There has been so much news about the coronavirus and specifically the COVID-19 virus in the news as well as social media lately. If you are getting overwhelmed with the amount of information and need to have a trusted and concise source of information, read the article below to find out more about the COVID-19 virus situation.
What is Coronavirus?
Coronavirus is not the name of a specific strain of virus. It actually refers to a group of viruses found in a variety of mammals and birds that can transmit to humans. When the virus does transmit to humans, it can cause a wide range of illnesses from mild respiratory infections to severe acute respiratory syndrome. The recent outbreak of the COVID-19 is a new strain of this group of virus.
The current outbreak of the COVID-19 started in Wuhan, China and it looks like the virus is spreading very quickly across the globe. The majority of cases, over 78,000, are in China. And although the rate of new infections seems to be slowing in China, new outbreaks in Iran, Italy, South Korea, and even the US have the world on high alert. Experts suggest that a pandemic could be imminent.
I am sure like many of us, you have a lot of questions right now about how dangerous this virus is, and should you really panic and be worried about a pandemic.
In this article, I will provide you with the information you need to learn more about what this virus is all about, what are its symptoms, how it spreads, and how you can protect yourself against the virus. I will also share with you some natural remedies that you can use to help you recover quickly if you do get sick.
Symptoms of Coronavirus
Symptoms of the COVID-19 virus are very similar to the flu and the common cold. If infected, you can experience initial symptoms such as:
- fever
- runny nose
- coughs
- sore throat
- headache
- shortness of breath
- upper-respiratory symptoms
A dry cough can take about 2 to 7 days to develop whereas breathing difficulties appear at the very onset of the infection. You could also experience diarrhea and other gastrointestinal issues and general body aches that are commonly associated with the flu.
In more severe cases of the COVID-19 infection, you may even experience very high fever, pneumonia, kidney failure and in some cases, even death. Other known complications from the COVID-19 infection also include cardiovascular-related complications such as irregular heartbeat, heart attack, and heart damage, severe muscle pain, and fatigue.
Most victims of the current COVID-19 virus succumb to their illness from complications including pneumonia and swelling in their lungs. However, it is also important to note that the majority of the cases so far resulted in mild symptoms and fatalities are still considered low.
How Do You Get Coronavirus?
Human to human transmission of the COVID-19 virus is very similar to how the flu and the common cold spreads among the human population.
- Close contact with people who are infected (~ 6 feet or less)
- Inhaling respiratory droplets coming from an infected person’s coughs or sneezes
- Touching your face, mouth or nose after touching a surface or object with the virus on it
Based on current observations, the COVID-19 virus is the most contagious when an infected person is at his or her most symptomatic. However, we now know also that one can also be a carrier with no symptoms and spread the virus to others.
The current COVID-19 virus has proved to be more severe and even fatal to the elderly and individuals with underlying health conditions such as a chronic illness or compromised immune system.
Are You at Risk?
Persons with compromised immune function due to chronic illness may be at increased susceptibility to the COVID-19 virus. Those with conditions such as impaired lung, cardiovascular, gut or neurological conditions may be more susceptible to severe consequences of the virus infection. Conditions with higher risks include:
- Respiratory diseases – COPD, bronchitis, asthma
- Digestive conditions – dysbiosis, IBS, SIBO, candidiasis
- Auto-immune diseases
- Cardiovascular disease
- Neurodegenerative conditions – Parkinson’s, ALS, ADD
- Lyme disease- mold, mycotoxins, co-infections, chronic viral infections
- Cancer
Vaccine for Coronavirus
Although scientists all around the world are working hard to develop a vaccine right now, it can take months to over a year for something to become available. In 2003, scientists tried to develop a vaccine to prevent SARS but the epidemic ended before the vaccine could enter clinical trials. Therefore until such time, it is more important to take steps to prevent and lower your risks of exposure to the virus. And it is all the more critical that you take steps right now to improve and boost your immune system to better equip your body to fight the virus if in the unfortunate event you get infected.
Diet and Lifestyle for Coronavirus Protection
There are practical ways to prevent and lower your risks of getting infected by the COVID-19 virus and they are the same ones that you should already be doing to protect yourself against the seasonal flu.
- Avoid or limit contact with people who are showing symptoms of the virus
- Avoid or limit contact with people who have traveled to highly infected countries or areas in the past 14 days
- Practice good hygiene – wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds at a time with warm water and soap
- Avoid touching your face, eyes, nose, or mouth when your hands are dirty, or you have touched public objects or surfaces
- Stay home if you’re feeling sick or have any cold or flu symptoms
- Cover your mouth with the inside of your elbow whenever you sneeze or cough
- Throw away any tissues you use to blow your nose or sneeze right away
- Keep any objects you touch a lot clean. Use disinfectants on objects like phones, computers, utensils, dishware, and door handles
There are also many diet and lifestyle activities that you can do to boost your immune system to fight against viruses.
Lifestyle Recommendations:
- Avoid or limit your consumption of sugars and simple carbohydrates
Sugars can deplete critical immune-supporting nutrients such as zinc and vitamin C from your body.
- Improve your sleep quantity and quality
Sleep deprivation can heighten your body’s response to stress and as a result, lower your immune coordination and increase your risks of inflammation and viral infection.
- Drink more water especially filtered water for hydration
Chronic dehydration can result in too much histamine in your body which means your risks of inflammation, digestive issues and immune system problems increase.
- Get regular exercise and get outdoors
Spending some time each day outdoors will allow your body to naturally produce its own vitamin D that your body needs to protect your immune system.
- Reduce or eliminate stressors in your life
High levels of stress can interfere with your sleep quality and sleep quantity and therefore leads to a compromised immune system over time. Prolonged periods of elevated stress can also increase your risks of inflammation and viral infection as a result of higher levels of cortisol in your body.
Besides these easy lifestyle changes, there are also several superfoods that you can start incorporating into your diet today to help support and improve your immune system.
Dietary Recommendations:
Eating a nutrient-dense diet is probably one, if not your best bet against COVID-19 and in fact many other viruses. The key strategy for fighting the virus is to upregulate the immune response in your body. Your immune system is the special force that protects you from harm, and they also need to be fed in order to thrive. To fight off viruses (and other invaders), you want to provide the macrophages and soldier cells that protect you with energy. What’s that energy? Butyrate. Butyrate is the main source of energy for this. It helps to rebuild the inside lining of your gut.
Butyrate (also known as butyric acid) is made in your gut. To increase your butyrate you will want to increase the short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production in your digestive system. SCFA’s are created when the friendly bacteria in your gut breakdown dietary fiber. This may be one reason why you’ve often been told to eat plenty of fiber-rich foods.
Your gut health is extremely important in boosting your immune system and fighting off any virus.
Why is the gut so important? It is ground zero for immune defense. The bulk of your immune system resides in your gut. These are the good bacteria that really run the show.
Best Foods for the Coronavirus Prevention
Incorporate as many wonderful leafy greens, colorful fruits, and vegetables, herbs, and spices in your diet as you can.
Coronaviruses enjoy the comfort of a pH of 6.0. This is slightly acidic. However, research is revealing that the coronavirus cannot exist in an alkaline state, even as low as 8.0. (A pH of 7.0 is considered neutral.) So what are some natural ways that you can create a more alkaline state in the body? Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and avoid dairy and sugar!
For your immune health, in particular, focus on the following:
- Resistant starches – foods high in butyric acid include fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, butter, and ghee. Adding fiber-rich foods such as artichokes, cooked and cooled potatoes, rice, bananas, apples, carrots, beans, peas, lentils, and oats will provide the food needed for your good gut bacteria to flourish.
- Lemons and limes – citrus especially lemons and limes are great sources of vitamin C and antioxidants. Lemons especially can alkalize and cleanse your body. If you can, get organic lemons so that you can add a slice (skin included) into your daily smoothie for a great boost in flavor.
- Garlic – allicin is a compound in garlic that has extremely powerful antioxidant properties that can help reduce inflammation, boost your immune system and help your body fight off infections. Use this to flavor your stir-fries and sauces. When cooked (and not burnt), garlic actually tastes sweet! [1]
- Onions – like garlic, this pungent vegetable is an infection super-fighter that can help improve your immune system and reduce the amount of inflammation in your body. Onions are great and easy additions to stir-fries and main dishes.
- Herbs and spices – common kitchen herbs such as oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, and basil have long been used in traditional medicine to treat numerous viral infections in humans. Research also indicates that some of these herbs may fight human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), which can lead to AIDS. A recent study has shown how certain herbs can prevent the virus from entering the target cells. [2, 3, 4]
A wonderful way to enjoy these herbs is to use them liberally in your favorite recipes by adding them to your vegetables, salads, soups, and baking.
Angela’s Herbal Tea: my favorite way to get my medicinal dose of these herbs is to make an herbal tea infused with a combination of many herbs. I simply put a few sprigs of oregano, thyme, sage, and rosemary in a tea pot and let it brew for 10 minutes, then strain and enjoy. For more flavor you can add your favorite tea to this mixture.
- Herbal Teas – there are numerous readymade herbal teas that can be enjoyed while helping to boost the immune system and warding off viral infections. The compounds in these teas can inhibit virus replication by damaging the DNA and RNA inside the viral protein that would attempt to insert itself in a healthy human cell and replicate. There are so many studies to substantiate this. So why not treat yourself to one of these healing teas!
Among these medicinal herbal teas are Pau D’Arco, green tea, peppermint, fennel, ginseng, dandelion root, and holy basil. [5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10]
- Apple cider vinegar – is a well-known antibacterial superfood and offers antioxidant support for your body as well. Add some to your salad dressing as the acidic component instead of lemons for a change.
- Ginger – well known as a medicinal spice, ginger can help reduce the amount of inflammation in your body and thereby boost your immune health. Add some to your daily smoothie for a great flavor boost. It pairs especially well with carrots and squash.
- Bone broth – rich in vitamins and minerals, bone broth is especially good for remedying respiratory conditions. Sip this as is like you would tea or use this instead of vegetable broth when making stews or pasta sauces.
- Olive oil – a great source of healthy mono-saturated fats that are essential for your immune system health. Use this in your salad dressings or use the unrefined version for your cooking.
- Probiotic-rich foods – certain strains of probiotics help to fight off viral infections. Eating yogurt (dairy or non-dairy yogurt) with live cultures may help to improve your gut health while strengthening your immune function at the same time.
- Fermented foods – these foods contain beneficial bacteria that help support the microbiome in your gut. The best sources of foods include kimchi, yogurt, miso, sauerkraut, and kombucha.
See, it is not that tough to eat your way to a healthier and stronger immune system to fight against viruses, not just COVID-19.
Natural Supplements for Coronavirus Protection
There are also some really good natural supplements that you can add to your daily diet to help give your immune system a quick boost. Below are some of my recommendations.
Vitamin C helps your cell membranes facilitate the intracellular delivery of your body’s nutrients. Consider vitamin C at 1000mg a day for antioxidant protection or for impaired immune function increased to 1000mg twice daily. One teaspoon of liposomal C provides 1000 mg.
Formulated with vitamins D and K that are essential for a healthy immune system. One pump provides 2500 IU of vitamin D. For low vitamin D levels increase to 2 to 3 pumps daily or more. Check with your healthcare provider to have your vitamin D levels checked.
I highly recommend this herbal formula which supports your immune system, especially during the cold and flu season.
It contains comprehensive and optimal amounts of a combination of herbs such as Echinacea, Astragalus, Elderberry, Andrographis, Arabinogalactan, Medicinal Mushrooms, Beta 1, 3 Glucans, and Green Tea (EGCG) that collectively help your body’s natural immune system response to fight viruses. It helps boost your immune system while ensuring that your body does not overreact to a viral or bacterial infection. Immunitone Plus™ is suitable for long term use and for all age groups. [11, 12, 13]
The ingredients such as Elderberry, Shiitake, and Wild Cherry Bark are known for their beneficial effects for maintaining a healthy immune system. The combination of the herbs, mushrooms and other natural compounds have the ability to support normal immune functions such as natural killer (NK) cell activity, cytokine synthesis and the T-cell and B-cell mediated responses. ImmunoBerry™ Liquid is sweetened with glycerin and tastes great even for those fussy little ones.
Colloidal silver is a highly effective antimicrobial formula that can help arm your body against viruses and bacteria. It is thought to work by interfering with the enzymes that enable viruses, bacteria, and fungi to utilize oxygen. In other words, it suffocates and kills them. Research has shown that consuming silver daily is both safe and effective for boosting and maintaining a healthy immune system. This product comes in both a convenient 16-ounce bottle or convenient 4-ounce spray bottle that you can carry with you. [13]
7. EGCG
EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) is a supplement that contains the key active component of green tea (Camellia sinensis) leaves. Green tea contains a group of flavonoids called catechins, which appear to inhibit viral infections by blocking the enzymes that allow it to reproduce. Green tea has been known to be effective in inhibiting HIV, herpes simplex and the hepatitis B virus.
8. DGL Synergy™
Licorice contains a substance called glycyrrhizin that some of the active substances have powerful antiviral properties. Licorice helps to reduce the replication of viruses and halts their ability to penetrate and replicate inside healthy cells. It has been shown to be effective in the treatment of many viral illnesses including HIV strains, RSV, and severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (SARS-CoV), which cause a serious type of pneumonia. DGL Synergy™ is a chewable formula of deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL). [14, 15]
The leaves of Olive trees (Olea europea) contain a substance called elenoic acid and calcium elonate that has been identified as a powerful inhibitor of a wide range of viruses in laboratory tests, including influenza, herpes, polio and coxsackie viruses. These substances block the production of enzymes that allow viruses to replicate.
10. Berb-Evail™
Berberine is an effective antimicrobial agent. Studies show that berberine can help inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus. S. aureus can cause many health problems, including sepsis, pneumonia, meningitis, and a range of skin conditions. Berberine is a key nutrient for treating several health conditions involving inflammation including diabetes, heart disease, infections, and cancer.
Natural Essential Oils for Virus Protection and Healing
Did you know that many different types of essential oils can also be used to either boost your immune system or eradicate the bacteria and viruses that are making you sick? Yes, they can. Thanks to their specific immune-strengthening properties such as antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory, you can start incorporating the following essential oils into your daily routine to start improving your immune system.
1. Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is known to be effective against phlegm and helps relieve congestion. Eucalyptus oil is safe to be inhaled but should not be taken orally.
2. Frankincense
Frankincense is best known for its inflammation-fighting properties. And a body free from inflammation is a body with a stronger immune system. Frankincense also helps to reduce free radical damage in your body and helps protect you against daily immune-damaging assault from environmental pollutants, bacteria, and viruses.
3. Oil of oregano
Oregano contains high amounts of carvacrol and thymol that are very effective against bacterial and viruses. Research has shown that oregano oil can also inhibit a variety of viruses including antibiotic-resistant herpes simplex, rotavirus, and some respiratory viruses.
4. Rosemary
Rosemary oil is known to bolster your body’s resistance against illness by helping to soften the mucus build-up that blocks your nasal airways when your body is dealing with inflammation from bacteria or virus infections.
5. Tea tree oil
Tea tree oil contains a lot of active compounds that give it its pathogens-fighting properties. Regular use of tea tree oil can help eliminate a variety of viruses and bacteria that infiltrate your body regularly.
6. Thyme
Thyme is also very rich in thymol and therefore like oregano, they are very effective against bacteria and viruses. Thyme is particularly good for relieving coughs and associated upper respiratory tract infections.
7. Thieves Essential Oil™
This is a blend of oils of rosemary, eucalyptus, clove, cinnamon and lemon. Thieves got its name from the bubonic plague era. The legend has it where a band of thieves were able to avoid catching the extremely contagious plague by breathing in a mix of these herbs and spices. Today, may people use it as an effective blend to stay well.
Several Methods for Using Essential Oils:
1. One of the easiest and safest ways to use these essential oils is to diffuse it into your surrounding air using a diffuser. Or you can put a few drops of oil(s) in a pot of water and let it simmer at very low temperature on your stovetop (keep a watch on it so it doesn’t boil down completely).
2. Or you can simply inhale the essential oil directly from the bottle. I prefer to rub a drop or two between my hands and cover over my nose and breathe it in.
3. Apply on location or bottom of the feet, a diluted essential oil mixed with a carrier oil such as sesame, sweet almond oil, jojoba, argan oil, or coconut oil.
4. Some people like to ingest very small amounts. The appropriate oil can be used in cooking or baking, added to main dishes and salad dressing.
Most of these essential oils are highly concentrated. Therefore do dilute when you use them. And always buy organic. Since a little goes a long way, it should not be too cost-prohibitive to get the best quality you can.
Key Summary
The coronavirus may be on the road to becoming a pandemic. The coronavirus is a family of viruses that can actually cause common cold or flu as well. We’ve all been exposed to a type of coronavirus before. This one particular virus seems to cause respiratory distress more so than other coronaviruses. However, like any other virus, it is important to upregulate the immune response in the body. You can prevent the risk of getting infected by avoidance of exposure and heightening your immune defense through diet, supplementation, and lifestyle.
For more natural therapies for cold and flu, read my previous article.
There is a lot of widespread fear about the coronavirus. What many people aren’t telling you is that there are simple steps you can take to protect yourself, and they also improve your overall health! If you need additional support and guidance putting this all together feel free to CONTACT ME.
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Resources for more information:
For more regular updates and information on the COVID-19 situation in your local community and around the globe, do check out the online resources below:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
https://medlineplus.gov/coronavirusinfections.html
https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/coronavirus/
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html?
Wow, that is amazing information thank you
Hi Robert,
Glad you liked the article! I hope the information helps to keep you safe and healthy. As mentioned, there are many things you can do yourself to prevent the Coronavirus infection and keep your immune system strong.