The Pandemic Prescription

Restoring Hope from the Qur'an, Sunnah and Science

Madiha Saeed

• Publisher: Kube Publishing Ltd
• Year: 2021
• eBook ISBN: 9781847741585
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Islamic Theology

"… Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change their inner selves." (Qur'an 13: 11)We tend to live our life worried, fearful, anxious and stressed. We are always seeking ways to be in control yet the reality is that we can't control the future and we can't change the past. We can however, control ourselves. Allah (SWT) has given us the chance to change what is within us. The current pandemic has forced us to change our lifestyle, our pace of life and this is the time when we should truly reflect. Think about what we can change, how we can improve and what we can control – our everyday decisions and actions.It's time to empower ourselves by strengthening our bodies, our minds and our hearts, thereby strengthening our immune systems and increasing our resilience – and the secret to optimal health and resilience lies in the Qur'an and Sunnah! SubhanAllah!

Part 1

The Qur’an, Science and the Balance of the Immune System

CHAPTER 1

COLLIDING PANDEMICS

And Allah presents an example: a city which was safe and secure, its provisions coming to it in abundance from every location, but it denied the favours of Allah. So Allah made it taste the envelopment of hunger and fear for what they had been doing. And there had certainly come to them a messenger from among themselves, but they denied him; so punishment overtook them while they were wrongdoers. Then eat what Allah has provided for you [which is] lawful and pure. And be grateful for the favours of Allah, if it is [indeed] Him that you worship. (Qur’an 16:112-114)

In March 2020 our lives were changed forever. The world shut down and was filled with fear of the unknown, of sickness and of social interaction. People lost their jobs and, unable to pay their bills, they feared hunger. Stuck under lockdown, people were not able to visit their friends and families and confined themselves to digital meetings. The blessed month of Ramadan followed soon but the mosques were closed, which meant that there were no tarawih, social gatherings or communal iftar. When Eid came around, Muslims enjoyed staying with their families but it wasn’t comparable to being with all their relatives. Non-stop news coverage made things even worse, causing chronic stress to millions of children and adults worldwide. Our generation has seen nothing like this pandemic. By November 2020, more than 59 million people were diagnosed with COVID 19, there were over 1.4 million deaths worldwide and 20% of the diagnosed people became critically ill due to the virus (called SARS- CoV-2) and were admitted to the hospital.

As cases continued to rise, it had been noticed that the virus affected people differently. Some people lost their lives after contracting the virus but others didn’t. But why was this so? Why did some people suffer from the virus more than others?

Who Are the Most Vulnerable?

April 2020 statistics showed that 86.2% of the deaths caused by the virus involved at least one comorbid condition.1 Studies published in the Lancet showed that the infection is associated with acute respiratory symptoms and other complex medical problems2 but, most importantly, that pre-existing health conditions increased the risk of complications associated with COVID-19. Those with diabetes, obesity, hypertension, old age, even cancer and lung disorders, were likely to suffer severely after contracting the virus.3 A paper published in the European Journal of Endocrinology, which assessed data on 486 COVID-19 patients, concluded that those with BMI’s between 30-34.9 were under an increased risk of respiratory failure and ICU admission, and a BMI of 35 “dramatically increases the risk of death.”4

What is the common denominator in all these patients? Their pre-existing (diagnosed or undiagnosed) chronic conditions made them susceptible to a higher risk of suffering from COVID related complications. And all of this has to do with inflammation, or imbalance of the body. When a person is obese, with pre-existing conditions, or older in age, he or she is already pre-inflamed, as his or her body is out of balance. Aging can lead to increased morbidity due to pre-inflammation and an altered immune system. So when a pathogen like COVID-19 infects a person, it can induce an overwhelming inflammation that can be deadly.5 The same applies to those with diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and obesity. Obesity is proinflammatory and weakens the immune responses. Belly fat is a live dynamic organ that produces hormones, neurotransmitters and inflammatory cytokines, making the fat person also pre-inflamed with an increased risk of infection. Obesity is associated with an increased risk to contracting diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease and restricted respiration.

The reason why some people get sicker than others mostly boils down to inflammation and people’s immune systems. Those who get sicker have an altered immune system and are chronically inflamed/pre-inflamed. Chronic inflammation is strongly associated with the complications of COVID-19 infection.

Inflammation

There are two types of inflammation. Acute inflammation is good inflammation that lasts for a short time. This is what the body is supposed to do; it fixes what needs to be fixed. It can heal us from injuries or get rid of what is detrimental to the body. The body requires just the right amount of inflammation; too little or too much inflammation can lead to problems. If the immune system is triggered for a long time (because of constant exposures to triggers like toxic impure food, toxins in the environment, chronic stress, allergens or low grade infections), it can cause too much inflammation leading to a heightened response, or chronic inflammation.

With constant ongoing triggers, cytokines (inflammatory molecules) get out of control, destroying everything in its path and damaging tissues and organs. When this happens, it leads to all kinds of chronic diseases, including autoimmune diseases, skin disorders, thyroid disease, depression and other mood disorders, lung disorders, cancer, autism and even obesity, diabetes, heart disease and hypertension. In all these cases, there is an altered immune function and chronic inflammation.

Picture 1.1 Chronic Inflammation vs. Acute Inflammation

When a host is already pre-inflamed and contracts a virus, the body’s response will be too strong, leading to a cytokine storm. A cytokine storm occurs when there is a limited control of the immune system which causes a heightened inflammatory response, which can be deadly in some cases.6 An altered immune system leads to bad outcomes. On the other hand, when a host contracts a virus and the body is balanced and not pre-inflamed, it triggers a moderate response which gets rid of the virus without destroying the host in the process.

Chronic inflammation can cause a person to act impulsively, make poor decisions, have less control over his or her emotions and actions, and even lack empathy. Chronic inflammation can damage the mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell), leading to degradation of the proteins and membranes as well as cause damage to the DNA and make one obese, tired and more inflamed.

How COVID-19 Works

COVID-19 is highly infectious and can be transmitted by asymptomatic individuals. It can affect individuals in different ways and impact multiple organ systems. The cells of those organ systems affected by COVID-19 have been found to express the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, which is mostly believed to be what the virus targets to enter the cell. Recent studies show that, in the presence of a pre-existing inflammation, the virus can bind itself easily to the ACE2 receptor.7 Diabetes increases the regulation of ACE2 receptors thereby increasing the risk of infection.

Unlike other strands of coronaviruses, there is an increased chance that COVID-19 changes to a more infective form when the body is pre-inflamed, especially when the level of cholesterol is high. A pre-inflamed condition increases the chance of the virus binding to furin (an enzyme in humans that activates specific proteins), which increases infectivity in those with heart related issues.8 Furin levels have been found to be abnormal in people with metabolic syndrome and inflammatory autoimmune disorders.9

Our Lifestyles Are Literally Killing Us

Junk food, negativity, chronic stress, lack of sleep, toxins in the environment are killing us and destroying our immune systems, our planet and our future. Lifestyle-related conditions kill 50 million people a year. 2.1 billion people around the world are overweight. One in three children born today will have type 2 diabetes sometime during their lifetime. Over 604 million adults and 108 million children around the world are obese.10 Obesity is the most prevalent non-communicable health condition which has become a major health hazard in the modern world. It just so happens that now it is colliding with this highly infectious pandemic which means that we have two colliding pandemics.

Obesity rates have doubled in more than seventy countries since 1980 while it has tripled among children.11 People with metabolic syndrome are at high risk to both non-communicable and infectious diseases such as COVID-19. There is a three-time increased risk of death if one is obese. Up to 40% of hospitalized people between the age of 20 and 54 are obese or overweight. Even in the case of the common flu, those who have diabetes are five times more likely to be hospitalized.

Obesity is no longer an exclusive problem of the developed world. Third world countries are also witnessing a spike in the rate of people who suffer from obesity and diabetes. Metabolic syndrome is on the rise all across the world, but most specifically in Muslim countries. The rate of obese people in the Muslim world is getting worse. Three Muslim countries happen to be among the top ten countries with the highest rates of obese people while India is the diabetes capital of the world. The rate of diabetic people is rising yearly. It is estimated that 415 million people worldwide are living with diabetes while it is estimated that 46% of people have the disease but are undiagnosed. This number is expected to rise to 642 million worldwide by 2040. Additionally, someone is dying of a heart attack or suicide every 40 seconds.

These comorbid conditions are associated with chronic inflammation and, hence, with an altered immune function too. Studies have proven that diet and metabolic syndrome are partially responsible for the high variability in infection and death rates.12

Even if this virus does not wreak havoc on earth, another pathogen may do it, and so it is extremely important to look at how our immune systems can be optimized. The world is getting sicker and sicker while chr...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Quotes
• Contents
• Disclaimer
• Dedication
• Foreword by Shaikh Abdullah Oduro
• Introduction
• Part 1: The Qur’an, Science and the Balance of the Immune System
• Part 2: Practical Tips to Rejuvenate the Immune System
• Conclusion: From Fear to Empowerment: Time to Reinstate Hope and Healing to Humanity
• Appendix
• Recipes
• About the Author
• References