“Life will continue”
The COVID-19 is knocking our doors to outburst as an epidemic. It has already made havoc in China followed by Italy and Iran. More than 7287 people have lost their lives in these two countries. Death toll is increasing on daily basis in increasing rate. In India already five lives have been lost and positive cases of its spread is being reported on daily basis. Disease has been classified as Propagated (or progressive source) epidemic. The epidemic curve drawn from China (Hu wan province) outbreak showed that it began with a single index case who infected a number of other individuals. The incubation period for this disease averages 14 days with a range of 2-28 days. One or more of the people infected in the initial wave infected a group of people who become the second wave of infection. So here transmission is person-to-person, rather than from a common source. Propagated epidemic curves usually have a series of successively larger peaks, which are one incubation period apart. The successive waves tend to involve more and more people, until the pool of susceptible people is exhausted or control measures are implemented. This is an ideal example of propagated epidemic.
World-wide Statistics
173,098
Currently Infected Patients
165,187 (95%)
in Mild Condition
7,911 (5%)
Serious or Critical
Total cases
276,469
Deaths:
11,417
As on 20-Mar-2020
Disease is not de novo in India. It came from the external source through the infected persons travelled in. There is no medicine so far specific against this virus. Interestingly, our body also does not have the specific antibody against this virus since body has not experienced this pathogen earlier. Antigen-antibody is a response reaction to pathogens in our body. Under these circumstances let us examine what are the options that we have to stop epidemic in our country. We should follow “Prevention is better than cure”
Option 1: Quarantine: It means a state, period, or place of isolation in which people or animals that have arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to infectious or contagious disease are placed.
- It can be self-qurantine (or self-isolation)
- It can be a center where identified persons can be kept for observation before they are permitted to mix with the mass.
Looking at the size and quality of people that we have, both the methods will be either insufficient or inoperative. Because in first case people’s voluntary participation is required and in second case huge facilities must be created in all port of entries. Moreover, we have porous land boundaries with many neighbouring countries. So much infrastructure creation will be a real challenge for the country in a shortest period.
Option 2: Imposition of Epidemic Disease Act and Penalty against any person disobeying any regulation or order made under this Act shall be deemed to have committed an offence punishable under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860). The present mind set of the Govt will not shield from the progress of epidemic since it could not stop Shain Bagh like protests and gathering of mass in large number, yet.
Option 3: It is for the knowledgeable citizens who can follow some of the general Immune building measures to minimize the epidemic.
Let us first understand how epidemic is build up?
There are three factors that leads to epidemic of the disease: a) Virulent pathogen; b) susceptible host; and c) favourable environmental condition for infection. In this case, virulent pathogen (COVID-19) is already present; what are the favourable environmental conditions for infection is still not conclusive although one recent research paper supported this assertion by pointing out the proximity of the major hotspots. The authors of the study, which was published last week, wrote that COVID-19 “has established significant community spread in cities and regions only along a narrow east-west distribution roughly along the 30-50 North latitude corridor at consistently similar weather patterns (5-11 degrees C [41 to 51 F] and 47-79 percent humidity).”
Some have suggested the possibility that weather factors might affect the virus – particularly the intensity and amount of hours of sunshine as well as heat and humidity. “Obviously, the virus is something we’ve never dealt with before, but if we look at other viruses … they all had their peak during the cold season,” said AccuWeather Founder and CEO Dr. Joel N. Myers.
“The statistics all show that they breed and survive longer when it’s cold and dry,” Myers said. “So, when it’s warmer and more humid and there’s a lot of sunshine, the statistics on all of the others show a virus is less lethal, it spreads less efficiently and less effectively among humans.” Dr. Joseph Fair, a virologist, epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist, suggested sunshine is a critical factor in subduing the virus.
We cannot do anything for a) and c) but we can certainly do something for strengthening our general immunity. If you see the death rate , it is only 5% which means the 95% population is having either immunity or develop immunity as antibody development due to infection.
Let us examine various immune building measures available to us
Food:
The old saying, “An apple a day can keep the doctor away,” may have truth behind it after all. Eating nourishing foods rich in certain vitamins can help your immune system to fight better against illness.
Our body absorbs and uses vitamins and nutrients better when they come from a dietary source. When it’s a vitamin or supplement, it’s often questionable how much you’re actually getting. Because supplements are regulated as foods, not as drugs, the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t evaluate the quality of supplements or assess their effects on the body.
Vitamin C is one of the biggest immune system boosters of all. In fact, a lack of vitamin C can even make you more prone to getting sick. Foods rich in vitamin C include oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, strawberries, bell peppers, spinach, kale and broccoli. Daily intake of vitamin C is essential for good health because your body doesn’t produce or store it. The good news is that vitamin C is in so many foods that most people don’t need to take a vitamin C supplement . However, you may start taking 500 mg vitamin C supplement to boost your immune system in consultation with your doctor.
Vitamin B6 is vital to supporting biochemical reactions in the immune system. Vitamin B6-rich foods include chicken and cold water fish such as salmon and tuna. Vitamin B6 also is found in green vegetables and in chickpeas, which is the main ingredient in hummus.
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that helps the body fight off infection. Foods rich in vitamin E include nuts, seeds and spinach.
Beta-Carotene: Beta-carotene is a powerful antioxidant that can reduce inflammation and boost immune function by increasing disease-fighting cells in the body. Excellent sources include sweet potatoes, carrots, and green leafy vegetables.
Vitamins C and E: Vitamins C and E are also antioxidants that help to destroy free radicals and support the body’s natural immune response. Sources of vitamin C include red peppers, oranges, strawberries, broccoli, mangoes, lemons, and other fruits and vegetables. Vitamin E sources include nuts, seeds, spinach, and broccoli.
Vitamin D: Research shows vitamin D supplementation may reduce the risk for viral infections, including respiratory tract infections, by reducing production of proinflammatory compounds in the body. Increased vitamin D in the blood has been linked to prevention of other chronic diseases including tuberculosis, hepatitis, and cardiovascular disease. Food sources of vitamin D include fortified cereals and plant-based milks and supplements.
Zinc: Zinc is a mineral that can help boost white blood cells, which defend against invaders. Sources include nuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, beans, and lentils.
In Ayurveda the immune system is called ojas. It is a fine vital energy, concentrated in the heart chakra. When the health of a man gets weaker, this is a sign that the ojas energy in the body has decreased. When the ojas level is low, people are vulnerable to various infections, illnesses.
Ayurveda believes that the negative emotions also can be a reason for ojas decreasing. Such feelings are the hatred, anger, worry, guilt, envy, jelaousy, excessive fatigue or hunger. Therefore, one should always feel peaceful and happy.
And in fact, weakening of the immunity can be caused by various negative emotions, psychological tension, contamination of the environment, excessive use of antibiotics, metabolic disorders (overweight or underweight), unhealthy way of living (lack of physical activities and excessive consumption of unhealthy foods), also genetic factors.
It is important to highlight that the unhealthy food, especially these containing refined sugar, reduce the ability of the cells to cope with the viral infections. The good health is a sign that our immune system works as it should be.
The low level of resistant forces makes us vulnerable to various infections, allergies, tiredness, feeling of lethargy and fatigue, breathing problems, digestive problems, lack of appetite, chronic insomnia.
Any food that enhances tejas is good for the immunity, and the food that increases the Ama should be avoided.
Which Ayurveda foods boost the immunity?
Ayurveda advises for a healthy immune system besides vegetables and fruits, to consume cereals, legumes, low-fat organic dairy products. It is recommended the meals to be with indoor temperature, and neither raw, nor overcooked, according to Maharishi Ayurveda.
Ayurveda recommends the dairy products such as milk, paneer (type of Indian cheese), as well the popular Indian cow‘s butter – “ghee”, for boosting the ojas enegry. The organic fresh milk and ghee are valued by Ayurveda due to their ability to stimulate ojas. The milk can be warmed before drinking and a pinch of cardamom can be added to it, because then the digestion becomes even easier. But it should be consumed separately from the main dishes.
The processed foods increase the “ama” energy. They don’t allow tajas to reach to the body cells. It is characterized with accumulation of toxins in the body and with the non-digested food. Since it is not digested properly by the organism, it starts to rot, as well a process of fermentation begins, and then starts the production of toxic substances that are released in the body.
So, according to Ayurveda not only the food that we eat is important, but also the way we eat. It is desirable to eat slowly, to chew the food well, so that we can maximaze the process of digestionq as well the absorption of the nutrients.
For good immunity, Ayurveda recommends to be physically active and to provide a proper recovery to our body, in order to give it a chance to strengthen its resistant forces. The best way to do this is with yoga practices, walking, mountain hiking, meditation, pranayama breathing techniques.
The different spices have their own specific immune stimulating properties:
- The turmeric, for example, has a strong immune stimulating effect that is due to its ability to remove toxins from the body and it stimulates „the intelligence” of the cells of the immune system.
- The cumin helps to reduce the Ama, the black pepper cleanses the body entirely so that it facilitates the ojas energy to reach the tissues in depth.
- Also recommended are the ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, healing herbsin the form of teas and tonics, such as aswaganda, triphala, amla, tulsi (holy basil).
The various herbs that boost the immune system has been presented in my previous two blogs on Coronavirus.
Reference:
- Alwarawrah Y, Kiernan K, MacIver NJ. Changes in nutritional status impact immune cell metabolism and function. Front Immunol. 2018;9:1055-1069.
- Grant WB, Lahore H,. McDonnell SL, et al. Vitamin D supplementation could prevent and treat influenza, coronavirus, and pneumonia Infections. Preprints. 2020;2020030235; Chung C, Silwal P, Kim I, Modlin RL, Jo EK. Vitamin D-cathelicidin axis: at the crossroads between protective immunity and pathological inflammation during infection. Immune Netw. 2020;20:e12-38.
- Haddad EH, Berk LS, Kettering JD, Hubbard RW, Peters WR. Dietary intake and biochemical, hematologic, and immune status of vegans compared with nonvegetarians. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999;70(3 Suppl):586S-593S.
Disclaimer: This article has been prepared with information drawing from various sources: research papers, websites and no part of this is claimed by the author as his original work.
