DISCLAIMER: This article about COVID-19 is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not medical, mental health or healthcare advice. The information presented here is not intended to diagnose, treat, heal, cure or prevent any illness, medical condition or mental or emotional condition.
“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
We are, without a doubt, living in a very brief moment in time that will go down as one of the world’s most imminent health concerns. At the time of this writing, billions of humans on the planet have heard about COVID-19. The point of this article is to deliver the science, implore practical thinking, address the thoughts that the media too often leaves out of the discussion, and provide you with a science-backed protocol to help build your immune system specifically in regards to COVID-19.
This is not another article talking about the dangers of COVID-19, but rather to help you understand the power that we hold as individuals when it comes to our own health and, quite honestly, the unnecessary actions our society took in reaction to the spread of this virus.
Before I dive into the science behind what exactly COVID-19 is and the science-based protocol I have put in place to boost your immune system, I would first like to continue my introduction and help frame your mindset going into this discussion.
We have a very intricate relationship with viruses. In fact, we are as much as eight percent virus ourselves (1). Researchers from Japan and the US found that when studying the human genome, “about eight percent of our human genetic material comes from a virus and not from our ancestors.”
In our world today, collectively we believe that viruses are solely one thing with one purpose - to harm us. We are never told that part of our genes are actually viruses. To understand what I’m saying you may need to set down your former beliefs and, if you’re a healthcare professional already, set aside your conventional training to really understand what is largely at work here.
It is widely accepted that our own mitochondria were once derived from bacteria a little over one billion years ago. With this commonly held belief, we have come to accept the fact that our own body contains what is called the microbiome, a system of living bacteria that help our bodies thrive and function optimally. Yet it is never addressed that we also have what is called the virome, yet another intricate system of viruses that are not only involved in viral infections to the host, but “also confer unexpected benefits to the host” as well (2).
In fact, it is largely believed that we have an immune system because of the evolutionary relationship we have with viral infections. Published in the Journal of Frontiers of Microbiology, researchers said “immune systems originate from and are spread by viruses and transposable elements. Immune systems likely evolved from simple superinfection exclusion to highly complex defense strategies.” (3)
Throughout our hominid evolution in the past 6 million years (4), we have encountered nearly everything to try and wipe out who we are as a species. Brutal weather conditions, war, parasites, evolutionary competition between species, bacterial infections, and yes, even viral infections. To think that we’ve never encountered anything such as this before is negligent and downright irresponsible. Because of this long adaptation process, our human biology has designed its own way to protect us against foreign invaders such as this.
Yes, it is true that we have not encountered this particular strain of coronavirus before, so we have not yet built an adaptive immunity to it yet, but we have, in fact, encountered many other strains of coronaviruses before. And this is largely our immune system’s role - to be exposed to bacterias and viruses throughout our lives, build an immunity to it, and protect us every time our bodies encounter it (or anything similar to it) again.
Here’s the rub, most of us have probably been infected with another strain of coronavirus in our lives before but have never realized it because our immune system did its job to defend against it (5). In fact, as we will talk about in a little bit, we are exposed to viruses every single day. “We can be exposed to 60 and 60,000 spores daily” according to a comprehensive 2016 study (6).
Before I dive into the biology and pathology of what exactly a coronavirus is and how it infects us, I want to first address why this has become so prevalent in our society right now.
What makes this one different? What makes this one so particularly harmful? Or is it actually as harmful as the media and health authorities lead us to believe? This is something we are going to address more on in the upcoming paragraphs.
We hear from the media (if you’re reading this, it’s probably your main source of information unless you are actually diving in and looking at the research) that, at the time of this writing, hundreds of thousands of people have tested positive and tens of thousands have passed away from COVID-19.
What is largely left out of the conversation are the tens of millions (if not hundreds of millions) of individuals who have been exposed to this virus that are thriving - that have gotten this virus and shown no symptoms and have not perished. Also left out of the discussion quite often is who gets affected the most when infected.
The media has one major role and that is the same as any other business - to drive traffic to their medium. They are very emotion driven and report on topics that get attention and create certain emotions in us who view it. What’s largely left out of the conversation is science like I have in this article today and a deep understanding of how our immune system actually functions.
While this is not to bash on the well-intentioned individuals who report the news, this is, on the other hand, a call to action that we cannot let our information be based off of what we hear through television, social media, and talk amongst the crowd. If we truly want to be informed to help our health, the health of our family, and the health of our society, we need to dive deep into the research, just like I am presenting to you in a very digestible way today.
According to a study by Italy’s National Health Authority just released a few days ago at the time of this writing (in late March 2020), “more than 99 percent of Italy’s fatalities [nearly 12,000 individuals] were from people who suffered from previous medical conditions.” (7).
Please hear this.
Less than .8 percent of individuals who died from COVID-19 had no other previous medical condition.
Over 25.1 percent of deaths in Italy were from people who had one previous medical condition.
If an individual had two previous medical conditions, that number rose to 25.6 percent.
And those with three previous medical conditions, that number jumps to a staggering 48.5 percent of all deaths in Italy from COVID-19.
I would argue that those numbers would be strikingly similar in other countries as well.
This left over 99 percent of all deaths in Italy with someone who had at least one chronic health condition.
Here is the main reason for this article. What is going on in our world nowadays? The number one killer in the world - heart disease. Not far behind is cancer and strokes.
These are preventative diseases that are brought on by how we live our lives. How we live our lives matters in the context of this conversation. To leave out the topics of nutrition, sleep, exercise, stress, and other modifiable actions we can take as humans is irresponsible and negligent of the media and health authorities. Some say it’s just woo woo, hippie stuff that isn’t backed up by science.
I would encourage those individuals to look into the research instead of basing all their knowledge off of social media posts and former conventional training if he or she is a healthcare professional. For you, dear reader, always stay a lifetime student, do your own research, and keep an open-mind, constantly updating your knowledge. I encourage you not share social media posts if you haven’t looked into the research yourself because this is how rumors and bad science gets spread, leading to worse outcomes and a more confused population.
You would think with our immediate access to information, however, and our amazing advancements in technology we would have ended chronic illness at this point. But the truth is, it’s worse than ever before. These are things our ancestors rarely faced, if ever. How we live our lives matter. And it matters greatly in this discussion of acquiring a virus that is potentially life-threatening.
The power of our amazing immune system
Because of what we have faced in our evolutionary past we have developed certain systems and defenders to help protect us against viruses just like COVID-19. In a normal functioning, healthy body, we contain T-cells, interferons, B-cells, NK cells, and macrophages, among others. The primary roles of these cells are to “protect the host from environmental agents such as microbes or chemicals, thereby preserving the integrity of the body.” (8)
Just hearing this statement we should realize that our immune system is one of the most complex systems in the entire universe.
We come in contact with many different viruses, bacterias, parasites, chemicals and toxins each and every day. But a well-functioning immune system defends us against these foreign invaders.
Many of you reading this understand this fact. If you’ve gone to the store to stock up on vitamin C, elderberry, and other immune-enhancing supplements, you largely recognize down to your core that having a strong immune system (and the ability of nutrition to impact that, might I add) is key to defending yourself against any nefarious substance we will come in contact with on a daily basis.
So how does our immune system work in regards to viruses specifically?
Many people associate bacteria and viruses as the same, but they are vastly different. Unlike bacteria, viruses are much smaller and work differently inside our bodies. In fact, the largest virus is smaller than the smallest bacteria.
Because of this pathologic difference, antibiotics do not work on viruses. Unfortunately, my younger, child self was given rounds of antibiotics to kill off well-known viral infections. The common cold? Usually caused by rhinovirus, coronavirus, and adenovirus. While this is common knowledge among health professionals, it is unfortunately also common practice to prescribe antibiotics to treat these conditions, even though it is best to just let the viral infection run its course, allow our immune system to do its job, and build up an adaptive immunity to it so we are stronger in the future.
While I will skip my soapbox of antibiotics being used to treat the common cold, I would like to touch more on how viruses actually enter our cells and our immune system’s natural role to prevent this from happening.
In regards to COVID-19 specifically, it gets into our cells by hijacking a substance known as “ACE2” whose normal role is to keep our blood pressure from getting too high and keep our lungs and heart healthy.
The immune system naturally develops antibodies to attach a “tag” to this virus which renders it useless in our system and inhibits entry into our cells. Something a majority of people do automatically when infected with these types of viruses.
B-cells, in particular, are lymphocytes that are a large component of our adaptive immune response. Essentially, our immune system can remember what a virus is and defend us later on down the road because of the B-cells’ memory to these foreign invaders. This happens every single day in a host with a healthy immune system.
In unhealthy hosts who have compromised immune systems (aka, the individuals who already have a pre-existing chronic health condition), this natural system can be slower to respond or not powerful enough to fight off the infection.
So with this frame of mind, the whole conversation of complete social distancing and an entire-world shutdown should become secondary to the fact that we need to shift the focus on how to make humans healthier. Period. That statement is the entire basis of this article. Wash your hands, absolutely. But let’s work collectively to make humans healthier.
When we eat good food, practice good movement-hygiene, get high quality sleep, avoid pro-inflammatory processed foods, limit unnecessary medications, manage stress, and focus on developing a healthy community, we will create a healthier, more robust human as a result - which, in turn, will naturally help defend us against any nefarious substance, including COVID-19.
In my science-backed opinion, the economic burden humans will face as a result of an entire world shut down is going to impact many more millions of lives than this virus would have ever done on its own without shutting down the entire economy.
Because this is not the last time something like this will happen. Every few years for as long as our society can remember, we get hit with one of these “big ones”. We cannot just shut down our society every time a new virus appears or a threat happens. The cascade of negative effects that creates on our economy is far worse than the damage the virus would cause on its own.
Instead we need to change the narrative. We need to collectively come together to make humans healthier. This is the only way we can defend ourselves against something of this magnitude. As I described above, we have viruses coded in our DNA. If we give our bodies the raw materials they need in order to defend themselves and place our bodies in the right environments to create a truly healthy human, then this would no, more or less, phase us.
The power that made the body has the power to heal the body.
What actually is a coronavirus and how does it function?
This new coronavirus we are currently fighting belongs to a much larger group of coronaviruses. Some are so weak, they cause things like the common cold. Others are more powerful that have the ability to kill individuals with pre-existing compromised immune function. In terms of their biology, COVID-19 happens to be 87 percent similar to the coronavirus that caused the SARS outbreak in 2003, which was later named SARS coronavirus. In fact, according to the Lancet, this new coronavirus we are facing in 2020 is now called “SARS coronavirus 2” (9). So a lot of what we can infer about nutrition, boosting the immune system, and COVID-19 is going to come from the research done from SARS coronavirus.
Coronaviruses in particular belong to a much larger group of viruses known as lipid-envelope viruses. What this essentially means is that they have an oily coating that helps protect them from our own immune systems, yet it can leave them vulnerable to certain substances in food and supplements that can actually penetrate or completely dissolve this oily coating.
COVID-19 stands for (corona virus disease - 2019, respectively). Corona comes from the latin word meaning crown. If you look at the shape of a coronavirus, it has spiky projections on the outside of its exterior, almost resembling the shape of a crown.
When it was first discovered, the WHO (World Health Organization) originally called it the Wuhan virus, referring to Wuhan, China where it was first reported. But because of humans' ability to associate things to people and places, it would’ve created a lot of negative stigma surrounding the city. So the WHO no longer tries to give viruses and diseases names after animals or places.
How much of the world has COVID-19 actually affected?
Stanford University biology professor Michael Levitt, who won the 2013 Nobel Prize in chemistry predicted that “[China] would peak with around 80,000 cases and 3,250 deaths.”
He made this claim earlier this year in early February. As of March 24th, over a month and a half later (at the time of this writing), China has reported its peak with 81,588 cases with 3,281 deaths (10).
While some reports have varied in the past weeks, it seems as though worldwide, hundreds of thousands of individuals have actually tested positive for COVID-19, while tens of thousands have died. What are the reports, however, of the millions and millions of people who have not been affected or have had the infection yet remained fine?
While the aim of this article was not to compare and contrast the deaths of COVID-19 and deaths from other diseases and lifestyle choices, here is a little snapshot of how blown out of proportion this really is:
*Worldwide deaths as of January 1st, 2020 - March 31st, 2020 (9) - source: worldometers.com.info - World Health organization (WHO)
39,784 - Deaths by COVID-19
120,351 - Deaths by Seasonal Flu
242,820 - Deaths by Malaria
265,464 - Deaths by Suicide
334,176 - Deaths by Traffic Fatalities
416,161 - Deaths by HIV/AIDS
619,169 - Deaths by Alcohol
1,237,564 - Deaths by Smoking
2,033,216 - Deaths by Cancer
10,522,613 - Deaths by Abortion
Every life matters. Absolutely. This is not meant to diminish the lives lost due to COVID-19. This is simply meant to compare where the world is putting most of its attention right now.
Lest not forget the seasonal flu is still taking more lives this year than COVID-19. Lest not forget that many of these fatalities are due to factors we can control and prevent by how we live our lives. Not to mention the scarcity, uncertainty, and fear inflicted in people for a virus that fails in comparison to other major health concerns.
We can no longer go to a grocery store or leave our houses without someone acting in fear around us. People are literally afraid to lend a helping hand - and for what reason? I understand the easiest way to avoid getting a viral infection is to isolate yourself and practice good hygiene, but by looking at this chart and understanding how our immune system works, it gives no reason to lessen our humanity towards another person.
We should not be in a place where we are afraid of other human beings - that’s the worst thing we can do. If you got caught in the hype like myself for a brief moment, you, no doubt, looked at another person and walked around them. Maybe you intentionally avoided being around someone in fear of contracting the virus yourself.
Why are we in a place in our world right now where it is acceptable to isolate ourselves from other humans and be less of a good human ourselves?
Instead of fear mongering, closing down businesses, and publicizing only part of the story in the media, wouldn’t it be wiser (and more beneficial for our economy) to inform the elderly and those with weakened immune systems on how to build a healthier body?
It is my hope with this article to reframe our mindset surrounding viral infections like COVID-19 and inspire change in this world to create a healthy body, both from a modern day science-based and ancestral lense.
Deeper Dive Into COVID-19 (otherwise known as SARS Coronavirus 2)
This current coronavirus emerged in December of 2019. It was found that its genome was 96 percent identical found in bats suggesting that it transferred from bats to humans (10). Because this particular strain of coronavirus is over 80 percent similar to SARS-CoV from 2003, and due to a majority of its proteins being nearly 100 percent homologous (11), these strong similarities show that former treatments for SARS-CoV are likely to be highly effective for this new strain known as COVID-19. Which is what we will discuss in great detail in the protocol below.
We briefly touched on how COVID-19 uniquely enters our cells by attaching itself to our protein known as ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme-2). Most other coronaviruses enter the cell via aminopeptidase N, which typically plays a specific role in breaking down proteins during digestion (12).
It has been very well-established in the literature how SARS-CoV-2 enters cells via ACE2. While I will specifically choose not to dive deep into the science on how ACE2 functions, what we should know for the purpose of this article is that because of COVID-19’s special interaction with ACE2, it is largely known as a respiratory and lung infection. Having understood this, our future discussion will be focused on how to reduce this connection and prevent the virus from attaching itself to ACE2 receptor sites.
One other thing we touched on earlier was our body’s ability to produce what’s called interferon. Interferon is released in response to a viral infection to prevent virus replication. You can think of this as our bodyguards in our immune system.
Unfortunately for us as humans, SARS-CoV-2 is able to evade the normal interferon response and hijack it to use against its own host. This is a trait that is shared with another well known coronavirus, MERS-CoV (13).
Because of this initial invasion of interferon, this allows the virus to replicate very quickly, which results in a severe infection in the lungs. We also mentioned macrophages earlier in our discussion. In response to this invasion of interferon and infection in the lungs, our bodies send macrophages to the site of infection which, in turn, create an excessive amount of interferon that initiates a kind of “cytokine storm” (14).
Because of this unique function of this particular strain of coronavirus, modeling what works for colds and flus is a very poor model. While having a pre-existing healthy immune system and working to build a stronger immune system if you’re immunocompromised is absolutely crucial, we also need to address this particular coronavirus with a strategic plan and protocol based on current science.
Nearly half of common colds are caused by rhinovirus, and 90 percent of those dock to intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) (15). Flu viruses dock to sialic acid. Even the other coronaviruses that are attributed to 15 percent of colds do not dock to ACE2, but rather these two other docking sites just mentioned. So looking ahead, preventing the docking of SARS-CoV-2 is a key strategy of preventing an infection.
So based on this knowledge provided above, we must ask ourselves several questions when it comes to protecting ourselves from this virus:
How can we prevent SARS-CoV-2 from binding to ACE2?
What lifestyle factors can we engage in that boost our immune system and act as an antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2?
What can we do to destroy the lipid envelopes, rendering the virus useless?
How do we limit the potential for SARS-CoV-2 to undermine interferon initially?
These are the foundational questions we must ask ourselves when we are trying to best defend ourselves from the infection of COVID-19.
Should we rely on a vaccine to save us?
I wanted to first touch on this topic because I know it’s a popular question many will have. However, we are years away from any type of vaccine coming. Even if we do have a vaccine that comes for this particular virus, what are we going to do for the next one? And then the one after that? We cannot rely on vaccines to save us.
A study published in JAMA (the Journal of the American Medical Association) found that “about a third of the drugs [including vaccines] the FDA approved between 2001 and 2010 were involved in some kind of safety event after reaching the market.” (15)
Continuing, the authors noted “drugs that went through an accelerated approval process had a higher number of [adverse] health events.”
This means that even if we did create and approve a vaccine in the near future for this virus, the odds of it having adverse health effects in other areas of our lives is astronomical.
To also point out, vaccines work on the same principles as our own immune system.
1. Expose yourself to a virus
2. Allow your immune system to build up an immunity to it (remember our old friends the B-cells?)
3. As a result, we protect ourselves in the future from being harmed by that particular strain
But here’s the catch: it’s not the vaccine doing work, it’s your immune system being trained. A vaccine doesn’t make your immune system immune to viruses, your own immune system makes your immune system immune.
While I understand social distancing is the best way not to contract the virus, for otherwise healthy individuals who have no chronic disease and a relatively healthy immune system, contracting the virus and allowing your immune system to do its job is the best defense against this. It always has been, and always will be.
But with that being said, we need to place our bodies in the right environment to build our immune system naturally. Before we dive into the protocol, we need to ensure we are avoiding the things that make us weak. Avoid the things that make us weak, and add in the things that make us strong. That’s what it means to create an overall healthy body, not just in defense against a virus, but to live the highest quality life possible.
Things to limit or completely avoid
Stress
We live in a world where chronic stress plagues many individuals. It is well-established that chronic stress attributes to a weaker immune system. In a study published in Psychosomatic Medicine, researchers tested 75 first year medical students (where stress levels are very high) and found that “high scorers on stressful life events and loneliness had significantly lower levels of NK activity.” (16)
Natural Killer cells (NK cells) are our body’s ability to defend ourselves against any foreign pathogen. When we have a weakened immune system from chronic stress it makes it much harder to defend ourselves against even a minor cold we already have an adapted immune response, let alone a new strain of virus that has spread across the world.
With the world living in a constant state of fear because of the widely publicized nature of this so-called pandemic, most individuals have a heightened level of cortisol and other stress hormones running through their veins. Top on the stress of economic burdens, like financial instability, uncertainty of where their next meal will come from, mortgages falling through, and other health concerns they may also have been dealing with before this new crisis. Sure, the 2.2 trillion dollar stimulus package may bring a little glimmer of hope and ease back into the lives of those Americans receiving it, but this doesn’t nearly do justice for the amount of pain, added stress, and increased susceptibility caused by widespread terror of a worldwide shutdown.
Alcohol
During this period of isolation, many individuals will be no doubt spending more time at home. This means that many people will be inside under artificial lighting, breathing in poorer air quality, most likely eating processed foods, lack of high quality sleep due to increased stress, and for many, increased alcohol consumption to deal with the stress and pass the time.
It should come as no surprise that alcohol consumption weakens the immune system. In a 2015 study published in Alcohol Research, it was said that “alcohol’s combined effects on both innate and adaptive immunity significantly weaken host defenses, predisposing chronic drinkers to a wide range of health problems, including infections and systemic inflammation.” (17)
Chronic drinking in this case was defined as having as little as just a few alcohol drinks per week.
This repetitive exposure to alcohol consumption leaves us more susceptible to any illness and many chronic lifestyle epidemic diseases we may face throughout our lives.
Processed foods
80 percent of our immune system is located within our gut (18). This should be a direct red flag telling us that what we eat is the biggest lever for our health. Not just our overall well-being but also to protect us from any nefarious toxin or virus that we come in contact with on a regular basis.
We have adapted over many millions of years to come to expect certain food from our environment. We literally make our cells out of the food that we eat on a regular basis. It’s not just that food is calories, but food is, in fact, information. What we eat tells our bodies to produce certain hormones, certain neurotransmitters, express certain bacteria, and either have a robust, healthy immune system, or not.
We have only had access to certain food-like products on our earth for nearly 100 years, which is just the blink of an eye as far as our human lineage is concerned. When you look at rates of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, they sky-rocket with the production of fast food, processed sugar, and readily available access to food on every street corner. These processed foods are the kryptonite that weakens our immune system when we are trying our best to defend against viruses, bacteria, and other foreign pathogens.
We can practice social distancing all we want, but if we are still eating processed foods weakening our immune system, it won’t do any good when we return to a “normal functioning” society.
A study published in Nutrition Journal looked at the Western Diet (typically called the Standard American Diet) and how it impacts our immune system (19). The researchers found that when a large amount of calories were consumed from processed and fast food, it “leads to increased inflammation, reduced control of infection, increased rates of cancer, and increased risk for allergic and auto-inflammatory disease.”
Please understand this.
What we eat has a direct impact on how well we can control any infection we are dealing with.
Social distancing and proper hygiene has its place and value, absolutely. But we cannot think that we are completely immune to the virus simply by isolating ourselves in our homes. As I explained in my introduction, we do a very intricate dance with microbes like viruses and bacteria, so trying to avoid them is delaying the inevitable. This virus will run its course regardless of where we are at. A wiser use of our time and energy would be to eat foods that our bodies have an ancestral intelligence with, that are also supported by science to help us increase our control of infection, not reduce it.
Sedentary lifestyle
This is a very low-hanging fruit for all of us. At this moment in time we may be isolated in our own homes, but we can still move our bodies. Body weight exercises, jogging in place, hopping on an elliptical or treadmill if you have access to one, and even taking a walk around your neighborhood will do your body a world of good.
A very comprehensive study published in 2014 found that “physical inactivity and extreme physical activity increase the risk the greatest for acquiring upper respiratory tract infections (URTI)” (20).
We have long known the dangers of living a sedentary lifestyle attributing to factors such as heart disease, type II diabetes, obesity, and cancer. But lack of movement in our daily lives also leaves us much more susceptible to dealing with viruses when we are exposed - which “we can be exposed to 60 and 60,000 spores daily” as I addressed earlier in this article (21).
Like I’ve said many times before, we cannot avoid exposure to viruses no matter how much we isolate ourselves. Our best defense to addressing this virus, like it always has been, is to live a healthy life and do certain lifestyle factors that will build up our immune system.
Loneliness
How ironic is this? Social isolation and loneliness can actually increase our risk for infection and chronic disease (22).
We are a species that has evolved to be in communities. Nobody wants to be alone. As much as some of our introverted tendencies may creep out, we all long for social connection. The feeling of being alone, abandonment, and lack of purpose in life all contribute to a weakened immune system, and can leave us more susceptible to illness (23).
With our world’s current pandemic, we are isolated now more than ever. This is a major concern especially for our elderly. With already compromised immunity, facing problems of social isolation and loneliness, older adults are exponentially at risk for contracting SARS-CoV-2, not to mention a host of other diseases as well.
According to Steve Cole, Ph.D., director of the Social Genomics Core Laboratory at the University of California, Los Angeles “people who feel lonely may also have weakened immune cells that have trouble fighting off viruses, which makes them more vulnerable to some infectious diseases” (24).
Our world is treating a symptom rather than addressing its root cause. To isolate the already isolated is doing harm to already highly susceptible individuals.
First do no harm - yet we are continuing to harm those who have no say. We need to focus most of our attention, not on shutting down an entire economy, but rather building up humans to be better prepared to face non-communicable diseases, as well as viral infections - especially our elderly, children, and adults with compromised immune function.
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The COVID-19 Protocol:
*This article and protocol is meant for educational purposes only, and does not constitute medical or nutritional advice or act as a substitute for seeking such advice from a qualified health professional.
This science-backed protocol is solely meant to serve as a second-line of prevention, right after strictly following the hygiene and social distancing recommended by health authorities. Because many individuals, especially the elderly, are faced with pre-existing compromised immune systems, proper hygiene and social distancing is necessary for them at this time. For adults with both healthy and compromised immune systems, this protocol is designed to specifically address the questions asked prior in regards to SARS-CoV-2.
Inside this protocol it details both well-researched nutrition components as well as lifestyle factors that increase your body’s immune system that directly help to limit the infection of SARS-CoV-2.
Nutrition Protocol
Eat an anti-inflammatory, nutrient-rich diet
We are living in a world where we are overfed and undernourished. We can be full of calories, but be malnourished with the essential vitamins and minerals, we need not just to defend ourselves against infectious diseases, but also to thrive and live the best quality of life possible.
Nutrition and acquiring an infectious disease has always been very tightly linked. When we have proper nutrient status in our bodies, we are able to function a lot more optimally and allow our immune systems to run its course, defending us against any nefarious substance. “Micronutrient deficiencies have effects such as poor growth, impaired intellect, and increased mortality and susceptibility to infection”, said the authors from a 2008 study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases (25).
We know this already, though, don’t we? It should come as no surprise that when we adequately nourish our bodies with nutrients in their most bioavailable forms of each vitamin and mineral that we will thrive and be the healthiest human we can be.
What is largely left out of the equation when experts report on who is affected are the nutrient deficiencies in these individuals. We know from research that it’s mainly the elderly, children, and adults with compromised immune systems getting sick with COVID-19. But then we hear reports about “healthy adults” catching it, too.
What defines healthy? What constitutes someone as healthy? Are these so-called “healthy” adults meeting all of their nutritional needs? Maybe they do not have a pre-existing chronic health condition, but what if they are deficient in zinc, vitamin D, magnesium, vitamin A, or the class of B vitamins?
This is where modern science fails us because a lot of the time we seem to draw very black and white lines down the middle. You have chronic disease, and you don’t. You’re unhealthy and you’re not. But it doesn’t work like that inside our body because as I’ve said many times, we can look outwardly healthy, be slim and fit, yet our bodies may be crying out for much needed nourishment on the inside.
I hypothesize that in the months to years to come we will learn that those who contracted the virus and unfortunately succumbed to COVID-19 were no, more or less, deficient in important vitamins and minerals needed to maintain a healthy immune system and properly defend their body.
Upwards of one billion individuals worldwide are deficient in vitamin D (25), and we know the importance of maintaining adequate vitamin D levels for proper immune function. In a recently published study, authors noted, “vitamin D insufficiency may significantly compromise, respiratory immune response function, greatly increasing risk of COVID-19 severity and mortality.” (26)
But it’s not just enough to rely on a supplement, with any nutrient or vitamin we need. Our bodies expect to eat real, whole food. Vitamins and minerals work so synergistically with one another that taking in the isolated compounds of supplements can do more harm than good. This could especially be true in the case of vitamin D.
Part of vitamin D’s roles is to increase the amount of ACE2. Calcitriol, the active metabolite of vitamin D, increases ACE2 mRNA (27). This essentially means that taking an excess amount of vitamin D could negatively impact our body’s ability to defend us against COVID-19.
However, we still need enough to keep our bodies functioning optimally and do its daily responsibilities. While this can seem counterintuitive. Do I take vitamin D or not? Here’s my proposition.
We live our lives as nature and evolution intended. We eat our adapted-diet that nourishes us down to the cellular level. We keep our insulin stable throughout the day and eat foods that promote insulin sensitivity. We regularly expose ourselves in an environment that our genes and biology expects - we bathe in sunlight, breathing in fresh quality air, limiting our exposure to artificial lights and processed foods that strip our bodies of much needed vitamins and minerals.
We engage in regular bouts of nutritious movement, laugh, enjoy stress-free moments with our community, and engage in purposeful, giving acts of service. These are the things our biology expects for us to live a healthy life.
Because we are all very biologically unique and there is no one-size-fits-all to nutrition, I cannot recommend a healthy diet for you at this time. However, if you wish to find out what is a healthy diet for you at this period in your life and how to adequately nourish your cells with the most bioavailable nutrients in food, I highly recommend checking out my FREE 7-Day Autoimmune Reset Challenge.
Add in Immune-Boosting Supplements
While eating whole foods and living life in a healthy environment should be the foundational for living a healthy lifestyle, we can add in a little extra support during these times with added supplementation from high quality, whole food ingredients. This is a very detailed topic, much of which could take many hundreds of pages to lay out in its entirety. For the context of this discussion, I will lay out the few supplements that are particularly beneficial for COVID-19.
Elderberry
This is a type of berry found in North America that has shown great effectiveness against coronavirus NL63, another type of virus that enters cells via ACE2. It has shown to directly stop the attachment of coronavirus to ACE2 (28). Unlike bacteria who can replicate on their own, viruses need a host to replicate. Since coronaviruses need our own cells to replicate, if they are unable to gain access into our hosts’ cells then they will eventually be excreted by the body.
Also mentioned earlier was the oily coating surrounding the coronavirus called the lipid-envelope. Elderberry has also shown to destroy the lipid-envelope of avian infectious bronchitis virus, which is a type of coronavirus that infects chickens and other types of birds (29).
According to a 2004 randomized study, “elderberry extract seems to offer an efficient, safe and cost-effective treatment for influenza”, researchers noted (30). While the seasonal flu operates a little differently in terms of pathology inside the body, it still deserves a place on our list of foods to prevent the binding of coronavirus to ACE2 on the cell.
Studies have shown that taking 1,000mg per day was a safe dose with those who had cardiovascular disease (31). I would recommend choosing elderberry syrup here or capsules here.
Zinc
This may be one of the most powerful supplements you can choose to take during times of increased immune susceptibility. Food should always come first, however. To increase your levels of the most bioavailable zinc in your body, consume more foods such as oysters, grass finished red meat, and liver. If you do consume these foods, be sure to avoid eating phytate-rich foods, as phytates decrease the absorption rate of zinc and other metals. Phytate-rich foods that should be avoided are whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes like peanuts and green beans.
In regards to COVID-19, zinc inhibits three proteins required for SARS-CoV replication - papain-like protease-2 (32), 3CL protease (33), and helicase (34). Because of this, it is very likely that zinc inhibits the homologous proteins in SARS-CoV-2.
It has been studied extensively for treatment with the common cold, and research has shown supplementing with zinc picolinate, gluconate and acetate are most effective. I would encourage you not to use zinc oxide.
I recommend using this zinc supplement here or here.
Medicinal mushrooms
There is a lot of documented usage of medicinal mushrooms in regards to regulating the immune system. While not all mushrooms are the same, there are many different classes of fungi.
In particular, reishi mushroom has been clinically proven to boost the immune system. A study published in the Journal of Pharmacological Sciences found, “a number of reports have demonstrated that [reishi mushroom] polysaccharides modulate immune function both in vivo and in vitro. The immuno-modulating effects of [reishi mushroom] polysaccharides were extensive, including promoting the function of antigen-presenting cells, mononuclear phygocyte system, humoral immunity, and cellular immunity.” (35)
It’s right here in the data. Medicinal mushrooms are very immunomodulating. While medications like immunosuppressants suppress your immune system, medicinal mushrooms modulate your immune system. Basically this means if you have autoimmunity, reishi mushroom can lower it. Or if you have a weakened immune system, reishi mushroom can help to raise it (36).
Reishi mushroom is also a very powerful aid in decreasing sleep latency, meaning it helps us to fall asleep faster (36). And as we will discuss very soon, getting high quality sleep is absolutely vital for defending us against viral infections and boosting our immunity.
Another medicinal mushroom, chaga, has the highest antioxidant capacity of any known food. According to Tufts University, chaga mushroom has an ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) value of 365,570. The next highest antioxidant-rich food is acai at 41,000 - leaving chaga nearly nine times as potent (37).
What does this mean in terms of your immunity? Consuming chaga mushroom increases your production of beneficial cytokines, stimulating white blood cells, which are essential for fighting off bacteria and viruses (38, 39).
While you may think it’s hard to consume these things or that they actually taste like mushrooms, I prefer to consume mine with beverages I’m already consuming like smoothies, protein shakes, and coffee. Not only that, but they actually taste really good. The research on this is clear, however. You cannot just consume any type of medicinal mushroom without understanding how it is extracted. It needs to be both hot water and alcohol extracted (known as a dual extraction). You can get all of your medicinal mushrooms here with epic discounts using code “CRAIG” at checkout.
Echinacea
This plant extract has been used for the common cold for centuries. It has been shown to increase the immune system by primarily increasing inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) (40).
While there is currently no clear evidence that echinacea can support against COVID-19 in particular, it has been shown to offer a safe way to build general immune support. Anywhere from 500-900mg/d is a good dose to consume using this brand here.
N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) and Glutathione
Currently there are no studies showing NAC directly involving the protection of COVID-19, however NAC is a precursor for glutathione, our body’s master antioxidant (41). Glutathione is also critical for healthy lung function (42).
In a recent study, researchers concluded that “this study suggests the novel underlying [glutathione] is a promising therapeutic drug for coronavirus” (43).
I prefer to take liposomal glutathione from this source here and NAC from my professional supplement dispensary seeing as how Amazon removed it altogether.
Lifestyle Protocol
Along with an ideal diet with added immune support from supplements, how we live our lives day in and day out determines our susceptibility for disease and illness. Here are the best science-backed tips and recommendations I can give you on boosting your immunity and protecting you from COVID-19.
Prioritize high quality sleep
Absolutely, this needs to be of utmost importance. We know the detrimental effects lack of poor quality sleep has on every area of our life.
In regards to our immune system, a study published in the journal Sleep found that, "the results are consistent with studies that show when sleep deprived people are given a vaccine, there is a lower antibody response and if you expose sleep deprived people to a rhinovirus they are more likely to get the virus. This study provides further evidence of sleep to overall health and well-being particularly to immune health.” (44)
Sleep is not just something we can push aside. Evolutionarily speaking, sleep is when we are most susceptible to danger. If it were not serving some sort of purpose we would’ve evolved out of it a long time ago. With that mindset, sleep must be beneficial for us. And current research is showing just how beneficial it is.
During sleep our bodies produce the beneficial cytokines we previously talked about - some of which actually help promote sleep. During times of infections, certain cytokines need to increase to help protect us. Under states in which we are chronically (or acutely) sleep deprived, our production of these cytokines decreases. Our bodies need sleep in order to fight infectious diseases. If you want the best way to ensure you are well-equipped to handle any virus that comes your way, prioritize your sleep. If you want to increase your chances of catching COVID-19 or any other virus, don’t sleep. It’s as simple as that.
Staying up late on your devices, watching the blue lit TV, and partying late into the night only decreases our body’s ability to cycle through stages of sleep appropriately. Because it’s not just about passing out each night and getting eight hours of sleep. It’s about the quality of sleep you are getting.
For a great resource on how to boost your sleep using easy to apply, natural tips, check out the international best-selling book Sleep Smarter.
Get in easy, daily movement (Do NOT overexercise)
Exercise is optional, movement is not. We are designed to move our bodies in very specific ways. It improves our lymphatic flow which can eliminate all unwanted foreign pathogens that enter our body.
Not only that but movement helps to boost our immune system by increasing our body’s WBC (white blood cell) count (45). But there is a huge caveat to this. After intense bouts of exercise, like HIIT training, running a marathon, and weight bearing exercises, research has shown that our immune cells can plummet, leading to a higher susceptibility to illness.
In a 2010 study, researchers found “Prolonged, intense exercise causes immunosuppression, while moderate intensity exercise improves immune function and potentially reduces risk and severity of respiratory viral infection” (46)
It’s right here in the research. For this specific period in time, I would recommend the best movement to do is low to moderate prolonged exercise, while limiting high intensity workouts. This means taking long walks, doing moderate body weight exercise that don’t stress you too much, engaging in easy stretches and yoga, and breath work.
In fact, just simply walking for 30 minutes per day was found to “significantly increase the amount of immune cells that are present in the body” (47). Continuing to add, “the levels of immunity boosters remained elevated for several hours after exercise and appear to have a cumulative effect in protecting against illnesses over time.”
Walk. Take a walk. Sleep. Eat good food. Add in additional supplements. It’s all right here in the research.
Find ways to be of service
This is particularly beneficial for the elderly. Under normal world circumstances, those who are older and facing a crisis of losing their sense of purpose absolutely need to find ways to give in this world. When you work your entire life doing one job and simply stop doing it (aka, retire) you subconsciously tell yourself that you are no longer useful to this world.
Especially our elderly during this time, yes, but we all need to give more because this world is living in scarcity, fear, and uncertainty. We cannot lose the human in us because the entire world says we should avoid each other.
Give to a charity. Donate to those who lost their jobs. Feed children who rely on school lunches for their meals. Do something.
Giving to others creates happiness inside of us and it’s been shown that creating more moments like this can boost our immune system. “Older adults reporting greater anger, fatigue, confusion, and total mood disturbance had poorer cytokine responses to live virus and vaccine stimulation. In contrast, older adults who reported greater vigor and those who were more optimistic had greater cytokine responses to both live virus and vaccine. These relationships were largely unaffected by medications or health conditions.” (48)
Do you hear this? Our elderly need this now more than ever before.
Not to mention giving has also been shown to lower rates of chest infections (49) and develop less of a chance to develop the common cold (50).
Seek ways to still be of service in this crazy time in our world’s history.
Final Thoughts
This is undoubtedly a crazy time in our world’s history. Now more than ever we need to come together to change this narrative surrounding health and wellness.
Viruses are not just something that harm us, but rather they are, in fact, part of our human genome. We cannot simply isolate ourselves every time a nefarious substance comes around, because that ensues an astronomical economic impact that we are going to have a hard time digging ourselves out of.
Instead, we need to shift the conversation to how we can help those with weakened immunity and more of an increased susceptibility to all illness, especially COVID-19. While this was science heavy, I hope you understand the impacts that you have on controlling the outcome of your life through your actions and choices.
No longer can we walk around in fear from the media. No longer can we act inhumane and avoid others because we are afraid of what they may or may not have. Yes, we need to focus on building up our own immunity and nourishing our bodies through food and living in a conducive environment, but more than ever we need love. We need human empathy, sympathy, and compassion. We need to come together as one and help each other.
I applaud the health professionals working in the hospital setting. You are the ones standing on the frontlines through all of this. You are the ones battling this day in and day out. Know that your actions do not go unrecognized.
The information presented in this article today was meant for you not to simply sit back and be informed. No. Knowledge is simply not power. Knowledge applied is true power. Whether you are a healthy individual by my definition or someone who is facing chronic illness currently, take these tips and apply them. When we are healthy, truly healthy, disease is rare among our world.
