And yet, “immunity” or “immune system boosters” have the early makings of an unfortunate pandemic buzzword. No one can promise immunity from the deadly virus. At least not yet. And these supplements, which claim to fortify your immune system, are largely unnecessary even in times of plenty.
One should be “skeptical of anyone trying to sell you a pill—they’re taking advantage of you in a vulnerable moment,” Price told me. “The best thing you can do for your immunity is totally free: sleep more. I’m serious. Sleep will do more for your immunity than any supplement possibly could.”
Most companies know to hedge language around claims or else incur the wrath of the FDA, Federal Trade Commission, and other consumer protection entities. Some companies do not. On March 12, New York Attorney General Letitia James sent a cease and desist notice to Alex Jones, Infowars founder, for claiming that products he sells, such as dietary supplements, creams, and honest-to-biscuits toothpaste, can fight this thing. “As the coronavirus continues to pose serious risks to public health, Alex Jones has spewed outright lies and has profited off of New Yorkers’ anxieties,” the attorney general said in a statement. “If these unlawful violations do not cease immediately, my office will not hesitate to take legal action and hold Mr. Jones accountable for the harm he’s caused.”
The ad for his toothpaste now reads, “This product is only intended for use in cleaning or whitening the appearance of teeth. It is not for therapeutic use and does not cure, treat, prevent, or mitigate any disease.”
Prior to that, the FDA and FTC had warned Vital Silver, Quinessence Aromatherapy, Xephyr (N-Ergetics), GuruNanda, Vivify Holistic Clinic, Herbal Amy, and The Jim Bakker Show for advertising products as a coronavirus remedy. Facebook and Twitter have vowed to help scour their own platforms for misinformation. Twitter, for example, announced on Monday that it’s “broadening our definition of harm” by removing tweets that appear to include “description of treatments or protective measures which are not immediately harmful but are known to be ineffective, are not applicable to the COVID-19 context, or are being shared with the intent to mislead others, even if made in jest, such as ‘coronavirus is not heat-resistant—walking outside is enough to disinfect you’ or ‘use aromatherapy and essential oils to prevent COVID-19.’”
The ones that manage to hedge their promises well are frankly more frustrating. Instagram served up an ad for a 16-pack of powder supplements that claim to help hydrate one’s way to immunity. It’s nearly $25 total, or one can enter “immunity25” to get 25% off. Something called Asystem said it could still deliver “Superhuman Supplements designed to build resilience” (to what?) directly to my door. Another ad for a personalized vitamin pack was sold through a personal testimonial: “Thanks to Hundred and my dedicated nutritionist Paulina, my immune system feels better than ever!” One for WTHN, the “DryBar of acupuncture” in New York, reads, “Win the fight against viruses. Keep your immune system strong all season long.” An “immune boost bundle” of two types of supplements costs $75.
“I think for the most part, aside from Jim Bakker and Alex Jones and Tom Brady, most people have good intentions and want people to be healthy and so they may not even realize that they’re profiteering,” said Marie, The Dream podcast host. “I probably wouldn’t put Gwyneth in that group [of well-intentioned people].”
Which brings us to Goop, the bellwether of aspirational wellness. I mentioned to Marie that the site has came through with a storm of information on COVID-19. They linked out to articles in the New York Times and The New Yorker, essentially sending readers away from the site in favor of the most timely, fact-checked information. It offered Centers for Disease Control guidelines in a clear list form. It included notes about how scientific studies had not yet proven that zinc and vitamin C actually do anything to prevent colds—except maybe reduce the length one is sick. There was an interview with a health educator advocating for vaccines (again, there is no vaccine for the COVID-19 now, but when there is, everyone will do well to get it). I was pleasantly surprised by all the careful wording during a time when it was hard to know what was true, hard to know how to protect one’s family.