Managing Coronavirus (COVID-19) from Home: Zinc, Quercetin, N-acetylcysteine, Vitamin C, Vitamin D and Melatonin
In this video I am going to go over why zinc, quercetin, vitamin C and D, and n-acetyl cysteine and melatonin have been suggested as potential prophylaxis and even treatment for early symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Right now for early Coronavirus (COVID-19) infections, it is mostly supportive therapies just like for any common colds: bed rest, drinking plenty of fluids, aspirin and acetaminophen, cough and cold syrups.
Zinc is an essential mineral that has been thought to improve immune function, cardiovascular health, control blood sugar, slow macular degeneration and fight acne. Zinc is found in oysters, chicken, red meat and fortified breakfast cereals. While whole food sources are the ways to get zinc, there is evidence that supplemental zinc can aid your immune system.
Research has shown that oral zinc formulations may shorten the duration of common cold symptoms especially due to rhinovirus by directly inhibiting viral replication. Your body requires zinc to develop and activate T-cells and decreased zinc levels have been associated with depressed immune function.
Quercetin is a plant pigment that is believed to have anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, antiviral activities and inhibition of pro inflammatory mediators. It is also an ionophore meaning it creates a channel in the cell to allow zinc in.
Vitamin C exerts its antiviral properties by supporting lymphocyte activity, increasing the production of interferon-α, modulating cytokines, reducing inflammation,
Glutathione also acts as free radical scavenger in the body and it has been suggested that elderly adults have decreased glutathione levels thus leaving them susceptible to the oxidative stress from COVID-19 inflammation.
N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a precursor of glutathione, which has been described as “the master antioxidant”. There are studies that exists showing that NAC can increase levels of glutathione and there is a FDA approved inhaled version of NAC called Mucomyst which we used to decrease viscosity of mucus in patients in the hospital.
Melatonin exerts regulatory actions on the immune system and directly enhances the immune response by improving proliferation and maturation of natural killing cells, T and B lymphocytes, granulocytes and monocytes in both bone marrow and other tissues.
Besides sleep disorders, melatonin has been used to treat delirium, atherosclerosis, respiratory diseases and viral infections. In regards to viral infections, melatonin has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and immunomodulating properties.
