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Trust your Immune System

TRUST!

Trust Your Immune System

I tried to start this diplomatically and objectively but quite frankly I am getting frustrated with the general fear-based medical attitude to this whole virus thing! So, get a cup of tea…this is long…

It’s 2020 and They honestly have ‘no idea’ how to treat a viral infection? “We don’t know enough about this virus and how it behaves” or “what its capable of”, but this is immediately where the science for me, falls apart. We may not know how it behaves, but we do know how OUR BODIES behave, we have enough info on our Immune System, our HEALING responses and by now, enough clinical evidence from many lives lost, many symptom-patterns and many unaffected by infections of this current virus, to be able to piece together a pretty good plan of action in how to TREAT it, instead of waiting until its almost too late and then trying to save a life.

Imagine 4 months into a war, the enemy has been regularly attacking so you have its modus operandi and also where the weak points in your camp are. But you have no faith in your army, no understanding of how they work together, no knowledge of what parts are missing, and no support is given to improve their capacity to fight back. Seems like a one-way disaster to me…

As always, the Natural Approach is to understand the Natural responses of our body, after all, we are Nature, how we can support them and make sure that our terrain is strong and our boundaries secure, and our army ready and co-operative when an attempt is made to breach our membranous borders. Natural medicine works on the premise of the TERRAIN THEORY, if the terrain has a balance of everything it needs and a circulating flow of energy and resources, then it remains clean and ‘healthy’ and is most easily able to respond effectively and reset itself when something attacks.

Conventional medicine works on the GERM THEORY, that individual pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeasts and a myriad of other minute bugs) are the CAUSE of disease and that it is their invasion alone that constitutes an infection, that we are all at the same risk of exposure and that exposure is likely to cause infection. And the only treatment is to find an agent to kill it or try to stimulate an immune response to ‘protect’ us from future exposures. Which one makes more sense?

So here’s my 2cents worth…

We are made with every response needed, understanding the mechanisms already in place that protect us and how we can support this is our best defence against any ‘germ’ out there. So, bear with me through this explanation of how our Immune System works and how we can support it and learn to trust your body in the perfection that it was created in.

Our Immune system is our ARMY and is always in response-mode which is essential to our fighting and healing from any illness, but there are other factors that are an essential part of the real overall protection of disease and others integral to the resolution i.e. a return to health.

As we are currently acutely aware, our army should not be left to their own devices, they need to be monitored and controlled and told when to step down. Too much Immune response is damaging and if we don’t help our bodies clean up and repair from the damage done in the fight, then that is where the complications of illness arise and when things could become critical.

Routinely at risk are the elderly, the immunocompromised and those with underlying chronic conditions…what does this really mean? The elderly fall into the category of immunocompromised, by virtue of their number of years on Mother Earth and the subsequent decline in structure and function of all systems and resilience overall.

Those suffering with chronic health conditions especially Diabetes and Obesity, are also all immunocompromised, as any chronic health disease already means that many basic resources are lacking, systems are already not functioning optimally, detoxification and elimination is impaired and chronic inflammation already ongoing. Due to the fact that so much damage exists and continues to be metered on the body with continued incorrect lifestyle habits, the immune system is already strained and rather busy trying to deal with all this, as it is also our own repair system that is constantly trying to fix our broken parts. A major warning for all of us to clean up our health now and reverse our chronic health trajectory.

So in essence, it is the immunocompromised/ immuno-over-burdened/ immuno-under-supported who are at risk, and that is where we need to work…on our immune systems, all of them, not just the fighting parts that kill the bugs, but the support staff, the admin staff, the maintenance team and the clean-up operations. Without ALL of these parts, we cannot have health, we cannot effectively protect ourselves and rebalance our systems. But we are designed to, all processes and procedures are in place, we just need to know what role we are supposed to play in maintaining and supporting our bodies to be efficient at this thing called life…we spend most of our lives developing our intellectual knowledge in a continued quest for success, wealth and fame; spend far less, but some on our emotional and spiritual health but very little on understanding how our physical health really works and how to take real care of it.  Most people eat what tastes nice and what reward they feel like indulging in and outsource their symptoms to be controlled by a prescription. I think we can all do so much better than this.

Right, I’m off my Soap Box now, let’s get down to it…

A return to health, resolution of an infection or disease process, includes clean-up operations so that more good work of the immune system can be done. We’ve all just had a stark reminder of how much waste we create in our homes and how much cleaning and tidying there is to do on a regular basis. Our bodies are the same, we need to support the clean up just as much, if not more, because a ‘dirty’ environment, breeds disease…its just that simple.

I also believe in keeping things simple. We can get lost in the details and then feel like we’re drowning in ambiguity. Nature keeps it simple, so let’s follow suit. If we support all the basic functions of the immune response, then we already stand a much better chance. So, let’s understand the basics that I have skewed to refer to viruses specifically given the current world health challenges, but these responses refer to the general way in which the body responds to all pathogens (germs, bacteria, fungi etc). Your body has been dealing with viruses and bacteria since the day you were born, it knows what to do, we just need to support it.

I hope I don’t lose you here, stay with me for a physiology lesson…

NON-SPECIFIC IMMUNE RESPONSES

These are ALWAYS in place and are an IMMEDIATE RESPONSE.

  1. Anatomical barriers – skin and mucus membranes (respiratory and gut), endothelial cells (blood vessels) and basement membranes (in all organs and most membranes).
  2. Nonspecific Inhibitors – fluids and tissues contain soluble viral inhibitors that inhibit viral attachment, some directly inactivate viruses and others act within cells.
  3. White blood cells (our soldiers) called Leucocytes & Macrophages are able to phagocytose a virus (eat it up in one bite like Pac-man).
  4. FEVER – replication of most viruses is reduced by even a modest rise in temperature, optimal temperatures denature viral proteins killing them directly. Your fever is your friend! (see separate article explaining Fevers)
  5. Inflammation – inhibits viral replication through increased local temperature, reduced oxygen, metabolic alterations (changing energy production) and acid production.
  6. Interferon – released by infected cells to attach to other cells thereby blocking various stages of viral replication inside the cells & alerting surrounding cells to the presence of the infection. These surrounding cells in turn alert the immune cells to come to the scene…the Informants.

What’s incredibly important to note here is that the first rule of protection is to secure your perimeter, right? If you have a strong outer wall, barrier (moat) you can keep most invaders out and not have to even use your resources within. Anatomical Barriers. This is an ESSENTIAL and most often missed part of our immune defence that can literally be the difference between the virus taking hold of you or not.

So, your very first and best defence against infection, is to have a secure perimeter and make sure that it is extremely hard for the virus to even gain entry in the first place. This is the difference between being exposed to the virus and becoming infected with the virus. The presence of the virus in the nasal or oral cavity does not necessarily mean that the person is infected with the virus, but rather that they have been exposed.

Infection only comes when the virus actually gains entry into the cells causing the body to respond, that’s when the fight becomes internal. The amount of exposure increases the possibility of increased infection, because by sheer numbers, the more viruses there are, the more likely to find weak points to gain entry.

Viruses gain entry by using protein shapes (antigens) on their surface that lock into receptors on our surfaces, like a master key that can open a lock it was not really made for but is close enough in shape to unlock it. But there is an important way in which our membranes are protected that is crucial to a secure barrier and our ability to prevent viral entry and therefore infection in the first place.

You have heard how many people seem to be completely asymptomatic, those who test positive but never show symptoms or who have very little to few mild symptoms, illustrating how many people’s immune systems are either not needing to launch a response, because the virus was never able to really gain entry or was able to overcome it without too much of a fight. This indicates good barriers and good immune response and can be the case with most infectious disease. In every single epidemic or pandemic in history, there are some who succumb to the disease and others who do not. So, it’s best to understand what the reasons for that may be.

It’s actually quite simple…

Most importantly, the cells lining the mucus membranes, including the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal system and blood vessels are lined with hair-like structures made up of a type of sugar/protein molecule, a glycoprotein. These glycoproteins have a positive electric charge and need to be sulphated, which basically means that a sulphate group (a sulphur/oxygen SO4- molecule) should be attached to it in order for it to be complete and secure. This gives the membrane a NEGATIVE electric charge on the outside – Yip! An electric fence!

Viruses have a negative charge and therefore when coming up to the fence, they are immediately repelled by the negative charge of the membrane. It is impossible for the virus to attach to the membrane if the negative charge is in effect.

Without enough sulphation, the membrane has areas of positive charge and which are then areas where the negatively charged virus is literally attracted to the membrane of the cell where its protein is and this allows it to gain access to the receptor on the membrane, lock in and gain entry. Once the virus is inside the cell, it stimulates the glycoproteins on the outside of the cell to fall off, revealing more unprotected space for more viruses to attach to gain more entry.

Once viruses enter, cytokines are released from the cells to stimulate the immune response chain and although this is necessary, this is where the system can become overreactive and lead to the much discussed ‘cytokine storm’ that is being touted as the reason for the deaths from this disease.  Another role of the SO4- group is to attach to excess cytokines, in effect slowing them down and controlling the inflammatory response so that it doesn’t overwhelm. This is an important fact in how to treat this and most other viral and inflammatory conditions.

We have many other vital functions in our body that also require sulphation so its easy to see how we can become depleted.

  1. Sulphate is needed for the formation of proteins in joints; low levels of sulphate are found in plasma and synovial fluid from patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
  2. Sulphate is needed to start the cascade of digestive enzymes released from the pancreas. Without proteases, lipases and amylases, food is not digested efficiently.
  3. Sulphate is essential in forming the mucin proteins which line the gut walls. These have 2 main functions- they stop the gut contents from ‘sticking’ and they block transport of toxins from the gut to the bloodstream. Low plasma sulphate has been found in patients with irritable bowel disease.
  4. sulphate is necessary for formation of brain tissue. Reduced sulphation can lead to faulty neuronal connections and later dysfunction.
  5. Sulphation is a major pathway in detoxifying drugs, including most pain killers and fever reducing medicines, environmental contaminants but also some good stuff like Vitamin C, so extra sulphation should be supplemented when vitamin c is used.
  6. Sulphation prevents chronic inflammation in multiple tissues.

Sulphate is not easily absorbed across the gut wall and can only be absorbed in small quantities over time, so those cruciferous and dark greens need to be a constant on your dinner plate. Recent research has shown that it can be absorbed across the skin, so take Epsom salt baths – you’ll get a good dose of Magnesium sulphate. Sulphur is also formed in the body by oxidation of the amino acid’s cysteine and methionine. However, this pathway is often sub-optimal, and many people benefit from sulphate supplementation eg. garlic, glutathione, NAC, alpha-lipoic acid, glucosamine chondroitin, and MSM.

Sulphur rich foods include: Coconut milk, juice, oil Cruciferous veggies, including: bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, mustard leaves, radish, turnips, watercress, Dried fruits, Eggs, Garlic, Legumes and dried beans, Lime/lemon juice in bottle, Meat and fish, Nuts and Onions (leeks, shallots, chives).

This lovely SA Scientist Heidi du Preez explains the physiological mechanisms of sulphation in relation to COVID-19 specifically in a little more technical detail for those who are interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnHyebA88KI&feature=youtu.be&app=desktop

SPECIFIC IMMUNE RESPONSES

Once the virus or any other pathogen has gained entry, its presence is immediately detected and a cascade of reactions are set in motion as our immune system responds.

HUMORAL IMMUNITY

Innate (internally patterned, instinctual) immune responses that allow us to deal with novel (new) viruses (ones that our body has never seen before).

  1. The virus or any virus-infected cell stimulates B Lymphocytes (one of our soldiers) to produce ANTIBODIES (IgA, IgM & IgG specifically related to this topic)
  2. IgA antibodies are abundantly produced in RESPIRATORY & Gastrointestinal systems & are the first to be produced here (IgG & IgM mostly in the bloodstream)
  3. Antibodies can neutralise a virus

by 1) attaching to the virus directly (like putting it in handcuffs) which then flags an immune cell to come and neutralise it.

or 2) recognising an infected cell and attaching to it triggering immune cell mechanisms that kill the infected cell

or 3) causing agglutination of viruses together in larger antibody/viral complexes again preventing infection into any more cells and flagging immune cells to neutralise it

And 4) triggering the ‘complement system’, which is a system of protein fragments that combine with antibodies to attach to viruses again rendering them unable to move or replicate, which again flags immune cells and can also penetrate the envelope of some viruses, triggering its death.

 

CELL MEDIATED / ACQUIRED IMMUNITY

Immediate and Programmed Immune system responses following the Innate Immune response.

  1. Recognising and/or direct killing of the virus AND virus-infected cells by our Wbc’s (leucocytes).
  2. Wbc’s produce various soluble (dissolving) factors when stimulated by a virus or virus-infected cell.
  3. T Lymphocytes, Natural Killer Cells (don’t they sound mean?) and Macrophages (all fancy names for well-trained assassins) can recognise AND KILL virus-infected cells on the spot, without prior knowledge of them. They send in chemicals that trigger apoptosis, programmed cell death, and in this way kill off all virions (tiny budding viruses) inside.
  4. Helper T Cells can recognise virus-infected cells and produce various important chemicals (cytokines) that support and modulate the immune response (kind of like our healthcare workers). But these also need sulphation to modulate, or switch off so they don’t continue to fuel widespread inflammation leading to critical states, the ‘Cytokine Storm’.
  5. our cells are not selfish…as soon as they are infected, they release chemical signals and present viral proteins on their surfaces alerting all the others and the Wbc’s to their status and signalling for self-destruction…it’s all for the greater good.

So, its clear that our army is ready, well equipped and more than able to deal with a novel virus. It does this every year when a new flu comes around, its been doing this all your life. Some years your flu is ‘worse’ than others, some years you don’t get it at all, some years you’re not sure because it seemed to start but then blew over. This is not related to the virus or how ‘bad’ it is this year, it’s the difference in your own state of health, resources and ability to fight it off quickly or not. Complications happen when the system isn’t able to fight it off as well or efforts to clear it are being thwarted, like reducing a fever that would kill it off quickly.

The development of antibodies begins immediately after exposure and in the same time of the ‘incubation period’ of the virus (as it is entering and replicating) your own immune response is building up its antibodies and is ready for the fight when it begins; when the virus makes it’s exit from the cells. This is when you may start to show symptoms. Sometimes the fever is the first sign, but usually fatigue is the first sign. The body begins to slow you down and preserve energy for the fight. You may begin showing some signs of inflammation in the upper airways as the tissues there begin their response to the virus.

Inflammation brings in the blood flow to the area, loaded with more immune cells (calling in the troupes) and increases the drainage through lymph nodes, which are really satellite army bases that pull the fluid in and destroy the pathogen as they go by. Sore throat, swollen lymph nodes in neck and dry cough could all be experienced at this stage. Some mucus flushing may or may not begin at this stage too.

A fever could begin now if it hasn’t already. This is the BEST response. Yes, the best! Remember that our body does not self-destruct, and all responses are healing in their efforts. The temperature rises to the optimal temperature to kill the virus, its just that simple. Whatever pathogen the body is faced with, it will inherently know what temperature it will die at. Just like when we sterilise a baby’s bottle with heat and steam, we are killing the bugs right? So literally, the fastest way to get better, is to leave the fever to do its work. It will not just get higher and higher until some kind of Danger Point, this is misunderstood. There is no such thing as a danger point, there is an optimal point that the temperature is being driven to, if you keep checking the temp every few minutes you will see it rising, yes, just like when you put your oven on 200C…the temperature has to build up. In fact, seizures are usually a risk if the temperature climbs too quickly and can be triggered at relatively low temperatures like 38 and are certainly not a certain consequence of a temperature getting ‘high’. (For more info please read here …Fevers)

A few hours of fever and the virus protein coat has denatured (broken apart) and they have all been destroyed. There is no medical reason to reduce a fever and this, in my opinion, is one of the major factors that lead to any illness complicating into any further level of demise.

After the fever, there has to be a clean-up operation, there is always a real mess to clean up after a fight, so the body begins those ‘symptoms’ of gathering and eliminating, aka mucus and phlegm. The respiratory tract is the most efficient system designed to eliminate toxins, especially those dealt with in those airways, like respiratory viruses. Mucus is made to contain wastes and then coughed and sneezed up and out. Various levels of symptoms can be experienced in this phase, depending on the amount and efficiency of elimination, and especially if it is being suppressed by pharmaceutical drugs that attempt to stop the mucus production and suppress the cough. Logic for me here prevails, help eliminate the waste.

Natural medicines are aplenty to help at every level of the above immune response and elimination of wastes and it just makes much more sense to assist at every turn, instead of suppressing and then panicking at a later stage.

SOME FACTS / TERMS RELATED TO VIRUSES AND THE CORONAVIRUS

No matter what its name, Bob, John, Fred…they’re all the same…in terms of how our body’s respond to them anyway, but where they ‘attack’ and what symptoms you experience differs from family to family and differs from person to person. We all have many viruses within us that are not necessarily causing harm or illness. They are a normal part of nature, just like bacteria, and play a larger role in our overall health and well-being than we are aware. Our genetic make-up and our general state of health determines how we respond to any virus.

  1. A VIRUS consists of genetic material (DNA/RNA) and a protein coat of variable shape and design. Some viruses also have an ‘envelope’ made from part host cell membrane and part viral proteins. And some clever viruses wrap their genes in an extra protective case, a capsid, while travelling between cells or hosts – that’s basically it. No cell membranes, fluids, energy metabolism centres…protein and genetic material. Not living and not dead? They fascinate me.
  2. CORONAVIRUSES are RNA viruses with an envelope. Coronavirus as a family, have been known for many years and commonly cause mild seasonal colds and flu.
  3. This one, COVID-19, is a NOVEL virus…this simply means it had not been seen/detected by us humans before (kinda like when they discover a new planet…Its not new, it was always there) and therefore has not been seen by our immune system before and so we do not already have any blueprint for immunity. This means we need to launch our response from the beginning as with all new viruses, which we all do.
  4. An enveloped virus means that it is coated with a fatty layer, often made from part host cell membranes, but the good news is that this is VERY sensitive to drying out (desiccation), heat and detergents and therefore is EASIER to sterilise than a non-enveloped virus. The envelope helps the virus attach to the host membrane and transfer its genetic material inside for replication (the real purpose of the infection).
  5. Transfer needs to be within organic material, they have to have a host cell, but they can transfer quite easily from host to host and can survive limited periods on surfaces if still within this organic matter (did I mention heat, drying and detergents?).
  6. COVID-19 seems to specifically attack the respiratory system, but also the cardiovascular system and kidneys, as they all have high numbers of ACE2 receptors that this virus uses to bind to and gain entry. It is fairly fast acting in certain individuals and therefore we do need to treat and support our bodies quickly and efficiently when infected, but prevention is always better than cure, so start now.

Viruses, and other parts of Nature, have been made into the enemy and been given a bad rap, when really they are an integral part of US and Nature and we just need to learn to get along so that we can get the benefits of the exposure to their genetic code. To view a wonderful discussion by an eminent mind in Health Dr Zach Bush, please watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX71-cxbFB4&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2t7F2UQ4Q0vPVeMdn9z4pWNpcGikzWuA6XgWJnnw4ltYue_NRItouCfxA

BOOSTING IMMUNITY

What does that really mean?

When we BOOST our immunity, we are really just supporting all aspects of our immune system so that it can work optimally when needed and assist with efficient day to day cleansing. In order to support all the processes above we can do quite a few things, which MUST include supporting the mop-up operations and calming down the immune response so that an effective fight is had without causing too much damage to our bodies.

We can take herbs, vitamins and macronutrients to boost our immunity and all the usual healthy diet, exercise, less stress (yeah right) fresh air and a positive attitude!

What can we do to prepare and try to prevent it?

The only thing we can do before a viral infection is to make sure we are ready and supported in case we are exposed and obviously limiting exposure where possible. The best way of attempting to prevent a viral infection is be properly sulphated as described above.

We just have to be ready for them. Its always about the terrain, how strong and ready is the body for the exposure? We already know that a very high percentage of people who are exposed to SARS-COV2 are hardly even showing symptoms, meaning their immune response has been so efficient that they haven’t even had to fight. Just think of it, all those innate responses kicked in, antibodies were developed, and the virus eliminated without them even knowing? This is how many of us would respond and those who are generally healthy and who have the support of Nature should welcome it to build their immunity and contribute to the levelling out of this pandemic.

What do we do if we get it or any other infection?

Increase your immune boosting medicines to treatment levels to fight the infection. Once the invasion has happened, your immune system will be responding, expect this, welcome this and understand what is happening and how to assist in the most rapid response to the infection. The severity depends on how quickly and efficiently your immune system responds and whether it is allowed to fight as it needs to, without suppression of pharmaceuticals to counteract normal immune responses.

We have to be willing to have a fight and that means being prepared to feel sh*tty for a while, while we fight, kill and eliminate. (see article on understanding Healing).

DAILY PROPHYLACTIC MEASURES:

OLIVE LEAF, OLIVE LEAF, OLIVE LEAF!!!

OLIVE LEAF for me is the most incredible herb that works at every stage of the immune response, supporting our immune cells and speeding up the fight of neutralising the virus.

Olive leaf

  • acts like an antibody, attaching to the virus to stop its spread and flags immune cells to neutralise the complex
  • Enters the cells and helps prevent viral replication within and therefore contains the rapidly increasing numbers of virions (developing/ baby viruses)
  • Can directly kill many varieties of pathogens
  • Is a powerful antioxidant – essential in inflammatory responses to help resolve the mediators of inflammation to not overwhelm the tissue, reduces cytokines to prevent a storm and reduces the number of dangerous free radicals produced in the fight.
  • Protective of liver, heart, lungs other organs often damaged by viruses and the inflammatory responses (as seems to also be part of the current COVID disease picture).

Take 20 drops 3-4 times a day in this preventative phase. Increase to every 2hrs as soon as any symptoms begin and increase to hourly or even half hourly in acute phases of the immune response.

VITAMIN D

I know everyone is getting Vitamin C…and they should…but don’t forget the D! D is essential in your WBC’s ability to fight and kill the virus. Each WBC has 4 D3 receptors on it and needs to have D locked in for the cell to be active…i.e. for our soldiers to have ammo in their guns.

It can also help reduce overreactions of inflammation, which are mostly what overwhelm the body when things become critical. So, it can both stimulate and reduce immune responses, as needed by the body.

Because Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, we store it, so we can overload with too much D. Blood levels need to be checked fairly regularly to check that levels are not getting too high. Never take over 5000IU per day ongoing without being monitored by your doctor.

VITAMIN C

If your stomach can handle the straight L-Ascorbic acid then this is THE BEST form. A buffered form of Sodium Ascorbate is also very helpful but will take longer for the ascorbate to reach the blood stream.

L-ascorbic acid is very similar in structure to glucose and therefore in a normal stomach acid pH of 2-3, the AA gets rapidly absorbed directly from the stomach if enough initial dose is taken (eg 5-10g). Therefore, oral dosing of AA is a rapid and efficient way of getting it into the bloodstream. Not all of it is absorbed in the stomach but if you take it orally at a high dose then part is absorbed in the stomach directly and the balance is then absorbed via the intestines a while later ensuring ongoing elevating levels.

IV is fantastic and definitely induces high blood levels as it is a direct entry, but not an option for most, especially when home isolating, so stick with your good old vitamin c powder, often.

Liposomal Vitamin C is also very effective in fighting infections as absorption into the bloodstream is high and this can be used during active infection fighting to maximise blood levels. But if you can’t get this one, then you can megadose the powder at frequent intervals to boost and maintain blood levels.

Why is it so important?

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that is used extensively by our body in so many ways and for so many reasons. It is a vital part of important chemical reactions and in the manufacture of parts of our body, like connective tissue and elastin fibres, blood vessel walls and more. This is especially important as our lungs require a lot of elastin for expansion and contraction on breathing.

But the most valuable role Vit C plays when fighting a virus is in how it helps the immune response by mopping up all the free radicals produced by the inflammatory response and minimising damage that could be the difference between the illness resolving and disaster, especially when dealing with a respiratory virus.

It’s helpful to understand what Acute Respiratory Distress is, the most feared complication of the COVID-19 infection and what is the real cause of many deaths that have been attributed to this virus. We have to ask the question, why have some recovered and why have some died? The same is true for every respiratory infection, so what tips it over the edge into the danger zone?

Its all about the balance between enough inflammation to effectively kill off the invader and win the battle, but not too much that the damage done by the inflammatory response is also damaging to the body that could lead to its death and this is unfortunately what happens in some people.

When we fight an infection, the inflammatory response involves high WBC action, increased fluid into the area via increased blood vessel permeability – this means that the spaces between the blood vessels get larger, so that immune cells and other important factors can get out the bloodstream and into the tissues. BUT this means that other things can also leak in and out.

There are also a massive amount of FREE RADICALS, loose Hydrogen ions (H+) and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) that are produced during the immune system’s inflammatory fight and these cause damage to the blood vessel walls and any surrounding tissues.

In the lungs, the tiny blood vessels that are absorbing our oxygen sit just under the smallest surface of the lung tissue, the alveoli, and are 1 cell layer thin and this is what allows the O2 to be transferred from the air space in the lungs directly onto the red blood cell (RBC) for carrying back to the heart and out to the body.

When we have a virus that infects the respiratory tract in this way and the immune response is overwhelmed, massive inflammation in the lungs causes these blood vessels to become very permeable and damaged by the H+ or ROS. This can damage the RBCs too and causes them to haemolyse, break apart, releasing free Heme (iron) molecules into the air space. This leads to both fluid getting into the air space and the loss of intact red blood cells reducing oxygen exchange making breathing difficult. This is what needs to be prevented as this can lead to acute respiratory distress and possible death. Unfortunately a ventilator does not help in these cases as even getting the oxygen into the lungs does not ensure its exchange into the blood stream as needed. The pressure of the ventilated air is also often too great for the damaged lung tissue causing further damage and lung collapse.

We require massive amounts of ANTIOXIDANTS to mop up those loose H+ ions to prevent this damage and this is where Vit C comes in. Yes, there are many antioxidants and they will all help, but L-Ascorbic acid is the fastest and most utilised antioxidant in Nature, and the one that is specifically used in the lungs. There are many triggers of free radical production, eating a high sugar, high carb (Standard American/ SAD diet {isn’t is just}), smoking, STRESS and others. So, when its antioxidants we rely on, then many of us are lacking, this is what it means to be acidic. Antioxidants are found in all the bright colours of fruits and vegetables, so make sure you eat a rainbow.

Wbc’s also require Ascorbic acid and use it up rapidly, therefore much higher levels are needed during the fight. So the more Vitamin C you put in, the more antioxidant capacity it has, the more it holds the structural integrity of the blood vessels and prevents or minimises the respiratory distress, keeps the red blood cells both intact, the blood cells inside their vessels and allows continual oxygen transfer in the lungs and to the body.

Breathe!

ZINC

Zn also assists in calming down the inflammatory response so as not to overwhelm the system with too much inflammation. Zinc enters the Wbc’s and tells them when to calm down.

Our bodies are extremely reactive, and our army responds vociferously, and that is why we need mechanisms that calm down the response so as not to do more damage than is necessary in getting on top of the infection.

VITAMIN A 

Also known to assist the immune response in many ways. It is Immunomodulating, which means it is able to both stimulate and reduce immune response depending on what is required. It has a large influence on all immune cells in this manner and is also antioxidant.

SULPHUR DONORS

As discussed earlier at length, the Sulphur donors are required to make Sulphate SO4- ions that are paramount at maintaining the external membrane charge to prevent viral entry into cells, as well as being essential at calming down the cytokine response in keeping the inflammatory response balanced and beneficial.

Sulphates are also required for the detoxification of numerous medications and drugs, most anti-inflammatory drugs and pain killers as well as even some other ‘good’ molecules, even Vitamin C and Melatonin, so it’s best to make sure your diet has sulphur included or you can take some supplements to boost your levels, which is probably best to do at least in the short term to get levels up to optimal.

Common OTC meds that require sulphates for metabolism are NSAIDs, Paracetemol, Corticosteroids (like cortisone), Aspirin, Opioids and morphine (codeine based) meds.

Good supplements to consider are:

  • MSM (Methylsulphonylmethane)
  • NAC (N-Acetylcysteine)
  • Glucosamine sulphate
  • Chondroitin sulphate
  • Brown algae
  • IV Sodium thiosulphate (is already used in hospital settings for certain conditions and could easily be applied in this case too).

It’s worth researching NAC a little further, as it has more far reaching benefits that just being a sulphate donor. There are specific immune supporting mechanisms that would be more beneficial in a respiratory illness than other sulphate donors, making this my first choice as a supplement.

Here is a great article from the Metagenics Institute if you’d like to read further: https://www.metagenicsinstitute.com/blogs/n-acetylcysteine-fights-infections/

HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES

As always, Homeopathic remedies specific to the presenting symptoms, are always an incredible director of healing and speed up the fight and assist in the rapid resolution of the illness. You can contact your local Homeopath to dispense some remedies for in case of symptoms and any other suggestions they may have, wisdom is abundant amongst my colleagues.

So, in short (or long, it’s hard to explain this in short) you are so well equipped to deal with this and any virus, I promise you! Human’s have been surviving them for eons and with all the knowledge we have now, we are even more ready. Mainstream medical articles may be spelling doom and gloom but that’s because they turned their back on Nature many years ago and decided that Humans knew better and that it was Nature we had to fight, why do we need to have a War on this Virus? We don’t need to eradicate it, we need to make ourselves stronger so that we can shake it off and continue with life. This is a stark reminder that life on this planet is not in alignment with Nature and we have strayed very far from the herd…but Mother Nature is loving and forgiving and if we just turn back we can run back into her open arms…Don’t worry, Mommy’s got you…

 

Suggested Daily Prophylactic schedule:

Adults (>16yrs)

  • Olive leaf 20 drops in water 3-4 times a day
  • Vitamin C 1g 3-5 times a day
  • Vitamin D3 5000IU per day
  • Zinc 30mg per day
  • MSM 150mg per day or NAC 200mg 3x per day

Children

0-9yrs:

  • Olive leaf 10-15drops 3 – 4 times a day
  • Vitamin C 500mg, 3 – 5times a day
  • Vitamin D3 2000IU per day
  • Zinc 15mg per day
  • NAC 200mg 1-2x per day

10-15yrs

  • Olive leaf 20drops 3-4 times a day
  • Vitamin C 1g 3 times a day
  • Vitamin D3 3000IU per day
  • Zinc 15-30mg per day
  • NAC 200mg 2-3x per day

Guidelines for dosages for when symptomatic or feeling ill need to be specifically prescribed and therefore would require further consultation, so please contact your local healthcare practitioner, hopefully Homeopath after reading this!

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