CV-19 has turned all of our lives upside down. It’s been a surreal, disorienting, and for many an extremely frightening experience.  But feeling fear can make us feel overwhelmed and powerless, resulting in volatile behaviour that’s not useful to anyone.

So right now, it’s especially important to take steps and implement strategies of self-care.  In a later (but not too much later) blog, I’ll be sharing exactly how I organise my daily self-care routine. Self-care has always been key to my daily survival as a self-employed mum of three children, and productivity.  With years of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Benign Fasciculation Syndrome in my background, I sometimes wonder how I made it so far! Keep an eye out for this blog, as it is my routine and commitment to self that still gets me through the days and weeks.

CFS/ME and BFS aside, the importance of self-care is especially true right now when we’re dealing with a global crisis and realities that are changing day to day, hour to hour.

My encouragement for you in this uncertain time is to stay focused on those things that you can be certain about and can control.

One of these things is to limit how much news I choose to consume each day.  There’s a balance between staying informed, and freaking out due to news overwhelming us. It has the potential to break you down!!

Instead, commit to seaking for clarity, calm, and peace of mind especially at the beginning and end of each day.

If you have children at home, like I do, that’s a whole other set of challenges. Committing to good positive habitual rhythms each and every day is what positions us for the rest of the day. It sets us on a trajectory to either succeed in homeschooling; completing and handing in tasks, and staying sane as a parent with kids being home-schooled.   If you don’t set these positive habitual rhythms the alternative is antsy kids and cabin fever.

So can we do to support our health at this time?

There is so much we can do to get to know our health pre-dispositions, decrease toxicity and support our immune system.  Below I have listed the most important nutritional supplements that you can buy and use within your home.

According to Andrew Saul, editor of Orthomolecular Medicine News Service (OMNS) on January 26, 2020, “the coronavirus pandemic can be dramatically slowed, or stopped, with the immediate widespread use of high doses of vitamin C. Physicians have demonstrated the powerful antiviral action of vitamin C for decades. There has been a lack of media coverage of this effective and successful approach against viruses in general, and coronavirus in particular.

It is very important to maximise the body’s anti-oxidative capacity and natural immunity to prevent and minimise symptoms when a virus attacks the human body. The host environment is crucial. Preventing is obviously easier than treating severe illness. But treat serious illness seriously. Do not hesitate to seek medical attention. It is not an either-or choice. Vitamin C can be used right along with medicines when they are indicated.”

“The basis for using high doses of vitamin C to prevent and combat virus-caused illness may be traced back to vitamin C’s early success against polio, first reported in the late 1940s. (Klenner FR, 1949). Many people are unaware, even surprised, to learn this. Further clinical evidence built up over the decades, leading to an anti-virus protocol published in 1980. (Cathcart RF, 1980)

It is important to remember that preventing and treating respiratory infections with large amounts of vitamin C is well established. Those who believe that vitamin C generally has merit, but massive doses are ineffective or somehow harmful, will do well to read the original papers for themselves. To dismiss the work of these doctors simply because they had success so long ago sidesteps a more important question: Why has the benefit of their clinical experience not been presented to the public by responsible governmental authorities, especially in the face of a viral pandemic?” In China, a study is under way to see if high doses of vitamin C can help fight off CV-19. Scientists at the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University are testing its effects on 120 patients who have the virus, giving them daily infusions of 24g of vitamin C for seven days. Results have not yet been published.

By Antony Haynes, Nutri-Link

Vitamin A is a micronutrient that is crucial for maintaining vision, promoting growth and development, and protecting epithelium and mucus integrity in the body. It possesses anti-inflammatory effects because of its critical role in enhancing immune function. Vitamin A is involved in the development of the immune system and plays regulatory roles in cellular immune responses and humoral immune processes. It has demonstrated a therapeutic effect in the treatment of various infectious diseases.

Consistent with the role of retinoic acid in cell growth and differentiation, viral growth is also regulated in part by vitamin A; viral activity in general is regulated by retinoids. Vitamin A and its active metabolites are likewise importantly involved in the growth and differentiation of mucosa-associated airway epithelia.

While vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is thought to be a disease of the developing world, studies suggest that subclinical VAD may be quite prevalent.

By Antony Haynes, Nutri-Link

The studies clearly show that vitamin D is, undoubtedly, a key prohormone/nutrient which affects the immune response and has been shown in multiple studies to possess or stimulate anti-viral properties. Assessing vitamin D status and maintaining optimal serum levels should be considered in all but particularly ageing adults and children. Vit D supplementation to achieve normal levels along with micronutrients should be regarded as one of the essential factors which improve health overall and also supports our fight against infectious diseases.

By Antony Haynes, Nutri-Link

Zinc is known to play a central role in the immune system, and zinc-deficient persons experience increased susceptibility to a variety of pathogens. Zinc is crucial for normal development and function of cells mediating nonspecific immunity such as neutrophils and natural killer cells.

Broadly, zinc exerts its antiviral effect by interfering with four stages of the viral life cycle, which includes loss of infectivity of the virus, inhibition of virus entry into the host, inhibition of viral polypeptide processing, and inhibition of the activity of viral protease and/or virally-encoded RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp).

Ensuring optimal zinc status with zinc supplementation is one contributory factor for strengthening immunity against viral infections.

By Antony Haynes, Nutri-Link

Monolaurin is an antiviral that supports in breaking-up biofilms where infections can hide from the immune system.

Sourced from specific soil in certain locations in the world, Humic acid inhibits all viruses. The Humic Acid with the most effective anti-viral activity is derived from fresh-water plants that is essentially ancient compost that is thousands of years old. Humic acid contains many kinds of “functional groups” (specific groups of atoms) that can bind to a multitude of viruses. Research has shown certain humic acids to be effective in vitro against all known viruses including influenza, HSV & HIV.

By Antony Haynes, Nutri-Link

Article written for Rio Health, on Chinese Skullcap.  By Anna Haynes Chinese Skullcap case v2 (1)

Cistus Incanus is an antiviral that supports in breaking-up biofilms where infections can hide from the immune system.

Houttuynia cordata can be used for preparing traditional medicines that are used for treating diuresis. 1. Detoxification Ability Houttuynia cordata can be used for detoxifying the body systems due to its antibacterial and antiviral properties. 2. Pneumonia treatment Houttuynia cordata can be used for treating pneumonia, abnormal lung symptoms and SARS (Severe acute respiratory syndrome). 3. Treatment of infectious diseases It can be used for treating infectious diseases due to its anti-viral and antibacterial properties. 4. Herpes treatment Houttuynia cordata can be given to patients suffering from herpes virus since the plant contains properties that are capable of inhibiting pseudorabies herpes virus. 5. Antipoison Properties Houttuynia cordata is also known as a poison-blocking plant due to its ability to neutralize poisonous substances.

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