 2-3 nights without alcohol at all as it takes 24 hours to get out of your body. Aside from that it also affects your sleep meaning it takes at least two nights to get back to your normal sleeping pattern even after one alcoholic drink!

There is a little more information about immunity on this site from Harvard Medical School if you're interested: https://bit.ly/2xHQHzo Havard Health.

Thankfully many businesses are getting on board to help the situation, including Back To Your Feet Osteopathy. I am currently offering body movement classes online. Although I obviously cannot offer hands on Osteopathic treatment for those that are better to avoid social contact, I am able to speak to you on the phone or better still we can arrange an online appointment. This is where we can discuss your symptoms face to face, a large proportion of assessment is observation and I will be able to offer advice on exercises or what to avoid until you are able to visit the clinic.

*Just to add for anyone local, just this morning on facebook I saw that Panther Taxis of Cambridge (tiny.cc/hhldlz) are offering a collect service from the supermarket to drop at the customers door, brilliant! Every little helps!

Last Note:

Keep smiling and try to use this time to enjoy your home, get jobs done you never have time for, hobbies that never seem happen, learn an instrument, paint a picture, or sow some seeds ready for the garden.

Until next time,

Emma

Back To Your Feet Osteopathy

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