Many of you are curious about why I haven’t been in a panic about the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s because I know the power of our immune systems. I’ve spent decades reinforcing my fragile immune system with everything it needs to function at peak efficiency and in doing so, I’ve survived (without pharmaceuticals of any kind) diseases that would have killed most people. Those not familiar with my health/healing story might refer back to my website: https://www.sandycowen.com/see-examples
So, here’s the lesson in all of that. We should all be aware of the power of healthy immunity. Yes, our immune system protects us from all viruses, bacteria, malignant cells (cancers) and germs of all kinds – even the COVID-19 virus. Every day, 24-7, our magnificent immune systems are zapping foreign invaders that have the potential to do damage to our bodies. Still, we take our immune system for granted and fail to nurture it with the proper program of maintenance.
Now, if you owned a Lamborghini Veneno Roadster ($4.5 million) or an Aston Martin Valkyrie ($3.2 million), you’d certainly take care of the engine with the necessary routine maintenance. I compare those two automobiles to our immune systems because all three are priceless; the cars have obvious value but a properly functioning immune system more than priceless. What’s good health really worth? All three need proper and constant maintenance to reach their potential. Americans are simply ignorant about the care and feeding our internal workings and that ignorance hinders their ability to prevent and recover from almost any disease.
For this ignorance I blame the NIH, FDA, AMA, other public health officials and medical schools which train allopathic physicians. They do not empower their patients, teach us thoroughly about prevention and helping us understand our body’s natural healing power. Today medicine is focused on treating symptoms, not getting to the root cause of what really ails us.
The pharmaceutical industry is the driver of conventional medicine and that trend has existed for the last six decades. We look to them for every answer to every problem. Not smart. Instead, we should look to our body, learn its capability, discover what it needs and then begin to listen to the signals it sends us. We also need to learn a few basics about how to keep our immunity in top form. That’s the reason for this blog.
I saw a video the other day by a very smart M.D. from Idaho, who is an expert in pathology, virology, immunology and a number of other specialties and who has read 6,000 articles on COVID-19 and has vaccinated 100,000 patients, while treating 350,000 others. He made some brilliant points. He was concise, fact based and everything he said was sourced to science. Nothing was political. With me viewing, he was preaching to the choir, but he still reminded me of what most American’s don’t know. He revealed several facts which I wanted to share – a couple others are mine.
A - The Vitamin D Factor. Most every human on the planet is vitamin D deficient. Interesting, isn’t it? If the sun’s rays could penetrate naturally, every day, that might not be the case – but seeding the clouds to manipulate weather, spreading other reflective material through the atmosphere to diminish the UV exposure and other world-wide government sponsored Weather-Climate Modification programs have interfered with nature and made it necessary for humans to react differently to protect their health. Unfortunately, we’ve not been totally informed about the first and aren’t educated about how to react, second.
Statistics show that 70-80% of all Caucasians, 83% of Blacks, 70% of Latinos and 72% of Native Americans are deficient in Vitamin D – not just seasonally. Trust me, this is a big deal because Vitamin D is not just another vitamin; it is also a prohormone, which forms hormones or activates other hormones. It is cornerstone to a perfectly functioning immune system.
B – What Other Supplements Help? Most have heard that zinc is important to the immune system – and it is - along with magnesium, which is needed for Vitamin D absorption. You should measure all 3 levels: Zinc, magnesium and Vitamin D. I’d trust naturopaths, osteopaths, holistic MD’s and highly educated nutritionists to determine the correct doses for you, MD’s are rarely educated enough in vitamins, minerals or supplementation levels and prescribe such low doses, they’re rarely effective.
C – Barriers to Vitamin D Absorption. Where you live and your skin color are key factors in not receiving adequate levels of D. People who reside above the 35th parallel receive less sunlight during fall and winter months (October – March) – so their bodies cannot synthesize D efficiently. In that case, supplementation is critical.
Darked skinned individuals also synthetize Vitamin D poorly, which might explain the susceptibility some races have to various diseases; that includes brown and black skinned persons of all races. Because of pigmentation, they will find it more difficult to absorb the sun’s rays which supply adequate doses of vitamin D – so, their immunity can be compromised. Vitamin D supplementation is necessary.
D – Viral Seasonality. We all refer to a cold and flu season but why is that? The reason isn’t because the virus is more aggressive or contagious during the fall and winter. It’s because we are more fragile. In the spring and summer, the UV rays of the sun damage the viruses and often kill them outright because all viruses are very fragile. That’s the reason there are fewer cases of colds and flu during sunny months. But there’s also another reason: the seasonal vulnerability of our own immunity. With the entire globe facing a Vitamin D deficiency (which should be headline news - but it isn’t) – the viruses will attack weak bodies anytime they are susceptible. October through March is the most likely time, with the sun’s rays diminished so we absorb less Vitamin D, thereby compromising our immunity. Make sense?
When we all consider the importance of Vitamin D and the massive deficiency of this Vitamin among all of us – it might be that we haven’t had a Corona Virus Pandemic – we rather a Vitamin D Deficiency Pandemic. Following that logic – it also makes sense that the populations most affected with COVID-19 have been those in hospitals, nursing homes, the aging population and immune compromised. All of those populations are always D deficient (without supplementation) by nature of their lifestyle and environment. I hope the dots are beginning to connect.
E – How Much Sun Helps? According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), between 5 and 30 minutes of unprotected sun exposure to your face, arms, legs or back between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. - two to three times every week - should be enough for your body to produce all of the Vitamin D it needs. Sunscreen will block vitamin D production – so for the first few minutes you’re in the sun (some say 10-15), do so without sunscreen and if you are to stay outdoors, apply it after that period.
That means please ignore what you’ve always heard about staying out of the sun from 10-2 – and always wearing sunscreen. Follow the instructions above and ask any doctor if that is not correct. Still, if old habits die hard and you’re afraid to do that, take the supplements, instead.
F. How Much D Helps? I do not prescribe but I am happy to share what I take. I take a D3 (generally recommended) – and I take 5,000 mg twice a day – that is 10,000 mg a day. Most doctors would recommend from 1,000 to 4,000 daily and although 4,000 may be OK for some, 1,000 was completely inadequate. I believe a total of 5,000 a day is more appropriate for people who are deficient. All people, however, should have their D levels measured – along with magnesium (also importantl for D absorption) and zinc.
I will caution you that that minimum daily requirements for supplements are rarely adequate - as any health care provider trained in supplementation will tell you – such doses equate to trying to bail out water in a boat with a thimble.
In Conclusion. If you want to stay healthy during this pandemic, endemic or any other viral onslaught that comes our way – give your immune system the tools it needs to fight on your behalf. This system is designed to kill them when they first appear. Other measures to keep your immune system healthy include eating healthy (by the way – Balance of Nature is great vegetable/fruit supplement), drink plenty of water and get enough sleep. You’ll be surprised how your health will improve.
I’m not advocating you ignore guidelines being given – they are fine but not nearly as important as the ones in this blog. The fear you are also being given – you can totally ignore. Fear also weakens our immune system.
Also, if you have a chance to view the video Dr. Ryan Cole of Cole Diagnostics in Idaho made on You-Tube, it’s worth watching. It’s only 24-minutes, but he is a smart guy and covers a lot without getting into the weeds.
The best tools you have to stay in peak health are becoming empowered and self-educated. Then, stay smart and be healthy.
That’s what I’ve done – fairly well, I’d say.