Thriving

A Series by Ken Patterson, MD

We’ve weathered the storm of covid-19 phase 1.  That was the time when we faced the initial onslaught of the pandemic, and many places in the world experienced a spike in the number of cases and in the number of deaths.  In West Texas we had only a bump in the number of cases, not a spike.  Now, as social distancing loosens,  we will continue to have a drizzle of cases, and sometimes even another bump.  At least that’s what I expect, and my guesses have been about as good as theirs.

So, I have three points to make about coronavirus phase 2.

1. Don’t get stressed!  If you are, see my next blog [Part 2, click here].
2. Continue to follow social distancing guidelines as prescribed by public health officials in our locality. Phase 2 should involve “test, track and isolate”.  Unfortunately, both of the government and private enterprise have let us down and we don’t yet have the testing capacity that is needed. Therefore, social distancing will be necessary to some degree for quite a while.  If you or someone in your household is at high risk (greater than 70 years old, heart disease, obese, high blood pressure, lung disease or kidney disease) you should continue to practice high levels of social distancing. This should include wearing a facemask in public places and frequent handwashing in addition to being careful about who you admit into your house and who you have close contact with.
3. Find the silver lining in this cloud! Surviving and thriving in phase 2 is about increasing your ability to resist coronavirus when and if you’re exposed.  This could go on for months (years?), so we have time to get protections in place that will help us resist coronavirus, and thrive.

Action to take now:

1. The following supplements have potential to help you resist the effects of coronavirus.  Nothing is proven, but if you’re waiting for proof it will come way too late to be of any benefit.  The mechanism of action of these supplements indicate that they have the potential to either help prevent or reduce the severity of Corona virus infection.
   1. Melatonin – 1-5 mg at bedtime. Many potential mechanisms of action.  Melatonin is not just for sleep
   2. Liposomal Vitamin C – 2,000 -4,000 mg as tolerated, divided 3 times a day
   3. Probiotics and prebiotic – enhance gut-based immunity, possibly important for resisting Corona virus.
   4. Vitamin D, start 10,00)IU/day now. Again, many potential mechanisms of action against Corona Virus
   5. Curcumin 400 mg/day– the best natural anti-inflammatory also inhibits the entrance of coronavirus into cells.
   6. Resveratrol – 100-400 mg/day. An excellent polyphenol that has potential longevity benefits.
   7. Zinc – 20-40 mg/day for now (to be increased if you get an infection – I’ll cover this in the future)
   8. Elderberry – especially those who are at high risk.

In case you’re interested, all of these supplements, with the exception of elderberry, were taken daily by many individuals (including me!) before coronavirus for the general health benefits.

2. This is a great time to come to grips with our own mortality. What puts us at risk for being infirm, prone to illness, susceptible to diseases like coronavirus, and all the other causes of decreased quality of life, sickness and death is simply the lack of health reserve. It’s not only, not even mostly, corona virus that puts us at risk of disease and death.   There are many more important concerns when it comes to evaluating your vulnerability to decreased quality of life or death.  Understanding where you stand in terms of the risk of illness and disease is vitally important, and if corona virus makes you take stock of your health, then it’s been a cloud with a silver lining!

What then, is this silver lining?  What can turn all of this “bad” into “good” is simply this: taking action!

If you’re willing to do an honest evaluation of your health reserve and then take the necessary action to begin increasing your health reserve, you will turn this bad situation into an excellent opportunity.

If you found this to be useful, please pass it on to friends. And keep your eyes open because I’ll be sending out frequent updates.

If you would like to look further into what you can do to increase your health reserve, we are offering a $25 one hour health coaching session to further evaluate your status.  Please call 704-5069 to schedule your session!