Functional Medicine and COVID19: What You Should Know

With the growing number of COVID-19 cases happening in our world today, and especially in the South Florida area, you might be wondering how you can protect yourself from this virus. Functional medicine can help you focus on how to support your immune system and reduce your chances of getting sick.

At Vitality Health & Aesthetics, located in Bay Harbor Islands and Hallandale Beach, Florida, Solomon Behar, MD, and the rest of our expert team can give you guidance on how to keep your immune system strong with a holistic approach. Our consultation, along with a recommended plan of action, can help keep you well.

To begin a lifestyle of good health, we recommend the following:

Eat a healthy diet

Your body needs proper nutrition to perform at its peak. Your diet should be full of antioxidants and high in fiber, which you can get from plant-based foods.

Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables rich in phytonutrients can enhance your immunity, protect you from toxins, and even repair damage to your DNA. This colorful diet has also been found to reduce risks for cancer and heart disease, too.

We also encourage foods that contain probiotics, such as yogurt, sauerkraut, pickles, and many others. They offer powerful benefits for your gut, brain, and heart, and may even contribute to healthier-looking skin.

Manage your stress

High-stress levels can affect your heart rate, sleep patterns, and overall health. Stress can even intensify autoimmune diseases.

Ways to manage your stress include:

• Learn relaxation techniques, such as yoga or meditation
• Take time to enjoy your hobbies
• Practice time management
• Don’t depend on drugs, alcohol, or tobacco to manage your stress
• Get support from people you can rely on
• See a mental health professional, if needed

When you come in to see us, we sit down and talk with you about your lifestyle habits. Once we understand more about your lifestyle routine and habits, we can guide you in practices to help you manage stress.

Sleep well

You need quality sleep to support your immune system. To sleep well every night, we recommend that you turn off all devices, make sure your room is cool, turn off the lights, and create a place of quiet and calm.

We also encourage you to practice a routine bedtime each night to promote a regular sleep-wake cycle. When you develop consistent times and hours of sleep, your body finds its natural rhythm, which promotes healthy hormones, enhances your mood, helps you focus, and can help your skin look better, too.

Exercise

Regular physical activity helps your body in many ways. It raises your white blood cell count, which helps you fight off infection. It also increases your antibodies, promotes the circulation of your blood, helps eliminate toxic waste from your cells, and decreases your stress hormones.

Dr. Behar and our team can help you develop a personalized daily routine of exercise to help you improve the overall function of your immune system. Engaging in a plan of action can promote better health.

For many, the idea of contracting COVID-19 brings concern, but boosting your immune system in natural ways can help your body combat the threat of the virus along with taking all the other preventive steps as noted by the CDC.

To learn more, call us to schedule an appointment or request an appointment online.