The news from the labs has not been good…
Hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug once thought to be the best hope for a coronavirus treatment, was found to have serious drawbacks.
A study using 368 Veterans Affairs patients showed that using hydroxychloroquine on COVID-19 sufferers didn’t reduce the need for ventilators. And it was associated with higher risk of death.[1]
Another study found hydroxychloroquine led to potentially fatal abnormal heart rhythms in coronavirus patients.[2]
The antiviral drug remdesivir failed its first human trial. A Chinese study looked at 237 COVID-19 patients. Doctors gave the drug to 158 of them. They gave the rest a placebo. After a month, 13.9% of the remdesivir group had died, compared to 12.8% of the placebo group.
“Remdesivir was not associated with clinical or virological benefits,” the researchers reported.[3]
The bottom line? These failures mean we don’t have any coronavirus treatments that have proven to be effective. But there is hope. And it doesn’t come from a drug.
A new scientific paper concludes that certain nutritional supplements can help your body fight off viral infections in general.
The findings were published in the journal Nutrients. The authors point out that some supplements bolster immune function. They say that health officials should promote these nutrients to complement handwashing, social distancing, and other means of avoiding infections.
“There’s a wealth of data that shows the role that good nutrition plays in supporting the immune system,” said Professor Adrian Gombart of Oregon State Univerisity. He was an author of the paper. “We need to be doing a better job of getting that message across.” [4]
He points to the benefits of vitamins C and D.
Vitamin C has “roles in several aspects of immunity, including the growth and function of immune cells and antibody production,” said Professor Gombart. “Vitamin D receptors on immune cells also affect their function. This means that vitamin D profoundly influences your response to infections.”
Professor Gombart believes people aren’t getting enough of these vitamins. “This could destroy your resistance to infections,” he said.
Two Key Vitamins Improve Immunity
- Vitamin D. There may be more evidence for vitamin D’seffectiveness as a preventive measure against respiratory illness than for any other supplement.
A major 2017 study published in the British Medical Journal analyzed 25 clinical trials that tested vitamin D in 11,321 people. The data came from 14 countries, including the U.S., England, Japan, Australia, Canada, and Italy.
The researchers concluded: “Vitamin D supplementation was safe and it protected against acute respiratory tract infection.”
A 2012 Spanish study uncovered the mechanism by which vitamin D strengthens immunity.[6]
The researchers looked at blood levels of vitamin D in three age groups: young (20–30), middle age (31–59), and seniors (60–86).
They found that seniors had lower vitamin D levels than other age groups. And their levels dropped more than younger people in the winter when they had less sun exposure.
When seniors’ vitamin D levels fell, the scientists observed that their immunity against viruses became weaker. Without sufficient vitamin D, proteins called toll-like receptors that start the immune response did not react as strongly.
Dr. Victor Manuel Martinez-Taboada led the study. He is a researcher at University Hospital in Santander, Spain. He said that vitamin D is a potent weapon against viruses.
“Vitamin D supplements should be considered one of the many tools that might help when conventional therapies are not enough,” he said.
Take 2,000 IUs of vitamin D daily during the coronavirus crisis. Be sure to take the D3 version of the vitamin. It is more bioactive in your body than D2.
You can also raise your D levels by getting more sun exposure. Spend 15 minutes a day or more in direct sunlight (not through a window) with your arms and legs exposed, being careful not to burn. - Vitamin C. Mainstream doctors are doing their patients a disservice by not recommending vitamin C during the coronavirus crisis, according to Dr. Malcolm Kendrick. He is a UK-based physician and a member of our Medical Advisory Board.
“The mainstream medical community tends to be highly critical of the use of vitamins,” he said. “However, vitamin C has been found to have many, many, positive impacts on the immune system.”
Dr. Kendrick cites a comprehensive 2017 analysis in the journal Nutrients paper which concluded:
“Vitamin C contributes to immune defense by supporting various cellular functions of both the innate and adaptive immune system.
“Vitamin C deficiency results in impaired immunity and higher susceptibility to infections. Supplementation with vitamin C appears to be able to both prevent and treat respiratory and systemic infections.” [7]
An earlier study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics found that taking vitamin C supplements reduces respiratory virus symptoms by 85%.[8] [9]
Dr. Kendrick summed up the research on vitamin C and immunity this way: “In short, vitamin C can help prevent respiratory infections. It can also help to treat established infections.”
Dr. Kendrick recommends taking 2 grams of vitamin daily C. If you’re already ill, he recommends increasing the dosage to 10 grams.
Pharmaceutical treatments have so far failed to show effectiveness against coronavirus. That’s why it’s more important than ever to boost your immune system with natural supplements such as vitamins C and D.
They have a proven track record in improving immunity. And, unlike drugs, they don’t cause side effects that could be more dangerous than the disease itself.
Editor’s Note: Discover the single best supplement for stronger immunity… The fruit extract that helps 93% of people with respiratory viruses get better in just two days… The germ hotspot that most of us forget to sanitize. Find all this and more in Independent Healing’s Coronavirus Pandemic Guide. Go HERE.
Related Articles
7 Foods that Strengthen Immunity
The Strange First Symptom of Coronavirus
Coronavirus
Stress: 5 Ways to Keep Calm and Carry On
Like this Article? Forward this article here or Share on Facebook.
[1]https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.16.20065920v1
[2]https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/15/health/new-french-study-hydroxychloroquine/index.html
[3]https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52406261
[4]https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-04/osu-dsa042320.php
[5]https://www.bmj.com/content/356/bmj.i6583
[6]https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-04/foas-vds043012.php
[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29099763
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10543583
[9] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170330115246.htm