From eNewsletter 3/10/2021
DID YOU KNOW that the American Heart Association came out with a statement that while not exactly groundbreaking, is notable because only one in 10 Americans do it? According to the AHA, five daily servings of fruits and vegetables, eaten as two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables, is enough to live a longer life. Starchy vegetables, such as peas and corn, fruit juices and potatoes were not associated with reduced risk of death. On the other hand, green leafy vegetables, including spinach, lettuce and kale, and fruit and vegetables rich in beta carotene and vitamin C, such as berries and carrots, showed benefits.
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COVID-19 Vaccine Information We updated this document Monday.
COVID-19 Condition Monograph For those interested in conventional and integrative treatments for COVID-19 with over 250 references, this is our COVID-19 Condition Monograph.
Virus Prevention And Treatment Continue extra immune support until summer of 2021. SARS-CoV-2 is not going away. Moreover, SARS-CoV-2 is not the only virus we fight. There are influenza (flu), norovirus (stomach flu), adenovirus (common cold), and four other coronaviruses (common cold), among others. Prevent and Fight Coronavirus 2.0 Protocol.
Post-COVID Syndrome The official diagnosis for post-COVID syndrome (PCS) are symptoms that last for 12 weeks or more. If you, a family member, friend, coworker, or neighbor is suffering from PCS, diligently following our Post-COVID Syndrome Action Plan for purchase, or free to paid members, can bring measurable improvement.
COVID-19 UPDATE
Steve and Bonnie: While reading these updates may be getting tiresome, they are very important to consume for your day-to-day living.
CDC Guidelines for Fully Vaccinated Persons
Updated CDC guidelines for vaccinated persons were published on Monday. While we don't think they went far enough (such as not allowing travel), it is a welcome first step and instills confidence that normalcy will arrive sooner than later.
One client who is fully vaccinated asked if she could now hug her young grandchildren. The answer is a resounding yes, as long as the grandchildren are wearing masks of course ;)
Influenza (Flu)
If there is a silver lining from the pandemic, it would be that the flu has virtually disappeared. February is usually the peak of flu season, but reports show this is the lowest flu season on record. Mask wearing, social distancing and virtual schooling were a big factor, but even more so, SARS-CoV-2 has essentially muscled aside flu and other bugs that are more common in the fall and winter. This may not be the case for the next flu season, however, because they will not be able to make a guess which flu strains will be virulent next year.
Immunity Without Vaccine
People who have had COVID-19 are highly likely to have immunity for at least five to 10 months, but those with antibodies are still able to carry and spread the virus. You can be reassured it is highly unlikely you will develop severe infections. A study in Nature found neutralizing IgG antibody persistency in 63.3% of the subjects at ten months post-infection with zero re-infections.
People who have recovered from COVID-19 can likely mount a fast and effective response to the virus if they encounter it again because their B cells will remember how to make the antibodies needed to fight it. While levels of antibodies to the virus may decline over time, the number of memory B cells remains unchanged.
Furthermore, the antibodies produced by memory B cells are more potent than the patients' original antibodies and may be more resistant to mutations in the spike protein the virus uses to break into cells. So even if a new variant appears and evades some antibody responses, the chances of severe infection is minimal because of B cell memory.
Immunity With Vaccine
We explain this in detail on Our COVID-19 Vaccine Opinion article. With the new variants appearing from SARS-CoV-2 mutations, nobody really knows how much immunity there will be for the long-term. If we had to guess, this turns out to be a similar situation to the yearly flu shot.
Mouthwash
Povidone‐iodine (PVP‐I) oral antiseptic preparations rapidly inactivated SARS‐CoV‐2 virus in vitro. The viricidal activity was present at the lowest concentration of 0.5 % PVP‐I and at the lowest contact time of 15 seconds. This important finding in Journal of Prosthodontics can justify the use of preprocedural oral rinsing with PVP‐I as an adjunct to personal protective equipment, for dental and surgical specialties during the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Nutrition
Deficiencies of micronutrients, especially vitamins A, B complex, C, and D, zinc, and selenium, are common among vulnerable populations in general and among COVID-19 patients in particular, and could plausibly increase the risk of mortality. According to a study in Nutrition Reviews, judicious use of micronutrient supplementation, alongside existing micronutrient fortification programs, is warranted in the current global pandemic.
A varied and balanced diet with an abundance of fruits and vegetables and essential nutrients like vitamin D, vitamin A, B vitamins (folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12), vitamin C and the minerals, iron, copper, selenium, and zinc are all known to contribute to the normal functions of the immune system. Avoidance of deficiencies and identification of suboptimal intakes of these micronutrients could help to strengthen the resilience of people to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the editors of British Journal of Nutrition.
PCR Testing
While studies in New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet point out the majority of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 are only contagious for 4-8 days, PCR tests pick up viral fragments up to 22-33 days following infection, suggesting 50-75% of positive PCR tests are in fact dead viral fragments and that the person is no longer infectious.
Even the World Health Organization has now recognized this issue and is updating its guidelines for labs. Both studies uphold the views of many scientists that PCR tests are not fit for purpose and that many positive test results are plain and simply wrong. In no uncertain terms: if you test positive, take a second test to confirm it.
Physical Activity at 50 and Over
After 50 years of age, engaging in physical activity more than once a week is associated with lower odds of COVID-19 hospitalization, according to a new study from Medxriv. The protective effect of physical activity on COVID-19 hospitalization is explained by muscle strength. This is why it is unconscionable that the media and our public health experts do not talk about this.
Pregnant Women
Antibodies that guard against COVID-19 can transfer from mothers to babies while in the womb, according to a new study from American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Selenium
Selenium status is likely to influence human response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome and that it is one (of several) risk factors which may impact on the outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection, particularly in populations where selenium intake is sub-optimal or low, according to British Journal of Nutrition.
Spreading COVID
Wondering why we still are wearing masks? Some truly astonishing photos in Physics of Fluids show how simply speaking while infected with COVID-19 can spread to others.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D supplementation should be a standardized practice to treat COVID-19 in
hospitalized older patients, according to a newly published position statement by the
Spanish Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology, appearing in Spanish Journal of Geriatrics and Gerontology.
New studies in Nutrients and Journal of the American College of Nutrition report significantly lower vitamin D serum levels were found in elderly COVID-19 patients who died during hospitalization, compared to those who survived. The study confirms that vitamin D serum deficiency is associated with more severe lung involvement, longer disease duration and risk of death, in elderly COVID-19 patients. One of the studies was performed on subjects in New York City.
ZINC IS MORE THAN AN IMMUNE BOOSTER
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