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The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Covid-19

If you're like me, you might be tired about hearing about the Coronavirus pandemic--so I will keep this to the point.


First, the UGLY part of this virus is that it's "new" or "novel" meaning that our immune systems haven't seen this particular virus before so there's no "knowledge" of it in anyone's immune system. Therefore its effects can be quite ugly, potentially ending in death for the most vulnerable.


Secondly, the BAD thing for us about this virus is that many of us, for various reasons, do not have optimally functioning immune systems in the first place. Our food is polluted, our air is polluted (check out this article), our water is polluted and our lifestyles are "polluted" by lack of good sleep, by lack of exposure to nature, by lack of proper exercise, and for so many other reasons! Now it's not my purpose here to scold but to simply to point out that, though we may think we're 'healthy' (meaning absence of disease), nevertheless our health is less than optimal. That fact makes our immune systems function on a less than optimal level, and less than optimal immune function in a pandemic is obviously a bad thing.


Now, the GOOD thing about Covid-19 is that most projections anticipate a peak in cases in the next 2-3 weeks. Why is that good? Well, before it starts to decline, it has to peak. So a decline is near. But with a peak it stands to reason that there's lots of virus floating around so we would do well to be continually optimizing our immune systems--and if you haven't started yet, NOW is the time to start!



Another GOOD thing in the era of bad news is that, though there's little prevention and treatment data specifically for Covid-19, we have a lot of data on the prevention and treatment of other viral strains. While we can't be sure that these data apply in the same way to Covid-19 as it does to other viral illnesses, the approach that most Certified Functional Medicine practitioners (check out ifm.org to see if your provider is certified) take is safe and personalized to you as a unique individual. Most of what we utilize are called "immunoadjuvants" which are substances that enhance the immune system either by potentiating or modulating its response to a foreign invader such as a virus (see this article for more info). Based on a person's current health status, some people need more immunoadjuvants at higher doses and others need fewer at lower doses to optimize their coverage. As always, this is not "one-size-fits-all" health care. Getting fitted with the immune boosting protocol that's right for you may make all the difference.


The final GOOD thing is that the pandemic has resulted in a relaxation in the rules surrounding Telemedicine. We now are able to conduct telemedicine visits without having an in-person visit beforehand. If you'd like to discuss what might be the best immune boosting protocol for you, we would be happy to arrange a consultation via our telemedicine portal at a reduced cost--call us at 980-339-5155 to set this up or email me at drjerby@legacyhealthmd.com.


Remember, NOW is the time to act if you want to prepare your immune system for the coming surge.

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