Note: This technique derived from a text written by dr. Roberto Gava. Numbers refer to the article cited as reference. See the pdf version in the reference knowledge.

When you want to get a fairly rapid immunostimulant effect, in order to try to activate our nonspecific antiviral defences as soon as possible, every advice should be carefully personalized. In fact, if a person is in one of the conditions at risk such as excessive stress, impaired nutrition chronic pathologies, he would probably need personalized immunostimulant treatments.

However, as a first list of advices, in the period most at risk of infection you can test these tips to try to have a rapid immunostimulant effect.

1. Test the list looking for an indicator change
2. Test for priority
3. Explore the chapter in the same way (test the list for an I.C. and find the priority)
4. Restart form step 1 until you have no I.C.

Fasting

Commit to introduce a periodic fast (at least 1 day a week) in order to compensate or cancel one of the main causes of accumulation of toxic substances and catabolites that also weaken our immune system: food disorders. With the exception of children, octogenarian and those with particular pathologies, this advice is useful for everyone. It is especially useful for overweight or obese people, people with metabolic pathologies affecting the abdominal organs or in any case those who know how to eat too much (each of us knows our own food weaknesses!) or who are greedy for simple sugars or refined flours or who eat too many animal foods (especially meat and dairy products). There are many ways to fast, but I would recommend a simple personalized periodic fast, because it is sufficient to stimulate the reactive-defensive processes of the organism, putting it in the condition to react positively to many unfavourable conditions. Studies conducted on laboratory guinea pigs have widely demonstrated that if these are fed on alternate days (instead of every day), thus obliging them to frequent forced fasts, they extend their life by even 30% and avoid many pathologies, even without losing weight (14, 15).

1. The advice that I can give based on my clinical experience is to fast once a week (those who need it most could do so for 2 days) and to take on that day only water (or herbal teas) at will (about 2.5-3 litres).
2. Those who are unable to do so, can start by drinking plenty of water away or before meals and for lunch and / or dinner they can only eat cooked and / or raw vegetables seasoned with lemon and / or balsamic vinegar. It should be remembered that generally having a little hunger is good for the body and mind!
3. Those who believe they can commit themselves to something more prolonged, could start what I call the “15-day diet” which is based on the intake, in that period and in moderate quantities, of only liquids and vegetable foods:

15 days diet:

• 1st and 2nd day: only water or purifying herbal teas;
• 3rd and 4th day: centrifuged or vegetable extracts or only cooked and / or raw apples;
• 5th-15th day: vegetable broths, vegetable soups, soups, cooked and raw vegetables, few legumes, 2-3 seasonal fruits, a spoonful of olive oil a day, lemons at will.

Vitamin C

Taking high doses of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in powder form: it is widely known that vitamin C performs many immunostimulant actions. In fact, the deficiency of vitamin C causes an immunodeficiency with the consequent greater susceptibility to infections, while the integration with vitamin C seems to be able to prevent and treat many respiratory and systemic infections (16). However, it must be said that if you want to have an acute and intense immunostimulant effect, you must take very high doses (17), for example 2.5-5 grams of vitamin C (i.e. half or a teaspoon) per day for many days (maximum a month; if you want to make longer cycles at high doses, it is good then to leave at least 15 days of break without any vitamin intake). With these doses, given that vitamin C is taken only in low quantities from our intestines and since high oral doses would be eliminated also causing diarrhea, we must dissolve the vitamin in a liter of water which should be drunk in sips throughout the day ( if you cannot keep the bottle in the dark, it is preferable to dissolve half a daily dose in half a liter to drink in the morning and do the same in the afternoon with another half liter of water, in order to avoid water with vitamin C you are exposed to ambient light for too long).

Alkalization

Take a teaspoon of baking soda with a little water every night before bed (or some alkalizing salt tablets that are easily found on the market).

Glutathione

Take parenterally glutathione: one 600 mg ampoule every 5-7 days during the critical period and every day for 7-10 days in case of fever. Glutathione is one of the most powerful substances produced by our body with an antioxidant action and in this case useful for defending ourselves from inflammations caused by free radicals. It is in fact known that viruses, especially Coronavirus, which at lung level cause interstitial alveolitis with the production of free radicals which also lead to cell necrosis. Therefore, glutathione is an important preventive weapon and an additional help even in case of pathology. It is a natural substance and without side effects.

Essential Oils

External use of essential oils (OE): OE are powerful antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral agents experimented for many years (18, 19, 20) and generally chosen on the basis of the aromatherapy (laboratory test to assess the sensitivity of a germ towards a specific OE) also according to a report by our Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Translator’s note: The Italian equivalent of US CDC) (21).

Blend

In case of viral infections, the following OE could be used in combination: Ravensara OE, Eucalyptus OE, Rosemary OE, Lemon OE, Cloves OE, Cinnamon OE (attention that is a bit irritating), Peppermint OE, Mountain pine OE and Thyme OE.

Uses

• A single drop of this mixture in equal parts can be used to externally grease the nostrils or the front of the neck.
• These same OE can also be used to be spread in closed environments through an electric diffuser (generally 1 drop of the mixture is used for every square meter of the room)
• As fumigations (2-3 drops in a pot of boiling water of which you breathe the steam that is released while being covered by a towel and with your eyes closed),
• Directly by pouring 2-3 drops on a handkerchief to be sniffed frequently or finally by putting a drop on the protective mask.
• To purify the environments, you can instead use this technique: in a normal small pressure sprayer put 100 ml of alcohol at 40 degrees (but a normal brandy is fine too) and add 50 drops of the aforementioned mixture of Essential Oils. The solution is shaken well and sprayed into the environment 3-4 times a day, but it can also be sprayed on the hands with which the face can then be disinfected. The final effect, in addition to the antiviral and antibacterial one, is also a very pleasant fragrance in the environment and on us.

Be careful not to touch your eyes with fingers wet with OE! Be careful not to give OEs to young children (under 3 years), because some can cause bronchospasm. There are also adults who are hypersensitive to these OE, therefore before using the solution it is good to test it by putting a drop on the forearm: in case of skin redness, wash thoroughly with soap and water. To use OE in these hypersensitive subjects, dilute them by mixing 5 drops of OE in a teaspoon of olive oil and keeping the mixture in 1 tightly closed glass bottle.

Vitamin A

Its deficiency compromises both innate immunity because it reduces the functionality of neutrophils, macrophages and Natural Killer lymphocytes, and acquired immunity since it plays an important role in the development of Th1, Th2 and B lymphocytes (22). As a dosage the doctor may consider using 50,000 IU / day for 7-15 days and then 10,000 IU / day.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency (which is extremely common today) is associated with an increased risk of acute viral respiratory infection and meta-analyses of clinical studies on vitamin D supplementation for the prevention of viral infections have demonstrated protective effects (23 , 24); in fact vitamin D has innumerable immunostimulant effects, but to have a rapid effect you need to use high daily doses, such as 10,000 IU / day for 7-15 days and then 5,000 IU / day; it should be remembered that during these vitamin D intakes it is necessary to drink about 1.5-2 litres of water per day.

Copper

Copper is essential for the use of vitamin C, it contributes to the normal functioning of the immune system and inhibits viral growth (25); the dose that your doctor may consider using is around 1.5-2 mg per day (take it on a full stomach and halve the dose in case of nausea).

Zinc

Zinc also contributes to the normal functioning of the immune system against viruses and bacteria and is necessary to promote the correct functioning of the thymus, leukocytes and especially T lymphocytes (26); recent studies have shown that zinc is a powerful and specific inhibitor of interferon-lambda signalling, which are important pro-inflammatory cytokines in acute and chronic viral infection (27).

Probiotics

We have been knowing for a long time the efficacy of many probiotics in the prevention and treatment of viral infections (28) and recent studies have also shown that viruses are eliminated by stimulating the production of interferon by probiotics (which act through activation of dendritic cells). It was therefore concluded that probiotics should be among the additional rational options for the treatment of viral diseases (29). There are numerous probiotics recommended in the prevention and treatment of respiratory infections and my advice, in case of high infectious risk, is to use at least 2 different probiotics per day or to use them in rotation. Among the most documented species in literature I remember: Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus plantarum L-137, Lactococcus lactis JCM5805.

Homeophaty

A strictly individualized homeopathic treatment: personally, I consider homeopathy an extremely powerful medicine with immediate effect in acute pathologies, when the remedy administered is truly suitable for the characteristics of the person in the sense that there is a strong similarity between the psycho-physical symptoms of the subject and the homeopathic characteristics (“Materia Medica”) of the medicament. For this reason, however, it is practically impossible to say which remedies can be recommended to prevent or treat an infection or any pathology. However, given that Homeopathy acts by similitude and not by equality between patient and remedy, it is equally possible to provide some general advice and to indicate some remedies that two centuries of clinical experience have allowed to indicate as the most suitable for any viral pathology, already known or completely unknown to the Medical Class. I therefore recommend that you contact your homeopathic doctor.

Other factors

Finally, let’s not forget that the immune system is strongly influenced by our central nervous system (and therefore by psycho-physical stress), by our diet (if unbalanced, deficient and / or polluted), by our degree of tiredness or sedentary lifestyle, by the presence of relapsing or chronic inflammatory processes, the drugs we take and, more generally, the degree of tension with which we live our daily lives.

It is on these fronts that our defensive ability is played not only against Coronavirus but against any virus, bacterium or germ. Indeed, towards any disease!

Hence, it is certain that lifestyle is essential to keep our immune system functioning normally.