Health Viewpoints
Over 80 percent of Americans have decided against getting the latest COVID-19 booster, yet as winter approaches, they also don’t want to get reinfected with COVID-19.Our Immunity Has a Pattern
A Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Oxford study published in Nature Communications in October identified 71 individuals with two well-sampled SARS-CoV-2 infections out of 94,812 viral samples. Researchers found that those who cleared infections quickly after the first infection also cleared the virus quickly the second time. The samples were taken from players, staff, and affiliates of the National Basketball Association between March 11, 2020, and July 28, 2022.Researchers found that people who were infected multiple times “may differ in important immunological and behavioral ways from those who only underwent one infection during the study period.”
Although people may look similar in appearance, if we had a pair of glasses that could view the microscopic world, their immune systems would each look very different from a microscopic perspective.
Infection Is a Signal of Weakened Immunity
We each have a complex immune system that is influenced by many factors that determine our strengths and weaknesses.Factors including genetics, malnutrition, inflammation, exposure to toxins and parasites, disease damage, and a malfunctioning lymphatic system can impact our antiviral immunity when we are confronted by a virus.
Reinfection Is a Second Alert
A recent study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine revealed that three years after being infected with COVID-19, more than half (54 percent) of adults in a Chinese cohort continued to experience at least one symptom. The study also highlighted higher rates of reinfection and pneumonia following the emergence of the Omicron variant.As the symptoms induced by Omicron are often mild, people may think that another reinfection is perhaps nothing serious. However, having multiple COVID-19 reinfections can be detrimental. Once infected, we should strive to avoid further infections.
Compared with those without reinfection, the group with reinfection had a 1.2 times higher mortality rate, a 2.3 times higher hospitalization rate, and more than a twofold increase in lung and kidney complications, in addition to cardiovascular and blood clotting issues.
There are a few possible mechanisms.
First, the commonly reported long-COVID syndrome caused by previous infections may set the stage for increasing the risk of contracting even worse adverse clinical consequences after reinfection. In other words, it leaves the immune system in a compromised position so it will be ineffective in fighting another infection.
Last but not least, many people with reinfections have been vaccinated. But many vaccines, including those with mRNA, instruct our bodies to generate spike proteins, lipid nanoparticles, aluminum, etc., all of which can damage the function of our innate immunity.
Repeated Reinfections Indicate a Need to Repair Immunity
If you own a BMW, you‘d want to maintain it to make sure it functions optimally. When it breaks down, you’d want to take it to a certified BMW repair shop. You wouldn’t just let someone who isn’t properly trained repair it, right?Although far more complex, our immune system is like a finely tuned BMW. We have to maintain it well to keep it functioning properly. Repeated infections indicate that there may be an issue with our immunity and we need to find the root cause of the infection to properly repair it.
However, other essential aspects to consider are our mental and spiritual well-being. Health is not merely the absence of disease or illness. To be completely healthy, we must be sound in body, mind, and spirit.
Numerous scientific studies have shown that as an important part of the human body, the spirit also affects our health. People’s thoughts, personalities, and moral values can have a profound effect on their health.
Study Reveals Health Value of Spirituality
A 2022 study published in JAMA conducted by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital highlights the importance of incorporating spirituality into care for both serious illnesses and overall health.Considered the most rigorous and comprehensive analysis of its kind, the study emphasized the need to recognize and address spirituality as a fundamental aspect of holistic care.
Dr. Tracy Balboni, the lead author and a senior physician at the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center, as well as a professor of radiation oncology at Harvard Medical School, explained that the findings underscore the significance of spirituality in healthcare.
The study’s results indicate that spirituality should be a crucial component of future person-centered care, promoting discussions and progress on how to integrate spirituality into value-sensitive healthcare practices.
In simpler terms, the study suggests that acknowledging and incorporating spirituality can play a vital role in providing comprehensive care for individuals facing a serious illness and promoting overall well-being. Recognizing the value of spirituality in healthcare encourages further dialogue and advancements to ensure that the spiritual aspect of care is taken into account with a holistic approach.
“People who pay attention to their spiritual side have lower rates of cardiovascular disease, depression, stress, and suicide, and their immune systems seem to work better … To a certain extent, adherence to a religion allows them to relinquish the stresses of everyday life to a higher power,” says Dan Buettner, Blue Zones founder and National Geographic Fellow.
To step out of the pandemic permanently and break the vicious cycle of COVID-19 infection, we need a fresh, holistic perspective to enhance our immunity in a more powerful way.
