About Steroids

Here's some additional perspective, to go along with the article:
• Many supplement manufacturers are pushing their "immune booster" or "immune health" supplements hard.
• Some of these have several ingredients, while others are the mainstays of elderberry, vitamin C, zinc, and so on.
• One big problem: the immune system is incredibly complex! It's not an on/off switch, or even a dial, you can safely just turn up or down.
• That's why medications that dampen or heighten immune components can pretty easily have side effects. • Predicting the effect of a multi-ingredient supplement with megadoses in it on immune response to a totally new virus? Potentially dangerous.
• There is some evidence for several supplements in specific contexts, typically for rhinoviruses, but also for influenza.
• But people without specialized training in virology (aka most people) are applying this evidence willy-nilly to the novel coronavirus.
• This provides a beacon of light for those looking to feel safe. But there are many potential potholes: interactions with other supplements, medications, or health conditions. Or the worsening of symptoms due to unforeseen effects.
• Be safe! Focus on improving your stress management skills (meditation is free!), being kind to people you interact with, getting more sleep, and not getting caught in a 24/7 coronavirus news cycle... but still staying informed. Yes, it's a hard balance, but you can do it!

So what's most likely to help without accidentally torpedoing you and doing harm?
Think about this: you can only get the virus from humans.
Your immune system is highly dependant on your stress levels and sleep, and is kept running smoothly by eating nutrient-dense foods and avoiding too much ultra-processed junk food.
This makes it easier to come up with a coronavirus strategy: be rigorous about physical distancing, sleep, stress, and avoiding too much junk food.
That's 99% of what you can do.
If you want to supplement to address the other 1%, at least be safe about it, and don't take a boatload of different supplements or megadose willy nilly.

28.04.2020