Venus Williams Is Her Own Personal Medic, Here’s What She Uses to Keep Infections at Bay

For any athlete, falling ill spells doom. Any bout that plagues them keeps them from doing what they do best, and if there’s something that they loathe, it has got to be missed opportunities to show the world what they have to offer.

We all know what Venus Williams is capable of, and her accolades speak for themselves. With the hectic schedule that she definitely has, falling sick isn’t an option. As such, she has perfected simple but effective ways that ensure she’s at optimum health most of the time.

Anna Bialkowska from Warsaw, Poland / Wikimedia Commons

Germ Hot Spots

For starters, she always has some disinfectant on her which she uses on surfaces she considers germ hot spots. These include her phone (yes, it is said that the screen contains more bacteria than a toilet bowl), taxis, and airplane seats.

She also integrates simple supplements into her diet such as vitamins (especially Vitamin C), lots of garlic, and oregano oil. These, she says, revamp her immunity, working wonders for her health.

As it turns out, Williams consumes a whole lot of garlic that her family members keep complaining of its smell. As you would expect, it doesn’t bother her at all, and she says that she no longer notices it. That’s what they call tolerance, right?

JD Lasica / Wikimedia Commons

The star athlete may believe that her supplements work, but is there any scientific data backing her claims up? Ask anyone and they’ll tell you vitamin C in whatever form is your best bet to fighting a cold. However, studies on this have resulted in findings that tend to differ.

There’s apparently no link between the vitamin and cold prevention, and neither does it make the illness disappear faster. However, there’s this notion that drugs may work if the patient really believes that they will, and probably that’s how these vitamin supplements operate.

And although vitamin C may not be a cold-fighter, it is definitely an important micronutrient for your overall health. Lack of it causes scurvy, a condition whose symptoms include bleeding gums, easy bruising, weakness and fatigue.

Oregano oil, on the other hand, is an essential oil with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Existing material on it shows that it inhibits respiratory viruses such as the flu, and it has also been shown to be antibacterial. Concerning bacteria though, more studies need to be conducted since existing information is from experiments carried out in mice. It is yet to be tested on humans in this regard.

 Garlic

As for garlic, there is no question about the plant’s medicinal properties. It has been in use for centuries, and modern science has shown it to be a WBC booster. WBCs are the blood cells that fight off pathogens in the body, so anything that revamps them is good for your health.

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Concerning cold and the flu, there’s evidence supporting that garlic fights them both, reducing the severity of its symptoms.

But while all these supplements are great for you, medical professionals insist that they should not replace a balanced diet. Eating healthy continues to be the best bet to overall positive health, especially when coupled with regular exercising.

Obviously, Venus Williams knows this. You’ve seen her on the court, haven’t you?