Coronavirus Update, Thursday, March 19

I worked for 20 years with ECONET, a global natural products R&D organization. Looking for medicinal plants through remote areas of China or Siberia required a recovery period upon my return. This was not because of unsanitary or unhealthy conditions. It was just that my immune system was challenged by exposure to new molecules. New molecules were entering my body through my nose, mouth, eyes and skin.

How many?

An immunologist colleague estimated the number to be in the tens of millions. So while I was tromping through a jungle or tundra, a massive sorting process was taking place; a coordinated effort by my liver, bone marrow, blood stream, lymph glands and spleen, to analyze and catalog these exposures. Potential foes were segregated and an antibody was created to mark it for destruction or removal through my GI tract. Each of these expeditions produced millions of antibodies, added to my library that I am told probably contains 10 billion by now.

I mention this for two reasons.

To give you a sense of how miraculous and complex we are. Every year, we learn more about the human immune system, and every new discovery opens another layer of complexity. I also want to dispel the idea that COVID-19 is a “Chinese virus.” It is simply…different. And each one of us, if we are exposed, will experience the amazing process of self-defense. A vaccine will eventually be developed to help with the antibody production, but right now, there are plenty of things to do that will stack the odds in your favor.

Natalie and I will discuss these, and answer your questions in a FaceBook LIVE tomorrow (Friday) at 3PM Pacific. See you there.