COVID19 is now transitioning from a pandemic to an epidemic. Sadly, however, it is still far from over. What’s more, scientists have warned that pandemics are likely to become a more frequent occurrence in the future. This means that everybody has to play a role in minimizing the damage they cause. Here is some guidance from the experts at steamshowerstore.
The past, present, and future of pandemics
Even now, probably the world’s most infamous pandemic was the bubonic plague that devastated the world in the 14th century. It caused an estimated 75 million deaths at a time when the global population was only about 380 million.
For comparison, the death toll from COVID19 is currently believed to be in the region of 6 million versus a global population of around 6 billion. That difference is due to modern science and technology.
On the other hand, COVID19 spread across the world at a speed that would have been literally unimaginable back in the 14th century. The speed of transmission allowed it to keep mutating. This has made it more difficult both to prevent through vaccinations and to treat. That difference is also due to modern science and technology.
Going forward, therefore, it seems likely that the world will continue to experience regular endemics and occasional pandemics. Hopefully, the lessons from COVID19 will help to minimize the damage they cause. One of those lessons is that individuals need to be educated on the realities of viruses.
Prevention is always much better than cure
Even when viruses are treatable, they can cause long-term, possibly irreparable, damage to the body. When viruses are not treatable, anyone who catches them essentially has to bank on their strength (and their luck) to see them through.
Newly-discovered viruses are highly unlikely to have treatments. This makes prevention even more important. Unfortunately, newly-discovered viruses are also highly unlikely to have vaccines. This means that people will need to rely on social distancing, masks, and hygiene.
Coughs and sneezes really do spread diseases
Coughs and sneezes really can project viruses quite some distance from the original carrier. This is why people were advised to maintain social distancing as much as possible.
Masks help to compensate for a lack of space
In the real world, however, social distancing isn’t always possible. That’s where masks come in. The whole point of masks is to create a physical barrier between the wearer and viruses. This means the thicker a mask is, the more effective it is. Thicker masks are, however, often, more uncomfortable to wear than thinner ones.
Depending on the situation, you may be mandated to wear a certain type of mask. If you’re not, however, then you need to exercise your own judgment in what mask to choose. On the plus side, greater use of masks should hopefully encourage manufacturers to invest in research and development. This could lead to masks that are both effective and comfortable.
Viruses can be spread through touch
Tedious as it may be, maintaining the sorts of hygiene standards applied through this pandemic will help to protect you against future viruses.
Sometimes prevention isn’t possible
Even with all the best precautions in the world, you are still always going to be at risk of catching a virus. If you do, you are going to need to fight it on your own. The better your health is to start with, the better chance you have of winning the battle with the virus. That’s where saunas come in.
You need to maintain a healthy weight
Harsh as it may sound, your ability to fight off a virus depends on your ability to keep breathing. That means it depends on your heart and lungs. At a minimum, therefore, you need to avoid creating excess work for your heart and lungs by carrying avoidable weight.
Maintaining a healthy weight starts with diet and exercise. Having regular saunas will also help. The main reason for this is that saunas boost your metabolism in the same way as cardio exercise. In essence, they’re a mini-workout and as such, they help you to burn more calories.
The secondary reason for this is that saunas help with the health of your bones and muscles. This reduces your chance of injury. It also speeds up your recovery if you do get injured. Saunas, therefore, help you to keep up your exercise program.
You need to keep your immune system in good shape
The more opponents your body has to fight, the harder its battle will be. This means that you want to put your body in a position where it can fight off most illnesses quickly. That will reduce your chances of being attacked by a serious virus when you’re already dealing with a minor one.
Diet and exercise can both help to boost your immune system albeit for different reasons. Your diet provides your body with the fuel it needs to do its work. Ideally, you should inform yourself on what foods do the most to boost your body’s natural immune system. Then make sure you eat plenty of them.
Exercise boosts your circulation. This is what carries essential supplies to your body. It also helps to carry waste out of your body. In particular, it transports nutrients and white blood cells where they are needed. White blood cells are the body’s self-defense mechanism. They both fight off illnesses and repair the damage they cause (insofar as they can).
Saunas also boost your circulation and hence stimulate your immune system. Ideally, you’ll use saunas as a supplement to exercise. If, however, you can’t exercise, taking regular saunas will give you similar benefits.
You need to keep your body as clean as possible
Taking a shower or bath will make you look and smell clean on the outside. What it won’t do is deal with toxins and pollutants inside your body. Getting rid of these as quickly as possible benefits your overall health. It also means that your body has one less problem to deal with if you are attacked by a serious virus.
All saunas boost your circulation and promote sweat. This vastly speeds up the removal of internal toxins and pollutants. Traditional saunas also give your lungs a steam-clean to put them in the best possible health.
This approach is, however, not for everyone. If you’re not big on steam, you can go for an infrared sauna. You can always give yourself steam treatments separately. For example, you can steam your face over a bowl of hot water or use a facial steamer. These are less powerful but a lot better than nothing.
