Protect & Fortify Against Covid-19
Mainstream media’s slant towards fear and anxiety drives me crazy. It takes a fair amount of work to get a more holistic perspective on any issue.
Take for example the reporting on COVOD-19. There is a lot of research being done on preventing and moderating the severity if you contract COVID 19. Yet this information gets little coverage.
So, today, I want to share some interesting research-based information I learned about from listening to the Model Health Show podcast. The Model Health Show is hosted by Shawn Stevenson and is the #1 rated health podcast. I love Shawn’s focus on research and how he breaks it down into simple, accessible, and powerful tips for living a healthier life.
In episode 515, 8 Clinically Proven Ways to Strengthen Your Immune System In The Age Of COVID-19, he shares some simple, clinically proven ways to protect against COVID-19, support your immune system and lessen the impact if you contract COVID-19.
Below are some highlights from the podcast. I hope you walk away with some clinically researched actions you can implement.
Sleep
Shawn’s number 1 strategy for preventing and lessening the severity of COVID-19 is sleep! He also discusses the sleep related hormone, melatonin, and the important role it plays in moderating our immune response (meaning to keep it from over-reacting).
A recent study of healthcare workers found “insomnia, disrupted sleep, and daily burnout are linked to a heightened risk of not only becoming infected with coronavirus, but also having more severe disease and a longer recovery.” They also found “every 1-hour increase in the amount of time spent asleep at night was associated with 12% lower odds of becoming infected with COVID-19.”
In the study, Lack of Sleep Can Jeopardize Vaccine Effectiveness, “it suggests that vaccine effectiveness against infectious diseases may be impaired significantly in sleep-deprived individuals.”
“Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco found that people who slept fewer than six hours on average per night…were 11.5 times more likely to be unprotected by the vaccine than those who slept more than 7 hours on average.”
“A new observational study published in PLoS ONE Biology, tracked the data of almost 27,000 people and found that melatonin usage is associated with a 28% reduced likelihood of a SARS-CoV-2 infection.”
As Shawn says, a robust immune system depends on quality sleep! To support your body’s natural production of melatonin he suggests turning off screens at least 30 minutes before bed and get sun exposure during the day. Supplement with melatonin as needed.
Dehydration
Simply put, our cells and our bodies need water to survive and thrive.
“A collaborative analysis conducted by researchers from Arizona State University, Harvard Medical School and UCSF,” hypothesizes that suboptimal hydration in the weeks prior to exposure to COVID-19 increases risk of COVID-19 mortality” and other significant related health issues.
Vitamin D
I have talked previously about the importance of vitamin D for optimal health and immune function. To date, there are over 20 peer-reviewed studies confirming the link between vitamin D deficiency and Covid-19.
Research in the Journal of Investigative Medicine found vitamin D can modulate the innate and adaptive immune responses, and deficiency in vitamin D is associated with increased autoimmunity as well as an increased susceptibility to infections.
A study published in Scientific Reports took two groups of people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 and tested their vitamin D levels. Group A had no Covid symptoms. Group B had severe symptoms. The researchers found the people with severe symptoms had significantly lower levels of vitamin D than those with no symptoms. The researcher stated that "The fatality rate was high in vitamin D deficient group B, vitamin D level is markedly low in severe COVID-19 patients, inflammatory response is also high in vitamin D deficient COVID-19 patients. This all translates into increased mortality in vitamin D deficient COVID-19 patients."
A study published in the BMJ found COVID-19 ICU risk is 20 times greater in people who are deficient in vitamin D.
I will let you draw your own conclusions, but I am supplementing with vitamin D!
Exercise
Yup, you can’t escape it. No matter how hard you try, it always comes back to exercise.
“A Kaiser Permanente study of nearly 50,000 people with COVID-19 suggested that regular physical activity provided strong protection from hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, and death. The odds for death were 2.49 times greater for patients who were consistently inactive compared with patients who were consistently active.”
“The British Journal of Sports Medicine found that regular exercise has a notable protective effect against contracting a COVID infection.” In addition, regular exercise appears to slash the risk of severe COVID infections and dramatically reduces the risk of death from COVID-19. The most beneficial exercise was a combination of resistance and cardiovascular exercise. “In one cohort of the study, people who regularly strength-train and regularly utilize aerobic exercise had a 27% lower risk of contracting COVID-19 in the first place, and nearly a 60% lower risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms.”
I love this one! “Researchers at Appalachian State University found that “30-60 minutes of near-daily activity, such as brisk walking, stimulates the immune system to detect and destroy viruses.”
Vitamin C
I was happy to see this one on his list as I personally love vitamin C for its immune supporting properties.
One study, cited in the journal PharmaNutrition, suggests “that IV vitamin C has been particularly effective by inhibiting the production of the cytokines storm due to COVID-19.”
“In five clinical trials, people who were exposed to extreme stress…were able to cut the number of illnesses they contracted in half by supplementing with vitamin C.”
Shawn recommends a botanical form of vitamin C if possible (camu camu berry, amla berry or acerola) for maximum effectiveness. He likes the Essential C Complex from Paleo Valley, which I just ordered myself!
Stress
It is easy to feel stress these days. And stress undermines and weakens our immune system. Humans are not meant to be in a constant state of fight or flight. Our goal should be to spend more time in the parasympathetic or rest & digest state.
According to a study published by the CDC looking at 540,667 COVID-19 patients, “obesity, diabetes with complication, and anxiety disorders were the strongest risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness.”
“A study published in the peer-reviewed journal Stress and Health, found that there's a significant correlation between the capacity of individuals to deal with stress and their natural killer cell activity. Folks who don't cope well with stress, have significantly lower natural killer cell activity.”
“A study conducted by researchers at Indiana State University School of Nursing found that laughter may reduce stress and improve natural killer cell activity.”
There are many ways to reduce stress from walking outside, to journaling, to keeping a gratitude journal to practicing meditation. Find one you like and practice it consistently.
Gut Health
There is evidence beginning to suggest that COVID-19 also impacts the gut, not just the respiratory system. And our gut and our immune system are closely linked.
Researchers (paper published in the journal Gut)” have found that the gut microbiome was significantly altered in patients with COVID-19 compared to non-COVID-19 individuals.” They suggest “that the gut microbiome is involved in the magnitude of the COVID-19 severity possibly via modulating host immune responses.”
To protect your gut Shawn suggests eating a high quality, diverse diet, avoid processed foods, and get a filter for your water to avoid chemicals like chlorine in your water. I just bought an Aqua Tru countertop water filter myself.
Further Support for Your Immune System
And let’s not forget about supporting our immune systems.
Research published in Mediators of Inflammation, has “uncovered that the polysaccharides found in the medicinal mushroom Reishi were able to enhance the proliferation of our T-cells and memory B cells.” Memory B cells help with long-term immunity and support our immune system in continuously defending against an infection.
“A randomized eight-week study conducted with 79 adult test subjects supplementing with Cordyceps, led to a significant 38% increase in activity of their natural killer cells.”
I use some of the Four Sigmatic products to get regular doses of mushrooms in my diet.
Parting Thought
Yup, COVID-19 is scary, and no one wants to get it. But there are steps we can proactively take to reduce our risk, support our immune system, and minimize the severity of OVID-19 if we get it. Good luck!
See you next week…
