Nutrition Expert Offers Advice for Boosting Your Immunity to COVID-19
Coronavirus, or COVID-19, is on people’s minds, and I am repeatedly asked for my perspective on what to do to prevent it. It is my hope that the following will educate you and alleviate any concerns or fears you may have. Here is a balanced perspective with actionable information to follow.
Note: At the bottom of this article I have compiled a coronavirus reference and resource center for those of you who want to conduct a deeper dive on any of the topics. This includes prevention ideas, travel tips, important novel devices, little known but powerful non-toxic integrative options, nutritional keys, lifestyle tips and recovery suggestions.
One of the ways you can use this information to get prepared is to purchase nutrients and devices, and find out which integrative doctors or alternative practitioners provide the referenced nutrients and services. I suggest you find and become a wellness patient of a licensed integrative or alternative doctor (including naturopathic, homeopathic, natural medicine, doctors of oriental medicine and so on) in your area before you ever need to call on them.
What Is COVID-19?
COVID-19 is short for Coronavirus Disease 2019. It was discovered in late 2019 in Wuhan City, in the Hubei Province of China. Most infections have occurred in China or are related to travel from Hubei Province. There have been a few cases reported in the United States. The outbreak is being closely monitored by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), which has declared it a global pandemic.
How COVID-19 Is Contracted
Coronavirus is spread and contracted in the same way as a cold or the flu. Symptoms of coronavirus are also similar to flu: fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat and headache. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says patients with COVID-19 have experienced mild to severe respiratory illness. Symptoms may appear two to 14 days after exposure.
The term “community spread” is being used for cases where the person who contracted it did not travel to heavily infected areas such as China, Italy or Iran, or did not knowingly come in contact with someone who has been to one of those countries. Because the virus does not spontaneously appear, it has to be transmitted from one person to another. That means they did come in contact with someone who had it. Chances are, they probably didn’t even know they had it. That’s because some who have had the virus and recovered say it is no worse than the common cold.
Healthy People Rarely Get Sick and Recover Quickly
Most healthy people recover from exposure to a pathogen. The frail and health-compromised are usually the most vulnerable including the very old, and those with underlying health conditions, especially respiratory problems. That’s because the lungs are most likely to be affected by COVID-19. Those with diabetes or heart disease are also known to be at greater risk from COVID-19 due to the burden such conditions place on the body.
How to Avoid Coronavirus
As with other illnesses such as the cold or flu, the CDC says that to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases like COVID-19, you should avoid close contact with people who are sick; cover coughs and sneezes; avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth; and wash your hands with soap and water.
The reason personal hygiene is important is the fact that the virus cannot spread unless it has access to your mucus membranes through your eyes, ears or nose. Casual contact with skin or clothing is not enough to cause infection.
Making sure you take care of your body is critical when it comes to preventing this disease and other temporary and chronic conditions. If you have underlying health issues you should probably avoid crowds where it’s possible someone may be ill, and certainly avoid those you know who are infected.
Foods That Depress Immunity
It is absolutely essential you minimize or avoid sugar and large quantities of refined carbohydrates because they have the ability to severely depress your body’s immune response for extended periods of time.
Your body relies on neutrophils, which are a type of leukocyte (white blood cell), to eat up bacteria and other foreign invaders in the blood stream. The leukocytic index refers to how many organisms a leukocyte can eat in an hour. An index of 13 is thought to be healthy immunity.
Consumption of sugars and high glycemic carbs including white bread, pasta, pizza, rice, grains, sweet drinks (including juices) and, yes, large amounts of most fruits (which themselves convert to sugar rapidly) has shown to cut the leukocytic index by as much as 90% almost immediately, and it stays suppressed by at least 50% for several hours afterward.
Alcohol depresses the immune system and should be minimized. Fried foods also tax the body and lessen your body’s ability to defend itself as well.
A window of weakened immunity could be just the opening that leaves you vulnerable enough to contract COVID-19 or the flu. We often have such viruses already in our system, but our immunity keeps them in check.
Ways to Boost Immunity
A strong immune system can help prevent sickness from exposure to cold, flu and pathogens (virus, bacteria, fungus and parasites), and can help you recover if you happen to get sick.
The best way to support your immune system is through what you eat. Your body uses the food you eat to give it energy and support its natural defenses. That is why it is so important you are getting all of the essential nutrients your body needs on a daily basis. And that’s why we are so fanatical about making sure Living Fuel Super Meals are the most nutritionally complete meal available anywhere.
Fermented foods and probiotics are great for a healthy gut microbiome, which is an essential element of a healthy immune system.
Another way to boost your immune system is through intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating. Your body is stronger in a fasted state. Set windows for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Avoid snacks in between meals so your body is not constantly processing food as if you were eating all day. Delay your morning meal as long as you are comfortable and set a hard stop in the evening after which you do not consume any food or drink, preferably at least three hours before you go to sleep and no later than 8 p.m.
Using a bio-active silver hydrosol form of colloidal silver such as Sovereign Silver is a great way to boost immunity. You can find it online or in your local drugstore. It comes in a personal nasal spray or in a throat spray bottle. You can also spray it on your face with your eyes open and let it dry. This is a great thing to have if you are traveling, especially by air.
There is a great resource link below from Robert Scott Bell about nebulizing the bioactive form of silver into the lungs, which provides immediate and direct cessation of viral, bacterial and fungal activity there.
Super Health 7 Keys
These seven keys, which I have detailed extensively in my books, articles, videos and website, give your body the best chance to thrive in any situation. These are vitally important in terms of illness prevention and recovery.
- Make sure you are properly nutrified. As I mentioned above, I know of no better way to properly nutrify your body than through Living Fuel. We combine the best quality organic superfoods such as broccoli, kale, spinach, spirulina, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries and more with the best quality of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, phytonutrients, herbs, probiotics and so on, along with clean plant protein and fiber. Beta glucan and dietary nucleotides are also essential for immune support and can be found in Living Fuel.
There are at least a dozen first-world nutrient deficiencies common to the typical American diet that can severely compromise immunity. These include vitamins A, C, D, zinc, selenium, potassium, magnesium and so on. Three of the most vital in situations of illness are vitamin A, C and vitamin D3. Track your intake and supplement where necessary. In addition to your foundational levels of vitamin A, integrative doctors suggest an additional 2,500-5,000 IU per day, and an additional 500-1,000mg of vitamin C per day. During cold and flu season, I suggest at least an additional 400mg three times per day of high-quality vitamin C, and 5,000-10,000 IU per day of high-quality vitamin D3, which your body makes from exposure to the sun. Each provides an important piece of your body’s health puzzle.
- Stay hydrated. Water is critical for cellular health and the proper function of nearly every bodily process. Minimize tap water to limit your intake of chlorine, fluoride and other harmful chemicals. Chlorine can kill the healthy gut flora essential to immunity. It’s best to drink glass-bottled spring water.
- Exercise. Research shows that exercise not only helps you avoid illness, but it can even help you recover quicker during times of illness. Make sure not to overdo it, though, because overtraining can lower immunity. They key is to keep the body working each day at whatever level you are able.
- Get plenty of sleep. This is one of the most important keys. Good sleep is necessary for not only recovery, but also for strengthening your body’s resolve. A tired and unrestored body is a weak body and makes one susceptible to illness.
- Avoid unnecessary stress. Chronic stress taxes the body and can be a hidden cause of disease. Manage the seven keys to maximize your body’s ability to deal with stress and look for ways to avoid or alleviate unnecessary stress, and you will certainly feel better.
- Watch out for environmental hazards. Everyday household chemicals, polluted air, electromagnetic frequencies, cellphone radiation, medical radiation and contaminated water all conspire to drain your body’s defenses. Instead of being on the lookout for invading viruses, your body is just trying to deal with the world around you.
- Meditate and pray to get your mind right. That will help you avoid fear. In the Bible, Job said, “For the thing which I greatly feared has happened to me, and that which I dreaded has come to me” (3:25). Let’s be people of faith, not fear.
The Power of Fear
Based on what I am seeing, hearing and reading, fear is the primary power of COVID-19, and is much stronger than the disease itself. President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously said, “…the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” That’s not exactly the case here because the disease is real, but it is causing undue worry across the country. And it is scientifically proven that fear and chronic stress lowers the immune system. Fear is also causing people to listen to and share incorrect information.
Don’t Listen to Bad Advice
Sadly, the talking heads on TV are creating hysteria by reporting as fact things that are not really known. It is irresponsible for the media to hype this virus and cause mass panic. Had they represented this virus as a flu-like respiratory virus with recommendations since the outset, there would not be so much fear-driven activity.
Every bit as egregious is some of the destructive advice I am hearing by well-meaning TV personalities, many of whom are advising people to wash their hands and get a flu shot. Washing hands is a good thing, but the flu shot is insane under these circumstances.
The CDC will tell you the seasonal flu shot is barely effective against the flu and completely ineffective against the coronavirus. In fact, the flu shot has been shown to lower immunity the year it’s given and in subsequent years.
What Does History Show?
History shows us that receiving experimental drugs and/or vaccines, unless it is a true life or death situation and safer alternatives have been exhausted, is highly risky and unwise.
Every pandemic in the last half-century including SARS, which is itself is a type of coronavirus, had countless dollars spent on experimental drugs and vaccines, and this one is no different. A list of candidate vaccines developed against SARS-CoV that were rushed to market by the medical system injured and killed unsuspecting people who were fearful and sought protection. Their lives were altered or ended, not as a result of a pandemic pathogen, but because of the supposed prevention and treatment of the vaccine.
Don’t Suppress Your Fever
If you do get sick, fever is an important part of your immune system. Suppressing a fever has been shown to prolong the time for recovery. It is generally best to avoid using medications, including anti-inflammatory drugs, to lower a fever when the fever is tolerable. Allow the fever to do its intended work of healing the body, killing pathogens and neutralizing viruses, while staying well-hydrated using fresh water and electrolyte minerals.
Stronger Than the Coronavirus
The flu virus and coronavirus can be neutralized with ozone and UV light. Ozone and UV are what hospitals use to disinfect rooms and equipment that have been exposed to people with highly contagious diseases. They are very powerful when used together. Otherwise contaminated rooms are made usable again through the application of ozone, which has the power to kill all pathogens. More information about UV light and ozone, including the use of ozone therapy to treat people infected, is available below.
Back to Point No. 1
Be prepared, but don’t live your life in fear. Another quote I love is in the Bible, Matthew 6:27 (ESV), where Jesus asks, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”
There are things you can do to lessen the chances of getting infected and there are things you can do to increase your chances of quick recovery in the mathematically unlikely event that you do contract and become ill with the virus.
We can take steps to limit our exposure to COVID-19 and other illnesses, but it’s impossible to avoid them altogether unless we shun all human contact. By using common sense practices to avoid the transmission of coronavirus and by giving our body the best chance to fight, we can enjoy the good things this life has to offer and live without panic.
IMPORTANT: For much more information on COVID19 and its prevention and treatment, be sure to review the links below.
Coronavirus Information and Links from Trusted Resources:
Where to find Living Fuel Super Meals
Health Alert: IMMUNITY and the Importance of Avoiding Sugar from LivingFuelTV
Sugar and Immunity Walt Stoll, MD
Carbohydrates Harm our Immunity to Disease
Junk Food Upsets the Immune System, Causing Dangerous Diseases
Homeoprophylaxis For Coronavirus Prevention and Homeopathic Remedies
Homeoprophylaxis History: Human Records, Studies and Trials
Dr. Robert Scott Bell, Coronavirus prevention and recovery – Shhhh! Don’t tell anyone!
Essential Oils for Immunity & Healthy Immune Boosting “Flu Shot” Recipe
UV Light Effective Against Coronavirus
A Plausible “Penny” Costing Effective Treatment for Corona Virus – Ozone Therapy
Can UV Light Be Used to Kill Airborne Flu Virus?
What is Photox Therapy and How Does It Work? Combining Ozone and UV light IV Blood Therapy.
CORONAVIRUS: “The Good, the Bad, and the Answers!”
Info to Proper Parties to Assist with Coronavirus Containment
Can Chinese Medicine Be Used for Prevention of Coronavirus?
Why are some people at greater risk from Coronavirus?
Vaccines for Pandemic Threats | History of Vaccines
List of candidate vaccines developed against SARS-CoV
How to Nebulize Bioactive Silver Hydrosol
What is Beta Glucan and How Can It Improve My Health
Sovereign Silver: #1 Selling Silver Brand in the U.S.
Potential Cure for Corona Virus Via Infrared Heat?
Influenza-Cytokine Storm-Life Extension
K.C. Craichy is a bestselling author, health researcher, recognized expert on natural health and sports performance nutrition, and a sought-after speaker on superfood nutrition and natural, integrative and alternative medical approaches to chronic diseases. He and his wife Monica are co-founders of Living Fuel, the leader in superfood nutrition. Living Fuel products are used around the world by everyone from the health-challenged to some of the world’s most recognizable athletes in team, individual and endurance sports. He and his wife, Monica, have six children and cohost the popular internet TV program LivingFuelTV.
