From eNewsletter 3/25/2020
DID YOU KNOW that an association between sleep quality and macronutrient intake has rarely been reported?
In a study from the January issue of Nutrients, researchers found that good sleepers had a higher energy distribution from dietary protein than poor sleepers. The results suggest that consuming a greater proportion of dietary protein may be of benefit for improving sleep quality in healthy adults.
WE ARE OPEN The Department of Homeland Security has deemed our business essential, so we will be open. Our obligation is to serve your wellness needs so you can thrive through these difficult times.
Appointments If you want to consult with us remotely, no problem. We will be in the office as well. Supplements As long as the post office, FedEx, and UPS are still running, and our suppliers have supply, you will be able to order your products to ship or for pickup. If you pickup your supplements, we are happy to bring them to your car or leave them outside the door for social distancing upon request.
PREVENT AND FIGHT THE CORONAVIRUS
Steve & Bonnie: If you have been following our SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 (coronavirus) updates since January 22nd, then your preventive arsenal should be well stocked.
There is so much information to synthesize. What's fake news? What's real news? Now that there is enough data to synthesize, and you have more time on your hands to read, we have fleshed out our recommendations.
Apart from behavioral measures designed to reduce transmission, which we do not have to focus on as these have been well described by the CDC, understand that the primary interface between us and the new coronavirus is our immune system.
There are several areas where coronaviruses take the battle to your immune system.
The coronavirus' initial entry is in the throat and nasopharynx area. Arming your immune system with every weapon possible to attack the virus in the throat is where the battle should be won.
If the coronavirus gets to the lungs, there are still numerous weapons your immune system has to fight it there. However, it will be a longer slog.
The unknown battle that wages is if the coronavirus is allowed to linger. In some cases, it is essential to temper an over-reaction of the immune system to the point where it is killing healthy tissue or creating too much mucus that it makes it hard to breathe.
At this juncture, simply going about life as "business as usual" is not going to cut it. Each of you need to take strong measures to bolster your immunity and make sure that your immune system does not "overheat" if it needs to fight.
Everything that you'll read below covers necessary weapons to fight the battle in all three areas.
Diet and Beverages
Sugar
If there is one thing to take away from reading this piece, it is that added sugars, sweets, desserts, and sweetened beverages of any kind, should be looked upon as badly as the coronavirus. Even one deviation could be the opening the virus needs to take hold.
Public health experts all over the world are pleading with their populations that good glucose control is very helpful in avoiding infections. Being extra vigilant regarding sugars and sugar control to avoid peaks and valleys is crucial, especially for those with blood sugar disorders, according to the editorial advisory board for journal Clinical Endocrinology.
There is the temptation to do a lot of baking, which may include cookies and other sweet baked goods. We implore you to withhold this temptation.
Fruit and Vegetables
Eat copious amounts of fruit and vegetables. Not only do they provide fluid and electrolytes, their phytochemicals protect the throat and lungs, and most importantly, help maintain your acid/alkaline balance. It is much tougher for viruses to take hold when the body's pH level is between 6.8 and 7.2, which is slightly alkaline. Being too acidic or too alkaline is not ideal. Cruciferous vegetables from the Brassica family also help boost our Th1 immune antibodies.
Fluids
Drinks lots of fluids (warm or hot) to avoid dehydration. Electrolytes, especially potassium, are crucial. One of the things that happens with infection in severe cases is hypokalemia, which is potassium deficiency.
Sodas, juices, and sweetened coffee or tea drinks are not recommended.
A sip of warm water every 20 minutes will wash any existing viruses down the throat down into the gastric juices of the stomach where they cannot survive the ultra-acidic environment.
A great tip, which has been recommended by numerous public health experts around the world, is to gargle with baking soda in warm water (spit out, don't swallow) upon waking and before bed. This will kill any pathogenic substances in the throat area.
Chewing xylitol gum (ideally from birch bark, not corn) has been shown to kill pathogenic organisms in the nasopharynx area.
Supplements
At this critical juncture, just eating a healthy diet will not suffice. You need supplemental support.
The Essential Immune Trio: Vitamin C, Zinc, and Monolaurin
Vitamin C
Approximately 500 mg. twice daily (AM and PM). If you feel a hint of anything coming on, increase to 2,000-4,000 mg. if tolerated short-term.
Zinc
Oral tablets/capsules along with zinc lozenges/zinc sulfate solution have been proven to be effective in blocking coronavirus (and most other viruses) from multiplying in your throat and nasopharynx.
Dosage: 20-30 mg. capsules/tablets with a 50 mg. max daily (so if you take a multi with extra zinc you should be good). Always take oral zinc with a protein meal.
For lozenges, let them dissolve in the back of your throat and nasopharynx.
For zinc sulfate solution (our favorite), gargle with one tablespoon and swallow twice daily (AM and PM).
Monolaurin (glycerol monostearate)
This has been our "go to" for any kind of virus prevention for over 30 years.
Similar to how washing our hands with soap kills viruses, monolaurin does a similar thing in our bodies at the cellular level. A natural antiviral derived from coconut, glycerol monostearate mirrors the immune property monolaurin, found in human breast milk. Monolaurin kills viruses by breaking down their phospholipid layer, leading to apoptosis (cell death). As a natural emulsifier, it takes the fight to viruses on the cellular level because of its natural foaming properties.
According to a study from mSphere, monolaurin also inactivates lipid-coated viruses by binding to the lipid-protein envelope of the virus, thereby preventing it from attaching and entering host cells, making infection and replication impossible. Other studies show that monolaurin can also disintegrate the protective viral envelope, killing the virus (SARS-CoV-2 has this viral envelope).
According to a study from Science Signaling, monolaurin can balance out T-cell antibody and cytokine overactivity.
Dosage: 600 mg. daily for adults and teens; 300 mg. for young children; at the first instance of feeling awkward, increase to 2400 mg. daily for adults and teens, 1200 mg. for young children.
Other Essential Supplements
Vitamin D3, Vitamin A & Carotenoids, Multivitamin/Mineral, Probiotics, Quercetin, Reduced Glutathione, and Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE oral tablet/capsule and via liquid or throat spray if symptoms begin; cannot take with certain medications including statins).
Andrographis for NK (Natural Killer) Cell Activity Support
Andrographis is a herb with a long history of use in both Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine for treating viral infections, particularly of the upper respiratory tract, and relieving cold and flu symptoms. The bitter herb is a powerful immune modulator, down to the andrographolides in the plant which are thought to enhance the production of white blood cells, to support the release of interferon, and to promote the healthy activity of the lymphatic system. Follow label for prevention or for first signs of infection.
Boost Th1 Antibody Immune Support
Cruciferous/brassica vegetables and/or supplemental sulforaphane
Maintain Cytokine Balance to Protect us From Ourselves
These two substances help to make sure our immune systems turn off at the proper time. If they do not, they give viruses a better chance to take hold because an exhausted immune system, or one that starts attacking healthy tissue, is not a properly functioning immune system.
Curcumin - but not recommended for anyone who has reflux, salicylate intolerance, or is overtly acidic;
Specialized Pro-resolving Mediators (SPMs) - This is naturally occurring in fish oil in small amounts, but some companies make a specialized supplement with therapeutic doses of SPMs.
Sleep and Adrenal Support
Of course, getting at least 6-8 hours of sleep daily and minimizing stress is crucial for a properly functioning immune system. This is difficult when you are homebound and it is near impossible to ignore the bad news coming from the media.
Rhodiola for adrenals as directed by the label;
Magnesium Glycinate, Valerian Root, L-Theanine, Melatonin, and as a last resort, Hemp Oil for sleep as directed by your healthcare professional;
Lifestyle
Exercise - not too much and not too little, but it is essential to move around, even if just walking;
Sleep - 6-8 hours; some of the worst outcomes in Chinese patients with COVID-19 were those who had the slept the least;
Stress management - Use the therapy that is right for you. Limit your media exposure to two updates daily max.
Adjunct Preventive Therapies
Far Infrared Sauna Therapy (if you have at home);
Balance Body Structure With Chiropractic;
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy;
Acupuncture and acupressure;
Humidify Your Domicile - Viruses love dry conditions, which is a reason why it is bad in fall and winter. Keep your home at 25-35% humidity.
Addressing Conspiracy Theories SARS-CoV-2 originated through natural processes, according to research published last week in Nature Medicine. The research was coordinated by institutes and universities all over the world, including highly regarded Scripps Institute in California. What We Know and Don't Know SARS-CoV-2 draws the innate immune response of T-antibodies, IgM, other IgGs more than lymphocytes and neutrophils, meaning it immediately draws out the big guns. It seems particularly deadly in adults because it may be able to evade these initial innate immune responses, whereas children rely more on their adaptive immune response. This makes it particularly important not just to rely on your immune system without support, as we listed in the aforementioned. If you can take the fight to the virus with these supportive therapies, if they don't kill the virus outright, at the least, it may allow your innate immune response time to locate the virus and kill it. We have no idea, as of yet, how many people who've been infected, knowingly or unknowingly, will maintain immunity to re-infection, and for how long. What we can can rely on is taking the necessary steps to keep our bodies as healthy as possible, for however long it takes. And what great habits this will teach us for the future!
SPRING CHIVE SOUP RECIPE
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