How To Minimise The Risk of a Viral Infection

There are a number of simple things that you can do that will improve your overall health and minimise your risk of getting a viral infection. All indications are that people with a reasonably healthy immune system will not suffer heavy symptoms from the current outbreak, if they show any at all.

Practice Good Hygiene
At this stage you probably don't need to be told to thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water. That's a given. If you're out and about try to avoid touching things as much as possible - hand rails or anything that is a shared surface, so to speak. Importantly, avoid touching your face. Viruses can enter the body through the nose, mouth and even the eyes. So, don't rub your eyes. Always wash your hands after you've been out in public. Always wash your hands before you eat!

Avoid Toxins
Any poison will weaken the body's defenses and that includes alcohol and tobacco. If you're a smoker you probably won't quit just because of this article, but maybe you could at least cut back for the time being. Limit your alcohol intake to place less of a stress on the body.

Stress
Increased stress will decrease your body's ability to defend itself. So how do you do that with all the media hype? I suggest limiting your exposure to the media. Regardless of the situation the media will always seek to make it seem worse than it actually is.

Sleep
The body needs a good night's sleep to perform it's repair functions. Also, not being well slept does leave you more exposed to illness as it does have a detrimental effect on the body's immune system.

Sunshine
Allow yourself some exposure to the sun every day, as long as it's available and not overcast. Sunshine is the absolute best source of vitamin D, one of the best nutrients for the body's immunity.

Sugar
Limit your intake of sugar as much as possible. Sugar only weakens the immune system. It inhibits the performance of white blood cells. Avoid soft drinks, fruit juice (unless it's freshly squeezed orange juice, which is a good source of vitamin C) and lollies (obviously).

Eat Healthy
Make sure you're getting enough fruit and vegetables in your daily meals. These are your natural sources of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Also, it wouldn't hurt to supplement the most important vitamins and minerals for immune health. These are Vitamins D, C, E , Selenium and Zinc.