I have for years taken several supplements daily. I recently made some changes based on evidence that these tweaks could support a robust covid response and even reduce the risk of infection.
Zyrtec
I have experimented with many options for allergy medicines. This is important as someone with asthma because allergies can trigger asthma and make it worse. At some point, a doctor I spoke to recommended Zyrtec because it has some of the strongest evidence for a broad anti-allergy effect of any of the commonly available over the counter allergy drugs. I tried it and I’ve never gone back!
Psyllium Fiber Supplement
Most people don’t get enough fiber in their diets. This is even worse with stress. Adding a fiber supplement is an easy way to keep your body working through the stress and the coping mechanisms like comfort-foods and binge drinking.
The Pandemic Additions
Vitamin D
Vitamin D has been repeatedly identified as one of the strongest correlated factors to both a strong covid defense and a strong defense against infection.
One study found that homeless people are actually at much lower risk both of infection and of the most severe infection specifically because they spend so much time in the sun and therefore have a much higher than normal level of Vitamin D.
There are two symptom patterns for covid. You can have severe symptoms or you can have mild symptoms. Studies have shown a strong correlation between the amount of Vitamin D in your system and which pattern you will have.
Another study found that treating patients in the ICU with Vitamin D led to less severe symptoms and better outcomes.
Yet another study found that 80% of those covid patients who had to be hospitalized had Vitamin D deficiencies.
Zinc
Caveat: Zinc has toxicity at doses above 150mg/day. So I’ll be taking 100mg per day.
There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that Zinc supplements can prevent covid infection, inhibit viral replication in the body, and strengthen the immune response to covid as well as other respiratory disorders. Zinc is a strong general immune booster.
These results have been replicated many times. Here is a list of the recent studies with summaries of them.
Vitamin C
There is also evidence that Vitamin C can be helpful for covid though studies are ongoing, and there is far less evidence than that for Vitamin D.
There is a great deal of evidence that Vitamin C can be used to treat and prevent other coronaviruses such as the common cold.
It is a widely held belief that Vitamin C is a general-purpose immune booster, and it does seem that in some cases it really is helpful, and it’s certainly an essential nutrient which people must be sure to get.
Bottom line with Vitamin C as well as with Zinc, there is potentially a huge benefit and really no downside.