What a battle we’re having against this pandemic virus. So many methods of preventing the infection are being explored. The most hoped for solution is a safe and effective vaccine. This antibody creator will be most useful if the immunity is long-lasting, like the measles vaccine. Other approaches include innate immunity, viral suppression for short periods during expected exposure, altering the viral biological activity, artificial antibodies, and additional drugs that reduce infectivity and other properties of the virus.
Many different therapies are also being considered.
One likely characteristic that these preventive and interventional treatments will share is limited effectiveness. Probably, people who are at higher risk for illness will require several modalities to be able to live a life that resembles pre-COVID times. It was never a good idea to be shaking hands, cheek kissing, hugging, sharing utensils and other habits that easily spread infections. We should have adopted the bow as a salutation long ago.
There are more suggestions of things we can do to strengthen our immune systems. Lately, there has been publicity that Vitamin D and Zinc can be protective against COVID and other infectious diseases. It is postulated that this may be true especially when the blood levels of these nutrients are low. As a result, many people are rushing out to consume these two micronutrients.
Which may be a good thing. Vitamin D measurements below the accepted norm are a common finding. There are many people who feel better when they take Zinc to fight an acute respiratory illness, like the common cold. There is research that supports the use of these nutrients.
Understanding how the body functions will teach how to derive the most benefit from a nutritional approach to disease preventive and immune enhancement. Our bodies have evolved a system wherein all the vitamins and minerals work together for optimal effectiveness. Single nutrient supplementation without the support of the full spectrum of these factors is unnatural.
The body has not evolved to allow the effective assimilation of just one nutrient without the others. It is true that we have still used this model to treat osteoporosis, colds, and other conditions. But it is far from optimal. These substances work as a team at all stages of their assimilation and function. We should take advantage of what we know in prescribing vitamins and minerals. Dietary supplements are necessary. In the natural world, selectively increasing all these components from our diet has undesirable consequences. For one thing, this would add a huge caloric burden to the body.
Another consideration is that prevention requires chronicity. If you want your body to be in good cardiovascular condition, you have to be exercising aerobically 4-5 days a week for months and years. Any skill requires regular and consistent practice and reinforcement. Similarly, absorbing and using higher than typical amounts of vitamins and minerals is a pattern that should be well-formed to be effective. Our bodies do not adjust well to sudden increases in dietary intake, whether food or supplements.
Taking extra micronutrients is optimal when it is a habit. Thus, it becomes effective and reliable.
As modeled by the example of osteoporosis, the natural consequence of aging (which begins early in life) is the process of reduction. Mostly, we lose. Muscle and bone mass, immune function, cardiovascular capability, tendon elasticity, and almost all other aspects of health become diminished. Our cells wither because of decreased nutrient levels.
We become susceptible to illness in general and to COVID-19 in particular when our cellular nutrients are deficient. Life characteristically advances to this defective state over time. The answer is to prevent the loss and reinforce the content from an early age. But anytime to start strengthening our cells is better than no time.
And it will take a lot of supplement pills to accomplish this goal. I recommend a six-a-day multivitamin/multimneral. That is a lot. But consider the medical recommendation for preventing osteoporosis involves 3 pill a day just for the calcium and Vitamin D. In that light, the advice to take 6 pills a day (in divided doses) is not so far out. There are many good options on the market. The one I used in my practice is Basic Preventive, sold by Douglas Laboratories.
The explanation for the need is good logic. You will not find scientific proof of this because there are way too many variables to conduct a meaningful study. Clellular nutrient inadequacy is an untapped concept for aging with vigor and immune resistance enhancement.
Health and Spirit by Dr. Jack Zoldan 