[Kim Jaeho's Life Story]<187> Invest Time, Don't Be Deceived by Merchants

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues its relentless spread for the fourth consecutive month. China notified the WHO of the outbreak on December 31, 2019, and COVID-19 rapidly spread, plunging the entire world into fear. Despite the painstaking containment efforts by governments worldwide, the number of patients recently exceeded 2.6 million, claiming more than 180,000 precious lives.

At one point, South Korea was in a severe situation with the second-highest number of cases after China, leading many countries to rush to block the entry of Korean nationals. Fortunately, meticulous and appropriate responses proved effective, helping the country overcome difficult challenges. Recently, new daily cases have dropped to around ten, and the total number of cases has fallen outside the top 20 globally.

Many people are eagerly awaiting vaccines and treatments for COVID-19, but until these are developed, the best strategy is prevention. It goes without saying that if prevention fails and infection occurs, how to overcome it becomes most important. Therefore, vaccine and treatment development should be entrusted to experts, and it is natural that all countries’ policies focus on blocking the virus’s spread and treatment.

However, is it realistically possible to block the spread of the virus? Countries that successfully blocked entry from China almost simultaneously with the outbreak were Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Although Singapore initially succeeded in containment, it has recently shown a regrettable rapid spread due to secondary infections. The United States and Italy also implemented swift entry bans but failed to contain the virus.

Responses in countries where COVID-19 has significantly spread are much more challenging than those that succeeded in early containment. South Korea later succeeded in controlling the spread, but many countries such as Italy, Spain, Germany, France, and the United States implemented strong measures restricting not only economic activities but also movement of their citizens to block the virus’s rapid spread. Despite these efforts, they could not prevent the spread and suffered many deaths.

The world has shown that blocking the virus solely through entry bans is not easy. Containment depends not only on national policies but also on individual efforts, with our body’s defense system playing a major role. The skin blocks the virus from entering the body; nasal mucus, coughing, sneezing, mucus in the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, vomiting, and diarrhea expel it; and stomach acid kills it.

Viruses that survive through these multiple defense layers are detected and destroyed by immune cells called white blood cells, so many people do not get sick even if the virus enters their body. Even if infected, the immune cells continue attacking the virus until it is eliminated, so most people recover over time without special treatment. This is why immunity is important.

To protect health from COVID-19, it is first important to thoroughly block the virus from invading the body. Since perfect blocking is impossible, it is crucial to enhance immunity in the mid to long term so immune cells can protect the body from the virus.

It is desirable that interest in the importance of immunity is growing, but information about various foods that supposedly boost immunity is overflowing. Along with this trend, there are increasing numbers of people trying to profit by exploiting immunity, so caution is needed. If immunity could be raised by spending money, it would be a worthwhile investment to pay a sufficient price, but immunity does not improve well by such methods.

To boost immunity, one must adopt a life-friendly lifestyle (see Life Story Part 6) called Newstart. Meals should be healthy, including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, while limiting sugar, saturated fats, trans fats, salt, and alcohol (see Life Story Part 33). Quitting smoking, appropriate exercise (see Life Story Part 39), sufficient rest and sleep (see Life Story Parts 47 and 48), and good stress management (see Life Story Part 52) are also important.

Regarding food, remember that it is not expensive or rare foods but the genetic programming of immune cells that enhances immunity. Food merely supplies necessary nutrients, so it is important to consume a variety of plant-based foods with minimal processing. Do not be deceived by merchants trying to sell immunity with money; instead, invest time in keeping your body active.

Kim Jae-ho, Independent Researcher

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.