Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.
“Flu season” has that name for multiple reasons. One that I
preach about regularly is the “lack of sunshine” season, or loss of vitamin D
in our bodies. Another is the cooler weather in the Northern hemisphere during
winter months playing a role in viral particles being able to sustain
themselves for longer periods of time.
But there is very recent research that shows the indoor
humidity level also plays a key role in viral transmission rates.
Researchers from MIT collected data from 125 countries regarding Covid-19 cases and relative indoor humidity. They analyzed the data for three months. What they found was that relative indoor humidity (RH) had the most significant correlation with daily new cases and daily new deaths.
As indoor humidity levels rose, deaths had a sharp decline.
As they fell in winter months, deaths increased likewise.
It has also been found in animal studies that when RH is
kept between 40% and 60%, viruses become inactivated.
Another study of school classrooms had some classrooms kept
at 45% RH and others were hot humidified at all. They found the non-humidified
rooms had 2-3 times more cases of influenza-like illnesses than the humidified
rooms.
This information should obviously be used for all public and
private buildings as much as humanly possible! Hospitals, doctor offices,
schools and more should be humidifying to 45% to 60% at all times during winter
months.
We all know just from common experience that when you enter
a very dry building, your air passages dry out. Your throat feels scratchy, the
nose dries out and you can tell after a while the air is dry.
The mucosal linings of your respiratory tract are the initial
part of your multi-tiered defense system against inhaled pathogens. It catches viruses
and bacteria, allowing you to expel them via a cough or swallowing. This is their normal function!
So, when you get a Covid test by swiping your nasal
passages, does it really mean you are infected? Uh – no! It simply means you have contacted the virus
and your body has trapped it and is trying to rid you of it. Infections in
people means you show symptoms, not positive swab tests! This is why testing of
healthy people is absurd!
This information should give you one more tool to help ward
off this virus and many other influenza type viral conditions. Simply
humidifying your environment can lead to less likelihood of infection and a healthier
existence. Sometimes the answers are just this simple when looking to satay as
healthy as possible.