COVID-19 and Your Immune System

Most people have heard of Louis Pasteur, a famous French biologist and chemist who lived during the 19 ^th century and invented “pasteurization.” As a proponent of the “germ theory of disease” (the belief that disease is caused by germs), Pasteur is one of the fathers of modern medicine. 

However there were equally well-known scientists in Pasteur’s day who didn’t agree with him. Germs, they argued, couldn’t gain a foothold in a truly healthy body.  Chief among these critics was physiologist Claude Bernard. Bernard held that our body’s “inner terrain” (or immune system) determines our health. He is unknown today because his ideas lost out to the germ theory.

But Pasteur himself is reputed to have said on his deathbed, “Bernard was right. The microbe [germ] is nothing; the terrain is everything.” 

So it’s dismaying that the advice given to the public regarding COVID-19 seems to be based on the theory that “the virus is everything; the terrain is nothing.”

While COVID-19 is a powerful virus, and strategies to avoid and inactivate it like social distancing and hand-washing are extremely important, strengthening the immune system is also crucial to surviving and thriving during this pandemic.

There are various ways to strengthen your immunity, your “terrain,” and we will be talking more about them in weeks to come.  While no one is going to do every one perfectly, doing as many as you can will greatly reduce your chances of getting sick, or, if you do get sick, reduce the severity and duration of the infection.  Here is a list of some we especially recommend:

* Avoid sugar and white flour. Sugar spikes paralyze the immune system.

* Stay alkaline . Use this chart with pH test strips to check your morning urine.

*A diet centered on vegetables, with minimal animal protein, 2 pieces of fruit daily, and moderate amounts of the healthy fats (olive oil, coconut oil, fish oil, flax oil and ghee)

*At least 2 quarts of pure water daily. 

*Adequate sleep

*Regular exercise

* 2 Beyond Health Multivitamin tablets daily

*Maintain high-normal levels of vitamin D. If you haven’t had your vitamin D levels tested, start one capsule of Beyond Health Vitamin D3 Formula daily and arrange to be tested as soon as practical.

* Beyond Health Vitamin C tablet s or powder to bowel tolerance

*4 Beyond Health Cell Repair Formula tablets daily (quercetin in this formula works synergistically with vitamin C)

*Zinc. Over age 40, add one 25 mg capsule of Beyond Health’s Zinc Formula to the 25 mg you get from your Beyond Health Multis for a total of 50 mg. daily.   

* One Beyond Health Vitamin E Formula capsule for each 40 lbs of body weight daily

*2 Beyond Health Cell Detox Formula daily

*2 Beyond Health Essential Fatty Acids Formula capsules daily OR 1 tablespoon of Professional Formula Cod Liver Oil or Udo’s Oil 3-6-9 Blend .

* Olive Leaf Extract when exposed to possible contamination by the virus; 1-2 capsules every 6 hours. 

Most importantly, focus on what’s good and deeply nourishing in your life. Be realistic and accept the bad, but don’t become overly preoccupied with it. Friends and laughter help a lot!

Our very best to you in these trying times!