Dear Patients and Friends
Today I was reading an article about why some people with the Covid 19 infection have no symptoms, while other patients die from the same disease. It is estimated that 18-30% may be asymptomatic.
https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/why-are-some-people-asymptomatic
There are 2 theories mentioned in the article:
1- Some people have a stronger “innate” immune response to the virus.
2- Some people encounter a smaller viral load.
Personally, I have an additional one:
3- People with stronger “adaptive” immune system are able to respond to an infectious contact much quicker and therefore with fewer symptoms!
“The innate immune system is a generalized fighting force. It’s comprised of very basic tools on the outside of the body, like our mucus membranes or our skin. It’s also equipped with generalist tools inside of the body like natural killer cells —a type of a white blood cell that’s trained to recognize viral invaders and destroy them. (And yes, they are actually called that.) That makes it different from the adaptive immune system which is comprised of targeted antibodies that have learned to recognize SARS-CoV-2 and kill it (now we’re using those antibodies as treatment).”
We cannot change or influence our innate system.
We might be able to keep the potential viral load exposure down by washing hands, keeping them out of our face and by physical distancing.
But we certainly can build and strengthen our adaptive immune system through 1) nutrition, 2) hydration, 3) exercise and 4) stress reduction. It just makes sense going that route.
Please let us know if we can help answer some of your questions about any of those areas.
We will be glad to help you! 760-365-0804.
In health,
Dr. Christian Reichardt
