Vitamins C, D and supplement Zinc in the fight against Covid infections.
The two vitamins C and D are of enormous importance in self fighting the virus’s we know as ‘Covids’.
The word ‘Covid’ is not one infection but is many sitting under the umbrella of this name, they include many different influenza infections and can also include the common cold.
Covid 19 is a new infection linked to a new strain of ‘coronavirus’.
‘CO’ stands for corona, ‘VI’ for virus and ‘D’ for disease. COVID!
One of the human body’s systems is The Immune System; its purpose is to seek out foreign invaders, such as poisons or in this case, viruses. The Immune System works best if it’s in good health, if not it will struggle to overcome such invaders. The Immune System sends out T cells which circulate the body looking for virus’s, when it’s alerted, the T cell releases ‘cytotox factors’ which can kill the infected cell and prevent the survival of the invading virus.
All this happens to provide the Immune System is in good condition, otherwise it may struggle, and the body is left to outside intervention, ie, medical, to attempt other ways of ridding the body of the virus.
The Immune System then is of obvious importance in the health of the whole body, and the individual who resides within. It would therefore be of obvious importance to be pro-active in boosting the Immune System before winter strikes, and before the possibility of a Covid infection such as ‘Covid 19’ as we are faced with at this point in time.
There are of course dietary requirements that would do this, but this treatise describes how the help of two vitamins and one supplement, can especially help boost the Immune System and so prevent or rid us of Covid 19, a ‘virus pandemic’ that is proving difficult to remove at this point in time.
Vitamin C, this vitamin is also called ascorbic acid. It is an antioxidant that promotes healthy teeth and gums. It helps the body absorb iron and maintain healthy tissue, and it is essential for wound healing. Vitamin C helps to boost the Immune System to fight off infection.
Good sources of Vitamin C include red cherries and plums, rosehips, chilli peppers, sweet potatoes, blackcurrants, thyme, parsley, beetroot and leaves, spinach, kale, kiwi fruit, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, lemons and all citrus fruits, strawberries and all fruits and fruit juices.
The body does not make vitamin C and it does not store it in the body, therefore it is important to take vitamin C daily.
Vitamin C can also be bought in chemists everywhere as a tablet, at this time the year, it is recommended that 200 mg of Vitamin C is taken orally each day.
Vitamin D is known as the ‘sunshine vitamin’. The body makes vitamin D after being in the sun; ten to fifteen minutes of sunshine three times a week is enough to produce the body’s requirement of Vitamin D for most people. Vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium, which is needed for normal development and maintenance of healthy teeth and bones. It also helps to maintain proper blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D facilitates the normal function of the Immune System and improves the body’s resistance to disease and virus infection.
Good sources of Vitamin D include oily fish, tinned tuna, trout, salmon, cod liver oil and egg yolks. It is sometimes difficult to eat food containing Vitamin D, especially in the cold months of autumn and winter.
After infusion of Vitamin D from sunlight, the vitamin is stored in the body’s fat cells, where it remains inactive until it’s needed. Through a process called hydroxylation, the liver and kidneys turn the stored Vitamin D into the active process which the body needs, its called ‘calcitriol’.
But, because Vitamin D through sunlight cant always be guaranteed, especially in Britain, and because of the situation at the moment concerning Covid viruses, it is worth taking the supplement Vitamin D in tablet form each day. 10 micrograms a day will be enough for most people.
As with everything that goes into the body by mouth, do not overdose on either Vitamin C or D, what is recommended here will be fine, take too much and it could be harmful.
Zinc is a mineral that is used by the body to provide different chemical reactions and is a major component of the Immune System.
This mighty little mineral does lots of things for us: cell division, wound healing, enzyme functioning, taste and smell are the results of zinc in the body. But the most important help Zinc can provide is to the Immune System.
Zinc helps the Immune System to function in a balanced way. When there is enough zinc in the body, it assists the main Immune Cells in doing their job as described above. Zinc also has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. All of this affects how the human body recovers from, and responds to illness in a positive way.
The Immune System’s first line of defence is made up of the skin, mucous membranes, nasal hair and stomach acid. If a virus or bacteria infection causes problems in the body, responsibility lays with the Immune system, it’s the immune cell’s job to respond efficiently so the infection can be fought and removed.
One of the body’s responses to infection is that body core temperature rises so the infection can’t survive in such an uncomfortable environment. This is experienced as a high temperature, aches, pains and general misery. This may not feel so good, but it is a necessary Immune response. As an anti-oxidant, zinc can modulate this response to keep inflammation under control. It also ensures that after the infection is destroyed the Immune System returns to normal. In this way, Zinc helps to reduce symptoms and speed recovery, include Vitamins C and D, and you have a veritable army waiting for Covid infections no matter what their number.