BY SANDRA GUY
News headlines about a coronavirus vaccine and hopeful tests showing melatonin may fight COVID-19 are offering light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, though supreme caution remains the rule as COVID-19 cases rage once again.
The encouraging news may ease our anxiety, but first, we must battle winter’s icy winds and long dark days, as well as our deep desire to curl up into a cocoon.
That’s where seasonal affective disorder (SAD) may creep in. SAD is a type of depression that can occur in fall or winter when, in many parts of the United States, darkness falls at 4:30 in the afternoon.
How do we fight not only a clinically diagnosed condition but also our urges to throw out our scheduled walks, plant-based eating and well-planned wellness schedules?
Supplements can be powerful friends. Take, for example, a Cleveland Clinic study published in PLOS Biology and reported on Fast Company’s website Nov. 10, which showed melatonin — the hormone that helps regulate sleep — could help prevent and treat COVID-19.
Researchers leveraged Artificial Intelligence to research patient records, and found that those who were taking melatonin were nearly 30% less likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, independent of risk factors like age or other diseases. Among African-Americans, the difference was even greater, with a 52% reduction.
Another potential help comes from ashwagandha—oddly, a word in Sanskrit that means smell of the horse. That’s actually a positive connotation, denoting its unique smell and ability to increase strength. The ashwagandha plant, native to India and North Africa, holds high concentrations of withanolides that have been shown to fight inflammation.
Some studies show it may also reduce blood sugar levels and possibly help reduce inflammation and cortisol levels, and it
blocked the stress pathway in the brains of rats by regulating chemical signaling in the nervous system.
Check with your doctor before taking it, and make sure you take a pure, non-GMO supplement if you decide it’s right for you.
And don’t forget natural remedies, such as exercising vigorously every day, drinking plenty of water, getting fresh air and light, and, if necessary, taking Vitamin D and getting light therapy.
Light therapy requires that you sit near a box that gives off bright light, simulating a sunny day. It works by affecting brain chemicals that influence mood and sleep.
Vitamin D deficiency is a real problem, too. Studies show 42 percent of Americans are vitamin D deficient. Blacks and Latino populations are at highest risk because high amounts of melanin pigment in skin reduce the body’s ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight, according to a study in Nutrition Journal.
The answer? It’s boring, but it’s affordable: Buy fresh fruits and vegetables, and make them part of your daily diet.