How One Nurse Practitioner Arms Her Immune System To Fight Viruses
EVEXIAS founder and practitioner Terri DeNeui, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC; and practitioners Tricia Lawler, APRN, FNP-BC; Nicole Taylor, APRN, FNP-BC; and Samantha Pailes, APRN, ANP-BC
As a Doctor of Nursing Practice and former emergency room nurse, staying healthy has always been important to me. If you’re working on the front lines during the coronavirus crisis — healthcare, grocery store, sanitation, delivery workers and first responders, to name a few — I’m sure your health is a priority, too. Amid the current pandemic, people keep asking me what I do for myself, my patients and my family to keep our immune systems strong. Below are my top five tips for optimizing immune system function.
None of the following information should be considered to be medical advice for anyone with whom I have not established a healthcare provider-patient relationship as required by law and medically ethical practice guidelines.
Dr. Terri’s Top Five Immune Boosting Tips
Tip No. 1: Manage Melatonin Levels
The powerhouse antioxidant melatonin goes above and beyond what we think it does! When we think melatonin, we think of sleep, right? Well, yes because darkness stimulates melatonin release. However, melatonin is not a sleep aide, though many people mistakenly believe this.
How melatonin benefits you (especially in light of COVID-19)
A mighty antioxidant, melatonin provides anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory benefits, and it’s also a powerful immune regulator. Recently, this amazing, free radical scavenger was shown to positively impact the coronavirus inflammasome — a fancy word for a protein that activates the negative side of our immune system. Most notably, this inflammasome causes respiratory distress related to COVID-19 (coronavirus disease).
By the way, light suppresses melatonin. If you want to sleep well, turn out all lights at bedtime. That includes shutting off TVs and keeping computer, phone and tablet screens out of the bedroom.
Lastly, our melatonin levels decrease with age — like everything else — and must be replaced orally for optimal health. Many scientists now suggest that the up to 10 times greater amounts of melatonin children produce may be why they are not getting so sick with this dreaded COVID-19.
Typically, adults need anywhere from 1-5 mg a night and up to ten times that amount when ill, traveling between time zones or night shift workers. Ask your healthcare provider if melatonin supplements make sense for you, and if so, what dosage.
Tip No. 2: Power Up With Vitamin C In the Form of Ascorbic Acid
I can’t sing enough praises about this “oldie but goodie.” Ascorbic acid is widely known for its antioxidant properties. Antioxidants act like warriors in the body because they help neutralize free radicals that damage cells in the body as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS) that have been shown to cause a broad spectrum of damage to our biological systems.
A minimum of 2000-4000 mg of ascorbic acid a day for adults is theorized to be optimal to prevent the furin cleaving (aka replication) of coronavirus in the lungs as well as adequately increase your T-lymphocyte counts (the soldiers of our immune system) to mount a fight against viral illness. Careful spacing of vitamin C doses is important as too much at once may cause gastrointestinal distress.
In China, Vitamin C was used extensively for the treatment of COVID-19, with the government of Shanghai officially recommending its use to fight the disease. Ill patients in China received up to 24,000 mg a day of IV vitamin C to combat the COVID-19!
Tip No. 3: Get Your Vitamins D3, A, K2 and Magnesium, Too
These wonderful nutrients are essential for optimal function of the immune system and overall health. Here’s a brief snapshot as to why you need each one to help battle the virus that causes COVID-19, not to mention colds and the flu.
Vitamin D3 has been shown to support a healthy respiratory system. An analysis of 25 randomized clinical trials (11,321 participants ages 0 to 95) revealed that Vitamin D supplementation was safe and protected against acute respiratory infections — the most dangerous symptom of COVID-19. Vitamin D supplementation has also been shown to mitigate symptoms of the flu. So get more sun folks! Or ask your healthcare provider about a D3 supplement.
Vitamin A is often referred to as an anti-inflammation vitamin due to the critical role it plays in supporting immune function. It also protects the epithelium (tissue forming the outer layer of the body’s surface) and mucus integrity.
High Vitamin K2 levels are associated with lower levels of inflammation, the immune system’s response to pathogens attacking our body. This assertion was supported by the Framingham Offspring study, which showed “high Vitamin K status was associated with lower concentrations of inflammatory markers.”
Magnesium deficiency has also been associated with inflammation. Chronic inflammation goes hand-in-hand with chronic diseases, and of course, a weakened immune system.
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