You are probably beginning to understand that the coronavirus is one of your everyday common cold viruses, which infects the upper respiratory tract—it is everywhere. You probably have some in your nose right now!
The common cold is considered to be the most common human disease we experience—everyone gets two to three infections a year, and children can have several. Virologists estimate that there are more than 200 types of viruses that are associated with common cold symptoms—examples being rhinoviruses, picornaviruses, coronaviruses, adenoviruses, human respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza viruses, metapneumovirus, sometimes influenza viruses—and usually more than one virus is present every time you experience symptoms.
Most people don’t concern themselves with colds, because they only really threaten the health of the old or the immunocompromised. We are generally more concerned with influenza viruses which each year kill between 3,000 and 4,000, old and immunocompromised people in Australia each year, and between 300,000 and 500,000 worldwide.
Your normal coronavirus is not a ‘deadly pathogen’. This current coronavirus, transmitted from an animal host, however, is certainly more virulent than normal, and lifestyle changes must be taken to reduce the accelerated spread of this virus from overwhelming our health systems, along with improving individual immune competency throughout the nation, to reduce it modifying into a more virulent strain.
If you are not old (above 70 years of age) and do not have a compromised immune system, then you are not in any real danger—this is common sense.
However, even young and generally healthy people can be in the ‘wrong place’ at the ‘wrong time’ with an immune system which is flat, and this is when they increase their risk of complications, and the risk of spreading the virus to others.
Cold viruses commonly lodge in the nasal passages and the immune system quickly corrals them using mucous (IgA). Initially there is little mucous to produce a runny nose, and you find that you are breathing only through one nostril most of the time (sometimes you notice difficulty breathing through the nose when you want to go to sleep at night). Every couple of hours throughout the day and night, our body consistently alters our breathing emphasis from one nostril to the other—this changing pattern becomes more obvious in the early stages of cold and flu virus infections.
In healthy people the immune system can successfully maintain this corralling of the cold virus in the nose, and eliminate it within a few days to a week, with no real inconvenience to our lives. However, if during this time you reduce your immune competency—through expose to prolonged cold, physical exhaustion, emotional stress, reduced and poor sleep, chemical toxins, foods that cause allergies, electromagnetic stress, or physical injury—then the cold virus population can migrate from your sinus to your throat and lungs.
If a cold virus is starting to overwhelm the initial immune mucous response, you may either start to feel unwell, or in many cases, you will start to feel exuberant, or energised, for no good reason—as the autonomic nervous system kicks in to in stimulate a backup T-cell responses. This will be telling you that your immune system is having to become specific in its targeting of the virus. The autonomic nervous feedback system changes your brain chemistry, and you start to feel like doing more things, going out, working more, partying, etc. I would not advise this.
When you recognise this happening, begin to treat yourself for the coronavirus or flu. Over the next 2 to 10 days, get extra sleep, keep extra warm, drink warm water/tea, take 5,000 to 8,000 mg of vitamin-C, do intermittent fasting, get acupuncture, do intervals of breathing exercises or light yoga, and be careful with what you eat.
The symptoms after this euphoric phase, will usually be followed by tiredness (almost fatigue), feeling chilled even in a warm environment, sneezing, and in some cases a nasal/throat headache.
This is then followed by a few days of runny nose and cough. Symptoms typically peak after three to five days, and resolve within two weeks, certainly by three weeks. In some cases people develop a post-viral cough which can linger for another week after most of the other symptoms have gone. Young children usually retain the cough longer than adults, and this can persist for up to three weeks.
One of the problems with a cross-species virus like this current coronavirus, is immune system ‘panic’. This occurs with compromised and overloaded immune systems, which create a cytokine (google cytokine) overkill storm, to cause organ distress and even kill people. The over-kill storm occurs when an immune system ‘panics’ and over-stimulates the defence activity of adaptive immune cells in the throat and lungs (like the Americans bombing Bagdad in 2003). The resulting lung inflammation and fluid buildup can lead to respiratory distress, which can then be contaminated by a secondary bacterial pneumonia, which increases the chances of dying.
What You Do Right Now
Besides following the advice from the medical authorities and advisers on how to prevent being infected with the coronavirus, by regularly washing your hands and not being in close contact with people, there are two action plans you should also consider.
(a) The first action plan
The immediate thing you should be doing right now before you become infected with this coronavirus is to improve your immune system competency—so that it can successfully corral and eliminate the virus in the nostril cavity. Then you will probably only suffer very mild symptoms.
You primarily do this with lifestyle change, doing some self-therapy, and taking some natural medicines (mainstream antiviral drug therapies are prohibitively expensive and have their own side effects).
Herbal Medicines
Start taking low doses of immune supporting herbs (now is the time to start), such as olive leaf extract, and echinacea, along with adaptogens such as astralgalus, rhodiola, cordyceps and reishi. If you know some of your organs (liver, heart, kidney, lymph, lungs, etc) need support, get the appropriate medicinal herbs, and take maintenance doses daily.
Nutrition
Remember, micro-nutrition (vitamins-minerals-trace elements) are not medicines. However they are essential for optimal organ, nervous and immune system function, and also to help many medicines to work effectively. So start taking your vitamins now, particularly vitamin-C daily (3000 mg, initially, and increase this if you become infected) during the time this virus is moving thorough the population. Take extra magnesium, zinc, selenium and a daily multi-vitamin/mineral tablet each day.
Sensible Eating
Reduce simple carbohydrate macro-nutrition (junk-fast foods, sweet fruits, table sugar, grain-derived bakery products), to stabilise gut and sinus microbiome. I advise you eliminate all types of grains (rice and corn included), and eat non-grain starchy products. This advice is based on nearly 20,000 case studies I have conducted over the last 30 years relating ALL grains to stages of immune compromisation. Going grain-free is the single biggest factor to help your immune system. See www.deeks.com.au
Mouth and Nasal Hygiene
Floss your teeth once or twice daily, and wash your mouth with 3% hydrogen peroxide, once a day to destroy any coronaviruses lodging in your mouth—then brush your teeth with sugar free tooth paste.
You could also consider rinsing your mouth with colloidal silver (or a spray into the nasal areas) to reduce populations of pathogenic bacteria.
Reduce eating simple sugar foods (table sugar, sweet fruits, fructose) that will promote bacteria growth in your mouth, nose, throat and lungs.
Self Therapy
There are too many to go into detail. They involve: Corrective and movement exercise; Sleep; Stress therapy; Detox/cleansing; Fasting, saline gut flush, or intermittent fasting; Breathing exercises; Self acupuncture; etc. If you can afford therapy, book in with your massage/shiatsu therapist; Acupuncturist; Chiropractic/osteopath; Psychotherapist (to balance autonomic nervous system), and other complementary practitioners.
(b) The second backup action plan
This starts when you recognise that you have the cold virus initial symptoms.
You need to isolate yourself and increase the above medicines, therapies and lifestyle, to give your immune system the best chance.
Sleep is most important, so don’t take stimulating drinks just to keep you awake in your isolation.
Take less than 10 ml of brandy as a medicine in a glass of water every three to four hours during the day.
Drink adequate water with a little bicarb soda to assist the kidneys. Also mix a small amount of apple cider vinegar to stimulate stomach function (which will also affect the mouth and sinus).
This is enough advice to get most people through this cold virus pandemic. If you need extra advice contact myself or Larisa.
Promote common sense and don’t panic.
Bill Giles
Clinical immunobiologist
Let Common Sense Prevail about the Coronavirus Cold Virus
