3. Relax your stress level
I won’t be unreasonable as to suggest eliminating stress, since that seems unrealistic in these unprecedented times. But try to take off the added edge through practicing yoga, meditation, warm baths or home Jacuzzi soaks. Try to avoid conversations that heighten your anxiety and stress as well. While social distancing, you might also try emotional distancing from any elements in your life that have a negative impact.
Also relative to the current situation, stress causes stress-eating (especially immune reactive foods) and excess alcohol consumption, which can also open up the tight junctions of the intestinal barrier, circling us back around to the first suggestion to keep your gut healthy.
4. Try to avoid exposure to harsh chemical cleaners
As we continue to hear the words, “wash for 20 seconds” and public businesses and retail stores are supplying hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes aplenty, we are walking a fine line between fighting this virus and our bodies turning on us by fighting their own cells. Through the overuse of antibacterials and other cleaning agents, we can alter the balance of our intestinal bacteria that has taken centuries to develop. Cyrex Labs offers the Array 14 – Mucosal Immune Reactivity Screen™ to test for possible outcomes of compromised immune tolerance such as intestinal barrier dysfunction, food and chemical immune reactivity and autoimmunity. This could be helpful if you suspect you have autoimmunity related to chemical exposure. In the meantime, try to use non-antibacterial soap and warm water to wash your hands using the 20-second suggestion. This is just as effective at killing bacteria.
The post-COVID environment is ripe for an uptick in autoimmunity due to broken barrier systems from all of the above, increased pathogen exposure and excess exposure to a variety of cleaning chemicals. It is more important than ever, in this environment, to nurture your immune system and do all that you can to keep it balanced.