How to Keep SARS at bay

Airplane travellers wear masks to protect themselves against SARS. © www.theage.com.auBy now we have all heard of the deadly SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) virus. A medical researcher from the West Virginia University School of Medicine, Parco M. Siu, gives the following advice on how to minimize your risk of infection.

You cannot avoid the infection unless you avoid infected individuals and areas. But you can boost your immune function in several ways. Make sure you are “extremely healthy”, at least during this critical period. Stronger immune function could keep the viral damage minimal even if you are infected.

Also, stronger immune function delays the onset of any detrimental effects from the viral infection. Scientists are working on tracking the treatment, so make sure you’re still around when an effective treatment is found.

The following suggestions aim to strengthen your immune function within a short period of time.

  1. Antioxidants are chemicals found in foods that strengthen our immune system. Boost your immune function by taking a cocktail of antioxidant supplements.

    • Vitamin E 1000 IU per day - Alpha-tocopherol is the biological active form of vitamin E. There are two forms of it: d-tocopherol and dl-tocopherol. D- is the natural form and dl- is the synthetic form. Try to get the d- form because it is absorbed faster in our body.

    • Vitamin C - 1000 milligram daily. Instead of taking a supplement, eat two pieces of citrus fruits a day to get the vitamin C.

    • Beta-carotene - not more than 10000 IU daily.

    • Selenium - 200 microgram daily.

    • Zinc - not more than 500 milligram daily.

    • Lipoic acid - 50 milligram daily.

    • Glutathione - 50 milligram daily.

    No adverse effects have been reported from these doses.

  2. Let green tea be your daily beverage because it contains a tremendous amount of the antioxidant flavonoid, catechins. Eat more red and dark green fruits and vegetables. They carry a huge amount of antioxidant carotenoids, lycopene and carotene.

  3. No intense physical activity during this critical period! Intense exercise will suppress your immune function (related to the upper respiratory infection) even several days following your workout. Instead of intense exercise, do a light-to-moderate workout if you have been training regularly.

  4. Make sure you get enough carbohydrate foods (rice, potatoes, pasta) because carbohydrate is the primary food for immune cells.

  5. Make sure you get enough sleep and don’t have stress. Anxiety, depression, and fatigue will influence your body’s stress hormones and suppress your immune status.

  6. A mouth-mask helps even if it is not 100% effective. It can still decrease the chance of infection.