Almost three years since the arrival of a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV2, was announced to the world, I have yet to contract Covid, the disease it is said to cause.
I haven’t had a cold or the flu, either. In fact, I haven’t been sick with any respiratory illness in at least ten years, maybe more.
I’m not bragging or trying to tempt fate, and acknowledge the possibility I could find myself knocked off my feet by some viral assailant tomorrow or next week. Further, I have no professional health credentials, so don’t take what follows as any kind of recommendation. But as it seems to be acceptable and even encouraged now to publicly talk about one’s health status, I’ve decided to put my own experience out there, for what it’s worth.
Why have I escaped Covid (so far)? Who knows? It could be genetics. It could be some deity smiling upon me for reasons I cannot discern. However, I personally credit the following specific things.
The events of 2020 and later led me to begin viewing my body and my immune system as gifts, and not to be abused, in a way I never did before. I give thanks every day now (to the universe or whatever gods exist) for them. It seems trite to write this, but I mean it. My gratitude for these gifts is coupled with a commitment to treat them with respect and to do my best by them.
I refused to succumb to the fear whipped up by politicians, public health “authorities,” and media, fear I saw reflected in the eyes of the masked crowds and in all the nonsensical rituals — everything from following arrows in a store aisle to wiping down groceries. Fear, they say, is a mind killer. It also creates stress, which can weaken an immune system.
I began exercising more. This included walking two miles most days, at least when the weather was acceptable, which along with its other benefits got me out in the sun and probably boosted my vitamin D levels. I continued body resistance exercises and dumbbell workouts I had started pre-“pandemic” to improve muscle mass. I added a few minutes each day of HIIT — high intensity interval training — which replenishes nitric oxide in the body. Among many other benefits, higher levels of nitric oxide help strengthen the immune system.
I took these supplements every day: Quercetin, zinc, vitamin D3, vitamin C, magnesium. I had been taking them anyway as part of my general health and anti-aging regimen, and it was welcome news to learn that they help to shield against Covid. I also took (and am still taking) one gram of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) daily. This was also for anti-aging and life extension purposes, but as it turns out, NMN has been shown in at least one study to lessen the severity of symptoms in persons who contract Covid. Anecdotally, people who take NMN report having fewer or no respiratory illnesses.
I kept a nasal spray bottle containing a solution of water and povidone iodine in my bathroom. The couple of times I got sniffles or felt a scratching in my throat, I squirted it up my nostrils and that was the end of it. As I understand it, Covid infection starts in the mucosal linings of the upper respiratory tract before traveling to the lungs where it is most damaging. The Barney Fife precautionary principle — “Nip it in the bud” — seemed sensible in this instance.
I never wore a mask. Not only are they useless to prevent viral transmission, but it struck me that deliberately covering my breathing holes for no good reason would be not only physically self-sabotaging, but an act of disdain for life itself. Besides, wearing a wet petri dish teeming with bacteria on my face — perhaps for hours, as many chose or were forced to do — could not possibly be good for my health.
Although the lockdowns and social-distancing nonsense made it difficult, I deliberately went out and exposed myself to people, for example by sitting in a crowded coffee shop. Humans are social animals and breathing together is how we “conspire” to strengthen our individual and herd immunities. If I had been sick or had a serious underlying health problem, I would have isolated, but absent that I sought out opportunities for human contact (well, as much contact as a natural introvert can tolerate!).
I didn’t take the mRNA injections, for a long list of reasons, despite pressure to do so (I won’t dignify them by calling them vaccines). The relevant reason here is that I simply had a gut feeling they would degrade my innate immunity, based on my understanding of how they work. Given that the most potentially damaging part of the SARS-CoV2 virus is the spike protein, it just didn’t make sense to me to turn my body into a spike protein factory! My decision seems sounder with every passing day. There are data showing that although the injections might provide some protection for a few weeks, after that they turn negatively efficacious — recipients actually become more susceptible to Covid than people who are unjabbed. The individuals I personally know who are getting sick now, sometimes more than once, are the ones who’ve taken the injections.
I adopted the attitude: “I don’t care if I get Covid.” What I mean is, although I certainly didn’t want to get it, and did all the things that made sense to me to avoid it (namely those listed above), I wasn’t going to tie myself in knots worrying about it the way many other people did. The likelihood is it would be no worse than a bad cold or flu, but even if it turned out to be more serious, at least I wouldn’t have allowed fear to shut down my life in the lead-up. Care-lessness is a great aid to a peaceful mind, and I can’t help but think it has a beneficial effect on physical well-being as well.
Again, none of this is health advice. When it comes to Covid or any other threatening thing you perceive out there, it’s your body and your choices. Do what seems right to you … and respect others’ freedom to do the same.
Feb. 3, 2023 update: I just became aware of this study. Perhaps I should credit the two to four eggs I eat every day!
October 6, 2023 update: Seven months after I wrote the above, I did get Covid. For transparency I’ve written about it here.
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