Strategies for Surviving Covid-19
I take six newsletters on health from Integrative Physicians – doctors who specialize in treating root causes of diseases, not just the treatment of symptoms with drugs, but focus on overall health and prevention of disease. Three of these newsletters have written on treating/preventing Covid-19 this month and I want to hand on their understandings to my readers.
Vitamin D Status: Corona virus infections are most destructive in patients with low 25-OH-Vitamin D blood levels (an inexpensive lab test that measures Vitamin D availability in our blood). That includes the elderly, dark-skinned peoples, the overweight/obese; all compromised in the ability to make Vitamin D from sunlight. Protective levels are best at the high end of the test range which is typically 10 – 99 ng/ml. Shoot for levels above 70 ng/ml and that means (for me) taking about 10,000 IU/day year-round. Vitamin D lowers the viral reproduction rate, reduces the impact of the Cytokine Storm and is key to keeping the infection within the body’s capability to defeat it.
Vitamin A: Beta-Carotene, which is included in most vitamin products, is a precursor to vitamin A, which is Retinol. Our immune response is crippled and unregulated without adequate Vitamin A, and the ability to rapidly convert Beta-Carotene to Retinol is lowered with age. Dr. David Brownstein recommends slamming yourself with 100,000 IU for four days at the first sign of an infection; sore throat, coughs, fever, etc., dropping to 10,000 IU until recovered.
Vitamin C: The first news I heard from China when this virus was let loose was that doctors there were using Vitamin C IVs (Intravenous drip) to save patients. Integrative physicians use Vitamin IVs all the time, but most mainline docs would tell you it is worthless. Indeed there has been no mention of that treatment in the US, so don’t expect any hospital to boost your immune function with a 50 gram IV every day, which would probably save your life. I keep crystalline vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) and Potassium Bicarbonate in my pantry, and usually mix ½ teaspoon of each in 4 Oz water, watch it fizz and drink it down to get 4.4 grams of potassium ascorbate into my blood stream in a hurry. The potassium delivers the 2.2 gm of ascorbate to the interior of most cell types and is almost as good as an IV (it will act as a laxative at about 15 grams/day).
Beta-Glucans: Extracted from some types of mushroom, these compounds act as immunomodulators and can moderate the cytokine storm associated with Covid-19 infection. Doctors tell us “No one dies of the virus; it’s the Cytokine Storm that kills.” So the critical strategy is to down-regulate the immune response to prevent that event.
Dexamethasone: A steroid found to be helpful in throttling back the Cytokine Storm, is saving lives in advanced cases. If you wind up in the hospital this is a likely treatment.
Hydroxychloroquine: The few studies done in the USA, in hospitalized patients, showed it to be ineffective in saving lives. But widespread use around the world, where it was offered as a short-term therapy early after detection, showed it to be preventative of the Cytokine Storm, and for most physicians using it as an early treatment, speaking anecdotally, it was hailed as a life saver; few patients died. But the FDA (and the ever-wise US Media) shamed its use as dangerous and useless, and disallowed its off-label use. I’m waiting to see the world-wide data on its use before saying more. However, here is the AAPS peer-reviewed study from this July It shows that death rate of hospitalized patients is cut in half. For greater insight into this drug and its use in treatment and other very important nutraceutical treatments watch the video in the article. Here is the study behind the article – BE INFORMED! As of this writing, the ban on it’s off-label use for Covid-19 has been lifted, but availability is still iffy.
Bottom Line: It is fairly clear that masks, social distance and hand washing are usually effective at avoiding the virus and infection. Higher levels of vitamins D and A are good at fighting the worst of the disease’s impact, and I personally would use high dose vitamin C while infected, diarrhea and all. You want, at all costs, to not get the Cytokine Storm and be hospitalized. If you get Covid19, contact your Doctor, isolate and don’t give it to anyone else.
This too will Pass!
To your Greater Health & Fitness – So that we may do good on Earth,
Frank
Frank Wilhelmi – Retired/consultant electronic engineer researches and reports practical strategies for optimizing health and fitness into advanced age. “I have a passion for living life to the fullest, and helping others to do the same.” A rapidly growing body of knowledge now enables us to extend our health and fitness decades beyond popular expectations.