The usual explanation for why some persons have been susceptible to COVID-19 is that their immune system was weakened, compromised by cancer, diabetes, hypertension, or another underlying condition.
But a more nuanced, largely overlooked factor is whether one’s immune system contains experienced or inexperienced white blood cells known as lymphocytes, which produce antibodies and are responsible for recognizing, terminating, and eliminating pathogens. It seems from what we know so far that some persons’ immune systems simply don’t recognize COVID-19 as a threat. After all, seemingly perfectly healthy persons under fifty are also coming down with COVID-19. Their immune systems, I suspect, aren’t necessarily weakened but may well be characterized as naive. In other words, inexperienced.
In other cases, nutrient deficiencies and lack of access to supportive plant medicines may be overlooked immunity factors for being at greater risk for the coronavirus, according to researchers reporting from China.
At HealthyLivinG Magazine, where I am publisher, our research staff has been researching overlooked immune vulnerabilities that we shouldn’t ignore and what can be done to strengthen one’s shield with COVID-19-specific foods, plant compounds, and nutrients.
This is personal. Like many readers, I have kids and family members who are far flung, some working at jobs where they face the public daily. HealthyLivinG’s editor in chief is based in New York City where the air is virus heavy as if one were living through the first winter at Jamestown.
To be sure, no food or supplement can replace social distancing, hand washing, surface disinfecting, and other commonsense health guidelines the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization have issued.
Furthermore, foods and plant-based compounds are neither drugs nor vaccinations. On the other hand, they are broadly responsive to the many enemies a plant or herd animal may face in its own fight for survival. This has its advantages when it comes to the previously unknown COVID-19.
EXPERIENCED ANTIBODIES
It just so happens that cows are our friends. Like us, they live in herds and have to fend off coronaviruses. All of this herd experience is contained in bovine colostrum (BC), the first milk of all newbon mammals that has been long used in Ayurvedic medicine for its reported anti-aging and immune effects.
The source of the antibodies for the first polio vaccine, BC is rich in lymphocytes, antibodies, and immunoglobulins, types of proteins produced by the immune cells that retain imprinted memories of similar pathogens to which they’ve been exposed while in the mother’s body. These lymphocytes, antibodies and immunoglobulins, once ingested by the calf, take up residence in the blood, gut, and mucosal tissues of the lungs and respiratory system to protect against pathogens. This is called passive immunity, which educates and stimulates the immune system.
Researchers reporting in the September 15, 2000 issue of the journal Vaccine found that BC vaccinations “significantly increased” the amount of anti-coronavirus antibodies in calves, cows, and heifers. A second study in the November 1997 issue of Veterinary Microbiology confirmed colostrum powder protected against coronaviruses.
The BC harvested within the first six hours of birth contains the highest amounts of antibodies and immunoglobulins. You can find BC offered as capsules, flavored wafers, and powder to add to smoothies and other recipes. But some of us love its bland creaminess and eat it by the spoonful.
KNOCKING OUT ACE2
An enveloped virus with a crown of spikes, COVID-19 shares an approximate 82-percent similarity to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV), the coronavirus that was identified in China in 2002 and 2003 and that killed thousands before it was contained. Both are zoonotic and probably migrated from bats via other animals before infecting humans. Both contain protein spikes that are dependent on a specific enzyme that allows them to attach to and hijack host cells.
Like SARS-CoV, COVID-19 has a spike (S) protein bound to its outer membrane that is needed for it to attach to host cell receptors in the lungs. This process cannot occur without angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as the new virus attaches to ACE-2 receptors on respiratory cells.
Screening 312 controlled Chinese medicinal herbs, supervised by the Committee on Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy at Taiwan, scientists, reporting in the May 2007 issue of Antiviral Research, identified several medicinal herbs belonging to the Polygonaceae family that were effective experimental inhibitors of the interaction of the SARS-CoV S protein and ACE2.
One of these herbs is called Da Huang, also known as Chinese rhubarb root (Radix et Rhizoma Rhei). The active phytochemical making Da Huang effective appears to be an anthraquinone compound called emodin, which “significantly blocked the S protein and ACE2 interaction in a dose-dependent manner… it also inhibited the infectivity….” they write.
In TCM when an herb, like Da Huang, is used it is combined with a dozen or more other complementary ones that can enhance, modify, or synergize the key compound. Indeed, using the wisdom of TCM practitioners during these times might be a good idea. Researchers writing in the February 17, 2020 issue of the Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine examined the clinical evidence of TCM in the prevention of SARS-CoV and reported a meta-review of three studies found none of the participants who used TCM contracted the virus.
A larger 2012 review from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews looked at some 90 studies on the use of TCM for the SARS-CoV epidemic. TCM use included better control of fever, quicker clearance of chest infection, lesser consumption of steroids, and other symptom relief, said the researchers.
Clinical trials are currently underway in China examining the impact of TCM on the closely related COVID-19. This is not surprising, given the nation’s long traditional use of plant compounds. Thus far, the results are promising when TCM is used as an adjuvant treatment. However, without experienced TCM practitioners working with hospital staff, it is unlikely that it will be used in the US as treatment. However, a few TCM formulas that were tested can be considered possibly helpful in prevention, based on the earlier SARS-CoV results.
WASH YOUR NOSE
Both the World Health Organization and federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend hand washing as part and parcel of coronavirus protection. But what about our nose? Should we wash it too? As it turns out, we should, says Lon Jones, DO, a physician from Plainview, Texas who discovered and pioneered the medical use of a novel sugar called xylitol for nasal and respiratory health.
Xylitol is a five-chain sugar molecule that has been turning up in the news lately as a preventive ingredient in chewing gum, mints, and toothpaste for preventing dental caries. Obtained from birch trees, it was initially used as a sugar substitute in Finland during World War II and eventually shown to be safe for diabetics. Over the years, research has documented how xylitol also helps maintain healthy mucosa in the upper respiratory system.
“Your nasal passages are a primary defense against viruses, especially if they’re working optimally,” Dr. Jones notes. “Cold season and some of our susceptibility to COVID-19 is here because of the dry air that follows turning the heat on in our homes and work places. Low humidity dries out and irritates the nasal passages and sinuses. Optimal humidity for respiratory health is between 40% and 60%. When it is less than that, our nasal defenses are crippled. It would help us immensely if the CDC recommendations included maintaining the health of our nasal passages. Xylitol-saline washes hydrate the nasal mucosa and assist the immune system in cleaning out bacteria, viruses, and pollutants before they have a chance to infiltrate the lungs.”
Xylitol-saline washes can be used like any other nasal product to flush pollen, dust, and other debris from the nasal passages as well as relieve allergies and sinusitis. But they have an added advantage during a time of coronavirus by making your sure your mucosal immune system is functioning optimally.
TAKE CARE OF THE BASICS
In our quest for the exotic we sometimes forget the basics. Researchers writing in the May 2020 Journal of Medical Virology correlated low levels of vitamins and minerals with increased susceptibility to COVID-19.
A multivitamin and mineral supplement is inexpensive insurance against the coronavirus.
ASK YOUR DOCTOR
Obviously, we all need to consume a healthy diet with nourishing foods such as bone broths; edible mushrooms such as shiitake and maitake; fruits; and leafy green veggies.
Please also keep in mind that you should check with a doctor or other qualified health professional before making any changes based on this article. For health professionals and others interacting with the public, as well as anybody who has an underlying condition, these foods and supplements could well be even more important.
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