Key Lessons from the Sars-Cov2 Pandemic.
2020 was a crazy year. And 2021 wasn't much better. As a health and nutrition company, we have a very particular perspective on things. When considering the totality of the public discourse centered around the covid-19 pandemic, a few things struck us as glaringly significant, as well as frightening, and so we thought it important to add our voice.
We have the wrong focus entirely!
Maybe it's just the result of the media's financial motivations to air stories that will scare us. If recent times have showed us anything, it's that disaster porn sells. Profits have never been higher for the major media conglomerates or for pharmaceutical companies. That has led to some pretty skewed perspectives and conversations around the pandemic and what we should be doing in response. If you step back, you quickly realize that all the oxygen is being sucked out by the political conversation, leaving little for the scientific one. People have entrenched themselves in information silos and are only hearing from their own camp, and they are mostly focused on all the wrong things. Does the vaccine work? Is it the best option? Is it safe? Why are we prioritizing more expensive and novel therapeutics, and demonizing others? And why is the science being cherry-picked, or even obscured in some cases? Everyone is obsessed over the politics of the disease and the pharmaceutical response to the point where we are now either actively or passively ignoring other intelligence. Moreover, somehow the medical community seems to have lost sight of the fact that vaccines are just one option for therapeutic responses.
The sad reality is that the media likes the pandemic to be scary, and may very well be confusing the issue themselves. Moreover, the really appropriate conversation is both boring and requires us to be brutally honest with ourselves about lifestyle and health choices. We can all agree -- honesty is not in style at the moment. But we have to focus openly on the areas where we can actually do some good, so our own health and lifestyle.
This disease is not particularly devastating because it is an extraordinary pathogen. Despite the tragic loss, it has fortunately been a lot less virulent and deadly than it could easily have been. Omicron has been even more the case. What really made it so devastating is rooted in our society, culture, and lifestyle itself. We have become our own worst enemy by focusing on the wrong things, and not being honest with ourselves.
Let me explain:
Stripping away all the extraneous factors (to this topic), the absolute bottom line is that the virus' success at hijacking your body, and how much damage it then causes, is essentially a function of how well your body fights back. Everything else comes after this. Doctors are always engaged in a two-pronged approach, both bolstering immune response and inhibiting viral replication. When you opt to employ a vaccination, you are utilizing tools that encourage your immune system to respond more effectively. And while a vaccine may become imperative, it should not necessarily be the first, or only, action. If we are to be active in our own health, we must be involved in supporting our natural immunity (it's the only place where we can make a difference.) The first and most important action is to build-up your immune system to be fortified at all times so it can fight off pathogens on its own. One of the principle reasons the virus does more harm to some than others is simply because some have a stronger immune system. There are many ways to say this, but at the end of the day, it's all about immune function.
And natural immune function can be enhanced in various ways!
What do I need to do to boost my immune system?
This is the key conversation that is missing from the dialogue. I hear it every now and again, but for the most part there is little of this going around. The reason the virus has wreaked havoc is because we have developed diets and lifestyles that make us vulnerable. Lack of exercise leads to a sedentary life that most definitely lowers immune function, amongst other harms. Exercise is imperative for good health. Where is that conversation? Too much caloric consumption and not enough caloric expenditure leads to weight gain, immune-system degradation, co-morbidities, and illness. Eating processed foods instead of healthy whole foods leads to insufficient nutrition, weight gain, ... you get it.
In this time, how you live and what you eat is more important than ever. You need foods and behaviors that enhance immune function. This means getting good sleep, enough mid-day sunshine, keeping a healthy mental state, and exercising. Most importantly, getting the right nutrition is critical. Research shows us that vitamin D significantly improves immune health, as does vitamin K2, and antioxidants like vitamins B and C. As one example, use of D3 has been directly associated with health such that low levels may play a role in cancer, heart diseases, and even viral infections. According to a recent study, "specifically, lower circulating levels of vitamin D metabolites are independently associated with worse outcomes in patients with acute illness, including patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)." JAMA. An article published by the NIH states "analysis showed that individuals with Vitamin-D deficiency were 80% more likely to acquire COVID-19 infection as compared to those who have sufficient Vitamin D levels." Here is clear evidence of nutrition playing a fundamental therapeutic role.
There are lots of nutritional choices that can give us a serious leg up when fighting off viral attacks and reducing outside threats. Let's take a brief look at them, but also follow the related links at the end of the post to discover more details.
First, it may be smart to get tested with your doctor to find if there are any significant areas to watch out for. Maybe you are deficient in certain nutrients and need to focus on those.
In general, the key approach will be to incorporate specific nutrition to raise immune function. That means eating lots of fresh foods, with a variety of colors, that are high in key nutrients. The best choices are those highest in antioxidants, chlorophyllin, and carotenoids, which have the most significant immuno-enhancing effects. It is commonly known that leafy green vegetables are excellent for a broad range of nutrients like chlorophyllin, so embrace the green. But even better yet are red, purple and dark colored foods, which are particularly rich in immune-boosting anthocyanin, chlorophyllin, and xanthophyll. Look for anything high in lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin. These foods include egg yolk, papaya, carrots, eggplant, peaches, pomegranate, grapes, prunes, all berries (and particularly the small blue berries like acai, maqui and blueberry,) all resveratrol-containing foods, and flowers like marigold, daffodil and tulip. These will all help boost your immune system health.
Some good news! The processing of these critical food sources using grinding, fermentation and gentle heating, usually improves bio-availability, likely due to the weakening the cell wall of plant tissues and disassociating the protein-oxycarotenoid complexes. This means that supplements can be a very effective way to augment your diet with these highly important and health-supporting micronutrients. It's often difficult to eat enough quantity and variety of the right foods to get sufficient levels of these important compounds, so supplements make good sense, especially in these times when you need your immune function to protect your health and even survival. We know they really help, so take advantage of them.
Further on the subject of immune health, with the onset of the new variants like Omicron, we are seeing a change in the way the virus attacks and affects our bodies. What was once a typically upper-respiratory impact has now morphed into more GI tract impact, and many doctors are testing for, and seeing, the virus in the intestines rather than in the nasal areas. A large potion of your immune system is located in your gut, so it becomes more critical than ever to contrive your diet in order to be well prepared. Choose foods that enhance and boost your immune function, and for the stomach that means good flora, so fermented foods for probiotics. Our favorites are yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, and tempeh. There are an inordinate number of studies to back this up, but for a simple example, one study found that drinking 200 mL (6.7 ounces) of kefir every day for 6 weeks decreased markers of inflammation, which is known to contribute to immune dysfunction and many chronic conditions like heart disease and cancer. These fermented foods have impressive probiotic content, and strong gut health leads to a host of benefits beyond just viral defense. So during these pathogenic times especially, make sure your diet is up to the challenge of mounting a good defense.
Just remember, you must take responsibility for your health. Be proactive and circumspect, and don't let others think for you. Take an holistic approach. If you were preparing for a battle, you would exercise, procure weapons and armor, practice fighting, eat well, sleep well, rally your compatriots, and so on, all to make your body and mind most capable of victory. You are at war with a world of pathogens, and must be well readied to fight them off.
In summary, talk to your healthcare provider about making sure you are nutritionally optimized. Adding quality supplements to enhance immune function is a very wise decision, especially right now. Get some vigorous exercise a few times a week at minimum. Sleep well in a quiet, dark, calming environment. Foster healthy interpersonal relationships. Look out and care for those around you. Listen to uplifting music. These activities will all make you a stronger biological entity and better able to survive in a complex and dangerous world. Also check our related articles below for more useful posts.
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Content and other information presented on the site is not meant to constitute medical advice or be any substitute for professional advice, counseling, diagnosis, or treatment. Never delay or disregard professional medical or mental health advice from your physician or other qualified health provider. If you are making changes to your regimen, always consult your doctor first.
