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When we get an acute illness like the flu or a cold, we feel sick for a week or two and then get back to our usual lives. This is how illness is “supposed” to go. But what happens when illness doesn’t fit this bill? What do patients with chronic conditions like diabetes or multiple sclerosis, or with persistent symptoms of Lyme disease or long-haul COVID-19, do when they can’t go back to their normal lives? Having suffered from the latter two — tick-borne illnesses that have plagued me for two decades, and a case of COVID-19 that took four months to shake — I’ve learned a few lessons about living with persistent illness.
The most important — and hardest — lesson I’ve learned is that with debilitating, persistent conditions, there is no going back. I got sick at age 25. I had been working full-time, living an incredibly active lifestyle, burning the candle at both ends. Suddenly, the candle was gone. Bedridden through years of intense treatment, all I could talk about was getting back on track. I even threw a big “back to life” party when I finally achieved remission. Then I went right back to the high-functioning lifestyle I’d always known.
Three months later, I relapsed completely. It took another couple of years of treatment to get well enough to attend graduate school, socialize, exercise, and work. The journey wasn’t linear. I had to pace myself to have more good days than bad. I realized I couldn’t just wipe my hands of my illnesses. These persistent infections were coming with me, and not only did I have to accept them, I had to learn to move forward with them in a way that honored my needs but didn’t let them run my life.
Our bodies are good at telling us what they need: food, sleep, down time. We’re not always good at listening to these messages, however, because we live busy lives and sometimes can’t or don’t want to make time to take care of ourselves. When you have a persistent illness, ignoring your body’s needs becomes harder, if not impossible, and the consequences are more severe.
I’ve learned that I have to pace myself physically and neurologically, stopping activity before I get tired so my symptoms don’t flare. I have to rest in the early afternoon. I must stick to a particular diet, stay on low-dose medications, and do regular adjunct therapies in order to maintain my health. Now, after recovering from COVID-19, I also need to be conscious of residual lung inflammation.
At first, I saw these needs as limitations. They take up time and energy and prevent me from living a normal life. But when I reframed my thinking, I realized that I’ve simply created a new normal that works in the context of my illnesses. Everyone, sick or healthy, has needs. Acknowledging and respecting them can be frustrating in the short term, but allows us to live better in the long term.
Once you figure out how to best meet your needs, you can plan other parts of your life accordingly. Your health must come first, but it isn’t the only important aspect of your life, even when you have a persistent, debilitating illness.
I had to shift my thinking from feeling anxious and embarrassed by what I couldn’t do, to optimizing what I can. I can’t work a traditional 9-to-5 job anymore, but I can write and teach on a more flexible schedule. I can’t go for an all-day hike (and might not want to anyway, due to ticks!), but I can enjoy a morning of kayaking. What skills do you have to offer, and what innovative opportunities might put them to good use? What activities do you miss, and how can you do them in an adaptive way? If that’s not possible, what’s a new activity you could explore?
Learning to live well with a persistent illness does not mean resigning yourself to it. I’m able to do more each year, even though I sometimes have short setbacks. I change medications. I try new therapies. I manage my illnesses as they are now, but I haven’t given up hope for a cure, and am always striving to find ways to make my life even better. I can’t control what my illnesses do, but I can control how I handle them. And that makes life a little brighter.
Follow me on Twitter @writerjcrystal.
The post Learning to live well with a persistent illness appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.
1 Which of the following industries is NOT funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation?
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funds technology, food and agriculture policy, as well as journalism and major media. Learn more.
2 Which of the following statement is true, based on published science?
Influenza vaccination has been shown to increase pandemic influenza, noninfluenza respiratory illnesses and nonspecific coronavirus infections. Learn more.
3 Which of the following statements is false?
There are hundreds of safety breaches at biosafety laboratories around the world each year. Learn more.
4 Which of the following groups was found to have the highest rate of suicidal ideation due to the COVID-19 pandemic in a recent CDC study?
A CDC study found unpaid caregivers for adults had the highest rate of suicidal ideation relating to the COVID-19 pandemic (30.7%), followed by young adults, age 18 to 24 (25.5%) and essential workers (21.7%). Learn more.
5 According to findings by the National Bureau of Economic Research, lockdowns, closures, travel restrictions, stay-home orders, event bans, quarantines, curfews and mask mandates have had the following effect:
According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, lockdowns, closures, travel restrictions, stay-home orders, event bans, quarantines, curfews and mask mandates do not seem to affect virus transmission rates overall, and governments have likely acted in error. Learn more.
6 What is the goal of the transhumanist movement?
The goal of the transhumanist movement, or "Human 2.0," is to transcend biology into technology, to meld human biology with technology and artificial intelligence. Learn more.
7 Who was instrumental in abolishing lobotomies and other brain damaging psychosurgeries?
Dr. Peter Breggin, a psychiatrist, is frequently referred to as "the conscience of psychiatry" because he's been able to successfully reform the psychiatric profession, abolishing lobotomies and other experimental psychosurgeries. Learn more.
The medical term to describe the common cold is an upper respiratory infection (URI). This is often caused by a virus that infects your nose, throat and mouth. There are more than 200 different viruses responsible, with rhinoviruses being the most common.1
In one cross-sectional study published in 2016, scientists in India analyzed the incidence of URIs in rural and urban populations.2 There were a total of 3,498 people checked during the study, out of which 287 had an upper respiratory infection at the time. Children were infected more often than adults, especially those younger than 5.
Antibiotic prescriptions are not recommended for children or adults with a common cold because those medications treat bacterial, rather than viral infections. The CDC recommends focusing on symptomatic relief, as:3
"There is potential for harm and no proven benefit from over-the-counter cough and cold medications in children < 6 years. These substances are among the top 20 substances leading to death in children < 5 years."
Many of the symptoms of seasonal allergies, the common cold and lower respiratory tract infections (LRIs) with flu can look similar. Acute LRIs from flu were linked to 34,800 deaths in 2018; that's why it's important to be able to understand the symptoms.4
In a review of the literature from 2015, scientists looked at 56 studies and found 124 definitions of upper and lower acute respiratory infections.5 This variability influences the ability to generalize prevention and treatment recommendations.
Doctors from Louisville, Kentucky, say there are signs and symptoms that distinguish seasonal allergies, colds and flu:6
| Symptom | Allergy | Cold | Flu |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Stuffy nose |
Common |
Common |
Sometimes |
|
Sneezing |
Common |
Usual |
Sometimes |
|
Sore throat |
Sometimes |
Common |
Sometimes |
|
Cough |
Sometimes |
Mild to moderate |
Common, can become severe |
|
Fever |
No |
Rare |
High, 102° F to 104° F for three to four days |
|
Headache |
Common |
Rare |
Often |
|
Fatigue |
Common |
Mild |
Lasts two to three weeks |
|
Aches and pains |
Never |
Slight |
Can be severe |
Although children are infected more commonly than adults with the cold virus, it continues to be the third-most frequent diagnosis for adults who sometimes get between two and four colds each year.7 The CDC recommends that adults treat their symptoms with decongestants and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories.
The use of antihistamines on their own, intranasal corticosteroids and opioids are not supported by scientific evidence. Even though the majority of URIs are the result of a viral infection, acute respiratory tract infections continue to be the most common reason antibiotics are prescribed for adults.8 The Mayo Clinic recommends specific at-home treatments:9
|
Drinking plenty of fluids |
Eating chicken soup |
|
Controlling the room temperature and humidity |
Using saltwater gargle to soothe your throat |
|
Using saline nasal drops to relieve congestion |
Using over-the-counter cold and cough medications for symptomatic relief |
|
Resting |
While over-the-counter (OTC) medications are not regarded as effective for children younger than 6, in a Cochrane Review of the literature it's noted that although many preparations have only minor side effects in adults, they may not work any better than a placebo.10
The authors of a recent review of the literature sought to evaluate how honey stacked up against usual care and antibiotics for symptomatic relief in adults with upper respiratory infections. The scientists included 14 studies in which cough frequency, cough severity and symptom scores were compared. They concluded:11
"Honey was superior to usual care for the improvement of symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections. It provides a widely available and cheap alternative to antibiotics. Honey could help efforts to slow the spread of antimicrobial resistance, but further high quality, placebo controlled trials are needed."
The results of this study support past data with similar results. In one Italian study involving 134 children with a nonspecific cough, researchers compared the use of multiple doses of honey to the use of dextromethorphan and levodropropizine, two the more commonly prescribed OTC cough medications in Italy.12
The children were given either a mixture of milk and wildflower honey or a dose of one of the medications, based on the group they were assigned to. The researchers found that the milk and honey mixture was at least as effective as the medications.
In an earlier study, the effectiveness of honey was compared to that of dextromethorphan in 105 children with URIs who had been sick for seven days or less. The researchers found that honey performed the best and parents rated it more favorably.13
Another group of researchers compared the effectiveness of dextromethorphan and diphenhydramine to that of honey. They were interested in whether the treatments reduced coughing associated with URIs that made it difficult to sleep. One hundred thirty-nine children were split into four groups, receiving either honey, dextromethorphan, diphenhydramine or supportive care.
The study team found that a 2.5 ml dose of honey at bedtime relieved more coughs than the other treatments. Interestingly, there was no statistical difference in the effectiveness of dextromethorphan versus diphenhydramine.14
According to the authors of a paper published in the Canadian Family Physician, in a given week, one or more OTC products are used by more than 50% of children who are younger than 12.15 Cough and cold medications account for most of them.
Based on the results of a meta-analysis, scientists demonstrated there was no evidence for or against the use of OTC medications.16 In another clinical trial an Egyptian team enrolled 100 children ages 5 and younger who were coughing because of a URI. The intervention group received cough medicine with a combination of honey and lemon.17
The researchers found that the children who were given honey and lemon experienced greater relief than those who only got the medication. Many OTC medications carry potential risks for children, including both insomnia and drowsiness.
Taken together, the results from all of these studies suggest that honey works as well as dextromethorphan and diphenhydramine. It's also safer. However, it shouldn't be used in children younger than 1 year old because it can contain dormant clostridium botulinum, which can lead to infantile botulism.
For this reason, it's important not to give children younger than 1 year any products that contain honey. The author of a paper published in the Canadian Family Physician says that honey can be recommended "… as a single dose of 2.5 milliliters (one-half teaspoon) before bedtime for children older than 1 year of age with cough."18
A secondary benefit to using natural products like honey is it helps to slow the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The overuse of antibiotics is a contributing factor to the growth of superbugs.19 Researchers have suggested that education for parents20 and professionals21 can help reduce antibiotic misuse.
In one retrospective chart review, it was found that 64.2% of people with respiratory tract infections received inappropriate antibiotics, the most common of which were azithromycin, amoxicillin-clavulanate (Augmentin) and moxifloxacin.22 Interestingly, in this review, penicillin allergy and the presence of a cough were significant predictors of the inappropriate use of antibiotics.
Some bacteria have developed a resistance to multiple antibiotics. The CDC estimates that "… more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the U.S. each year, and more than 35,000 people die as a result."23
Some experts believe the actual numbers could be up to seven times higher.24 An infectious disease specialist from Washington University, Dr. Jason Burnham, along with two colleagues, surveyed data from 2010. They expanded the definition of antibiotic-resistant deaths and concluded that 153,113 deaths could have been attributed to multidrug-resistant organisms.
These reports drive home what experts have warned us about for decades — bacteria are continuing to evolve and mutate so they can survive. As more and more antibiotics are used in health care and in agriculture, they become less and less effective and we become increasingly vulnerable to antibiotic-resistant infections.
Honey has been used for centuries for its medicinal value and because people enjoy the taste. Scientists have found that it has antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella enterica.25 It has demonstrated activity against antibiotic-sensitive and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.26
Manuka honey has been used to treat wounds because it inhibits bacterial growth while stimulating a local immune response and suppressing inflammation.27 The benefits of honey are significant, but as I've warned in the past, those do not extend to the processed honey you find on grocery store shelves, which is often little more than fructose syrup.
It is especially important the honey from the grocery store is never used on wounds because it can actually increase your risk of infection.
In addition to the challenges of finding quality honey in regular stores, it's come to light that honey may be adulterated or even faked — presented and sold as honey when in actuality it's something else — because the bee population is plummeting and not as much real honey is available. You'll find more information in "Have You Been Eating High-Priced Fake Honey?"
Consider getting true, organic honey from local producers at farmer's markets. Since real honey doesn't expire, even after opening, it's safe to buy enough in the summer to last until the following spring.28 It also pays to know how to test your honey at home. Here are some of the physical properties you can look for in quality honey:29
|
Scent — Your first test is the aroma coming from the jar, which should be reminiscent of the flowers and grasses the bees collect pollen from; industrial honey has an industrial smell. |
|
Thickness — The movement should be slow and dense. Place a droplet on your thumb. If it starts to spread, the honey is not pure. Dense, pure honey will remain intact. |
|
Taste — When eating pure honey, the taste disappears quickly, but adulterated honey is sugary rich. |
|
Dissolving — When added to water, pure honey will form a lump and stick together, while adulterated honey dissolves. Pure honey will not be absorbed into blotting paper or cloth, but adulterated honey will leave stains as it absorbs. |
|
Heat and flame — When heated on the stove, adulterated honey will form bubbles. Try dipping the end of a match in honey and lighting it. If it lights, the honey is likely pure since the added moisture in adulterated honey makes it nearly impossible to light. |
|
Tests — Consider these additional tests:
|
Genetic analysis using the Oak Ridge National Lab supercomputer called the Summit has revealed an interesting new hypothesis that helps explain the disease progression of COVID-19. A September 1, 2020, Medium article1 by Thomas Smith reviewed the findings of what is now referred to as the bradykinin hypothesis.
As reported by Smith, the computer crunched data on more than 40,000 genes obtained from 17,000 genetic samples.
“Summit is the second-fastest computer in the world, but the process — which involved analyzing 2.5 billion genetic combinations — still took more than a week. When Summit was done, researchers analyzed the results. It was, in the words of Dr. Daniel Jacobson, lead researcher and chief scientist for computational systems biology at Oak Ridge, a ‘eureka moment.’”
Bradykinin is a chemical that helps regulate your blood pressure and is controlled by your renin-angiotensin system (RAS). As explained in the Academic Press’ book on vitamin D (which has a significant impact on the RAS):2
“The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is a central regulator of renal and cardiovascular functions. Over-activation of the RAS leads to renal and cardiovascular disorders, such as hypertension and chronic kidney disease, the major risk factors for stroke, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, progressive atherosclerosis, and renal failure.”
The bradykinin hypothesis provides a model that helps explain some of the more unusual symptoms of COVID-19, including its bizarre effects on the cardiovascular system. It also strengthens the hypothesis that vitamin D plays a really important role in the disease.
The findings3 were published in the journal eLife July 7, 2020. Based on this new hypothesis, the researchers also suggest more than 10 potential treatments, most of which are readily available drugs already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. I’ll review those later on.
As detailed in previous articles, your ACE2 receptors are the primary gateways of the virus, as the virus’ spike protein binds to the ACE2 receptor. As explained by Smith:4
“… COVID-19 infection generally begins when the virus enters the body through ACE2 receptors in the nose … The virus then proceeds through the body, entering cells in other places where ACE2 is also present: the intestines, kidneys, and heart. This likely accounts for at least some of the disease’s cardiac and GI symptoms.
But once Covid-19 has established itself in the body, things start to get really interesting … The data Summit analyzed shows that COVID-19 isn’t content to simply infect cells that already express lots of ACE2 receptors. Instead, it actively hijacks the body’s own systems, tricking it into upregulating ACE2 receptors in places where they’re usually expressed at low or medium levels, including the lungs.
In this sense, COVID-19 is like a burglar who slips in your unlocked second-floor window and starts to ransack your house. Once inside, though, they don’t just take your stuff — they also throw open all your doors and windows so their accomplices can rush in and help pillage more efficiently.”
In addition to upregulating ACE2 receptors throughout your body, the SARS-CoV-2 virus also downregulates your body’s ability to degrade or break down bradykinin.
The end result is a bradykinin storm, and according to the researchers, this appears to be an important factor in many of COVID-19’s lethal effects, even more so than the cytokine storms associated with the disease. As bradykinin accumulates, the more serious COVID-19 symptoms appear.
Mounting clinical data suggest COVID-19 is actually primarily a vascular disease rather than a respiratory one, and runaway bradykinin buildup can help explain this.
That said, COVID-19 certainly has a respiratory component, and it appears the virus attacks the lungs in more ways than one. For starters, bradykinin increases vascular permeability, essentially causing your blood vessels to leak fluid. In the lungs, this leads to fluid buildup that can trigger inflammation when immune cells also leak out into the lungs.
But the Summit data also show the virus uses yet another pathway, which raises production of hyaluronic acid (HLA) in your lungs. HLA has the ability to absorb more than 1,000 times its own weight in fluid, and when it combines with the built-up fluid in the lungs, the effect is devastating, as it ends up forming a thick hydrogel that makes breathing near-impossible.
When this happens — in severe cases — even mechanical ventilation becomes ineffective, as the alveoli in the lungs are simply too clogged with this gel-like substance that prevents oxygen uptake.
Note that the HLA produced in your lungs does not mean that using supplemental HLA is a bad strategy. It is only when HLA is produced locally in high concentrations in pathologic conditions like COVID-19 that it becomes problematic. Otherwise it has important physiologic benefits.
SARS-CoV-2 can also affect heart function, causing arrhythmias and low blood pressure. About 1 in 5 COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalizations have experienced damage to their heart. Your heart has ACE2 receptors, so SARS-CoV-2 has the ability to infect your heart directly. Arrhythmias and low blood pressure can also be the result of a bradykinin storm.
In some cases, COVID-19 has also been known to trigger neurological symptoms such as dizziness, seizures, delirium and stroke, and this too can be explained by bradykinin buildup.
At high levels, bradykinin can lead to a breakdown of your blood-brain barrier, thereby allowing harmful compounds to flood your brain. Bradykinin itself also causes blood vessel leakage. Together, these effects can trigger inflammation, brain damage and a variety of neurological symptoms.
Interestingly, as reported by Smith:5
“Increased bradykinin levels could also account for other common COVID-19 symptoms. ACE inhibitors — a class of drugs used to treat high blood pressure — have a similar effect on the RAS system as COVID-19, increasing bradykinin levels.
In fact, Jacobson and his team note in their paper that ‘the virus … acts pharmacologically as an ACE inhibitor’ — almost directly mirroring the actions of these drugs.
By acting like a natural ACE inhibitor, COVID-19 may be causing the same effects that hypertensive patients sometimes get when they take blood pressure-lowering drugs. ACE inhibitors are known to cause a dry cough and fatigue, two textbook symptoms of COVID-19.
And they can potentially increase blood potassium levels, which has also been observed in COVID-19 patients. The similarities between ACE inhibitor side effects and COVID-19 symptoms strengthen the bradykinin hypothesis, the researchers say.”
Another side effect associated with ACE inhibiting drugs is the loss of smell and taste. This is also an early sign associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, and it’s a primary symptom of zinc deficiency too.
Zinc, as explained in “Swiss Protocol for COVID — Quercetin and Zinc,” plays a vital role in immunity as well as in blood clotting, cell division, thyroid health, smell and taste, vision and wound healing, and can effectively inhibit viral replication.
Your body does not store zinc, and it’s poorly absorbed, which appears to be why the combination of zinc and zinc ionophores such as quercetin and hydroxychloroquine are so effective when taken at first symptoms.
The bradykinin storm also helps explain other odd COVID-19 symptoms such as “COVID toes,” a condition in which your toes become swollen and bruised. This may be due to leaky vasculature in your toes.
As explained by Smith, it can also shed helpful light on the gender differences seen in COVID-19. Women tend to have a lower mortality rate than men, and this may be due to the fact that women have twice the level of certain proteins involved in the RAS system.
The good news is that if bradykinin storms are to blame, there are a number of already existing drugs that can help prevent bradykinin storms, either reducing bradykinin or blocking its receptors. As noted in the study:6
“Several interventional points (most of them already FDA-approved pharmaceuticals) could be explored with the goal of increasing ACE, decreasing BK [bradykinin], or blocking BK2 receptors.
Icatibant is a BKB2R antagonist whereas Ecallantide acts to inhibit KLKB1, reducing levels of BK production. Androgens (danazol and stanasolol) increase SERPING1, although the side effects likely make these undesirable, but recombinant forms of SERPING1 could be administered to reduce BK levels.
It should be noted that any intervention may need to be timed correctly given that REN levels rise on a diurnal cycle, peaking at 4AM which corresponds with the commonly reported worsening of COVID-19 symptoms at night …
4-methylumbelliferone (Hymecromone) is a potent inhibitor of HAS1, HAS2, and HAS3 gene expression and results in the suppression of the production of hyaluronan in an ARDS model.
Hymecromone (4-methylumbelliferone) is approved for use in Asia and Europe for the treatment of biliary spasm. However, it can cause diarrhea with subsequent hypokalemia, so considerable caution should be used if this were to be tried with COVID-19 patients … Timbetasin may reduce COVID-19 related coagulopathies by increasing fibrinolysis.”
However, please understand that taking these drugs is absolutely not my recommendation. These are simply the conventional strategies that can be used if this hypothesis is correct.
Why on earth would we use dangerous drugs like these for a disease that they have not been tested on when we have so many other safe, inexpensive and highly effective interventions for COVID-19? Strategies like nebulized peroxide, ozone, molecular hydrogen, exogenous ketones, and quercetin with zinc.
The researchers also highlight the usefulness of vitamin D, noting that “Another approach would be the modulation of REN levels via Vitamin D supplementation …” Vitamin D is involved in the RAS system,7,8,9 and can reduce a compound called renin (REN), thereby preventing a deadly bradykinin storm. Renin is an endopeptidase, the function of which is to generate angiotensin 1 from angiotensinogen in your plasma.
Several investigations have highlighted the apparent influence of vitamin D in COVID-19 incidence, severity and mortality, and its effects on RAS further strengthens the idea that vitamin D may be a crucial component in your COVID-19 defense arsenal.
As explained in the 2004 paper,10 “Vitamin D: A Negative Endocrine Regulator of the Renin-Angiotensin System and Blood Pressure,” when the RAS system is inappropriately activated, high blood pressure can result.
One factor that influences your RAS is your vitamin D level, as it suppresses renin biosynthesis. If you are vitamin D deficient, your renin expression is stimulated, and based on the latest data, that may render you more prone to bradykinin storm.
In a November 1, 2020 commentary11 in the journal Metabolism Clinical and Experimental, JoAnn Manson and Shari Bassuk call for the elimination of vitamin D deficiency to effectively squelch the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that 23.3% of the total U.S. population have insufficient or deficient vitamin D levels, with people of color having disproportionately lower levels than non-Hispanic whites.
They list several types of studies showing vitamin D deficiency is “an important modifiable risk factor for COVID-19,” including:12
• Laboratory studies that demonstrate how vitamin D helps regulate immune function and the RAS, and modulate inflammatory responses to infection.
• Ecologic studies showing populations with lower vitamin D levels or lower UVB radiation exposure have higher COVID-19 mortality,13,14,15 and the fact that people identified as being at greatest risk for COVID-19 hospitalization and death (people of color, the elderly, nursing home residents and those with comorbidities such as obesity, vascular conditions and chronic kidney disease) also have a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency.
A pilot randomized clinical study16,17 published online August 29, 2020, found hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Spain who were given supplemental vitamin D (calcifediol) in addition to standard of care — which included the use of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin — had significantly lower intensive care unit admissions.
Patients in the vitamin D arm received 532 micrograms of calcifediol on the day of admission (equivalent to 106,400 IUs of vitamin D18) followed by 266 mcg on Days 3 and 7 (equivalent to 53,200 IUs19). After that, they received 266 mcg once a week until discharge, ICU admission or death.
Of those receiving calcifediol, only 2% required ICU admission, compared to 50% of those who did not get calcifediol. None of those given vitamin D supplementation died, and all were discharged without complications.
• Observational studies showing low vitamin D levels are associated with a greater risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 and contracting acute respiratory infections.
Most recently, a September 3, 2020 JAMA study20 reported that people who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 were 1.77 times more likely to be deficient in vitamin D than those who tested negative for the virus.
• Randomized clinical trials showing vitamin D inhibits respiratory tract infections, especially in those with lower vitamin D levels at baseline.
For years, I’ve stressed the importance of optimizing your vitamin D level, especially in anticipation of flu season, and it seems clear it can go a long way toward protecting yourself against COVID-19 as well.
Aside from what’s already been mentioned, vitamin D also helps Type II cells in your lungs produce surfactant that aids in fluid clearance. When you’re vitamin D deficient, your entire RAS is deranged or dysfunctional, thereby raising your risk of both bradykinin storm and cytokine storm.
In closing, experts have been warning that SARS-CoV-2 may reemerge in the fall when temperatures and humidity levels drop, thereby increasing the virus’ transmissibility.
Now is the time to check your vitamin D level and start taking action to raise it if you’re below 60 ng/mL. An easy and cost-effective way of measuring your vitamin D level is to order GrassrootsHealth’s vitamin D testing kit and learn more about vitamin D and its impact on your health.
Knowledge is empowerment, and that is particularly true during this pandemic. To learn more about the influence of vitamin D on your health in general and COVID-19 in particular, see my vitamin D report.
