My Thoughts About Immunity and Protecting Myself During the Covid-19 Outbreak and Pandemic
Our world is not the same anymore. The wave of people affected by this virus has shaken our reality.
With the state of the world as it is, now is one of the best times to get serious about a regular supplement regime. These are my favorite supplements and the ones I think are the most important to start taking and continue taking even after this virus is under control.
Navigating the myriad brands of supplements can be a real challenge. It took me a long time to land on the best immune support supplements system. So, I’m sharing my experience with you in the hopes that it shortens your time researching.
There is a lot of information out there right now and it’s hard to sift through it all. I have a lot of access to top Integrative Physicians around the US. This is the information I have collected.
I’m sure we are all aware of how the CDC and WHO are repeating that cleanliness is of the utmost importance right now. According to them washing our hands and wiping down surfaces can help greatly to stop the spread of the virus. But so far, I have noticed that very few people are discussing the importance of one’s lifestyle as a means of prevention and reduction of the intensity of potential COVID-19 infection. This is of extreme importance. According to my network of Integrative Physicians there is so much you can do in a short time to minimize the impact of this virus on your health.
Here are some things I do to help strengthen my immune capacity, with supporting evidence I’ve gathered from my vast healthcare support network:
Eat whole foods, and maintain a plant based diet. The virus likes acidic environments. Eating plant based can help to create a more alkaline environment. Eat lots of greens!
Stop consuming alcohol. The liver helps take the viral load out of the cells once infected. Best to keep it supported and cleansed. The liver can regenerate very quickly and it responds rapidly to lifestyle changes.
Exercise. It reboots the liver’s ability to provide support to the immune system, and optimize detoxification and antioxidant production.
Sleep. Deep sleep relaxes the body and neutralizes stress hormones which are inflammatory and immunosuppressive.
Increase gut health. Adding probiotics helps. An effective probiotic should have 5 strains of Lactobacillus and 5 of Bifidum to populate both the small and large intestine. Since one of the docking sites of the virus is in the small intestine, fortifying the immune system inside the small intestine is paramount.
Reduce environmental toxins.
Reduce stress.
in order to help ourselves and our loved ones, we need some back up. And STAT! My go-to’s:
Probiotics
70% of your immune system resides in your gut. The most effective way to support an immune system is to support your gut health with a high quality probiotic. Probiotics help balance your microbiome. They also reinforce the gut barrier function that in turn supports a healthy inflammatory response. There have been studies that show probiotics help prevent upper respiratory infections. I use a probiotic, prebiotic, and digestive enzyme in one called “Eaze”. You only have to take one a day and it’s one of the highest quality products, with a special strain of bacteria called saccaromyces boulardii.
Immunomodulators
Our immune system has 2 components, one that fends off antibodies and offending agents, and the other that modulates over production of antibodies against itself. Like what happens with auto immune disease. The two need to be balanced to function optimally. Compounds like calcium d-glucarate, beta-glucans and muramyl peptides enhance the immune system's ability to destroy foreign invaders, such as viruses and bad bacteria. Supplementation of these natural detoxifiers is key. I use Immune by Orenda.
Powerful Antioxidants
These are found in fruit and veggies with darker skins like berries, beets, purple carrots, grapes, and dark leafy greens. They neutralize free radicals, support metabolism, and help to control blood sugar, cholesterol, and circulation. Sometimes it's hard to get all of that in a healthy diet. You can supplement with OPC. Vitamin C is also a notoriously powerful antioxidant. It helps fight viral infections, and acts as a great preventative. It can help lessen the duration of a cold or flu.
Omega Fatty Acids
These babies are a natural anti-inflammatory. Inflammation is the root cause of almost all disease. It affects the heart, the brain, and the gut. The whole body is at risk for generalized inflammation. Making smart food choices is one of the best ways to avoid inflammation. After that, supplementing with high quality omega 3’s can bolster the body’s ability to manage inflammation. .
Vitamin D
This vitamin plays a crucial role in our body’s response to inflammation. It is especially important for those of us in a part of the world that has a long winters. Medical studies show the beneficial effects on prevention of disease, and its ability to help abolish colds and flu. The vitamin alters the course of an illness by deregulating the genetic expression of the virus. I take Vit D3 + K2 at 5-10,000 IU daily for prevention.
All in all, we are faced with a very different reality than we were experiencing three months ago. The fact of the matter is, we used to have the privilege of deciding if we wanted to put our health habits at the forefront of our lives. We could play around with organics and supplements, weaving in and out of habits. Now, this pandemic is here, in our face. There is a very real possibility of becoming sick just by leaving the house. This leads me to believe that everyone needs to wake up and start a preventative self care regime. I used to feel like an outsider in my group of friends and family for thinking like this. As if I was seen as the health nut. Now, I revel in being that outlier or rebel. It is showing me how lucky I am to be said health nut. I urge you to look closely at how you live, and what you are putting into your body. Stand up for yourself. The government is too preoccupied battling the vast spread of this virus, and largely because of America’s generations of poor diet and health standards. We have to do the work ourselves and be our own advocates. Protect yourselves from sickness with simple everyday supplementation and good diet choices. Be your own advocate, no one else will do it for you. Prevention beats the need for a cure. And, we are going to need this prevention, this shield now and in the long term.
Please contact me with questions about any of these products. Love you all.