'Tis the Season! Let's Talk Viruses!

Snotty, coughy, sneezy, chills, aches, pains, congestion.

That usually means one thing..... IT'S FLU "SEASON"!

The time is upon us, and it is all over the internet. So much discussion about illness; how to avoid it, what to do when you think you might be getting sick, how to quickly recover. Illness seems to be a very prevalent topic right now, even beyond just the common cold or flu viruses. There is a lot of attention on infectious illnesses, because well, yuck. I don't know if you guys see it, but I do.... and it's all over everywhere.

Constant repetition of:

"Take this..."

"Do this..."

"Strengthen your immune system"

"It must be flu season."

There is a lot of hype about illness, especially on social media and main stream media platforms. The funny part to me is that most of the information that it out there isn't necessarily wrong, but taken out of context (in my opinion and experience) and then used to promote people to buy this product or use some crazy service. Health professionals aren't teaching people how to create health or what is actually causing illness. Most of what I am seeing is how to get rid of symptoms with medication (which is fine if that is what you want to do, but realize that just because the symptoms aren't there doesn't mean that you are no longer ill or not contagious. You are, and through taking some of these medications you might actually be increasing the duration of your illness by covering up the bodies natural way of fighting infection). That is not what I do. I want people to understand how illness can be minimized through using what is natural for our bodies. Not how you can dump chemicals all over your house, or take medication to decrease the symptoms and still "function" even though what you really should be doing is resting. Yes, we are all going to experience the dreaded "ick" more than once in our lives, but if we can understand and weed through all the misinformation then we can begin to apply good practices to keep ourselves and our families as healthy as possible, even in the face of illness.

My main focus is education and empowerment. Most of what is shown to us plays on our emotions, mainly using symptoms or what people are afraid (symptoms of illness, and feeling crappy) of to sell a product. There is also a public push telling everyone that if we do one thing or another that we can avoid being sick altogether. In my experience, most people are afraid of what they are not in full knowledge of, so I want to just talk about the causes of the symptoms first. Then we can get our minds around what causes illness, then what we can actually do to prevent the dreaded "ick".

First.... There are different forms of infectious agents, typically called "pathogens". All illnesses are not caused by the same thing. Ringworm isn't caused by a bacteria, and the flu isn't caused by a fungus. And, just so there isn't confusion, there is a huge difference between an infectious acute illness and a chronic disease. We aren't going to talk about chronic disease in this post, but we will cover those more individually in the future. I know that seems pretty obvious, but you would be surprised how many people tell me that acute illnesses are caused by the same thing as chronic diseases. I am sure that this will be "review" for most people, but let's just make sure that we are all on the same page. These different pathogens are viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic (1). Each one of these organisms behave differently in the environment and in our bodies, because they are each different in their characteristics. Because these are all different agents of infection and different in the ways that they replicate, there are different things that we specifically need to do in order to decrease recovery time. The focus is going to be on viruses for this post, because that is what is most common during the winter (and I promise to address why that is). I also want to quickly address this, because viruses can come in prophylactic form as well, remember that regardless of the origin of the viral strain (natural vs. vaccine) it is important to know that both are going to deplete the body of similar (if not the exact same) nutrients and minerals during the replication and subsequent recovery process. If you know that you are going to be receiving a vaccine, you should definitely up your intake of certain vitamins and minerals prior to receiving that inoculation in order to maximize your bodies natural immune response to it. I might even suggest checking to make sure that your diet is not chronically deficient in anything prior to the administration of the vaccination.

So let's get to it.... VIRUS. Yeah, I said it and it seems to be one of the scariest words in the English language right now (I swear you could rob a bank with a booger). So, let's summarize what they are, how they work, and how to live in a world filled with them (because they have been around for ages, and don't seem to be going anywhere soon). Also, I am not going super in-depth here. Not because I don't want to, but because I am not sure that interests people. I want to make this accessible for everyone, not boring. This is summarized Virology 101.

Whenever I think about viruses, my mind immediately goes to Disney (hear me out). There is a scene in "The Sword and the Stone" where the two wizards are fighting. Madam Mim and Merlin are battling it out, and in order to win Merlin says something to the effect of he is going to become the "most devastating thing known to man" and he becomes a virus. Mim is immediately defeated and is reduced to a shivering, rash covered, bedridden invalid from her previous form of a fire breathing dragon. Does anyone else remember that scene? It is actually pretty hilarious (there's actually a lot of good information in that movie about viral illness particularly in that scene, and that will definitely come up in the future). But, I want to use that as an example that shows us that the information that we have been exposed to (even from a very early age) is that illness (especially viruses) is something that we must be in fear of, because viruses are "devastating", even to witches and wizards. So, let's get to understanding what they are, so that then we can have a little bit less fear about what happens when we do become ill (because we all get sick eventually).

Viruses come in all shapes and sizes.... they can cause something as small as a sniffle up to and including cancer or death, which I think is part of the reason that they are so scary. Death is another word that strikes fear into most people and for good reason.

I also want to be clear that I have a very healthy respect for the viral community. Although I am sick very rarely, I have been sick in my life quite a few times, and yuck. Viruses are all around us and consistently bombarding our immune systems (we are going to talk about this). Also, I am a new mom and my 6 month old son got his first virus about a month or so ago when his dad got sick and brought it home.... it was absolute hell. Days and nights of humidifiers, nasal suction, breastfeeding (loads), healthy baby herbs, vitamins, chest rubs, and did i mention loads of breast feeding? Herbs for me, vitamins for me. Luckily, I never got sick and I could seriously go on and on, but that is for another post and a different time. For longer than I want to think about, I watched my precious little baby "fight" his first illness. Snotting, fever, coughing, sneezing, having a hard time sleeping at night because he had so much congestion. I was waking up every two hours to suction his airways. I even put a respiratory monitor with an alarm on him to let me know if he was struggling more than he should. It was SCARY. Especially because he is a baby. His fever got up to 102 degrees Fahrenheit several times. I hated every minute of it. But, I knew that with the appropriate supportive care that I could give him, I would watch him heal. There are no "magic pills" when it comes to viruses.... antibiotics do not affect them (they are helpful for secondary bacterial infections, if there is one) and most antiviral drugs are in testing phases or they have proven to not be all that effective, or not advisable for babies and children. I knew he would get better, but it would take a lot of work and time. Healing is HARD. No matter what type of healing, the body has to do a lot to regenerate and recover. He did, and now I feel much more confident in helping him when he is sick. But, it doesn't make it any less important to know that viral infections can be dangerous and sometimes deadly. We all should try to remember that.

But, I digress. What exactly was he fighting? Most likely, a simple upper respiratory virus that he "picked up" from his dad (who was sick for a couple of days and recovered quickly). So, what is a virus? What does it do? Why did my son have it for longer than his dad? Loads of questions, and not tons of time. First, viruses are very very tiny compared to other infectious agents, and they are NOT LIVING ORGANISMS (2, 3). They are very simple, and usually only have 2 to 3 parts. The main part is its genetic material, either DNA/RNA sequences. The sequences are surrounded by a protein coating (called a capsid) that protect the genetic material and then sometimes covered in a lipid layer to help penetrate the host cell (2). Host cell? Yes, the virus cannot replicate without help, and that is why it is not classified as a living organism. A virus cannot replicate without a cell to do it in, so unless they penetrate a living cell they cannot reproduce. So unlike bacteria, viruses cannot replicate in the open environment. They also have a limited "shelf life" out in the environment. They only last on average 48-72 hours outside of a living organism (2). You can't create an environment where viruses can become more virulent by having it too warm or too humid (we will look closer at this in another post). That helps fungal or bacterial replication, but because viruses aren't actually "living" they don't thrive in warm, dark, humid environments like those other pathogens. Another thing that I want to emphasize is that viruses do not become "stronger" (more virulent) during certain times of the year (they can and do mutate, but that doesn't happen only during specific times of the year, that happens all year round). In essence, there isn't a "season" that viruses become more virulent. That actually has to do with our immune systems not having the appropriate "tools" to function at optimum levels during the winter due to multiple factors, like decrease in intake (or synthesis) of certain vitamins and minerals, increase in sugar ingestion, cold/dry air, and less active lifestyles during the colder months (4, 5). Although we work to remove viruses from our environment, we don't have to run around thinking that we are "destroying" them in our homes, and they also don't magically turn into "killing machines" during the winter. Illness is actually important for our immune system development, and although we would like to avoid being ill we cannot avoid it altogether. There are ways to keep your environment as clean of them as you can, and really keeping viral load down is important. You can use certain products to "deactivate" them by breaking down their outer "shells", and open windows occasionally to allow fresh air into your home. But, you don't need to use industrial strength cleaner in the winter because they are "stronger" or have suddenly become more dangerous than the summer months (6). But, really if you keep a fairly clean home, as long as you don't have someone ill in your house there isn't going to be viruses replicating like gremlins in your closet.

Bacteria, yes. Fungus, yes. Viruses, no.

Now, even though viral particles (also known as virions) come in all varieties, shapes, sizes, they all behave fairly similarly at least as far as how they penetrate cells and replicate inside of them. The different viruses have different symptoms and modes of transmission, which we will talk about briefly. But, really, for all intents and purposes that is all that a virus is. Some protective protein and receptors, a little genetic material inside, and possibly some fats to increase the ability to penetrate the host cell. So, how does one little bitty virus become a full blown illness? One word, replication, and there are two ways that the replication process can take place. You can have one type of replication which is the lysogenic cycle, in which case the virus is dormant in the cell once it has penetrated it, until environmental conditions become optimal and stimulate the virus to begin replication, becoming "lytic" and destroying the host cell (2). Or you can just start in the lytic cycle and when the virus penetrates the cell it is immediately active and begins replication (this also involves how virulent the virus is during replication which we might not get to today). There are 6 specific stages of viral replication. Again, the different viruses have certain species specifics, and even certain cells that they target which we will talk about, but most lytic cycle viruses will act the same way once they are in the body. The first thing that a virus must do is attach to a living cell, this is step one. This happens when the receptor proteins on the surface of the virion meet with specific receptors on the cell surface. Once attached, the virus must penetrate the cell wall and that is step 2, either by endocytosis or actual fusion with the cell itself. Once the virus is inside the cell, this is when the process really gets interesting. The virus "uncoats" itself. The viral capsid (the protein shell) is destroyed either by enzymes that try to attack the virus from the host cell or by enzymes that are released by the actual virus. This exposes the genetic material that makes up the "body" of the virus. Then replication starts.... now, for those of you that haven't had too much biology here is a little background for you; almost all mammalian cells (except for mature red blood cells) have the ability to reproduce themselves. (For the purpose of this post, we are talking about mammalian cells only, reptiles and plants are complicated and I can barely keep them alive myself. I still have much to learn about exotic animals, botany, and horticulture). The virus forces the cell to use its own organelles to create new viral DNA or RNA, rather than the cells own DNA. It basically hijacks the cell using the cells own nutrients and minerals to replicate the virus, instead of replicating its own DNA. The virus takes the cell "hostage" and then runs it out of gas, and blows it up. The newly replicated viral DNA then reassembles into new "baby" viruses.... so, one virus has now become thousands using a single host cell and its "tools" and "supplies". Then, the release happens. Some viruses actually cause the cell to burst or rupture, while others package the "babies" into lipid envelopes using the cells phospholipid bilayer and continue to replicate in the cell. Thus, in one way or the other releasing thousands of new viruses into the body, to infect surrounding cells and continue the process all over again. This replication process actually depletes the body of supplies that it needs for the immune response. Each virus depletes different "supplies" from the body so it is important to be aware of this in order to supplement these during times of exposure to illness (5).

Is this scary..... yes and no. The replication ratio of these little buggers is absolutely frightening for most people. One virion can turn into hundreds of thousands with replication speed that would make a rabbit jealous. The infection uses up so much of our bodies nutrients that they can actually cause long term deficiencies and chronic issues that can take months to reestablish. I mean, some of these viral infections have even been shown to cause cancer, which is probably one of the most horrific outcomes that one would ever have to experience.

So, what do we do? Some people would say, "strengthen your immune system". But, is that even really possible? Are there things that can actually make your immune system "stronger"? The honest truth is no, not really. There aren't ways that we can make our immune system "stronger", at least not the way that most people think of. There isn't some exercise or supplement that will actually increase the "strength" of our immune systems (and really we don't want to make our immune systems "stronger" as this would likely create autoimmune issues). There are things that we can do to make our immune system more effective and efficient at fighting off the pathogens, basically making sure that our "gas tanks" aren't "empty". Making sure that we have a readily available supply of macro and micronutrients our body needs to function is basically the best thing that we can do to allow our bodies to fight as hard as they can when the time comes. We can do this by making sure that we have circulating levels of certain antioxidants, hormones, and minerals circulating in our bodies so that when our immune system comes into contact with these agents and have an "invasion" they can immediately utilize the supplies to destroy the viral pathogens and then do an effective "clean up". I honestly think that is where I come in.... helping people to understand how the body works and what it "needs" in order to have an optimal running situation prior to becoming ill, or what we might need during illness and then even after (because illness does deplete certain micro nutrients and minerals). If our body is in a state of health before it is exposed to the virus, then we can decrease the extent of the damage and the recovery time. We do this by knowing how the virus works, and what they are susceptible to, which I hope is just a bit more clear now. Viruses use up the individual host cells supplies that it needs to replicate itself. If we don't address those unique deficiencies, two things will happen. First, if we are already deficient in certain things (which most people are, unfortunately) then our bodies are more susceptible to the initial infection. Second, if we do not actively supplement during illness then our recovery will be prolonged due to lack of ability to repair the damage on a cellular level. Things like rest, increase in fluid intake, creating an increase in body temperature are just a few simple ways that one can support the healing process in the body to more effectively fight off viral infection. Even just knowing that viral replication is decreased in warm, humid environments is something that can be very helpful (7).

This article has ended up way longer than I thought it would.... and we haven't really even talked about how these nasty little bugs are passed around, or how they mutate, or really even what to do when we have a viral infection (because yes, you can do things for them besides just taking pharmaceuticals). However, I think that I might just make that a part two and threee of the series and stop right here for right now. There is already a lot of information to digest. In essence, there are things that we can do to keep our bodies running with great efficiency. There are things that we can do do decrease viral replication and duration of infection. But, viruses aren't going anywhere any time soon. We can't be afraid of them, but we can actively work to keep our bodies functioning at their optimum levels in order to make sure that we can recover and continue to live happy healthy lives.

Let me know if you have any questions or would like to set up a One-on-One consultation to discuss individual needs and different approaches to specific protocols for maintaining wellness through the "silly season", I am happy to address more specific information as needed!

Citations

Felman, A. (2017, August 22). Infection: Types, causes, and differences. Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/196271.php.

Goulding, J. (n.d.). Virus replication. Retrieved from https://www.immunology.org/public-information/bitesized-immunology/pathogens-and-disease/virus-replication.

Bailey, R. (2019, July 29). What Is a Virus? Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/viruses-373893.

McGreevey, & Morrison, M. (2017, February 22). Study confirms vitamin D protects against colds and flu. Retrieved from https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/02/study-confirms-vitamin-d-protects-against-cold-and-flu/.

Cannell, J. J., Vieth, R., Umhau, J. C., Holick, M. F., Grant, W. B., Madronich, S., … Giovannucci, E. (2006, December). Epidemic influenza and vitamin D. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2870528/?report=reader.

McDonnell, G., & Russell, A. D. (1999, January). Antiseptics and disinfectants: activity, action, and resistance. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC88911/#B307.

Pica, N., Chou, Y. Y., Bouvier, N. M., & Palese, P. (2012). Transmission of influenza B viruses in the guinea pig. Journal of virology, 86(8), 4279–4287. doi:10.1128/JVI.06645-11