Let's talk COVID
It looks like its here to stay and we need to find a way to protect ourselves and prepare our immune system to fight it if need be. There are a number of things that I as a functional medicine doctor has been advising my patients and I would like to share this information with you, as I believe that knowledge is truly power.
First of all, we know that patients who have predisposing factors such as advanced age, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and lower immune function do worse when it comes to this virus than the "average" population. As such, I have been keeping my eye out for research that has been coming in to help my patients prepare their immune system to ward off and if need be to fight the infection as best as they could. Along with healthy diets, plenty of sleep, proper and regular exercise, I have been recommending a number of supplements that would hopefully improve their immune function and overall well-being.
Disclaimer, the information below is informative only and not advise or treatment plan. If you would like to know if any of these are right for you then you would need to contact myself or any other functional medicine providers and ask for professional advice.
Let's start with the basic ones:
At this point we know without a shadow of a doubt that people who take Vitamin C and Vitamin D do better with COVID than people who do not. In fact, there are a number of studies that highlight that people who ended up in the ICU's have had very low vitamin D levels. It is not surprising. Vitamin C has been known for thousands of years to improve our immune function as it has direct antiviral effects, as well as balancing cytokines and reducing inflammation and restoring mitochondrial function (all good things for our bodies)
First of all, we know that patients who have predisposing factors such as advanced age, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and lower immune function do worse when it comes to this virus than the "average" population. As such, I have been keeping my eye out for research that has been coming in to help my patients prepare their immune system to ward off and if need be to fight the infection as best as they could. Along with healthy diets, plenty of sleep, proper and regular exercise, I have been recommending a number of supplements that would hopefully improve their immune function and overall well-being.
Disclaimer, the information below is informative only and not advise or treatment plan. If you would like to know if any of these are right for you then you would need to contact myself or any other functional medicine providers and ask for professional advice.
Let's start with the basic ones:
At this point we know without a shadow of a doubt that people who take Vitamin C and Vitamin D do better with COVID than people who do not. In fact, there are a number of studies that highlight that people who ended up in the ICU's have had very low vitamin D levels. It is not surprising. Vitamin C has been known for thousands of years to improve our immune function as it has direct antiviral effects, as well as balancing cytokines and reducing inflammation and restoring mitochondrial function (all good things for our bodies)
"First of all, we know that patients who have predisposing factors such as advanced age, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and lower immune function do worse when it comes to this virus than the "average" population"
There is very good research about Vitamin C ( a lot of great data about how helpful it is even at very high doses and even in IV form if need be). So Vitamin C I am recommending with both hands. Now let's discuss the other vitamins and minerals.
Zinc is very important to all immune system function, most importantly it helps your body to fight off infection by increasing white blood cells, which obviously is essential to proper immune system functioning. So Zinc is also very essential right now.
Vitamin D is called a vitamin but because its fat-soluble and because it's needed in every cell in order for it to function, it acts more like a hormone. We make Vitamin D when our bare skin is exposed to sun. Almost everyone is deficient unless you live in a very sunny place and you are outside a significant amount, preferably half-naked. As that is not the reality for most people, I strongly recommend Vitamin D supplementation.
Zinc is very important to all immune system function, most importantly it helps your body to fight off infection by increasing white blood cells, which obviously is essential to proper immune system functioning. So Zinc is also very essential right now.
Vitamin D is called a vitamin but because its fat-soluble and because it's needed in every cell in order for it to function, it acts more like a hormone. We make Vitamin D when our bare skin is exposed to sun. Almost everyone is deficient unless you live in a very sunny place and you are outside a significant amount, preferably half-naked. As that is not the reality for most people, I strongly recommend Vitamin D supplementation.
Next on my list is Zinc. It is common knowledge that zinc has direct and indirect antiviral properties. It enhances antiviral immunity, improves immune cell function (especially in immuno-compromised and elderly patients) (4). It acts synergistically with a number of antiviral treatments (in Hep C, HIV and COVID). It also stabilizes the cell membranes which in turn decrease virus entry into the cells and potentially decreases viral load.
Next let's look at Vitamin A. Some articles have shown that Vitamin A deficiency is associated with greater respiratory symptoms of COVID such as fever, cough (5). I don't use vitamin A supplementation in all of my patients because it has some potential severe side effects but for a number of people it is very useful.
Next let's look at ALA (Alpha Lipoic acid). First of all what is it? It's a very strong antioxidant that is soluble in fat and water so it's easy to take and the body absorbs it well. It is commonly (not alternatively, but very conventionally) used in diabetic neuropathy, migraines, weight loss programs and vitiligo treatments. Most recently it made headlines when a Chinese study done in Wuhan found that patients who have been on ALA had less 30 day all cause mortality and less organ failure than the placebo group (6). And this study was in critically sick patients in the hospital.
Next let's look at Vitamin A. Some articles have shown that Vitamin A deficiency is associated with greater respiratory symptoms of COVID such as fever, cough (5). I don't use vitamin A supplementation in all of my patients because it has some potential severe side effects but for a number of people it is very useful.
Next let's look at ALA (Alpha Lipoic acid). First of all what is it? It's a very strong antioxidant that is soluble in fat and water so it's easy to take and the body absorbs it well. It is commonly (not alternatively, but very conventionally) used in diabetic neuropathy, migraines, weight loss programs and vitiligo treatments. Most recently it made headlines when a Chinese study done in Wuhan found that patients who have been on ALA had less 30 day all cause mortality and less organ failure than the placebo group (6). And this study was in critically sick patients in the hospital.
Moving on to curcumin. Curcumin has been known and used in India for over millennia. Most recently it has been used in the last hundred years as an addition to treatment of Hepatitis and all types of viruses. It is a natural polyphenolic compound and as such has antiviral, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective and cardioprotective properties (7). Supplementing with curcumin, vitamin C and Zinc have shown promising results in the hospitals across India.
So here is a very brief summary of the most important supplements and some of the literature backing their use. This is not a treatment recommendation and I do not advise anyone to use any of these supplements without talking to a medical professional. Self-treatment is never appropriate. This article was written for educational purposes and as such I advise you to continue reading and forming your own opinion on this subject. All the best and the best health to everyone.
So here is a very brief summary of the most important supplements and some of the literature backing their use. This is not a treatment recommendation and I do not advise anyone to use any of these supplements without talking to a medical professional. Self-treatment is never appropriate. This article was written for educational purposes and as such I advise you to continue reading and forming your own opinion on this subject. All the best and the best health to everyone.
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