'Hi Joe – can you recommend any supplements to help boost the immune system to help fight off virus?'
Supplements are exactly that – supplements. They can't be seen as magic fix for a poor diet; there is no substitute for a well balanced, nutrient dense diet.
Picture a house, your day to day diet is the foundation of this house. We want to build a strong sturdy house on-top; a strong health body. We cannot build a strong healthy body on poor foundations. That being said, when we are looking to OPTIMIZE that body and immune system on-top of the strong foundations, there are a few supplements we can move on and look at.
I would look at supplementing Vitamin D (5000iu per day) combined with Vitamin K2 for absorption while working inside all day – remember Vitamin D is a hormone as opposed to a Vitamin and is essential to boost the immune system and various repair processes within the body. MAKE SURE IT'S COMBINED WITH K2! We need this to help us absorb it ... it should say on the packet!
I would also suggest a good Vitamin C supplement with a gram in the morning and again at night. Vitamin C is well known for it's immune boosting abilities.
Thirdly … more sleep! SLEEP IS WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS … those of you who have worked with me will have heard me repeat this endlessly :D!
How does Covid-19 attack the body?
COVID-19, is caught through droplets from an infected person’s cough, sneeze, or breath. They could be in the air or on a surface that you touch before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. That gives the virus a passage to the mucous membranes in your throat. Within 2 to 14 days, your immune system may respond with symptoms including fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, aches etc. The virus moves down your respiratory tract; the airway that includes your mouth, nose, throat, and lungs. Your lower airways have more ACE2 receptors than the rest of your respiratory tract. So COVID-19 is more likely to go deeper than viruses like the common cold we sometimes get at this time of year.Your lungs might become inflamed, making it tough for you to breathe, this can lead to pneumonia - an infection of the tiny air sacs (called alveoli) inside your lungs where your blood exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide.Not something I would like to get! So please stay at home and save lives – get your hour of exercise per day and keep the big three strong... NUTRITION, MOVEMENT, SLEEP, EXERCISE!
Hi Joe, I'm working from home and I get swollen knees from being at my desk for a long time, what can I do?
Firstly, I would recommend a standing desk! A standing desk provides up to three times the 'calorie burn' of a regular seated desk. It's better for posture, and can keep us more productive! If spending prolonged periods standing is much you can alternate between seated and standing. Secondly, I'd recommend drinking lots of water. Not only for the hydration benefit … but it makes you get up and go to the toilet! IT MAKES YOU MOVE. Those knees crave movement!
My third top would be to spend some time on the floor in the evening. Literally sitting on the floor. If it's Netflix and chill, try and spend 30mins of it on the floor … I bet its tough at first! You will need to keep shuffling to stay comfy through different positions … again movement!
Thank you for your questions, and please feel free to respond to this with some more for next week's Q and A!
In health,
Joe