Reducing COVID-19 Effects

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Reducing COVID-19 Effects

∞The purpose of this article is to learn how we can set the stage for a better outcome when we are faced with any pathogen, but reducing the severe COVID-19 effects associated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus is the focus. This is not a document about acute treatment for COVID-19. This article works on the old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Reading this information will give you the foundational ideas to create a healthier body that can withstand the onslaught of environmental pathogens better and reduce severe COVID-19 effects before they even get started.

Reducing COVID-19 Effects Arcticle In a Nutshell

The involvement of comorbidities in predisposing to COVID-19 severity
How toxins, genetics and lifestyle factors are involved in comorbidities and outcomes when dealing with infectious pathogens
Steps that lessen the chance of getting these comorbidities and therefore reduce the severe effects from COVID-19 as well as other infections
Steps that may help when taken by people who already have these comorbidities to better decrease the magnitude of dysfunction and health consequences causing those comorbidities

Reducing Comorbidities Involved in Severe COVID-19 Effects

Comorbidities are involved in most of the serious COVID-19 effects that we want to reduce. The United States CDC has said that people of any age with specific health conditions (the comorbidities) are more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19. These comorbidities have been identified, but, there is very little discussion around the fact that these illnesses are just as much at fault as the SARS-CoV-2 virus in causing severe symptoms and in some cases, demise of some members of this group of compromised individuals. It is important to educate the public as to how these comorbid health conditions weaken our defense mechanisms, adding to the likelihood of a dysfunctional immune system and ultimately decreasing our ability to protect ourselves from severe COVID-19 symptoms or death when compared to those that do not have these comorbidities. Learning which comorbidities are known to be associated with worsened outcomes and which causative factors have been involved in inducing these illnesses gives us the knowledge to make changes in our lifestyle that can help to protect us from not just SARS CoV-2, but also to SARS CoV-1 and Influenza as well as many other viruses and bacteria. When we bring these factors to the light of day, it gives us the choice to take control and make positive changes in our health that gives additional protection from the ravages of infectious illness in the future. Not making this an important part of the discussion sets our society up for both a continuing growth in chronic disease as well as making us sitting ducks for future viruses and other pathogens. There are many factors related to these comorbidities that we can change as they are often associated with lifestyle factors as well as toxins found in our environment. By educating ourselves, we learn how to become more proactive, changing our health through preventative and curative choices. We learn how take control of factors of ill-health we previously thought were outside of our grasp, thereby reducing the possibility of severe COVID-19 effects becomes a by-product of our actions as well as preventing other future consequences of chronic disease.

Dysfunctional Immune System Involvement

The most severe consequences from COVID-19 and influenza stem from a degraded/dysfunctional immune system being exploitated by the virus. Theoretically, in an individual with a healthy body and healthy immune system, the virus would usually be unable to overcome its strong defenses, and would be neutralized. This takes place in the majority of people. For those of us with a healthy immune system most viral encounters teach our immune system to be more resilient and stronger. These encounters can give us protection against additional onslaughts in the future. However, if someone has a dysfunctional immune system it may over-respond or under-respond to viral confrontations. In the situation with COVID-19 a dysfunctional immune system makes us less able to prevent the occurrence of a life-threatening outcome from a brand new virus we are confronted with.

We need a healthy immune system to protect us from all viral challenges. The illnesses associated with poor viral COVID-19 outcomes are also associated with a dysfunctional immune system as well as other organ dysfunctions that the SARS COoV-2 virus (same as with other viruses) takes advantage of and exacerbates. If we live our lives in such a manner as to enhance our immune system and support all body organs as a whole, the viruses do not have a partner in crime. We become better at defending our bodies from pathogens as well as better able to live a healthier and more fulfilling life in general.

Basic Details About SARS CoV-2 and COVID-19

The Sars panedemic of 2002-2003, and the influenza pandemics that happen yearly, as well as the current new COVID-19 pandemic share the following:

Not everyone exposed will come down with notable symptoms
Of those who do become symptomatic, only a tiny fraction of them die
Those who die from these diseases usually succumb to pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome
The majority of deaths are among the elderly with comorbidities and dysfunctional immune reaction
Those deaths in younger people are generally seen in association with comorbidity and a dysfunctional immune reaction

CDC's List of Comorbidities Associated With Severe COVID-19 Effects

The list of CDC comorbidities has become quite long. Many, but not all comorbidities are preventable. Many of these illnesses are associated with both toxins and lifestyle factors, although genetics may be involved also. For example, 15% of Down Syndrome is considered hereditary. First, we will take a look at this long list of comorbidities. Some of these such as pregnancy are not considered an illness but is on the CDC list as a condition making the mom/fetus more susceptible to the severe effects from COVID-19.

The chronic illnesses and conditions implicated as comorbidities associated with COVID-19 severity on the CDC website, last updated on October 14, 2021 include:

Overweight and Obesity - Risk of COVID related death is 10 times higher in countries like the USA where the majority of the population (67.9%) is overweight. The CDC data shows 78% of all hospitalized cases in the USA were overweight or obese.
Chronic kidney disease
Chronic lung disease
Chronic liver disease
Diabetes (type 1 and 2)
Dementia and other neurological conditions
Down Syndrome
Heart conditions
HIV infection
Immunocompromised state – this can be due to being on drugs, health conditions causing immune suppression, being elderly, or being under 1 year of age
Mental health conditions
Pregnancy
Immune compromised status
Smoking
Sickle cell disease
Cancer
Solid organ or blood stem cell transplant
Stroke or cerebrovascular disease
Substance use disorders (alcohol, opioids, or cocaine)
Tuberculosis

Chronic Body Stressors Disrupt Health

Many of the above diseases have been linked to specific chronic stress on the body that can be due to chemicals, biotoxins, other environmental toxins, other physical stressors, and psychosocial stressors. Chronic health stressors can disrupt the immune system and may lead to an increased risk of death in COVID-19 patients. We can identify chronic stressors that are factors in creating many comorbidities in the list above and often alter that comorbidity. Obviously, some of these conditions are less likely to be changed even if we know what caused them, but in other cases there are things we can do to prevent the illness or decrease it’s severity. In some cases it does not make sense to try to change what the CDC calls a comorbidity. An example would be pregnancy. However, the pregnant women can take steps be as healthy as possible and therefore be less likely to get as severely affected from any illness and risk negative consequences to her baby. Down Syndrome is not something we are going to alter either, but these individuals can be assisted to be as healthy as possible. We are also not going to be able to change the immunocompromised condition of the person with a transplanted organ as they need to remain on immunosuppressive drugs to keep their organ from being rejected by their immune system. However, there are things that organ transplant recipients can do to make themselves healthier and more able to resist infectious onslaughts. They should ask their health care practitioner for ideas on how to support their general health.

I have mentioned the immune system is vital in protecting us from all viruses and I want to examine for a moment those things that can be factors in a dysfunctional immune system and can weaken our ability to react appropriately to a virus or other pathogen. Some of them we can’t alter while others we have greater control over.

Causes of a dysfunctional immune System

Age - the very young and very old can have a decreased immune system reaction. Elders should seek guidance from their practitioner on ways to support their immune system. Babies use to be kept home until their immune system was functioning. This tradition is not followed as much nowadays.
Nutritional Status - good nutritional support is necessary to a proper functioning immune system. Eating one glass of fruit juice or other sugary food can decrease immune system activity for a few hours.
Genetics - we are born with a more or less effective immune system and have to deal with the cards we are dealt. However, we can affect epigenetics.
Drugs - corticosteroids, immunosuppressives used in organ tranpsplantion and other drugs may decrease the immune systems activity.
Radiation - Given during cancer therapy, diagnostic imaging or due to environmental disasters, radiation can decrease or stop the production of white blood cells temporarily.
Chronic wasting diseases such as cancer and TB as well as immunodeficiency diseases such as HIV can negatively effect the immune system.
Congenital factors - these are factors that occur during intrauterine life and 6% of babies worldwide are born with a congenital anomaly. Some affect the immune system.
Toxic lifestyle
Environmental toxins/biotoxins
Occupational toxins/biotoxins
Personal lifestyle choices in diet, use of drugs, lack of exercise
Psychosocial factors
Chronic stress - can decrease the immune systems activity due to endocrine system effects. Constant fear of the Coronavirus is also stressful and not healthy for your immune system and should be dealt with. "Coronavirus Fear may Decrease Your Immunity"
People are social by nature and being isolated is unhealthy and weighs heavily on a person’s mind/psyche/body. Isolation can lead to lonliness which can lead to depression which affects our health negatively.
Socioeconomic factors are also known to affect lifestyle factors that affect the immune system

Factors Associated With Many of The Comorbidities

Below are details regarding some of the more controllable causes of dysfunctional immune systems and examples of them. Note that most of these are issues due to choices we make at some point in our lives. Often these can be changed by new choices we make. It may entail hard work, and making changes in how we think, behave, work, as well as necessitating some core changes in our being. Just remember, the outcome is a healthier body and leads to reducing severe COVID-19 effects in many instances.

#1 - Toxic Lifestyle factors

Smoking
Living in area of high air pollution or other types of pollution
Abuse of Alcohol and Drugs
Taking inappropriate prescription drugs
Diet of high calorie, processed, highly refined foods, sugary foods, lack of fresh, vital high nutrient foods
Dehydration
Lack of sunshine
Lack of exercise
lack of adequate rest and relaxation
Lack of refreshing sleep
Lack of fulfilling social interactions
Lack of social support from loved ones or anyone
Lack of joy, and peace in life

#2 - Toxicology In Covid-19

Rather than listing all the toxins involved in immune system dysfunction, I suggest you take a look at a research article that already does this in depth. It additionally, has links to other articles regarding chemical exposure. For an in-depth look at how toxicology-based causes are involved in COVID-19 and other viral illnesses check out the article “The under-reported role of toxic substance exposures in the COVID-19 pandemic” printed in Food and Chemical Toxicology November 2020.

I would also suggest a website called the Environmental Working Group that is helpful if you want to look up specific chemicals and how they affect your health.

I will go over biotoxins as they are an under-reported source of toxins that most people are not familiar with.

#3 - Biotoxins

Fungal and bacterial toxins in water-damaged houses make biotoxins that can lower immunity, and are one of the more common biotoxins individuals are exposed to. There are however a variety of biotoxins we can be exposed to and a list of where they come from are as follows.

Fungal mycotoxins
Microbial biotoxins
Viral biotoxins
Plant biotoxins
Animal biotoxins
Reptile biotoxins
Parasite biotoxins
Insect biotoxins

Examples of Biotoxin Emitting Organisms:

Microbes
Mold in water damaged buildings (moldy buildings)
Fungus that grows in your body. - such as yeast that makes the toxin acetylaldehyde or Aspergillus fungi that makes a variety of mycotoxins
Fungus that makes mycotoxins found in food
Ticks that carry tick borne disease of which some put out toxins
Shellfish Poisoning
- Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning - from algae toxins saxitoxin and gonyautoxin that accumulates in shellfish
- Amnesiac Shellfish Poisoning - from domoic acid that is from diatoms. Shellfish accumulate the domoic acid.
Neurotoxic poisoning from brevetoxins
Diarrhetic poisoning from okadaic acid and inophysistoxi
Dinoflagellate found in estuaries and the ocean such as Ciguatera (sea food poisoning associated with tropical fish)
Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) - found in fresh water - such as Cylindrospermopsis and Microcystis
Spider venom such as from Brown Recluse or Black Widow
Scorpians
Snakes
Other critters known to have toxic bites
Fish/Seafood known to cause poisonings by harboring toxins within them
Other critters known to release toxins in food
Parasites

Screening Test For Biotoxin Exposure

A person can be screened for biotoxin exposure by using an online or in-office visual contrast sensitivity test (VCS).

#4 - PsychoSocial

Social isolation and Lonliness
Depression
Anxiety
Chronic stress of psychological/mental types of any kind
Childhood abuses

#5 - Medically Induced Immunosuppression

NSAIDS – non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Corticosteroids
Janus Kinase Inhibitors
Calcineurin inhibitors
mTOR inhibitors
IMDH ihibitors
Anesthesia
Antibiotics - reduction of flora in gut interferes with the immune systems ability to fight off disease and especially increase risk of fungal infections. In mice research, some antibiotics have been shown to decrease effectiveness of some white blood cells.
Ionizing radiation

#6 - Autoimmunity or Dysfunctional Immunity

Medically Induced

Examples here would be arthralgia, Guillain-Barré syndrome, thrombocytopenia, aseptic meningitis, multiple sclerosis, antiphospholipid syndrome, myocarditis, acute encephalomyelitis rhematoid vasculitis, Schonlein-Henoch syndrome, SLE, rheumatoid arthritis, various other connective tissues disease.

Vaccines - components of vaccines such as adjuvants, preservatives, stabilizers, components left over from vaccine production process, antiotics and the actual viral, bacterial or toxin used have all been implicated as possible reasons for some of the autoimmune reactions associated with the specific vaccines. Adjuvants appear to be the main issue. A difference in production of autoantibodies in healthy humans has been observed between adjuvanted and non-adjuvanted influenza vaccines.
Drugs (too many to list, but these are some of the drugs more commonly associated with the autoimmune disease lupus)
- Sulfadiazine
- Hydralazine
- Procainamide
- Isoniazid
- Methyldopa
- Quinidine
- Minocycline
- Chlorpromazine

More than 90 medications have been implicated in causing just this one autoimmune disease called lupus. This link has additional drugs that may cause the autoimmune disease lupus.

Additional autoimmune induced rheumatic diseases that are associated with drugs are scleroderma, systemic vasculitis, polymyositis, dermatomyositis, and Sjögren's syndrome. I am not going to list all the autoimmune diseases here and the drugs associated with them as this is a large subject.

Pathogen Induced

Infectious agents themselves have been found to be associated with inducing autoimmune conditions and viruses are the usual culprit. Most autoimmune diseases have been associated with at least one infection and is thought to take place in genetically susceptible individuals.

Examples of autoimmune diseases that have been associated with pathogens would include antiphospholipid syndrome, systemic lupus erythematous, Rheumatoid arthritis, Transient ischemic dilation, multiple sclerosis and hashimotos.

Check out this article on the hypothyroid condition Hashimotos and how it is associated with viral induction.

#7 - SocioEconomic

Lack of adequate income for food/shelter/health care
Working yourself to the bone
Doing work that you believe is morally wrong can induce stress and chronic stress can lower immunity
Feeling left out of society is also stressful and over time can lead to lowered immunity

Healthy Lifestyle Habits To Reduce Severe COVID-19 Effects

When an individual is exposed to many of these toxic stressors in their life it affects their health and the more of these stressors they are exposed to the more likely ill health will ensue. Naturally, an individuals genetics can increase or decrease the level of stressor load they can take. When a person’s genetics and lifestyle has lead them towards one of more comorbidities listed above and they then get the influenza virus or SARS-CoV-1 or SARS-CoV-2 it is harder for their body to fight off these viruses with a weakened system. Their immune system is unable to function normally. It may underperform or overperform depending on each individuals circumstances. Trading toxic lifestyle habits for those that are healthy is the cornerstone of a body that can defend itself against viruses. Therefore having healthy lifestyle habits are important. Before someone makes big changes in their lifestyle it is good to meet with a naturopath or practitioner who practices functional medicine to get advice specific to that individual. Below I am sharing general lifestyle habits that will help the average person support their immune system and protect them from environmental pathogens. However, each individual is unique and should seek personalized guidance, since some of these general suggestions below may not be helpful for everyone and could in some cases be harmful. For instance, someone who takes immunocompromising drugs to keep their transplanted organ from rejecting, should usually not be attempting to increase their immune system unless their practitioner has advised it in a specific circumstance.

The immune system needs nourishment from the food we take in. It is dependent on a healthy lifestyle for optimum functionality. Healthy food, a safe environment, sunshine, clean air, healthy water, exercise, prayer/meditation and a fulfilling life are necessary for optimum immune system function. Nutritional products and herbs can be used to support the normal function of the immune system. Some basic nutritional information is below and for some of the more popular herbs used, check out this immune system article.

Healthy eating is one of the fundamentals necessary to support your immune system. Eat the right foods and be conscious about the quality of food you are consuming. There are antibiotics and steroids in non-organic meat, and dairy products that may effect your immune system. Only eat high quality meat and dairy from healthy animals. Your immune system can not function properly witout adequate protein, so if you are vegetarian be sure you are getting enough protein and all the essential amino acids are included. Pesticides and herbicides in non-organic vegetables may also effect your immune system. Eat only organic food.

Caretenoids (as well as other flavonoids) in carrots, yams, squash, tomatoes, melons, calendula flowers, dandelion flowers, elecampane flowers, green leafy vegetables are beneficial. Carotenoids protect phagocytes from auto-oxidative damage, enhance T- and B-lymphocyte proliferation responses, stimulate effector T cell functions, enhance their cytotoxic capabilities and stimulate macrophage and NK cell activities and increase production of certain interleukins. They also protect lipids in the cell wall from damage.

Eat wild foods which are nutritious and immune-supportive such as plantain, cleavers, chickweed, stinging nettles (cooked only): many of these herbs can be used in stir fries, soups, or juiced. The stinging nettles should be cooked due to the possibility of being stung otherwise. The chickweed is great in salad. plantain and cleavers are best juiced. These vibrant green wild foods support our bodies via their vitamins, minerals, enzymes and ways we yet have to discover.

Foods such as beets and other root vegetables as well as fall greens are helpful for nutritional support to the immune system.

Eating antioxidants in your fresh fruits and vegetables is very helpful. All brightly colored foods have antioxidants in them. The top 5 antioxidants from a USDA study of 100 plants with antioxidants was as follows:

Blueberries (cultivated)
Pinto beans
Red kidney beans
Blueberries (wild)
Small red beans (dried)

Please note that dried beans should always be soaked before cooking.

Dairy products can cause a wide range of problems that affect the immune system. This may be due to an allergy or sensitivity to the milk sugar or protein in the milk or it can simply be due to the use of pasteurized milk. If you want to use milk products, the best milk to use for most people is fresh, organic, clean, raw goat milk. Fermented milk products are better than non-fermented milk products. It is best to avoid all hydrogenated oils and polyunsaturated vegetable oils. These oils result in the production of free radicals which directly impact the immune system. Consider less use of oil in cooking and when you use oil, use olive oil, coconut oil and butter as cooking oil/fat and get essential fatty acids by adding fresh flax and fish oils to the diet as well as eating fish and nuts. Also avoid excessive amounts of sugary foods, food additives, preservatives, artificial flavors, excess iron, low nutrient, refined food diets, pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics and hormones in food, contaminated water, prescription drugs, recreational drugs (including coffee and chocolate).

Specific Healthy Lifestyle Habits To Consider

Stay hydrated to protect the mucous membranes of the respiratory and digestive tract.
Make sure your water source is clean and free of pathogens and toxic chemicals. I use a charcoal filter to remove chlorine and other toxins from my water supply. What type of filter is used can depend on your water supply.
Diet of high nutrient, fresh, organic, vital food
Do not eat food in plastic packaging and do not cook it in plastic packaging
Exercise, 20-30 minutes, 5 days per week minimum
Do not use pesticides and herbicides on your property and shun them in public places
Eliminate chemicals and toxins in your environment and remove them from your body.
Nourish, tonify, and enhance organ systems that are depleted or not functioning properly.
Get adequate, restful and refreshing sleep - For some having trouble going to sleep, melatonin can be helpful taken 30-60 minutes prior to bed. in a Cleveland Clinic-led study, melatonin provided a 30% decreased liklihood of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 and for African Americans this increased to 52%. Ask your practitioner about this if it interests you.
Mental/emotional outlook - The ability to be content, happy and to be able to roll with the punches has been shown to enhance the bodies immunity.
Include joyful activities in your day.
Wifi removal: Some people who feel chronically ill, after finding nothing else wrong have turned to removal or protection from wifi and other sources of EMFs and found when they are removed their health improves.
Meaningful, social interactions are necessary
If isolated and lonely, consider donating your time or working a job that involves interaction with others
Discontinue recreational drug use.
Decrease prescription drug use as much as possible under the guidance of your physician.
Rest and meditation/prayer.
Bathe in sunshine and relax in nature. If there is a lack of sun, supplement with vitamin D. However, vitamin D is just one thing you get from the sun and does not replace it. Observational studies suggest associations between low vitamin D concentrations and higher rates of COVID-19 infection. (Also see https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2770157, and https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/106/3/e1343/5934827) Before starting Vitamin D supplements I have individuals get their blood levels checked and want to see them at 50-80 ng/ml
Vitamin A is also helpful and can be obtained from meat, (especially high in liver) Cod liver oil, and in the precursor of carotene in all vegetables that are orange colored such as squash, sweet potato, carrots and is also in many green vegetables to some degree.
Enjoy the benefits of massage and hydrotherapy.
Include joyful activities in your day.
Gut health is necessary for immune system health. A large part of the immune system is in the gut lining. This is called the gastrointestinal associated lymphatic tissues (GALT). 80% of the antibodies in your body are made here. Support the gut immune system by eating fermented foods to supply extra microbiota and feeding the resident beneficial gut bacteria with fiber. Bone broth with garlic, ginger (or other warming spices), shitake mushrooms and green onions is good for the gut unless you have high histamine issues. If histamine issues, read the link on bone broth above.
Probiotics have been found to be better than placebo in reducing the number episodes of acute upper respiratory tract infections, the rate of episodes of acute upper respiratory tract infection and reducing antibiotic use.
Vitamin C supports the immune system. Vitamin C is accumulated in white blood cells and used during active immune responses. It is a great antioxidant, protecting cells from toxins generated by viral activity. As a preventative 1-3 grams per day is used. For treatment, take up to bowel tolerance (1-8 grams per day). You can use vitamin C and add rose hip berries to your teas. I suggest Rose hips as a better choice than vitamin C. IV vitamin C has been shown to be helpful with COVID-19.
Zinc supplements have been shown to increase immune function. I suggest 25 mg per day for adults and about 15 mg per day for children. Adults can go up to 50 mg per day for 10 days if needed. Take the supplement with food to avoid nausea. Zinc has also been shown to reduce the duration of flu and cold symptoms from 7.6 to 4.4 days. Zinc lozenges are available in many health food stores. One of the reasons people using hydroxychloroquine also often use zinc is that hydroxychloroquine appears to help the zinc get inside the infected cells to destroy the vius. Several studies have shown increased intracellular zinc concentrations inhibit RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and other proteins necessary for the different phases of a viruses life cycle. There are other zinc ionophores that also appear to help zinc get inside the cells and they are quercetin, ECGC (in green tea) and resveratrol. Any time you take zinc for more than a couple months you should consult your practitioner as you may need to take a smaller amount of copper with it to balance them. I personally suggest zinc with green tea or quercetin for prevention rather than ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine that some people are using long term.
Magnesium is deficient in about 1/2 the U.S. population and is necessary for adequate immune function.
Selenium is also necessary for immunity and is very low in the soil in some parts of the U.S. while very high in the soil in others. This is why it is not good to simply take minerals without knowing if you need them.
Vitamin Bs are also helpful for immune support as well as adrenal support and support of your biotransformation system and mitochondrial support. All these systems work hard during an infection.
Resveratrol has been shown to inhibit the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro and has many studies showing support in a variety of viral illnesses.
Turmeric has some interesting research showing it may help prevent cytokine storms seen in COVID-19. Curcumin, a constituent in Turmeric has been shown to hypermethylate CpG islands in research. It is known that viral infections use epigenetic mechanisms in general and especially CpG methylation to find ways to induce syncytium development and enterocytosis or take advantage of hypomethylated cell membranes. SARS-CoV-2 uses hypomethylated membranes as cellular entry points.
In research, hypomethylation of cells increases the chance the virus can take hold. Therefore, supporting methylation in people who are known to have methylation issues may be helpful. Don't willy-nilly take methylation support supplements if you don't know you need them though as too much methylation may also enhance the liklihood of cancer or other issues. Our bodies like moderation.
Eat a nourishing diet of whole organic or biodynamic foods that are high quality-fat, high quality-protein, high-fiber, and with complex carbohydrates. A healthy diet has lots of dark green leafy vegetables as well as colorful vegetables and fruits included. Make sure the fruits and vegetables are fresh, and ripe.
Remove any food sensitivities and unhealthy foods from the diet. Elimination diets are a good method to find offending foods if there are any. Testing for food sensitivities such as available ac Cyrex Labs is helpful.
Sugar is not a friend of the immune system, so remove it entirely.
The nutrients associated with maintaining an adequate immune system are the minerals iron, zinc, and selenium and vitamins A, C, D, E, and B vitamins. Many people are nutrient deficient, especially of minerals. So a baseline of proper nutrition is very important. Make sure your diet includes these nutrients.
Consider Adaptogen herbs. Most of them have been shown to enhance oxygenation of lung tissue and the ability to protect the lungs for free radical damage. A couple such herbs would be Rhodiola and Schisandra.
If a person already has phlegm in their lungs or starts to get mucus in their lungs from a chronic illness or infectious illness, use of N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) can help thin the mucus. However, be careful as NAC also chelates out and removes some heavy metals as well as some mycotoxins and this can make a preson feel worse if the person has either of these conditions. Additionaly, details on NAC and other solutions are also listed here. An herb that is also very good at thining and removing mucus from the lungs is Mullein.

Remember these are all general recommendations and each individual should seek out guidance from their health care practitioner as to which suggestions would be helpful for their specific health needs. Testing can be undertaken to look for nutrient deficiencies and is usually recommended rather than simply taking supplements without knowing if they are needed.

Check out this link, for an article on supporting the immune system during the time of COVID-19. It has some similar tips but also has information on herbs used to support the immune system

Example of What To Do

It is easy for us to take charge of our lives and use healthy lifestyles to decrease our chance of getting many of the comorbidities listed above through employing general healthy lifestyle habits. We can also focus on specific issues to prevent or decrease current health conditions. For example, if we already have metabolic syndrome which can lead to diabetes, we know it would be prudent to focus on healthy habits that will decrease our chance of diabetes. Exercise, diet, supplements and herbs can be used by many individuals to lower weight, decrease insulin sensitivity, improve blood glucose levels, hemoglobin A1C and bring back health. Working with a naturopath, or functional medicine practitioner or other health experts is often helpful as a program made specifically for each individual will take account of each person’s specific needs.

What Was Covered, In a Nutshell

COVID-19 has been shown to be more severe and more likely to cause mortality in those who have comorbidities making them more susceptible to severe and fatal outcomes.

Those commorbidites are often associated with poor lifestyle habits and environmental toxins.

We can protect ourselves from toxins and change our lifestyle habits to make it less likely to end up with these comorbidities.

Those who already have comorbidities may be able to become much healthier by leading a healthier lifestyle.

Those with comorbidities can seek guidance from a local health care practitioner who can create a plan to increase their bodies resiliency and vitality to help them better avoid the hazards of future infections of any kind including COVID-19.

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