Can You Treat or Prevent a Virus?
Can You Treat or Prevent a Virus?
This is a topic that could not be more important right now!
Beyond precautions like hand-washing and avoiding people who are ill, the only thing you can do to protect yourself from getting sick is to make sure your immune system is ready to fight off COVID-19 and other viruses that you may be exposed to. A healthy immune system is what protects you against viruses and other threats.
Your immune system is very finely tuned. But there are steps you can take to make sure yours is working at its best to help you in the face of threats like the new coronavirus.
First a little background…
What is a virus?
Viruses are very tiny germs that can only replicate within a host organism. They can infect a variety of living organisms, including bacteria, plants, and animals. They are like hijackers! Viruses attach to and invade living, normal cells and use those cells to multiply and produce other viruses like themselves, then they are released into your environment. This can kill, damage, or change your cells and make you sick.
Viruses cause familiar infectious diseases such as the common cold, flu and warts. They also cause severe illnesses such as COVID-19 (a coronavirus), HIV/AIDS, smallpox, and Ebola.
What about vaccines?
Vaccines can help prevent you from getting many viral diseases. But a vaccine is very specific and designed to fight off a particular pathogen such as chicken pox, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, human papillomavirus (HPV), polio, or the flu. As this is written, they are working on a vaccine for COVID-19.
How do you treat a virus?
There are no treatments for most viral infections. Most medications for a virus (like acetaminophen and ibuprofen) can only help with symptoms while you wait for your immune system to fight off the virus. Antibiotics do not work for viral infections. There are antiviral medicines to treat some viral infections, like acyclovir or valacyclovir for cold sores and herpes infections.
For the majority of viral infections you need to rely on your immune system to fight it off. But unfortunately, your immune system can get worn down by many things typical of a modern life like stress, toxins, lack of exercise and unhealthy eating. This prevents your body from effectively fighting off illnesses and viruses
With the 2019 coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, it’s especially important to understand that no supplement, diet, or other lifestyle modification other than social distancing and proper hygiene practices can protect you from COVID-19.
8 Ways to Prime Your Immune System to Fight Off a Virus:
1) Stop Smoking
Smoking suppresses your immune system and weakens your lungs, so people who smoke are more susceptible to having pneumonia or a viral infection.
2) Get Enough Sleep
By not sleeping enough, you are increasing cortisol (a stress hormone) and decreasing your immunity. Healthy sleep supports the immune system in a lot of really critical ways. Research has shown that there are actually very important parts of the immune response that occur during the different stages of sleep and are regulated by your bodies’ circadian systems.
Try practicing a healthy bedtime routine: limit screen time an hour before bed, concentrate on deep breathing or meditation, light a candle while you take a warm shower/bath, or listen to calming music.
3) Moderate Exercise
Exercise can be one of the best things to boost your immunity! But don’t be excessive about it- too much exercise is stressful on the body and can be tough on our immune system. No need to run a marathon. You can simply go for a walk, easy run, or practice some yoga at home.
4) DeStress
When you're stressed out your body produces hormones which tax your immune system. One of the most important ways to boost immunity is to reduce stress. To reduce stress, it's key to ensure you have work life balance, take breaks when you need them, and employ some calming or relaxing stress-reduction techniques when you can. Squeeze in time where you do something fun and make sure you take care of yourself.
5) Vitamin C
Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin that functions as a powerful antioxidant, protecting you against damage induced by oxidative stress. It supports a healthy immune system and has been proven to encourage the production of white blood cells that are vital in your immune defense.
There have been many studies proving vitamin C as the rockstar it is. For instance, supplementing with vitamin C has been shown to reduce the duration and severity of upper respiratory tract infections, including pneumonia.
According to the World Health Network, in most of the world, especially in Asia and continental Europe, Vitamin C is recognized as an important anti-viral agent. At the time this is written, China is conducting several clinical trials with intravenous Vitamin C to treat patients infected with the Covid-19.
Vitamin C supplements may significantly affect immune health, especially if you don’t get enough of the vitamin through diet. It’s tough to eat 8 oranges a day! Your body does not make vitamin C, so it must come from foods and supplements.
Recommended supplemental daily doses of vitamin C range between 250 and 1,000 mg.
Neolife Vitamin C Threshold Control and Chewable All C are perfect for this!
These contain high-potency, high-purity vitamin C and vitamin C-related factors from oranges, lemons, and grapefruit to enhance bioavailability. The technology in Threshold Control helps maintain elevated blood levels of vitamin C with a slow release over 6 hours, and delicious All-C is a perfect on-the-go chewable option.
6) Zinc
Zinc is not only essential for immune system function, it has been found to reduce the severity and duration of the common cold.
Did you know that most common colds are caused by coronaviruses? So in the face of a coronavirus pandemic, here’s a big question many are asking: can zinc shorten the duration of and lessen the impact of viruses including Covid-19? We know that from results of past studies that zinc inhibits viral replication in the nasopharynx, but it is not something that has been specifically studied with this recent Covid-19 coronavirus.
We do know however that taking zinc long term is safe for healthy adults and your immune system will reap the benefits of some added zinc!
The upper limit of daily dosing is 40 mg of elemental zinc.
Chelated Zinc is an ideal choice for this with only two tablets a day!
Neolife’s Pharmaceutical grade Zinc is formulated with a unique chelation process to improve zinc absorption in the body. This is particularly important since less than 10% of dietary zinc is normally absorbed!
7) Antioxidants
Antioxidants protect your cells from the effects of free radicals and can help reduce an overabundance of inflammation in your body which acts as an important part of your body's natural defense system against harmful bacteria and viruses.
Studies have shown that by having an abundance of antioxidants available, you can significantly reduce the duration and severity of symptoms and the length of your illness.
What exactly is an antioxidant?
An antioxidant is a substance that inhibits oxidation including carotenoids, flavonoids and cruciferous components found in fruits and vegetables.
Carotenoids are pigments in plants, algae, and photosynthetic bacteria. These pigments produce the bright yellow, red, and orange colors in plants, vegetables, and fruits. The consumption of carotenoids has been linked to everything from stronger immune systems to lower risks of developing heart disease, cataracts, macular degeneration, and even cancer.
Flavonoids are compounds found naturally in many fruits and vegetables. They’re also in plant products like wine, tea, and chocolate. Including more flavonoids in your diet is a great way to help your body stay healthy and potentially decrease your risk of some chronic health conditions. A flavonoid-rich diet has been shown to help support cellular nutrition, promote healthy inflammation, and support cardiovascular health.
Cruciferous vegetables are a super source of antioxidants with vitamins and minerals such as folate, vitamin K, and vitamins A and C. They are also rich in phytonutrients — plant-based compounds that may help to lower inflammation and reduce the risk of developing viruses. Cruciferous veggies include cauliflower, cabbage, kale, garden cress, bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts and similar green leaf vegetables
Since it is almost impossible to get enough antioxidants in your diet…
there is no better antioxidant defense than Phyto Defense!
It has been proven to boost immune capacity and curb oxidative effects on your body. It is whole-food phytonutrient protection. Each PhytoDefense pack contains 3 capsules of Carotenoid Complex, 2 tablets Flavonoid Complex, and 1 tablet Cruciferous Plus.
8) Acidophilus
Don’t forget about your gut health - a healthy digestive system means a robust immune system!
The “good” bacteria in your gut helps you digest food, fight harmful bacteria, and regulate your immune system.
If your gut becomes unbalanced with unhealthy levels of certain bacteria, probiotics can help restore the balance. In addition, they've been shown to secrete protective substances, which may turn on the immune system and prevent pathogens from taking hold and creating major disease. Acidophilus is so important in keeping your immune system in top shape to fight off viruses.
Acidophilus Plus is a perfect addition to improve your gut health!
It is a broad-spectrum probiotic that delivers five types of beneficial, lactic acid-producing bacteria: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus casei, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Streptococcus thermophilus. With guaranteed potency as each capsule has a Gel-Gard protection system that assures all 5 billion live organisms survive the stomach acid and reach the site of action, the intestines.
Daily Supplement Plan for Boosting Your Immune System to Fight Off Viruses:
2 tablets of Threshold Control Super C or 4 tablets of Chewable All C
2 tablets of Chelated Zinc
1 packet of Phyto Defense
2 tablets of Acidophilus Plus
