(NewsUSA) - The ongoing pandemic has highlighted the importance of keeping your immune system strong and healthy, according to Leonard A. Farber, MD, a healthcare executive and expert in emerging technologies and their impact on public health.     

A weak immune system increases your risk not only for developing illness, but for a more severe case if you do become ill with something such as COVID-19, says Dr. Farber, who also serves as a spokesperson for nutritional supplement manufacturer Quadramune.     

Fortunately, there are many ways the average person can strengthen his or her immune system. In many cases, following the obvious and well-known advice to get enough sleep, eat a healthy diet, and exercise regularly can help boost your immune system. Other factors include avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, and incorporating ways to relieve stress, such as with yoga, tai chi, or other mindfulness-related activities.     

In addition, the right nutritional supplements can play an important role in reducing inflammation in the body and supporting a healthy immune system, says Dr. Farber. “At early stages, our bodies’ inflammatory response can fight off infection as well as play an integral role in injury repair. When inflammatory cells reach an unhealthy level such as in chronic inflammation, they can trigger your body’s immune system to attack healthy tissues and organs,” Dr. Farber explains.     

Nutritional supplements, such as those developed by Quadramune, are designed to help keep the immune system in balance. Anti-inflammatory foods such as salmon, tofu, walnuts, grapes, and olive oil can have a positive effect on the immune system, and many of the active ingredients in these foods are actually found in Quadramune supplements.     

The Quadramune supplements provide the benefits of infection-fighting power and protection against chronic inflammation, according to the company website. Several key ingredients in Quadramune supplements include:     

• Pterostilbene. A natural dietary compound that has shown antioxidant activity and inflammatory properties.     
• Epigallocatechin gallate. This powerful antioxidant plant compound boasts antioxidant properties and potential ability to help protect the lungs and promote healthy T cell activity.     
• Sulphoraphane. This natural plant compound has been shown to help reduce inflammation, which may help protect your lungs and reduce your vulnerability to respiratory infections.     
• Thymoquinone: phytochemical compound found in the plant Nigella sativa.  This active ingredient is chemically related to hydroxychloroquine, but with no prescription needed. It has demonstrated to stimulate natural killer (NK) cells which are antiviral, and is a potential antiviral itself based on its mechanistic effects on cells.     

This combination of ingredients “can be immune stimulating or boosting and preventative of an unhealthy immune response,” says Dr. Farber. “This allows the body a better chance not only to fight the onset of an infection or inflammatory reaction but also to lessen the severity of certain illnesses, especially those that are inflammatory-based in nature,” he adds.     

For more information, visit buyquadramune.com. 

(NewsUSA) - Colorectal cancer remains the third most common non-skin cancer in American adults, according to the American Cancer Society. Regular screening is essential to identifying colorectal cancer early, so it can be effectively treated. If colorectal cancer is caught early, five-year survival rates are as high as 90 percent. However, many people do not seek routine screening, and don’t experience symptoms until their cancers are advanced and harder to treat.     

The American Cancer Society recommends that adults at average risk for colorectal cancer should be screened every five years starting at age 45. Unfortunately, the disparities that persist in many areas of health care continue to affect colorectal cancer screening.     

For example, according to the Ohio Department of Health, colorectal cancer is diagnosed in more than 5,200 Ohioans each year, and the state’s colorectal cancer mortality rate among Blacks from 2012 to 2016 was 20% higher than that of whites.     

Strategies to reduce these disparities include offering more options for screening.     

“I believe that it is important to not pressure people to use one particular screening approach. It is up to them and their doctor to determine the method and frequency that is best in their case,” says AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio Market Chief Medical Officer Steven Spalding, M.D. “The important thing is that everyone get regularly screened.”     

Screening methods, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) recommended frequency for those at average risk, include:     

• Every Year: A fecal occult blood test or fecal immunochemical test (FIT). Both check for blood in your stools. These tests can be done in your own home, and require no advance preparation or dietary restrictions.     

• Every 1-3 Years: A FIT-DNA test, which combines FIT with a test that looks for altered DNA in the stool. This test also can be done at home without advance preparation.     

• Every 5 Years: A flexible sigmoidoscopy, in which a doctor puts a short, thin, flexible tube into your rectum and the lower third of the colon. The device allows the doctor to remove most polyps and take biopsies.     

• Every 10 Years: A colonoscopy, which is similar to a flexible sigmoidoscopy but examines the entire colon. Your doctor also will conduct a colonoscopy if any of the other screening methods reveal anything unusual.     

AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio, a Medicaid managed care organization that is slated to begin serving Ohio Medicaid enrollees later this year, will cover the costs of colorectal cancer screening tests on the CDC’s schedule from ages 45 to 75, and earlier and/or more frequently for members considered to be higher risk. However, other Medicaid plans can have different policies, so be sure to check with your health plan.   

 For more information about AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio, visit www.amerihealthcaritasoh.com.