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12 www.DesertMessenger.com July 15, 2020 Read Desert MESSENGER ONLINE @ DesertMessengerOnline.com FREE CLASSIFIEDS Desert Messenger offers FREE Classifi ed Ads! HERE'S THE SMALL PRINT: Items for sale under $1000. Private Party Only. 1 per month. Yard/Ga- rage/Craft Sales, Wanted, Give-a-ways, Free, Lost & Found, etc. (non-commercial) For more information, contact Rain at 928-916-4235 or Email: Editor@DesertMessenger.com Yes, you can do something! READER'S OASIS BOOKS 690 E. Main - Quartzsite (one block east of Family Dollar) By Jackie Deal "If you're gonna get Corona virus you're gonna get it. Nothin' you can do." Right??? WRONG! Wrong! wrong! Did you know it's your im- mune system that determines if you get it and how sick you'll be? And… if you'll die. And you can, yes, you can do things to help out your im- mune system. First, what is your immune sys- tem? It's the lymph system and all the components that make the cells that fi ght infection. Problem? Our immune system is growing older every day, every minute. It's called "senescence". Isn't that a pretty word? Not so pretty the meaning: weakening, diminishing with age. But you can do some very simple things to help your immune system fi ght Covid 19. Most of the information in this ar- ticle comes from AARP's May Bulle- tin; a very well researched and docu- mented piece. The scientist, doctors and researchers quoted have credits that would take up this whole page. So please if you want documenta- tion, read the AARP May Bulletin. 'Bet you can't guess what the one most important thing is that you can do to strengthen your immune system. Nothing fancy. Just move- ment: exercise. "Nature Reviews: Immunology" says that "muscles generate anti-infl ammatory and immunoprotective proteins called myokines." Infl ammation occurs when the immune system goes hog wild and causes problems rather than solving them. This is called "deregulation" and it can be body-wide. The proteins that protect us (help the immune system) are easier to under- stand. The more movement the more of them you pro- duce. Sit around and your immune system becomes just as sluggish as you are. Get moving, produce myo- kines and help your immune system protect you from Covid 19. This may explain why an active 104 year old in Oregon survived Corona Virus while an inactive 52 year old died. "Exercise may be the most impor- tant lifestyle intervention you can add", says a professor from John Hopkins University School of Medi- cine. Exercise. Move. Walk. So if exercise is the number one thing than what is number two? Weight Management. Did you know that fat, especially belly fat, produces infl ammatory cytokines that cause more infl ammation, and remember infl ammation is one of the big things in an overall body affl iction. These nasty little cyto- kines inhibit the immune function according to a research study done in 2018. Obese people may take 42% longer to fi ght off an infection and with the Corona virus that isn't good news. Cytokins are not your best friend and the belly fat that produces most of them is not a helper. The third immune sys- tem helper is nutrition. Good basic nutrition is essential to combat defi - ciencies in "immunocom- petence" and the ability to fi ght infl ammation. Good proteins and fi ber help feed the "good bacteria" in your "gut". (Yes, gut is an accepted medical term for the entire gastrointestinal tract.) And there are good bacteria and a lot of immune cells in the gut. Fiber may be your best friend, it feeds the good bacteria. Read the labels on your purchased food and you'll be amazed: they can even take all the fi ber out of cereal…a grain product. Mastering stress, getting vaccines and taking prescribed medicines are also important. But the big 3 are ex- ercise, weight management and good nutrition. Get going. Strengthen your immune system. It is possible! Disclaimer: This is not meant to treat, cure, heal or diagnose any type of illness or disease as it is for informational purposes only. Updates from County Sheriff The La Paz County Sheriff's Offi ce would like to remind everyone that you can have up to date emergency information sent to your cell phone via text message by texting your zip code to 888777. This is a website called "NIXLE". We send the following type of in- formation to your cell phone: 'road closures, severe weather alerts, se- rious crime information, Amber alerts, etc. By signing up with NIX- LE, we are able to communicate important information to everyone quickly and effi ciently via text mes- sage. Please sign up today, the ser- vice is free.

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