COVID Advisor

Two key studies have identified the role melatonin plays in reducing the risk of a positive test for COVID-19 1   and lowering the incidence of severe symptoms. 2   Melatonin was first discovered in 1958 by Dr. Aaron Lerner, a dermatologist, who was able to isolate it from the pineal gland in a cow. 3 Scientists began studying melatonin in the 1980s and by the 1990s it received more attention. Research data showed that melatonin influences a number of different bodily processes, including calcium-dependent metabolism, immune modulation and restraining tumor growth. Although melatonin is produced in a variety of tissues, the major source is the pineal gland in the brain. This is a tiny endocrine gland found in the center of the brain. One of the initial functions is likely as a free radical scavenger. Interestingly, melatonin also functions in plants to reduce oxidative stress and promote seed germination and growth. 4 The necessary precursor in plants and animals is tryptophan. 5  Your

In an August 21, 2021, newsletter, 1   Dr. Michael Murray discussed the use of quercetin for respiratory infection symptoms. In November 2020, he’d suffered a “very mild and brief bout of COVID-19.”  He also recounts an anecdotal story of a friend who developed suspicious respiratory symptoms. His friend had been taking a number of supplements said to offer protection, but was still feeling awful. As it turns out, the one thing he’d not taken was quercetin, and as soon as he did, that same day, his symptoms started to dissipate. This experience, Murray says, “is consistent with the results from two clinical trials” that were recently published. Quercetin seems to be a safe, far less expensive, and easier-to-obtain and it works by a similar mechanism, driving zinc into the cells to stop viral replication. Statistical Improvement in Clinical Outcomes In the first study, 2  42 COVID-19 outpatients were divided into two groups. One group of 21 patients received standard medical therapy co