Natural remedies, immunity not enough to stave off COVID

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Dr-Peter-Figueroa

Dr Peter Figueroa, professor of public health and epidemiology at The University of the West Indies, Mona, is asserting that while natural remedies and the body’s natural immune system are useful for fighting the COVID-19 virus, they are not enough, by themselves, without the added protection of vaccines.

Addressing a virtual breakfast meeting of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Friday, Figueroa said that it is better for people to get vaccinated in order to boost their immune systems against the virus.

“The vaccine will give you additional protection, just like how wearing the face mask and doing physical distancing will help to reduce the likelihood of you getting infected. People must not be under the wrong impression that simply taking vitamins – or the fact that they are someone who is young and healthy and taking herbs – is going to protect you from getting COVID,” Figueroa told the meeting.

“Some people feel that taking vitamin D will help, and other people feel that various herbs will boost your immune system. All of that is fine, and you are encouraged to live healthy and do whatever you think will boost your immune system, but that is not sufficient to protect you from getting COVID,” Figueroa stressed. “It suits us to get the vaccine to boost our immune system so that you are much less likely to get severely ill.”

The issue of whether nutraceutical health, which involves the use of natural foods and herbs to treat disease, should be considered a viable option to fight the coronavirus was previously raised in August by health and wellness proponent Martello Melville, CEO of Jah-Jireh Herbal.

Melville had urged medical authorities to present nutraceutical health as a viable option for persons to treat COVID-19, so that people can have choices for their own treatment other than the use of the currently available COVID-19 vaccines.

“Most people cannot say how this COVID-19 vaccine works, but if herbs have been proven to work, why is it that we were not given a presence at the table? If we were in such dire need and people were dying, desperate, and seeking a solution, why is it that herbs or nutraceuticals were never an option? People have a choice, and it is their decision as to what they think is best for their own health and body,” Melville said at the time.

Jamaica’s health authorities have consistently downplayed herbal treatments as an alternative to vaccination, with Dr Melody Ennis, the health ministry’s director of family services, stressing previously that there was no evidence in support of natural remedies being superior to COVID-19 vaccines.

In the meantime, Figueroa acknowledged during Friday’s meeting that COVID vaccination is not 100 per cent effective in preventing the contraction and spread of the disease, which has resulted in more than 90,000 confirmed infections in Jamaica to date.

“The vaccines are not a silver bullet. They are excellent and they protect, but they are not 100 per cent effective. If there is a surge of cases, some persons who are vaccinated may still get infected, some may get ill, and unfortunately a very small number of them may get severe disease,” said Figueroa.

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9 COMMENTS

  1. How much money did they pay you doctor Peter to speak such rubbish please refer this to those who have underlined illnesses And obesity.. also the vaccine had not been vetted properly and has become less effective and now requires a booster shot which means there are a lot more studies to be done before forcing a jab at healthy people. Unless science and the government business men don’t take accountability for any F*€k up don’t force the society to create a world of zombies.

    • Wait til u find out what it does to the proteins your cells use to repair themselves. Slowest poison available.

  2. Hey doc. That oath you took doesnt mean anything to you huh. Good thing I dont just follow anu news…its very much been proven at this point that natural immunity is stronger, and before anyone asks me for any info. Do your own damn research.

  3. Hey Blindnf, that’s an appropriate name for you… You are either ill informed or take great pleasure in posting false claims. IT IS NOT PROVEN THAT NATURAL IMMUNITY IS STRONGER…maybe you need to do your own research, other then reading the headlines of garbage Twitter and Facebook posts. And by the way, to get natural immunity you need be infected by the virus first, which puts you at risk of contracting severe illness or death. Think you’d look good wearing a ventilator? Then keep taking that iBooster.

    COVID-19 vaccine immunity stronger than ‘natural’ immunity from infection, new USCDC research finds

    https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/vaccine/covid-19-immunity-stronger-from-vaccines-than-infection-new-cdc-research-finds-booster-kids-5-11-shot-centers-for-disease-control-prevention-covid19/97-1560355d-1465-4013-b5b7-35bd7bd81b1f

    How much less likely are you to spread covid-19 if you’re vaccinated?

    Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2294250-how-much-less-likely-are-you-to-spread-covid-19-if-youre-vaccinated/#ixzz7CIWuyljB

  4. Isn’t’ this the same Jamaica that made headlines with the turmeric treatment? If it doesn’t work then why is Cuba which are masters are creating vaccines that actually work, working on creating a drug from it to PREVENT COVID? I know someone that slept in the same bed as someone infected and didn’t even get a sniffle…yes, tumeric and ginger…among other things.

    We get it, nobody wants to take on big pharma and big government. Just don’t take us for idiots and leave our African remedies alone.

  5. Even the naturalists will tell you that nothing, even natural remedies can prevent you from catching COVID. The funny thing is, as far as I know, even after interacting with perhaps hundreds of infected persons, they themselves haven’t caught it. What hospital can claim that?

    Taking it at face value, let’s assume natural remedies don’t prevent infection. Let’s say strengthening your immune system does nothing more than reduce the risk of serious infection and death. Isn’t that the same thing the vax claims…but with a whole lot of side effects?

    • You are correct. It’s your immune system that destroys the virus. Natural remedies helps to strengthen your immune system for the fight. Like zinc taken with an ionophore will prevent the virus from replicating; a low viral load, the less severe are the symptoms. Vitamin D from sunlight, studies show vitamin d deficient people had the worst outcome from covid. A high enough level of vitamin D prevents cytokine storms which causes most of the inflammation and tissue damage. Turmeric and black seed oil are masters at cutting inflammation. Covid is also a clotting disease, and raw onions thins your blood. Vitamin C is a wonderful Antioxidant and is accumulated by your immune cells. Linus Pauling once said you could cure anything with vitamin C, but you have to use enough of it. China used IV vitamin C for their covid patients. I know many people who had covid, for some it was like a really bad flu, those were the ones with underlying conditions. Others were just the sniffles. However, they were all taking vitamins and minerals for many years before covid. Absolutely nothing can beat a strong and healthy immune system.

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