In the COVID-19 infection, the main issues are not brought by the virus itself, but by our bodies' excessive immunological response to the infected organs - the cytokine storm. This cytokine storm destroys all cells near the focus of infection and kills the respiratory system. So is there any natural non-aggressive way to prevent the cytokine storm from happening in the severe COVID-19 cases?
Thank you in advance for your valuable opinions!
Dear Dr Ligen Yu ,
Natural non-aggressive way to prevent serious COVID-19 would be to sustain healthy life-style; to justify body weight, blood pressure, blood glucose and lipid, and especially visceral fat, before cytokine storm develops, I believe.
The cytokines storm is based mainly on TNF alpha and interleukin-6. That is the reason why tocilizumab (against IL6) seems to be working in COVID 19. Infliximab may be also a useful adjunct.
Emodin was never tested. On a theoreticall basis it may be useful because it down regulates both.
Why specifically do people believe that it's not "the virus itself"? You clearly have very high viral titers in the presence of cytokine storm (are there any observations to the contrary?). The cytokines are your defense against the virus. If you suppress it, what would prevent the virus from killing you moments later?
Dear Dr John Schloendorn
Thank you very much for your perspicacious comments. People believe that there is a cytokine storm, because the virus itself is not able to create a fatal damage to tissues of the organs in the body. The following paper may explain to the cytokine storm:
Article Into the Eye of the Cytokine Storm
I agree with Lingen. The pulmonary damage by COV19 is not by the virus itself. It is the cytokines in excess that produce pulmonary edema.
Dear Dr Tomas Koltai , thank you again for your comment. It is interesting to know that, although infants can be severely infected by the SARS-COV-2 virus, the cytokine storm is not triggered in them:
Newborn baby diagnosed with coronavirus completely cured in 17 days without treatment:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12311579.
and this:
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-05/healthy-baby-coronavirus:
“He (the baby) seemed perfectly healthy, was breathing fine and had no fever on his arrival at the hospital, medical professionals observed. But a closer examination produced a surprise: Huge amounts of the novel coronavirus were detected in the baby. The virus was found in his throat, blood and stool. Pathogens continued to be detected in the boy for the first 16 days he was at the hospital. But he never showed symptoms of the illness, apart from a single temperature reading of 101.3 degrees that fell back to normal within an hour.”
It seems that our innate immune system is sufficient in defending the SARS-COV-2 virus, and the triggering of the cytokine storm in old adult patients may be because of the impaired immune system of the old adults, which is compromised by the metabolic syndromes.
We have already developed the desired biomedical material against sever inflammation due to CoV. IL1,IL6, LT, PGE2, H1 TNF-alpha etc are organics,LOL.
So our material can adsorb them and eliminate them inside the respiratory organs and over the skin. Detail: Need down payment because knowledge only never ameliorate symptoms at all. Our material cannot be provided except ISI Inc.
There is a general misunderstanding about old age, thinking that old people have a weaker immune system. In reality, as older people have much larger chance in contact with all different sorts of pathogens, they have developed much stronger adaptive immune systems against different kind of pathogens. If old people are healthy without any latent or symbolic metabolic syndromes, they would be much more resilient to any illness and infections than younger people.
But the real problem with old age is that, old people have more or less latent or symbolic metabolic syndromes with chronic inflammations. Because of this, the strong immune systems of old people are impaired, and do not function properly. This might be the main reason of the triggering of cytokine storm when old people face infections like the COVID-19, like the situations in any autoimmune diseases.
So as a preventative measure, restrictive eating should be practiced, which is able to reduces the metabolic syndromes, reduce the possibility of cytokine storm if a person is infected, and promotes recovery from the possible infection.
What if a person drinks enough water, will it not reduce the impact of the virus.
Dear Rumani Dey , thank you for contributing to the discussion. Water is needed for all life to function properly. During infection, adequate amount of water is essential. But water cannot stop the virus infection, and cannot stop the cytokine storm. Also, excessive water intake might be poisonous:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication
Dear Ligen Yu, Thanks for this interesting discussion. May be you consider this correspendance to the lancet, about Immunosuppression at due moment against Cytokine Storm :
https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(20)30628-0.pdf
Dr. Koltai is correct: virus in itself does not kill. It just triggers a chain of events that might end up with death due to respiratory failure or cardiovascular failure, like CHF or MI. The CSS is triggered by the virus but depends a lot on the host. Compromised immune system, hypertension, excessive iron load, etc.
Going back to the original question of how to prevent CSS, should be adjusted to the host and does not have a general answer. Today there are several attempts using medications that are used for down regulating the immune system in other diseases like RA. This direction of trying to prevent the CSS is actually the most practical way to handle the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Adequacy of nutrients, especially vitamins and very necessary minerals in maintain an immune system that is optimal. Consumption of foods that are diverse and balanced is very necessary its main source of mineral vitamins such as fruit, vegetables and animal food. Some vitamins and minerals have role as a very antioxidant affect the quality of human life including vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin C, selenium, iron and zinc. This nutrient is needed in the body's defense system because of its role as an antioxidant nutrient. In addition, it can also be done by consuming herbs
Dear Rini I think that there is no vitamin nor food nor herbs that will make a difference in a COVID 19 infection.
They are as useful as praying..
My Answer: “Cytokine Storm” is just a fancy term to denote a protracted Inflammation overload/over-drive. When your Dendritic & B sentinel cells detect localised foci of infection, a flurry of cytokines are unleashed in response, including:
Pro-Inflammatory (eg. IL-1, -2, -4, TNF-α, ILs-6 & -12) & Chemokines (eg. IL-8) all trying to summon leucocytes in general, but Immune cells in particular to meet the contingency. “First on the scene”, your immediate responders, are your “front-line” members of the Innate Immune System (IIS), your “shock troops”, including your NK cells, monocytes (precursor to your macrophages & other phagocytes), dendritic cells, defensins, etc, etc. They ALL “join the fray”, doing battle trying to defeat the nos. of invaders. There are LOTS of variables at play here, including: nos. (as in blood count) of “invaders” (yes, THIS is probably the most decisive of the variables), & “potency” (ie. activity) of these front-line “shock troops”.
IF the nos. of adversaries is problematic (ie. too overwhelming) and the Innate system is overhwelmed & “under-performing” (ie. from insufficient nos. to NOT being “efficient”), the Dendritic Cells (DCs) have to now “call on” the Adaptive Immune System (AIS) into action to help in the overall “battle” [DCs are the “bridge” between the IIS & the AIS). SO, the DCs themselves put out other cytokines to marshal the members (eg. B- & T- cells, immunoglobulins, etc.) of the AIS to do battle. For a novel Corona-Virus like this, there WON’T be any IgGs specific to COVID-19 virus unless you were infected like 2-3 months ago; IF you were infected like just recently, you would show a very strong IgM. Otherwise, IF you’re COVID-19 -ve, you would show both Immunoglobulins -ve.
IF your combined Immune systems is losing & unable to contain & “draw down” the infection, your “Cytokine Storm” STILL continues, still trying to marshal the forces, ie. both the IIS & AIS; this unfortunately CONTINUES to damage the tissues of the upper respiratory tract, the lower respiratory tract [ie. the trachea and the lungs], and very possibly where the ACE2 Serine protease [which acts as the precise receptor for the SAR2-COVID-19 Spike (S) protein (Code 6CRV)] resides plentifully: the heart (myo-cardial damage, possibly the electrical nodes – causing/exacerbating any existing any ventricular/atrial ectopy), renal (causing Acute Renal Failure or exacerbating any Chronic Renal Failure) and small & large intestines (symptom: frequent, unresolved diarrhoea). SO, the unabated “Storm” continues to lead the hapless victim onto the road to....Perdition.
SO, how do you control the “Storm” ?? Obviously, the body’s ongoing attempts now to fight the virus nos. are producing more shocking, deadly, lethal side-effects that are irrevocably damaging the critical major organs (except the brain). IF the “Storm” is ongoing like this, you KNOW the patient (Px) is NOT winning the fight against the Virus, AND the foregone conclusion would be that, unless you “reel back” the “Storm” & keep it on a “leash”, Death will be inevitable... The 1st. “lethal event” will be a highly predictable one: heart-failure (cardio myo-ischaemia, preceded by extensive, massive myo-cardial infarction), ie. cardiac-arrest, NOT lung-collapse..
OK, HOW to control the “Storm”? THIS has to be the ‘Total Approach’: start from the very top: the “grand-daddy” of them all: Nuclear Factor Kappa Beta (NF-κβ); the “Nuclear” here refers to it being transcribed within the “Nucleus”: it is transcribed within the nucleus of each affected host cell. This is regulated by a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA); its signalling Pathway is required for efficient flu-Virus replication....
The effects of this cascades down several pathways, notably the Eicosaenoid Pathways mediators, eg. the COX2 (yielding PGE2, the very most potent Inflammatory enzyme in the body), the 5- & 12-LOX Catalytic Pathway [generating Leukotriene LTB4 (highly-Inflammatory – the most Inflammatory of ALL Leucotrienes) & a whole series of other also very Inflammatory Leucotrienes [eg. LT-5 Series, LTs A5, B5, C5, D5, etc.).
NOTE: ALL these LTs (Leucotrienes) HOLD the “key” to the existence of Inflammation in all the airways of the body (including in the Lungs): IF you want to control Inflammation in your airways (even not necessarily flu infections but emphysema, asthma, etc.), you WOULD control these LTs.....
Oh, let’s NOT forget the quintessential “Good Guy”: the MOST powerful anti-Inflammatory pathway, COX1, producing the most powerful anti-Inflammatory enzyme in the human body: PGE1 (Prostaglandin E1). What did I say about “The Total Approach”? While road-blocking all the Inflammatory pathways from the top (ie. NF-KB), you would, at the same time, be ramping right up the chief anti-Inflammatory mediator, the Cyclo-Oxygenase1....
SO, can you do ALL that naturally, you asked? You bet you CAN. There are proven ways, clinically AND published in peer-reviewed journals. I DON’T have the time OR space to “trot” them out here. I am the ‘Chief Scientific Officer’ of our high-level Healthcare Service Provider group (Nutrition Beyond) in Australia, also an advanced R & D group. More than a week ago, we started an ambitious 12-part Newsletter Series on COVID-19. These are rather lengthy, very detailed technical discussions on the subject, and so far, the first 4 of this Series are out. IF there is a way here, at ResearchGate, to provide links to d/load these PDFs, I would be willing to post them here for your further enlightenment.
Sincerely,
Dr.Lone S. Macloud, Ph.D. (Cambridge Univ.)
Dear Lone Macloud, congratulations on your comprehensive response. I believe you can upload the works directly to your RG profile or put the links directly, possibly also in your eventual new reply. I would like to ask for your opinion on ozone therapy that seems to be used, in the past, to eliminate some virus both by directly injecting oxygen and ozone into a vein and by transfusing ozone-rich blood, ie taking the blood of a person infected with coronavirus enrich it with ozone and transfuse it in the same patient. Currently it seems that it has been tried (as a transfusion) on some patients with COVID 19 with excellent results. Thanks.
See:
https://clinmedjournals.org/articles/jide/journal-of-infectious-diseases-and-epidemiology-jide-6-113.php?jid=jide
or DOI: 10.23937/2474-3658/1510113
Hi guys, I'm new here. Can someone show me HOW to upload the PDFs to the first 4 newsletters of my COVID-19 Series? I've gone to my member pg. & couldn't see the appropriate link.
The posting I did here today was encapsulated in a PDF & was posted to my Newsletter audience which has a global audience. Apart from what you all managed to read, I ALSO had a "humanitarian" message for my followers. Let me re-produce that part here:
Dear Patients & Friends,
It’s been more than a week since the last posting. As usual, I’m “flat-strapped” taking care of my patients, spear-heading our Research, & over-seeing our Manufacturing arm…. I did promise you all that in this instalment, I would be “taking apart” the extremely complex components of the human Immune system to “dissect” its intricacies & “mysteries…. Yet again, I have to postpone that Instalment to the next posting (hopefully in a couple more days) while I post this here (see attached the PDF). I DO have to remind EVERYONE partaking in these proceedings now, before, and into the future, that ALL content posted here are the Intellectual Property Rights of Nutrition Beyond and ARE protected by the Australian Federal Copyrights Law, and, therefore cannot be re-produced in ANY part(s) for ANY use. However, the prior parts in direct e-mail form in whole, and here in PDF form (as will be the case going forward) can be disseminated to one & all, & we DO encourage you to do so for the “good faith” benefit of ALL of humanity….
We do this purely out of humanitarian considerations and as a free Public service.
I am a new member of an International scientists’ Forum called ‘ResearchGate’, an online portal that publishes scientific journals restricted to scientists. Of-late, a frequent question has been incessantly raised by its members as to HOW to deal with the so-called ubiquitous problem of this “Cytokine Storm” that is the DIRECT mediator of ALL that lethal, fatal morbidity unleashed by this Virus on its unfortunate victims. Today, I posted a somewhat long-awaited Reply to this frequent Question on this Forum. U.S. Vice-President Pence, Chief of the White House Corona-Virus Task Force, has also been sent an urgent 4-page communique by me giving him (and his Scientific/Medical advisors) a rare insight as to where his Task Force should also be looking in order to be sufficiently empowered to deal with the Virus in additional ways no one else has been looking at…. IF everyone is “looking the other way”, the “Secret” eludes those who will realise there’s a cheaper, simpler solution…..SO many people DON’T have to die, AND both sides of medicine NOW have to bury their egos and combine forces for the sake of Humanity .….
Dr.Lone S. Macloud, M.Sc., Ph.D. (Cambridge Univ.)
Dear Dr Lone Macloud ,
You may upload your published pdf files by click the "Add new" or "Add new research" button on your peronal overview page of ResearchGate (please see the attached picture for reference). The webpage will lead you to the steps of upload your PDF files.
Best regards
Ligen
Dear Dr. Leonardo Cannizzaro, I read the article you indicated and I find it very interesting, although the therapy proposed by the authors raises many doubts to me. I am not a medical doctor and I cannot comment on the effectiveness of ozone therapy, although I see that many other documents argue that such therapy is not and will not be widely applied in fighting against bacteria, viruses, fungi because it brings side effects on the blood components but also organs damage. Among the activities I experienced 15-20 years ago, I also dealt with testing polymeric materials exposed in ozone-enriched environment, generating and monitoring a concentration of 50 ppm ozone in the testing chamber. I know that ozone is a very strong oxidizer, an important environmental pollutant regulated by legislation in many countries since the harmful effects of ozone on the human body are very serious. Ozone causes acute and chronic health effects, mainly lung function impairment. It may also worsen chronic respiratory diseases and compromise the ability of the body to fight respiratory infections. I know these issues because I had to take strict precautionary measures while I worked with ozone, nevertheless over time I acquired irreversible chronic lung disease. Therefore, I personally have great doubts about the therapeutic effect of this strong oxidizing gas, that once injected into the blood stream may act as an oxidizer not only on the structures that one aims to inactivate (viruses) but may non-selectively destroy other biological structures, cells or tissues. The biocidal effect of ozone is well known for disinfecting indoors, but I wonder if the studies focused on ozone therapy have also thoroughly evaluated its multiple side effects. Maybe specialists in this field may come into discussion with clarifications on the selectivity of this therapy in Covid-19. Sorry I got out of the question, thanks for the article.
(1) Leonardo Cannizzaro added a reply
3 hours ago
Dear Lone Macloud, congratulations on your comprehensive response. I believe you can upload the works directly to your RG profile or put the links directly, possibly also in your eventual new reply. I would like to ask for your opinion on ozone therapy that seems to be used, in the past, to eliminate some virus both by directly injecting oxygen and ozone into a vein and by transfusing ozone-rich blood, ie taking the blood of a person infected with coronavirus enrich it with ozone and transfuse it in the same patient. Currently it seems that it has been tried (as a transfusion) on some patients with COVID 19 with excellent results. Thanks.
My Answer: Hi Leo, excellent Q.
Ozone, O3, is inherently a somewhat unstable molecule. It easily dissociates as follows:
O3 + 2e- (or 3e-) ---> O2- + O- (or O-2)
The dissociated, reduced products are highly oxidative (with a great propensity to “rob” electrons from a donor). You get a doublet oxygen, O2-, or a singlet oxygen, O- , which are highly reactive, tissue- & molecule-destabilizing molecule & atom, respectively. The singlet oxygen can be even more unstable & reactive, in the super-oxide configuration, with even greater oxidising power than O- , ie. O-2 . The greater the no. of un-paired electrons (in their outer orbits) any ion has, the MORE unstable/de-stabilising it is – the damage it can cause bugs (bacteria, viruses, fungi) AND human cells is greater....
THAT is why Cl- (chlorine anion) does the same job in household bleaches, killing germs, etc. [THAT is why Cl- is NO good for humans; of-course it does NOT mean that you cannot continue to use Cl for household cleaning; it does NOT mean you cannot continue to use Cl bleaches or swim in swimming pools disinfected with Cl! IF you use Cl-bleaches heavily in your toilet, you just vent the Cl fumes by opening ALL your windows and (if possible) your doors, OR if you had a swim in pool waters smelling of Cl, you just shower off with fresh water after your swim!.
Let’s get back on track. SO, O3 makes a great disinfectant against MOST bacteria & viruses, very possibly even COVID-19. (Indeed, many a home spa pool or bath use O3, but even the vendors who install it for your bath/pool will tell you that you DON’T “hang around” your pool/bath when the disinfecting ozonation is in progress – you vent the room without you being in there until the O3 has dissipated, for safety reasons (ie. your safety) until the O3 has dissipated.
O3 ,via its potent mix of O2- + O- (or O-2) basically oxidises the microbe in the same way as Cl- does, electrically de-stabilising the microbe; the latter cannot last for too long in such a state before it dies...
But herein lies the practical problem for the human who uses this methodology: You CANNOT be in the same room as where the O3 gas is flowing/circulating freely in the air. In order to protect yourself as well, you have to adopt a “fumigation” strategy in the same manner as if you were to “pest-bomb” your house – you have to be outside until the air “clears”...
In this respect, I would have to suggest an Ultra-Violet alternative to what you have in mind.
More specifically, the Ultra-Violet band “C”, with a λ(lambda; wavelength) = ? First, let me explain the truth of UV light’s 3 λ bands, “C” band is the shortest wavelength bandwidth, ie. the most energetic. In fact, it doesn’t exist in natural sunlight that reaches you – it is normally fully absorbed by the Earth’s O3 layer....[of-course, here in Australia, we DO have a problem with our depleted O3 layer, making this a country with the very highest skin-cancer rates in the world!]. Otherwise, UV-C emanates from totally man-made sources, like welding torches or Hg (mercury) lamps. OR the Nano-UV Super-bug killer:
📷
Let’s go back to the above:
λ (lambda; wavelength) = ?
What should be the ideal wavelength of UV-C for bug killing?
According to Harvard Medical School’s expert, Prof.Edward A. Nardell: 253.7 nm. [I have his report – avail. to anyone who wants it]. This machine pictured above (like a flip-phone) has a UV spectrum of 100 - 280nm.
I DON’T have ANY studies of UV-C against SARS2-COVID-19: it is still a rather “new”, novel virus unheard of 3 months ago.... BUT I have several studies of the efficacy of UV-C against other Corona-Viruses of the past; here’s a sample:
(1) Inactivation of Ebola virus and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus in platelet concentrates and plasma by ultraviolet C light and methylene blue plus visible light, respectively. Eickmann M et al. Transfusion. (2018);
(2) Inactivation of 3 emerging viruses - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus and Nipah virus - in platelet concentrates by Ultraviolet C light and in plasma by methylene blue plus visible light.
Eickmann M, Gravemann U, Handke W, Tolksdorf F, Reichenberg S, Müller TH, Seltsam A.
Vox Sang. 2020 Jan 12. doi: 10.1111/vox.12888. [Epub ahead of print]
(3) Inactivation of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in plasma products using a riboflavin-based and Ultraviolet light-based photochemical treatment.
Keil SD, Bowen R, Marschner S.
Transfusion. 2016 Dec;56(12):2948-2952. doi: 10.1111/trf.13860. Epub 2016 Nov 2.
PMID: 27805261
(4) Efficacy of an Automated Multiple Emitter Whole-Room Ultraviolet-C Disinfection System Against Coronaviruses MHV and MERS-CoV.
Bedell K, Buchaklian AH, Perlman S.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2016 May;37(5):598-9. doi: 10.1017/ice.2015.348. Epub 2016 Jan 28. PMID: 26818469
(5) Effects of Toll-like receptor stimulation on eosinophilic infiltration in lungs of BALB/c mice immunized with UV-inactivated severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus vaccine.
Iwata-Yoshikawa N, Uda A, Suzuki T, Tsunetsugu-Yokota Y, Sato Y, Morikawa S, Tashiro M, Sata T, Hasegawa H, Nagata N.
J Virol. 2014 Aug;88(15):8597-614. doi: 10.1128/JVI.00983-14. Epub 2014 May 21.
PMID: 24850731
Even here on RG, there are several studies on the effect of UV-Corona viruses:
(6) SARS Coronavirus UV Susceptibility, Nov. 2015; DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.4332.1680, Report number: 11162015; Affiliation: Aerobiological Engineering LLC
(7) Inactivation of the Coronavirus that induces Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, SARS-CoV; Oct. 2004; Journal of Virological Methods 121(1):85-91; DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2004.06.006
(8) Inactivation of Enveloped Viruses (Coronavirus, H5N1 Virus) and Disinfection of the Air with Legionella-X 100 Via Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI), Nelson Cheng, Patrick Moe, Magna International Pte Ltd, 10 H Enterprise Road, Singapore 629834, Benjamin Valdez Salas, Ernesto Beltrán-Partida, Nicola Radnev Nedev, Autonomous University of Baja California-UABC.
These are part of the multitude of published research we’ve uncovered on the efficacy of UV-C against corona-viruses.
Between 2010 – 2012, the above machine was tested against the following bugs:
(1) Viruses: H1N1 (swine flu), H5N1 (avian flu) [both Corona-type viruses], MS2 (single-strand RNA Virus that infects the bacterium E.Coli (found mostly in the colon causing intestinal distress);
(2) Bacteria: Escherichea Coli, Salmonella Typhii (causing food-poisoning, mostly from meats, Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA, not to be confused with the corona-virus MERSA – see previous Newsletter Pt.2);
(3) Fungus: Aspergillus Niger
(4) Mould: Penicillin pinophillium.
The Labs that Tested this machine successfully against those pathogens/microbes described above:
(1) Hong Kong (HK) Productivity Council Lab (Govt. lab): mostly on H1N1;
(2) CMA Testing & Certification Labs (HK Govt.);
(3) Intertek (ETL), USA;
(4) SGS (Swiss multi-national labs & standards company) HK branch Lab;
(5) Japanese Food Analysis Centre, Tokyo.
NOTE: H1N1 was a lot more virulent, contagious & aggressive than H5N1.
Except for (3), we have the official Test Reports of all the others (available on request). Hot on the heels of the H1N5 outbreak, we started importing it from the British Medical Equipment supplier, Wallace & Cameron. We have recently re-imported this due to overwhelming demand from our patients.
We have produced a full, very detailed expose` of this “Pocket Rocket” in several files. Those of you who are interested in our detailed info on this can request this info by e-mail; alternatively, we’ll try to upload it here. [we would prefer to e-mail them directly to you. The Lab Test Reports (all externally vetted) are astounding.
Can this machine kill the COVID-19 virus ? I don’t know, but I believe it can. You see, UV-C disintegrates the viruses’ Envelope proteins, Capsid bi-layer & the Nucleo-capsid Protein protecting the virus’ “precious” central “cargo” of its genomic material...
When we first imported it from Wallace & Cameron, I spoke with a lab Technician of the HK Productivity Council Lab; he told me that from what he had observed in the lab., this little machine could most likely “knock out” Anthrax in 10 secs.... The tests by the above labs were monitoring the bacterial & viral activities in 10 second blocks. Their reports indicated that the 3 viral cultures under test got “knocked out” in 10 seconds flat....
Dr.L.S. Macloud, Ph.D. (Cambridge Univ.)
Dear Carmen Mateescu, you didn't come out of my question at all, which however is not the one proposed by Ligen Yu with which I apologize and thank him for the hospitality. Yours, dear Carmen, is exactly the type of answer I possibly wanted from an expert in the treatment of COVID 19 infections, for I too have had your equal perplexities. Hopefully some more answers will come. I am not interested in how to disinfect houses with ozone or in UV light air cleaners, as both are well-established techniques and practices, that are already commonly used for a very long time. I am only interested, on the one hand, in the answers to Ligen's initial question because in my opinion this question is very important, interesting, useful and appropriate. On the other hand, after reading the news in an Italian newspaper about the use of ozone therapy on patients with COVID 19, I am interested in knowing more details and the opinion of some experts in the sector.
Furthermore, I would like to ask Ligen if he believes that it is better to open another discussion exclusively on the question I asked to leave more space here for his initial question. In any case, I would also like to report, for those wishing to learn more, to see the following sites:
- https://www.repubblica.it/salute/medicina-e-ricerca/2020/04/06/news/coronavirus_l_ozonoterapia_evita_la_terapia_intensiva-253290022/
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/290474717_Rapid_resolution_of_hemorrhagic_fever_Ebola_in_Sierra_Leone_with_ozone_therapy
- https://clinmedjournals.org/articles/jide/journal-of-infectious-diseases-and-epidemiology-jide-6-113.php?jid=jide
The original question has been transfigurated. The point is simple. If you want to tame the cytokine storm you should simultaneously use:
1) tocilizumab
2) infliximab
3) Celecoxib
4) tolfenamic acid
5) steroids
Alternatively you may use exsanguineotransfusio and steroids.
Yes, I believe there is a method. We recently saw in our laboratory that continuous peritoneal lavage improves all local and systemic inflammatory parameters during severe peritonitis. Thus, I believe that because the pleura is similar to the peritoneal tissue, an intervention in this sense would be interesting, or even hemodialysis.
Dear Mariana
Pleura and peritoneum are only similar in morphology. Functionally they work in a different way. I do not think that pleural dialisis is a possibilit y. In any case it would be useless.
Haemodialysis is not adequate to remove proteins. And chemokines are proteins.
Nigella sativa, see this paper:
Article A review on therapeutic potential of Nigella sativa: A miracle herb
Ligen: it IS indeed. We got it several yrs ago. It is in the form of a dark oil, NOT palatetable at all because of its taste. It needs to be encapsul;ated. We got it because of its Thymoquinone (TQ) content. We have "tons" of published Clinical evidence for TQ against CA.
Dr.Macloud
Dear Dr Ligen Yu , yes it is available in the market, in our tradition we use it ground and put some honey to treat cough, for several days. Traditional medicine is a gold mine!!
Hi everyone,
I am also interested in the cytokine storm after infection with highly pathogenic avian influenza virus and Covid-19. It is reported that endothelial cells work as the central regulators of cytokine storm. In my study, I found the possitive correlation between alveolar hemorrhage and cytokines in lung homogenates. Thus I estimate that some medication saves the endothelial cell barrier, prevents the alveolar hemorrhage might help the patients. Treatment with sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor agonists, which reduced the migration of immune cells into lungs, significantly inhibited synthesis of cytokines and improved the survival rate. Some papers reported that Vit-C also had some good effect. However, medication should be used as soon as possible. Once the pneumonia becomes severe with cytokine storm, it become difficult to solve.
Release of cytokines is also strongly involved with anoxia/hypoxia. The sequence therefore may be:
1 viral neumonitis
2 hypoxia
3 cytokine storm.
This would lead us to the idea that oxygen supplement should be used very early, even before evident hypoxia appears.
Dear Dr Ligen Yu ,
Natural non-aggressive way to prevent serious COVID-19 would be to sustain healthy life-style; to justify body weight, blood pressure, blood glucose and lipid, and especially visceral fat, before cytokine storm develops, I believe.
Dear Dr Takashi Ohoshi , thank you for your contribution to the discussion. I totally agree with you that good health is the most effective way in preventing cytokine storm. And I believe that the gut microbiome is the key for a good health, as they provide us with the essential nutrients that we cannot get from any other food or supplements. If you are interested, following please find our recent paper on gut microbiome:
https://www.researchgate.net/deref/http%3A%2F%2Fem.rdcu.be%2Fls%2Fclick%3Fupn%3D1VX9wGiUV7k-2FG8imEHteF-2BzBihF-2B9OHNHZhJHf3-2F8xQ-3D-bYv_u5h8giayITz1NaGwqnOtdbTqp82NKN1P5FjOGQb8JxFfGFEeluqxS-2FVsJa66oX-2FmpIIRC6qpkAY-2F6eZ07kG4t6ySRzZ3ZmY6GEySlnZ7yl5yQ7R3-2BqFcfKNrlJlq9tRn324SjykiYpFtlDn5n7f6iyWLnJCCbQTvobOOu3j6WqzJS91LID6hsAwmrGmZfwkGBme1eROluixeqw-2BLwQsV-2FtxXL7-2BUy2nwK8VyIke4kM1qNNvy2MxdbtoUX-2BVj2nKmqGx5MsirSqeqeEjy0-2FsfYyIdvYS5ldx9gYrTp-2BXGj40-3D
please take a look at this RG link
Thesis Elderberry is anti-bacterial, anti-viral and modulates the i...
Simple ways to self-check good health:
1. Doesn’t rely on any medicine for daily life;
2. Skin is resilient to small wounds like scratch or small cut. Wounds will heal in one to two days without infection or inflammation, regardless if the surrounding of the wound is clean or not;
3. Airway is always clean. This means that the microbiome are kept in the digestive tract. Microbiome like bacteria and fungi are only fed on dead or dysfunctional cells. If one practice regular restrictive eating every day, autophagy will automatically clean the dead or dysfunctional cells everywhere in the body and recycle them. So microbiome are not able to grow in large quantity in airway;
4. Resilient to virus infection. Unlike bacterial and fungi which are only feed on dead or dysfunctional cells, virus will invade healthy cells. Yet, a healthy person will be resilient to virus invasion and develop antibodies against the virus. He may feel chilly cold when there is virus infection, but such cold will not develop into fever, and the chilly cold be will be resolved in one or two days.
Dear Sir
Thesis Elderberry is anti-bacterial, anti-viral and modulates the i...
Ligen Yu Dear Mr Yu, I specifically applied to join this thread to be able to reply to your question, whether there is a natural non-aggressive way to treat cytokine storm. I dont know for sure, but I read several articles on Nigella Sativa which might point you in the correct direction. It has been proven to show promising results on animal studies, with a variety of benefits, including a potential cox-2 inhibitor. You might want to check pubmed on that. Just a tip.
I also want to add that it is very interesting to read many of the posts here on the issue. Appreciate it!
Dear Dr. Yuh~
WIthout going into a long discussion, you may want to tap into the work of Dr. Trevor Marshall at mpkb.org . He has made some significant steps since 2002 in this direction with off-label dosing of Olmesartan Medoxomil. It has a unique property of modulating the immune response at higher doses. You may want to look there...
Trudy Heil MS, ARNP ret.
Vitamin D prevents viral infections and also prevents over-reaction by the immune system, as it is needed by the T regulatory cells.
I suggest having a good level of vitamin D before being exposed to infection, and continuing to supplement vitamin D when ill. The further from the Equator you live the less vitamin D you make. Darker skinned people living far from the Equator are at particular risk. Have plenty of sun exposure, without covering yourself with clothes, or using sun blocking creams. Of course don't expose yourself to too much sun, and burn yourself. Avoid drugs unless they are absolutely necessary, as many of them lower vitamin D. Supplement vitamin D in oil, as it is a fat soluble vitamin. Eat foods rich in vitamin D like salmon, eggs and mushrooms.
Dear Ms. MARGARET MOSS
There is absolutely no evidence that vitamin D has anything to do with Covid 19 infection.
Dear Ms. Margaret Moss:
You may want to update your knowledge re: seco steroid D25. Any nucleated cell in the human body is capable of producing D,25. mpkb.org is a great resource of the 21st Century science. Thank you.
Trudy Heil MS, ARNP, ret.
We do not have double blind placebo controlled trials on Covid-19, because it is a new infection. So we look at experience with other viruses, and evidence of how the immune system works. This is true whether you are a doctor, applying treatments used in the past, that may or may not work for this virus, or whether your work is in nutrition. We all have to make decisions now, based on limited information.
One attempt to think about the information we have is Nutrients 2020, 12, 988; doi:10.3390/nu12040988. This article looks at the possible use of vitamin D against Covid-19.
A pre-Covid-19 article, Immunology. 2011 Oct; 134(2):123-139
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2567.2011.03482.x, discusses the relevance of vitamin D to the immune system.
I am aware that Dr. Marshall see matters differently. It is inevitable that there will be disagreements in a fast developing science.
Yes: Stay as far as you can away from any 5G source!!!
https://www.vigiliae.org/virus-link-to-5g/
https://inakarb.shop/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/5G-und-Corona.pdf
Well discuss ,by all the RG members Christian Jost, Margaret Moss, Ligen Yu
Kindly read the interesting link.
https://www.vox.com/2020/3/12/21176783/coronavirus-covid-19-deaths-china-treatment-cytokine-storm-syndrome
Read the below article.
Article Pharmacological (or Synthetic) and Nutritional Agonists of P...
I am not a medical doctor, but have basic chemical training as an engineer. Since a natural remedy was sought, I am responding based on research published on the effectiveness of MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) as a natural inhibitor of IL-1 and IL-6 interleukins. Also, Quercetin is known for IL-6 down regulation as well as being a zinc ionophore. This is NOT medical advice and must be used for educational purpose only (I have to clearly state this) and publications are available on this topic.
Dear Dr Johann Erich Wolfgang Holm , Thank you very much for your contribution to the discussion. As I am a layman on any of the medical specialities, any comments or contributions to this discussion are welcome.
I always think that to any problem, there are multiple solutions to it. And we can find the most economic yet effective way to solve the problem.
This is NOT a medical advice and must be used for educational purpose and clinical studies development only.
Letter to: Cytokine release syndrome in severe COVID-19
Repurposing of bazedoxifene to prevent cytokine storm in COVID-19 patients
Prof. Jan Brábek, PhD, Daniel Rosel, PhD, Michael Fernandes MD
We congratulate John B. Moore and Carl H. June on the recent article 1, describing cytokine release syndrome (CRS) in severe COVID-19 and the role IL6 signaling inhibition with humanized IL6 receptor antibodies in prevention of CRS. 1 The authors may have missed that bazedoxifene acetate (Conbriza, Pfizer) inhibits IL-6 signaling at therapeutic doses.2 The approved daily dose of bazedoxifene, indicated for osteoporosis, should effectively inhibit IL-6 signaling and this way potentially prevent or mitigate Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) COVID-19 patients. Compared to the monoclonal antibodies, tocilizumab, sarilumab, and siltuxizumab, bazedoxifene has additional advantages related to possible effectiveness against COVID-19 entry and replication 3, as well as scale-up, delivery and cost. At this time, and as implied by Moore and June 1, addressing ARDS, the proximate cause of mortality, with available agents, takes precedence over the development of antiviral antibiotics and vaccines.
We declare no competing interests.
*Jan Brábek, Daniel Rosel, Michael Fernandes [email protected] Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic (JB, DR); and Biotechnology and Biomedicine Center of the Academy of Sciences (BIOCEV) (JB, DR) and Charles University, Vestec, Czech Republic (JB, DR), Medbase, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA (MF)
References 1. Moore JB and June CH. Cytokine release syndrome in severe COVID-19. Science 2020; 10.1126/science.abb8925
2. Thilakasiri P, Huynh J, Poh AR, et al. Repurposing the selective estrogen receptor modulator bazedoxifene to suppress gastrointestinal cancer growth. EMBO Mol Med. 2019; 11: e9539.
3. Zhou Y, Hou Y, Shen J, et al. Network-based drug repurposing for novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV/SARS-CoV-2. Cell Discovery. 2020; 6:14.
Normally in autumn I catch the first cold that becomes
sore throat and cough throughout the winter.
This year I rinsed to the throat with olive oil and managed to contain
the (violent) cold in the nose and resolve it in 2 days.
I wonder if the same thing could also work for the virus,
which, if blocked immediately, is less harmful.
The basic idea is to have something in the oral cavity that can block
the advancement of the virus by enhancing defense
already carried out by mask and spacing.
I am reminded of Maalox which makes a protective layer in the stomach.
The oil is known what it does to bacteria in preserving jars.
And viruses are carried by cells.
More effective (oil) substances could be used
dipped in flavored candies (mint) for
an easy and pleasant assumption.
Dear Paolo Tritella
May be you should try some Holly Water. It has less calories than olive oil
Dear Dr Paolo Tritella ,
Thank you for your contribution to the discussion. In stead of rinsing the throat with oil, some of my friends in China suggest to apply some oil inside the nose to prevent the possible virus infection. Yet, I wonder its effectiveness, as the whole respiratory tract (including our lung) is open to the outside air, and we cannot cover the surface of the respiratory tract with oil.
Dear Ligen, thanks for your interest! Would be great if our suggestion would make it to clinical evaluation and eventually to the prevention of ARDS in serious covid-19 patients. We are preparing clinical study with bazedoxifene here in Prague. Any synergy is very welcome! Best regards, Jan
Paolo Tritella , Ligen Yu , Olive oil has many virtues, olive tree is a blessed tree.
Dear Ligen,
natural standardized aronia ( Aronia melanocarpa ) extract with a high declared concentration of polyphenols has a pronounced anti-inflammatory systemic effect and influence on some fractions of interleukin and C reactive protein as an indicator of inflammation. Also, such high concentrations of polyphenols have an effect on lowering blood pressure, triglyceride levels, cholesterol and glycemia, which makes the product very interesting for prevention and treatment support. Normally, a lifestyle change is necessary and recommended
Best regard
dr Miroslav Mitrovic
Not directly related to Cytokine Storm, but breathing exercise may be beneficial. It will not prevent infection, but may put patients into better condition to dealt with infection.
Article Can breathing exercises help protect you from covid-19?
Recently, I received an e-mail from a reader sending some related information to me. And I get his permission to post these information here. He was infected with COVID-19, developed pneumonia in 2nd week only and fully recovered at home.
The e-mail is a bit long, so I will separate it in several posts. Following is his email:
"I have been looking up at past and present stories of recoveries of various covid patients and have thus compiled a few data sources, that requires further study. Similar Cytokine based lung damage were observed as far back in 2017 by other covid viruses ( specifically h1N1)
"Thus I pass this information to you and hope we can get rid of this worlds deadly & worst allergic / reaction.
"Vitamin D3 does supress cytokines ( The type found in covid 19 patients suffering acute pneumonia)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16600924
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25331710
"L-Glutathione : Lessens the cytokine storm as cited by this "recent" news article below.
"I am sure additional scientific articles could be found with the click of a mouse.
https://nypost.com/2020/05/09/new-york-mom-with-coronavirus-saved-by-medical-student-son/
"Covid like symptoms existed in 2017. Blood purification of cytokines by CYTOSORB.
"Supression of IL-1, IL-10, IL-13, by a patient with self medication using various over the counter supplements such a vitamin D, Black Cumin Oil,Silymarin along with N-Acetyl cysteine under the comment section, by one " FreeDeliveryPrinting "
https://www.americanlaboratory.com/914-Application-Notes/340464-An-Effective-Treatment-Strategy-for-Cytokine-Storm-in-Severe-Influenza/
"Testing for elevated serun ferritin as a precurror to the impending cytokine storm.
https://www.newswise.com/articles/here-s-a-playbook-for-stopping-deadly-cytokine-storm-syndrome
https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newswise.com%2Farticles%2Fhere-s-a-playbook-for-stopping-deadly-cytokine-storm-syndrome&data=02%7C01%7C%7C7483e218f99e495429c908d7f7a1fdb2%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637250147432089704&sdata=w0dD7Sq9KNK0kh6vu9PT3jVPRFsdFO7IhQvkxsQzLwQ%3D&reserved=0
Here’s a playbook for stopping deadly cytokine storm syndrome
UAB pediatric rheumatologist Randy Cron gets calls from doctors around the globe asking if their patients have cytokine storm syndrome. Now he has co-authored the playbook.
www.newswise.com
"Test and acquire data from a huge sample of COVID patients , with various symptoms and tabulate all that data,
"1) Cytokine profile, 2) Metabolic and Vitamin Profile, 3) Pre-existing conditions, 4) Current medication taken etc , so on -- so forth.
https://www.evetechnologies.com/product/human-cytokine-array-chemokine-array-48-plex-hd48/
https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.evetechnologies.com%2Fproduct%2Fhuman-cytokine-array-chemokine-array-48-plex-hd48%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7C7483e218f99e495429c908d7f7a1fdb2%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637250147432119650&sdata=jDaA3trd668at%2FnIDTZBlLrlRlst0Q1g5mUMToF1XKs%3D&reserved=0
"*NEW - Human Cytokine Array / Chemokine Array 48-Plex (HD48) - Eve Technologies
"Get in touch With Eve Tech . 587-975-8850 Ext. 100 Office/Orders, Ext. 200 Lab/Results Inquiries Fax: 587-975-8899 [email protected] www.evetechnologies.com
www.evetechnologies.com
"https://www.evetechnologies.com/product/human-cytokine-chemokine-65-plex-panel-hd71-copy/
https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.evetechnologies.com%2Fproduct%2Fhuman-cytokine-chemokine-65-plex-panel-hd71-copy%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7C7483e218f99e495429c908d7f7a1fdb2%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637250147432144607&sdata=ZPpD3B9hyCvTroQRyqaDF8hYsRg%2FwBcUYFlcDFnstLA%3D&reserved=0
"* NEW - Human Cytokine Array/Chemokine Array 71-Plex Panel (HD71) - Eve Technologies
"Discovery Price $79.99/sample (single analysis / includes sample filtration). Single analysis volume required: 100uL, Duplicate analysis volume required: 150uL Recommended Dilution: *Note: RANTES has high concentrations in serum and plasma.If these targets are important to your study and your sample type is serum or plasma, it is recommended to run these 3 targets in a separate assay with a ...
www.evetechnologies.com
He also has several question to me, I also post here:
"My questions to you:
"1) Detection of Covid 19: Has Covid 19 virus been detected only thru nasal / oral swabs, or, detected in blood also. IF so , how did it enter blood?
"2) If detected in blood, was dissection / study of dead covid patients organs like lungs, heart, kidney, been done. Was the glomerular basement membrane ruptured, and thereby becoming a pathway to blood borne viral loading?
"3) In tests that are done in post covid patients, do they determine live virus or dead/damaged / ineffective virus?"
I have noticed that the sudden increase in COVID mortality at age 70 coincides with those aged around 10-11 in 1950-1960. This is consistent with the big decline in tonsillectomies after 1960 due to unproven concerns about the impact on diseases such as polio. Tonsils are involved in immune regulation and cytokine production. Has anyone done a correlation of tonsils against COVID mortality? It would help me sleep at night if I knew this had been done.
Tonsillectomy was associated to increased risk of autoimmune diseases, with higher standardized incidence ratios in Swedish adult population. (Ji J et al. J Autoimmunity 2016; 1-7) It could an epidemiological study to search the specific association of tonsillectomy with Covid-19 as a cause of immune dysfunction.
The most relevant paper I can find re tonsillectomy is:
Byars SG, Stearns SC, Boomsma JJ. Association of long-term risk of respiratory, allergic, and infectious diseases with removal of adenoids and tonsils in childhood [published online June 7, 2018]. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surge. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2018.0614
Dear Matt Webster and María Eugenia Vargas-Camaño , Thank you very much for your contribution to this discussion. I have found the papers you have mentioned:
Article Tonsillectomy associated with an increased risk of autoimmun...
Article Association of Long-Term Risk of Respiratory, Allergic, and ...
Study shows that severe or fatal COVID-19 very rare in children:
"Clinical characteristics of children and young people admitted to hospital with covid-19 in United Kingdom: prospective multicentre observational cohort study"
https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3249
https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/370/bmj.m3249.full.pdf
Dear Dr Ligen Yu.
I answer the comment you made to my question (https://www.researchgate.net/post/Are_there_unclear_moments_in_the_action_of_SARS-CoV-2 )
and I agree that everyone should follow a reduced energy diet. You stated that “it is impossible to get the data on the actions of the virus in the first and second week”. I reply that I don’t speak of clinical data (lab and instrumental data). Now I try to explain why I say that the war on SARS-CoV-2 can be won by striking the virus in the first days it binds the host. The effect of virus on people is diverse. There are people that when infected are asymptomatic. They don't need hospitalization. While, in the over 50s, there are the most critical patients because among them a good percentage require hospitalization around the end of the first, or the beginning of the second week of infection. Some of them require advanced respiratory support. Typically, these patients include those affected by the so-called cytokine storm that leads to many deaths. A constant with this viral infection is that in the first week there are typically no apparent clinical symptoms. Only in the second week we observe some clinical symptoms and prognosis depends on their gravity. We attribute the different resistance to infection of these individuals to a different capacity of the immune defenses according to age and comorbidities. What I have described is what happens at a clinical level, where doctors in recent months have learned how to manage the clinical symptoms of these patients better and better, saving many of them but without ever having a pharmacologically effective cure available. The conclusion is that at the clinical level the weapons to fight covid19 are partial and we cannot cure the disease.
Recently, a model of human lung epithelial cells (Nature) was infected with SARS-CoV-2. In the first 72 hours the virus rapidly reaches a very high replication which it maintains high up to 6 days, massively infecting the pulmonary epithelium. This means that in the first week the host is massively invaded but with no apparent signs of infection. The many sentinel cells and innate immune defenses should respond to stranger molecules in a few hours (4 - 6 hours). The information propagation mechanisms can be traced back to a typical scheme. The information activates a signaling chain that transmits a molecular signal to the cell nucleus, inducing the expression of many second level alarm signals in the form of proteins, often cytokines (eg interferons). These molecules propagate by activating nearby and distant cells in about 10 - 12 hours and determining the body's response through clinical symptoms (fever, fatigue, cough, myalgia, and so on). Surprisingly, in the first week, clinical symptoms are almost always absent, despite the massive invasion of the epithelium by the virus. This is not usual but testifies to the great efficiency of the virus in blocking our immune defenses.
The effectiveness and speed of action is due to the fact that SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA + virus that infects and replicates with great efficiency and speed directly in the cytoplasm where it decodes a few dozen proteins necessary for its replication and a small group of them (less than ten) is used to cancel the host's immune defenses. Therefore, the molecular strategy of containing immunity starts from some elementary chemical acts implemented by this group of proteins. The interaction with the host proteins somehow blocks the information chain, or induces the expression of proteins with different functions. It is reasonable to assume that the viral strategy is unique because we cannot imagine that the virus adapts its strategy to the age or to the co-morbidities of the host.
In the second week, covid has a rapid progression that develops in individuals differently depending on age and comorbidities. In some patients the metabolic response is dramatic because the organism tries to recover with a massive production of inflammatory cytokines in an attempt to stop the virus. But it can no longer control this exasperated response, perhaps for a lack of feedback systems. Thus, inflammation continues until the destruction of tissues and the organism itself (cytokine storm).
Knowledge of events at the cellular level, and knowledge at the clinical level, does not help us stop the virus. To stop the virus it is necessary to act on the molecular strategy that the virus implements in the first six days, blocking the initial elementary acts (the chemical interaction reactions) carried out by the virus and which lead to differentiated and individual metabolic responses. Only at the molecular level is it possible to design an effective drug.
Dear Prof Giovanni Colonna , thank you very much for answering my comment to your question. I would like to provide a different view on the virus-immunity interaction as below.
I suspect that the SARS-COV-2 virus is resolved by our immune system within the first 72 hours of infection. This is a deduction from the fact that, although in the first 72 hours the virus rapidly reaches a very high replication at the pulmonary epithelium, there is no virus detected in serum for the COVID-19 patients (there are rare cases reporting of RNA detected in blood donated by asymptomatic COVID-19 patients, but not active viruses in blood). This means that the viruses are successfully stopped at the surface of our body by our immune system in the first week. The subsequent symptoms of COVID-19 patients are more likely to be prolonged inflammation than infection. And prolonged inflammation, especially the cytokine storm, is the result of over-nutrition.
During infection, our immune system will fight with the virus. There are a lot of dead virus proteins as well as dead cell components at the fighting site like the pulmonary epithelium. These dead or dysfunctional proteins need to be taken away by autophagy/xenophagy right away to stop it being used by the virus as source of nutrition to replicate, and to be used by our body as a source of nutrition. Yet the proper function of autophagy requires serum starvation. So, when there is infection or inflammation, eat as less as possible is essential for speed recovery. If these dead proteins (immunonutrition) are accumulating at the fighting site, virus replication is inevitable, and will attract more cytokine, and cause the cytokine storm.
There are reports saying that recovered COVID-19 patients can be re-infected by SARS-COV-2 virus.
My interpretation is that such cases are normal. For all pathogens, like viruses, bacteria and fungi, when they attacked us and our immunity created antibodies against them, they may not do harm to us for certain time, but they never left. Instead, they become part of the human microbiome on our body (or inside our body), although they may become so less that they are not detectable by any medical equipment. All these microorganisms on or inside our body are opportunistic pathogens, and they may replicate themselves if our body skin (including the digestive tract and the respiratory tract) has superfluous nutrition like dead or dysfunctional cell components on it. This is why restrictive eating to maintain certain level of autophagy is very important for our health: autophagy will carry away these dysfunctional or dead cell components away to other part of our body and reuse them, so that these opportunistic pathogens are unable to replicate, and stop the re-infection of the pathogens.
The hope of controlling or preventing covid with foods and lifestyle has limits. If we talk about caloric restriction, it is certainly a good practice, because keeping the levels of sub-clinical inflammation low because of lifestyle helps in case of infection, at least from an immune point of view. Unfortunately, there are no comparative data for this effect on severe covid-patients before and after the disease, to support this hypothesis, because we will hardly have the basal values of the prognostic markers (Ferritin, CRP, D-dimer, IL-6, and so on) when that specific patient was healthy for a comparative evaluation. The basal values must be referred to each specific individual because these markers are non-specific and vary a lot, also in physiological conditions. Knowing the basal is essential for making the assessment. Many also think about the active principles found in plants. It is just from traditional medicine that they have been discovered and studied. Unfortunately, many princes suffer from a serious problem. They are non-polar substances with a very low bio-availability index. The synthetic compound is much less bio-available because the natural compound taken from the diet is often glycated and, therefore, more soluble and indirectly absorbed through the membrane gates of the intestinal microvilli that pass sugars (SGLTs). The limit is that we should eat vast amounts of the vegetable every day to have a pharmacologically effective blood concentration, eating it for days. Chemical attempts to improve the bio-availability of synthetic compounds are not very encouraging.
Dear Prof Giovanni Colonna , thank you for your comments. You are right that food intake restriction is not able to control or prevent COVID-19 from happening. It is rather to prevent the confirmed COVID-19 cases from developing into severe cases by reducing the inflammation level after the infection of the SARS-COV-2 virus. This is most important for the COVID-19 patients with old age.
Unlike the adult COVID-19 patients, reports shows that COVID-19 recovery rate for children with chronic illness equal to healthy peers:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1698916/saudi-arabia
This shows that the differences in microbiome profiles in children and in adults contribute to the different inflammation levels in children and in adults. Children have a more simple microbiota profile, so that the inflammation at the epithelial cells are much more mild, and they can recover more speedily, even if they have chronic illness. But for adults with chronic illness, the microbiota is more diverse, and the pathogens accumulated over the years become opportunistic pathogens, which make the inflammation in adults more severe if the patients do not restrict their food intake. And restrictive eating helps to keep the inflammation level low, so that the COVID-19 disease can be remained in the mild stage for the adults with chronic diseases.
We many need to understand the whole picture from the point view of microbiology.
Although microorganisms like viruses and bacteria are the real masters of this earthy world since the beginning of life billions of years ago, and all multicellular organisms like plants and animals are evolved from these single cell microorganisms, all animals like human being have developed a set of effective sophisticated strategies (like our immunity) to cooperate with and defend from these microorganisms. Otherwise, there is no chance for human being to survive for millions of years in this viruses and bacteria world:
Article Animals in a bacterial world, a new imperative for the life sciences
As the the microorganisms like the bacteria have a gene pool 100 fold of that of human beings, they are the indispensable source of essential nutrients like essential amino acids and essential fatty acids for human beings. All microorganisms show their destructive strength only when they are replicated in enormous quantity inside our body. And they need nutrition to do such replication. If we want to harmonically co-exist with them and benefit from their existence, the only simple way is: have them with us, but control the amount of them to the minimal using our body's nutrition supply and maintenance strategies. Every individual is able to do this simple nutrition restriction. Over-nutrition is the only fuel for hyperinflammation and cytokine storm. If a person is physically fit, the viruses or bacteria are not an issue, and there is no chance for fatality even if everyone of us still leads a normal life as before.
I agree with Dr Tim Icenogle that COVID-19 is more a viral induced autoimmune disease than an infection:
Article COVID-19: Infection or Autoimmunity
SARS-COV-2 virus infection is a self-limiting infection. This is why most of the COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic or mild. Our immunity is sufficient in clearing the virus. Yet, for the severe cases of COVID-19, the immunity is strong but malfunctioning, which creates too much cytokines (the cytokine storm) and attacking all cells in multi organs in the body, leading to the failure of these organs and the fatality of the patients.
Simple ways to self-check good health (Updated):
1. Don’t rely on any medicine for daily life no matter we are 18 or 80;
2. There is no pain or ache at any part of the body. My personal experience shows that to get rid of large joint pain like the knee pain or heel pain, the BMI need to reduce to below 24; yet, for small joint pain like finger joint pain and morning stiffness, a BMI below 20 is necessary.
3. Skin is resilient to small wounds like scratch or small cut. Wounds will heal in one to two days without infection or inflammation, regardless if the surrounding of the wound is clean or not;
4. Airway is always clean. This means that the microbiome are kept in the digestive tract. Microbiome like bacteria and fungi are only fed on dead or dysfunctional cells. If one practice regular restrictive eating every day, autophagy will automatically clean the dead or dysfunctional cells everywhere in the body and recycle them. So microbiome are not able to grow in large quantity in airway;
5. Resilient to virus infection. Unlike bacterial and fungi which are only feed on dead or dysfunctional cells, virus will invade healthy cells. Yet, a healthy person will be resilient to virus invasion and develop antibodies against the virus. He may feel chilly cold when there is virus infection, but such cold will not develop into fever, and the chilly cold be will be resolved in one or two days.
Natural non_aggressive way to prevent to serious covid_19 would be to keep healthy life_style ,to jusify body weight, body glucose,blood pressure and lipids before cytokinase developed as i think
Dear Prof Salameh Barhoom , thank you very much for your participation in the discussion. Yet, I would suggest that the main idea of "keeping healthy lifestyle, justifying body weight, body glucose, blood pressure and lipids before cytokine storm develops" should be credited to Dr Takashi Ohoshi.
DearLigen Yu thanks...about previous answer the mentioned points either mentioned
byDr.Takshi Ohoshi nor by treating physican in clinic is important natural non_aggressive way in addition innate immunity.thank you with best regards.
Dear Dr Hermann Gruenwald , thank you for joining the discussion and your above question.
Personally, although I have morbid obesity, I successfully lost my weight (from around 70 kg to around 50 kg), and have maintained at 50 kg for more than 3 years, before my morbid obesity developed into Type 2 diabetes mellitus.
If we read the book "The Art of Living Long" (from page 42 to page 45) by Luigi Cornaro, we can find that Cornaro was a typical morbidly obese T2DM patient when he was 35 to 40 years old:
http://hdl.handle.net/2027/nnc2.ark:/13960/t1sf3j34q
His remedy was rather very very simple: eat-but-little and using food only.
The following is my understanding about T2DM. It is my personal opinion only, and should not serve as medical advice.
T2DM is a condition of insulin resistance and decrease in insulin secretion caused by the declining function of pancreatic beta-cell. The accumulation of toxic lipid metabolites in non-adipose tissue like muscle, liver, adipocytes, beta cells and arterial tissues is the main cause of insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction in type 2 diabetes. So instead of targeting glycemic control, reverse the insulin resistance and regenerate the pancreatic beta-cell and their insulin secretion function should be the real task of T2DM management.
Here I would like to emphasize the importance of human microbiome, as they are the indispensable sources of metabolites for our body. Yet, dysbiosis (overgrown of any strain of the microbiota) is one of the contributing factors of morbid obesity and metabolic syndromes. So one have to practice restrictive eating in order to revert T2DM. This is because, the serum fasting is a strong inducer for autophagy, which plays pivotal role in cellular homeostasis, cell repairing and cytotoxic proteins and damaged organelles removal.
Dear Dr Hermann Gruenwald , when we set out for weight loss and weight management, there are some psychological issues need to be taken into account.
We human beings are irrational, so try to build up a custom of weight management, instead of using willpower. Body weight fluctuation is normal, as long as in the long term it is decreasing, we are happy.
It is relatively easy to lose 5 to 10 kg in 4 to 6 month, yet it is very hard to maintain such weigh loss. Also the motivation may wear out after one or two years, and we may slip back to the old lifestyle. So it is very important to write down the progress everyday (write weight loss diary). Also try to share your own successful story with others. This can help others, but more importantly, it help us in reinforcing our motivation. All these words in written will have magic power in ideal weight maintenance.
Dear dr Yu, this is nice and logical question.
During a cytokine storm when a patient is on oxygen and corticosteroid medications, natural ways are in the background. However, concomitant administration of high doses of antioxidants may help like us till of prevention and therapy. High oral doses of standardized polyphenols (400 mg or higher doses) from the chokeberry can be interesting way to help us to fight with inflammatory process till of virus infections by acting on oxidative stress. If we talk about natural way, this options is from my opinion correct, but only like part of standardized therapy controlled by doctors. I nominate high standardized polyphenols doses as one of the ways to keep the inflammatory process under control.
Dr.Ligen yu thank you very much for your valuable applied question.
Recently, I have posted three related answers in another discussion:
https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_is_Coronavirus_or_COVID-19_affecting_you_and_your_community_What_have_you_learned_about_the_virus_What_preventative_measures_are_you_taking
I would also like to share these answers here. The following is the 1st one:
Dear Craig Carlton Dremann , the SARS-COV-2 virus and the COVID-19 disease is two related but completely different issue. The SARS-COV-2 virus is only the starter of COVID-19, and it has soon been killed by the strong immunity of each of the human body. That's why most COVID-19 is asymptomatic or mild, and we will never detect virus in serum after 14 days of infection. The SARS-COV-2 virus is self-limiting.
COVID-19 is an autoimmune disease:
Article COVID-19: Infection or Autoimmunity
The strong (it effectively eradiated the virus) but malfunctioning (the overexuberant autoimmune component) of the immune system is the real problem in sever cases of COVID-19. The cytokine storm destroy multiple organs, and lead to the death of the patient. So the real cure of COVID-19 should be rebuilding the healthy immunity in all persons, especially in the elderly, not the eradication of the virus (as the virus will be eradicated by the human immunity anyway).
The following is the 2nd one:
Dear Dr Gennady Fedulov, thank you for your interest in my answer and citing it in full. I agree with you that vaccine might not work. There are a lot of misunderstanding about microorganisms like viruses and bacteria. Most of the viruses and almost all bacteria are self-limiting, due to the phagocytosis and other host defenses. Our immune system is not only a defence strategy, it is also a nutrition acquisition mechanism. As the bacteria have a gene pool 100 time than that of human being, by degrading the bacteria and virus, our immunity provide us with the most precious essential amino acids and other essential nutrients that we are unable to obtain from any of our foods. So viruses and bacteria is not simply an enemy we need to get rid off; they are the real food for our body. Without them, our immunity will never get the right nutrition to work properly. So never ever treat the bacteria and virus with hate, we, especially our physical body need them.
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