We are in the midst of a pandemic. But despite what they are saying on the news, COVID-19 is not the pandemic...

The pandemic is fear.

"God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
-2 Timothy 1:7

A sound mind is a rational mind. Don't panic. Return the extra toilet paper you bought. LOL

I suspect that this virus is no more of a threat than the flu, that the death rate is grossly exaggerated, and that the entire world is overreacting thanks to the media and politicians, who thrive on fear-mongering, and won't miss a paycheck because their employer shut down.

Reality check. The flu kills 30-60k Americans every year and Hospital Acquired Infections kill 75k Americans every year. The elderly, people with serious health problems, and chemo patients always have been and always will be especially vulnerable to viral and bacterial infections.

The 3.4% death rate of COVID-19, which everyone is freaking out about, is 3.4% of the worst cases, who were so bad they actually went to the hospital. It is not 3.4% of all cases.

Most cases are mild and people are getting over it without seeing a doctor or being officially diagnosed. Rational estimates put the COVID-19 death rate at less than 1% or maybe even less than 0.05%, which is lower than the flu! I found this article very insightful.

Hopefully as the data comes in and more infected recover everybody will calm down, things will get back to normal, a global overreaction like this will never happen again, and future flu seasons will be less severe because people will be better hand washers.

We need to pray for peace, for wisdom for our leaders, and we need to rebuke the irrational spirit of fear that is gripping the world right now.

Practically speaking, Vitamin D may be the most important annual protective measure against colds, flu, and viruses, including COVID-19.

Read this message from John C. Umhau, MD (he's a friend of a friend)

"In 2006, as a USPHS officer and NIH scientist, I helped outline evidence that vitamin D deficiency was the seasonal stimulus driving epidemic respiratory infections like COVID-19. This review, cited almost a thousand times, noted that hydroxyvitamin D (blood) levels of 50 ng/ml appeared to protect against viral respiratory infection.

The review argued that groups with low vitamin D levels - African Americans, the obese, and the elderly - may require a daily supplement of 5000 IU of vitamin D to reach these levels, especially in the winter.

Others at NIH were interested, as were those at CDC, FDA, BOP, IHS, and the DOD, but no one had a mandate to explore an alternative to the existing vaccination program to prevent epidemic respiratory infection. This helps explain why there is no government program yet addressing this, but that is not an excuse for us not to inform others.

Most vitamin D comes from production in the skin rather than the diet, so when sunlight induced vitamin D production is reduced, vitamin D deficiency becomes pervasive. Anyone with inadequate sun exposure is at risk for vitamin D deficiency, but since sunlight induced vitamin D production in the skin is blocked by melanin, deficiency is twice as likely to occur in people with dark skin.

In the winter, UVB radiation from the sun may not be enough for vitamin D synthesis to occur. In the summertime, excessive use of sunblock which blocks UVB may have a similar effect. Old age is also linked with reduced vitamin D synthesis. Some people require a daily supplemental dose of vitamin D that greatly exceeds the typical recommendation level.

In 2017 the highly respected British Medical Journal printed a review analyzing data from twenty-five randomized controlled trials. These studies considered cases of acute respiratory infection in people given either vitamin D or placebo. The review concluded that vitamin D clearly protects against acute respiratory tract infection like COVID-19, and especially benefited those who were deficient.

Daily or weekly dosing was necessary - large bolus (one-time) doses were not as effective. The review indicated that the number need to treat with vitamin D to prevent one case of respiratory infection was 4. This is a much better effect than noted for vaccination. Vaccination typically must be given to 44 people to prevent one case of respiratory infection. As one might expect, Vitamin D is much safer and less expensive than vaccine.

It would be ideal to have more research, but considering the minimal risk of getting sun exposure or taking vitamin D, I advise that everyone should do what they can to increase their vitamin D levels to protect against COVID-19. This is especially true for older people with dark skin. I hope that our national response to this looming epidemic will soon recognize the importance of this simple preventive measure."

-Dr John C. Umhau, MD MPH CPE

My thoughts...

Dr. Umhau suggests 5,000 IU of D3 per day. I take 10,000 IU per day during the winter months and am doing so now. If you haven't been taking vitamin D3, it could be helpful to take one large weekly dose of 50,000 IU in addition to daily doses of 10,000-20,000 IU to get your blood levels over 50 ng/ml faster (a blood level of 60-80 ng/ml is ideal for cancer prevention).

D3+K2?
It is not necessary to take vitamin K2 to absorb D3. One benefit of D3 is that it helps you absorb calcium. And K2 helps that calcium get into your bones. Plant food, especially leafy green veggies, is rich in vitamin K1, which is converted into K2 by bacteria in your gut. Fermented foods like sauerkraut and natto also contain K2.

My friends at BetterWayHealth.com sell 5,000 IU Vitamin D3 gelcaps. They are small and easy to take. They also sell the best Beta Glucan supplement on the market, which is another important immune supporting compound that I take. You can use the coupon code "chris" to get 10% off your order.

For kids, or anyone who can't swallow pills, I suggest liquid D3 drops. There are several brands I like in my Amazon store: www.chrisbeatcancer.com/amazon I suggest giving your kids a lower dose than you take, based on their weight. If they weight half what you weigh, give them half as much D3.

To your life and health!

Chris