Do you know how to protect yourself from viruses?

Do you know how to protect yourself from viruses?

The best way to protect yourself from viruses is to arm yourself with the knowledge of how they work inside you. Learn their survival mechanisms and vulnerabilities. There are more than 4,000 known viruses. Scientists have argued whether viruses are even living things.

From conception to death, proteins (amino acids) play a huge role in cellular health. Every living being is equipped with both external and innate protective mechanisms to ward off bacteria, viruses, fungi and invaders. In fact, pay attention to the protective protein coat that surrounds individual cells. Pay particular attention to the enzymes that break down and repair amino acids. This is the key to all illnesses and a vibrant life.

Viruses enter a cell by changing the structure and permeability of the cell wall. Viruses cannot survive on their own – they must hijack a host cell, inject their own nucleic acid and replicate like an out-of-control copy machine. Viruses use a type of agglutinin (big word for a substance that sticks things to itself) called hemagglutinin to attach to sialic acid bonds on the surface of epithelial host cells. Once the virus attaches, it begins to alter the permeability of the host cell wall - softening the cell wall, bending it apart, and creating holes (pores) in the sialic acid compounds on the surface. Viruses enter the host through these pores to hide inside and evade the immune system. They do this by using an enzyme called neuraminidase. This special enzyme can catalyze (break apart) sialic acid bonds on the surface of the host cell. These two important molecules classify viruses: hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N). Every virus has a type of H and a type of N. For example, H1N1 was responsible for the 1918 pandemic, while the swine flu pandemic was H2N2. When a virus mutates or jumps species, the H and N numbers change to reflect the shift. When newer, more virulent virus strains are formed, human antibodies against the older ones no longer recognize them and reinfection can occur. The H and N numbers change to reflect the shift. When newer, more virulent virus strains are formed, human antibodies against the older ones no longer recognize them and reinfection can occur. The H and N numbers change to reflect the shift. When newer, more virulent virus strains are formed, human antibodies against the older ones no longer recognize them and reinfection can occur.

Neuraminidase plays a key role in the virus's ability to enter and exit the host cell. This enzyme breaks down chains of sugars and other glycoproteins. Mucin is a protective glycoprotein secreted in mucus of the respiratory and digestive tracts. The sugar molecules bound to mucins increase their water-holding capacity and make them resistant to digestive enzymes. The disruption, or pore, created in the chain allows the virus to escape from the protective mucous fluid in the respiratory tract and travel through the spleen to the brain and other tissues. Viruses have evolved to use this enzyme to their advantage - neuraminidase prevents them from aggregating (sticking to each other) and becoming trapped in protective mucous membranes.

An important player in virus prevention is “Aquaporin”. Defined by the Farlex Medical Dictionary (link below): “A member of a family of transmembrane channel proteins found in epithelial membranes that serve to regulate transepithelial water movement in tissues involved in the homeostasis of body fluids.” In other words, essential membrane proteins that tunnel into every cell, bringing essential nutrients into every cell and transporting toxins out of every cell.

Have you ever heard of them? Doubtful. Are they important? Critical. Aquaporins are essential for cell hydration and oxygen supply. Hydrated cells protect against and remove toxins. Viruses in dehydrated cells have more time to multiply. And it is the same with cancer. External acidic pH as well as cell dehydration, increased sugar metabolism, and poor water perfusion enable cancer cell invasion, replication, and metastasis. (Viral infections are pH sensitive; link below)

Neuraminidase inhibitors are effective treatments that reduce the fluidity of both the host and viral cell membranes. makes it rigid and inhibits the virus's ability to penetrate the host cell. There are several herbal antivirals known to do this. Ginger, Rhodiola, Elder, Chinese Skullcap, and Licorice are neuraminidase inhibitors that are effective against both Influenza A and Influenza A strains. (stage, link below)

A large part of your immune system is located in the gut - so good digestion is crucial. Digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid, probiotics and fermented foods are essential for gut health. Viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites are all made of protein. Protease enzymes digest protein membranes surrounding viruses, leaving them unprotected and vulnerable to destruction. The herpes zoster virus has been successfully treated with enzymes and without side effects since 1968. The Medical Enzyme Research Institute found that enzymes significantly limit the progression of HIV in the early stages. In HIV-positive patients – enzyme therapy can delay the onset of the disease – sometimes permanently. (Enzyme for Life, link below)

Hydrochloric acid (stomach) not only breaks down food, but also kills pretty much every pathogen known to man. Proton pump inhibitors like “the purple pill” inhibit the production of stomach acid. This is counterproductive. Hydrochloric acid supplementation is necessary. Probiotics and fermented foods like kefir, kombucha, and fermented vegetables contain live cultures that populate your gut with beneficial bacteria that restore a healthy microbial balance. Healthy digestion means your immune system can spend less time breaking down food for energy and more time identifying and destroying pathogens.

Finally – an absolute superstar – colloidal silver. Colloidal silver was considered an essential component of the human immune system until the late 1930s. The ancient Greeks lined water and wine urns with silver. The Romans made poultices against burns. American settlers placed silver coins in milk and water to keep them fresh and kill germs. The expression “born with a silver spoon in the mouth” comes from the time when rich people would put silver spoons and silver pacifiers in their children’s mouths to protect them from commoner germs. During the bubonic plague of the 14th century, wealthy people were largely unaffected. In 1920, Alfred Searle wrote a book called "The Uses of Colloids in Health and Disease" to help physicians understand the healing properties of colloidal silver.

We are ready to close the circle. Everything new is simply well forgotten, old.