COVID-19 Update: Your Immune System and The Health Of Your Feet

As the concern about COVID-19 continues to grow, so too has the search for ways to protect ourselves against the virus. In addition to social distancing and proper handwashing, a healthy immune system is integral to overall health. Here are some tips to boost your immune system and help your body fight against infection.

1. Lower your stress levels. Stress directly, and negatively, impact your immune system. Find ways that help you lower your stress levels such as meditation, exercise, and controlled breathing techniques.
2. Eat a well-balanced, nutrient-rich diet. Feeding your body certain foods may help keep your immune system strong. Harvard Health publishing recommends a diet high in fruits and vegetables. Additionally, too much alcohol can impair your immune system and increase vulnerability to lung infections.
3. Get a good night’s sleep. Adults should focus on getting a solid six to eight hours of solid sleep a night. If you’re sleep-deprived, your body produces stress hormones that may suppress your immune system.
4. Exercise regularly. Regular exercise is one of the pillars of healthy living. It improves cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure, helps control body weight, and protects against a variety of diseases. Exercise causes your body’s antibodies and white blood cells to circulate more rapidly so they can do their job efficiently.

Every part of your body, including your immune system, functions better when protected from environmental assaults and bolstered by the aforementioned healthy-living strategies

Podiatry and COVID-19

No one ever wants to go to the hospital, but now, during the coronavirus pandemic, it is a particularly terrible time to have to be hospitalized. Patients with diabetes and foot ulcers are at increased risk for infections, hospitalization, amputations, and death. Podiatric care is associated with fewer diabetes-related amputations, ER visits, hospitalizations, length-of-stay, and costs. Podiatry is already an extremely specialized field, and Dr. Amin at Corona Foot and Ankle, is especially equipped to treat wounds and offer excellent preventative measures to reduce risk factors and keep you healthy and safely away from hospitals.

Diabetes and the Immune System

One of the potential effects of diabetes is a weakened immune system rendering the body unable to effectively fight off infections. Additionally, the disease often leads to serious problems with the feet, including wounds and infections. Due to the suppression of the immune response in diabetics, the body is often unable to heal these problems. This is why it’s especially important to have regular checkups with a podiatrist and prioritize a healthy immune system. Furthermore, a diabetic foot ulcer must be perceived as a marker of a far more serious underlying condition. The presence of diabetic foot ulcers is correlated with peripheral arterial disease, heart attack, stroke, renal disease, and amputation.

Telehealth Services For All Age Groups

At Corona Foot and Ankle, our goal always, but especially during the pandemic, is to reduce the burden on the healthcare system by keeping the diabetic foot and wound patients safe, functional, and at home out of the emergency care system. We now offer TeleHealth Services that allow all new and existing patients to have consultations virtually. These patients can use a phone, tablet, or computer to speak with Dr. Amin from the safety of their homes. This service is covered by all private insurance with your copay. For more information or to make an appointment, visit: HERE