The Best Offense Is a Good Defense – Attacking Coronavirus

This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (round gold objects) emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. SARS-CoV-2, also known as 2019-nCoV, is the virus that causes COVID-19. The virus shown was isolated from a patient in the U.S. Credit: NIAID-RML

Congressional Democrats recently derided the Trump administration’s request last week for $2.5 billion to fight the virus as much too low.

Never Let A Good Crisis Go to Waste

When Trump charged Democrats with politicizing coronavirus to score cheap points, as they did with the Russia hoax and impeachment hoax, mainstream media accused POTUS of calling the virus a hoax. With the media poised to stroke more fear into the virus crisis, a little pro-active advice might be a welcome relief.

Leaving partisan politics aside, Dr. Michael Eades reminds readers in The Blog of Michael D. Eades, MD of a physiologic truth to flu, especially coronavirus (COVID-19): the best offense against infection is a good defense – that is, a strong, responsive immune system.

Vitamin D, a Selective Regulator of the Immune System

With a targeted coronavirus-killing medication still on the horizon, Dr. Eades gives some advice. Most of us have a targeted built-in defense system and responsive immune system, and Dr. Eades urges people to bolster their defense systems with the miracle drug known as 1,25(OH)2D3, better known as Vitamin D.

Vitamin D upregulates the production of immune modulating peptides in the respiratory tract, making it especially important to fend off getting a cold, the flu, or in this case covid-19. Adequate levels of Vitamin D help to make your immune system more bulletproof against viral assault.

A major reason there is a winter ‘flu season’ in North America is because we humans rely on the sun’s rays to naturally convert cholesterol in our skin to this critical vitamin/hormone that famously protects our bones and teeth but equally importantly also bolsters our immune function.  We make less of it in winter, especially in northern climes, because it’s cold and we’re bundled up and the sun’s rays are weakened because they’re coming in at a steep angle, passing through a lot more atmosphere on the way to us.

Ideally, during the summer months, we would restore our vitamin D levels depleted by winter through regular skin exposure, but today’s sun-phobic recommendations to block sun exposure every time we walk outside means we end up blocking our vitamin D conversion as well.

Weak sun, however, is better than no sun. Even in NE, residents need t try to get outdoors to receive as much unblocked sun exposure on face and arms as is possible each day the weather cooperates with sunny skies and less frigid temps, continues Dr. Eades. Even a low-SPF sunscreen will block the rays that are responsible for this conversion, so a northern winter is no time to use it.

Get Vitamin D from Food Sources

What you eat can make a difference as well. Vitamin D is found abundantly in mackerel and salmon and to a smaller degree in tuna, sardines, and anchovies. It’s plentiful in liver, too, and especially in cod liver oil.

Common Sense Goes a Long Way

Stay home if you can; give a wide berth to others if you can’t stay home; cough or sneeze into a tissue (preferably an anti-viral tissue if you have them) and throw it away immediately and wash your hands or use anti-microbial hand sanitizer before you touch anything else. And follow some simple, common sense practices to help avoid respiratory illness:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water
• Keep your hands away from nose or eyes (viruses enter through these mucus membranes)
• Get some unblocked sun on your skin as often as you can
• Eat foods high in vitamin D regularly
• Take a vitamin D3/K2 supplement daily in fall and winter

And remember, Spring is around the corner.