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Dear Editor,

School closings, sports event cancellations, food hoarding… We live in a new coronavirus-induced world. Yet some personal health facts remain unchanged.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offer good advice for preventing community spread and personal infection: apply social distancing, sanitize surfaces, wash your hands, don’t touch your face.

But, there’s more.

Does anyone wonder why uncounted numbers of infected people develop no symptoms and only 20 percent of symptomatic people require hospitalization?

It’s because they have an effective immune system able to fight off the virus.

But the CDC does not talk about that, perhaps for fear of offending powerful animal food industries. Fortunately, good advice on boosting our immune system is readily available on the internet from trusted sources like WebMD and Healthline. And the advice is always the same:

• Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables, including citrus fruits and leafy greens.
• Refrain from dairy, other fatty animal products, and sugar-laden foods.
• Maintain daily exercise of 30-60 minutes.
• Minimize your stress level and get adequate sleep.

Did I mention that this advice works great for all other nasty bugs as well?

Brad Raynaud

Birmingham