Let me start by saying I am NOT a medical professional. I am a non-professional who has researched for my own needs as a high risk person.
The products shows here are what I / my family use personally. There may be other excellent products out there. I have no affiliation with these brands. Some product links at the bottle do help support the cost of this web hosting to keep this site available to the community.
I make no claims as to what any of these may or may not do. I have cited sources I got at least some of my research from for each product that gave me reason to want to use it personally / for my family.
It’s up to you to decide what is or is not right for you. I make no claims these will work for any person as I’m just a person using these and researched on my own.
Aloe – Various studies have shown Aloe shows promise with autoimmune disease. There are patient reports of aloe being helpful for a variety of reasons.
Note: Some authors have speculated that there is a possibly autoimmune component to COVID-19 and the cytokine store.
One study that shows some benefit in models with autoimmune disease.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20233107/
“ The results indicated that treatment with Aloe vera caused a significant reduction in severity of the disease in experimental model of MS”
Another study in regards to thyroid function and hashimotos: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5842288/
“We conclude that the daily intake of 100 ml ABMJ for 9 months in women with HT-related SCH decreases the burden of thyroid autoimmune inflammation”
Aloe is a little harder to come by with all the people using it to make hand sanitizers, but there are a lot of brands out there. I prefer brands without preservatives.
I also love the product from Aloe1, but it’s perishable and more expensive than what I’ve found many will spend, but it’s an excellent product.
Zinc – Extrapolating from how it is helpful for colds, zinc is a tool to strongly consider. I like Zinc Carnosine as it’s easy on the stomach, but it’s a low dose compared to others.
“The mean common cold duration was 33% (95% CI 21% to 45%) shorter for the zinc groups of the seven included trials. Three trials that used lozenges composed of zinc acetate found that colds were shortened by 40% and four trials that used zinc gluconate by 28%. The difference between the two salts was not significant: 12 percentage points (95% CI: −12 to + 36). Five trials used zinc doses of 80–92 mg/day, common cold duration was reduced by 33%, and two trials used zinc doses of 192–207 mg/day and found an effect of 35%. The difference between the high-dose and low-dose zinc trials was not significant: 2 percentage points (95% CI: −29 to + 32)”
“Zinc is a required mineral for the proper functioning of the immune system. It helps in the formation and development of immune cells such as natural killer cells and neutrophils. Studies have shown that zinc shortens the duration of the common cold and flu. Zinc can be found in pumpkin seeds, legumes, nuts, and animal proteins. “
Selenium- Selenium (and potentially Vitamin E as well) – There is some evidence to support that good levels of these may play an important role in the response to viruses.
I’ve seen wise sources suggest a RBC selenium test be considered prior to much supplementation. Some have theorized that many food sources of selenium are lower than they once were due to modern farming. Studies on brazil nuts for example support this claim.
“Recent work has demonstrated that deficiencies in either Se or vitamin E result in increased viral pathogenicity and altered immune responses. Furthermore, deficiencies in either Se or vitamin E results in specific viral mutations, changing relatively benign viruses into virulent ones.”
Beta Glucan – An interesting agent that shows a good response in trials. Cost can be a downside especially with the well recognized brands like transfer point. There is some debate with experts as to if this might make an autoimmune attack worse for those with autoimmunity – there does not seem to be solid science one way or the other.
The product below is a different Beta Glucan that we also use, that is less costly than the version shown above.
“We found that a 2-week oral feeding with glucan mixture significantly reduced the effects of influenza infection in total mortality. Our study was focused on phagocytosis, cytokine levels, antibody response and cytotoxicity assay.”
If you have autoimmune disease you may want to read this link and make an informed choice:https://blog.betterwayhealth.com/faq/will-beta-glucan-harm-an-autoimmune-condition/
More Beta Glucan info: https://www.fxmedicine.com.au/blog-post/beta-glucans-medicinal-actives-mushrooms
AHCC — “AHCC has been successfully used to support healthy immune function in a variety of populations, ranging from oncology patients, to those suffering from chronic Lyme disease, fibromyalgia and CFS, to individuals with infections including HPV, Hep-C and the common flu.” – per: https://www.ahccresearch.org/
The site goes on to list a variety of resources on the product: https://www.ahccresearch.org/pages/magazine-newspaper-articles
AHCC® is a natural immune-modulating compound derived from a unique fraction of specially-cultured medicinal mushroom mycelia (roots) which has been clinically proven to modulate the immune system. AHCC® is supported by more than 30 human clinical studies and more than 50 papers in PubMed-indexed journals (ahccresearch.com/pages/cs). — https://www.biospace.com/article/releases/preliminary-phase-ii-data-show-ahcc-supplementation-may-support-the-host-immune-system-to-eradicate-the-human-papilloma-virus-hpv-in-women/
There are studies that report benefit with AHCC, such as:
“Conclusion: Pre-clinical in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated durable clearance of HR-HPV infections. The preliminary data from the two pilot studies suggested that AHCC supplementation supports the host immune system for successful clearance of HR-HPV infections.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6435520/
and
A medical journal states (https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jir/2019/3758576/):
“ The improvement of survival with enhanced viral clearance and NK cell lytic efficiency was also found in influenza virus-infected mice which were supplemented with a low-dose AHCC® (0.1 g/kg/day) [22]. Of note, a transient deficiency of NK and T cells was found in patients with severe H1N1 influenza [41]. Given the increased NK cells in mice treated with AHCC® [24], it would be intriguing to test whether AHCC® could increase NK cells in patients with H1N1 influenza. The effect of AHCC® can be beyond H1NI influenza. The survival benefit by AHCC® supplementation was observed in mice infected with avian (bird) influenza virus H5N1 which could infect humans and poultry although its mechanism is yet to be demonstrated”
Vitamin D – Numerous studies support that good vitamin D levels are supportive of a healthy response to infection, such at the one below;
“However, vitamin D also has an important “non-classic” influence on the body’s immune system by modulating the innate and adaptive immune system, influencing the production of important endogenous antimicrobial peptides such as cathelicidin, and regulating the inflammatory cascade. Multiple epidemiological studies in adults and children have demonstrated that vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased risk and greater severity of infection, particularly of the respiratory tract. Although the exact mechanisms by which vitamin D may improve immune responses to infection continue to be evaluated, vitamin D supplementation trials of prevention and adjunct therapy for infection are underway. Given its influence on the immune system and inflammatory cascade, vitamin D may have an important future role in the prevention and treatment of infection.”
The well cited article below states:
“For example, low vitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk of respiratory diseases, including tuberculosis, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as viral and bacterial respiratory infections (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source).
What’s more, vitamin D deficiency has been linked to decreased lung function, which may affect your body’s ability to fight respiratory infections”
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-d-coronavirus#bottom-line
Diet – Dr. Vuong is stating there is a strong correlation between poor outcomes and excess weight. Watch this video and see what you think: youtube.com/watch?v=tZTk5PyDSfo
I follow intermittent fasting myself and most days maintain a 2-3 hour eating window. In general the book from Gin Stephens called Delay, Don’t Deny is a good resource on this topic.
Having a REASONABLE amount of food and supplies at home seems very wise. I now strongly suspect people have been hoarding as I’ve witnessed multiple local stores selling out of many items. I suggest getting a hold of what you need, but don’t go crazy with buying so much that others can’t get what they need.
Few among us could argue that focusing on a good quality diet isn’t helpful. The science seems to support that home cooked meals are associated with a lower BMI for one thing and there are a huge correlations between higher BMI and poorer health outcomes. It’s never too late to make positive changes.
“More frequent consumption of home cooked meals was associated with greater likelihood of having normal range BMI and normal percentage body fat.”
”Those consuming home cooked meals more than five times, compared with less than three times per week, were 28% less likely to have overweight BMI (99% CI 8 to 43%), and 24% less likely to have excess percentage body fat (99% CI 5 to 40%).”
“Diet and food supplements exert a great impact on gut microbial composition and its variability through time.”
“Interaction between food and gut microbiota is also finely tuned by our circadian clock. The disruption of the physiological circadian rhythm increases the likelihood of a gut dysbiosis, possibly contributing to the pathogenesis of several metabolic and inflammatory diseases, including diabetes, inflammatory bowel diseases, and even cancer”
Fasting / Eating less — I eat in a 2-3 hour window many days. I see a lot of correlation reported with worse outcomes when our weight is higher.
See this video for more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZTk5PyDSfo
And:
https://www.facebook.com/sachinpateldc/videos/10157018339412747/
Vitamin C – I put some oranges here (mandarins maybe) because right now there is a huge shortage of vitamin C products and i’m switching around what I’m using. I have some Livon Brand liposomal left I’m using and also some Pure Radiance for whole foods C. There are many strong opinions with Vitamin C. Most research has looked at AA (Ascorbic Acid) or SA (Sodium Ascorbix) vs whole foods versions.
Overall, there has been much talk about the possible benefits with Vitamin C. I am using some personally, but as noted above, have been changing around what I’m using due to limited supplies available at the moment. I’ll give you some info to read to decide on it. More clinical evidence seem to me that it supports its use via IV in the critically ill re: viral infections as I read it.
https://www.evolutamente.it/stop-ards-now-with-ascorbic-acid/?fbclid=IwAR3NyTozcMz0wu8Ewc31Fn5JMaa54tCJQshcHTF__PaAz-airfkzqCnSff4
This paper covers the topic as well as others:
“DiscussionVICTAS is a large, multi-center, double-blind, adaptive sample size, randomized, placebo-controlled trial that will test the efficacy of vitamin C, thiamine, and hydrocortisone as a combined therapy in patients with respiratory or circulatory dysfunction (or both) resulting from sepsis. Because the components of this therapy are inexpensive and readily available and have very favorable risk profiles, demonstrated efficacy would have immediate implications for the management of sepsis worldwide.”
https://trialsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13063-019-3254-2
Light exposure / Sleep hygiene – There are numerous studies and indications that disruption to our circadian rhythm affects our health on multiple levels. Focusing on good sleep and good light exposure (no blue light at night) seems very wise in my experience and has generally been backed by science.
These are things I largely do myself or some that others have reported to me are useful tools. Up to you what may or may not work for you. I pulled this list from a prior post I made, but it’s generally relevant.
1: Treat Cortisol issues ( http://bit.ly/2tIPra5 )
2: Keep bedroom cool
3. Warm salt bath before bed
4: Lavender in a diffuser
5: Air filter in bedroom
6: Pitch black bedroom
7:No caffeine later in the day
8: Some find CBD or related products helpful
9: Get a comfortable mattress (don’t skimp here if you can help it.)
10: Find soft / comfortable sheets you love. Costco has some great sheets for around $70 even for king.
11: Get a pillow that is comfortable for you ( I like quilless down pillows / comforters ) Again Costco has some great options.
12: Best to avoid TV / electronics in the bedroom, if you can’t / won’t avoid them, use dark orange / red glasses when watching.
13. Keep cell phone out of the bedroom if possible.
14. Wear orange glasses starting a bit after sunset. http://bit.ly/33XwAZi (lots of fancy ones out there for $$, I suggest starting with the dark orange ones)
15: Use Iris on your computer to turn down the brightness / change the color orange. https://iristech.co/ — use sleep mode later in the evening!
16. Use a salt lamp or candle if you need light at night. or even a small red flashlight.
17. Use a screen filter on your phone or use 2 apps if needed to get the screen dark enough.
18. Some sources suggest avoiding EMF by turning off electronics and your router at bedtime
19. Get sun early in the day. Get outside if possible. Use a light box if your in a strongly overcast area or can’t get outside due to weather ( http://bit.ly/35aiCTO ) — I feel strongly getting outside is best
20. If your adrenals can handle it, consider walking in the day as much as your body does well with.
21. Eat earlier in the day if at all possible. You ideally want your food fully digested prior to sleep.
22. Drink enough good quality water throughout the day.
23. Live with purpose and keep focus on that (easier said than done, but something to reflect upon)
24. Eat well – focus on real whole foods
25. Keep working to optimal with thyroid and all that stresses the body.
26. Meditate or just take some time out each day to relax
27. See a therapist if at all is needed for you.
28. Have friends you talk to / trust if at all possible
29. Wake at a consistent time if at all possible – it can do wonders to help with insomnia and adrenals love consistency.
30. Avoid naps late in the day if possible.
31. Get a sloth, they help you sleep well. ( http://bit.ly/2CXQIhP )
Video from Perlmutter related to sleep:
https://www.facebook.com/AmericanNutritionAssociation/videos/1554300394718667/
Experimenting with melatonin
See the page below for what we know right now. I found in the doses I experimented with, this disrupted my sleep. So this leaves me with either trying it in the day or waiting until sick to try it. I’m not sure what I’m going to try yet myself.
Copper Zap – This one sounds a little out there, but there is some science and a fair amount of personal reports I’ve seen talking about success with this product. I’ll let you read the reviews and reports on this one and decide for yourself. It’s a small piece of solid copper that is inserted into the nose where viri are thought to collect and it is thought to kill / disrupt them.
The company has mentioned some additional references related to Corona on a post, but I can’t find it at the moment.
They clearly state this is NOT a cure once ill, this is a potential tool for prevention.
The company says:
“CopperZap® is a solid copper nasal wand and personal touch surface. It is designed to apply the touch of solid copper to the nose and skin. Extensive research demonstrates that solid copper kills bacteria and viruses by touch in minutes. Hospitals using solid copper touch surfaces have greatly reduced the spread of infectious illness. CopperZap® is designed for people to easily apply copper to their own hands, faces, and nostrils, whenever they want. Application of copper is suggested in the nose at the first sign of cold or flu, and on the fingers, hands and face after visiting a hospital or doctor’s office, or a day care or elder care facility, or after being in public or handling money.”
Humic / Fulvic
*Note the product I mention below typically runs cheaper on the companies website, but is out of stock as of the type of this writing.
https://www.clinicaleducation.org/news/medical-aspects-and-applications-of-humic-substances-regarding-the-antiviral-activity-of-humic-substance/?fbclid=IwAR0VJqk2Fi16xh94P_RRD-9OJkMGkq1_FndBaaiPrBKfFW1AYgFkrC4T5bQ
““Preliminary in-vitro studies with Coxsackie A9 virus, influenza A virus and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) have already shown that (Humic Substances) are effective against both naked and enveloped DNA viruses (Klocking and Sprosig, 1972, 1975; Thiel et al., 1977).”
“Further investigations corroborate the ability of (Humic Acid) to inhibit selectively viruses for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and type 2 (HIV-2), cytomegalovirus (CMV) and vaccinia virus (Schols et al., 1991; Neyts et al., 1992).””
The website below mentioned humic and fulvic in relation to antiviral activity.
“It’s thought that humic substances may interfere with the early stages of the viral replication process by preventing attachment to host cells or by inhibiting a new generation of viruses from attaching to host cells (12).Humic and fulvic acid supplements are becoming more widely available as their whole body benefits are finally being understood. While we only touched on the antiviral potential of monolaurin, beta glucans, and humic substances, these compounds have a wider range of health benefits such as detox capabilities, anti-inflammatory properties, broad spectrum antimicrobial properties, and digestive support that we encourage you to explore.” –https://drclarkstore.com/blog/natural-substances-with-amazing-antiviral-potential/
Sea Buckthorn – We don’t have a ton of data on this, but investigating this more. The above image in a stock photo. I will list a product below that I’ve used in the past that is from Sea Buckthorn, but I don’t know if this would do the same thing as what they mention in this study.
“A recent study is drawing the attention of the medical community, claiming that sea buckthorn berry’s lactic acid bacteria can contain the spread of the new coronavirus by inhibiting the activation of its energy source, purine.
According to a research team at Ehwa Womans University Medical Center, it has confirmed probiotic bacteria extracted from fermented sea buckthorn berry had lots of lactobacillus gasseri (L. gasseri), which represses the activation of purine, an energy source required for the mutation of new coronavirus.“
http://m.koreabiomed.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=7744&fbclid=IwAR2fLwSJ8uV45IGuGwRjpYXaFN7qT6UgjKtWUm33Y9CVMpGVbcdN5CF-aGo
Dr. Perlmutter mentioned – Using things that activate nrf2 and control inflammation like broccoli sprouts or supplements that do the same
Curcumin – Dr Perlmutter again mentioned Curcumin being supported by some animal models for help in taming inflammation and possibly aiding in relation to cytokine storm.
Watch this video for more details on what he says. I’m making up a fresh batch of broccoli sprouts now and will try to keep up with taking those.
https://www.facebook.com/DavidPerlmutterMd/videos/215168632910082/
Fish oil – I use a high omega 3 fish oil. I use Nordic Naturals.
See this study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16531187/
“Results: Of the 250 patients, 125 returned the questionnaire at an average of 75 days on fish oil. Seventy-eight percent were taking 1200 mg and 22% were taking 2400 mg of EFAs. Fifty-nine percent discontinued to take their prescription NSAID medications for pain. Sixty percent stated that their overall pain was improved, and 60% stated that their joint pain had improved. Eighty percent stated they were satisfied with their improvement, and 88% stated they would continue to take the fish oil. There were no significant side effects reported.
Vitamin A- Multiple resources discuss the value of Vitamin A:
Monolaurin – I have this if I get sick, I don’t use it daily right now
“Monolaurin is a fat found in coconut oil that is also available as a dietary supplement. It exerts some interesting antiviral effects with confirmed activity to viruses similar to coronavirus. Many viruses, as well as bacteria and protozoa (parasites) are enveloped by a protective membrane composed of fatty substances (lipids). Current research indicates that monolaurin dissolves lipids in the fatty envelope, basically disintegrating the organisms’ protective shield and causing them to be easily destroyed by the immune system. Though monolaurin has not been studied on coronavirus, it may have some benefit. The typical dosage of monolaurin in 1,000-1,500 mg twice daily. “
From: https://www.urologyofva.net/articles/category/healthy-living/3984660/coronavirus-precautions-and-strengthening-the-immune-system
“As we write this, the World Health Organization has declared a global emergency over the novel coronavirus, nCoV-2019, that has spread beyond China. There is still no cure for nCoV-2019. nCoV-2019 has been shown to be related to SARS (Zhou et al., 2020), a coronavirus which caused an outbreak in 2003. Several researchers have been designing drugs to specifically target protease enzymes in coronavirus, but testing for these drugs is many months away. What if there is a treatment candidate against the coronavirus that might already be available and whose safety is already established?Lauric acid (C12) and monolaurin, its derivative, have been known for many years to have significant antiviral activity. Lauric acid is a medium-chain fatty acid which makes up about 50% of coconut oil; monolaurin is a metabolite that is naturally produced by the body’s own enzymes upon ingestion of coconut oil and is also available in pure form as a supplement. Sodium lauryl sulfate, a common surfactant that is made from lauric acid, has been shown to have potent antiviral properties. Lauric acid, monolaurin, and sodium lauryl sulfate (which is also known as sodium dodecyl sulfate) are used in a wide range of products for their antiviral properties.”
Prebiotics – It’s great to get a huge variety of prebiotic fiber from our foods. We don’t need a lot of most plant foods for them to supply prebiotic bacteria. I’m also using a product called IsoThrive.
Take a look at their studies and see what you think:
https://isothrive.com/pages/for-nerds
Beef Liver – I take Beef liver from Ancestral Supplements. Good source of copper.
NAC – N-Acetyl-Cysteine.
“Cysteine is a semi-essential amino acid.
It’s considered semi-essential because your body can produce it from other amino acids, namely methionine and serine. It becomes essential only when the dietary intake of methionine and serine is low.
Cysteine is found in most high-protein foods, such as chicken, turkey, yogurt, cheese, eggs, sunflower seeds and legumes.”
Per: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/nac-benefits
This study states:
” Frequency of seroconversion towards A/H1N1 Singapore 6/86 influenza virus was similar in the two groups, but only 25% of virus-infected subjects under NAC treatment developed a symptomatic form, versus 79% in the placebo group. Evaluation of cell-mediated immunity showed a progressive, significant shift from anergy to normoergy following NAC treatment. Administration of N-acetylcysteine during the winter, thus, appears to provide a significant attenuation of influenza and influenza-like episodes, especially in elderly high-risk individuals. N-acetylcysteine did not prevent A/H1N1 virus influenza infection but significantly reduced the incidence of clinically apparent disease. “
Read more at this link and see what you think: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9230243/
I’m investigating using Curcumin and also use Black Seed Oil.
Please remember these are things I / my family use. It’s up to you to decide what is or is not right for you. I make no claims expressed or implied these will work for any person for any purpose, as I’m just a person using these and researched on my own.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Please remember these are things I / my family use. It’s up to you to decide what is or is not right for you. I make no claims these will work for any person as I’m just a person using these who and researched on my own.
Any thoughts about licorice root? Found some pubmed about it working on SARS.
I’ve seen some discussions on it being used, but not a whole lot. I was thinking of picking some up, but I have to keep an eye on my blood pressure.