Time to take ACTION!

Vaccinated or about to be?

Here's how to make that decision really count.

Our Immune System is like a finely tuned orchestra, with vaccines contributing one aspect of the music. The widely discussed research shows that the currently available vaccines greatly reduce the odds of getting severely ill and dying from a COVID-19 infection. And that's great. But it's not the full story of human adaptation to the novel virus we are all facing. There are other important things you can do to tune your own "immune system orchestra," now and in the future.

A bit on immune physiology and the current virus.

T-cells. There is growing evidence that a critical aspect of human adaptation to the current virus is based on appropriately activated T-cells, an immune response perhaps even more important than antibody levels. T-cells have been shown to target up to 20 areas on the current virus' proteins. The available vaccines target one area on the virus, the now famous, "spike" protein sub-unit. Also, the current vaccines appear to have been designed for a specific version of the spike protein, which itself is changing as the virus mutates.

Recent research shows that the current vaccines may be 10-12 times less effective against the developing variants/mutations than they were against the earlier (original 2019) version of the virus. The most compelling evidence is found in the March 8, 2021 paper in the highly respected journal Nature. See References below.

Further, it appears that certain T-cells predict the ability of the current virus to mutate inside an individual. So, all and all, it's a complicated story. And T-cells are only part of our immune "orchestra." This means that vaccination is a good first step. But it's not the end of what we must do, as humans, to respond to this novel virus.

There are both immediate and long-term risks to the current viral infection and the currently available vaccines. As has happened with prior mass infections and novel treatments, the full extent of these risks will not be known for many years. But, the good news is we can support regulation of our "immune orchestra" to give us an edge and take other actions to reduce our risk of infection from this virus. As these actions reduce the potential for immune compromise, they may also shift the vaccine's risk-benefit ratio to our advantage.

So what's the plan?

Preventive Medicine. Given the complexity and uncertainty we face, I am guided by the tenets of Preventive Medicine.

The first step is to reduce the demands on your immune system. The more stress on this system, the more the risk of a destructive inflammatory response (for example, a "cytokine storm") and reduced immune vigilance.

The health of our immune system is impacted by the total sum of demands, which can come from many sources, with the primary being:

Toxins

Infections

Nutritional deficiencies

Food reactions ("allergy")

Lifestyle and environmental stress

Emotional stress

It is now known that inflammation enhances the ability of the current virus to enter your cells. Anything you can do to reduce inflammatory triggers will support your response to this virus.

Next steps.

Develop a plan for vaccination support, to start before or after the first vaccination. Then, create a plan for focused immune support, to be started after completing the vaccination support plan.

Pre-Post Vaccination Plan.

An important key to making the most of a vaccination is to reduce factors that could provoke an over-reaction (inflammatory response) or reduce immune integrity. The plan I recommend can:

Increase your ability to detox biotoxins, synthetic chemicals/solvents, and heavy metals. This will increase the tendency of your immune system to react appropriately to the vaccine, as well as support baseline immunity.

Support regulation of immune functions important for viral response. Including this aspect is especially important given the growing number of variants the current virus is developing.

An extra benefit of this Pre-Post Vaccination Plan is the potential mitigation of several of the known co-morbidity risk factors of the current virus.

Ideally, you take the key supplements in the Pre-Post Vaccination Plan for three weeks (or for some people, longer) and then supplement the key nutrients and herbs recommended for optimal immune integrity, described below. If you take a coronavirus booster vaccine (or vaccine for another infection) in the future, please go back on the Pre-Post Vaccination Plan, starting a week before the scheduled shot. This plan should be useful even if you have already had one or more vaccinations.

Pre-Post Vaccination Plan: Key supplements.

All of these supplements are from Researched Nutritionals:

Tri-Fortify Liposomal Glutathione.

ToxinPul, Multi-Function Detox.

C-RLA, Liposomal Vitamin C and R-Lipoic Acid.

Multi-Biome, Multi Source Probiotic.

HistaQuel, Comprehensive Mast Cell Support.

The first three components of this plan work by gently supporting your body's ability to clear biotoxins, chemicals, and heavy metals. Reducing your total toxic load is highly supportive of immune integrity.

Multi-Biome supports your probiotic levels (the "good bugs" in our gut), which are critical to the health of your internal ecology. This aspect of our physiology is called the Microbiome -- one of the most important developing areas of immune system research. Further, there is evidence that adequate microbiome diversity enhances the antiviral effects of vaccination.

HistaQuel is called for if you tend to have allergic responses. This may be especially important if you have known allergies to the listed chemicals in the currently available vaccines. See Notes at the end of this email for details on the CDC guidance on allergies and specific vaccines. HistaQuel may be less important if you do not have any tendencies for allergic response (inhaled or ingested.)

For more details on these supplements go to: ResearchedNutritionals.com and search for each product by name.

After three weeks on the plan (or four if you started a week before the first vaccination), it is a good idea to fine tune your plan by evaluating if you need another few weeks on this plan.

For current and new patients who take the key supplements in the Pre-Post Vaccination Plan, we offer a $75 evaluation and 20 minute Zoom/phone consult, using Autonomic Response Testing (ART). This brief ART addresses the need to continue the Pre-Post Vaccination Plan for a few more weeks and the value of adding more immune support. For more on Autonomic Response Testing, see below.

How do you create optimal immune integrity?

Immune Support. It is prudent to consider taking some well-researched immune regulating herbal and nutritional supplements -- and continue taking them for as long as the current virus is a threat to human health.

Given the increasing demands on our immunity from the myriad of stresses listed above, and the severe reduction in micronutrient status in our population (and food supply) over the last few decades, these actions can have profound effects on our adaptive ability.

These key herbal and nutritional supplements work by reducing inappropriate immune responses and increasing immune integrity. They do this primarily by blocking the virus from entering and replicating in human cells and by regulating key aspects of immune modulation.

Micronutrients are vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and other factors that impact our physiology. Macronutrients are fats, proteins and carbohydrates. For a review of the health implications of micronutrient deficiencies, request the lecture notes from my George Washington University School of Public Health Integrative Medicine Course.

Key supplements recommended for optimal immune integrity.

Vitamin D

Vitamin C

Zinc (not to be taken until 6 weeks after the final mRNA vaccination)

A general multiple vitamin/mineral supplement (not to be taken until 6 weeks after the final mRNA vaccination).

A probiotic that includes Bacillus subtilis and Bifidobacterium

Additional supplements to consider.

Andrographis

Quercetin/Luteolin

Resveratrol

Zinc. As a general rule, adults should take 10 to 30 mg of zinc a day (ideally with 2,500 IU -- International Units -- of Vitamin A) during anytime of potential infection exposure, and for maximum viral load reduction it should be taken at the same time as Quercetin (or similar bioflavonoid). However, if you take the mRNA vaccines, you should stop zinc for at least a week before the first shot and hold until six weeks after the second shot. Certain levels of zinc at the time of mRNA vaccines may activate formation of prions, which are implicated in the development of severe neurological disease (and for which there are not well documented preventive or treatment strategies.) If you do not get an mRNA based vaccination you can start on zinc during the Pre-Post Vaccination Plan phase. Using ART testing we refine the specific zinc and other mineral requirements as part of a comprehensive evaluation.

Vitamin D. Ideally, measure Vitamin D levels before supplementation and every 3 to 6 months thereafter. The GrassrootsHealth.com site offers a reasonably priced Vitamin D home test kit and other resources to track your status. An intake of 2,500 to10,000 IU (International Units) a day is sufficient to maintain an adequate immune response for most people. There is compelling evidence that Magnesium and Vitamin K2 are essential for optimal use of Vitamin D. There is a wealth of evidence of the immune regulating effects of Vitamin D, with some recent work focused on its impact on COVID.

Vitamin C. Several papers now indicate that Vitamin C levels are protective from, and can be an effective treatment for, many infections. Given that humans do not adapt to low levels of this nutrient, and that current RDA's are designed to protect against deficiency diseases like scurvy (in non-pandemic situations and in a general population), it seems prudent to take at least 1,000 to 3,000 mg a day, in three divided doses. Depending on exposure to various stresses and underlying medical conditions, you may need to adjust your intake. If you have a G6PD genetic presentation, you must speak with your clinician before taking Vitamin C.

A food-based multiple vitamin-mineral supplement. This will address subtle micronutrient deficiencies that are important for overall health and specific aspects of immune function. This is important if you are taking medications that deplete nutrients. If you want to know if your medications are depleting your nutrients, contact our office. Also, hold your multiple vitamin-mineral supplement for one week before and until 6 weeks after mRNA vaccination, as almost all contain zinc. If you do not get an mRNA based vaccine you can start on a food-based multiple vitamin-mineral supplement during the Pre-Post Vaccination Plan phase.

A probiotic with Bacillus subtilis and Bifidobacterium. The wealth of evidence on the health implications of our gut ecology (the Microbiome) is compelling. Two especially important, and often deficient, strains of these "good bugs" in our gut are Bacillus subtilis and Bifidobacterium. This second strain, the Bifido, when deficient, correlates to increased severity of systemic inflammation seen in acute COVID-19 infections and "long haul" COVID-19 survivors. And, remember the T-cells issue? It turns out that T-cell regulation is influenced by what happens in the Microbiome (and our diets).

Andrographis, Quercetin, Luteolin, Resveratrol. The well-documented benefits of these natural substances (for various coronaviruses) include reducing inflammation, increasing immune integrity, blocking cell attachment/entry of viruses and direct anti-viral effects. Hundreds of published studies have shown these effects and, in more recent papers, specifically for the current coronavirus.

Cardiovascular, Neurological. There are some situations in which adding more herbal and nutritional support is warranted, for example in the case of existing cardiovascular or neurological compromise. If you have these risk factors, you may want to consider a consult and/or ART evaluation.

During Autonomic Response Testing (ART) evaluations we rank the usefulness of specific products that contain the immune (and other system) supportive herbs and nutrients.

As with all medical interventions, it is important to consider drug-herb-nutrient interactions. Please speak with your prescribing clinician and consider running an interaction screen before changing any aspect of your medical protocol. The general dosing recommendations above are for adults. Contact our office for details on this work.

How do I get more information on these recommendations?

For information on the supplements needed for the Pre-Post Vaccination Plan or other questions see: PotomacIntegrativeMedicine.com/contact

The primary evaluation tool we use is called Autonomic Response Testing (ART) as developed by Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, PhD. Based on the result of this testing, we prioritize treatment strategies to address critical aspects of health. We now do this work through a combination of telemedicine and saliva testing (cheek swabs). See References for research on Autonomic Response Testing.

May your "immune orchestra" create beautiful music. Best wishes for a Happy Spring and BEYOND!

Hannah Bradford, MAc, MBA

And for the emotional part of this current challenge we are all facing, read the quote from Elizabeth Bunker, author of Breathtaking: Growing up Mystic in America - Eleven Breaths for Life.

"The truth is that we are all extraordinary beings with great resilience. Yet, now, we are all being challenged. During these times a guide can bring you through feelings of anxiety, fatigue, disconnect, or grief. I am offering telephone and ZOOM consultations, using the breath, meditation and deep listening. Donation is from $50. 603-835-2702."

NOTES

T-cells are produced in bone marrow and mature in the thymus gland, and both activities are critical to immune control. The thymus gland shrinks significantly with age.

Tests for T-cell function specific to COVID are in development. Until that time, tracking your total lymphocyte number gives an indication of T-cell integrity. The total lymphocyte count is found on a routine blood panel, which can be ordered by any physician (and some direct-to-consumer testing services). If you see this number dropping over prior tests, take more concerted action to regulate your immunity and reduce toxic load.