The entire world has been dealing with this situation for over a year now and fear and panic are still rampant, unfortunately. So what can you do? Wash your hands, use a mask, social distance? Stay away from people, even family members? Wait for the "vaccine" to take hold and safe us? Sadly, the media has done an effective job at scaring people into distrusting their own intuitive sense and the body's ability to fend off disease and heal. In addition, the media, big tech, and even our own government rarely put things into context, instead they focus on the old adage, "If it bleeds, it leads!"
My thoughts: covid-19 is real and extremely contagious. The statistics for mortality are not that much different than influenza, but this bug seems to be much more contagious. If there is one thing that it has done, it has exposed how unhealthy we are as a nation. Chances are people that are not healthy will not do as well if they contract covid-19. Obesity is one of the major risk factors for poor outcomes with covid-19 and about 45% of Americans are considered obese!!! The elderly suffer more, but not just because of old age. They usually have other health issues, called co-morbidities, that reduce their vitality and ability to fight off infections, including the common cold and flu. However, I often hear reports of elderly people well into their 90's recovering from covid-19 uneventfully, with nothing more than mild to moderate symptoms. They are usually healthy, not subjected to polypharmacy (multiple prescriptions), and living an active life. But anyone with health issues, regardless of age, is at risk for getting sick from covid-19 or any infectious germ for that matter.
Then there is the subject of case counts. Unfortunately, a positive PCR test does not necessarily mean an active infection is present, especially if the person is asymptomatic, or without symptoms of disease. In fact, it is a poor test that was not designed for diagnosis and yields many false positive results, especially if the testing protocol utilizes high cycle thresholds. Each cycle amplifies the sample's specimen but after 17 cycles, the accuracy of the outcome drastically reduces. Standard cycle thresholds are over 35 and even 40! This means the specimen sample is amplified so much that a positive test is inevitably achieved. At this level the test is identifying an insignificant amount of a piece of viral genetic material that is usually not viable, and therefore not infectious. Unfortunately, the cycle threshold is rarely reported in test results. So, an asymptomatic person that tests positive is either pre-symptomatic (and time will tell if they have contracted the disease as symptoms will appear, usually within one week), or has just enough viral particles to trigger a positive test (especially after many cycles of amplification) but not enough to cause disease and symptoms, and therefore be contagious to others.
So what are we to do? Get the vaccine? That is a personal choice base on one's own study of the evidenced base literature. If you have not gotten the vaccine, or do not plan to do so, you must still be proactive to protect your health and those around you. Here are some simple strategies to employ:
1. The obvious: wash your hands, and often!
2. Stay home if you are sick or don't feel well and stay away from others that feel the same
3. Avoid sugars, grains, alcohol as they reduce your immune response.
4. Take the "Big Three": Vitamin D, magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids. It is known that people with low vitamin D levels do not do well with covid-19.
5. Specific for viral infections, and covid-19 in particular, take zinc and quercitin, known viral stoppers.
6. Hydrate, as this virus likes dry membranes.
7. Get plenty of rest and exercise.
Trust in your body's defense mechanisms. God gave us an immune system designed to ward off and fight disease and infections. Treat it well and it will take care of you. Remember, 99.9% of people getting covid-19 recover, most have minimal and even no symptoms. Take care of your health issues and implement some or all of the above strategies to stay healthy.
My thoughts: covid-19 is real and extremely contagious. The statistics for mortality are not that much different than influenza, but this bug seems to be much more contagious. If there is one thing that it has done, it has exposed how unhealthy we are as a nation. Chances are people that are not healthy will not do as well if they contract covid-19. Obesity is one of the major risk factors for poor outcomes with covid-19 and about 45% of Americans are considered obese!!! The elderly suffer more, but not just because of old age. They usually have other health issues, called co-morbidities, that reduce their vitality and ability to fight off infections, including the common cold and flu. However, I often hear reports of elderly people well into their 90's recovering from covid-19 uneventfully, with nothing more than mild to moderate symptoms. They are usually healthy, not subjected to polypharmacy (multiple prescriptions), and living an active life. But anyone with health issues, regardless of age, is at risk for getting sick from covid-19 or any infectious germ for that matter.
Then there is the subject of case counts. Unfortunately, a positive PCR test does not necessarily mean an active infection is present, especially if the person is asymptomatic, or without symptoms of disease. In fact, it is a poor test that was not designed for diagnosis and yields many false positive results, especially if the testing protocol utilizes high cycle thresholds. Each cycle amplifies the sample's specimen but after 17 cycles, the accuracy of the outcome drastically reduces. Standard cycle thresholds are over 35 and even 40! This means the specimen sample is amplified so much that a positive test is inevitably achieved. At this level the test is identifying an insignificant amount of a piece of viral genetic material that is usually not viable, and therefore not infectious. Unfortunately, the cycle threshold is rarely reported in test results. So, an asymptomatic person that tests positive is either pre-symptomatic (and time will tell if they have contracted the disease as symptoms will appear, usually within one week), or has just enough viral particles to trigger a positive test (especially after many cycles of amplification) but not enough to cause disease and symptoms, and therefore be contagious to others.
So what are we to do? Get the vaccine? That is a personal choice base on one's own study of the evidenced base literature. If you have not gotten the vaccine, or do not plan to do so, you must still be proactive to protect your health and those around you. Here are some simple strategies to employ:
1. The obvious: wash your hands, and often!
2. Stay home if you are sick or don't feel well and stay away from others that feel the same
3. Avoid sugars, grains, alcohol as they reduce your immune response.
4. Take the "Big Three": Vitamin D, magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids. It is known that people with low vitamin D levels do not do well with covid-19.
5. Specific for viral infections, and covid-19 in particular, take zinc and quercitin, known viral stoppers.
6. Hydrate, as this virus likes dry membranes.
7. Get plenty of rest and exercise.
Trust in your body's defense mechanisms. God gave us an immune system designed to ward off and fight disease and infections. Treat it well and it will take care of you. Remember, 99.9% of people getting covid-19 recover, most have minimal and even no symptoms. Take care of your health issues and implement some or all of the above strategies to stay healthy.
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