Two Covid19 protections for the Elderly

The global pandemic is hitting seniors the hardest.  There are two simple ways to lower the Covid risk for them and everyone.

Covid19 is 100x More Deadly for the Elderly

Covid19 (Coronavirus) is drastically more dangerous to seniors. Most people are familiar with how dangerous the Flu is, especially for seniors.  Covid amplifies that. The Covid19 fatality rate for 20 year olds is .1% and 10.4% for 85+ year olds. So it's 100x greater.  I want your attention but I don't want to scare you. So let's put this into perspective by comparing it to the Flu.  Basically, below age 50, Covid is 5x as deadly as the Flu. But if you're over 85 it's 12x deadlier than the Flu. This isn't the Black Plague, but we should take precautions when possible.

Here are  2 ways you can lower your risk from Covid19 (Coronavirus). The first is a vitamin  that lowers your chance of getting Covid (and many other diseases) and also lowers the severity of Covid if you get it. The second action can keep you off a ventilator.

Vitamin D deficiency may increase risk & severity of Covid 19

Over 40% of Americans have a Vitamin D deficiency.  And it's even more common in the elderly because as we age our ability to create Vitamin D declines.  Source: NIH

Recent research suggestions that Vitamin D reduces the severity of Covid 19.  So far, it's correlation. But there is a lot of research showing exactly why Vitamin D deficiency lowers your immune system, which is likely to increase protection from Covid.

Vitamin D serum level has been positively associated with improved cardiovascular health, especially with reduction of stroke risk...There is some evidence that vitamin D supplementation could lower stroke risk and improve recovery, though outcomes can also be negligible or negative.  [Emphasis added. Consult your doctor before starting Vitamin D- Editor]

Research Study in Frontiers of Neurology

Trauma Surgeon & Researcher explains Vitamin D Covid19 & Stroke benefits

Higher Vitamin D levels due to constant exposure to sunlight may be responsible for the lower death rates and severity of COVID-19 in the country.

Prof. Temitope Alonge, the Deputy Chairman of Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force

Prof Alonge's Task Force is now studying this.

Antibodies that fight infection

Correcting a Vitamin D deficiency is likely to have many benefits to the immune system and also with antibody production. Antibodies are the biological soldiers your body sends out to fight infections & viruses like Covid. So, these would lower the risk and severity of Covid 19.

New study confirms Vitamin D3 helpful even after contracting Covid19

Giving calcifediol (also called 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, the main effector of Vitamin D3)  to folks currently infected with Covid19 reduced it's severity.  Caveat: this was a small study (76 patients)  and the Vitamin D3 they used was much stronger than the over the counter D3.

Results revealed that 13 out of 26 patients (50%) in the control group were admitted to ICU, and two died in the end. In the calcifediol group, only one out of 50 (2%) required ICU admission, and none died.

From a  new pilot study from a peer-reviewed journal.

Vitamin D does not prevent Covid19. But having a deficit of Vitamin D might increase your chances of getting it if exposed. It's necessary, but not sufficient for a healthy immune system.

Vitamin-D Action Steps

The safe answer (approved by the Lawyers):

1. Consult your Doctor about testing your Vitamin D levels.
2. Ask your Doctor for suggestions especially if you are Covid positive.

If you prefer to evaluate this on your own:

Reduce your chances of going on a ventilator

OOne of the scariest images of Covid 19 is patients on ventilators. Covid19 (Coronavirus) seems to induce a something like ARDS  (Acute Respiratory Disorder Syndrome).

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) occurs when fluid builds up in the tiny, elastic air sacs (alveoli) in your lungs. The fluid keeps your lungs from filling with enough air, which means less oxygen reaches your bloodstream. This deprives your organs of the oxygen they need to function/p>

OOn Friday [April 10th], Dr. Mangala Narasimhan received an urgent call. A man in his 40s with Covid-19 was in a dire situation, and her colleague wanted her to come the intensive care unit at Long Island Jewish Hospital to see if he needed to be put on life support.

Before I come over there, try turning the patient over onto his stomach and see if that helps.

Dr. Narasimhan

Dr. Narasimhan didn't need to go the ICU. The flip worked. Source: CNN

 It turns out there has been extensive research on an effective treatment for this: Prone Therapy, where you have the patient sleep on their stomach and they get more oxygen. That often helps them avoid the need for a respirator.

Research study shows Proning saves lives for those with ARDS

A total of 237 patients were assigned to the prone group, and 229 patients were assigned to the supine group. The 28-day mortality was 16.0% in the prone group and 32.8% in the supine group (P<0.001). The hazard ratio for death with prone positioning was 0.39 (95% confidence interval \[CI\], 0.25 to 0.63). **Unadjusted 90-day mortality was 23.6% in the prone group versus 41.0% in the supine group** (P<0.001), with a hazard ratio of 0.44 (95% CI, 0.29 to 0.67). The incidence of complications did not differ significantly between the groups, except for the incidence of cardiac arrests, which was higher in the supine group.
New England Journal of Medicine

For medical professionals only:

This is a very technical explanation of benefits of Proning. Some of my readers are Rehab Professionals, I'm including this for them.

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