Coronavirus prevention
Updated: Mar 26, 2021
A post written by Joonas Kärnä and Tommi Asikainen.
In this post we discuss ways to boost your immune system and how to prevent getting infected with the coronavirus in the first place.
Sunlight
Get sunlight as much as possible (without getting burned) to as large area of your skin as possible. Sunlight has many direct therapeutic and anti-pathogenic effects:
- Sunlight (UV-light) can kill pathogens and viruses on your body as fast as in 2,5 minutes. [19]
- Sunlight (UV-light) modulates the immune system and is effective in treating various bacterial and viral infections, including pneumonia. [1, 3]
- Sun (UVA-light) exposure releases nitric oxide which stimulates vasodilation and lowers blood pressure. [3] High blood pressure has been recognized as one of the risk factors for severe coronavirus symptoms. NO is also anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory. [4]
- Sunlight (red, near-infrared and infrared light) has powerful anti-inflammatory effects. It improves circulation, increases anti-inflammatory cytokines and suppressess the pro-inflammatory mediators. [5]
Sunlight (UVB-light) is also responsible of the vitamin D produced by your body.
- Vitamin D can modulate the innate and adaptive immune responses. [20, 21]
- Low vitamin D levels have been associated with increased levels of infections, including upper respiratory tract infections. [20, 21]
- A meta-analysis of 25 randomized controlled trials found that vitamin D supplementation cut the risk of infection with respiratory illnesses by 50% in people that were vitamin D deficient and by 10% in people with normal vitamin D levels. [2]
If you live in Northern climate where sunlight is scarce at this time of the year, the use of UV-light or solarium is highly recommended. If that is not possible, get your vitamin D levels tested and supplement with high quality vitamin D according to your needs.
- Your vitamin D levels should be between 30 and 80 ng/ml.
- For most people 100 µg is enough to achieve adequate levels. However supplemental vitamin D does not produce the therapeutic effects of UV-light discussed earlier so opt for sunlight/UV-light whenever possible!
Regular sleep schedule
Have a regular sleep schedule every day, also in the weekends! Try to go to sleep as early as possible, preferably before 10 pm. Dim the lights at nighttime and sleep in total darkness. Get bright light (at least 10 000 lux) in your eyes at least 15 minutes within an hour of awakening.
- Proper circadian rhythm improves the efficiency of the immune system [6] whereas disturbed circadian rhythm has shown to inhibit immune system function [7].
- Regular sleep-wake-schedules promote melatonin production which acts as a powerful and broad antioxidant while blocking pro-inflammatory cytokines. [8,9]
Regular eating schedule
Eat breakfast as early as possible and avoid eating after 6pm.
- Early breakfast helps to align the circadian rhythm along with regular sleep schedule. [10]
- In the morning and daytime insulin sensitivity is higher resulting in lower insulin and blood sugar levels. High blood sugar is considered to be one of the risk markers for severe coronavirus symptoms. [11]
Exercise, sauna and cold exposure
In moderate amounts, exercise [12], sauna [13] and cold exposure [14] improve immune system function. Avoid exercising and cold exposure if feeling any symptoms of getting sick! It is been shown that temperatures of 56°C or more will destroy coronaviruses in minutes [22] so regular sauna use (or warming up your sinuses in other ways) might be very effective in preventing coronavirus attacking your body.
Avoid smoking
Smoking causes inflammation in the lungs and suppresses immune function. It also increases the ACE2-receptors in the lungs which coronavirus uses to infect cells. [15]
Colloidal silver
Use colloidal silver to disinfect both the surfaces in your living environment (eg. tables, door handles etc.) and your sinuses. Use a spray bottle to apply colloidal silver in your hands, face and mucous membranes as often as possible but at least every time you have been in contact with other people or touched objects eg. door handles that may have been contaminated with the virus. Colloidal silver are nano-sized particles so they will be absorbed to your bloodstream and thus help to kill pathogens inside your body. It has been shown to be effective against viruses. [16, 17, 18]
Last edited: 5.5.2020
References:
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22928066
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4745411/
8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25697560
10. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982217306231
11. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28811653
12. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1724218/pdf/v034p00246.pdf
13. https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(18)30275-1/fulltext
14. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8925815
16. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0142961214000842
17. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4847092/
18. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6264685/
19. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC373989/pdf/jbacter00698-0058.pdf
20. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3166406/
21. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3738984/
23. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-21058-w