Don’t panic.

A gentle reminder that a majority of those that come into contact with most bacteria, viruses, or microbes do not become seriously ill and only a small amount of people require more extensive care. Stay up to date with the CDC recommendations and guidelines. Plus, stress can decrease your body's lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that helps fight off infections.

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Wash your hands.

This is an important way to fight off potential infections and reduce your risk of exposure. Do this as part of your everyday routine.

• Wet your hands under running water
• Lather with soap (get in between fingers and under fingernails)
• Scrub for at least 20 seconds
• Dry with a clean towel or air dry

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Avoid touching your eyes and mouth.

By avoiding contact between your hands and mucus membranes, you are reducing your risk of an easy entry way for pathogens to enter the body.

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Cover your sneeze and cough.

Avoid coughing out in the open or sneezing into your hands. Our hands tend to touch surfaces shared by numerous people (e.g. doorknobs, refrigerator handles, phones, desks, seats, etc). Instead, cover both nose and mouth with your elbow or a tissue (then immediately discard).

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Get some sleep!

The quality and quantity of your sleep can alter your chances of catching a virus and your ability to recover. During your sleep, your immune system produces cytokines that are needed when you have an infection. Not getting enough sleep can reduce your production of these immune-protective peptides. Strive for 7.5-8 hours of restorative sleep per night. Teenagers and younger children need closer to 10 hours.

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Move your body.

Regular daily exercise is a foundation of a healthy life. Not only does regular exercise reduce the risk of heart disease and improve cognitive function, it also naturally boosts your body’s immune system. The benefit may be due to the encouragement of good circulation that exercise provides, allowing cells that contribute to the body’s immune system to move more freely to do their job.

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Sick? Stay at home.

If you are starting to feel unwell, develop a fever, cough, or sneeze stay home to reduce exposure to the people around you. Call your doctor before heading into the medical office or hospital. Share your symptoms and recent travel history. Listen to their recommendations of what to do next.

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Eat more plants.

Increase your servings of vegetables, especially dark leafy greens. Green vegetables like broccoli, kale, Swiss chard, spinach, beet greens, and Brussels sprouts are rich in immune-strengthening antioxidants vitamin C and vitamin E, as well as folate and iron.

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Reduce exposure to environmental toxins.

As humans, we expose ourselves to numerous toxic chemicals throughout the day which may suppress our immune responsiveness. Eat organic when possible, wash your produce thoroughly, avoid heating food in plastic, and shop for non-toxic personal hygiene and cleaning products.

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End your shower on cold.

You may quiver at the thought of ending your warm shower on cold, but there are a few studies that show ending your warm shower on cold for 30 seconds led to fewer self-reported sick days. Cold showers may boost the number of white blood cells by increasing the body’s metabolic rate to warm the body back up.

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Stock up your house with home supplies and food.

This way you will be prepared to stay home to recover if you are starting to feel under the weather. Stocking up your home with supplies will limit exposing others.

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