Corona Virus 101

 

Recently we’ve been getting a lot of questions on the topic of corona virus. It has now become a world-wide concern and is finding its way into all our social media feeds, Facebook pages, TV and radio news cycles. There seems to be a lot of concern, fear, confusion, and stress associated with this topic. I will admit it has been on my radar for a few weeks, and while no one can predict the future-, supporting your immune system is never wasted effort.

Yes- you should be prepared.  Have supplies on-hand. Start building up your body before you begin to feel symptoms of illness. Here are simple, effective steps you and your loved ones can take to protect yourself.

Scroll all the way down to see the 4 most important supplements you need to keep you and your family healthy and learn how the corona virus can cause serious problems.

 

Why do viruses like the corona virus make us so sick?

 

What makes people sick, and ultimately what kills people with these kinds of viruses, is the inflammation that comes from the body itself. It’s not the virus per se that kills people, it’s the overreaction by the body. So how do we help our bodies kill the virus without causing severe illness in the process you ask? Well you are about to find out!

You can prepare your body for exposure to COVID-19 virus by making sure you have enough vitamin C. Studies consistently show that vitamin C is effective against these types of viruses.^1,2,3,4 When the immune system attacks the virus, it creates massive amounts of inflammation. Inflammation creates free radicals and vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, soaks up and absorbs these free radicals keeping the body healthy.

If you get a virus like this and your vitamin C is low to start with, once the infection starts you will lose even more precious vitamin C. Loss of vitamin C combined with high levels of lung inflammation could cause severe damage to the lungs and allow fluid to accumulate – a potentially life threatening situation.

There are only a few mammals that cannot make vitamin C – primates (including humans), gerbils, and bats. Every other species of mammal can produce vitamin C from scratch inside their bodies. We unfortunately cannot. What happens when we run out of vitamin C is that our immune system is forced to fight naked. Imagine our immune soldiers going into battle with no clothes and nothing to protect them – only their weapons. The immune system may kill the virus, but without any protection of their own, they will get damaged in the process and start to damage the nearby cells. This increases the collateral damage to the tissues as the body wages a war to get rid of the virus.

Now with Corona virus we see a lot of concern that it has a high fatality rate. The latest data shows that people who are 50 years old and younger really aren’t at much risk. However, as we look at older groups, we can see the virus becomes more dangerous the older we get. This is common for all viruses, especially the seasonal flu.

The older we get the less vitamin C and other nutrients like B12, calcium, iron, etc. we store in our bodies. This increases the likelihood of an elderly person getting seriously ill from the inflammation created from the infection. If the inflammation is bad enough, it will kill cells in the lungs and cause fluid to fill into the chest effectively drowning the individual (sorry to be graphic here).

We can’t make vitamin C, it must come from our diet!! It doesn’t matter if you are young or old, if you don’t have enough vitamin C when you get sick, you will suffer much, much more tissue damage from the immune system’s inflammation.

If you are too low in vitamin C, and then you get a bad virus like corona (or Ebola, SARS, swine flu, etc.)  you will effectively develop scurvy – a disease that killed an estimated 2,000,000 sailors between years 1500 and 1800! Incredibly the main cause of death with scurvy is developing severe pneumonia which is exactly how corona virus kills people too! Are you seeing the connections here?

This scary virus is causing people to become critically ill and die from the exact same problem that happens when we run out of vitamin C.  I’m telling you that if you want to protect yourself from corona virus you must support yourself with a quality source of vitamin C!

 

What are the best ways to take vitamin C for you and your family?

 

Vitamin C can be used orally and also through IV therapy. IV therapy is expensive and requires special licensing, while oral vitamin C is readily available and far less expensive which is what we recommend. I suggest you use a quality, buffered vitamin C from a company like Nutridyn or Metagenics. We use both brands in our office because they simply work and they contain the highest quality ingredients. In addition to vitamin C, individuals need other virus-fighting nutrients to keep their bodies free from viral infections. Here are the products I recommend:

 

Vitamin C Products

 

Vitamin C 1000 – a high dose, high quality tablet form that provides a potent dose of vitamin C and bioflavonoids.†

UltraPotent C Powder – a higher dose product in a powder form, easily mixes into water/juice/shake/smoothies for increased high dose vitamin C support.†

UltraPotent C Chewable – perfect for children or picky adults (just kidding), this product contains 250mg of vitamin C per serving and can be chewed by anyone who is 2 years old or older.†

 

Vitamin C Dosage

 

Use the following dosage guidelines:

Daily maintenance dosage – Adults and children over 12 years old take 1000mg or more per day; Children under 12 should take 250-500mg per day. This can be continued daily indefinitely all year long.

Acute viral support dosage – Children under 12 should take 1500-3000mg per day; Adults and children over 12 years old should take 3000mg per day. You may increase the dosage higher than 3000mg per day as vitamin C is safe even at 10,000 or 15,000mg per day. However loose stool may develop if your dose is too high; so lower the dose if loose stool develops to the highest dose you can tolerate without causing diarrhea. This high level of vitamin C can be continued for days and weeks if needed to support the body’s recovery from infection.

 

 

Additional Essential Immune Support

 

Immune Support – contains ingredients to increase glutathione levels, a powerful antioxidant, as well as improve the body’s virus-killing ability. Take 1 tablet once per day for maintenance. For acute viral support take 3-6 tablets per day until symptoms subside then 2 tablets per day for a month.†

D3 10,000 w/ K2 – essential vitamin that improves immune function and resistance to infection. Adults take 1 capsule per day all year long for maintenance. For acute viral support take 5 capsules (50,000 IU) per day until symptoms subside, then return to taking 1 capsules per day.†

D3 Liquid (Micellized) – a liquid version excellent for young children and those unable to swallow capsules. Infants 0-2 years old take 2 drops per day. Children 2-6 take 4 drops per day. Children 7-12 years old take 6 drops per day. Adults and children 12 years or older should take 8 drops per day.†

Vira-Pel* – a blend of powerful virus-fighting herbs prepared in a liquid formula making it easy to take for infants, children and adults. An adult dose is 30 drops, or roughly one half dropperful. Maintenance dose for Vira-Pel is one dose 1-3x per day during flu season. For acute viral illness take one dose every waking hour until symptoms subside and then go back to maintenance dosage. This product is available locally in our office or by calling our front desk 208-322-7755.†

*Dosing Info for Vira-Pel – Any one over 12 years old should have the adult dose. To calculate the appropriate dose for a child you must take the age of the child divide by 12 and multiply by 30 drops. For example, an 8 year old dose would be 8 / 12 x 30 drops = 20 drops. You can use this to find out the appropriate dose for any child from an infant on up.

 

 

†This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

†The information provided on this site is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

†In the event of a medical emergency, call a doctor or 911 immediately. Reliance on any information provided by this website is solely at your own risk.