Three Pre-existing Conditions That Can Make it Harder to Fight Coronavirus, and What to Eat
About Dr. William Li
William W. Li, MD, is a world-renowned physician, scientist, speaker, and author of EAT TO BEAT DISEASE – The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself. He is best known for leading the Angiogenesis Foundation. His groundbreaking work has impacted more than 70 diseases including cancer, diabetes, blindness, heart disease, and obesity. His TED Talk, “Can We Eat to Starve Cancer?” has garnered more than 11 million views, and he has appeared on: Good Morning America, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, Voice of America; and in The Atlantic, TIME, and The New York Times. An author of over 100 scientific publications in leading journals such as Science, the New England Journal of Medicine, and The Lancet, Dr. Li has served on the faculties of Harvard Medical School, Tufts University, and Dartmouth Medical School.
You’ve heard what to look out for for symptoms of the novel coronavirus, and by now you have likely heard firsthand accounts of what it’s like from friends or family that are experiencing it themselves. For many people, COVID-19 causes mild to moderate symptoms that do not require hospitalization. In certain high-risk populations, like people over 60, people who are immunocompromised, and people with pre existing conditions, the virus can be severe or even fatal.
Here are three pre-existing chronic conditions that may make it harder for an otherwise healthy person to fight off the new coronavirus:
Heart disease
Heart disease is part of a group of conditions known as cardiovascular disease, in which the blood vessels in your body are damaged or unable to function normally. COVID-19 causes fever and increased inflammation, which can increase the stress on the heart and blood vessels. COVID-19 has been shown to cause pneumonia, which makes it harder for your lungs to oxygenate the blood, which puts further stress on your heart.
Heart disease also tends to accompany other underlying conditions that can increase risk, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, lung disease, and liver disease. These all weaken your body’s defense against infection.
Chronic lung conditions
People with chronic lung conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, or pulmonary hypertension are at higher risk of developing severe symptoms from the pneumonia that can accompany COVID-19. Your lungs are crucial for bringing oxygen to your body. When this is compromised, it can be lethal.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a condition where your body either stops responding properly to insulin or doesn’t make enough insulin. This results in high blood sugar if it’s not managed properly. Diabetes can also cause a number of secondary issues, including a compromised immune system. Because the immune system is compromised in diabetes, it can be harder for your body to fight off COVID-19. High blood sugar may even help the virus survive longer.
Now more than ever it is important to maintain a healthy diet, especially if you are dealing with a chronic condition. A healthy diet not only helps to manage the chronic condition, it can help keep your body and immune system in fighting shape to reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19.
In addition to following an overall healthy diet, adding certain immune-boosting foods can help boost your immune system to better ward off or fight viruses.
Broccoli stems and florets contain a bioactive compound called sulforaphane that stimulates the immune system to increase natural killer cells, which may help in fighting viruses. Broccoli sprouts contain even higher amounts. In a study in people given a nasal flu vaccine, those who consumed 1 cup of broccoli sprouts in a smoothie had less flu virus remaining compared to a control group.
Mushrooms can stimulate the immune system in a different way. A study found that 1 ⅓ cups of mushrooms could increase IgA by 55%. IgA (immunoglobulin A) is a natural antibody that exists in the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract, and is an important factor for preventing viral infections.
Aged garlic is another useful addition. Like broccoli, aged garlic extract can increase levels of natural killer cells. Even more important — in a clinical trial people taking aged garlic had fewer cold and flu symptoms and reported 58% fewer missed days of work due to illness. Aged garlic extract can be found as a supplement, or you can make it at home.
The right food choices can greatly increase the odds of beating cancer and nature offers a multitude of foods which have intrinsic cancer fighting and immune boosting properties.
By Tony Isaacs April 9, 2015
Here are some of the very best cancer fighting and immune boosting superstars:
Cruciferous Vegetables – Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and kale are among the most powerful cancer fighting foods to be found. Cruciferous vegetables are high in fiber, vitamins, minerals and important antioxidants such as beta carotene and the sulforaphane compound. Cruciferous vegetables contain isothiocyanates; phytochemicals which help break down potential carcinogens. They also contain indole-3-carbidol (I3C), which help prevent estrogen driven cancers. Other cruciferous vegetables are: arugula, bok choy, swiss chard, Chinese cabbage, collard greens, daikon, kohlrabi, mustard greens, radishes, rutabagas, turnips and watercress.
Curcumin (turmeric) – Curcumin, the major ingredient of the spice turmeric, has been a rising star against cancer in recent years. Numerous studies have reported curcumin’s cancer fighting abilities and prevention abilities, including one study which found that curcumin helps prevent lung cancer for tobacco smokers.
Mushrooms – There are a number of mushrooms known as “medicinal mushrooms” which can help the body fight cancer and build the immune system. These mushrooms contain a number of valuable cancer fighting and immune boosting compounds including polysaccharides such as lentinan, beta glucan, lectin and thioproline. These compounds attack cancerous cells, prevent them from multiplying and boost immune activity – including stimulating the body’s natural production of interferon.
Some of the very best cancer fighting and immune boosting mushrooms are: agaricus blazei murrill (ABM mushroom), coriolus versicolor (Asian turkey tail mushroom), shitake, reishi, maitake, cordyceps oglossoides and phellinus linteus.
Garlic– Garlic, as well as onions, leeks and chives, have immune-enhancing allium compounds that increase the immune cell activity, help break down cancer causing substances and block carcinogens from entering cells. Studies have linked garlic to lowering the risk of stomach and colon cancer. Diallyl sulfide, a compound found in garlic oil, has also been shown to incapacitate carcinogens in the liver.
Flax – Flax contains lignans, compounds which block or suppress cancerous changes in cells. Flax is also high in omega-3 fatty acids, which protect against colon and other cancers. Notably, flax is part of the famous and highly successful Budwig Cancer Diet.
Hot Peppers – Hot peppers such as cayenne (chili peppers) and jalapenos contain capsaicin, a chemical which fights cancer and helps neutralize certain cancer-causing nitrosamines. Hot peppers are especially valuable for helping prevent stomach cancers.
Dark Green Leafy Vegetables – Spinach, turnip greens and other cancer fighting dark green leafy vegetables are rich in folic acid. Folic acid helps maintain the cell’s genetic code and regulate normal cell division.
Dark Seeded Grapes – Dark red grapes contain powerful bioflavonoid antioxidants that work as cancer preventatives. Grapes are also a rich source of resveratrol and ellagic acid, a compound that slows the growth of tumors by blocking enzymes needed by cancer cells. Eat the entire grape, seeds and all.
Brown Seaweed – Brown seaweeds such as kombu contain the polysaccharide compound fucoidan. Fucoidan has been found to kill cancer tumors including lymphoma, different kinds of leukemia, stomach cancer and colon cancer. Notably, the people of Okinawa, who consume the highest per capita amount of kombu, have some of the highest life expectancies in Japan as well as the lowest cancer death rate.
PUBLISHED: 00:56 BST, 4 October 2019 | UPDATED: 07:51 BST, 4 October 2019
The way your food is cooked depends on how nutritious it is for your body - and there are a surprising number of foods that are actually better for you when eaten raw.
According to Australian nutritionist Lee Holmes, some foods like garlic and beetroot are better for you when eaten uncooked.
This guide takes a look at 10 foods that are better for your health in their raw state - and those more nutritious once they've been cooked.
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According to Australian nutritionist Lee Holmes (pictured), while some struggle to digest raw food due to sensitive digestive systems, maximum nutrition is accessed when foods like beetroot and garlic are consumed raw
Foods you should be eating raw
1. Beetroot
As far as healthy vegetables go, the humble beetroot is a powerhouse.
It comes packed with fibre, vitamin C, potassium, manganese, and the B vitamin folate - nutrients that all help boost the immune system, increase energy and fight inflammation.
According to Lifehack, beetroots are much better for you when uncooked as heat can reduce the concentration of folate (a B vitamin) by 25 per cent.
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Beetroot is much healthier for you when eaten raw as cooking can reduce folate (a B-vitamin) by as much as 25 per cent
Be inspiralized and learn how to spiralize a beetroot
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What is folate?
* Folate is one of the B-vitamins and is needed to make red and white blood cells in the bone marrow, convert carbohydrates into energy, and produce DNA and RNA.
Adequate intake is extremely important during periods of rapid growth such as pregnancy, infancy, and adolescence.
Steamed broccoli may be delicious, but it's better for you when eaten raw.
The 'superstar veggie' comes laden with vitamin C, calcium, potassium, protein and sulforaphane - a natural plant compound that helps fight cancer cells and slow ageing.
Findings from a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry revealed those who consumed broccoli raw absorbed sulforaphane more quickly and in higher amounts compared to those who ate it cooked.
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Broccoli comes laden with with vitamin C, calcium, potassium, protein and sulforaphane - and is best consumed raw
3. Raspberries, blueberries and blackberries
Healthline reports berries are a great source of antioxidants, such as anthocyanins, ellagic acid, and resveratrol.
However, if they've been through a drying process, their nutritional benefits are significantly reduced.
Additionally, dried berries come with a sugar content that's three times higher than those in their natural state, and they're also higher in calories and carbs.
4. Red pepper
If you're hoping to capitalise on the myriad of health benefits of red peppers, the vegetable is one best enjoyed raw.
Red peppers contain one of the highest levels of vitamin C and it comes with vitamin B6, vitamin E, and magnesium.
The problem with cooking peppers is that this immediately lowers the vitamin C content.
If you prefer to cook them, opt for stir-frying or roasting as this preserves more of their vitamins, advises HFC.com.au.
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Red peppers are a vegetable that contains one of the highest levels of vitamin C, however, cooking drastically reduce this naturally occurring nutrient
5. Garlic
Garlic contains two key compounds, a sulphur-rich amino acid called alliin and a protein-based enzyme called allinase.
The clove has no smell until you slice or crush it, allowing the compounds to mix and form a third compound, called allicin.
Allicin is a powerful natural antibiotic - about one-fiftieth as powerful as penicillin - and also has anti-fungal and anti-viral properties.
The compound only exists in raw garlic. Cooking kills allicin and causes it to decay into other compounds which are less effective.
What vitamins and minerals does garlic contain?
Garlic contains about ten different kinds of natural sugars, including fructose, glucose and insulin.
It also contains relatively high levels of the trace minerals copper, iron, zinc, tin, calcium, manganese, aluminium, germanium and selenium.
The level of selenium in garlic is higher than in almost any other plant.
While tomatoes are delicious in a fresh salad, they are better for you when cooked.
This is because tomatoes, along with other brightly coloured fruits and vegetables, come packed with a naturally occurring compound called lycopene.
Lycopene is an antioxidant which may help to protect against chronic conditions such as heart disease.
In the case of tomatoes, lycopene becomes easier to absorb when tomatoes are heated, reports Cornell University.
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Tomatoes are better cooked as this helps the compound lycopene to be more easily absorbed by the body
2. Asparagus
Asparagus comes laden with vitamins A, C, E, folate and potassium, however, it's unlikely you'll unlock the health benefits by eating it raw.
Cooking the vegetable helps break down its thick cell walls which means it becomes easier for the body to absorb its nutrients.
3. Artichoke
Artichokes come with an array of health benefits including the ability to lower blood sugar levels, improve digestion as well as assist with heart health, and liver health.
The vegetable includes vitamins B6, C, K as well as magnesium and also comes laden with powerful antioxidants.
According to HuffPost, steaming artichokes for 15 minutes increases the levels of the naturally occurring free-radical-fighting compound 15-fold.
Boiling them boosts their antioxidant levels eight-fold. Microwaving also helps. However, frying the vegetable isn't suggested as it removes flavonoids, a type of antioxidant.
4. Eggplant
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If you want to get the most from eggplants, cooking these helps increase the potency of anthocyanin, a phytonutrient found in the skin
Eggplant comes packed with vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants.
As with artichokes, eggplants benefit from being cooked as this helps increase the potency of anthocyanin, a phytonutrient found in the skin.
Vegetables which are part of the nightshade group include tomatoes, peppers, chilli peppers and potatoes.
5. Carrot
Carrots are a good source of beta-carotene, fibre, vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants.
Although delicious raw, the vegetable increases in potency when cooked.
Cooked carrots contain more beta-carotene, an antioxidant that gets converted in your body to vitamin A, which is good for your eyes and immune system.
Conventional health authorities claim getting a flu shot each year is the best way to ward off influenza. But where’s the actual science backing up that claim?
If you’ve repeatedly fallen for this annual propaganda campaign, you may be surprised to find the medical literature suggests vitamin D may actually be a FAR more effective strategy, and the evidence for this goes back at least a decade.
Dr. John Cannell, founder of the Vitamin D Council, was one of the first to introduce the idea that vitamin D deficiency may actually be an underlying CAUSE of influenza.
His hypothesis [1] was initially published in the journal Epidemiology and Infection in 2006. [2] It was subsequently followed up with another study published in the Virology Journal in 2008. [3]
The following year, the largest nationally representative study [4] of its kind to date discovered that people with the lowest vitamin D levels indeed reported having significantly more colds or cases of the flu. In conclusion, lead author Dr. Adit Ginde stated:
“The findings of our study support an important role for vitamin D in prevention of common respiratory infections, such as colds and the flu. Individuals with common lung diseases, such as asthma or emphysema, may be particularly susceptible to respiratory infections from vitamin D deficiency.”
Vitamin D Works Better Than Flu Vaccine If Your Levels Are Low
Since then, a number of studies have come to similar conclusions. Most recently, a scientific review [5,6] of 25 randomized controlled trials confirmed that vitamin D supplementation boosts immunity and cuts rates of cold and flu.
Overall, the studies included nearly 11,000 individuals from more than a dozen countries. As reported by Time Magazine: [7]
“… [P]eople who took daily or weekly vitamin D supplements were less likely to report acute respiratory infections, like influenza or the common cold, than those who did not …
For people with the most significant vitamin D deficiencies (blood levels below 10 [ng/mL]), taking a supplement cut their risk of respiratory infection in half.
People with higher vitamin D levels also saw a small reduction in risk: about 10 percent, which is about equal to the protective effect of the injectable flu vaccine, the researchers say.”
Like Cannell before them, the researchers believe vitamin D offers protection by increasing antimicrobial peptides in your lungs, and that “[t]his may be one reason why colds and flus are most common in the winter, when sunlight exposure (and therefore the body’s natural vitamin D production) is at its lowest …” [8]
According to this international research team, vitamin D supplementation could prevent more than 3.25 million cases of cold and flu each year in the U.K. alone. [9] Another statistic showing vitamin D is a more effective strategy than flu vaccine is the “number needed to treat” (NNT).
Overall, one person would be spared from influenza for every 33 people taking a vitamin D supplement (NNT = 33), whereas 40 people have to receive the flu vaccine in order to prevent one case of the flu (NNT = 40).
Among those with severe vitamin D deficiency at baseline, the NNT was 4. In other words, if you’re vitamin D deficient to begin with, vitamin D supplementation is 10 times more effective than the flu vaccine.
Optimizing Vitamin D May Be Your Best Defense Against Influenza
In my view, optimizing your vitamin D levels is one of the absolute best flu-prevention and optimal health strategies available. Your diet also plays a significant role of course, as it lays the foundation for good immune function.
A high-sugar diet is a sure-fire way to diminish your body’s innate ability to fight off infections of all kinds by radically impairing the functioning of your immune system.
However, I do not agree that fortifying more processed foods with vitamin D is the best solution, although I realize it could potentially have a more widespread impact among people who remain unaware of the beneficial health effects of sunlight in general.
I believe sensible sun exposure is the ideal way to optimize your vitamin D. Taking a vitamin D3 supplement is only recommended in cases when you simply cannot obtain sufficient amounts of sensible sun exposure.
It’s also important to point out that, contrary to what’s reported by most mainstream media, including NPR report above, most people cannot optimize their vitamin D levels by getting the recommended 600 IUs of vitamin D from fortified foods. The dose you need really depends on your current blood level of vitamin D.
If it’s very low, you may need 8,000 to 10,000 IUs of vitamin D3 per day in order to reach and maintain a clinically relevant level of 45 to 60 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). The only way to know how much you need is to get tested at least once or twice each year.
If you’ve been supplementing for some time and your levels are still below 45 ng/mL, you then know you have to increase your dose further. If using an oral supplement, also make sure to boost your vitamin K2 and magnesium intake, as these nutrients help optimize vitamin D levels.
Other Studies Supporting Link Between Vitamin D Deficiency and Influenza
In a study published in 2010, [10] researchers investigated the effect of vitamin D on the incidence of seasonal influenza A in schoolchildren. The randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study included 430 children, half of which were given 1,200 IUs of vitamin D3 per day while the other half received a placebo.
Overall, children in the treatment group were 42 percent less likely to come down with the flu. According to the authors: “This study suggests that vitamin D3 supplementation during the winter may reduce the incidence of influenza A, especially in specific subgroups of schoolchildren.”
Another study [11] published that same year concluded that infection-fighting T-cells need help from vitamin D in order to activate. This is yet another mechanism that helps explain why vitamin D is so effective against infections.
When a T cell recognizes foreign invaders like bacteria or viruses, it sends activating signals to the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene.
The VDR gene then starts producing a protein that binds vitamin D in the T cell. A downstream effect of this is PLC-gamma1 protein production, which subsequently enables the T cell to fight the infection. At the time, lead researcher Carsten Geisler told Food Consumer: [12]
“When a T cell is exposed to a foreign pathogen, it extends a signaling device or “antenna” known as a vitamin D receptor, with which it searches for vitamin D. This means the T cell must have vitamin D or activation of the cell will cease. If the T cells cannot find enough vitamin D in the blood, they won’t even begin to mobilize.”
With that understanding, it’s no wonder flu shots don’t work. Flu vaccinesdo absolutely nothing to address the underlying problem of vitamin D deficiency, which is effectively hindering your immune system from working properly.
In fact, flu vaccines tend to deteriorate your immune function, and their side effects can be significant.
‘Gold Standard’ Studies Ignored by Mainstream Media
The gold standard of scientific analysis, the so-called Cochrane Database Review, has also issued several reports between 2006 and 2012, all of which decimate the claim that flu vaccinations are the most effective prevention method available. In 2010, Cochrane published the following bombshell conclusion, which was completely ignored by mainstream media: [13]
“Influenza vaccines have a modest effect in reducing influenza symptoms and working days lost. There is no evidence that they affect complications, such as pneumonia, or transmission. WARNING: This review includes 15 out of 36 trials funded by industry (four had no funding declaration).
An earlier systematic review of 274 influenza vaccine studies published up to 2007 found industry funded studies were published in more prestigious journals and cited more than other studies independently from methodological quality and size. Studies funded from public sources were significantly less likely to report conclusions favorable to the vaccines …”
So, despite the fact that 15 of the 36 studies included were biased by industry interests, they still couldn’t come up with evidence supporting the conventional claim that flu vaccines are the best and most effective prevention available against influenza!
Scientific Reviews Show Vaccinating Children and Elderly Is Ineffective
Cochrane has issued several reports addressing the effectiveness of flu vaccines on infants and the elderly — two groups that tend to be the most targeted by flu vaccine advertising — and all have had negative findings. For children:
1. A large-scale, systematic review [14] of 51 studies, published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in 2006, found no evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo in children under two. The studies involved 260,000 children, age 6 to 23 months.
2. In 2008, another Cochrane review [15] again concluded that “little evidence is available” that the flu vaccine is effective for children under the age of two. Even more disturbingly, the authors stated that:
“It was surprising to find only one study of inactivated vaccine in children under two years, given current recommendations to vaccinate healthy children from six months old in the USA and Canada. If immunization in children is to be recommended as a public health policy, large-scale studies assessing important outcomes and directly comparing vaccine types are urgently required.”
3. In a 2012 review, [16] Cochrane concluded that “in children aged from two years, nasal spray vaccines made from weakened influenza viruses were better at preventing illness caused by the influenza virus than injected vaccines made from the killed virus. Neither type was particularly good at preventing “flu-like illness” caused by other types of viruses. In children under the age of two, the efficacy of inactivated vaccine was similar to placebo.”
The available evidence with regards to protecting the elderly is equally abysmal.
4. In 2010, Cochrane concluded that: [17] “The available evidence is of poor quality and provides no guidance regarding the safety, efficacy or effectiveness of influenza vaccines for people aged 65 years or older.”
5. Cochrane also reviewed whether or not vaccinating health care workers can help protect the elderly patients with whom they work. In conclusion, the authors stated that: [18] “[T]here is no evidence that vaccinating health care workers prevents influenza in elderly residents in long-term care facilities.”
Annual Flu Vaccinations May Raise Risk of More Serious Infections
Other recent studies have shown that with each successive annual flu vaccination, the protection afforded by the vaccine appears to diminish. [19, 20] Research published in 2014 concluded that vaccine-induced protection against influenza was greatest among those who had NOT received a flu shot in the previous five years. [21] The flu vaccine may also increase your risk of contracting other, more serious influenza infections.
Compared to children who do not get an annual flu vaccine, those who receive influenza vaccinations have a three times higher risk of hospitalization due to influenza. [23]
Research also shows that statin drugs — taken by 1 in 4 Americans over the age of 45 — may undermine your immune system’s ability to respond to the flu vaccine. [24,25,26] When you consider the low efficacy rate of the flu vaccine in any given year, getting vaccinated if you’re on a statin may well be a moot point.
Independent science reviews have also concluded that influenza vaccine does not appear to prevent influenza-like illness associated with other types of viruses responsible for about 80 percent of all respiratory or gastrointestinal infections during any given flu season. [27,28,29,30]
Other Foods and Supplements That Send Pathogens Packin’
Besides vitamin D, there are a number of other foods and supplements that can be beneficial for colds and influenza, including the following:
Garlic: [31] Garlic has natural antiviral, antibiotic and antifungal activity and has long been hailed for its immune boosting effects.
The Cochrane Database, which has repeatedly demonstrated that the science in support of the flu vaccine is flimsy at best, has also reviewed studies on alternatives, including garlic. [32]
Unfortunately, such research is harder to come by, as there’s no financial incentive driving it.
Still, in the singular study identified by the Cochrane group, those who took garlic daily for three months had fewer colds than those who took a placebo, and, when they did come down with a cold, the duration of illness was shorter — an average of 4.5 days compared to 5.5 days for the placebo group.
While this may not seem overly impressive, it’s still better than the results achieved by the flu drug Tamiflu!
Zinc: A Cochrane Database Review of the medical research on zinc found that when taken within one day of the first symptoms, zinc can cut down the time you have a cold by about 24 hours.
Zinc was also found to greatly reduce the severity of symptoms. Zinc was not recommended for anyone with an underlying health condition, like lowered immune function, asthma or chronic illness.
I do not recommend taking more than 50 mg a day, and I do not recommend taking zinc on a daily basis for preventive purposes as you could easily develop a copper imbalance that way.
Vitamin C: A very potent antioxidant; use a natural form such as acerola, which contains associated micronutrients.
You can take several grams every hour (use the liposomal form so you don’t get loose stools), till you are better. I never travel without a bottle of our liposomal C.
A tea made from a combination of elderflower, yarrow, boneset, linden, peppermint and ginger; drink it hot and often for combating a cold or flu. It causes you to sweat, which is helpful for eradicating a virus from your system.
Oregano Oil: The higher the carvacrol concentration, the more effective it is. Carvacrol is the most active antimicrobial agent in oregano oil.
Propolis: A bee resin and one of the most broad-spectrum antimicrobial compounds in the world; propolis is also the richest source of caffeic acid and apigenin, two very important compounds that aid in immune response.
Olive leaf extract is widely known as a natural, non-toxic immune system builder.
Vitamin D Is Important for Optimal Health and Disease Prevention Year-Round
In related news, researchers are also homing in on how vitamin D may help protect against age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s. The video above discusses research [33] showing vitamin D extends lifespan in nematode worms by 30 percent and helps slow or even reverse accumulation of beta amyloid protein, which is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s.Vitamin D deficiency has also been linked to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, depression, autoimmune disease and many other chronic diseases. As noted in a recent issue of Orthomolecular Medicine News: [34] “Research on the health benefits of vitamin D continues at a rapid pace. There were 4,356 papers published in 2015 with vitamin D in the title or abstract and 4,388 in 2016 …” Among some of the most impactful studies are ones demonstrating:
• Health benefits from sun exposure unrelated to vitamin D production. One recent review concluded benefits of sun exposure includes lower rates of cancer, heart disease, dementia, myopia, macular degeneration, diabetes and multiple sclerosis. My belief is that the majority of these benefits are due to the near-, mid- and far-infrared wavelengths.
According to the author: “The message of sun avoidance must be changed to acceptance of non-burning sun exposure sufficient to achieve [vitamin D] concentrations of 30 ng/mL or higher … and the general benefits of UV exposure beyond those of vitamin D.” Also, while intermittent sun exposure is associated with higher rates of skin cancer, “the risks of these cancers is dwarfed by the reduced risk of internal cancers from sun exposure,” William Grant, Ph.D. writes.
• Benefits of higher vitamin D levels during pregnancy. Research demonstrates preterm births steadily decrease as vitamin D levels increase among pregnant women. In one study, raising vitamin D blood concentrations from 20 to 40 ng/mL decreased preterm births by 59 percent.
• Reduction in cancer risk from vitamin D supplementation. One pooled analysis showed that women with higher levels of vitamin D had much lower incidence rates of cancer — from a 2 percent per year cancer incidence rate at 18 ng/mL to 0.4 percent at 63 ng/mL.
Overall, maintaining a vitamin D serum level of 45 to 60 ng/mL year-round may be one of the simplest and most efficient ways to safeguard yourself against chronic disease and acute infections. When it comes to seasonal colds and influenza, the rate of protection you get from vitamin D is actually greater than what you’d get from a flu vaccination, and you don’t have to worry about potential side effects either — which in the case of the flu vaccine can be far worse than the original complaint.
While death and complete disability from a flu vaccine may be rare, so is dying from the flu itself. I strongly recommend weighing the risk of suffering a debilitating side effect of the flu vaccine relative to the more likely potential of spending a week in bed with the flu. Remember, most deaths attributed to influenza are actually due to bacterial pneumonia, and these days, bacterial pneumonia can be effectively treated with advanced medical care and therapies like respirators and parenteral antibiotics.
The Role of Vitamin D in Disease Prevention
A growing body of evidence shows that vitamin D plays a crucial role in disease prevention and maintaining optimal health. There are about 30,000 genes in your body, and vitamin D affects nearly 3,000 of them, as well as vitamin D receptors located throughout your body.
According to one large-scale study, optimal Vitamin D levels can slash your risk of cancer by as much as 60 percent. Keeping your levels optimized can help prevent at least 16 different types of cancer, including pancreatic, lung, ovarian, prostate and skin cancers.
Leaving a lucrative career as a nephrologist (kidney doctor), Dr. Suzanne Humphries is now free to actually help cure people.
In this autobiography she explains why good doctors are constrained within the current corrupt medical system from practicing real, ethical medicine.
One of the sane voices when it comes to examining the science behind modern-day vaccines, no pro-vaccine extremist doctors have ever dared to debate her in public.
Medical Doctors Opposed to Forced Vaccinations – Should Their Views be Silenced?
One of the biggest myths being propagated in the compliant mainstream media today is that doctors are either pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine, and that the anti-vaccine doctors are all “quacks.”
However, nothing could be further from the truth in the vaccine debate. Doctors are not unified at all on their positions regarding “the science” of vaccines, nor are they unified in the position of removing informed consent to a medical procedure like vaccines.
The two most extreme positions are those doctors who are 100% against vaccines and do not administer them at all, and those doctors that believe that ALL vaccines are safe and effective for ALL people, ALL the time, by force if necessary.
Very few doctors fall into either of these two extremist positions, and yet it is the extreme pro-vaccine position that is presented by the U.S. Government and mainstream media as being the dominant position of the medical field.
In between these two extreme views, however, is where the vast majority of doctors practicing today would probably categorize their position. Many doctors who consider themselves “pro-vaccine,” for example, do not believe that every single vaccine is appropriate for every single individual.
Many doctors recommend a “delayed” vaccine schedule for some patients, and not always the recommended one-size-fits-all CDC childhood schedule. Other doctors choose to recommend vaccines based on the actual science and merit of each vaccine, recommending some, while determining that others are not worth the risk for children, such as the suspect seasonal flu shot.
These doctors who do not hold extreme positions would be opposed to government-mandated vaccinations and the removal of all parental exemptions.
In this article, I am going to summarize the many doctors today who do not take the most extremist pro-vaccine position, which is probably not held by very many doctors at all, in spite of what the pharmaceutical industry, the federal government, and the mainstream media would like the public to believe.
