Help your immune system fight viruses by making small changes to your daily routine. Let's find out how you can do it without shopping in supermarkets, taking any medicine or vitamin supplements, preparing something in the kitchen, that is, without spending any money.

Boosting immune system is easy

Research indicates that positive emotions are signs of health. Good feelings help protect the body by decreasing levels of cytokines, which are proteins enabling the immune system to work more and preventing proteins Cytokines fight infections, but if they circulate when there is no virus to fight, it isn't very healthy. A high level of cytokines in the body can cause many diseases, such as arthritis, major depression, diabetes, heart condition and Alzheimer.

In an experiment at the University of California, Berkeley, a decrease in cytokines coincided with feelings of honor, joy and satisfaction after some music or spirituality. Participants first talked about their daily experiences, and oral tissue samples were taken. The results indicated that the amount of cytokines in people with positive feelings, such as love, mercy, satisfaction, joy, love and honor, were at the lowest level.

While much research indicates that physical methods such as enough sleep can boost immune systems, this research is the first that indicates psychological situations affect the immune system.

Meditation

According to a study at Wisconsin University, the mind can decrease the chance of catching a cold by 40 or 50 percent, as people who exercise, meditate or do yoga, which bring mental and physical serenity, get sick less often, and their immune system is stronger since their stress level decreases.

Wash your hands

Washing your hands cursorily invites diseases, but if done properly, it decreases the chance of getting sick by 16 percent. To wash them properly, rub them for 20 seconds, make sure to lather the backs of your hands and between your nails. It's ridiculous that some people don't know how to wash the hands. If there is no restroom nearby, using disinfectant.

When is hand washing most critical?

l Before amd after dealing with someone who is sick

When you leave a friend who has the flu

Before preparing a meal

After preparing a meal

Before eating the delicious meal that you have prepared

Beware of ATMs

We visit ATMs almost on a daily basis. Thus, potential exposure to viruses is much higher. Use gloves or napkin while using ATMs to avoid viruses. Of course, don't use your hands to pull off gloves or touch their exterior surfaces. However, the good news is in cold weather, viruses die after a day. Just be sure to dry your gloves properly as viruses love moisture.

Wash vegetables thoroughly

Vegetables and fruits can be seen as if they can be eaten after being taken out from bags but they expose so many pesticides and preservatives. Thus, they should be disinfected before being consumed. Adding a glass of vinegar to three glasses of water very effectively cleans vegetables and fruits. Bacteria can get into them in various ways and can also be found in organic fertilizers and fields. The best way to protect vegetables from bacteria is vinegar. Research indicates that water can remove 98 percent of bacteria. Therefore, water can't extinguish them totally even if it is a good disinfectant. Don't forget to use water with vinegar.

cross-contamination in kitchen

Cross-contamination can be described as different foods' affecting and rotting one another.

What should we do?

Wash your hands after touching raw foods.

Keep raw and prepared foods separate.

Keep raw meat in closed containers. Thus, it can't affect other foods.

Use a different chopping board for raw and prepared foods or wash it properly while preparing different types of foods.

l After using knives and other materials with raw foods, wash them properly.

Don't wash raw meat or poultry as harmful bacteria can be killed by cooking, and washing can spatter harmful bacteria in your kitchen.

Pay attention to public toilets

Opening and closing toilet doors can be difficult without using hands. A napkin can help. Wash your hands with soap and warm water before and after using the toilet and use a napkin or elbow to open a door to avoid microbes.

Scary sneezes

Most of us hold our breath when someone sneezes, and think it is a safety shield that protects us. However, if you don't hold your breath very long, it won't work because small respiratory cells can hang in the air. If you hold your breath, turning in a different direction can be effective as saliva drops can travel 150 centimeters.

Letting an an employee who shows disease symptoms take leave is difficult for an employer but you risk the health of other employees. An ill employee's microbes will be in every common area and on many employees' hands. Give them time off from work and think of how you can ease the workload.

Remove your hands from your face

By touching your face you can transfer viruses. Remove your hands from your face. Touching the face is a chronic habit. If you have such a habit, microbes can circulate easily on your face, mouth or nose. This leaves you open to illnesses.

Shaking hands invites disease

When you shake hands with someone sick, their bacteria become yours and will reach your face. Hands lead to 80 percent of diseases. If you shake hands, don't be scared. Wash your hands and disinfect them with soap and warm water to kill microbes. However, warn other people if you are ill and try not to shake hands.

Key for immune system: Sleeping

Research reveals that people who sleep six hours are more likely to get sick than people who sleep seven hours and even worse for those who sleep five hours. While sleeping six hours quadruples risk, those sleeping five hours have a fivefold risk. Sleeping is an important natural immune booster for our bodies.