Coronavirus Response

SO YOU HAVE HEARD

The Coronavirus is actually a group of viruses. The scientific name for the one that has affected many people is SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). When the virus enters into a cell in your body, you have the disease which is called COVID-19. While the majority of the nation is calm and handling the news of the Coronavirus rationally, we still have the media’s minute by minute reporting of it, which has caused some to overreact. If you have gone to the store lately, you have seen some overreaction. Our government rightly doesn’t want this thing to spread, so they have put in place some restrictions on our lives. Many voices that seem knowledgeable are telling us things that are confusing us on the facts. Should we be worried? How worried? How should we prepare? Do we need to stock up on food or paper products? What are my chances of catching it, and how do I avoid catching it? Well, I am here to spread a bit of information to cover most of your wonderings, hopefully, and to give some hope! 

GIVE ME THE FACTS

As of the most recent numbers, 0.001997% of the world is infected by the Coronavirus. Of that one one-thousandth of a percent, there is a 7% fatality rate worldwide in the closed cases and a success rate of 93% percent. This rate is the rate that is represented by the reporting. If the reporting is incorrect on how many people are infected, which it surely is, because of a lack of accurate testing, then the numbers are off as well. If more people are infected and surviving, then the fatality rate would be reduced. Of the ongoing reported cases, 92% are mild, leaving only 8% to be serious. We know that the most vulnerable to this virus are the elderly (death rate of 80+ is well over the total death rate for years 0-79 years of age), and the unhealthy who would have a compromised immune system. (Only 0.9% of all deaths occur in people with no previous health conditions). While this virus can become severe with no prevention or intervention, its common symptoms are shortness of breath, dry cough, runny nose, sore throat, and fever that is usually brief. While we have compassion for the suffering of the people who have it and the families that have lost loved ones, it is statistically evident that the Coronavirus is not the catastrophic killer that it seems like we are being told it is. I know we are not finished with it yet, and some of the measures taken by the world may well have slowed the spread of this disease, but there is a reason for calm and hope. Take a look at these statistics:

• ​The Coronavirus fatality rate per world population of 7.8 billion is – .00007453%
• The fatality rate of Influenza in US .00017834
• Your odds of being struck by lighting per year 1 in 700,000, and 1 in 11,000 in your lifetime

Let’s put the Coronavirus in perspective;

• Car accidents as a cause of death 1 in 103
• Coronavirus as a cause of death 1 in 1.35 million people during the outbreak thus far

Simple ways to avoid Coronavirus 

• Avoid getting the virus by avoiding close proximity with people who have the virus. 

Sneezing, coughing, and talking can propel saliva, so keep your distance from those who are sick and avoid touching them

• Get rid of the virus before it infects your body
  • Washing your hands
  • Stay hydrated and keep your mouth moist
  • Sanitize surfaces touched by others frequently 

While the officials from many different pillars of society have advised us on how to stay away from the virus, little has been done to educate the public on the number one thing that will protect you from the Coronavirus. Your immune system!

God created this fascinating system within us that’s function is to protect you against outside pathogens (i.e., Coronavirus), and to eliminate any pathogen that has infiltrated your body. I encourage you to watch the simple videos about the immune system to get a better understanding of it. It truly is fantastic and works wonderfully when it is fully operational. How do you make it fully functional? Glad you asked.

How to build your immune system 

Common sense (or it used to be)

• Eat real food – plenty of veggies with dense nutrition
  • Avoid packaged foods that have tried to “put in” nutrition

Your body needs nutrients. That is why you eat. Your pure bodily hunger is a chemical response from your body to your brain that tells you to put more nutrients in your body. Our soul may hunger from chocolate ice cream, but our body may want antioxidants, anti-inflammatory chemicals, and flavonols from the chocolate and fat, calcium or potassium from the ice cream. My encouragement is to get those minerals and chemicals from a better real food source. 

When we don’t consume enough vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and other chemicals that our body, we cannot resource our immune system, and therefore it is compromised. Undoubtedly one of the factors in the 1918 Spanish Flu was people were nutrient-deprived, and their bodies couldn’t fight off the infection. 20-50 million people died from that flu. If you want a charged immune system, eat good, wholesome, preferably organic nutrient-dense foods. 

• Avoid sugar – Blood sugar spikes compromise the immune system and sugar feeds harmful bacteria in your gut
• Reduce stress 
  • High-stress levels inhibit proper immune function

The statistics are clear; at least 70% and up to 90% of all hospitalizations are caused by stress. This is precisely because constant stress ravages your immune system and creates a 

• Get a lot of Sleep 
  • Lack of sleep disrupts immune function

During sleep, your immune system releases proteins called cytokines. Certain cytokines need to increase when you have an infection or inflammation, or when you’re under stress. These cytokines Sleep deprivation may decrease production of these protective cytokines. Also, infection-fighting antibodies (T-cells) and cells are reduced during periods when you don’t get enough sleep.

• Drink lots of Water 
  • Proper hydration allows your body to flush toxins

1% dehydration can negatively affect your brain and body. It reduces your overall blood volume and lymphatic fluids, which are an integral part of your immune system. When ingesting a virus or bacteria through your mouth, if you have a hydrated mouth and esophagus (food pipe), the pathogen will go to your stomach and be killed in your hydrofluoric acid. 

• Exercise
  • A moderate amount of exercise will aid in flushing toxins from your body and especially your lungs. It creates a rise in body temperature that can kill some bacteria. Exercise reduces stress hormone levels and releases endorphins, which stimulate immune cells and increase your white blood cell count. 

Pro Tips (Things that medical professional tell you

• Increase your Vitamin D levels
  • Sunshine is your best source of vitamin D

You can get vitamin D in food like salmon and egg yolks, getting the sun on your skin creates it. Nearly every cell in your body has a vitamin D receptor. A self-defense mechanism of pathogens (bad bugs in your body) is to block your vitamin D receptors. It is well documented that vitamin D deficiency is linked to a weakened immune system and a proclivity to have respiratory infections. It is no coincidence that flu season is within the coldest and shortest days of the year, where many people don’t get any sun at all. In the 1918 flu, this is what the Surgeon General of Massachusetts State Guard reported; Open-air therapy and sun therapy reduced deaths among hospital patients from 40% to 13%. Get outside in the fresh air which is more healing than the air inside and get some sun. If you can’t get sun, eat food rich in vitamin D and/or take a whole food vitamin D3 supplement.

• Increase your vitamin C intake
  • Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) likely triggers the increase of phagocytes, a vital part of your immune systems. It also stimulates the creation of white blood cells

“Vitamin C is the primary water-soluble, non-enzymatic antioxidant in plasma and tissues. Even in small amounts vitamin C can protect indispensable molecules in the body, such as proteins, lipids (fats), carbohydrates, and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), from damage by free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are generated during normal metabolism, by active immune cells, and through exposure to toxins and pollutants …”

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/02/24/iv-vitamin-c.aspx

• Zinc 
  • Zinc activates your immune system response 
  • Zinc helps with the normal development and function of cells and mediates the innate immune response. 
  • Zinc increases T-cells including Killer T-cells which kill pathogens

Elderberry Extract

• Elderberry is an immune booster and is known to shorten the life on influenza duration by two to four days as well as reduce the severity of the flu. 

 “Given that elderberry is a very rich source of anthocyanins, there is reason to suspect that its impact on viruses might be mediated, at least in part, by ferulic acid, a prominent metabolite that appears in plasma following anthocyanin ingestion.”

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/03/09/coronavirus-prevention.aspx

• Lipoic acid — Helps boost type 1 interferon response
• Spirulina — Reduces the severity of influenza infection and lowers influenza mortality in animal studies. In a human trial, spirulina significantly decreased the viral load in patients with HIV infection
• Garlic – Kills virus, bacteria, yeast, fungus, mold
• Colloidal Silver – anti-viral
• Olive leaf – anti-viral

• Oregano Oil – Most claims around oregano oil are based on research into its key component, carvacrol. And most of that research has been done in the lab, where yes, carvacrol has been found to kill bacteria and viruses—even cancer cells

• Grapefruit Seed Extract – antimicrobial

Build up your Gut Microbiome!

The gut holds most of your 3-4 pounds of bacteria that you need for living a healthy life. It also resides in your mouth and on your skin. It is said that 80% of your immune system is in your gut. There are good bacteria, bad bacteria, and other bacteria that are neutral. Our Standard American Diet (SAD) builds the bad bacteria and kills the good bacteria. So many illnesses are born out of a bad gut. If you want your immune system to function efficiently, then you have to heal and build up your gut. 

How to build your gut microbiome

• Take a probiotic
  • These are found in many healthier food stores and should be taken on an empty stomach when first arising or when you go to bed.
• Eat probiotic food
  • Packaged foods have replaced fermented foods. Make a regular habit of eating foods like Kefir, Kombucha, Kimchi, Sauerkraut, or any fermented food. 
• Eat prebiotic foods
  • Prebiotics are what the good bacteria eat for food. You need them strong! Some prebiotic foods are onions, leeks, garlic, asparagus, barley, and jicama. 
• Eat high fiber foods
  • Fiber also feeds the good bacteria. This is one of the reasons your mom said to eat your vegetables. At least my mom did. Veggies have fiber as do seeds and fruits. Grains do have fiber as well, but I would caution you to not look to fruits and grains as your primary sources of fiber
• Avoid sugar
  • As far as gut bacteria, sugar feeds the bad bacteria. Cut your sugar intake to help your good bacteria win the war of supremacy.