The One Thing you Should be Doing During the Pandemic to Increase your Immunity, without Leaving your Home!

As I am sure many of you have, I have been reading a lot over the past few days in relation to the Coronavirus and COVID 19. I have been making a conscious effort to make sure that I am reading articles from reputable sources and this has led me down a lot of rabbit holes; I have been reading articles on virology, epidemiology and loads of other ‘ologies’ that is really testing my brain power! 

Throughout my reading I have come across a lot of articles about breathing and immune health – a concept which we use a lot within Osteopathy – but I have never really taken the time to do much research around the subject. Historically Osteopaths claimed to have had great success in treating patients during the Spanish Flu Pandemic in 1917-18; some sources claim the death rate of Osteopathic patients was 0.25% compared to the national average of 6%.

Now, this data is not something to be relied upon, but the principles seem to stand sound – Osteopathy was used to increase the mobility of the ribs and diaphragm and maintain flexibility of the muscles that supported the breathing, as well as trying to support the immune system with more specific techniques.

With lockdown in full force there isn’t the possibility of getting out to see your local Osteopath, however there are lots of exercises you can do to try and support your respiratory system. The ONE exercise that I would suggest for anyone right now, would be a breathing exercise!

This video shows of my all time favourite breathing exercises – it should really help to improve the movement of all of your ribs and increase your ability to breathe deeper into the lungs. Try to do this exercise every day, even better twice a day!

The following video shows another amazing exercise which will not only help your ribs mobility but also help to increase the flexibility of your neck and shoulder muscles, which are all involved in breathing. Again, try to do this exercise everyday.

If you do need any support during this time, whether it be pain management advice or you are looking for more exercises to do then please do get in touch - we are always happy to help!