My journey with the threat of Covid-19

My journey with the threat of Covid-19 has nothing to do with the fear of death but rather a testimony that considering most folks' poor lifestyles, it was probably wise to be jabbed.

So I will admit it, all my life I have been and in many ways still am a rebel; except in the instance of serious viral-diseases like polio, for example.

In fact I was never jabbed as a child and very nearly snuffed it from diphtheria aged two. There was an outbreak in Maritzburg; my mother in defense of her stance pointed out that eight other children also contracted the viral-illness, all having been vaccinated. Be that as it may, I survived unscathed.

Baking with whole-grains keeps blood glucose down.

My first-jab was taken when I was in my early twenties. Another teacher at the school where I was teaching had contracted polio, was paralysed and died long before his time. I made the decision to be vaccinated; and the heavens didn’t fall out of the sky. I had no reaction whatsoever, certainly none that I was aware of.

I did sprain my ankle very badly playing squash a few months later but I think it would be stretching things to suggest there was any connection between the two-events.

My second was for yellow-fever to enable me to visit Mozambique. It was that or stay at home; I compromised my principles and again there was no crushing blow from the sun, moon or an asteroid.

No question of it, they are not entirely safe. They do kill some healthy people though the risks are generally considered very low. The swine-flu vaccination for example did double the risk of getting a nasty condition called ALS.

When I was working in the Netherlands, the health department purchased enough vaccine for every person to be injected during the 2008 pandemic, only to abruptly terminate the programme. They never gave a reason.

And it's absolute doublespeak to state that worrying side-effects are rare; the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledge that in young people 9% were serious with four percent developing myocarditis^[1].

I remember a vaccine against meningitis being suddenly withdrawn when three healthy-babies died within a week being jabbed.

So what about the Coronavirus pandemic? Much to the dismay of family and friends, Bernie continued with his stance; simply for himself. He was no self-appointed evangelist spouting "in God we trust," or I am covered by the blood of Jesus.

That stance was and still is born out of a deep frustration that we humans are always looking for shortcuts by taking medication rather than a change of lifestyle. In the garden, because of a laziness about weeding that could be a decision to use Roundup-ready maize seed, for example; and then spraying your crop with the toxic weedicide.

Was a Corona shot just another shortcut, born out of a refusal to take care of ourselves? I thought so, somewhat naively thinking that as a person utterly committed to the scientifically proven edicts of well-being, I would be excluded; not from the infection but being terminated by this virus.

And of course it didn’t help that minister Nkosazana Zuma promulgated a whole heap of regulations that simply did not pass the test of rationality; was one really more likely to be infected by the virus a half-hour after nine o'clock in the morning, or out of doors at all for that matter?

Were surfers out on the crest of the wave really a threat to themselves and the nation? Was it necessary to close down resorts where one was far less likely to come into contact with others than whilst staying at home?

And then something happened a few weeks ago that cynics would say is equally irrational. Whilst sitting in church, masked and suitably distanced, thinking about something quite other, a strange peace settled on me and a powerful sense that I should give up my notions. This is not that idiot Trump’s “Little Virus;" it’s killing millions of people. I cannot say I heard a voice from the Burning Bush saying “Go and get the shot” but it was just as much of an imperative, even if murmured only in my head.

And so I have happily and peaceably had my shots. Thankful too because it’s quite clear that waves will follow one another with awesome regularity until some two-thirds of us are either vaccinated, or have been infected; or died.

Currently still less than 30% of the adult population in South Africa are fully vaccinated and the corona pandemic is clearly not going to end any time soon.

Wholegrains, new potatoes and legumes provide satiety and help keep blood-glucose down; that's what causes obesity and a greater likelihood of dying from Covid-19.

The risk of severe illness from this virus, and in fact all such bugs, increases sharply with higher Body Mass Index^[2]. We all journey with the threat of Covid-19; by keeping our BMI down we run little risk from this disease.

This way of living is the basis of the longevity diet; for those who desire to live long in the land, vital and strong to the end.

Long Covid

The severe reaction to Covid, the inflammatory cytokine storm that affects the lungs especially, but all the organs too, begins in the colon. The secret to the happy tum lies with the microbiome, that huge mass of friendly bacteria, viruses and yeasts that dwell in the large intestine.

After a feeding frenzy on the undigested fibre from our food they produce the short chain fatty acids that act as powerful anti-inflammatory agents preventing the cytokine storm.

After reading the strong science on how to prevent Long Covid we put it into practice, consuming foods rich in large amounts of fibre and eating and drinking many different probiotics.

My journey with the threat of Covid 19 ended up being a happily ever-after story.

• How to make kefir
• 1 gallon wheat beer recipe
• Homemade sauerkraut recipe
• All-hive mead
  

Kefir is the simplest, easiest probiotic.

My journey with the threat of Covid-19

My journey with the threat of Covid-19 led me against all odds, with no regrets, to being doubly-vaccinated. But it's no cop out or shortcut; those utterly committed to the principles and precepts of wellness do not unduly fear this bug; but we do respect it.

The Covid bug sneaks in the backdoor of everyone eventually; a short, sharp three days in bed but no residual signs and symptoms was the consequence of following these precepts.

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