Improving Resistance to Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Other Viral Infections

Ever since recovering from cancer I have only gotten sick twice—a cold once and a more serious viral throat infection which took about a week to fully resolve. But in spite of having been recently very ill with cancer and thyroid disease, before and during which I would catch the flu every year and which took near a month each time to fully recover, I have not gotten it once since recovering. This is no accident, as some of the various techniques I use to help improve my own health also help to provide some resistance against infectious pathogens. Viruses are often scary because of the lack of specific medications which can be used to cure them. But until the advent of modern medicine and the discovery of antibiotics, for most of recent human history a substantial number of humans died of some infectious illness. That’s part of the reason that people used to have so many children (aside from the lack of contraceptives), as it was quite common to lose as many as half of your family members to disease before they even reached adulthood, and deaths from illness were an unfortunate regularity in life. We are extremely fortunate (in developed countries) to no longer be such close fellows with death, but this in turn has also warped our perspective on disease and mortality, making outbreaks such as COVID-19 seem to us more scary.

But there is a fundamental tool in our biology which can help improve prognosis in the face of viral pathogens like COVID-19 as well as the yearly flu outbreaks. This can first be demonstrated with the fact that flu viruses have a seasonal nature—The flu season in the Northern Hemisphere occurs about October to April, while in the Southern Hemisphere it is oppositely April to September. Why is there a seasonal factor to the flu? Yes, the flu season correlates with wintertime, but it is not the cold weather which catalyzes it nor the warm weather by which it abates. In my book, Fuck Portion Control I discuss in several places the effect that light has on our physiology, relating anecdotes such as the Tuberculosis epidemics of the past which were treated by retreating to remote facilities in open country, fresh air, and beautiful settings. It was initially thought that exposure to purer climates away from smog and pollution was what increased survival rates, but was later found to actually be vitamin D, a deficiency of which increased the risk of infection and decreased survival rates (cited study is an example, not the definitive discovery). But Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection, and infectious mechanisms in bacteria and viruses are very different. While there is some speculation that vitamin D is helpful for resisting viral agents, it is not our primary protective factor against them nor the factor which influences the seasonal occurrence of the flu or that of the current COVID-19 outbreak, and SARS as well occurred during the winter season (they’re all related to the flu, I believe). The one factor all this has in common, however, is sunlight. But, more specifically, how our bodies respond to or benefit from sunlight. There is an abundance of evidence that the B vitamin riboflavin, which is highly sensitive to light, is the agent which assists our bodies to restrain viral infections, and the mechanisms of action by which riboflavin helps protect us against both bacterial and viral pathogens is pretty well understood. Because riboflavin is extremely light sensitive our body uses it in pathways which regulate circadian rhythms. But when riboflavin is exposed to light, as it is in our skin when we get exposure to sun or bright light, it is actually energized from the interaction with photons and itself becomes irradiated. Then, in the irradiated state riboflavin is moderately to highly destructive to bacteria and viruses. These studies often show direct irradiation of riboflavin, but the same natural irradiation occurs simply from riboflavin created in our gut microbiome or obtained through diet or supplementation and the body’s exposure to natural sunlight. This is why the flu is restrained to seasonal patterns rather than being an ubiquitous affliction all year long, and why those with more Northerly climates or societies with prudish ideas of public skin exposure are being harder hit (or those with poor nutrition caused by economic inequality). Exposure to sufficient sunlight in humans during warmer months irradiates riboflavin in the body which in turn confers herd immunity (which is the collective resistance of an entire group of people against a pathogen on account of most of them being resistant) and thus prevents the spread of the flu until seasonal changes result in reductions of sun exposure thus impairing riboflavin irradiation which in turn allows such viruses to flourish.

COVID-19 is more virulent than the flu, but the same conference of protection provided by riboflavin against general viral activity can be leveraged to help protect us against it. Riboflavin also works to protect us against infectious pathogens by binding to iron and preventing its excess accumulation in the body, as viruses rely heavily on iron when hijacking cells to replicate and infect us. It also empowers macrophages to help kill pathogens. Riboflavin status can variate wildly depending on your overall metabolic health and diet, and to make things worse there are also bacterial species which produce an antibiotic called roseoflavin which mimics and interrupts riboflavin pathways. Taking a supplement of riboflavin can easily supply excess to help empower the body’s ability to resist such viral infections as COVID-19, and excess is a problem with riboflavin since most supplemental products are far too potent and can cause extreme restlessness and irritation if taken in such large doses. To be clear, this absolutely is not guaranteed to protect you against infection, though it most likely will, but is more likely to lessen the severity of the course of the disease and greatly improve your body’s ability to fight it. I believe it is riboflavin drain due to the long incubation and progression of coronavirus which is the primary cause of mortality or severe complications. Most riboflavin supplements come in quantities of 100 mg, but we only need little more than 1 mg per day of riboflavin, so opening a capsule and dispensing an estimated 5-10 mg a dose instead is much more effective and safe (you don’t need to be exact, and this will also make one supplement bottle last for ages and ages). Because riboflavin is so sensitive to light, a large amount of riboflavin being irradiated in the body during sun or light exposure can easily cause a person to feel irritated, agitated, and even cause insomnia as the irradiated riboflavin oxidizes cell structures and components, so don’t do this with high doses. Our body uses vitamin C to manage this, however, and vitamin C is also another important immune system supporting nutrient which is sorely needed during the wintertime and infection and should be administered as well, though food sources of vitamin C are effective too. To make supplementation of riboflavin easier, a moderate dose could be added to an entire dish or beverage to distribute equally among family members, to prevent excessive doses and make administration convenient. Riboflavin makes urine turn bright yellow as excess is excreted (another reason large doses are unhelpful) but is not otherwise a problem. If at all possible, getting sunshine every day will help activate this riboflavin once in the body and make our immune systems more resistant to viral infections. If sun exposure is not possible, the purchase of very bright, cheap, artificial lights to supplement light exposure is an acceptable alternative and will make the supplementation of riboflavin more effective—installing such a light at a work desk or near the sofa to relax beneath can make supplementing extra light convenient and easy. Lights in the warmer spectrum are more healthful, however, so avoid bulbs like compact fluorescence which can also cause irritation and restlessness and instead choose incandescent, LEDs at 3000k color temperature or less, or even halogen lights (which are extremely hot and require more caution during use!).

Additionally, aspirin also has antiviral properties and can be used to strongly restrain the course of the disease (NOT ibuprofen or acetaminophen—ASPIRIN) as demonstrated by this study showing usefulness against respiratory viruses, though it should not be used preventatively in children which can cause severe vitamin K and glycine depletion which can cause their own serious health problems and should only be used as needed during infection should it occur and only in normal, rational doses. In my own experience, aspirin is both necessary and extremely efficacious in its restraint of COVID-19, and anecdotally appears to shorten specific symptoms which normally take many days to resolve. All of my symptoms went away in just a few days after using just two aspirin the first time. But then I got COVID a second time (through an unscrupulous family member who did not follow safety precautions) and the second time it required two aspirin three times a day for two days to resolve. Aspirin is very powerful stuff, and works in several ways by limiting viral access to nutrients like iron which are needed for replication, restraining cells which are infected by viruses and preventing active replication, promoting interferon activity (which is a tool the body uses to prevent viral transmission from cell to cell), and increases cellular respiration which in turn helps maintain blood oxygenation. COVID appears to be a disease which persists for many weeks, before and after symptoms may appear, and with no evidence of long-term antibody protection in those who are infected, it may be that this disease lingers among populations, with persons infecting and reinfecting each other repeatedly, for which aspirin can help to fully eliminate its presence in those who have it.

As more information has been coming out about the progression of the disease, it does appear that riboflavin drain is the real cause of mortality, compounded especially by significant light exposure deficiency. As patients decline their oxygen saturation drops dramatically, and riboflavin is one of the key nutrients which facilitates oxygen saturation of hemoglobin for distribution to the body. I also found another study which shows riboflavin being used in a blood plasma sample to kill another variety of coronavirus in direct support of my previous hypothesis. Some places around the world doctors are prescribing antibiotics during COVID, but antibiotics DO NOT treat virus infections, and this can actually be very dangerous because antibiotics wipe out the gut microbiome which in turn causes deficiencies of the B vitamins or vitamin K2 which the immune system requires to fight the virus, and antibiotics should be avoided during COVID exposure. K2 comes from green leafy vegetables, and other nutrients like vitamin B12 are required to make red blood cells in the first place, so it’s even more important to eat a healthy diet during this time (my recipe for B12 bread or creamed spinach can help with those nutrients). While such outbreaks as COVID-19 are rightly worrying, the human race has seen much more horrible pandemics, and our lives collectively are far better when it comes to mortality than they have ever been. While there is some caution warranted, panic and fear are definitely not needed, and many people are already trying to exploit fears to sell you products which either don’t work or are outright harmful, hoarding food and toilet paper even though there is no disruption to supply chains which in turn affects those like the elderly who are truly at risk from both the virus and economic instability. There is a run on face masks which is also impairing the medical community, so don’t hoard masks (social distancing is much more effective). COVID-19 has been confirmed to show no symptoms in some, and this may in fact be due to riboflavin sufficiency, so a severe illness from exposure is not a foregone inevitability, and anecdotally it does appear that communities with deficient exposure to sunlight either through seasonal factors or cultural prudishness are being more strongly affected by the virus. An example of the disparity of illness is a husband and wife aboard one of the cruise ships in which the husband became ill but not the wife, even though they presumably shared living quarters and close contact. Be helpful and compassionate to those who are affected by the disease, show solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Wuhan and elsewhere, else you will create an atmosphere which is hostile to you should you ever also become a victim of such tragedies. Such pathogens and outbreaks are also only worrying for our unhealthy diets and insufficiency of nutrients—which are not at all the kinds of things you hear in the news and social media or which is taken as common knowledge even though they might have been debunked for decades, and you would be surprised what foods cause you to become ill and which support metabolic wellness. For instance, vitamin C really does help prevent colds and other illnesses, but only if you are already replete and not starting when you get ill, as such children and the elderly especially should be getting some dietary source of vitamin C every day. For more on helping to address and prevent a variety of illnesses such as thyroid disorders, depression, insomnia, erectile dysfunction, diabetes, and even reversing hair loss get yourself a copy of my book. Or you can read about inappropriate dietary iron from fortified food which can actually make you more susceptible viral infections. Similarly, if you work indoors or have a desk job which prevents you from getting outside enough, you can read more about staying healthy in these types of occupations in my article on health for gamers (the same concepts work for anyone who sits all day long). Wintertime is also a factor in conditions like depression, and you can read how the change in seasons can cause or contribute to feelings of depression.

COVID IMMUNE RESISTANCE:

Get dietary and/or supplemental vitamin C daily.
Take a low-dose supplement of Riboflavin daily.
Get sunshine as much as possible
When infected, adults take aspirin two or three times daily, 1-3 aspirin a dose (325 mg) depending on severity of infection, until symptoms resolve but no longer than a few days (you can take aspirin longer but at lower doses, if required, as aspirin can cause side effects like stomach irritation or bleeding).

You can read about my experience with COVID and more known symptoms and issues with the virus in my article on The Dangers of COVID-19 and Moving Forward.