People taking their health into their own hands havequestions about what they can do about general virus protection. Fortunately,there is a lot you can do to help your body fight off viral infections or atleast dramatically minimize the effects. We have talked about this before inprevious blogs but this is an update from an article from the Institute forFunctional Medicine April 7, 2020.
The explanation of just how the COVID-19 virus affects thebody is quite technical and beyond the scope of this particular blog. I willdiscuss what is known about research and a few key supplements, how effectivethese supplements are and what is the risk of taking them.
Vitamin C, D, Zinc, NAC and Melatonin
Our primary supplement recommendations to help prevent andlower severity of symptoms are vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, NAC and melatonin. Othersupplements that can be helpful are PEA(Palmitoylethanolamide), elderberry, vitamin A, resveratrol, EGCG(Epigallocatechin gallate), curcumin and quercetin.
Most people won’t wish to take all of these so that is whywe have listed the 5 basics. I don’t worry about people so much who are keepingup on their C, D, zinc, glutathione support and maybe some melatonin.
IV Vitamin C and Covid-19
Vitamin C has found its way into treatment regimens in manyhospitals. Doctors have noticed that their patients have fewer problems andrecover more quickly when given IV vitamin C. You don’t have to be on aventilator to get benefit from vitamin C. Vitamin C works on many levels andshould be considered essential for prevention and treatment of this and otherviral infections. Recommended dose is 1-3g 4 times per day if you notice anysymptoms at all. There is some debate about which form of C, ascorbic acid vsascorbate. Each has its advantages and I would recommend just getting some inthere and not stress too much about which one.
What About Zinc?
Zinc has been shown to be important to help prevent viralinfections and also to reduce severity and duration. Zinc deficiencies arecommon in populations at risk for COVID 19 infections and complications. Thestrength of evidence for the use of zinc is strong. Recommended dose is 30-60mg a day in divided doses. We recommend taking a combination zinc and copperformula as just taking zinc tends to lower your copper levels. We use Karuna ZincPicolinate Plus.
How Much Vitamin D3 Do You Need?
Vitamin D has gotten a lot of press lately as studiesrelated to this pandemic have shown that people with higher vitamin D levelshave few incidents of infection and fewer risks. Several studies are supportingthis supplement. One article recommends 10,000 IUs per day for several weeksand then reducing to 5000 IUs per day after that while the risk exists. Theyalso say that higher doses for those infected with COVID 19 might be necessary.This sounds about right in our experience with looking at lab tests these lastseveral decades. Evidence for recommending vitamin D is strong and risk isminimal. We have had a couple of patients who needed a specific form of D. Wetend to recommend BetterGenixVitamin D3 5000 IU capsules for the majority and Pure EncapsulationsVitamin D3 Vegan liquid for those that don’t tolerate the capsule versionwell.
NAC Promotes Glutathione!
NAC (N-acetylcysteine) helps promote glutathione production.Glutathione is on the front line of your body’s detox. Studies have shown thatwith sufficient amounts of NAC, you can expect fewer days of illness and fewerflu incidents. Dose is 600-900 mg twice a day. Strength of evidence is limitedmeaning that studies are showing positive correlations but the mechanism mightbe poorly understood. We also recommend adding alpha lipoic acid (ALA) with NACas that appears to help your body make glutathione better than NAC alone. Ourfavorite is BetterGenix NAC.
Melatonin and Quercetin Play A Role!
Melatonin is known for help with sleep but it also importantto help prevent the cytokine storm that is a hallmark of the COVID 19 process.Studies aren’t as strong as for vitamin C and vitamin D but the amounts neededare so small and cheap that it seems negligent to ignore this.
Other Possible Helpful Supplements
Quercetin
Quercetin has been shown to have anti-viral effects for RNAviruses (influenza and coronavirus) and DNA viruses (herpes). Recommended doseis 500 to 1000 mg two times per day. Expected result is reduction of symptomswith a moderate confidence of results. Xymogen Quercetin20x Plus
Anti-inflammation Agents Work!
Curcumin helps to lower inflammation and can help to lowerviral replication. Suggested dose is 500 to 1000 mg 2 times per day. Scientificdata in support of curcumin is mixed with some conflicting results. I take thisto mean that it works well for some and not others depending on your geneticpredisposition. If you know you respond well to curcumin, you would be wise totake some just in case and more if you feel any viral-type symptoms. Any riskfrom taking curcumin is very minimal. Xymogen CurcuPlex-95
Resveratrol can help modulate the inflammation response.Suggested dosage is 100-150 4 times per day. Studies are variable about itseffectiveness. It has been shown to be helpful in studies with theMERS-CoV and Influenza viruses but we don’t have a lot of good data forCOVID-19 just yet. Risk is very low for any issues. NuMedicaResveraPlex Plus
Elderberry and Vitamin A
I will again mention a few other common supplements thathave been used and studied with respect to virus infections and for SARS CoV2in particular. In no particular order, these would be vitamin A, elderberry,PEA and EGCG.
If you wish to explore this further, open www.ifm.organd search “covid-19 specific nutraceutical”.
In summary, keep up your C, D, zinc, NAC and some melatonin.Add some of these other supplements if you still feel like your body is havingtrouble fighting off viruses. Thanks for working hard to take care of yourself.Your family and community appreciate it.
June 2020
