50 days have passed since I originally wrote this blog and I felt it was time for an update.

The Corona Virus was beginning to spark fear in people in February 2020. To an extent, the fear was welcome news and hopefully made folks aware of the potential risks involved and motivated them to become educated about the virus. Past warnings about viruses, Zika Virus, the Bird Flu, Swine Flu had all turned out to be far less dangerous than we were warned they would be. But these new viruses have got to be taken seriously. Eventually, one like the Spanish Flu, the last severe virus in 1918-1919 infected 500 million people worldwide and killed about 10% of those infected will arise. People have argued that medical care is so much better, and this is true. However, people travel far more freely, and therefore the chance of spreading the virus far faster than in previous points in history is very real.

In the almost 7 weeks since I originally posted this, things have changed. We have all seen on the news the ordeal New York City has faced along with New Orleans, the west coast and other areas and states. But we have also witnessed areas of the country that have had minimal problems with the virus. We have seen the government shut down non essential businesses in the country and have watched as millions of Americans have been forced onto unemployment.

Another aspect to the story is that this virus is not going to be gone in a month as we had hoped in February, but is likely to be around significantly for at least a year and probably two years. People realize that we can not shut down the country for 2 years. The damage to peoples lives, businesses and families over that long a period of time will result in more deaths most likely than the Corona Virus would if we stay shut down. But is is also obvious that if we simply open everything back up and go back to business as usual, we will see a severe surge in the number of cases and deaths due to COVID-19. There is not an easy answer. It is for this reason, I am writing on this pandemic. I believe are best defense is to be as healthy as possible so that we can survive the infection if we get it.

In this blog, I will attempt to summarize some key strategies to keep families and yourself safe. In February, I made the point that respiratory viruses like Corona virus are mainly spread through mucus droplet release and sprayed during sneezing and coughing directly onto another person or in proximity where it is breathed in. Viruses also can survive outside of the body for various lengths of time and can be transferred by touching a settled droplet on a surface of some kind. The virus does eventually die, and this type of transmission is not thought to be the main avenue of infection at this time. However, one of the things that we are beginning to know about this virus is that we do not yet know anything for sure. So, assume for now that touching infected inanimate objects can spread the virus. Avoiding people with upper respiratory illness is helpful with this, but not always possible. Remember, it is physically contacting virally infected fluids and then transferring that contamination to your mouth or nose that causes transfer of the disease. Therefore, doctors talk regularly about washing your hands, avoiding touching of handrails and other commonly touched surfaces and why you see people walking around with surgical masks on their face. In the same way, if you become sick with a respiratory illness, it is best to stay home until you feel better. Most people with respiratory illness do NOT have the Corona virus.

Another suggestion I made in February of 2020 was to avoid flying or going on a cruise if possible. It was not long after I wrote this that the government agreed and started to severely restrict travel in those ways. I would only travel by plane in the case of emergency. It is especially important to avoid destinations where there is known outbreaks of the Corona virus. Traveling to those areas, your chances of encountering the virus are far greater than in areas with extremely low levels of infected people. Unfortunately, some of those highly infected areas now exist within our country. You can find updated information on the Corona virus at the following link: https://www.cdc.gov/…/dis…/coronavirus/coronavirus-2020.html.

The next point I wish to make is deaths from viral and other infections are far more common in people with compromised immune systems. The young who do not yet have a fully formed immune system and the very old, whose immune system is wearing out are the most vulnerable. People with immune deficiency issues, such as HIV, those undergoing treatment for cancer and those who are taking immune suppressant drugs for organ transplant or autoimmune disease treatment also need to be especially careful. I believe there are some commonsense strategies though that healthy not at-risk people can also take to minimize both the risk of contracting the disease and the ability to survive it if contracted.

To begin you need to understand some simple basics of the immune system. We are protected from infectious agents by a variety of cells, primarily the white blood cells (WBC’s) of the body. Two WBC’s that are especially important to fight viruses are natural killer cells (NK cells) and T cells. People with significant allergies, asthma, hay fever can be prone to having less effective T cells and NK cells. You can strengthen your overall immune system and natural killer cells and T cells with the following advice. But first an addition to the previous blog. The best way to handle use of supplements is with lab work prior to beginning. But currently, I am not sending my patients in for blood work due to fears of them contacting or spreading the virus. Please contact my office and talk with me about supplements and dosages after the first 30 days.

1. Take lots of vitamin C. How much is different for everyone. I would start with 1000mg tablets and keep adding one per day until your bowels get loose. Then back off one tablet and maintain that dosage. Most people will be able to handle 4 to 5000 mg/day and some more. This approach will saturate your tissue levels.

2. Have optimum Vitamin D levels. Ideally, you would take vitamin D until you blood levels are about 70-80ng/ml. A deficient level is under 20 and a sufficient level is over 30. You will not get levels at 70-80 by taking 2000iu of Vitamin D per day. Feel free to contact me at the office about this. For my patient’s in the office, I am having them take 10,000 IU’s per day for the first 30 days. For the second month on, I am adjusting the Vitamin D supplement to one with Vitamin K2 in it as well and decreasing the dose.

3. Take Vitamin A. Normal range of Vitamin A on blood testing is greater than 20ug/dl. I would take Vitamin A until I had levels of about 30ug/dl. This test can be ordered by your doctor or again I can help you with this. Vitamin A is critical for the development and maturation of the immune system. I am having my patients take 10,000 IU’s per day for the first month and then lowering it the second month on.

4. Healthy zinc levels are important. 80 to 120ug/dl are the normal range. I would want it at the top of that range. For those of you who have recently had blood work done, a common test is alkaline phosphatase. Levels under 70iu/L indicate a zinc deficiency. This again can be supplemented for. I am placing my patients on 30mg of zinc picolinate, two times per day for the first month. The second month on, 30mg of zinc in the morning and 4 mg of copper in the evening. Copper and zinc compete for absorption. Taking either one for too long a period of time will cause a deficiency in the other.

5. Glutathione levels are especially important for effective functioning of Tcells and NK cells. Liposomal glutathione and n-acetyl cysteine, or NAC, are both good at raising glutathione levels. The first month I am putting my patients on 500mg of NAC, 3 times per day.

6. Selenium is another very important mineral. It is cheap but necessary for proper thyroid gland function and for a healthy immune system. I am putting people on 200mcg of selenium per day.

7. Quercetin is a bioflavonoid that helps move zinc inside the cell where is can help stop viral replication of COVID-19. The proper dosage of this is 500 mg three times per day.

8. Buy Shitake mushrooms and eat as many as you can. Use them in the form of soup, on salads, sautéed, but eat them. Supplement with Reishi mushrooms and Coriolus Versicolor mushroom extracts are especially helpful. These are important in strengthening your natural killer cells.

9. Do not give into fear and anxiety. Fear and anxiety will suppress your immune system as it raises stress in your body. Use common sense and talk to your doctors instead of being afraid. If you have pre-existing health conditions or are taking medication, speak with your doctor first before implementing the supplementation discussed above.
I believe these are some simple common-sense and safe tools to help us all get through this. Be vigilant, be safe and above all else be at peace. John Rees, D.C., C.F.M.P. Functional Chiropractic 506 Union Street Milton, DE 19968 (302) 684-1995