#063 Dr. Roger Seheult from MedCram on COVID-19 Vaccines, Vitamin D, and Heat Hydrotherapy
Dr. Roger Seheult, a quadruple board-certified physician and co-founder of MedCram Videos, discusses supporting the immune system against COVID-19. He covers the critical role of vitamin D, optimal sleep practices, and historical hydrotherapy techniques to enhance early interferon response and mitigate severe disease outcomes.
Deep Dive Analysis
19 Topic Outline
Introduction to Dr. Roger Seheult and MedCram Videos
Challenges of Evidence-Based Treatment During a Pandemic
COVID-19 Disease Phases and Tailored Interventions
Historical Lessons from the 1918 Spanish Flu
Importance of Ventilation and Mask-Wearing
Vitamin D: A Steroid Hormone with Immune Functions
Observational and Genetic Evidence Linking Vitamin D to COVID-19
Vitamin D's Role in ACE2 and Renin-Angiotensin System
Clinical Trial Findings on Vitamin D Supplementation
Addressing Widespread Vitamin D Deficiency
Safety and Dosing of Vitamin D Supplementation
Critical Role of Sleep in Immune Function
Practical Strategies for Optimizing Sleep Quality
Hydrotherapy and Heat Stress for Innate Immunity
Spanish Flu Era Hydrotherapy Protocol and Outcomes
Current Research on Hot Hydrotherapy for Immunity
Understanding mRNA and Adenovirus COVID-19 Vaccines
Vaccine Safety, Efficacy, and Long-Term Considerations
Dr. Seheult's Personal Health Practices
6 Key Concepts
Vitamin D as a Hormone
Vitamin D's chemical structure is similar to steroid hormones like cortisol and estrogen, allowing it to directly enter the cell nucleus and influence the transcription of over 5% of the human genome, making its function more akin to a hormone than a traditional vitamin.
Mendelian Randomization Studies
This type of study helps establish causation by examining genetic variations (SNPs) known to affect a factor, such as vitamin D levels, and correlating these genetic predispositions with health outcomes. This method helps to overcome confounding factors often present in observational studies.
ACE2 Receptor and Renin-Angiotensin System
The ACE2 receptor is the entry point for SARS-CoV-2 into human cells. Viral binding and internalization of ACE2 can lead to its downregulation, which is detrimental as ACE2 plays a crucial role in regulating blood pressure, fluid balance, and preventing lung injury and oxidative stress, a process vitamin D may influence.
Innate Immune System
This is the body's first line of defense, acting as a 'garbage collector' that rapidly identifies and eliminates pathogens using tools like fever and interferon. It is typically robust in children but diminishes in efficacy with age, and SARS-CoV-2 can suppress its early response.
Interferon Response
A critical early immune response against viral infections, including SARS-CoV-2, involving various types of interferon. A robust interferon response early in the disease course is associated with mild to moderate COVID-19 outcomes, while its suppression or inactivation by autoantibodies can lead to severe disease.
mRNA Vaccines
These vaccines deliver a temporary genetic message (mRNA) to cells, instructing them to produce a specific viral protein (e.g., the spike protein). This process trains the immune system to recognize and fight the virus without introducing a live virus, altering the cell's DNA, or persisting in the body long-term.
9 Questions Answered
COVID-19 has distinct early and late phases, typically demarcated by the onset of pneumonia. Early interventions focus on antiviral action (e.g., remdesivir), while later interventions target inflammation (e.g., steroids like dexamethasone).
A study of 191,000 people found that SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates increased significantly when 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels dropped below 50 nanograms per milliliter, regardless of age, race, gender, or geography.
Meta-analyses of previous studies on respiratory tract infections showed that daily or weekly vitamin D supplementation was effective, but monthly doses were not, suggesting that consistent, regular intake is important for immune benefits.
Adequate sleep (7+ hours) significantly reduces the risk of viral infections like the common cold by 5-7 fold and improves vaccine antibody responses. Sleep deprivation increases cortisol, which impairs immune cell stickiness and overall immune function.
The sleep obtained before midnight, particularly slow-wave sleep, is considered the most restorative and is associated with growth hormone secretion, making it crucial for overall health and immune function.
Heat stress can elevate core body temperature, which has been shown to increase the secretion of interferon and other immune factors tenfold, thereby enhancing the innate immune system's ability to fight off viral infections early on.
During the Spanish Flu, treating fever with aspirin in army hospitals led to high pneumonia rates (16%), while sanitariums using hydrotherapy (heat, fresh air, rest) saw only 2% pneumonia rates, suggesting that supporting the body's natural fever response early was beneficial.
mRNA vaccines deliver a temporary genetic message to cells, instructing them to produce a specific viral protein (e.g., the spike protein). This process trains the immune system to recognize and fight the virus without introducing a live virus, altering the cell's DNA, or persisting in the body long-term.
While rare long-term effects can occur (e.g., narcolepsy with a past flu vaccine), most vaccine side effects appear within the first 1-2 months. The risk of post-infective autoimmune conditions is generally higher from a natural COVID-19 infection than from the vaccine.
20 Actionable Insights
1. Follow Comprehensive CDC Guidelines
Adhere to all CDC recommendations, including mask-wearing, social distancing, hand washing, and ventilation, as a multi-faceted approach to prevent COVID-19, recognizing that no single measure is 100% effective alone.
2. Test & Supplement Vitamin D
Consult a doctor to measure your 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and take a supplement as advised to reach sufficient levels (e.g., above 50 ng/mL), given widespread deficiency and its immune role.
3. Prioritize Sufficient Sleep
Ensure adequate sleep as it is fundamentally important for immune function and resisting viral infections, with sleep deprivation known to impair viral immunity.
4. Perform Hot Hydrotherapy Protocol
Implement a hot hydrotherapy protocol by applying very hot wet towels to the back and chest for 20 minutes while keeping the head and neck cold, followed by ice-cold towel friction rubs and one hour of rest, aiming to increase core body temperature and stimulate the innate immune system.
5. Optimize Vitamin D Dosing
When supplementing vitamin D, daily or weekly doses are likely more effective for correcting deficiencies and preventing acute respiratory tract infections than a single large monthly bolus.
6. Morning Bright Light Exposure
Get 30 minutes of bright light exposure in the morning, ideally by stepping outside, to help set your circadian clock earlier and promote better sleep at night.
7. Minimize Evening Blue Light
Reduce blue light exposure in the evening to avoid disrupting melatonin production and delaying your circadian rhythm, using dimmers or red-light settings on smart lights.
8. Prioritize Pre-Midnight Sleep
Aim to get significant sleep before midnight, as the early part of the night is rich in restorative slow-wave sleep, which is crucial for growth hormone secretion and overall health.
9. Sleep Well Before Vaccination
Ensure you get a good night’s sleep before receiving a vaccination, as sufficient sleep can lead to a better immune response with higher antibody titers.
10. Practice Hot-Cold Contrast Therapy
Engage in contrast therapy by alternating between hot (e.g., spa, sauna) and cold (e.g., snow, cold shower) exposures, as this practice is invigorating and may stimulate the immune system.
11. Take Contrast Showers
Incorporate contrast showers into your routine by alternating between hot (3-5 minutes, as tolerated) and cold (1 minute, as tolerated) water cycles, repeating several times, to invigorate and potentially support immune function.
12. Improve Indoor Ventilation
Enhance ventilation in enclosed spaces, especially when with others, by cracking windows or using air filters, to significantly reduce the risk of airborne COVID-19 transmission.
13. Implement Home Decontamination Routine
Establish a routine upon returning home from high-exposure environments, such as immediately disrobing in a designated area (e.g., garage) and isolating potentially contaminated clothing for washing.
14. Hydrotherapy Safety Precautions
Exercise extreme caution with hydrotherapy to prevent burns and avoid temperature extremes if you have a history of cardiac arrhythmias (tachycardia, atrial fibrillation), as these conditions may pose risks.
15. Eat Antioxidant-Rich Fruits
Consume a variety of antioxidant-rich fruits like blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, and pineapple, ideally for breakfast, to support overall health and provide beneficial compounds.
16. Consider NAC Supplementation
Consider supplementing with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) as a powerful antioxidant that has shown to improve flu symptoms and may help with oxidative stress, though its specific effect on COVID-19 is not yet established.
17. Supplement Zinc (Max 40mg)
Supplement with elemental zinc, but strictly limit daily intake to no more than 40 milligrams to avoid potential adverse effects such as copper imbalance.
18. Avoid Evening Emotional Stimulation
Refrain from emotionally stimulating activities, such as engaging with work on a laptop or checking social media, before bed, as they can elevate stress and significantly disrupt sleep quality.
19. Decompress Before Bed
Prioritize relaxing activities like reading a book or simply decompressing in a quiet environment before bed, rather than watching stimulating TV, to promote mental calm and better sleep.
20. Cultivate Grounding & Faith
Develop a sense of grounding and place faith in something higher than oneself to effectively cope with stress, illness, and the challenges of life, beyond just physical interventions.
6 Key Quotes
If you want to try to save lives... what we have to do is marry those two concepts together and come up with things, I believe, that may have plausibility to work. But if we're going to institute something, if we're going to do something, it's got to have very, very low risk.
Dr. Roger Seheult
Vitamin D is not just a vitamin. It literally falls more into hormonal.
Dr. Roger Seheult
It's not an, or it's an, and it's an, all of the above type of thing. And just because you supplement doesn't mean you shouldn't go on the sun, just because you go in the sun doesn't mean you shouldn't supplement.
Dr. Roger Seheult
The most important time to sleep is really that time before midnight... two hours of sleep before midnight is worth more than four hours of sleep after midnight.
Dr. Roger Seheult
Here we are in this pandemic, and we don't have all the medications to treat all these patients. Instead of saying, you know what, you're just going to have to wait at home and wait for you to be sick enough to go to the hospital, that's kind of like turning back the clock thousands of years. Why don't we just turn back the clock a hundred years and see what we did a hundred years ago when we didn't have these things and see if they work.
Dr. Roger Seheult
Your risk of getting a post-infective autoimmune condition is probably higher in COVID, if you were to get infected with COVID versus getting the vaccine.
Dr. Roger Seheult
2 Protocols
Hot Hydrotherapy for Immune Enhancement (Spanish Flu Era / Current Research)
Dr. Roger Seheult- Have the patient lie down on a surface.
- Place very hot, wet towels (sandwiched between other towels) on the patient's back and chest.
- Place a very cold towel on the patient's head and neck.
- Maintain the heat for approximately 20 minutes, recycling towels as needed to keep them hot, aiming to induce sweating and elevate core body temperature.
- After 20 minutes, replace the hot towels with ice-cold towels and perform a friction rub to cause vasoconstriction, lock in heat, and demarginate leukocytes.
- Ensure the patient rests for one hour without movement after the treatment.
Dr. Seheult's Personal Daily Health Practices
Dr. Roger Seheult- Ensure adequate sleep.
- Perform contrast showers (e.g., 3-5 minutes hot, 1 minute cold, repeated, as tolerated).
- Supplement with vitamin D.
- Consume a large bowl of antioxidant fruits for breakfast (e.g., blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, pineapple).
- Take NAC (N-acetylcysteine) and zinc (not exceeding 40 milligrams of elemental zinc per day).