Vitamin D & Viruses
My friend Dana likes to receive at least 3 confirmations regarding anything new (like restaurants or hotels, etc.) I like that policy. Today, God gave me 3 signs from different sources regarding the significance of vitamin D as a strategic defense mechanism. So I’m going to run with it.
Sign #1
The first was a post from podcast host @mellisafloyd that referenced a 2012 study of mortality rates in hospitals with folks who had low- and deficient vitamin D levels. Here is an excerpt from the post:
There were many great findings in this study (2012) but the four that stuck out to me the most were:
Patients needing more supplementary oxygen and ventilator management were those with vitamin D deficiency.
The risk of death was significantly higher in ICU patients with vitamin D deficiency.
The total length of hospital stay was four times greater in the vitamin D-deficient group.
The total number of hospitalizations was significantly greater in vitamin D-deficient patients.
This study was not directly related to COVID 19, but it does mention respiratory distress, lung disease, and critical care patients. The difference in outcomes is ASTONISHING.
Sign #2
The second was from Mike Mutzel (@metabolicmike) of “High Intensity Health” who posted about vitamin D on Instagram. He researches the heck out of things and walks his talk. He explains the importance of the immune system and that vitamin D is a critical modulator.
Sign #3
Third time’s a charm: I caught Facebook Live post from my mentor in Florida, Dr. Bart Precourt of BalanceHealth Studio, in which he said:
Many in the media are saying that there is no cure to this virus #COVID19, and that there is nothing we can do to prevent it. Not true.
We need clarity for the things we can do. And one of those strategies is knowing our vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D is fundamental to health and wellness.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning that it is absorbed along with fats in the diet and is stored in the body’s fatty tissues.
Vitamin D is an essential vitamin for a wide range of body functions. Unlike other vitamins, vitamin D functions as a hormone, meaning that it serves as a messenger, controlling and coordinating activities throughout the body. Tissues in the body, as well as all the major organs, have a receptor for it.
All vitamins have a receptor site in our bodies.
The vitamin D receptor sites can be found both outside the cell and inside of the cell as well as on our white blood cells.
Vitamin D receptors are everywhere.
It is well understood science that vitamin D is an immune modulator. That means it turns on and off our immune system.
We know that other viruses—like Epstein Barr for instance—when they get in the cell, they bind themselves to the receptor sites and block out vitamin D. With no vitamin D, your immune system down-regulates.
Viruses get in the cell, and it down-regulates our immune system.
So with adequate or better levels of vitamin D, the more opportunity you have to defend yourself against virus.
So very important. And could be a game-changer right now.
To Summarize:
Viruses bind to vitamin D receptor sites, and block signals to the immune system.
Get enough vitamin D so viruses can’t bind and down-regulate your immune system.
And unlike most other vitamins which must be obtained from the diet, you can make vitamin D yourself! The process by which the body makes vitamin D is complex, but it all starts when the skin absorbs the invisible UVB rays from the sun.
But even if you get a lot of sun., there’s a good reason you want to level up your vitamin D.
Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D. Fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel, and fish liver oils are some of the best sources. Small amounts of vitamin D are also found in beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks. Some mushrooms, if exposed to ultraviolet light, can also provide some vitamin D.
People who do not get enough vitamin D from their diets or have low blood levels of vitamin D may need a supplement.
Vitamin D is a nutrient that is also needed by the body for health and to maintain strong bones and teeth. It does so by helping the body absorb calcium from food and supplements.
Adults with osteopenia or osteoporosis may also need to supplement with vitamin D.
Coronavirus & Vitamin D
We don’t know enough yet about how the Covid virus operates, but I especially love this quote:
“We don’t need this virus to get weaker—we need to get our immune systems stronger.” — Dr. Bart Precourt
I agree with Dr. Precourt and with Dr. Ben Lynch when he says:
We're not fighting a virus. It's the wrong target. What we're fighting is ill health of the human species, water, air, food, soil. We're seeing increased susceptibility to inanimate dead RNA bits flying through the air that are getting in to our bodies and making us sick...because we're extremely sick. The answer is not to look at how the coronavirus RNA and DNA is structured so we can then create a vaccine for it and inject in to our system to fight the coronavirus. Wrong approach. The right approach? Is to understand why we are so depleted and why we cannot beat this thing. There are millions of people who are able to defeat this virus. And some are completely asymptomatic. Why aren't we looking at the asymptomatic people and looking at their vitamin D levels, their glutathione levels, their selenium, their blood sugar levels, their basic nutritional profile, their microbiome, their nasal microbiome?
...We are living in fear of the wrong thing. If you think a vaccine will help you, what's going to happen 3 months from now when it's another bacteria or virus?
...The coronavirus is not the problem. Our health as a species is the problem.
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