Living The “New Normal”
“I used to fall sick very easily. After taking ProVie G & Living Logic+, I feel more energetic and don’t fall sick so often.”
Ms Marie Shi, lecturer
| Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest tips, information & offers! |
Challenges In The “New Normal”
The recent pandemic has brought a wave of crisis and disruptions to the whole world. In a short span of time, it has changed the way we do things. According to many experts, this turbulent period is going to continue as the virus is here to stay [1]. In the “New Normal”, we face three specific challenges as we adjust to new ways of living our daily lives. The first is the relationship between our immune system and viral infections, the second is the way we manage chronic disorders and the third is the way we cope with the disruptions and changes.
How The Immune System Fights Viral Infections
A viral infection is a proliferation of a harmful virus in the body. Viruses infect a host by introducing their genetic material into the cells of the body, hijacking the cells’ mechanism to produce more viruses and eventually killing the cells. Typically, the body’s immune system will respond in reaction to the viral invaders. Infected areas are flooded with immune cells to clear away the viruses and repair the damaged tissue with the side effect of creating inflammation. When the immune system is working properly, the inflammation is confined to the infected areas. However, when the immune system is dysfunctional, it over reacts, killing everything in their paths including healthy tissues. The inflammation might spread to other parts of the body, causing even more damage which might lead to multi-organ failures or even death.
How is it that in some people, their immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue while in others, the immune system is tightly controlled and functions properly? The answer lies in the gut. The gut is home for a very large number of microbes called the gut microbiota or flora. This flora has a huge impact on our health and equilibrium of the body. It influences many aspects of the body’s physiology from metabolism to the cardiovascular system and nervous system. In particular, the gut flora plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy immune system.
The immune system consists of cells and molecules that protect us from disease by monitoring our bodies and responding to any foreign bodies (for example, infectious microbes and agents) that are perceived as threats. 70-80% of the body’s immune cells are found in the gut. The first contact between the immune system and the gut microbes occur at birth. Throughout life, the immune system shapes the composition of the gut flora and in turn, the gut flora shapes the development of the immune system. In particular, the gut flora helps the immune system to fine tune its responses to microbes in the body. It supports vigorous responses against dangerous pathogens, milder responses against lesser pathogenic agents, promotes tolerance to harmless microbes and maintains self-tolerance to our own body tissues.
The ability of the immune system to find the right equilibrium between reaction and tolerance can only be achieved when the gut is healthy and the flora is balanced. If the gut flora becomes unbalanced, it loses the ability to “teach” the immune system which in turn is unable to respond appropriately when encountering microbes in the body. In the extreme case, the immune system may turn on the body itself and begin attacking healthy tissues, resulting in numerous autoimmune illnesses.
In order to fight viral infections efficiently, the body’s immune system has to function properly. Taking probiotic supplements to support a healthy gut flora is one way of maintaining a robust and strong immune system to fight viral infections in the body.
For more information, read our article on Seventy Percent of Our Immune Cells Lie in the Intestine.
Diabetes, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Obesity and Viral Infection
People with conditions of diabetes, heart diseases, high blood pressure and/or obesity, even when well-managed, are at high risk of serious health complications when contacted with viral infections such as the flu. These complications may include pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections and ear infections, and may eventually lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death.
These viral infections, in turn, can worsen the chronic health problems. This is because the chronic conditions make the immune system weaker and less able to fight infections. Viral infections can actually aggravate the chronic conditions by causing blood glucose and blood pressure to rise significantly.
Age is another factor which increases the risk of developing complications from viral infection. It is recognized that people 65 years and older have weakened immune defences and are hence at higher risk in comparison to young adults. For example, it is estimated that between 70 to 85 percent of seasonal flu-related deaths have occurred in people 65 years and older, and between 50 to 70 percent of seasonal flu-related hospitalizations have occurred among people in this age group.
Even patients who are currently keeping their chronic conditions under control with medication are not spared. Although the symptoms are managed, their immune system nevertheless remains weakened and their bodies are less able to fight the infection.
For this group of people, in the “New Normal”, medication alone may not be enough. They need to be vigilant and take practical and more natural steps to manage their chronic conditions and maintain a healthy immune system. The checklist of things to do is presented in the section “Surviving the New Normal” further below.
It is therefore imperative that people in these risk groups do their utmost to maintain their immune system, manage their chronic conditions and avoid viral infection. This can be achieved through a combination of eating in a healthy manner, exercising regularly, getting sufficient sleep, taking the right supplements, living a life with reduced stress and practising good hygiene.
Read our article on Protect Yourself from the Virus Outbreak for tips to live life better.
Sources:
> How Vulnerable Are Patients With Cardiovascular Disease to Flu Complications?
> Why the Flu is Bad for Diabetes Patients?
> Common virus could cause high blood pressure
Dealing With Stress
Many of us want this difficult period to go away as quickly as possible, and crave life to return to what it was before the pandemic. Unfortunately, this is not going to happen. Instead, in the “New Normal”, we are exposed to a new social norms including movement restrictions, social distancing and working from home. In addition, new fears have arisen including falling sick, loss of income, depressing news, etc. These stresses make us worried, anxious and for some, depressed. It is no coincidence that during this period, the number of people seeking help with mental health has increased [5]. So has the number of cases of domestic violence [6].
When we are subjected to stress, a fight-or-flight response is triggered which is designed to help us cope with the stress and escape danger. The body undergoes a series of changes which suppress non-essential activities such as sexual desire, reproduction and digestion, and release chemical messengers such as hormones to channel resources and energy to the brain and muscles in anticipation of the fight or flight.
These chemical messengers also impact the gut microbiota by altering its composition. In the absence of stress, a balanced healthy microbiota produces short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate, that exert anti-inflammatory and positive effects in the body. However, during stress, the altered gut microbiota can change the way neurotransmitters are regulated in the gut and negatively affect our mental state through its direct communication with the brain via the gut-brain axis. Continuous and prolonged exposure to stress can lead to mild chronic inflammation which has the knock on effect of causing a leaky gut and eventually the weakening of the immune system. If left unchecked, this will lead to the onset of autoimmune disorders, susceptibility to viral infections, mood swings, anxiety and depression.
You can find out more about this phenomena in our other articles below:
Stress, anxiety, depression and mood: the gut microbiome is involved
> The effects of stress and meditation on the immune system, human microbiota, and epigenetics
> Gut bacteria can influence your mood, thoughts, and brain
> The role of inflammation and the gut microbiome in depression and anxiety
Surviving The “New Normal”
Here are some practical tips to make life better in the “New Normal”:
- Get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation is a major cause of a weakened immune system [7].
- Exercise. If you are not careful, staying home during the circuit breaker period may lead to prolonged inactivity which in turn adversely affects the immune system and aggravates chronic conditions.
- Eat healthily. Home confinement may lead to overeating and excessive weight gain with detrimental effects on the immune system and chronic conditions. Always eat balanced meals with variety and in moderation.
- Take supplements. Choose supplements to maintain the immune system and support the management of chronic conditions.
- Follow the advice from our health authorities to maintain basic hygiene practices such as washing hands regularly with soap, wearing masks, practising safe distancing, staying home and avoiding crowded places.
Take heart, do the right thing and we can make it through together.
ProVie G And Living Logic+ Can Help
At Freshwerkz, we are focused to help you live life better. Our two flagship products, ProVie G and Living Logic+ can help you through this trying period. ProVie G contains fermented bitter gourd (aka bitter melon) and moringa for support of healthy levels of glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure. Living Logic+ contains fermented rhodiola, cistanche and almonds for enhancing mood, alertness, concentration and brain health. Both products contain probiotics and prebiotics which are essential for maintaining a healthy gut and immune system.
ProVie G
Living Logic+
For best results, take 1 capsule of Living Logic+ everyday in the morning, and 1 capsule of ProVie G everyday in the evening, on top of keeping an active and healthy lifestyle.
Benefits of ProVie G & Living Logic+
ProVie G
Living Logic+
Why Choose Us
7 Out of 10 Customers are Repeat Buyers*
You Can Be Like Them
Live Life Better
* based on online purchase records
