How do we get out of this mess?
Not with present public health policy
I think we all need a Get Out Of Covid Jail Free Card
So how do we go about getting this card.
Unfortunately it is not from the present COVID vaccines. If these vaccines worked we would not be seeing higher cases and new evasive strains. This is not a pandemic of the unvaccinated regardless of what you hear and read in the media. Both vaccinated and unvaccinated are contracting the newer strains of COVID. Both are ending up hospitalized or worse almost equally. Presently the COVID vaccines allow you to move about in society more freely without necessarily reducing your COVID risks.
COVID is a pandemic of the unprepared.
So let's prepare!
Here are some options and thoughts
Don’t get old or overweight!
In all seriousness it’s not your chronological age but moreso how you have treated your body. The more chronic diseases/inflammatory health issues you have, the greater your risk of COVID complications but also of any infectious disease process. By now we should know that Diet related diseases of civilization such as Overweight, Obesity, Hypertension and Diabetes are all big risk factors for COVID complications. We also no there are no vaccines or mRNA treatments for these diet related diseases. But there are things you can do and I suggest you work with your healthcare professional to optimize your lifestyle.
Balance your immune system
You want an immune system that properly responds to viruses to clear them from your body WITHOUT causing excessive inflammation. Excessive inflammatory response such as the cytokine storm are responsible for much of the deaths from COVID. A well balanced immune system prevents this excess inflammation.
Optimize Gut Health
So how can I balance my immune system? The answer is to balance your Gut health. As 75-80% of your immune system is in your Gut, you should think twice or even thrice about what you are putting into your Gut. Avoiding processed and inflammatory foods is the goal. Stick to natural foods like nature intended. A few options include the Paleo diet, Whole 30 diet or even Carnivore diet. All of these have been shown to improve Gut health.
Fix your metabolism
It has also been shown that a weight gaining metabolism is an inflammatory state. The number one weight gaining hormone in your body is Insulin. So too much insulin increases weight gain. Insulin rises the most in response to dietary carbohydrates. So perhaps decrease the carbohydrates to decrease the insulin to shed any excess weight you have accumulated. If you are overweight but you are now eating lower carb, your metabolism is now in an improved less inflammatory state, even if you have 40-100 pounds more weight to lose. It’s not always where you are, but moreso the direction you are headed that’s most important.
Control your stress
This one is simple. Stress hormones, such as cortisol, which helps you with the fight or flight response to keep you safe need to return to normal quickly after a stressful event. If you have chronic daily continuing stress it can alter your immune response leaving you more vulnerable to infections. Learn how to meditate. Go for morning walks. Get some outdoor activity in and some sunshine.
Get proper and refreshing sleep
Melatonin is a hormone that helps you not only sleep, but also acts as a natural anti-inflammatory. Melatonin rises as Cortisol falls and vice versa. Sooooo, if you are getting good restful sleep then most likely your Melatonin is up and your stress hormone cortisol is down.
Get outdoors in the sun
We all know that sunshine helps our body produce Vitamin D. Vitamin D plays a large part of our anti-inflammatory immune response. Studies have shown people with optimal levels of Vitamin D have less complications from COVID. Being outdoors also greatly reduces your risk of catching COVID.
If you do your best to optimize the above suggestions you have a better chance of clearing COVID quicker once, not if, but once you get infected. COVID will never fully go away. It is and will be continue to be endemic, so the objective is a strong defense which is what I have written about above.
So far all of the research I have read indicates that natural immunity that occurs after recovery from a COVID infection is strong and long lasting, probably years to decades. As we have seen from the present COVID vaccines and Booster #1, and then plans for Booster #2 and so on, the vaccines are not likely to provide long lasting or natural immunity.
So whether you get or have gotten the COVID vaccine, it would still be wise to work on the above suggestions. The more you complete the better chance of getting your
Get Out Of Covid Jail Free Card.
Unless of course the dystopian world we now live in decides to lock you up if you don't comply with their plans/mandates. If you are laughing now please read what is happening in Australia quarantine camps, as well as Austria and Germany COVID plans for 2022. If you think that can not happen here, ask yourself if you ever thought we would have lockdowns, masks and mandates for almost 2 years. Did you ever think you would need a jab to keep a job? Did you ever think kids would need to wear face masks to play Little League sports?
If you need help working towards your Get Out Of Covid Jail Free Card, you know where to find me.
Love this post! You always cut to the chase, our favorite straight-shooter physician! Keep it up, we need voices like yours from the medical community.