Staying informed during the Coronavirus pandemic – two thumbs up.

Panicking over every bit of news on TV, radio and social media – two thumbs down.

With so many conflicting reports about risk levels, symptoms and prevention measures, we at the FASTer Way wanted to sit down with Dr. Stephen Cabral to sort through all the blah. Remember, there are three ways to address a crisis: Panic and fear, confusion and apathy and calm leadership. Guess which one we recommend? Leaders never waste a moment to lead.

With that in mind, Kareen sat down with Dr. Stephen Cabral to talk about the coronavirus pandemic. Symptoms the media is not talking about, how the virus spreads, and the best ways to protect your family. Here are the key takeaways. You can listen below or continue reading.

WHAT DOES PANDEMIC MEAN?

Pandemic just means widespread rather than contained to a certain area. The reason why it’s starting to be used is because it affects most continents in the world. The last time we considered something to be a pandemic was the Spanish Flu in 1918 with a mortality rate of about 1-3%, which is what we face today. While there have been other global health scares like SARS and H1N1, we haven’t seen something that rises to the level medical professionals believe the Coronavirus could get to.

WHAT IS THE CURRENT SITUATION IN ITALY AND CHINA?

This isn’t exactly news, but the two countries are going in different directions. Italy has been in lockdown for the last few weeks as it tries to grapple with a higher mortality rate than other parts of the globe. China is beginning to see improvement and new diagnosis fall every day. Every other country is somewhere in between. However, despite the grim numbers circulating around, it’s estimated the actual infection rate is about 10x the reported numbers, which is a good thing. That means the mortality rate across the globe is probably closer to 1%.

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY CONFLICTING STORIES OVER SYMPTOMS?

This is a topic that has been all over the place. Celebrities and sports figures who have tested positive are reporting mild symptoms to no symptoms at all. Other reports say younger people are at a very low risk for serious complications.

The truth is the Coronavirus can affect anyone at any age, but many people under the age of 30 will have no symptoms at all, so they won’t suffer from fever, cough, fatigue or trouble breathing. Young people are carriers pass it along unknowingly to others who are more at risk. Those are the people who tend to have the greatest complications.

Older people have less natural killer cell activity so they’re not able to destroy those virus cells with their mucus membranes because it’s much thinner. And they are typically more run down and have less basic nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin D, etc.

Simply put, their bodies are less able to ward off disease.

THE MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS

Yes, Dr. Cabral believes everyone should be hand washing and hot water and soap IS enough to kill the virus. But the problem is, it’s not really spread by hand to hand contact. It spreads when the virus penetrates your skin or if you touch your eyes, nose, ears or mouth. That’s the most likely way it will enter your body.

But the best measure you can take is keep your hands off your face. That means minimal touching of your mouth, nose, eyes and ears.

Again, washing your hands IS a recommended step, as is household vinegars, peroxide and disinfectant.

CAN IT LIVE ON SURFACES?

It’s important to keep surfaces clean because, contrary to some news circulating, COVID-19 can live on surfaces for about 72 hours. Some are different like copper, which can hold the virus for about four hours, but in general, surfaces hold it for about 72 hours.

CAN I GET IT FROM FOOD?

Here’s the good news. Food is not a carrier. Nor are vitamins, supplements or anything else you take to support your health and wellness.

The benefit of the FASTer Way program is you can follow your meal plans, you can do your workouts from home and you can stay safe. With so many gyms closing down, the FASTer Way provides digital workout and meal plans to keep your body moving.

BUILD YOUR FOUNDATION FIRST

A lot of talk has centered around elderberry syrup and the cytokine storm, or hypercytokinemia. To make it simple, TH1 and TH2 part to the immune system. TH1 is used for acute based illnesses like viruses, etc. It increases cytokines to help destroy pathogens in the body. Elderberry does increase cytokines, Lukens and white blood cells. This helps the fight against the flu virus. What people AREN’T speaking about is elderberry itself coats the virus and doesn’t let it replicate. We don’t know that it works against COVID-19, but we know it works against the common flu. What we need to do is look at other foods and supplements that increase TH1.

Elderberry is not a foundational piece in treatment if you believe you have COVID-19, but it’s a good recommendation to use beforehand to boost your immune system and help ward off disease. But again, it’s just an extra. You should also be taking all of your daily foundational vitamins and supplements detailed in the podcast.

WHAT IS DR. CABRAL’S RECOMMENDED ROUTINE TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNITY?

Tune into the podcast and find out.

Our mission is to prevent disease. We truly believe we are going to come out stronger. Stick close with our FASTer Way community. We want to be our one-stop shop. Your resource. We want to be that place you can go to feel connected.

You can come here to boost your immunity and continue your workouts. We’re going to continue to publish blog posts and podcasts. We’re going to connect with you via text. We don’t want you to feel like you’re going through this alone and we don’t want you to be glued 24/7 to the TV or radio. We want you to stay positive.