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How to Win Against COVID-19
How to Win Against COVID-19
by Tony Salamay, DC
At this moment of crisis, when the United States and the world at large are in upheaval due to a global pandemic of COVID-19, it’s more essential than ever that we stay well informed about factors that may affect our health. To that end, this article represents the frequently absent but all-important natural and holistic perspectives on staying healthy and supporting the immune system during these trying times.
The purpose of this article is not to instill fear or panic, but to allay concerns by empowering people to fight this disease both medically and holistically. This article does not claim to represent any official or proven treatment or cure for COVID-19. Readers should consult with their primary care physician before pursuing any new course of medication or supplements.
Symptoms of COVID-19
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever (appearing in 98 percent of cases); dry cough (76 percent), and muscle aches or pain (30 percent). Less-common symptoms include headache and diarrhea.
People can have the virus for up to two weeks before they show any symptoms, although the average incubation period is five days. Statistics have shown that each infection results in at least 2.2 new infections, and that the majority of infected patients are males.
Currently, the average fatality rate in the United States appears to be 3 to 4 percent (that number varies widely, from 0.5 to 20, depending on the patient’s age and risk factors).
Fortunately, COVID-19 itself is not terrifically fatal, although it can frequently lead to other conditions that are much more immediately dangerous. The most important signs to watch for are shortness of breath, which occurs in 40 percent of cases, and pneumonia, which must be verified by lab work and a chest x-ray or CT scan.
Alarmingly, up to 17 percent of infected people and 42 percent of hospitalized patients have developed Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)—swelling in the lungs that makes sufferers feel like they’re choking.
Beating COVID-19 means preventing these dangerous complications from happening. What follows are some natural methods for achieving this goal.
Prevention
Because COVID-19 is most likely spread by people coughing or sneezing, the most effective way to prevent transmission right now is through social distancing or avoidance. The Centers for Disease Control recommends staying at least six feet from other people in public places, as well as washing hands thoroughly and often and self-monitoring for symptoms.
One area in which people may not be defending themselves adequately is by failing to properly disinfect surfaces exposed to COVID-19. Even medical-grade alcohol can leave traces of the virus and other microbes, so standard disinfectants don’t provide sufficient protection against them. Research published in Biocontrol Science suggests that a weak solution of hypochlorous acid, which is safe on the skin, is much more effective for preventing microbial transmission.
Pharmaceutical Treatment
While researchers are hard at work developing a treatment for COVID-19, at the moment there is no proven medication or cure available to the public. When azithromycin has been added, hydroxychloroquine has demonstrated good potential as a treatment— though larger-scale testing is still needed to determine whether and how it can be used safely and effectively in coronavirus patients.
The Battle for Our Lungs
Recent research has revealed new information about how COVID-19 affects the body. The virus can activate a component of the immune system, the NLRP3 inflammasome, which in turn triggers a phenomenon known as a “cytokine storm”: the increased secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. These are immune-system messengers that “tag” infections so our bodies can fight them off.
Normally, our bodies make just enough cytokines to tag any foreign invaders, like a virus, as “enemies,” while recognizing our own tissues as “friends.” However, in a cytokine storm, the immune system goes haywire, leading to the destruction of our own tissue.
When this happens with COVID-19, our lungs become the casualties of this war. Imagine having an army brigade without proper command—a brigade that can’t distinguish between friend or foe, committing military suicide at the expense of our lungs! Not every coronavirus patient experiences a cytokine storm, but this extreme reaction is what leads to the development of ARDS or pneumonia. Considering the danger posed by these compli- cations, the key to surviving COVID-19 may be inhibiting this inflammatory response in the body, thus preventing a cytokine storm from ever happening.
Humming for Health
We have found that nitric oxide is particularly effective on this front—a conclusion supported by a 2013 study in the journal Cell Research. Fascinatingly, one activity that is demonstrated to in- stantly increase the concentration of nitric oxide in the vulnerable nasal passages is humming (yes, humming!).
According to research published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, humming while exhal- ing can increase nitric oxide levels by as much as 15-fold. This practice can help keep a respiratory infection from spreading to the lungs, which is what happens when someone dies from CO- VID-19.
Vitamin C can also boost nitric oxide—read more about vitamin C below.
Fight the Furins
COVID-19 can’t fully function in the body without the help of enzymes called furins. These enzymes are naturally present in our cells, and under normal circumstances they perform a vari- ety of important functions. But because the virus needs furins in order to spread and wreak havoc on the body, it’s important for us to do everything we can to inhibit them. There are a variety of all-natural anti-furin treatments that may prove effective at fighting COVID-19.
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), for instance, has been used intravenously in Chinese hospitals to treat COVID-19, due to its anti-furin properties as well as its capacity to inhibit activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome (as shown in a 2016 study published in the journal Inflammasome).
Dosage is important here, as it’s possible to oversaturate the body with ascorbic acid. For someone weighing 180 pounds (75 kg), I recommend a daily dose of 7.5 to 15 grams of vitamin C. People who are older or have other risk factors that make them more susceptible to COVID-19 should take a maintenance dose of one gram per hour, for a total of 10 to 18 grams per day, depend- ing on their tolerance level.
More Natural Treatments
Here are some other powerful naturopathic treatments:
· Andrographis paniculata is a powerful anti-furin compound. Research published by Basak, et al, in Biochemical Journal sug- gests that the compound is most effective when taken as early as possible after the virus is diagnosed or suspected, in two to three doses totaling up to 48 to 60 mg andrographopholides per day.
· Melatonin, also known as the “sleepy hormone,” is an antioxidant, but most notably for our purposes, it also blocks the NLRP3 inflam- masome, according to a study published last December in Cardiovas- cular Research. I recommend taking 50 mg of melatonin one to two hours before bedtime or three hours after the last meal of the day. Note: Diabetics should not take melatonin, which can inhibit insulin.
· Propolis, a natural compound derived from bees, has great antiviral properties and also inhibits the NLRP3 inflammasome, as shown in research published in the Brazilian Journal of Veterinary Research and Animal Science. Propolis can be a good alternative when melatonin isn’t available or is contraindicated (such as with diabetic people).
· Artemesia annua (“sweet wormwood”) is an herb used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Although there has not yet been published research indicating that it is effective against early exposure to or mild symptoms of COVID-19, sweet wormwood has antimalarial and antiviral properties similar to the biologi- cal and chemical properties of chloroquine phosphate, which has been used in pharmaceutical treatment of the virus.
· Other nutrients and herbs with significant antiviral and immune-boosting properties are zinc, vitamin D, elderberry, astragulus, smilax, cat’s-claw, echinacea, rosemary and dandelion.
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An Extra Safeguard
Finally, it is worth examining the possibility that by facilitating calcium transport into the cells, electromagnetic fields (EMFs) can make it more difficult to kill microbes. While there is little we can do to eliminate the effects of cell phone towers, I recommend turning off Wi-Fi when it’s not in use, especially at bedtime. Using airplane mode and an EMF absorber will lessen the harmful effects of a mobile device.
I hope this article has given Natural Awakenings readers some ammo to help protect themselves and their families dur- ing this crisis. There is no better time to safeguard our health by taking care of it from the inside out. Here’s to our collective health and safety as we go through this pandemic together!
Tony Salamay, DC, MS, FASA, is a practitioner of functional medi- cine, doctor of chiropractic and clinical nutritionist, as well as the author of How to END Your Chronic Pain and Start Living Again! A Drug-Free Non-Surgical Approach to Beating Chronic Pain and Health Conditions. He practices at 520 N. MacArthur Ave., Panama City, FL, serving patients with chronic health conditions. For more information, call 850-785-9372. See ad, page 29.
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