Age is currently the greatest risk factor for having severe symptoms from COVID-19. You cannot change this risk but it's not the only risk. People with compromised immune function, regardless of age, adds to their susceptibility.

 

Taking supplements to avoid or reduce the severity of COVID-19 is controversial. However, vaccines are never 100% effective and one does not exist against SARS-CoV-2 (the virus). Please view these sites for information on the flu vaccine and its surprising potential impact on SARS-CoV-2.

https://www.disabledveterans.org/2020/03/11/flu-vaccine-increases-coronavirus-risk/

https://www.healthrevivalpartners.com/post/take-personal-action-against-covid-19-and-the-flu

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Dr. John Campbell of the U.K. has produced a compelling video on the value of vitamin D against respiratory infection that provides up to 70% protection against respiratory infections caused by either bacteria or viruses. https://youtu.be/W5yVGmfivAk

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The Linus Pauling Institute that spun out from the work of 2-time Nobel Laureate, Dr. Linus Pauling offers compelling information on the anti-viral activity of vitamin C.

https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-C

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There is no substantial evidence on the action of vitamin C against SARS-CoV-2, but the Pauling Institute indicate that appropriate daily doses of vitamin C reduce the severity of the common cold which may be caused by types of coronaviruses.

In general, supplements provide micronutrients at higher levels than found in most foods. Many of these nutrients are shown to boost immunity.

Cover Coughs: People can catch the COVID-19 virus if they breathe in droplets from a person with the virus who coughs out or exhales droplets. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow. Throw used tissues in the trash. Immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, clean your hands with a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Stay Home: Steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. if you are sick, stay home except to get medical care. People who are mildly ill with COVID-19 are able to isolate at home during their illness. You should restrict activities outside your home, except for getting medical care. Avoid public areas: Do not go to work, school, or public areas. Avoid public transportation: Avoid using public transportation, ride-sharing, or taxis.

Wear Protection: The CDC is currently not recommending protective equipment for the general public. Here are some basic items, other than masks, that we can all use to reduce our risk of infection: Hand sanitizer, disinfectant spray, disinfecting wipes, tissue travel packs, and surgical gloves.

Avoid Public Places: Unless it is an emergency, to reduce your risk of catching or spreading illness, stay home if you feel sick, even if your symptoms are mild. Since the virus is long-lived, public places may be a source of transmission even if no one is currently there. Do not go to work, school or public places, and avoid public transportation. If your symptoms are severe or you feel like you need medical care, call before you go to a doctor’s office, urgent care center or emergency room. Describe your symptoms over the phone.

Avoid Close Contact: You are at risk for infection under the following “close encounter” situations: Living in the same household as a sick person with COVID-19; Caring for a sick person with COVID-19; Being within 6 feet of a sick person with COVID-19 for about 10 minutes; Being in direct contact with secretions from a sick person with COVID-19 (e.g., being coughed on, kissing, sharing utensils, etc.).

Avoid Touching Your Body: COVID-19 is primarily spread through respiratory droplets, which means to become infected, people generally must be within six feet of someone who is contagious and come into contact with these droplets. It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.

Drink Water: This recommendation is considered a “myth” by experts. However, drinking water frequently is an underappreciated way to enhance your body's ability to detoxify. It may not have an impact on COVID-19 but it may help you be more resilient. Your mucous will catch some airborne particles before they can be respired. Drinking water can flush these toxins into the gut where they may be destroyed and removed, like any toxicity we face.

Avoid Air Contaminants: The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person, between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet), through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Air contaminants and pollution that is “respirable” (of a certain particle size that is NOT caught by our filtration system before the lungs) may cause lung irritation. This irritation may make your lungs more susceptible to serious infection as has been reported in current smokers. Thus avoid dusty, moldy, or other polluted air.

Avoid Crowds: Avoid crowds, especially in poorly ventilated spaces. Confined spaces like an aircraft, restaurant or bar are likely places of exposure. Your risk of exposure to respiratory viruses like COVID-19 may increase in such places if there are people present who are sick.

Avoid Those Infected: Avoid anyone who has this virus or is otherwise sick, if possible. Our bodies are only so resilient. If you develop the common cold or Flu, you may be more vulnerable to more severe COVID-19 disease. Since symptoms don't appear right away or can appear like the common cold or flu, evaluate where a person has been and their likelihood of exposure.

Wash Hands: Although virus transmission through the skin is not documented, household members should clean hands often, including immediately after removing gloves and after contact with an ill person, by washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available and hands are not visibly dirty, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol may be used. However, if hands are visibly dirty, always wash hands with soap and water. Defensively, wash your hands frequently and moisturize to maintain your protective skin barrier.

Clean Surfaces: Current evidence suggests that novel coronavirus may remain viable for hours to days on surfaces made from a variety of materials. Cleaning of visibly dirty surfaces followed by disinfection is a best practice measure for prevention of COVID-19 and other viral respiratory illnesses in households and community settings.

Avoid Travel: CDC does not generally issue advisories or restrictions for travel within the United States. However, cases of COVID-19 have been reported in many states, and some areas are experiencing community spread of the disease. Crowded travel settings, like airports, may increase your risk of exposure to COVID-19, if there are other travelers with COVID-19. Avoid going to areas known to have high incidences of the disease. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-in-the-us.html.

If you don't feel consistently well, you may be immunocompromised which will make you more vulnerable to severe CoVid-19 symptoms.

The best way to determine your immune health is through a comprehensive blood test. Here is one we recommend. https://www.healthrevivalpartners.com/product-page/chronic-disease-temperature-and-consult

Your sleep goal is 7 - 8 hours each night - on average.

Sleep helps our immune system remember previous encounters with bacteria or viruses, according to a research paper from Germany's Univeristy of Tubingen, published in Trends in Neuroscience.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/boost-your-immune-system-with-extra-sleep-1.2401953

Bleeding gums is a sign of periodontal disease, an infection that is an underlying cause of many chronic diseases including: heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and even premature births. Improving oral health is something everyone has in their control and may improve your resilience against the COVID-19 infection.

Coronavirus: early-stage case fatality rates by underlying health condition in China

Periodontal disease may fuel all of these conditions.

https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus

High nutrient dense food intake is a key component of sustained good immunity.

Dr. Oz discusses enhancing immunity by: taking vitamin D, vitamin C, and foods rich in nutrients. https://www.today.com/health/how-boost-your-immunity-dr-oz-shares-advice-coronavirus-spreads-t175593

Dr. Oz indicates that the way to reduce stress from this pandemic is to take some control. He recommends eating "cleaner" by avoiding junk foods and eating whole foods.

Americans have a higher risk of serious illness if infected with the novel coronavirus because we have more chronic health conditions compared to other developed nations. The Kaiser Family Foundation produced this map that shows risk of serious illness by state:

https://www.kff.org/global-health-policy/issue-brief/how-many-adults-are-at-risk-of-serious-illness-if-infected-with-coronavirus/

The graphic below shows the incidence of chronic diseases in America.

https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/infographic/chronic-diseases.htm

How do you know if you have the novel coronavirus? An early symptom may be night sweats. Do you have a new case of night sweats? Pay attention to this and keep a diary, you may help or save yourself and others as we seek to gain more knowledge about signs and symptoms of this disease.

Here is a cause of night sweats from WebMD: https://www.webmd.com/menopause/guide/8-causes-of-night-sweats

Presumably any infection that causes night sweats may also make you more vulnerable to severe CoVid-19 symptoms. If you had night sweats prior to the pandemic, consider seeking medical advice on the causes and solutions as pre-existing infection will make you more susceptible.

https://www.healthrevivalpartners.com/product-page/consultation-with-dr-thomas-lewis-phd-1

Some medications that just treat symptoms of a disease may actually increase your risk of infection. Although not yet studied, these medications may increase your risk for coronavirus and the subsequent severity of the infection. Biologic drugs that suppress your immune system is the major class of drug that may have the largest impact. Here is a recommendation from the American College of Rheumatology Society.

https://www.rheumatology.org/announcements

The following is a list of drugs that may increase your risk and severity of Covid-19:

https://www.healthline.com/health/immunosuppressant-drugs#drug-list

Side effects:

Side effects vary greatly for the many different immunosuppressant drugs available. To find out the side effects you may be at risk fork ask your doctor or pharmacist about the effects of your particular drug.

However, all immunosuppressant drugs carry the serious risk of infection. When an immunosuppressant drug weakns your immune system, your body becomes less resistant to infection. That means they make you more likely to get infections. It also means that any infections will be harder to treat and have more severe symptoms.

Highly credible researchers at the medical school of the University of California at San Francisco show that cholesteol levels go up in the presence of infection as part of an innate immue response.

There is emerging, but not yet confirmed, evidence suggesting that the Coronavirus has a relationship with HIV.

http://www.sophiaeducate.com/vulnerability/?i

HIV patients with low cholesterol die at much higher rates according to a Kaiser Permanente study:

Abstract:

This information calls into question the potential over-medicating of patients with cholesterol-lowering pharmaceuticals during times of widespread infection. Many studies suggest that artifical lowering of cholesterol should have a target above 160 mg/dL to avoid exess infection

Your gut constitutes a signifcant portion of your immune system. Strong stomach acid is the first defense against entry of pathogens and toxins into your body. We are now learning that gastrointestinal symptoms may precede respiratory symptoms due to CoVid-19. A healthy gut may play a role in prevention or reduction in severity of this disease.

Improving gut health is within your control. Take measures to improve you gut health and, potentially, your odds of reducing the severity of CoVid-19.

Here is a program we offer to improve gut health. https://www.healthrevivalpartners.com/product-page/gut-revival-program

People with pre-existing lung infections are reported to be more susceptible to CoVid-19 - Part 1.

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Ways to reduce lung disease is to increase you levels of vitamin D. https://youtu.be/W5yVGmfivAk

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We offer a diagnostic test for your overall health including your current vitamin D status.

https://www.healthrevivalpartners.com/product-page/chronic-disease-temperature-and-consult

People with pre-existing lung infections are reported to be more susceptible to CoVid-19 - Part 2.

Tuberculosis, considered rare in developed nations, is a cause of respiratory disease. Also, not widely recognized infections including chlamydia pneumoniae and mycoplasma pneumoniae may be contributing to lung disases while making you more vulnerable to the adverse effects of CoVid-19.

Abstract: Respiratory infections are one of the major causes of asthma exacerbations. Among numerous pathogens that may lead to exacerbations, particular attention should be paid to atypical bacteria: Chlamydia pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Despite significant frequency, infections caused by these species are underestimated due to untypical clinical course and lack of easily accessible diagnostic tests.

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We offer a diagnostic test for these underappreciated causes of respiratory diseases along with a consult to provide you with potential solutions should you test "positive" for one of these pathogen.

https://www.healthrevivalpartners.com/product-page/infectious-panel-labs-and-consultation

Do you want medical advice 24/7 but don't want to go to a doctors office, join our premier telehealth / virtual health network, GoMD.

https://www.gomd.care/contact-us/