Are COVID numbers really dropping?

It’s been a hectic few weeks here in the clinic! Why? COVID cases are on the rise, again! Our patients are coming into the office to give their Immune systems a boost, have questions on how they can support a friend, or might be worried about their loved ones and are asking how they can be of help.

In pre-pandemic times, people who got diagnosed with obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s had a lot to deal with and worry about: medications, treatments, doctors’ appointments, and all the emotional stress. But they didn’t have to worry about a deadly virus on top of it all.

With all that’s going on in the world, something huge has changed.

Here’s why...

Take COVID-19 deaths; some people are exposed to the virus and don’t show a single symptom. Sadly, millions of others have gone to the ICU or lost their lives.

What’s going on? Why’s there a stark difference?

Researchers tell us that most COVID-19 deaths are linked to underlying and pre-existing health problems. That means that if a person already has an existing health challenge, they’re more likely to be seriously affected by the virus.

But there’s good news!

Studies show that it’s possible to prevent many chronic illnesses before they take hold just by eating the right foods (and avoiding the wrong ones), exercising, and not smoking, drinking too heavily, or doing drugs. This means you can take powerful steps to save yourself — and your loved ones — from the world’s deadliest diseases.

Pandemics have played a role in shaping human history throughout the ages. Few people reading this today will remember outbreaks on this scale, but history shows us that although it is devastating, what we are experiencing now is nothing unusual.

But before I go in-depth in explaining the medical reasons of why we are seeing more people infected with COVID-19; let’s take a look at some previous “virus” epidemics to understand their root causes, their famous statistics, and how they compare.

December 2019 - current: COVID-19

COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. People who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness.

Currently, the total COVID-19 cases total 141,000,000, with 80,400,000 recovered and 3,001,000 deaths worldwide.

Majority of COVID-19 infected individuals (80%) are asymptomatic or present mild symptoms (due to a good immune response able to control the advance of the disease).

Symptoms and signs such as fever, cough, sore throat, headache, fatigue, muscle pain, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell and gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting or diarrhea are common symptoms reported by infected patients.

Disease severity seems to be strongly associated with age, sex and overall health. When severe and non-severe patients are compared, conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular and kidney diseases increase the risk of infection two to three-fold.

There are basically three stages or phases in the natural progression of COVID-19. The first phase is related to the onset of the disease and generally characterized by the development of influenza-like symptoms from mild to moderate or asymptomatic (experiencing no symptoms), and can transmit the disease to other people. In phase 2, it is possible to detect pneumonia-like symptoms evidenced as lung opacities and severe hypoxemia (low levels of oxygen in the blood). Depending on the severity of phase 2, patients can improve or worsen with the necessity of intubation and ventilation. Phase 3, which is characterized by hyper-inflammation and sepsis of lungs, often requires intensive care unit (ICU), most of them unfortunately can not overcome the infection and die.

1981-present: HIV

Since the early 1980s, HIV has claimed the lives of more than 35,000,000 people. At the end of 2018, around 37,900,000 million people were living with the HIV illness.

Although HIV is also caused by a virus, there are significant differences between the two current pandemics; the most obvious being their means of transmission. Unlike COVID-19, HIV cannot be transmitted by coughs and sneezes, but is transmitted through sexual contact and sharing needles, syringes, or other drug injection equipment. With HIV affecting a smaller portion of the world’s population, the rate of infection has been much slower.

Although there is no vaccine or cure for HIV, thanks to antiretroviral medications, people who have HIV and access to care can now live long and healthy lives.

2009–2010: H1N1 Swine Flu

According to the CDC, between April 2009 and April 2010, the Swine flu pandemic affected an estimated 60,800,000 people. There were an estimated 274,304 hospitalizations and 12,469 deaths.

Both Swine flu and COVID-19 cause symptoms such as fever, chills, a cough, and headaches.

Like COVID-19, the H1N1 Swine Flu virus was also significantly different from other known strains. This meant that most people did not have any natural immunity. 

Interestingly, however, some older adults did have immunity, suggesting that H1N1, or something similar, might have infected large numbers of people a few decades before. Because of this immunity, 80% of fatalities occurred in people younger than 65.

2003: SARS

SARS was first reported in Asia in February 2003. Over the next few months, the virus spread to more than two dozen countries in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia before the SARS global outbreak of 2003 was contained.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a total of 8,098 people worldwide in 29 countries became sick with SARS during the 2003 outbreak. Of these, 774 died. In the US, only eight people had laboratory evidence of SARS infection. All of these people had traveled to other parts of the world where SARS was spreading.

Globally, SARS had a mortality rate of around 10%. By most estimates, this is higher than COVID-19’s mortality rate.

Late 1940’s - 2018: Polio

Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a disabling and life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus. The virus spreads from person to person and can infect a person's spinal cord, causing paralysis (can't move parts of the body). 

In the late 1940s, polio outbreaks in the U.S. increased in frequency and size, disabling an average of more than 35,000 people each year. Parents were frightened to let their children go outside, especially in the summer when the virus seemed to peak.

In about 0.5% of cases, 1 in 200 infections, the polio virus affects the central nervous system in a life threatening way leading to irreversible paralysis. This can occur over a few hours to a few days. Most people fully recover. Among those paralysed, 5% to 10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized.

In most people with a normal immune system, a poliovirus infection is asymptomatic. 70% of those infected have no symptoms, another 25% of people have minor symptoms such as fever and a sore throat, and up to 5% have headache, neck stiffness and pains in the arms and legs. These people are usually back to normal within 1-2 weeks.

Poliovirus is usually spread from person to person through infected fecal matter entering the mouth. It may also be spread by food or water containing human feces and less commonly from infected saliva. Those who are infected may spread the disease for up to six weeks even if no symptoms are present. Polio (poliomyelitis) mainly affects children under 5 years of age. Cases due to wild poliovirus have decreased by over 99% since 1988, from an estimated 350,000 cases then, to 33 reported cases in 2018 with the use of the polio vaccine

1918: The Spanish flu

In the spring of 1918, health professionals detected an H1N1 virus in US military personnel.  From January 1918 to December 1920, this virus infected an estimated 500,000,000 people worldwide. This equates to 1 in 3 people on Earth. The virus killed around 675,000 people in the U.S. alone and approximately 50,000,000 people worldwide, making the Spanish Flu the most severe pandemic in recent history.

As with COVID-19, older adults were most at risk of developing severe symptoms. However, in stark contrast to COVID-19, the Spanish flu also impacted children under the age of 5 and adults aged 20–40. 

In fact, a 25-year-old was more likely to die from the Spanish flu than a 74-year-old. This is unusual for flu. As with the Swine flu, it may be that older adults at this time had a pre-existing immunity to a similar pathogen. Perhaps the 1889–1890 flu pandemic, which was referred to as the Russian flu, afforded some protection to those who survived it.

With COVID-19, children generally are not seriously effected, and adults aged 20–40 are significantly less likely to develop severe symptoms than older adults.

At the time of the Spanish flu, there were no antibiotics to treat the bacterial infections that sometimes developed alongside the Spanish Flu. The virulent nature of this particular H1N1 strain and the lack of medication available made this the most severe pandemic in recent history. 

Social differences also played a role. In 1918, people tended to live in close quarters and perhaps did not value hygiene as much. These factors can influence how quickly a virus spreads and how lethal it can be. 

Also, the world was at War, meaning that large numbers of troops were traveling to distant locations, which aided the spread. During World War I, malnutrition and weakened immune systems was common for both those at home and those on the frontline. This is yet another factor that may have made people more susceptible to disease.

Lessons Learned based on History

Wow, the Spanish Flu of 1918 really kicked some butt, killing 1 of 3 people on Earth! And we thought we had it bad today with COVID…

So, after this brief recount of historical virus pandemics, did you pick up on any interesting comparisons?

I find the fact that pre-existing immunity to similar viral pathogens afforded protection to those who survived the H1N1 Swine Flu and the 1918 Spanish Flu. A person collects immunity to viruses throughout their lifetime, and healthy individuals that have been exposed to viruses throughout their lifetime have indeed gradually built up their immune systems over time, helping their immune system stay more adept and responsive to recent coronavirus epidemics.

Another interesting fact, the majority of individuals that were infected with the Polio and Corona viruses, “displayed asymptomatic or mild symptoms, due to a good immune response, which enabled their body to control the advance of the disease”. As I have witnessed, my patients with strong immune systems and no severe underlying medical conditions (like heart or lung disease or diabetes) are at a much lower risk for developing more serious complications from the COVID-19 virus. If they do contract the virus, with a quick response and supportive therapies (if needed), we’ve been able to keep the virus under control helping a speedy, healthy recovery. Great news for everyone!

So, Why are we seeing more cases of COVID-19 now?

There are several possible reasons for the rise in the recent COVID-19 numbers. The most probable reason is Pandemic fatigue. Many people are basically tired of dealing with the limitations of the COVID-19 virus, they just want to get on with life the way it was before, and are straying from safety measures that help curb the spread of the virus. Many are not quarantining or getting tested when they are informed that they may be infected due to close contact with someone who has recently tested positive. Hand hygiene and other safety measures may not be as strictly adhered to in every day cleanliness routines as they were in the beginning.

As people come out of their homes back into society (that have not been exposed to the virus on a daily basis) they will ultimately be exposed and infected with COVID. Hopefully, while quarantined at home, they have been working on improving their health and strengthening their immune systems. A healthy strong person will be able to have a strong immune response that will enable the body to control the advance of the virus.

Another probable reason for more cases, is that those that have received the vaccine are under the impression that if they get the vaccine they will NOT get COVID, this is not true! Vaccine manufacturers are open in saying that it does NOT STOP YOU FROM GETTING IT OR SPREADING IT. However they are saying it MAY (very strong emphasis on MAY since there is no long term studies) saying it might lessen the chances of being hospitalized. 

As the virus mutates, which is very normal and expected, corona variants (such as the more contagious B.1.17 strain) may be playing a role in more cases. And, as people start to move around more freely, these variants will become more wide-spread as we begin traveling again and move from place to place.

So, How do we GET healthy and STAY healthy to fend off COVID?

It’s never one thing that fixes our sickness or makes us sick. Its ALWAYS multifactorial. The reason we get better faster, and the same reason our diehard patients do as well, is because we go all in to create a healthy immune system. Food, nervous system, exercise, detox and mindset!

I want to invite you to join our family at Ferguson Life Health Clinics and revolutionize the way you think about your health. What we’re sharing and teaching is so new that you won’t be able to find it on a Google search. I cut through the confusion and give you scientifically grounded insights to help you prevent disease and thrive.

By eliminating inflammatory foods, inflammatory medications, and incorporating health boosting practices such as chiropractic adjustments, infrared sauna, UVBI treatments and blood testing, we are able to monitor progress and address weaknesses in our overall immune health. These tools help our bodies respond quickly and can immediately target viral infections such as COVID-19.

I’m not saying people with healthy immune systems won’t get COVID-19, but their bodies have the internal wellness tools, within their healthy cells, to fight off viruses and bacterias when needed. Everyone will eventually get the coronavirus, but the immune system healthy will survive with less complications and will build an even stronger immune resistance! Yes, when we get the flu or a virus, we get STRONGER and heal at a much faster rate!

In fact, it’s sometimes best to get sick so that your immunity can fight off the disease. Every time you get sick and let your immunity fight off the disease without much medical help, it gets strong. It does so by making more antibodies that are specific to that infection. This way, it will be a lot less likely for you to contract the same disease again, and even if you do, it will very likely be a milder case because of your body’s immune system. So, yes, it’s fine to get sick. Doing so doesn’t always mean that you are in poor health.

Remember the old saying, “Survival of the Fittest”? This is especially true when we are discussing our immune systems! Do yourself a favor, “Get strong, and stay healthy”!

Mentors of TRUE Health….

Health is of paramount importance, but many people do not make eating well and exercising a priority until their health deteriorates. You must live in a balanced state so that you can be at your optimal level in all aspects of your life. 

Your daily routines have the power to determine your future. But most people — and even many medical professionals — don’t know what the latest science says. The time to open your eyes to the truth is NOW.

If everyone in the world knew what to do to prevent disease, we’d save trillions in healthcare costs. We’d live longer, and live better. We’d be healthier, more productive, and happier. Imagine all we could accomplish then!

Below is a list of motivating health quotes (by some extremely enlightened and wise mentors) that I enjoy sharing with those I have the privilege of helping along my path of service:

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” Jim Rohn

“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will instruct his patients in care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.” – Thomas Edison

“Good health is not something we can buy. However, it can be an extremely valuable savings account.”-Anne Wilson Schaef

“Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have.” – Winston Churchill

Are you ready to turn your health around? Share your successes with others, to get them healthy too? Let’s get this Healthy Living revolution started!

I hope today’s newsletter was insightful and informative about epidemics of the past and how they relate to today’s situation. Whether you are healthy and fighting COVID-19 head-on with an amazing healthy immune system, recovering from illness, or striving to make better decisions and taking back control of your life, we are here to help you along the way.