All of us are taking extreme precautions now to protect ourselves from the COVID-19 virus, which is spreading. But if you have diabetes, your risk of getting very sick from the virus is higher than it is for someone without diabetes.
I don’t say this to scare you. You just need to know the facts, so you can take every precaution to safeguard your health at this time.
So, here’s what you need to know if you or a loved one or friend has diabetes. Use this information to protect yourself, and to help those you love to stay safe.
Why The Lungs Of People With Diabetes Are Infected More Easily
When the MERS coronavirus emerged in 2012, scientists at Johns Hopkins University showed that diabetic mice exposed to the virus could not muster a good, strong defense against it.
The diabetic mice had fewer cytokines, the proteins that interact with the immune system to regulate the body’s inflammatory response to disease and infection. The inflammation that was needed to fight the infection was delayed allowing time for the virus to spread. But the inflammatory response was also prolonged, so that it hung around too long, became chronic, and caused more health problems.
If you have diabetes, you should be aware of the results of this study. They may very well correlate with the viral infections resulting from the COVID-19 coronavirus.
High Blood Sugar And Poorly Managed Diabetes Makes You A Target For Infection
When diabetes is well managed, with blood sugar levels remaining normal, a person with diabetes has no higher chance of infection than anyone else.
But when blood sugar is not under control, it’s a different story. When your blood sugar is elevated, you have a higher chance of not only getting the virus but a lower chance of recovery.
If your blood sugar is chronically elevated, your immune system’s antibodies do not attack foreign bodies as readily. This is especially true of the present coronavirus.
Also, high blood sugar levels may trigger chronic inflammation, which can cause the body’s response to infection to be delayed or inadequate.
Increased Risk of Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA)
A person with diabetes with any sort of viral infection is at a higher risk of diabetic ketoacidosis. This serious condition can lead to a diabetic coma (passing out for a long time) or even death.
DKA occurs when your cells aren’t getting the glucose they need for energy. Your body begins to burn fat instead, which produces ketones.
When ketones build up in the blood, they make the blood more acidic. High ketone levels can poison the body.
Before it gets to that point, though, high ketone levels serve as a warning sign for a person with diabetes, either that they are getting sick, or that their diabetes is out of control.
Special Precautions You Need To Take If You Have Diabetes
If you have diabetes, you need to be even more cautious than most of us about not getting exposed to the COVID-19 virus.
Here’s How’s To Do It:
- Stay home! The further you are from others now, the better your chances of staying healthy. It’s just the way it is. Remember, though, distancing does not have to mean isolating. Connect with people you love online, or with a simple phone call. Read inspiring books. Listen to good music.
- Wash your hands. Even if you’re staying home and not going out or letting others in, wash your hands several times a day.
- Clean and disinfect your groceries. If there’s someone in your household at lower risk than you, let them go to the store for you. But always be sure to use disinfectant wipes or plain soap and water on all plastic containers, and on surfaces where your grocery bags landed.
What To Do If You Get Sick?
Sickness, stress, and poor appetite all make it harder to manage your diabetes. Have someone check on you daily, even just by phone. It will lower your stress levels, and you can let someone know if you need food, medicine, or just an encouraging word.
To help control your diabetes, you should consider taking Glucose Support Formula.
GSF has been formulated with seven well known nutritional factors that:
- Helps to maintain normal glucose levels
- Supports energy
- Aids glucose transport and utilization by cells
- Reduces free radical damage associated with unhealthy glucose levels
In addition to Glucose Support Formula, you should take Berberine Max. Berberine is a yellow alkaloid—a compound found in many different types of plants. Everything from tree turmeric, to goldenseal and goldthread, to philodendrons, to European barberry. Berberine stimulates the uptake of glucose in your cells, thus lowering your blood sugar.
Staying Healthy During The Coronavirus Outbreak
The best defense is a good offense. In other words, it is much better not to get sick in the first place. The number one way to keep from getting sick is to have a robust immune system. As we’ve talked about before, many things lower your immune response: Stress, Bad Diet, Lack of Fruits and Vegetables, Smoking, Excess Alcohol, Lack of Physical Activity, Being Overweight, and Lack of Sleep.
To build up your immune system, take:
- Vitamin D is an immune system modulator which helps support healthy T Cell and macrophage responses
- Zinc plays a vital role in supporting the body’s defense system, promoting healthy neutrophil, natural killer cell, and T-lymphocyte function
- Garlic has also been shown to stimulate the activities of the immune system by activating naturally defensive cells and macrophages‚ the layer of which are white blood cells that ingest foreign bodies
- Drink Green Tea. Green tea has anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties
- Arabinogalactan supports immune cell activation and healthy cell replication, natural killer cell, and macrophage activation
- N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) helps to support healthy lung tissue and the body’s natural defenses, including cellular health. It also helps to break down mucus in the respiratory tract and helps with the rebuilding of lung tissue, and helps support the activation of immune cells to support the immune system
- Dimethylglycine (DMG) As a metabolic enhancer, DMG supports the body in times of stress, throughout the aging process, and during immune system challenges
- Alpha Lipoic Acid The natural R isomer of alpha-lipoic acid may provide enhanced antioxidant activity, energy production, and general immune function
- Cortisol Soothe maintains healthy adrenal cortisol activity and offers support for stress, mood and emotional well- being
To find out what you can do to survive this viral outbreak, call Doctor’s Nutrition today at 1-800-824-0194. As always, there is no charge for your consultation.
