Viral Preparation-Not Panic

Our mania is worse than the actual disease. Instead of panicking, let us put our thinking caps on to figure out the actions that are within our power to accomplish. Knowing this microbe is a virus is an important point. We have been exposed to viruses essentially forever. It makes sense that the same protocols that we have always recommended for viruses would help. It is just more important than ever to actually put them into practice. Nutrition, vitamins, herbs, rest, and barriers have a long standing ability to support good health. Before diving into those specific areas, I want to address the real problems facing this current pandemic.

With all the hype about the CoronaVirus, at the end of the day, it is just still a virus. Not to demean the gravity of having a micro that is so transmittable as Corona lurking around our neighborhoods, the reality is that the CoronaVirus is not near as deadly as so many other diseases that have been with us forever.

Note: This was a graph that I took a screen shot of before it was taken down. I am sorry to say that I can not find the original link. Also note that these numbers are changing so fast that this graph couldn’t possibly be exact. The CoronaVirus is turning out to have more than a 99% survival rate in western countries. It will just give you a relative idea of the relationships between viruses.

Pandemic Spread:

This virus above all of the other viruses has rocked our Western sense of security. To really understand a clear plan of action, we need to consider the specifics of this particular virus’ advancement.

• Person to person transmission
• Long incubation leads to more interaction with asymptomatic carriers
• Early identification confusion with a common flu/cold and delayed testing
• Global economy and easy international transportation
• Lack of biocontainment education and implementation
• Long standing poor health habits contribute to an underprepared immune system
• Medical system resistant to natural medicine which contains some of the world’s best anti-virals

Even with the best biocontainment policies and implementation in place, this would only serve to slow down the spread of this disease, not contain it. The virus is difficult to identify early enough to prevent our global interconnected relationships from spreading it to almost every person on earth, in all reality to everyone on the planet. The key is to hold off getting it until more is known about the virus and to allow adequate time for individuals to boost their most important defense against any virus…their immune systems.

To really serve those in real danger, we need to narrow our focus down to those who are actually at risk. There are certain age ranges that seem more vulnerable to the more extreme symptoms of this illness.

This is not my graph. Many of the statistics are diapering from media. So I made a screen shot of it to preserve it. I found the photo at: https://www.sciencealert.com/covid-19-s-death-rate-is-higher-than-thought-but-it-should-drop

The young tend to be much more resilient, which gives me a little peace of mind as a mother of 5. That is short lived considering that I am in the over 50 category. But even the highest, the over 80 group, has a wooping 86.2% chance of coming through this disease. It is the infirmed loved ones in our society that we are most concerned about. Those with compromised immune systems, chronic diseases, and a generally weakened state of health are most prone to the insidious pneumonia and body system failure that accompanies this virus.

Symptoms:

The most difficult problem we face with this disease is that it has a very similar symptom picture to the ordinary cold and flu, until it gets worse. In addition just because you get/don’t get a symptom doesn’t confirm your case. The group most likely to have the virus is those who have been around someone with a confirmed case of coronavirus. Since it took us so long to start mass testing, my guess is that it is already widely spread. At this point testing will only confirm that. So as far as symptoms go, what are statistically the most common Corona symptoms? The WHO-China Joint Mission on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID019) percentage of symptoms from confirmed cases are as follows: 87.9% Fever, 67.7% dry cough, 38.1% fatigue, 33.4% sputum production, 18.6% shortness of breath, 13.9% sore throat, 13.6% headache,14.8% myalgia arthralgia (muscle aches), 11.4% chills, 5.0% nausea or vomiting, 4.8% nasal congestion, 3.7% diarrhea, and .9% hemoptysis, and .8% conjunctival congestion. (https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/who-china-joint-mission-on-covid-19-final-report.pdf) If anyone has a fever they should stay at home for at least 24 hours after that fever has lifted. Coughing in public is going to be frowned upon whether or not you have a fever, so stay home. And in all honesty anyone that is sick should stay home and recover, since fighting two illnesses at the same time will put you at greater risk for more severe symptoms. If you must go out in public when you are sick, wear a mask.

Internal Preparation Plan:

The best defense is a good offense. Our immune systems have the ability to fight any disease. My question is, “why do they fail?” Mostly it is because our culture focuses on the wrong problems. We eat for our taste buds and not for our health. The question of is a food good is always associated with taste. Taste will not support the immune system since we have trained it only for gratification of our indulgences. Even the “health food” industry knows that, which makes processed health food, not that healthy. We often ask ourselves, “What’s so bad about …(food)…?” Mostly because we know the answer will be in our favor. The truth is that we are asking the wrong question. We need to be asking, “What is good about…(food)…? Will this food support my body? Is it bringing life or death to me?” That may elicit a totally different answer. In these times we need to make every effort to support our immune systems so that our immune systems can protect us.

• Nutrition: Eat to support your immune system. High vegetables and low sugar have been known for centuries to support health in the body. It is more important than ever to eat to live. Aim for 6 servings of vegetables/ day (2 breakfast, 2 lunch, 2 dinner). A serving is ½ cup cooked, 1 cup raw. And to the best of your abilities, avoid sugars and artificial sweeteners. Concentrate on real foods. For more advice on how to best eat for optimal health check out Mission Nutrition (click on link). The companion cookbook, Health Compass Cookbook (click on link), contains exclusive video links to many recipe demos and quick access to my most popular recipes from Mission Nutrition and Facebook. Other nutrient superstars are properly raised organ meats and bone broth. Did you know that you can drink bone broth as you would drink coffee? It’s true. Health Compass Cookbook has videos to teach you how to make your own, saving much money and limiting trips out of your house.
• Vitamin C: It is being specifically used in this illness to both combat and contain the disease. They have already started research studies on it. Of course these studies aren’t published, since the virus was only discovered in 2019, hence the name novel or new. Despite the push back from the Western medical establishments and the backlash from social media corporations, this is a logical remedy for any virus. A quick search on PubMed reveals almost 15,000 citations on “Vitamin C and Virus”. There is long standing, scientific support for vitamin C and infections, for our purposes here, specifically viral infections. In this case, we are using vitamin C as a nutraceutical, meaning I would suggest higher doses than the body requires for daily function to have a particular action. Vitamin C has a stellar safety track record even at the highest doses and has an easy maximum oral test. Vitamin C has two safeguards. It is water soluble, so any unused vitamin will be excreted in the urine. And it has a limited bowel tolerance that is correlated with the amount of vitamin C required by your body at a given time. Interestingly, all other animals produce their own vitamin C within their bodies, humans do not. Equally interesting is that the amount of vitamin C required by the body at any given time varies with the amount needed to fight illness. It is in effect a moving target. Start with 1,000mg and add an additional 1,000mg pill each day until you have diarrhea. Then decrease the total mg by 1,000. If you are more cautious, use 500mg pills. Look for buffered, non-GMO, capsules.  They are the easiest to take. If you hate pills, try the buffered powder in smoothies. It has a lemony flavor and works well. I have a recipe for a High-C smoothie in two of my books (Mission Nutrition and Herbal Cold and Flu).
• Vitamins D: It is not only needed for proper bone growth, but Vitamin D is crucial for our adaptive immune response. Many Westerners are low in Vitamin D. The population is either not in the sun, or their area just doesn’t have adequate amounts of the correct radiation to create it in the body. In my area of the country, there are only 2 months of the year that have D making hours. And even then a person has only 2 hours in the middle of the day to lay in the sun naked to gain the D required for protection. Not that it requires 2 hours, but that is the window of time. My professor has tested and retested his blood D to find his optimal oral requirement. He reports that he uses 7,000 IUs/ day. I like a product with D3 and K2 mixed together. I take around 5,000 IUs of D/day during the other 10 months of the year. In Mission Nutrition, I give the website links for you to discover when your area’s optimal D-time is.
• Herbs- Astragalus: Many herbs are symptom and individual specific. There are a few herbs that are more widely implicated for viruses and overwhelmingly safe. Astragalus is more of a preventative herb that is good to add to food daily during the winter months. I have a jar of the powder beside my stove.  It is generally unnoticed in many saucy recites.
• Herbs- Elderberry Syrup: Preventative as well as supportive, Elderberry syrup should be a staple in your immune boosting toolbox. I personally add cinnamon fermented cod liver oil to my elderberry syrup for tough colds. Be aware that the dose for prevention is 1 tsp 3 times a day all winter long. When you get a cold it is 1 Tbsp 3/day. For my large family we can easily go through 1-2 quarts for a flu. I have been making it for a Mexico Mission Trip fundraiser. However, if you really want to save money, check out my ebook course Herbal Colds and Flu. I have videos and recipes for adding elderberry syrup into your daily routine.
• Herbs- Ginger: High doses of ginger are amazing at immune support. If you can handle it, a shot or two of fresh ginger each day will help a lot. You can add it to your elderberry syrup for a little sweetness. If you can’t handle drinking it straight, capsules work. I usually take 4,000 mg with food for pain, nausea, gas, or colds. In Ayurveda, “If ginger can’t cure it, nothing can.”
• Herbs- Formula Mushroom Immune has both reishi and turkey tail mushrooms in it. They are both powerful immune supporters. I add this formula to individual elderberry doses of those who seem to have a difficult time fighting a cold/flu.
• Herbs- Formula Thieves Throat Spray: This is a quick and easy travel-size remedy. I place 30 drops of thieves essential oil in a 15ml spray bottle and fill it with a multi-extract of echinacea that I make. Both serve as an immune booster and supporter. Recipes for Homeopathic thieves and additional cold remedies are in my mini ebook/video course Herbal Cold and Flu.
• Increase REST: It is amazingly important to get enough sleep! I can’t emphasize this enough…get at least 8 hours of sleep a day.
• Decrease STRESS: This is equally important and is closely related to sleep. Lack of sleep and stress drastically decrease your immune response. Be sure to significantly limit your stress level and prioritize sleep.

External Preparation Plan:

The best defense is a good offense. With that in mind, keep to your own space as much as possible.

• When in public, do not touch your nose, eyes, mouth, or face.
• Don’t touch people outside your household. No handshaking hands, kissing, or hugging. You can do air high fives, head nods, air hugs, or just use your words.
• If you must cough, cough into your clothing, elbow if you have long sleeves or use disposable tissue.
• Wash your hands thoroughly with warm soapy water. https://www.sciencealert.com/what-really-works-to-keep-the-coronavirus-away has a good video on hand washing.
• Use hand sanitizer liberally.

Super Hand Sanitizer

• 2/3 c Aloe Vera gel
• 1/3 c 99% rubbing alcohol
• 2 tsp Vegetable Glycerin
• 20  drops Thieves EO
• 1 hand dispenser pump

Mix all ingredients well and store in glass. Individual 15ml amber, glass bottles are travel size.

• Have a mask for everyone in your family, ideally N99 disposable. Since this world is not ideal and all of the masks are sold out, the next best thing is to make a mask. It isn’t perfect, but it is better than none. A cloth mask is used for those who already have a cold to prevent the spread of their own germs to the public, like coughing into the elbow of your shirt. I made a four layer, earloop mask in a different color for every person in our family. They can be washed and periodically sprayed with my hand sanitizer on the inside and out. I would recommend washing them after every use. They would be close to N95 if they had an adjustable metal nose bridge. I did not add such a feature in my first addition. It would be easy to add though. Until my N99 masks come, I will use the cloth ones. I plan to write another blog post with cloth mask instructions and pattern. You should sign up for my blog if you haven’t already, so that you don’t miss anything.
• Have a biohazard family containment plan: 1) For neighborhood  2) For a person within your family from the rest of the family.
• Slow your exposure rate down by having a simple family Decontamination Procedure:

Simple Front Door Decontamination Procedures:

1. Create a decontamination space. Put up a heavy plastic barrier for those that are hard core, a curtain for those that aren’t, around the main door you will enter.
2. Build a separate place for your current-leaving-your-property (contaminated) masks, coats, and shoes. Right at the door you are going to use to enter the house. Only enter the house there. *This is temporary so pick one “contaminated” coat and one “contaminated” pair of shoes for each member of your family. **This is the important thing: the “contaminated” shoes and coat can’t leave that area until they have been “decontaminated”. That should be their home while on your property.
3. Have a house shoe rack beside but separate from the “contaminated” rack. It is possible to use the upper shoe rack for house shoes, but with our large family we need two racks. One shoe rack for the “contamination” shoes and one for house only shoes.
4. Have hand sanitizer stationed at the rack and sanitizing spray.
5. Everyone go straight to the bathroom to wash your hands and face.

10 General Quarantine Procedures:

1. Be prepared with extra food and specific medicines for at least two weeks if not 1 month.
2. Define a defendable quarantine area in your house. It should have its own ventilation, like a window at the very least. You may have to divide an existing room with heavy plastic and duct tape.
3. Define an additional room outside the door of that area for a decontamination room. You can use heavy plastic and duct tape. The decontamination room should contain a place to hang your whole body suit with hood, N99 masks, googles, disposable gloves, separate shoes, separate trash can/bag and sanitizing agent. (I will be using acid water from my Enagic machine. Other potential sanitizers are .05% bleach solution (wait 10-60 min., not for people), raw thieves vinegar, or good old alcohol (as high a percentage as you can get). I would consider combining vinegar and alcohol to extend your supply.
4. Consider placing a cold air distributor in both the containment area and decontamination area.
5. Spray the whole suit with sanitizing spray upon entering the decontamination room.
6. Know how to remove suit, shoes, googles, mask and gloves.
7. Spray down the area with sanitizing agents before exiting.
8. Use hand sanitizer on hands.
9. Go directly to wash hands with warm soapy water.
10. Wash all decontamination materials daily with hot water, thieves, and vinegar.

Herbal Cold and Flu 2020 is available free for those who have previously bought it.

If you want to buy a copy of Herbal Cold and Flu click the link. Ebooks are both quick and sanitary. 🙂

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