Health & Fitness

Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 had significantly increased levels of oxidative stress and oxidant damage, and markedly reduced levels of glutathione, the most abundant physiological antioxidant, according to a new study.

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Infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 can trigger an immune response that lasts well beyond the initial infection and recovery -- even among people who had mild symptoms or no symptoms at all, according to investigators.

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By Dr. Mercola

In its latest move against small farmers who dare to operate outside the umbrella of CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations) and Monsanto-dominated crops, the U.S. government has seized $70,000 from a small dairy farmer in Maryland. The feds did this under the "Bank Secrecy Act," which requires that paperwork be filled out for any cash deposit in excess of $10,000.

The farmers, Randy Sowers and his wife Karen, made deposits totaling more than $295,000 from May 2011 to February 2012, but each transaction was less than $10,000.

Now they are being accused of "structuring," a violation of federal currency reporting requirements, as the feds are accusing them of deliberately depositing money in increments of less than $10,000 in an attempt to evade Currency Transaction Reporting requirements.

Government Seizes $70,000 On What Grounds?

The dairy farmer's "crime" stems from his weekly sales at local farmers' markets. The sales averaged about the same amount each week and, dutifully, the Sowers deposited them. They'd reportedly never even heard of the Bank Secrecy Act or "structuring," but that was of no interest to the feds—the consistency of the amount the Sowers deposited, always less than $10,000, raised red flags to the feds, who claimed that this was indicative of a crime.

The government promptly seized about $70,000 from the bank account, then issued a warrant for the seizures. As reported by Food Freedom News:¹

"The Dept. of Justice has since sued to keep $63,000 of the Sowers' money, though they committed no crime other than maintaining their privacy. Without funds, they will be unable to make purchases for the spring planting. When a similar action was taken against Taylor's Produce Stand last year, the feds seized $90,000, dropped the charges, and kept $45,000 of Taylor's money.

Knowing that most farms operate on a very thin margin, such abuse of power wipes out a family's income, and for a bonus, the feds enhance the monopoly power of Monsanto, Big Dairy and their supply chain.… Former Maryland assistant U.S. attorney Steven Levin told the paper [City Paper], "The emphasis is on basically seizing money, whether it is legally or illegally earned. It can lead to financial ruin for business owners, and there's a potential for abuse here by the government.""

The raid on the Sowers was conducted by an agency created in 2009 to go after money-laundering criminals. The agency started out with a bang by seizing $1.2 billion from a real money launderer, but it appears that what it's interested in now is making criminals out of small business persons, including small farmers.

Why Are Family Farms Under Attack?

If they're not seizing bank accounts, it seems the government will find other ways to attack small farmers. A family farm in rural Michigan—and possibly others—may be shut down by a new state law that designates certain breeds of hogs as a threat to neighboring hog breeders and croplands.

Basically, the fight is over the definition of feral hogs vs. domestic hogs. The dictionary definition of "feral" refers to an animal running wild. But Michigan authorities have taken it a step further and extended the definition to include enclosed private hunting preserves and small farms that house what authorities call an "invasive species" of hogs.

There is no genetic test to determine whether the species on these farms are truly invasive, so authorities are basing their cases against these farmers solely on visual observations. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) uses this vague description to describe the prohibited hogs, and makes it clear that this does not apply to the domestic hogs raised on CAFOs:²

"Wild boar, wild hog, wild swine, feral pig, feral hog, feral swine, Old world swine, razorback, eurasian wild boar, Russian wild boar (Sus scrofa Linnaeus). This subsection does not and is not intended to affect sus domestica involved in domestic hog production."

Other descriptions supplied by the MDNR include such a wide variety of characteristics that virtually any pig other than the familiar pink domestic breed raised on CAFOs could potentially be deemed "feral":

• Erect or folded/floppy ear structure
• Straight or curly tail
• Solid black, wild/grizzled, solid red/brown, black and white spotted, or black and red/brown spotted coat colorations
• "Other characteristics" not currently known to the MDNR

Interestingly, the Big Pork industry has been planning this anti-feral pig campaign for years, and even bragged about it in a 2010 newsletter.³ It was the same newsletter where they declared a win against the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in Ohio, where HSUS was seeking legislation to end the practice of sow gestation stalls (cages so small the sow can't turn around or move).

What this means for residents of Michigan is that soon they will be unable to purchase sustainably and humanely grown meat from the Mangalitsa "wooly" hogs raised on Baker's Green Acres farm. This particular breed is being raised by only a handful of small farms across the country; whereas more than 2 million pigs are slaughtered each week in the United States, only about 50 of them are Mangalitsas (which have been called the "it" pig by the New York Times, as several high-end restaurants and specialty markets have featured the rich, naturally raised meat⁴).

But, of course, this issue is about much more than pasture-raised pork from a heritage breed ... it's about your ability, your right, to purchase and consume pure, unadulterated food – a right that continues to be threated for those living in the United States.

FDA Also Threatens Your Right to Food Choice …

Another glaring example of government going out of its way to prohibit your access to pure, unprocessed food is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) war against raw milk. When the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) filed a lawsuit against the FDA over their raw milk ban, stating that banning raw milk in interstate commerce is unconstitutional, the FDA rebutted with the following extremely concerning and outrageous statements:

• "There is no absolute right to consume or feed children any particular food."
• "There is no 'deeply rooted' historical tradition of unfettered access to foods of all kinds."
• "Plaintiffs' assertion of a 'fundamental right to their own bodily and physical health, which includes what foods they do and do not choose to consume for themselves and their families' is similarly unavailing because plaintiffs do not have a fundamental right to obtain any food they wish."
• FDA's brief goes on to state that "even if such a right did exist, it would not render FDA's regulations unconstitutional because prohibiting the interstate sale and distribution of unpasteurized milk promotes bodily and physical health."
• "There is no fundamental right to freedom of contract."

Since when did the FDA have authority to tell you what you can and cannot eat and feed your children? Apparently they believe they've had it all along. If you go by these assertions, it means the FDA has the authority to prohibit any food of their choosing and make it a crime for you to seek it out. If, one day, the FDA deems tomatoes, broccoli or cashews capable of causing you harm (which is just as ludicrous as their assertions that raw milk is harmful), they could therefore enact such a ban and legally enforce it.

What this means is that freedom of food choice is a myth if you live in the United States, and this simply is not acceptable. No one, and certainly not any government agency, should be able to restrict your access to pure, unadulterated food, but the dairy industry and other industrial farmers that depend on CAFOs employ powerful lobbyists will stop at nothing to persuade government to remove the small farmers from the market entirely. The truth is, if enough people start demanding naturally, sustainably and humanely raised meat, dairy and produce, the giant farming monopolies that currently dominate the market would not be able to compete.

Their businesses depend on pesticides, CAFOs, genetically modified seeds, growth hormones and the like … so when they see all-natural creameries like the one operated by Randy Sowers and his wife Karen, or natural farms like Bakers Green Acres gaining loyal and growing customer bases, they get nervous – and they get the government involved in any way they can.

Please Support Your Local Small Farms

The healthiest food choices are nearly always those that come from responsible, high-quality, sustainable sources.

This is why I encourage you to support the small family farms in your area. This includes not only visiting the farm directly, if you have one nearby, but also taking part in farmer's markets and community-supported agriculture programs. Now that summer is almost here in the United States, fresh produce and other wonderful whole foods are available in abundance. Not only is the food so much tastier and healthier when you get it from sustainable, non-CAFO sources, but there is something about shopping for fresh foods in an open-air, social environment that just feels right. An artificially lit, dreary supermarket -- home to virtually every CAFO food made -- just can't compete.

If you want to experience some of these benefits first-hand, here are some great resources to obtain wholesome food that supports not only you but also the environment:

1. Alternative Farming Systems Information Center, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
2. Farmers' Markets -- A national listing of farmers' markets
3. Local Harvest -- This Web site will help you find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies.
4. Eat Well Guide: Wholesome Food from Healthy Animals -- The Eat Well Guide is a free online directory of sustainably raised meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs from farms, stores, restaurants, inns, and hotels, and online outlets in the United States and Canada.
5. Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) -- CISA is dedicated to sustaining agriculture and promoting the products of small farms.
6. FoodRoutes -- The FoodRoutes "Find Good Food" map can help you connect with local farmers to find the freshest, tastiest food possible. On their interactive map, you can find a listing for local farmers, CSA's, and markets near you.

Finally, for more information on the ongoing attacks against small family farms in the United States consider watching Farmageddon: The Unseen War on American Family Farms, a documentary by Kristin Canty. But I warn you … the injustices it contains may just make your blood boil.

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This article was previously published June 22, 2020, and has been updated with new information.

All things considered, vitamin D optimization is likely the easiest, least expensive and most beneficial strategy that anyone can do to minimize their risk of COVID-19 and other infections in the coming months. Health authorities are already warning of a second wave of COVID-19 in the fall, which means the time to start addressing your vitamin D level is NOW.

We also have a pandemic of vitamin D deficiency, as more than 1 billion individuals worldwide, across all age groups, are deficient in vitamin D.^1,2,3,4 Vitamin D deficiency has now been identified as a significant risk factor for positive COVID-19 status,^5,6 severe COVID-19 infection^7,8,9,10 and death thereof.^11,12

In one study,^13,14 which looked at data from 780 hospital patients in Indonesia, those with a vitamin D level between 20 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) and 30 ng/mL had a sevenfold higher risk of death than those with a level above 30 ng/mL. Having a level below 20 ng/mL was associated with a 12 times higher risk of death.

To improve your immune function and lower your risk of viral infections, you'll want to raise your vitamin D to a level between 60 ng/mL and 80 ng/mL by fall. In Europe, the measurements you're looking for are 150 nmol/L and 200 nmol/L. If vitamin D levels were increased in the global population, tens of thousands of people may be saved if or when COVID-19 reemerges.

While prospective controlled studies demonstrating vitamin D's effectiveness in COVID-19 are still lacking, there are many such studies underway. You can review the status of these trials on clinicaltrials.gov.¹⁵ As of early June 2020, more than 20 studies had been launched to investigate the benefits of vitamin D against COVID-19.

The Most Important Paper I've Ever Written

The comprehensive vitamin D report below has been reviewed by many vitamin D scientists for accuracy. This was done to develop a resource that everyone can share to help educate others. We will soon be launching a campaign to educate and inspire everyone, everywhere, to start optimizing their vitamin D level NOW. Please download my paper here, and share it with everyone you know.

>>>>> Click Here <<<<<

The purpose of this report is to help you understand why it is so important to optimize vitamin levels for healthy immune functions and then provide you with a detailed strategy of how to do that. This report can be used as a tool to teach your friends, family and community about why and how to be prepared for the next pandemic.

In it, I review the science of how your immune system works, and the regulatory role of vitamin D. I also explain how vitamin D reduces your risk of COVID-19 specifically, and how it helps suppress and control both acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and cytokine storms, which is a primary cause of death in COVID-19.

Darker-Skinned Individuals Need More Vitamin D

Vitamin D optimization is particularly important for dark-skinned individuals, as the darker your skin, the more sun exposure you need to raise your vitamin D level. Increased skin pigmentation reduces the efficacy of UVB because melanin functions as a natural sunblock.

If you're very dark-skinned, you may need to spend about 1.5 hours a day in the sun to have any noticeable effect. For many working adults and school-age children, this simply isn't feasible.

Light-skinned individuals may only need 15 minutes of full sun exposure a day, which is far easier to achieve. Still, they too will typically struggle to maintain ideal levels during the winter. During the winter months at latitudes of greater than 40°, little or no UVB radiation reaches the surface of the earth. That said, residence at low latitude does not guarantee adequate vitamin D levels, since social and cultural norms may limit sun exposure.¹⁶

As noted in the MedCram video above, black, Asian and minority ethnic groups are at an increased risk of death from COVID-19. While some have blamed this racial disparity on health care access, a far more likely reason for this is because dark-skinned individuals are far more likely to be deficient in vitamin D.

In fact, the paper cited by MedCram specifically looked at ethnic disparities in COVID-19 mortality among patients in England, where health care is freely available to all, so the health care access rationale doesn't seem to hold water.

Vitamin D Supplementation Recommended to Quell Mortality

The role of vitamin D is addressed in a reply¹⁷ by vitamin D researchers William Grant and Barbara Boucher to The BMJ editorial "Is Ethnicity Linked to Incidence or Outcomes of COVID-19?" They write, in part:

"The recent BMJ editorial by Khunti et al. asks 'Is ethnicity linked to incidence or outcomes of covid-19?' Here we outline how ethnicity relates to incidence and outcomes of COVID-19 due, in part, to lack of vitamin D because of increased skin pigmentation and diet …

A potentially important factor not considered in the PHE report was vitamin D deficiency, though mounting evidence suggests that vitamin D deficiency is an important risk factor for acute respiratory tract infections and for COVID-19 …

Mounting evidence demonstrates that vitamin D has important roles in regulating the immune system that should reduce COVID-19 risks; primarily by reducing survival and replication of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and by reducing the risks of 'cytokine storms' by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokine production and increasing anti-inflammatory cytokine production.

Vitamin D also promotes local ACE2 formation in the lungs, an effect known to reduce the severity of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Furthermore, higher baseline serum 25(OH)D concentrations are currently being reported to be associated with reduced rates of severe COVID-19 and of mortality."

Grant and Boucher recommend advising the public to supplement vitamin D daily, especially black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, indoor workers, shift workers, the elderly, those in residential care or those confined to their homes, as well as those who are obese. Doing so might reduce COVID-19 severity and prevent unnecessary deaths.

"Vitamin D is readily available … 'over the counter' at supermarkets, chemists and online, but could be provided free to those in financial hardship or unable to access supplies," Grant and Boucher write, adding:

"Doses of 1,000 IU/day in general and of 4,000 IU/day for those at high risk of deficiency, as above, including the BAME groups, should be advised for the duration of the Covid-19 outbreak …"

Sunscreen Advice Counters Lifesaving Vitamin D Message

Remarkably, while the importance of vitamin D against COVID-19 is becoming more widely recognized by doctors, some are still advising against either sun exposure or vitamin D supplementation, or both.

Some, such as Dr. Pieter Cohen, an internal medicine physician at Cambridge Health Alliance in Massachusetts and an associate professor medicine at Harvard Medical School, is even discouraging people from getting their vitamin D level tested to see if they're deficient!¹⁸ A June 1, 2020, report on Today.com states:¹⁹

"The body can manufacture vitamin D when the skin is exposed to the sun or get it from food. 'I'm not making a general recommendation for supplements. I'm saying: To avoid vitamin D deficiency.

It will usually take only being outdoors, getting incidental sun exposure, plus paying attention to the dietary sources of vitamin D,' [Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard] noted.

Incidental sun exposure means getting some sunshine during a 30-minute walk or other outdoor exercise while wearing shorts or short sleeves (though you should still use sunscreen). It doesn't mean going out specifically to sun bathe."

The advice to wear sunscreen while getting "incidental" sun exposure is medically irrational and incorrect, since sunscreen filters out the very ultraviolet rays that trigger vitamin D production in your skin.

In order for sensible sun exposure to work, you need unprotected exposure. Just make sure you don't get sunburned. All you need is to stay out until your skin turns the lightest shade of pink. After that, cover up with long sleeves and pants.

Help Us Spread the Word!

It is my sincere hope and desire that all of you will help us in this effort to spread the word about vitamin D and get your friends and family on board to get their vitamin levels optimized. We need a citizen army of activists to spread the word. My vitamin D report can help you in this effort. I urge you to share it with everyone you know. I hope to collaborate with all the major natural medical sites to participate in this process.

>>>>> Click Here <<<<<

The vitamin D level you're aiming for is between 60 ng/mL and 80 ng/mL. In Europe, the measurements you're looking for are 150 nmol/L and 200 nmol/L. In my vitamin D report, I detail how to go about doing this, but here's a quick summary of the key steps:

>>>>> Click Here <<<<<

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Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is an herb that’s been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. Known as Rasayana in Ayurveda, ashwagandha is an adaptogenic herb that enhances your body’s ability to withstand stress and is considered to be a rejuvenator.¹ According to Ayurveda, ashwagandha is also known as:²

• Balya — increases strength
• Brusya — Sexual performance enhancer
• Vajikari — Spermatogenic
• Kamarupini — Libido enhancing
• Pustida — Nourishing

Also known as Indian ginseng or winter cherry, ashwagandha contains compounds known as withanolides, which have not only antioxidant and anti-stress activities but also enhance immunity, protect the heart and offer neuroprotective, hypoglycemic and anti-tumor effects.³ Its name comes from the Sanskrit word “ashwa,” or horse, because its root smells like horse urine and gives you the power of a horse when consumed.⁴

Nine Reasons to Consume Ashwagandha

In addition to withanolides, ashwagandha contains phenolic acids, alkaloids, saponins and tanins, which offer a wide variety of pharmacological activities. Together, ashwagandha and its bioactive compounds may benefit diseases such as arthritis, impotence, amnesia, anxiety and more. Ayurvedic doctor Dixa Bhavsar explained on social media:^5,6

“This miracle herb has taken the medical world by storm (especially during #covid). And for good reason. Ashwagandha (Indian ginseng) is immune boosting, anti-inflammatory, sleep inducing, anticonvulsant, anti-stress, and antibacterial properties, this herb is like the one-stop shop for all ailments.”

Why else might you want to consider ashwagandha?

Work With an Integrative Health Care Practitioner

When using powerful nutraceuticals like ashwagandha, working with an Ayurvedic or integrative health care practitioner can help ensure you receive optimal benefits. Depending on your health status and other factors, for instance, it can have differing effects. Bhavsar explained:³⁶

“The leaves of ashwagandha helps in losing weight. Yes, you heard me right. Mostly I see people getting confused when they hear its useful for weight gain & weight loss at the same time. So this is just to clear the confusion. Its dosage depends on the patient’s condition, prognosis & the mind-body type.”

While ashwagandha is generally safe, well-tolerated and nontoxic, it shouldn’t be used by pregnant women, breastfeeding women or people taking sedatives. Making sure you're getting a high-quality product is also of utmost importance. To ensure effectiveness, I recommend using 100% organic ashwagandha, free of fillers, additives and excipients.

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My goal has always been to help you Take Control of Your Health, and it's never been more important than now to do so. One of my favorite quotes comes from the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, who said there are three stages of truth.

"First, it is ridiculed.

Second, it is violently opposed.

Third, it is accepted as being self-evident."

While it is much easier to go with the flow, some of us understand the importance of pursuing truth and meeting people along the way on the road less traveled. While this road has always presented challenges, varying opinions and opposing views were welcome and necessary, without fear of censorship or retribution.

We now live in a very different time. A much darker time. The silence of free speech is deafening. Not only is blatant censorship tolerated, it is supported and encouraged by the very people entrusted to protect our constitutional right to freedom of speech.

Never in my life would I have believed that the sitting president of the United States would call out 12 Americans in a McCarthyism-like attack in the United States, and place me at the top of this list. When the most powerful individual on the planet targeted me as his primary obstacle to be removed, I reluctantly, and after painstaking deliberation, made the decision to delete over 15,000 health articles from my website.

However, I never stopped delivering the most important health news seven days a week. My articles became "ephemeral," in that they're only available for viewing for 48 hours before they're deleted from the site. I encourage you to subscribe to my FREE daily newsletter so you can get immediate updates on the latest health news, research and interviews.

I'm beyond excited to finally announce you now have a second option. My team and I have found a way to bring back my previously deleted articles in a liability protected format under the Censored Library. It is hosted by Substack, which is a major free speech platform that many censored journalists are using. My newsletter will remain free, as it has always been, and after 48 hours, each article will be transferred to and archived in the Censored Library on Substack.

The reason I chose a paid membership platform on Substack is because it will protect all of my content from censorship. For just $5 a month, or the discounted annual rate of $50 per year, you will have access to all of my articles, all the time, even after they've been deleted from Mercola.com.

>>>>> Click here <<<<<

>>>>> Click here <<<<<

We will begin the process of transferring our entire archive over to the Substack library shortly, but there are nearly 25 years of content so it will be a lengthy process. If you have any specific articles that you want us to resurrect, please leave a comment below and we'll make it a priority. Alternatively, send an email to editor@mercola.com.

While the censorship czars continue their games, we will not let them prevail. There is a light at the end of this tunnel, and I know that together we will help you and your family take control of your health!

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