DO WE STAND A CHANCE AGAINST COVID-19?
The Wuhan coronavirus, named COVID-19, has spread across every continent except Antarctica, where sub-zero temperatures drive away microbes and people alike. In the rest of the world the casualties keep growing and, according to WHO data, over 95,000 cases of the new infection have been registered so far; it has claimed around 3,400 lives, while nearly 53,000 people have recovered. In the raging battle against the virus, humanity is seeking an answer to the question of what the clinical manifestations of COVID-19 are and how they can be used to create medicines and vaccines. So far we know that this microscopic aggressor penetrates deep into the pulmonary alveoli. It leads to a stepwise increase in coughing and fever and to growing respiratory failure. It attacks the lungs, the myocardial cells and the spleen. We can block it with symptomatic treatments, some of which are highly toxic to humans.
The coronavirus also responds to our attacks. It grows more cunning by mutating. Scientists from Shanghai University already distinguish two viral variants, the S-type and the L-type, with the latter claiming more victims. For now, the death toll is highest among those suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and atherosclerosis, and among elderly patients (those over 75, with men dying twice as often). According to reports by the "Xinhua" news agency, cases of reinfection with COVID-19 are on the rise. More and more people understand that quarantine, temperature checks and even laboratory tests are not enough for the macroworld to prevail. The view is taking hold that today every person must take on the fight against dangerous microorganisms as a personal mission.
What should we do?
Above all, it is sensible to eat healthily and keep our bodies in good shape with an actively working immune system. This will certainly help against our microscopic enemies, including COVID-19 and the influenza B virus that is gaining ground in our country (unlike the coronavirus, the flu virus attacks young people and children). Many food supplements promise to boost the immune system, but their effects are not backed by sufficient scientific evidence. One exception is a unique combination with an antiviral effect. It is extremely effective at the first symptoms of a cold or flu, and specialists recognise it as a leader based on data from scientific studies: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study by Heinicke von Zeppelin; pharmacological analyses by Cornelia Bodinet; and research by a team from the "Stefan Angelov" Institute of Microbiology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The ingredients of the original herbal combination (echinacea, wild indigo and white cedar) have a complex effect in mobilising the immune system. Echinacea activates the cells that recognise and kill external aggressors. Wild indigo speeds up the production of the substances that support the body's guardian cells, and white cedar acts directly on the viruses. This original, proven combination has been used in Bulgaria for two decades now.
What gives the macroworld a chance of victory is the fact that in its skirmish with microbes, Homo sapiens has long made use of some of them. For example, powerful protection for humans is offered by a product that combines the action of a natural antioxidant (resveratrol) with the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum GLP3, which lives in our lands. The product, created by young Bulgarian scientists at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" and the "Tsaritsa Yoanna - ISUL" University Hospital, contains the highly absorbable form of resveratrol, trans-resveratrol. Trans-resveratrol in combination with Lactobacillus plantarum GLP3, after several months of intake, leads to a significant strengthening of the immune system and normalisation of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. The combination has the potential to solve health problems related to the heart and blood vessels, which in turn increases our resistance to viruses.
Another long-known helper of mankind is the famous Bulgarian yoghurt bacterium, Lactobacillus bulgaricus. It not only improves health and strengthens the immune system. Based on Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Bulgarian scientists, together with Nobel laureate Prof. Barry Marshall, have created a product with a therapeutic effect against the cause of ulcers, a widespread and debilitating chronic disease. This product is popular in Bulgaria as well as in Japan, France, the United Kingdom and 15 other countries.
Perhaps the struggle between the micro- and the macroworld is the most ancient battle of all. It has no winners, but for as long as humans have existed it has been a stimulus for their improvement. Because of it, they make discoveries and create or recall useful rules. In the fight against COVID-19 these are
the basic preventive requirements:
- Wash your hands often with warm water and soap. Washing should last at least 20 seconds;
- Do not touch your eyes, nose and mouth with dirty hands. Remember that the coronavirus clings to fingers and palms and is transmitted via surfaces;
- Ventilate rooms. Do not linger in rooms where many people gather. The concentration of dangerous viruses there is very high;
- Drink more fluids. This will keep the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract moist, making it harder for viruses to get through;
- Eat healthily. Get more fruit, vegetables, dairy products, lean meats and red wine, which is rich in resveratrol.