Coronavirus (COVID-19): Safeguards & What You Can Do to Boost Your Immune System!

What Are Down to Earth stores doing?

At Down to Earth, our top priority is the health and safety of our customers and team members. Due to the growing concern around COVID-19 or Coronavirus, we wanted to share the proactive steps Down to Earth is taking:

• We encourage customers to pay by credit or debit card to minimize contact.
• We also encourage customers to try our free apps for convenient pick up and delivery services.
  • For Deli items, order online from the free Down to Earth Deli App. Orders can be picked up or delivered. (Delivery not available everywhere)
  • For Groceries, shop our Online Store. Orders can be picked up or delivered. (Delivery not available everywhere)
• We will have disinfectant wipes at the front door for wiping off shopping cart handles, and will continue to do so. We’d suggest using these for the shopping baskets, too. Cashiers will also have wipes at the registers to frequently wipe anything that may be touched by our shoppers.
• As always, our team members will continue to frequently wash their hands with hot water and soap, and we will continue to make sure that tables and chairs, bathrooms, and other frequently touched areas of the store will be washed and disinfected to help avoid the spread of germs. Our team members will be increasing the frequency of these daily cleaning procedures.

A History of Coronaviruses

Coronaviruses, first documented in the 1960’s, are a family of viruses which, most of the time, cause symptoms similar to a bad cold, causing mild to moderate upper respiratory problems such as a runny nose and sore throat. Unfortunately they can also be potentially deadly, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which occurred in the early 2000’s infecting over 8,000 people and killing over 800, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), first found in Saudi Arabia in 2012, with 2,500 infected and over 800 deaths.

The latest coronavirus, COVID-19 (2019-CoV) was first identified in Wuhan China last year. While the death rate is far less than SARS (10%) and MERS (30%), COVID-19 has spread much more than those two, with approximately 101,888 documented infected people around the globe, 3,465 have died and 56,123 have recovered (as of this writing).

By comparison, influenza — known as the common flu — has infected as many as 45 million Americans since October and killed as many as 46,000, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What can you do to safeguard yourself?

The spreading of the virus occurs by direct contact with infected individuals, or touching or coming in contact with droplets from sneezes and coughs. While there are no cures or vaccines for the COVID-19, there are several steps one can take to try to avoid the virus and also strengthen your immune system to make sure that if you do contract the virus you increase the odds of recovering.

• Avoid Air Travel to Infected Regions
• Wash Your Hands – Frequent hand washing, even with just soap and warm water, is important for protecting against all infectious diseases, and using hand sanitizers and disinfectants can reduce viral spread by over 85%.
• Disinfect surfaces – Coronaviruses can persist on surfaces for up to 9 days! Make sure you disinfect surfaces in your home, especially if you think someone might be infected.
• Strengthen Immunity – Unfortunately those folks who are older and/or are immune compromised have a much higher rate of death from all viruses, and so doing what you can to strengthen your immune system is vital.

Strategies to Boost your Immune System

Exercise, stress relief, a balanced diet and certain supplements are all effective ways to boost your immune system.

• Exercise – Regular exercise mobilizes T cells, a type of white blood cells which guard the body against infection. However, continuous rigorous workouts can actually weaken the immune system, so moderation is a key.
• Sleep – A solid 7-8 hours is needed to avoid reducing the activities of T cells in your body.
• Less Stress – Stress can release the hormone cortisol, which negatively affects T cell reproduction. Try yoga, meditation or deep breathing each day to reduce your stress levels.
• Stop smoking – Smoking impairs the immune system, and you have a significantly higher chance of being seriously affected by virus infections.
• Healthier Diet – Vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts are loaded with nutrients essential to immune health. ;A plant-based diet rich in colorful, fresh, organic food typically will be higher in valuable vitamins. These foods all can help you strengthen your immune system:
  • Citrus fruits and other fruits rich in vitamin C, such as Kiwi, Strawberries, and other berries
  • Red and Gold Bell Peppers and chili peppers
  • Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables
  • Garlic, onions, and leeks
  • Mushrooms
  • Ginger and Turmeric
  • Spinach and other dark leafy greens
  • Papaya
  • Yogurt and other fermented foods with live active cultures
  • Almonds
  • Sunflower and Pumpkin Seeds
  • Green Tea

Herbs, Vitamins and Supplements – While the hope is you can get many needed nutrients from your diet, supplementing can help improve your immune system. Here are just a few things you may want to include in your daily regime.

• Elderberry, Astragalus, Echinacea, Mushrooms and mushroom extracts such as AHCC and Beta Glucans – all rich in phyto nutrients shown to be very supportive to your immune system.
• A Good Multi-Vitamin. Vitamins A, B6, C, D, E, and Zinc all help strengthen your immune system, and especially Vitamin C, which you can get from citrus fruits, spinach and strawberries. We’re fortunate to have lots of warm, sunny days even in the winter, so consider getting outside to help your body produce more Vitamin D. Even just 15 minutes in the sunlight will help!

We look forward to helping you as you reduce stress, improve your diet and strengthen the ever important immunity system.

With aloha,
Mark Fergusson,

Down to Earth Organic & Natural CEO