Viral Infections
Caution:
- Some viral infections can be fatal and they can escalate quickly.
- If you are going to use the tips in this article, you must do it under proper medical supervision. If you do not you may end up seriously damaging yourself or causing fatal mistakes to your health.
Air Humididy
This is perhaps the easiest of all and also one of the most effective. Maintain the humidity of the air you breath at 65% or better. At lower humidity, the mucus membrane in your respiratory tract can become dry and thin, making it difficult to trap the virus particles in the air you breathe.
How to measure air humidity
You need an instrument called a hygrometer to measure humidity. If you don’t have one, the minimum you can do is to make sure that your skin, lips or respiratory tract doesn’t feel dry. This is a very inexact way of ensuring that sufficient humidity is present in the air, but it is better than having nothing at all.
How to maintain air humidity
The air humidity levels should be maintained at 40 to 60% to keep your respiratory tract moist. Moisture in the air tends to go down in winters. At this time, the air becomes dry, and respiratory issues come up.
Sore throat
Some of the viral infections can start as sore throat. This is common at least around early 2023. So, if you encounter sore throat, gargle with betadine (better) or salt water. They both can stop the bugs from multiplying.
If you do this, the trick is to retain betadine or salt water in your throat as much as possible. So, gargle once every few hours and definitely after eating/drinking.
You can also sip on salt water as long as you do not have hypertension. Also, if you over-consume salt, it can give you diarrhea.
Anti-viral Nutrients
The following nutrients can be used to protect yourself from most viral infections. The dosage will go much higher in case you have confirmed infection. Before you read on, here are a few things for you to remember:
- Some rare individuals may have adverse reactions to some of these nutrients. As mentioned at the top of this page, please implement this under medical supervision.
- You cannot obtain the needed dosages from your food or regular multivitamin doses. These doses are also much higher than RDA (recommended daily allowance). By the way, do you know the [RDA values have zero scientific evidence]?
Vitamin A
Vitamin A, also known by the names 'retinol' or 'beta-carotene', is essentially an "anti-infective" vitamin. This vitamin keeps you away from the flu virus in two ways.
- Keep your lungs healthy and respiratory passages moist.
- Inactivates viral multiplication in the body by increasing the number of killer cells.
However, you cannot over-do Vitamin A or continue it for a long time. If you do, it can bring its own health complications.
How much of Vitamin A will you need?
- For preventing you from getting a viral infection
- Normal risk: 25,000 iu/day
- Escalated risk: 100,000 iu/day
- For treating an infection that is already there
- 100,000 to 200,000 iu/ day for 5 days
- 100,000 to 200,000 iu/ day for 5 days
Vitamin B
Vitamin B, especially the subtypes B6(pyridoxine) and B12(cyanocobalamin), is a vitamin whose deficiency leads to a weakened ability to fight viral infections. Hence intake in the form of diet or supplements would work by helping your system fight against an existing infection, by enhancing the ability of defensive cells, that help clear viral particles.
How much of Vitamin B will you need?
Most good vitamin B complex should do the trick (if you are taking Becasules, you will need at least 4 of them perday).
Please note that B complex tablets usually do not come with B12. You will have to buy your B12 separately. Any basic dose will work.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid), is an amazing vitamin that keeps you away from flu, common cold and other viral infections. Studies have shown that regular intake of vitamin C actually halves the number of colds and if a healthy adult is infected, shortened the duration of cold. Various experiments also showed a decrease in body concentrations of vitamin C, with respiratory issues, proving that during the course of the illness, vitamin C is being used up by the body. And when there is a deficiency of this vitamin, a greater degree of lung damage and delayed recovery has been noted. This means that, in case you are affected by flu, common cold or even pneumonia, this vitamin can work magic. Vitamin C is safe and costs only pennies per gram. So modest effects may be worth exploiting! Does this magic pill help you fight COVID- 19? Well, it may… but that's yet to be proven.
How much of Vitamin C will you need?
- For preventing you from getting a viral infection
- Normal risk: 1000mg/day
- Escalated risk: 2000mg/day
- For treating an infection that is already there
- 5000 to 10000mg/day for 5 days.
Vitamin D
Here’s a little history lesson for you smart people: back in April 2005, a virulent strain of influenza hit a psychiatric hospital near San Francisco. Although most patients ultimately proved susceptible, only one ward in the hospital, although heavily exposed was unaffected. Dr. John J. Cannell, the psychiatrist in charge of the ward, on retrospective analysis, realized that the high dose of Vitamin D that he had administered to all his patients, because they had shown a deficiency, had indeed boosted Cathelicidin levels, thereby protecting all of them from the flu.
Vitamin D, also known as the 'antibiotic vitamin', works by boosting the production of one of the antimicrobial components (cathelicidin) in white blood cells, that defends the body against germs. Cathelicidin "targets the bad guys". It kills invaders by punching holes on its exterior, permitting its innards to leak out.
You get Vitamin D from sunlight. No other external source. That's the reason that during winters, lack of sunlight leads to a temporary decrease in levels of vitamin D, making you prone to cold, flu and other respiratory illnesses. So, in case you are deficient, supplementation is definitely needed. This is something to ponder upon, during this time of pandemicity.
How much of Vitamin D will you need?
- For preventing you from getting a viral infection
- Normal risk: 10,000 iu/ day
- Escalated risk: 25,000 iu/ day
- For treating an infection that is already there
- 50,000 iu/ day for 5 days
Vitamin E
Free radicals, unstable molecules in the body that are generally produced as a result of normal body metabolisms can damage cells, essential proteins and even your DNA. Viral infections tend to exaggerate the formation of these free radicals. Speaking of respiratory infections, free radicals can eat up your lungs. To get rid of it, you need antioxidants. Vitamin E is an excellent antioxidant.
How much of Vitamin E will you need?
- For preventing you from getting a viral infection
- 400 iu/ day
- For treating an infection that is already there
- 800 iu/ day
Selenium
During a viral infection, free radical damage to lungs is exaggerated, leading to what we call an oxidative stress in your body. The scavenging system that kills and gets rid of viruses is also hampered. Increased oxidative stress also causes mutation of the virus, by tampering with the viral gene. Selenium plays an important role in controlling oxidative stress. So your symptoms will be milder and you can recover faster.
How much of Selenium will you need?
- For preventing you from getting a viral infection
- 25 to 100mcg/day
- For treating an infection that is already there
- 200mcg/day
Zinc
Do you know that zinc can be used in the treatment of a variety of viral infections? Once zinc enters your infected cell, it restricts viral growth, multiplication and inhibits various pathways essential for its survival. It also prevents viral multiplication in the respiratory tract. Studies have shown that zinc reduces the duration of symptoms by two days, when treatment is started within 24 hours of symptom onset.
How much of Zinc will you need?
- For preventing you from getting a viral infection
- Normal risk: 25mg/ day
- Escalated risk: 50mg/ day
- For treating an infection that is already there
- 50 to 100mg/ day for 5 days
Alpha Lipoic Acid
ALA suppresses viral infections. It replenishes the glutathione and enhances antioxidant activity. ALA also makes your white blood cells function better.
How much of ALA will you need?
-
For preventing you from getting a viral infection
-
600mg/ day
-
For treating an infection that is already there
-
1200mg to 1800mg/ day for 5 days
N-Acetyl Cysteine
N-Acetyl Cysteine, commonly known as NAC, works in three ways:
- It loosens thick mucus, preventing blockage of your respiratory tract, making it easier for you to breathe.
- It blocks viral multiplication.
- NAC reduces the oxidative stress by inhibiting various internal pathways. So just like Vitamin E and Selenium, NAC saves your lungs from being eaten up by the virus.
How much of NAC will you need?
- For preventing you from getting a viral infection
- 600mg/ day
- For treating an infection that is already there
- 1200mg to 1800mg/ day
Hormones to fight Viruses
Never play with hormones without adult (doctor’s) supervision. If you do, you can seriously hurt yourself. Having said that, there is one hormone that is vital for fighting any kind of infections: Cortisol.
Cortisol
If you don’t have enough cortisol, your body cannot fight the invading pathogens. Normal people usually won’t have difficulty with upregulating their cortisol levels as needed. However, people who are under a cortisol supplementation program will have to increase their supplementation.
<more on how it works>
How much of Cortisol will you need?
- On the first hour of infection, say when you feel your first discomfort in your throat: 5 to 10mg per 30 mins for 2 h
- During the course of the illness, you may need to take 1.5 times the normal dosage, for 2 to 3 weeks.
Note: This is applicable only for someone who is already on cortisol supplementation program. This is NOT applicable for healthy individuals.
DHEA
If you are on a cortisol supplementation program, your doctor would have put you on DHEA supplementation as well. Just make sure that you are not missing it. However, if you think you got an infection, please increase your DHEA dosage by 1.5 times
Drug Therapy for Viral Infections
Here is a drugs that can be useful in fighting a viral infection.
Thymosin Alpha-1
Thymosin alpha 1 is a peptide fragment (short amino acid chain) extracted from the thymus gland. It works by enhancing the function of killer cells in your body, and simultaneously helps in the production of new immune cells. Its effects are readily seen when you have a weakened immune system. Thymosin beta 4 is another thymus gland peptide that helps fight viruses by enhancing the production of antibodies (fighter cells).
These peptides are injected into your bloodstream during an intravenous treatment or into your skin (fat) using a small insulin-type syringe.
One last word about thymosin alpha-1. It is approved and available for usage only in a few countries. India is NOT one of them.
How much of Thymosin Alpha-1 will you need?
- 1 mg to 16mg, administered subcutaneously on a biweekly schedule, for treatment periods ranging from 1 day to 18 months.
<for existing infections: 0.15mg/d, for 5 days>
FAQ
References
- Arundel AV, Sterling EM, Biggin JH, Sterling TD. Indirect health effects of relative humidity in indoor environments. Environ Health Perspect. 1986;65:351–361.
- Mawson AR. Role of Fat-Soluble Vitamins A and D in the Pathogenesis of Influenza: A New Perspective. ISRN Infectious Diseases. 2013;2013:246737.
- Qian B, Shen S, Zhang J, Jing P. Effects of Vitamin B6 Deficiency on the Composition and Functional Potential of T Cell Populations. J Immunol Res. 2017;2017:2197975.
- Hemilia H. Vitamin C and Infections. Nutrients. 2017 Apr; 9(4):339.
- Ralf J. The antibiotic vitamin. Deficiency in vitamin D may predispose people to infection. Science. 2006; 170:312.
- Melinda A. Beck, Selenium and Vitamin E Status: Impact on Viral Pathogenicity, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 137, Issue 5, May 2007, Pages 1338–1340.
- Steinbrenner H, Al-Quraishy S, Dkhil MA, Wunderlich F, Sies H. Dietary selenium in adjuvant therapy of viral and bacterial infections. Adv Nutr. 2015;6(1):73–82.
- Rao G, Rowland K. PURLs: Zinc for the common cold--not if, but when. J Fam Pract. 2011;60(11):669–671.
- King, Cynthia. Thymosin Alpha 1–A Peptide Immune Modulator with a Broad Range of Clinical Applications. Clinical & Experimental Pharmacology. 2013