What happens to the body within 168 hours of being infected with the new coronavirus? 6 bad habits that drag down your immunity!

Do you know what happens to your body within 168 hours after you are infected with the new coronavirus? How does your immune system work after infection?

After reading this, you will understand that you are not fighting alone, your body's immune cells are fighting for you.

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01

Within 168 hours of COVID-19 infection

What is the body doing?

On December 19, Zheng Bolong, deputy chief physician of the spine surgery department at the Red Cross Hospital in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, detailed on the short video platform @郑博隆博士 the different changes that occur in the body 168 hours after infection with the new coronavirus. He emphasized, “You will understand how much your body loves you!”[1]

Dr. Zheng Bolun said that you can be infected with the new coronavirus starting with a cough, a sneeze or an unprotected contact.

However, at the beginning, the amount of virus is very small, and it will drill into the cells in the throat, and use the raw materials in the cells to synthesize its RNA (ribonucleic acid) and protein. It will be assembled into small viruses, and then released to infect more cells, so you will feel uncomfortable in your throat at the beginning.

24 hours

You will have a relatively "Christmas Eve", but the virus takes advantage of this golden incubation period to create countless clones in the body, preparing to launch a general attack.

48 hours

The immune system sounds the alarm, and macrophages, B cells, and T cells are on standby. At this time, your immune system will also seek support from the body temperature regulation center to adjust the body temperature to above 39°C.

72 hours

This was the day when my symptoms were the worst. I had to stay in bed to rest. The continued high temperature caused my body to consume too much energy. A large amount of lactic acid accumulated in my muscles. I felt dizzy, weak, and had obvious body aches.

The immune cells do not rest at this time. Macrophages are responsible for engulfing cells invaded by the virus, B cells are responsible for secreting antibodies to neutralize the virus, and T cells will secrete a large amount of cytokines to summon more immune cells for support.

96 hours

The body temperature begins to drop and the immune cells gradually gain the upper hand, but the virus is still "struggling" in the throat, and swallowing saliva will hurt like "swallowing a razor blade."

120 hours

The virus is lost to your immune system, and a large number of dead cells and virus "corpses" are accumulated in the nasal cavity and throat. Therefore, the body tries to remove these garbage through runny nose, coughing, etc.

168 hours

That is the seventh day. The battlefield is finally cleaned up, and the immune cells that have made great achievements have retired. So you are not fighting alone, hundreds of millions of immune cells in your body are fighting with you.

02

Beware of these behaviors

Wear down your immunity

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1. Lack of sleep

Chen Yujie, a respiratory physician at the Fourth People’s Hospital of Sichuan Province, wrote in an article published in Health Times in 2016 that staying up late can reduce the body’s immune system and put the body in a serious sub-health state, leading to respiratory diseases such as colds and digestive diseases such as gastroenteritis. [2]

2. Dieting and picky eating

On December 19, Xu Chao, director of the Clinical Nutrition Department of Haikou People's Hospital, Hainan Province, said in an interview with Southern Metropolis Daily that human immunity is closely related to nutrients. To enhance immunity, you can appropriately supplement nutrients that are closely related to the body's immune function, such as protein, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, zinc, etc.

First of all, we need to take in high-quality protein. Protein is a source of immunoglobulin. If we don’t take in enough high-quality protein, there is no way to improve our immunity.

Elderly people, people who are dieting, or people with picky eating habits are more likely to suffer from protein deficiency. They can increase their daily intake of protein-rich foods in moderation. [3]

3. Smoking and drinking

Frequent smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke can damage immune cell activity and significantly reduce immunity. Drinking alcohol can also have a harmful effect on the body's immune system.

4. Being sedentary

"Sitting for a long time" is the working state of many people today, and they often sit from work to get off work. Especially when choosing to work from home, it is easier to sit for a long time. Long-term sitting at home and lack of exercise affect immunity.

5. Negative emotions

Zhang Yong, deputy chief physician of the immunotherapy department of Henan Cancer Hospital, published an article in Health Times in 2020 stating that long-term stress without proper psychological adjustment will lead to negative emotions, disrupt the normal function of the body, and cause a decline in immunity. However, when you are in a good mood and laugh heartily, you can activate the activity of T cells and enhance the body's immunity. [4]

6. Eating too much salt

In 2020, Wang Ping, an international senior registered dietitian, published an article in Health Times stating that a high-salt diet not only leads to the risk of a variety of diseases such as high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, but also harms the immune system and weakens antibacterial responses. [5]

03

Maintain strong immunity

"Three Keys"

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On December 8, Liang Xiaofeng, a professor at the School of Public Health of Jinan University, said at an academic seminar, “There are three main ways to maintain and improve immunity: first, maintain immunity through proper nutrition; second, improve immunity through exercise; and third, develop specific immunity against relevant infectious diseases through vaccination.”[6]

1. Nutrition: A balanced diet and a reasonable diet can maintain human immunity

Liang Xiaofeng introduced that a large number of research facts have shown that the immune system needs external feeding and supply. Adequate energy and well-designed nutrition are the basis for the immune system to maintain vitality and maintain fighting. On the contrary, malnutrition will damage the immune system and inhibit immune function. For example, protein malnutrition, vitamin A deficiency, vitamin C deficiency, etc. will affect the body's immunity.

"The Mediterranean diet, which is rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, fish and 'healthy' dietary fats, can reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer." Liang Xiaofeng explained that a series of bioactive compounds in fruits and vegetables provide evidence for their protective effect in reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases caused by chronic inflammation (such as cardiovascular disease).

2. Exercise: Walk 10,000 steps a day

Liang Xiaofeng said that in September this year, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that walking 10,000 steps a day is the best point for health benefits, which can reduce the risk of death from all causes, cancer and cardiovascular disease, and reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. A fast walking speed will bring additional benefits.

"Strengthening self-exercise can improve the body's resistance to disease." Liang Xiaofeng suggested that people can cultivate a variety of interests, such as table tennis and badminton, to keep energetic. Exercise only needs to speed up the heartbeat, and walking after dinner is very suitable. If it is too intense or exceeds one hour, the body will produce some hormones that inhibit the activity of the immune system.

3. Vaccines: timely vaccination

Timely vaccination can enable the human body to produce specific immunity to relevant infectious diseases. Liang Xiaofeng introduced that vaccines can prevent bacterial diseases (such as pneumococcal disease, tuberculosis), viral diseases (such as influenza, COVID-19, herpes zoster, etc.) and other diseases (such as malaria, leptospirosis).

On December 8, at the press conference of the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council, Xia Gang, Director of the Health and Immunization Department of the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that according to research, for elderly people over 80 years old, if they do not receive a single dose of vaccine, the risk of death is about 14.7%; if they receive a single dose of vaccine, the risk of death is reduced to 7.16%; if they receive three doses of vaccine, the risk of death is reduced to 1.5%. Compared with not receiving the vaccine, the risk of death is reduced by 9.3 times after receiving three doses of vaccine.

This article is compiled from:

[1] 2022-12-19 @Dr. Zheng Bolong "What changes occur in the body within 168 hours after infection"

[2] 2016-07-05 Health Times: "Staying up late is more terrible than you think"

[3] 2022-12-19 Southern Metropolis Daily, “How to improve immunity during the epidemic?”

[4] 2020-07-10 Health Times "Six Things You Must Do Every Day for a Healthy Life"

[5] 2020-07-14 Health Times: "Eating too much salt can lead to poor immunity"

[6] 2022-12-09 People’s Daily Health Client “Liang Xiaofeng: Three keys to maintaining strong immunity” (Reporter Qiao Jingfang)

Source: Health Times

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