Preparing for Vaccination
In the spring I sent out scientifically proven supplement recommendations that you could take to adjust to the possibility of contracting the corona virus and/or reduce its severity should you get it.
To get prepared for the vaccine, I thought I would follow up with some further understanding to aid your choices. As you may know, underlying imbalances have been proven to lead to the onset of a variety of respiratory infections and chronic diseases in general. In particular insufficient levels of:
- Zinc, in particular plays a critical role in all components of the immune system. A brand-new study just published found that low zinc levels are associated with severity of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) by Covid-19. [4] – Also see more, with studies linked: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIvRR_y5i-k
- Vitamin D, is a proven ‘immune-modulator’, which means it moderates inflammatory responses in the immune system – See more, with studies linked: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxtddpoPMKoSelenium: https://news.uncg.edu/research-link-covid-19-selenium/
- Vitamin C: https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstream/handle/10138/317374/ic_52_222.pdf?sequence=1
- Vitamin E: https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstream/handle/10138/317374/ic_52_222.pdf?sequence=1
- More studies below [1], [2], [3]
Since the spring, Melatonin, has also been studied and recommended as a potential adjuvant treatment for COVID-19: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0024320520303313
If you’ve been having difficulty sleeping or feeling rested upon waking, you may want to start taking Melatonin now.
If you haven’t started taking the above supplements, you may want to do so in order to allow your immune system to better adapt to the upcoming vaccine.
Other things we medical herbalists suggest for adults to be more vaccine ready are:
• Take an herb with Immune system affinity e.g., Echinacea tincture or Elderberry in any formulation – 2-3 weeks prior to and after the vaccine. Then stop.
• Ensure healthy gut flora with dietary fibre, pre- and probiotics. Many options exist for building gut health that you can take long turn.
• Drink diaphoretic herbal teas on the day(s) of vaccination e.g., Peppermint, Linden, Yarrow or fresh Ginger.
• It is highly advised to NOT have a vaccination if you feel unwell on the day of.
If you are unsure about dosages, please feel free to contact me and I hope you and your family have been well and happy through this challenging time.
[1] C.J. Field, I.R. Johnson, P.D. Schley, Nutrients and their role in host resistance to infection J Leukoc Biol, 71 (2002), pp. 16-32
[2] M. Maares, H. Haase, Zinc and immunity: an essential interrelation, Arch Biochem Biophys, 611 (2016), pp. 58-65
[3] T.B. Ng, R.C. Cheung, J.H. Wong, Y. Wang, D.T. Ip, D.C. Wan, et al. Antiviral activities of whey proteins, Appl Microbiol Biotechnol, 99 (2015), pp. 6997-7008
[4] Gonçalves TJM, Gonçalves SEAB, Guarnieri A, Risegato RC, Guimarães MP, de Freitas DC, Razuk-Filho A, Junior PBB, Parrillo EF. Association Between Low Zinc Levels and Severity of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome by New Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Nutr Clin Pract. 2020 Dec 23. doi: 10.1002/ncp.10612. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33368619
I hope this has been helpful and always contact me if there is any way I can be of aid.
Kathleen Leeson RH