Providing You the Tools to Strengthen Your Defense Mechanisms for Today, Tomorrow & Beyond
If COVID-19 has done just one good thing for us, it is that it has shed light on the importance of “Strengthening Our Defense Mechanisms.” This has always been important for us, because strengthening our defense mechanisms is crucial for preventing not just COVID-19 and other viruses, but also for preventing other chronic health conditions, including cancer, heart disease, and more. Our immune health is foundational to achieving a healthy body for a lifetime.
But, it is COVID-19 that is the current health buzz word. It’s been almost a year since I first visited the topic of COVID-19 and “Strengthening Our Defense Mechanisms,” and it’s probably necessary for a revisit. Wow…..a lot has happened since we first learned of COVID-19. We have learned a great deal more about this virus, but…….
NO, there is not yet a cure in the sense that there is one miracle drug that will make it disappear. Not even a vaccine is going to completely erase it, but just as I mentioned in my very first blog post in March 2020 regarding COVID-19, our best defense against COVID-19 is still the same: Strengthening Your Defense Mechanisms.
I hope you will watch this brief video below that will “Provide You the Tools to Strengthen Your Defense Mechanisms for Today, Tomorrow & Beyond,” and keep reading for some other options that you might want to add to your arsenal (including a potential prescription medication to fight COVID-19—yes, you heard me right). I am not a fan of prescription medications, as you know, but this one seems to be making some waves. See below.
Before I talk about a potential prescription medication that might help lessen the symptoms of COVID-19, or to be used as a prophylatic medication (preventive), let me just remind you again of 4 basic things that you can do right now to “Strengthen Your Defense Mechanisms.”
1) Eat REAL Food. Real food is always FIRST. I talk about this in my #1 Best-Selling Book “Prescription Detox.” If you have not purchased it yet, I really urge you to, as this book will outline for you what you need to know about fueling your body and reducing your risk of chronic diseases (and viruses). I have several “Real Food” recipes on this blog for you that will help you “Strengthen Your Defense Mechanisms.” Real food means no processed food and all organic. If “man” made any ingredient, put it back. And let me point out one real simple thing that you can do every day to protect yourself that is simple and nutritious: JUICING. Click the link to learn “The Joys of Juicing,” and what a huge positive effect it will have on your immune system.
2) Know your Vitamin D level: We know from a recent study that people with a low vitamin D who get COVID have a greater tendency toward dying, have a greater tendency toward hyper-inflammation in the cytokine storm that comes with COVID and have a greater tendency toward getting on ventilators (which is not a good thing since those on ventilators do not fair well with COVID). Other studies show that 9 out of 10 COVID-19 deaths could be prevented if people had adequate vitamin D levels. I want your vitamin D level to be in the range of 60-100. Anything less than that is not optimal. Schedule your consultation with me and I will definitely assess your vitamin D level.
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3) Balance Your Hormones: we have a multitude of hormones, from adrenal hormones, thyroid hormones and sex hormones. And they ALL must be balanced for us to have an effective immune system. The role of our hormones in reducing inflammation is huge. And we also know from recent studies that estrogen in women is protective against COVID-19, as well as testosterone in men. So, if you are a post-menopausal woman who does not take bioidentical hormones, you are at an increased risk for COVID-19, among many other chronic health conditions.
4) Ramp up your T-lymphocytes: the T-lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell that plays a key role in fighting infections, and they are at the center of a recent study on why some patients fare worse than others when infected with the COVID-19 virus. According to research published in a well-known immunology journal, patients with mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 had both higher numbers and better functioning T-cells (aka T-lymphocytes). In fact, patients who fared worse consistently displayed T-cells that were literally exhausted and ceased to function properly. Their T-cells could no longer proliferate (multiply), nor could they properly communicate with other cells, which is one of their main functions–to signal other cells how to respond to pathogens. In order to keep your T-lymphocytes ramped up, in addition to following #1, #2 and #3 above, you will also need to ramp up your arsenal with other botanicals and nutraceuticals.
Click HERE for the Botanical & Nutraceutical Recommendations from The Institute of Functional Medicine. You can find and purchase these supplements through my Fullscript Dispensary. Click HERE for that protocol.
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And don’t forget to access my FREE 28-Day Immune Support Program.
Now for the Prescription Medication currently being touted as a COVID-19 prophylaxis. NO, it is not Hydroxychloroquine! The science behind Hydroxychloroquine is actually not as robust as the science behind another prophylaxis, Ivermectin. Ivermectin is an FDA-approved anti-parasitic agent found to be an inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 replication in the laboratory. Although it is an FDA-approved drug, prescribing it for COVID-19 prophylaxis is off-label. The NIH (National Institutes of Health) has upgraded their recommendations for Ivermectin, as an option to consider for use in COVID-19. In other words, they are leaving it to the discretion of your healthcare provider to determine if it would be a benefit for you. Basically, they are “neither for nor against” using Ivermectin.
If you are a patient of mine or would like to become a patient of mine, and want to discuss if Ivermectin would be of benefit to you in your COVID-19 prevention strategy, I would be happy to discuss this with you.
Caution with Veterinary Medicine Ivermectin: Do not use Ivermectin intended for animals as a treatment for COVID-19 in humans.