Viruses are very much in the news at the moment with the coronavirus now appearing all around the world. This sort of thing can be frightening, especially when they start to call it a pandemic, but there is no need to get into fear about this. The number of fatalities is tiny compared to the average flu season (see link below). Also, viruses have always been part of human life and will continue to be so in the future. We just need to learn how to handle them…
One of the first things to understand about a virus is that they are usually self-limiting, both inside the body and in populations. The virus doesn’t really want to kill all of its hosts otherwise it would run out of bodies to infect. Also, as viruses travel through a population, they get weaker and weaker until they peter out. However, you don’t want to be collateral damage so it is a good idea to learn how to master them. (See the deep dive article on viruses and how they operate in The Science Stuff section https://futureproofhuman.co.uk/viruses-are-fascinating-deep-dive/).
Before you can learn how to master a virus you really need to understand a little about how they work. The first thing to understand is that they are not actually alive and in some ways they are like microscopic aliens. They are not the same as bacteria, which are more like microscopic animals, and which our immune system can recognise. Our immune system then creates targeted soldiers, called antibodies, which attack the bacteria and kill them.
Viruses are Sneaky
But viruses are sneaky. Not only do they have protein coats that ‘cloak’ them from our immune system, they reproduce by hijacking our own cells. The virus injects its own DNA into our cells where it uses our own genetic reproduction mechanism to multiply before bursting out of the cell to find and invade other cells. This usually destroys the host cell.
This is why antibiotics have no effect on viruses. Antibiotics can only deal with bacteria and will either kill the bacteria or stop them from reproducing. They do this by attacking the cell wall of the bacteria which makes it easy prey for the immune system. But our immune army often cannot even see the virus let alone recognise it. And how do you kill something that isn’t alive in the first place!
However there are certain soldiers within our immune army that are able to recognise infected cells and will choose to destroy the cell so that the virus cannot reproduce. And here is the key to becoming resistant to viruses or being able to see them off quickly if you do get infected. You stop them being able to reproduce at the same time as strengthening your immune system.
How to Stop a Virus
As I am writing this I am just about to go in to the sauna in my health club. I have had a virus for a couple of weeks now (not corona) and one of the best ways I have found to weaken it is to get really hot. This is what a fever tries to do for us, too.
Viruses can only reproduce within a certain temperature range and higher temperatures bring them to a standstill. The higher the temperature, the more inactive they become, particularly above 65 degrees Celsius (with the coronavirus it is 80 degrees). So if you can make your inner terrain inhospitable to them by heating up the body they will dwindle. As well as saunas and hot baths, you can mimic a fever by wrapping yourself up and sweating. A higher temperature also kicks the immune system into gear and helps its fighter cells travel throughout the body. This is one of the reasons that viruses do-the-rounds in the winter and generally start to fade in the summer.
What Can You Take to Fight a Virus?
Vitamin C
One of the first supplements you need to think about for combating any disease is Vitamin C. We are one of the few mammals that cannot make Vitamin C in their own bodies so we need to take it in from our food. When we are ill, we need a lot more Vitamin C than normal and it is hard to get enough from food alone so you do need to take supplements. It is best to take smaller doses, say 1000mg, throughout the day as Vitamin C can’t be stored so you need a steady input. You know when your body has had enough as you will reach bowel tolerance (loose stools). In this case just back off with the dosage until your system settles. You will find that you will need a lot less when you have recovered from the virus. There are reports coming out now that the coronavirus is responding well to high-dosage Vitamin C.
Vitamin D3 (with K2)
Vitamin D is another very important vitamin for the immune system, especially with viruses, as some of them block Vitamin D receptor sites as a way of hobbling the immune response. It is important to take it with Vitamin K2 as this makes sure that the Vitamin D escorts the calcium in your blood into your bones which is another of its important jobs.
Garlic
Garlic is a powerful natural anti-viral and anti-bacterial. You can take supplements but also make sure that you are getting as much in your diet as possible while you are ill (and throughout the winter generally). Garlic soup is one of the tastiest ways to get garlic into your system and I have put a link to a garlic soup recipe below. Don’t worry, when garlic is cooked this way it becomes creamy and sweet and is not overpowering.
Selenium
Selenium is often the ‘forgotton’ mineral that is very important for immune function. Many people are deficient in selenium to start with and when you are ill, you need extra as fighting a virus will deplete your inner supply.
Zinc
Zinc is another powerful natural mineral that helps your immune system deal with the virus. The ionic form is best as this is more bioavailable to the body.
Colloidal Silver
Colloidal silver is an important ally when it comes to fighting any infection, inside or out. It looks like water but it is millions of nano particles of silver suspended in liquid and it interfers with enzymes that allow a virus to utilise oxygen so it essentially suffocates it. You can take it internally by holding it is your mouth for 30 seconds and then swallowing it. You can also use it as a nasal rinse, throat wash or vapourise it in your home with essential oils (like 4 Thieves oil) to sanitise the air.
When it comes to mastering a virus the main thing to do is to rest, drinks lots, sweat and give your body the super-nutrition it needs to help your immune system do its job.
Keep Calm and Carry On
And remember to keep calm. The last thing you want is your body to be flooded with stress hormones, especially cortisol, which has a weakening effect on your immune resilience. Stress also depletes you of vital, virus-fighting vitamins. So, don’t let the fear-mongering get to you and realise that what you see on the news is often exaggerated to suit other agendas.
Note: To put things into perspective, at this point in time, there are only 106,433 confirmed cases in the WHOLE WORLD! There have been 3,594 deaths, 80% of which are in mainland China where the virus was started. Most infected people are recovering. There were 62,000 deaths in the 2018-2019 flu season and these sort of fatalities happen every year that the flu does the rounds. This link takes you to a brilliant chart which shows the constantly updated coronavirus figures. https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
Useful Info:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14787210.2020.1706483
https://www.bulletproof.com/supplements/vitamins-minerals/colloidal-silver-uses-benefits/