There’s no ‘magic bullet’ against COVID-19
Posters promoting vitamins to help stay strong during the pandemic are popping up in Cambridge
CAMBRIDGE — Posters linked to a website promoting the use of vitamins to stop the spread of COVID-19 have been spotted around Cambridge, advising people “stay strong” with Vitamins C and D.
While it may sound like harmless advice, a local medical expert said vitamin supplements are no substitute for proper hand washing, face masks and social distancing during the pandemic — and there is some concern these posters could lead to increased complacency if people start taking those supplements and believe they’re protected.
“That certainly is a danger,” said Craig Janes, director of the School of Public Health at the University of Waterloo, in an interview with The Record after being shown a photo of the posters.
“Face masks, social distancing and hand washing are far more potent than any vitamin.”
The posters make no reference to COVID-19 or the pandemic, but their sudden appearance at the height of the global crisis combined with graphics that strongly resemble the virus make the connection likely, Janes noted.
Since the pandemic began, 115 people have died in Waterloo Region and there have been more than 1,200 positive cases. Approximately 32,000 tests have been administered locally.
Waterloo Region Public Health has not received any complaints about the posters, and recommends individuals continue to wash their hands, cover their sneezes and coughs, social distance, and wear a face mask if distancing isn’t possible.
While multiple studies around the world are exploring if vitamins are effective against the virus, nothing has been definitely proven.
The bottom of the poster in
cludes the website address orthomolecular.org. According to the website, orthomolecular treatments are about “preventing and treating disease by providing the body with optimal amounts of substances which are natural to the body.”
That includes vitamins, nutrients, proteins, amino acids, carbohydrates, fats and oil.
The website features the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, which advertises itself as an alternative to “vitaminbashing newspaper, magazine and TV reports” that “tells it like it really is: vitamin therapy saves lives.”
An article published on the site June 22 claims the pandemic can be fixed in one month via Vitamin D supplements. Someone who contracts the disease can reduce the risk of it becoming severe by 90 per cent and reduce the risk of dying by 96 per cent, the article claims.
“If we wait for ‘evidence’ that Vitamin D mitigates the impact of COVID-19, thousands more will die,” it states. “If we could arrange to give everyone Vitamin D, and it failed to protect them, so what? The risk from not acting is much greater than the risk from acting.”
The article cites two studies, one in the Philippines and another in Indonesia, that found people who were deficient in Vitamin D had a higher mortality rate than those who weren’t.
Janes warned correlation is not causation, and said Vitamin D levels in patients can also be linked to other environmental or health factors. He said “without careful, highly controlled studies, one cannot posit a causal role for (Vitamin) D.”
Janes noted if people are taking vitamin supplements in low doses it probably won’t do any harm, but stressed “there is no magic bullet” against COVID-19. “No one thing will protect you.”
He said Vitamin D can also be toxic if taken in high enough doses, and most individuals get enough simply by being out in the sun.
The orthomolecular website is managed by the Riordan Clinic, which operates three clinics in Kansas and advocates for “whole person” care by identifying the underlying causes of illness and treating them using a variety of “natural, non-toxic” methods.
Michael Stewart, chief operating officer of the Riordan Clinic, said in an email he doesn’t know how the posters ended up in Cambridge, but did say they have some affiliates and friends in Toronto and across Canada.
Stewart did not respond to a followup email or phone call from The Record.
On a webpage dedicated to COVID-19 updates, the clinic said it supports handwashing, sanitizing surfaces in homes and workplaces, and being mindful of how germs are passed or received from others.
Additional links to studies and news stories detailing the possible benefits of vitamins in fighting COVID-19 can be found on the webpage, including one
Canadian study of Vitamin C. Long-touted as an immune system booster, Vitamin C has not been proven effective against coronavirus.
Riordan Clinic offers a wide range of test kits to determine a patient’s vitamin levels, ranging from $89 for a Vitamin C test to $316 for Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5 and B6. A wide range of Riordanbrand vitamins and supplements are also sold on the clinic website. The not-for-profit has a donation page as well, with donation amounts of $10,000, $5,000, $1,000, $500, $100 and $25 available.
“What is this organization advocating? Vitamin C is cheap, Vitamin D is cheap, you can go to your local pharmacy and get it,” Janes said. “Are they selling something else? Is this part of a marketing campaign to drive people to their website? I’m always a bit skeptical of that.”