[TLDR: Scroll down to see my COVID-19 supplementation regimen]
Welcome to 2020.
This year has been… interesting.
Feel free to replace “interesting” with your favorite ‘s’ or ‘f’ word, it’s likely more fitting.
Although things seem to be improving, we are still in the middle of the one of the greatest pandemics in modern history.
The world we knew and loved has been taken for a ride and turned on its head.
In some ways, it has shown its true colors, the finite nature of the things we once believed we're permanent and secure.
(Small) businesses have crumbled, citizens are jobless, and people have died.
The media remains relentless in firing off #coronavirus articles and breaking news on things that are so far out of our control.
Are masks actually useful? How soon will we have a cure? Is 6 feet apart too much or not enough? Was it made in a lab?? (Dun dun dunnnn)
There is no shortage of discussion on disinfecting agents and vaccines/drugs, all of which are important to stay on top of.
But little to no discussion on the one thing we CAN control which might simultaneously be humanity’s greatest line of defense: our personal immune system.
After all, #COVID-19 infection is a disease of the body, like any other.
We're not dealing with a deadly earthquake or a massive hurricane.
The perpetrator is a virus, and like all other viruses, they directly involve the immune system.
Guys, we need to understand this: germs are everywhere.
I know it’s common to throw around the world literally these days but, like… LITERALLY EVERYWHERE.
To stress just how pervasive they are, here’s a dose of reality on the microbial cohabitants we share the earth with:
There are more bacteria in a person's mouth than the entire population of the world
Many microbes grow exponentially, meaning it can take just 7 hours for a single cell turn into 1 million
More than half of the oxygen in the world is made by microbes, not plants
All the bacteria in our body collectively weighs more than 4 pounds
Every single breathe we take contains at least thousands, but more likely millions and billions of bacteria, fungal spores, viruses, and tiny mites/bugs
The point is, we encounter germs on a daily basis, on our skin and in our bodies.
These guys were here before us, and they’re here to stay.
That also means whether it’s Ebola, staph, HIV, or COVID-19 for that matter, chances are you have likely come in direct contact with it at some point and will again in the future.
But our bodies are beautifully designed to manage them.
There are countless roadblocks and defenses mounted, from the nose hairs in your nostrils filtering out living matter, down to T-cells that take out specific organisms like microscopic John Wicks.
Inside us is a constant flow of blood, packed with immune cells that act as our personal security patrolmen.
Constantly surveilling every inch of the body and ready at a moment’s notice to quietly eliminate the never-ending onslaught of these crusading microbes.
The classic pillow-over-the-face suffocation while the rest of the house remains sound asleep (morbid I know).
Microbes’ strength is in their numbers, and the ones we passively inhale and ingest are often small in numbers.
Each day we wake up illness-free means the microbes we are ingesting and inhaling were taken care of before our bodies and brain are even aware.
This is due to the handiwork of the the innate immune system- non specific fundamental defense mechanisms and immune cells that remove all the lone ranger microbes that would otherwise be a problem if left unattended.
Without any type of immune system, a single microbe could overtake a full grown human in a day.
And when an infection does manage to take hold and we become “sick”, the symptoms we feel is often caused by our own immune cells as a kind of alarm for the rest of the body.
A rallying cry to let our brain and our body know we can no longer be bystanders and assistance is needed.
This is where the adaptive immune system (our John Wicks) kicks in by "tailoring" the weapon to in response to the infection- the same function that makes vaccines effective.
These components of the body provides assistance in their complex pathways designed to deploy cells and molecules to combat the invaders.
Reminiscent of soldiers and ammunition- if you could watch it under a microscope, it closely resembles an all-out war.
And that’s where we come in.
Continuing with this analogy, we are in charge of providing the funding for this war and the currency is in the form of nutrients.
Small budget for the war = small chance of winning it.
Should another threat of pandemic rise (and we now know it probably will), I encourage you and those around you to look into ways to proactively strengthen your immune system.
Firstly with good nutrition, and in specific cases like this, maybe supplementation too.
Lucky for you, I’ve already done that =D
When coronavirus began making headlines in mid-March, I started looking into the mechanisms of the virus to see how I could protect myself and those in my home.
To boost that foundational innate immune system so I don't have to rely on only the adaptive immune system because by then it may be too late.
Here’s what I found in respect to COVID-19 in order of importance:
Vitamin D: Non-specific - Plays a very large role in general immune function and most people are far below normal levels
5000 IUs, 5 days a week
Vitamin C: Non-specific - Antioxidant and highly concentrated in our cells. Effective at reducing severity of viral infections when taken prophylactically or in very early stages of infection. Basically, it really only works when it's already in your system before a virus gets a good grip on you.
1000mg, 7 days a week
Zinc: COVID specific only- binds to the same surface component on the cell that the virus uses to gain entry, reducing chance of viral attachment and replication
15mg, 4 days a week
Quercetin: COVID specific & Non-specific - natural and safe plant compound that acts similar to the hydrocholoriquine that made headlines as a promising treatment. They both aid in the transportation of zinc into the surface component of the cell inhibiting viral attachment. It also has other powerful unrelated beneficial properties.
500mg, 5 days a week
I printed a sheet of paper typed with the information above and left it in the middle of the kitchen counter because the kitchen is everyone’s favorite room, at least over here it is :/
These products are very easily accessible over the counter or through Amazon like everything thing else in the world.
Knowing what to buy is half the battle, who to buy them from is just as important.
If you couldn’t tell, I like the brand Thorne for most of my vitamin or herbal supplements simply because they do a good job addressing the bioavailability issue of most of the compounds have (more about this topic in a future post)- that also makes them a little pricier but depending on what you buy them for, it could be worth it.
Obviously I’m not affiliated with Thorne, and these are just the things I used myself.
Even more obviously, I’m not a doctor so consult your physician and all that jazz.
Although I tend to err on the side of caution and choose very clean and safe products.
None of us had any idea what we were dealing with at the time and how dangerous this thing really was, but for me it was a small price to pay to cover my bases (don’t be fooled, I barely make such mature decisions).
Worst case scenario, I’m a little bit healthier.
It seems like we are finally seeing the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel as restrictions slowly begin to lift here in the U.S. and around the globe.
Personally, I’m mostly optimistic about the future of the world… keyword mostly.
But if there is anything to takeaway here, it is the importance of maintaining the physical anatomy that carries our mind and spirits.
As 2020 has shown, nothing is guaranteed.
Let’s enjoy this life we have to our best ability while we still can.
So get some sun, go for a run, prepare some healthy recipes, and hug your momma.
Your immunity (and potentially your life) depends on it.
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