Can water boost your immunity?

Yes it can!
As the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise around the globe, it has become important to take good care of yourself. Practising social distancing, maintaining good hygiene and staying at home as much as possible are the most reliable ways to protect yourself from coming in contact with the deadly virus.

The next best thing you can do is to eat healthy and nutritious food, so if you somehow come into contact with the virus, your body will be able to fight it off. Several foods and drinks may help you boost your immunity and fight with the disease-causing bacteria and virus. To your surprise, even water can help to boost your immunity. Here is how it is beneficial for your health!

Importance of water

Water is the basic necessity of life. It carries nutrient and minerals to different parts of the body and flushes out toxins and waste. Apart from this, it also helps to regulate the body's temperature.

​Water and immunity

Even in general when someone is sick or has a fever they are advised to keep themselves hydrated as water helps your body naturally eliminate the toxins and bacteria that cause illness.

Water also helps to carry oxygen to different cells of the body, which in turn helps in the proper functioning of the body. It is recommended to drink at least 2 litres of water daily to stay healthy and fit. When you are sick, try to increase your water intake. Plain water is the best, but if you find it difficult to drink 8 glasses to water in a day then you can also try lemon or mint water. They are equally beneficial for health. 

Mint water

Mint is a prized herb that has a significant role in Ayurvedic medicine. Packed with anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties, mint helps to prevent free radical activity. It can help to detox your body and is even good for the skin.

​Lemon water

The high amount of vitamin C, folate and potassium present in lemon can also help to boost your immunity. Starting your day with a warm glass of water and lemon juice can do wonders for your health.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

Are Coronavirus Symptoms Different in Children? Here's What to Know

Since the coronavirus COVID-19 was first identified in China in December 2019, researchers have been collecting and analyzing as much data as possible to try to work out how the virus behaves and what its impact is on different age groups.

A new study, published March 16 in Pediatrics, looked at data from January 16 to February 8 on 2,143 children in China. It found that cases of COVID-19 in kids were generally less severe than those in adults, although infants had higher rates of severe illness than older children. Just under 11 percent of infants had severe or critical cases compared to 7 percent of children ages 1 to 5, 4 percent of those ages 6 to 10, 4 percent of those ages 11 to 15 and 3 percent of those age 16 and older.

While it may be some relief to parents that children generally experience mild symptoms, the fact is that some kids may get very sick. (A 12-year-old girl in Georgia had to be placed on a ventilator, the New York Times reported.)

Nobody really knows why younger kids may be more susceptible to infection than older children, but one theory is that infants and babies have not yet developed immunity to any (or many) of the common coronavirus strains that normally circulate. Few of us had heard of coronavirus before the start of 2020, but it’s nothing new, pediatrician Cara Natterson, MD, the author of Decoding Boys: New Science Behind the Subtle Art of Raising Sons, tells Health. “It’s a family of viruses that causes the common cold. But this strain that is spreading across the world is new.”

It makes sense that babies would be the sickest from COVID-19, because they have very vulnerable immune systems, Rebecca C. Brightman, MD, assistant clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive medicine at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, tells Health.

The same reasoning explains why older children aren’t typically getting ill from the coronavirus. (However, as the New York Times reported, the death of a 17-year boy in California is being investigated as a possible case of coronavirus. If confirmed, he would be the first known minor in the US to succumb to COVID-19, says the Times.)

Of the children studied in China, about 4 percent of them were asymptomatic (showed no symptoms at all), 51 percent had mild illness and 39 percent had moderate illness. About 6 percent had severe or critical illness, compared to 18.5 percent of adults. One child, a 14-year-old boy, died.

“Once infants become toddlers, they are exposed to many germs and viruses, which serves to strengthen their immune systems, including the common coronavirus strains,” Dr. Brightman explains. “This is why children and young adults probably do well with COVID-19. With age (i.e. people over 65), the immune system weakens and they too are at greater risk of developing severe symptoms and warranting hospitalization.”


When it comes to the symptoms of COVID-19, they’re generally the same in kids as in adults, but milder Dr. Natterson says. “Look for a cough, fever, runny nose and shortness of breath.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirms that the coronavirus symptoms are similar in children and adults, adding that vomiting and diarrhea have also been reported in kids. “It’s not known yet whether some children may be at higher risk for severe illness, for example, children with underlying medical conditions and special healthcare needs,” the website states. “There is much more to be learned about how the disease impacts children.”

If you think your child has COVID-19, the first thing you should do is call your doctor, Dr. Natterson says. But don’t walk in to an ER or Urgent Care unless you’re told to do so by a healthcare professional. “Right now, we want to keep people away from ERs to minimize the flood of patients that need to be seen,” she explains. “We also don’t want to expose non-coronavirus patients to ones with the virus. Save the care for patients who need it.”

Your doctor will advise you on how to treat your child’s symptoms and protect other family members. “Parents should quarantine the entire family if one child is ill,” Dr. Natterson says. “The very best way to protect other people from getting the virus is to limit exposure, so if there is someone in the house in a high risk group (with an underlying medical condition or who is elderly), you will want to figure out a system to keep that person separated from the one who is infected with COVID-19, and you’ll want to wipe down surfaces frequently and wash hands very regularly.”

If anything, the Pediatrics study should remind everyone of the importance of social distancing,  Dr. Natterson adds. “Parents shouldn’t feel added anxiety because of these reports—stressing out won’t help, but social distancing will.”

She says the best protection against infection is to keep your kids home as much as possible, don’t have other kids (or adults) over to visit and don’t go into other peoples’ homes for now. And when kids do hang out in person, keep it outside with at least six feet of distance between them.

More testing and research is needed to understand children’s role in spreading the virus in their communities. In the meantime, follow the guidelines and your doctor’s advice, and stay safe.

The information in this story is accurate as of press time. However, as the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to evolve, it's possible that some data have changed since publication. While Health is trying to keep our stories as up-to-date as possible, we also encourage readers to stay informed on news and recommendations for their own communities by using the CDC, WHO, and their local public health department as resources.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     
https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  

https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

Coronavirus patients, doctors seem to be temporarily losing their sense of taste and smell — here’s why

As COVID-19 continues to spread, now topping 370,000 cases worldwide, mentions of a previously unknown symptom of COVID-19 — loss of smell — are gaining traction. “Haven’t been able to smell anything for the last 4 days,” tweeted Rudy Gobert, a player of the Utah Jazz who was the first NBA player to test positive for the coronavirus 11 days ago. “Anyone experiencing the same thing?

According to a paper published Friday by Claire Hopkins, PhD, a professor of rhinology at King’s College London, Gobert is far from alone. “There have been a rapidly growing number of reports of a significant increase in the number of patients presenting with anosmia [loss of smell] in the absence of other symptoms,” Hopkins writes in the paper, published by UK ENT (a medical society of ear nose and throat doctors). “This has been widely shared on medical discussion boards by surgeons from all regions...”

Hopkins adds that while early warnings did not mention anosmia as a symptom of the virus, many countries are now reporting it in their patients, including South Korea, China and Italy. In Germany, doctors are reporting than “2 in 3 confirmed cases” of COVID-19 present with anosmia.

Not everyone is ready to declare loss of smell and taste a symptom of COVID-19 at this point. At a press conference Monday morning, the World Health Organization said it had yet to verify the theory. “We've seen quite a few reports about people in the early stages of the disease [that] may lose the sense of smell, may lose the sense of taste," said Maria Van Kerkhove, PhD, part of the WHO's health emergencies program. "But this is something that we need to look into to really capture if this is one of the signs and symptoms of COVID-19."

Still, in an email to Yahoo Lifestyle, Hopkins says that the reports about the loss of smell as a symptom have not only been shared on medical boards but also “closed social media groups for doctors to share experiences of COVID-19.” On one, Hopkins says an Italian doctor shared that “he and many of his colleagues had lost their sense of smell while working in northern Italy dealing with COVID-19 patients.” 

After seeing other reports of the symptoms, Hopkins decided to publish what she and others had found. “I saw so many patients last week who had not been picked up by our hospital screenings questions,” Hopkins tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctors are now expressing concern that if more healthcare workers and patients are not made aware of these new symptoms, many more cases could go undetected.

In the spirit of staying safe, here’s what you need to know.

Those with loss of smell/taste could be asymptomatic carriers

While more research is needed to determine exactly how common it is to experience loss of smell and taste, Hopkins notes that most people with those symptoms had few others, meaning they could be unknowingly passing COVID-19 on. “There is potential that if any adult with anosmia but no other symptoms was asked to self isolate for seven days, in addition to the current symptom criteria used to trigger quarantine, we might be able to reduce the number of otherwise asymptomatic individuals who continue to act as vectors,” Hopkins writes in the paper. “It will also be an important trigger for healthcare personnel to employ full PPE [personal protective equipment]...”

Both symptoms are common, and often caused by inflammation

It may seem alarming to imagine losing the sense of smell and taste, but both symptoms occur frequently and are most often temporary. “Post-viral loss of smell is quite common — occurring with a common cold and affecting up to 300,000 patients a year in the UK,” Hopkins tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “There is a good chance of recovery with reports from Italy matching the experience of my patients and affected colleagues that recovery often starts within 2 weeks.”

Hopkins says the symptoms were surprising given that COVID-19 does not seem to produce “nasal blockage or runny nose,” but those aren’t necessarily required to hinder those senses. William Schaffner, PhD, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University, has one theory. “This [has to do with] an area back behind the nose where the virus lurks,” says Schaffner. “So I would think this has to do with some sort of local inflammatory response.”

Sense of smell and sense of taste are intertwined

Although Hopkins’ paper focuses primarily on the loss of sense of smell, previous research has shown that loss of taste is deeply connected to smell. Schaffner affirms that the two work in tandem. “We’ve been getting lots of reports of loss of taste. Most people don’t realize that their sense of taste is largely controlled by their sense of smell,” Schaffner tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “So if you lose your sense of smell, you also lose much of your sense of taste.”

The symptom probably isn’t new; doctors just may have missed it

For those with fears that the new symptoms signal a mutated virus, Schaffner says there’s another explanation. “This is more likely something that [had] not come to attention sufficiently to be reported,” Schaffner tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “The average doctor — including infectious disease doctors — if we’re taking care of patients who have respiratory infections will not proactively ask about your sense of smell, it just doesn’t occur to ask that. Unless the patient volunteers it, we won’t know about it.”

If you experience loss of taste/smell and feel OK, stay home

Now that both anecdotal and medical reports have found the symptoms to be associated with COVID-19, Hopkins and Schaffner say that anyone experiencing those should self-isolate. “If you suddenly lose your sense of smell and taste you may be positive, that’s the message,” says Schaffner. “So stay away from others because you could be positive even if you don’t have other symptoms.” 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

Social Distancing: This is Not a Snow Day

I know there is some confusion about what to do next in the midst of this unprecedented time of a pandemic, school closures, and widespread social disruption. As a primary care physician and public health leader, I have been asked by a lot of people for my opinion, and I will provide it below based on the best information available to me today. These are my personal views, and my take on the necessary steps ahead.

What I can clearly say is that what we do, or don’t do, over the next week will have a massive impact on the local and perhaps national trajectory of coronavirus. We are only about 11 days behind Italy and generally on track to repeat what is unfortunately happening there and throughout much of the rest of Europe very soon.

At this point, containment through contact tracing and increased testing is only part of the necessary strategy. We must move to pandemic mitigation through widespread, uncomfortable, and comprehensive social distancing. That means not only shutting down schools, work (as much as possible), group gatherings, and public events, but also making daily choices to stay away from each other as much as possible to Flatten The Curve below.

Source: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/3/6/21161234/coronavirus-covid-19-science-outbreak-ends-endemic-vaccine

Our health system will not be able to cope with the projected numbers of people who will need acute care should we not muster the fortitude and will to socially distance each other starting now. On a regular day, we have about 45,000 staffed ICU beds nationally, which can be ramped up in a crisis to about 95,000. Even moderate projections suggest that if current infectious trends hold, our capacity (locally and nationally) may be overwhelmed as early as mid-late April. Thus, the only strategies that can get us off this concerning trajectory are those that enable us to work together as a community to maintain public health by staying apart.

The wisdom, and necessity, of this more aggressive, early, and extreme form of social distancing can be needed if situation worsens. I would urge you to take a minute to walk through the interactive graphs — they will drive home the point about what we need to do now to avoid a worse crisis later. Historical lessons and experiences of countries worldwide have shown us that taking these actions early can have a dramatic impact on the magnitude of the outbreak. So what does this enhanced form of social distancing mean on a daily basis, when schools are cancelled?

Here are some steps you can start taking now to keep your family safe and do your part to avoid a worsening crisis:

1. We need to push our local, state, and national leaders to close ALL schools and public spaces and cancel all events and public gatherings now.

A local, town by town response won’t have the adequate needed effect. We need a statewide, nationwide approach in these trying times. Contact your representative and your governor to urge them to enact statewide closures. As of today, six states have already done so. Your state should be one of them. Also urge leaders to increase funds for emergency preparedness and make widening coronavirus testing capacity an immediate and top priority. We also need legislators to enact better paid sick leave and unemployment benefits to help nudge people to make the right call to stay at home right now.

2. No kid playdates, parties, sleepovers, or families/friends visiting each other’s houses and apartments.

This sounds extreme because it is. We are trying to create distance between family units and between individuals. It may be particularly uncomfortable for families with small children, kids with differential abilities or challenges, and for kids who simply love to play with their friends. But even if you choose only one friend to have over, you are creating new links and possibilities for the type of transmission that all of our school/work/public event closures are trying to prevent. The symptoms of coronavirus take four to five days to manifest themselves. Someone who comes over looking well can transmit the virus. Sharing food is particularly risky — I definitely do not recommend that people do so outside of their family.

We have already taken extreme social measures to address this serious disease — let’s not actively co-opt our efforts by having high levels of social interaction at people’s houses instead of at schools or workplaces. Again — the wisdom of early and aggressive social distancing is that it can flatten the curve above, give our health system a chance to not be overwhelmed, and eventually may reduce the length and need for longer periods of extreme social distancing later (see what has transpired in Italy and Wuhan). We need to all do our part during these times, even if it means some discomfort for a while.

3. Take care of yourself and your family, but maintain social distance.

Exercise, take walks/runs outside, and stay connected through phone, video, and other social media. But when you go outside, do your best to maintain at least six feet between you and non-family members. If you have kids, try not to use public facilities like playground structures, as coronavirus can live on plastic and metal for up to nine days, and these structures aren’t getting regularly cleaned.

Going outside will be important during these strange times, and the weather is improving. Go outside every day if you are able, but stay physically away from people outside your family or roommates. If you have kids, try playing a family soccer game instead of having your kids play with other kids, since sports often mean direct physical contact with others. And though we may wish to visit elders in our community in person, I would not visit nursing homes or other areas where large numbers of the elderly reside, as they are at highest risk for complications and mortality from coronavirus.

Social distancing can take a toll (after all, most of us are social creatures). The CDC offers tips and resources to reduce this burden, and other resources offer strategies to cope with the added stress during this time.

We need to find alternate ways to reduce social isolation within our communities through virtual means instead of in-person visits.

4. Reduce the frequency of going to stores, restaurants, and coffee shops for the time being.

Of course trips to the grocery store will be necessary, but try to limit them and go at times when they are less busy. Consider asking grocery stores to queue people at the door in order to limit the number of people inside a store at any one time. Remember to wash your hands thoroughly before and after your trip. And leave the medical masks and gloves for the medical professionals — we need them to care for those who are sick. Maintain distance from others while shopping — and remember that hoarding supplies negatively impacts others so buy what you need and leave some for everyone else. Take-out meals and food are riskier than making food at home given the links between the people who prepare food, transport the food, and you. It is hard to know how much that risk is, but it is certainly higher than making it at home. But you can and should continue to support your local small businesses (especially restaurants and other retailers) during this difficult time by buying gift certificates online that you can use later.

5. If you are sick, isolate yourself, stay home, and contact a medical professional.

If you are sick, you should try to isolate yourself from the rest of your family within your residence as best as you can. If you have questions about whether you qualify or should get a coronavirus test, you can call your primary care team and/or consider calling the Massachusetts Department of Public Health at 617.983.6800 (or your state's department of health if you are outside of Massachusetts). Don’t just walk into an ambulatory clinic — call first so that they can give you the best advice — which might be to go to a drive-through testing center or a virtual visit on video or phone. Of course, if it is an emergency call 911.

I realize there is a lot built into these suggestions, and that they represent a real burden for many individuals, families, businesses, and communities. Social distancing is hard and may negatively impact many people, especially those who face vulnerabilities in our society. I recognize that there is structural and social inequity built in and around social distancing recommendations. We can and must take steps to bolster our community response to people who face food insecurity, domestic violence, and housing challenges, along with the many other social disadvantages.

I also realize that not everyone can do everything. But we have to try our absolute best as a community, starting today. Enhancing social distancing, even by one day, can make a large difference.

We have a preemptive opportunity to save lives through the actions we take right now that we will not have in a few weeks. It is a public health imperative. It is also our responsibility as a community to act while we still have a choice and while our actions can have the greatest impact.

We cannot wait.

 This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

by,  Asaf Bitton, MD, MPH, is the executive director of Ariadne Labs in Boston, MA.