Coronavirus Immunity

Entering the 4^th month of my 50^th year on this earth.  I’m still a mom, wife, teacher and a professor. Each comes with its own set of responsibilities, limitations and new things to learn daily.  What’s most worrisome at the moment is that the coronavirus is making its way around the world.  My alerts keep going off about new cases being reported (most recently in Tampa!) and of states of emergency being declared (in Washington state).  I have gone, as I’m sure a lot of people have, to websites telling you what to do to prepare:  buy non-perishable food and water for a month.  Stock up on vitamin C and vitamin D. Have dog food (or cat food), toilet paper, alcohol, vinegar, wipes, disposable gloves; get medicine you might need or feminine products you may don’t want to run out of (talk about the “eww” factor).  I have talked to people casually at work about it and I get responses anywhere from, “We’re not there yet or it’s being blown out of proportion,” to full blown over worrying.  Am I concerned?  Yes.  More so because I work at a public school – with literally over 2000 people on one campus of three buildings (not counting the gym). Do I think I can survive?  Yes.  How can I say that when we know so little of the virus?  Because what I have learned in the last decade in doing my own personal health research is that in order to NOT get sick or to quickly overcome a sickness is to have a strong immune system. 

Think about it.  How is it that some people get sick and others don’t from the same flu that comes around to your part of the world?  It’s not the flu, it’s your immune system that can either fight it or it can’t.  I know personally my weakest point is my throat – always has been.  When I was a child I was supposed to get my tonsils out, but my father would not let the doctors perform the procedure.  Instead, my mom kept me in bed and daily fed me chicken and egg drop soup and gave me LOTS of vitamin C.  I also had to go outside everyday and at least sit in our patio.  What did all this do?  Well, NOW I know that being outside meant I was getting sun, which meant I was getting Vitamin D.  What am I talking about?  If you know, skip to the next paragraph.  If you don’t,  realize that back in 2009 “Three-quarters of U.S. teens and adults are deficient in vitamin D, the so-called “sunshine vitamin” whose deficits are increasingly blamed for everything from cancer and heart disease to diabetes, according to new research.”   (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/vitamin-d-deficiency-united-states/).  But looking more closely, what’s most alarming is that most people don’t have sufficient levels and don’t even know it: “An estimated 40 percent of Americans are profoundly vitamin D deficient, defined as having a serum level below 20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L); 75 percent of American adults and teens are deficient when a sufficiency level of 30 ng/mL is used. If the sufficiency cutoff is moved to a healthy 40 to 60 ng/mL (100 to 150 nmol/L), as recommended by the GrassrootsHealth panel of 48 vitamin D researchers, deficiency rates in the U.S. would likely be in the high 90 percent bracket” (https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/01/01/signs-of-vitamin-d-deficiency.aspx).

In other words, YOU are probably deficient in vitamin D and don’t even know it.  (sad face)

Number TWO on five signs of Vitamin D deficiency is: “Frequent illness/infections — Vitamin D regulates the expression of genes that influence your immune system to attack and destroy bacteria and viruses, so frequent illness and infections of all kinds, including colds and flu, is a tip-off that your immune function is sub-par, which likely means you’re low on vitamin D.” (https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/01/01/signs-of-vitamin-d-deficiency.aspx).

So getting sun is EXTREMELY important when fighting an illness or keeping yourself from getting ill.  Next up on my list of must do’s is to take VITAMIN C.  I’m not talking C Defense, but actual vitamin C.  I use liposomal Vitamin C because presumably “Liposomes deliver more vitamin C into the circulation compared to traditional vitamin C supplements” (https://www.dougcookrd.com/vitamin-c-supplement/). Getting 6-8 hours of sleep, drinking lots of water (which means you better stock up on water soon because the Floridians go and empty the shelves), having enough protein and good veggies (more on my daily smoothies in another post) and NOT STRESSING.  This is bigger than you think.  Your body responds to your emotions.  Did you know that canker sores are an autoimmune response caused by stress???

So other than stocking up on supplies and vitamins, taking care of yourself is the best way to make sure you DON’T get sick if the coronavirus does makes its way around to our corner of the earth.  Money, clothes, games, tv shows, whatever… Nothing matters if you’re not healthy.