You Are What You Eat
"If people let the government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls who live under tyranny." -- Thomas Jefferson paraphrase from Notes on Virginia
Major risk factors for coronavirus
Obesity
Doctors say people with obesity, who often have lower blood oxygen levels, may need early treatment with supplemental oxygen for coronavirus.
Obese people “already have lower oxygen levels, they are predisposed to pulmonary dysfunction, and they have decreased chest function because of the weight on their chest. And many have sleep apnea. So they’re at pulmonary risk already.
In the United States, 42 percent of adults have a BMI over 30, the threshold for obesity, and more than 9 percent are classified as severely obese with a BMI over 40, according to the CDC.
A healthy gut is crucial to a healthy immune system. The gut houses nearly 80% of the cells that activate your immune system.
You are what you digest. Approximately 80% of Americans eat a diet high in processed foods stripped of many beneficial enzymes. With insufficient enzyme production, food isn’t digested as efficiently as it should be.
It’s important to consume probiotics that survive the journey to your colon, where they have an opportunity to colonize beneficial bacteria.
Zinc is one of the most important nutrients for the gut-immune system connection. Zinc and vitamin C strengthen your immune system year-round. Fermented enzymes from organic, whole foods and a potent probiotic and prebiotic blend with 650 million CFUs* deliver support for a healthy gut microflora, gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and a healthy immune system.
Some of the Supplements I am taking to boost my immune system.
Ways you may be sabotaging your immune system
Sitting too much, fear-stress, dehydration, overtraining, too much alcohol and more
Bloody Mary Mocktail Recipe
Ingredients:
8 ounces of an organic vegetable juice (with tomato juice as first ingredient)
½ tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon horseradish
½ teaspoon turmeric
⅛ teaspoon celery salt
⅛ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2 dashes of fresh cracked pepper
Garnish options:
1 celery stick
Olives
Pickled okra
Asparagus
Lemon wedge
Directions:
Combine vegetable juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, turmeric, celery salt and olive oil in a glass and mix well.
Add desired ice cubes and stir again.
Top with cracked black pepper and garnish of your choice.
Enjoy your mocktail!
I’ve been doing research and know that I have congestive heart failure, severe aorta stenosis, osteoarthritis, have had blood clots in my lungs and pneumonia as well as breast cancer. Thought I’d share some of the supplements that I am finding helpful to boost my immune system.
Keeping your immune system healthy year round is key to preventing infection and disease. Making healthy lifestyle choices by consuming nutritious foods and getting enough sleep and exercise are the most important ways to bolster your immune system.
Research has shown that supplementing with certain vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other substances can improve immune response and potentially protect against illness.
Some supplements can interact with prescription or over-the-counter medications and may not be appropriate for people with certain health conditions. Be sure to talk with your healthcare provider before starting any supplements.
Brands are Important
The brands that I find to be most helpful that do not use GMO ingredients, do use organic and/or high quality ingredients are Dr. Mercola, Garden of Life, Nature’s Way, Solaray, Dr. Axe and Dr. Christopher.
Zinc 30 Mg Per Day On Empty Stomach
Zinc is an essential trace element. It plays a crucial role in ensuring a proper immune response in the body, having been shown to shorten the duration of respiratory tract infections. Perhaps most important in relation to coronavirus, zinc is a modulator of the production of inflammatory cytokines.
Zinc is needed for immune cell development and communication and plays an important role in inflammatory response.
A deficiency in this nutrient significantly affects your immune system’s ability to function properly, resulting in an increased risk of infection and disease, including pneumonia.
Zinc deficiency affects around 2 billion people worldwide and is very common in older adults. In fact, up to 30% of older adults are considered deficient in this nutrient.
Numerous studies reveal that zinc supplements may protect against respiratory tract infections like the common cold.
What’s more, supplementing with zinc may be beneficial for those who are already sick.
Quercetin 250-500 Mg Per Day
Quercetin is a polyphenol derived from plants. It is found in many foods, such as leafy vegetables, onions, oregano, broccoli, apples, berries, ginkgo biloba, green tea and red wine. Quercetin is an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiviral, playing a positive modulating role in the body’s immune function. It has shown strong potential to act as a coronavirus inhibitor, providing support for regulating the body’s inflammation response to virus.
Vitamin C 1,000 Mg Per Day
The benefits of vitamin C are many. It plays an important role in a properly functioning immune system and is an important physiological antioxidant. Unlike animals, humans are not able to synthesize vitamin C endogenously, making it an important component of a healthy diet or supplementation regimen. Vitamin C has been recommended specifically related to coronavirus in part due to its support of mitochondrial health in the fight against the virus
Vitamin D 2,000 – 5,000 IU Per Day
Vitamin D is multi-faceted. It provides support for bone and muscle strength, particularly in older people. Importantly, it is a powerful regulator of the immune system. Most foods contain only modest levels of vitamin D, though it is found in fatty fish like salmon, tuna and sardines in high amounts. The best source? The sun. Natural sunlight can stimulate the skin to produce substantial amounts of vitamin D.
Vitamin D has been found to prevent excessive inflammatory cytokine response by the immune system. In addition, this is important as it relates to coronavirus, vitamin D stimulates the expression of certain peptides that reside in the cells in the respiratory tract that protect the lungs from infection
Many people are deficient in this important vitamin, which may negatively affect immune function. In fact, low vitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk of upper respiratory tract infections, including influenza and allergic asthma.
Licorice has well-documented antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties. Asian practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)
Licorice contains many substances, including glycyrrhizin, that may help protect against viral infections. According to test-tube research, glycyrrhizin exhibits antiviral activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus.
Licorice is often used in bronchitis and cough remedies to soothe sore throats. It is expectorant, anti-inflammatory, and directly antiviral. A licorice derivative, deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) is an excellent demulcent, and commonly used for throat, stomach, urinary, and intestinal irritations.
Japanese honeysuckle
Japanese honeysuckle and Jin Yin Hua, is one of the most familiar Chinese healing herbs. It has broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. That’s to say, it inhibits pathogenic bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus and Shigella. And it also inhibits a variety of pathogenic microbes, including leptospirosis, influenza virus, pathogenic fungi and so on.
Ozone
I used to work with Dr. Frank Shallenberger who has been offering Ozone Therapy to his patients in clinical practice for over 30 years, and has been teaching practitioners in North America and around the world how to use ozone for over 25 years.
There are more than 17 scientific studies that show Ozone gas is able to destroy the SARS coronavirus. Ozone generators are able to make ozone from normal air and are normally used as room disinfectants.
The antipathogenic effects of ozone have been substantiated for several decades. Its killing action upon bacteria, viruses, fungi, and in many species of protozoa, serve as the basis for its increasing use in disinfecting municipal water supplies in cities worldwide.
Turmeric
Curcumin is the main active compound in turmeric. It has powerful anti-inflammatory properties, and animal studies indicate that it may help improve immune function
Ubiquional
Ubiquinol promotes heart health by helping to provide the cellular energy needed to power the heart. Ubiquinol is critical in the production of ATP, the body's primary fuel. This fuel is used for three basic yet critical heart functions: Contraction – to keep the heart pumping consistently.
Ubiquinol is 3-8 times more absorbable than conventional Coenzyme Q10. Ubiquinol helps to protect the body's cells from damage caused by oxidative stress and free radicals. CoQ10, and its active form ubiquinol is an enzyme that helps produce over 95% of the energy in the cell and is responsible for promoting ATP production in the inner membrane of the mitochondria.