What is a coronavirus and where do they come from?

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that infect birds and mammals (we are mammals and so are bats). These viruses are named “corona” because they have protrusions sticking out that resemble a crown. 

There are basically 7 coronaviruses that affect humans. The four most common human coronaviruses are named 229E, NL63, HKU1 and OC43. These viruses are considered much less dangerous and originate in humans and are passed on by humans. Then there are 3 that start in animals and are passed on to humans and then humans pass it to each other.

1. SARS / SARS-CoV: (severe acute respiratory syndrome): this appeared in 2002 and was gone by 2004 and carried a 15% mortality rate. This virus originated in bats and then transmitted to civets (a small nocturnal mammal of tropical Asia and Africa found mainly in rainforests) and from civets to humans. (I’m not sure how that happened but that is what experts say). There is no vaccine available for this virus; research ended as new cases dropped off. 
2. MERS/ MERS-CoV: (Middle East respiratory syndrome): this virus appeared in 2012 and is still present today in much lower numbers; mortality rate is 37%. This virus also originated in bats and then to camels and from camels to humans. There is no vaccine for this virus. 
3. COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2: (corona virus disease 2019): this is the virus we are dealing with now. This again started with bats but we don’t know how it jumped from bats to humans. There is not a vaccine for this virus. 

Testing and Vaccines for COVID-19 

Are tests accurate? 

There are tests now available to see if you have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus. The only problem is that the testing is rather new and not necessarily 100% accurate. Another problem is that the FDA has relaxed its control on new testing procedures and the labs offering these tests. To put this plainly, there are more labs offering testing that have not been proven to be accurate and even the best testing and labs are not 100% accurate. The results might indicate that you have had the virus and are now immune to it, when in fact you have NOT been exposed to the virus and DO NOT have immunity against it. 

When will we have a vaccine? 

There is no vaccine for the COVID-19 virus at this time and as I explained in my last blog, experts don’t expect to see one for at least 12-18 months. We keep hearing different time lines…shorter timelines from our politicians and longer time lines from the scientists who will actually develop the vaccine. The problem with waiting for a vaccine is that scientists believe that 50% to 70% of Americans will have been infected with the virus within the next 18 months. This means that most of us will have already done battle with the virus before a vaccine is available. 

This is why taking care of your health and immune system is so important RIGHT NOW! We can’t maintain social distancing forever and we will need to go back out into the world again…and soon! Based on the information available today, we will be doing this before a vaccine is created. Sure, we will have testing available but testing does not prevent infection from the virus and it is not 100% accurate. 

This is why functional medicine is so important. It helps reverse chronic disease, the #1 predictive factor for mortality from the virus. Second it helps support the immune system (see earlier blog) which is your only defense until there is a vaccine and the only way you will have an effective response from the vaccine. Vaccines trigger your immune system to make antibodies against a virus and without a robust immune response you will not develop optimal immunity. 

For more about this virus, vaccines and what you can do to improve you immune system see these blogs. 

Other blogs to read: 

• Coronavirus today and tomorrow-how to protect yourself and your family. 

• Coronavirus…your best defense- functional medicine does play a role.

This virus is going to be around a while…testing or no testing, vaccine or no vaccine, so let’s do all we can to protect ourselves and our families. Make your health and especially your immune system a priority right now.

Be proactive with your health and your body!

The purpose of functional medicine is: 

Understanding how the body works, knowing how and where to investigate health issues, knowing what to look for, understanding the significance of what is found and creating a plan of action to reverse and correct the root cause the health problems.

My wish for you…health, happiness and a better quality of life! 

If you would like more information about functional medicine and integrative medicine or Dr. Sexton go to napervilleintegratedwellness.com

Do your own research, inform yourself and ask lots of questions. When collecting information, you MUST consider the source. There is no shortage of false, misleading, outdated, profit-driven and utterly biased information in healthcare today; even from the most respected sources and organizations. 

This approach to healthcare is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate, or prevent any disease. This article is for information purposes and is not a substitute professional healthcare services. Contact our office for more information.