Covid Prevention: How to Keep Yourself Safe During the Second Wave
The holiday season is upon us, but unfortunately, the rate for Covid infections, hospitalizations, and fatalities are at an all-time high. The U.S. is adding close to 300,000 new cases per day and close to 3,000 fatalities per day1. Until we can get vaccinated, we still need to take measures to prevent infection. A protocol based guide for recommended treatment and prevention of COVID was recently written by the Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS). In the guide, many of the recommendations for prevention are natural therapies. I will discuss two of the therapies recommended in this post, vitamin D and melatonin. By combining natural therapies with mask wearing and social distancing, we can help reduce the spread of infection. We know that vitamin D is an important vitamin for bone health. But vitamin D also plays a critical role in immune function
An article published in September of 2020 found that blood levels of vitamin D of at least 30ng/mL (normal range is 30-100) reduced risk for poor clinical outcomes2. Pneumocytes are specialized cells in the lungs that produce surfactant which protects against acute respiratory distress syndrome. COVID virus targets these cells leading to decreased surfactant levels. Vitamin D reportedly helps to reduce destruction of pneumocytes and stimulate surfactant production which can prevent severe lung injuries3. Vitamin D can also play a role in reducing inflammation. It can reduce inflammatory markers such as c-reactive protein (crp) and reduce inflammatory cytokines such as IL-2, 6, and 12 (interleukins), tnf-alpha, and nf-kappaB. Over production of these cytokines, also known as the “cytokine storm”, is responsible for the symptoms associated with COVID (and the influenza virus). Vitamin D suppresses the release of these cytokines. Vitamin D can also stimulate the production of antimicrobial peptides and specialized lymphocytes that target viruses.
Melatonin is produced in the pineal gland and assists in initiating the sleep cycle. For many years research has shown its effectiveness for fighting cancer due to having anti-inflammatory properties. So how can it help for COVID? It has been found that melatonin is actually produced by mitochondria as well.When cells are undergoing inflammation, they stop making energy through mitochondria and start producing energy primarily from glucose. This leads to a production of more inflammatory cytokines and inhibits production of melatonin. Since melatonin exerts an anti-inflammatory effect, the combination of increased cytokines and decreased melatonin lead to even more inflammation4. When taken as a supplement melatonin can start to reverse this inflammatory cascade. Melatonin production is also decreased in people of older age and therefore may be more susceptible to inflammation and adverse effects of COVID.
Other preventive nutrients mentioned in the EVMS protocol were vitamin C, zinc, and quercetin. These nutrients are well known antioxidants and immune stimulants. At the Stram Center we can do a full evaluation of these nutrient levels and provide the correct guidance for dosing and safety.
1. CURRENT RATES
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html
2.VITAMIN D
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7518605/pdf/pone.0239799.pdf
3.VITAMIN D IMMUNE FUNCTION
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7447609/pdf/12967_2020_Article_2488.pdf
4.MELATONIN
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7211589/pdf/main.pdf
