COVID 19 prevention and treatment

The new virus that is causing such havoc around the world is either a bat, a pangolin, or a snake virus which has picked up the ability to infect human cells and in addition has become very contagious.  Not just droplet born but evidently can be breathed due to its preferred target of infection, the lung cells thru their abundant expression of ACE2 receptors which the virus uses to enter a cell.

Its evolution points to eating dynamics that are seen in China and their food markets maybe the origin (anything that moves gets eaten….heck they even eat what doesn’t move), or it could be earths’ way of thinning the population in order to save itself  from the destruction that is happening to earth (Gaia Hypothesis states that earth is a living, breathing, intelligent organism and all life on the planet is dependent on each other and all of life processes regulate and affect each other.  The earth is being destroyed by the human species so its getting rid of us…that’s at least a the speculation if the is true and earth has intelligence and true connectivity of all species ).  There is also the possibility of one of the Wuhan labs that has been working on coronaviruses, known and cited numerous times in the past for sloppiness, and may have been where patient zero may have came from. 

Whatever the reason for its appearance, it is here and has spread all around the world killing people and shutting down economies.  About 20% of people infected show no symptoms, but because they are infected, they become carriers.  Those that do, the symptoms might be mild, moderate, or severe and require hospitalization.    Of those who get infected about 40% have mild symptoms, about 40% have moderate symptoms.  15% develop severe disease, and about 5% become critical and may need ventilation (WHO).  Of those who recover, many have longer term problems such as continued lethargy and have trouble getting back to their normal life.   Those fortunate enough to survive days or weeks on a ventilator may unfortunately experience delirium from having been sedated by benzodiazepines during the time with the ventilator.

There are ways to reduce chances of getting this horrendous disease, and to increase the chances of survival if the virus does take up residence in the body.  

When the body first sees this virus which it has no memory of (not seen it before), it goes into the fight mode which starts with activation and expansion of certain immune cells and recruitment of other immune cells to the site to fight the infection. 

First line of defense is what is called innate immune system for an immediate response.  One of these types of cells is called a neutrophil.  It comes in and starts to immobilize any pathogen it sees by extruding a strand of DNA like a web, to catch and entomb the pathogen (neurtophil extracellular traps or NET).  It turns out this immediate reaction of the body is the cause of the pneumonia that is causing some to be put on a ventilator.  Please check out my blog on this step and how it leads to problems.

Another step in the innate immune system arsenal is the production of Interferons.  Interferons are a group of proteins that the cell produces soon as it sense the presence of a virus.  This shuts down the protein production machinery of the cell.  The cell also secretes the interferons (these are a group of cytokines and involved in recruitment of cells to the site of infection),  so that other cells can slow down their uptake of their environment including the virus.   This step, interferon production due to presence of the virus, is hijacked by the virus!!  There are over 50 genes that are turned off by this virus, yet the recruitment of cells to the site of infection keeps happening without an actual fight, in other words inflammation runs rampant with little to no resolution of the problem. 

Autopsy of patients lungs have shown extreme damage to the alveoli (the structure in the cells where gas exchange happens) as well as a thick, hard to expectorate mucous impeding the lungs ability to have oxygen slip thru the thin membrane and into the blood.  The oxygen levels drop to a dangerously low level and usually a ventilator is not the best option yet this is what happens.  Chances of coming off a ventilator alive is less than 20%!! 

There are much better approaches to this disease.

Yet another trick that COVID 19 uses is to somehow override the bodies ability to compensate for low blood oxygen by breathing faster!  When blood oxygen levels get too low, the brain signals the body to breathe faster.  This may lead someone to feel short of breath and wonder whats going on with their lungs and possibly get to the ER before the damage is too extensive…..before chest pain upon inhalation begins because that usually signals the presence of blockage in the lower respiratory tree, due to pneumonia or NET’s for now before pneumonia sets in.   ER docors have noted patients coming in with tightness in the chest and they are on their phone in the ER or otherwise just carrying along fine yet their oxygen level maybe as low as 60-70%  This would normally cause a seizure and start the process of extensive damage to the body due to lowered oxygen.   The tightness that they are feeling is due to the lungs (lower lungs first) being so clogged up with this thick exudate in the alveoli that now the diaphragm doesn’t move as easily due to the “hardening” of the lungs.

When the lungs are checked with an X-ray or other imaging device, they find much ground glass like opacity (obstruction) in the lungs.  This is one reason why a pulse oximeter which measures oxygen levels is useful to have at home.  Soon as the levels go below 95%, no matter how good one is feeling, its time to get the lungs checked out and finding out what is wrong.   Every time a patient comes in to my clinic, their oxygen levels are checked.

The innate immune system gets into the fight right away, the acquired immune system is much more specific and takes longer to arm.  It has to learn what the antigen(s) are and expand those subset of cells.   The chemical messengers that carry out this immune activation can get stuck in a positive feedback loop secreting more and more chemical messengers that recruit more and more immune cells of various types to the site of infection, which can easily result is what is known as a cytokine storm.   The cytokine storm caused by this virus is due to the interferon family of genes being shut off so virus production stays high.  The call for recruitment is intact but the call to arms has been hijacked by the virus.

Result is lots of collateral damage from COVID 19 with no good resolution to the disease.

Cytokines are inflammatory and an out of control cytokine release can cause more harm than good.  This is one main reason why anti-inflammatories help with this condition.  In addition to the overall inflammation, the lungs in most, the gut in some, and the brain in many are affected. 

In some, the blood starts to thicken and stroke, embolism, and heart attack become morbidity factors to worry about.   Clinicians are evaluating benefits of blood thinners at the present time to see if severely ill COVID 19 patients would benefit.   One of my favorite molecules of all time is Omega-3 group of fatty acids with DHA and EPA being the ones in fish oil.  These essential fatty acids help to keep the blood from clotting and a fish oil supplement taken regularly at the right dose (too high of a dose will cause one to get easily bruised) can possibly keep the blood from getting too thick and causing other problems. 

As you already know, COVID 19 is a very complex and tricky virus, is spread very easily, and even survivors may have lingering effects permanently, or for a long time.

COVID 19 can effect all systems of the body, causing overall immune reactions that can become out of control and is being seen more and more in children.   The children can get an out of control auto-immune condition that mimics Kawasaki syndrome.  In adults, it’s the respiratory system as well as the circulatory, neurological, and gastro-intestinal issues in addition to the body aches, fever, sore throat, and with some, diarrhea or lack of appetite.

What actually happens:  The amount of virus one comes in contact with matters, as do the genetics of the person, not just whether they have pre-existing conditions such as lung issues, diabetes, immune system issues, age.   It turns out some people who are exposed to COVID 19 get at most a mild form of a cold, either strictly due to their genetics, or they have been exposed in the past with a coronavirus or even a rhino virus or adenovirus that allowed some immune reaction in their bodies that may serve them during this period.  Genetics plays a big role in deciding how the course of the infection goes, but so does our diet, exercise status, and stress levels.   I think history of consuming processed foods will turn out to also be a factor in how sick one gets.  The chemicals that make up processed foods are not natural and since there is no good way to have them clear the body, they stick around in the muscles and tissues of the body.  Watch what you eat.  Have more anti-inflammatory foods and less processed foods.

At Summit Healing Arts we have implemented protocols to ensure a zero viral load at the clinic.

Herbal medicine and acupuncture can treat for prevention as well as different presentations of the disease (lungs, clotting, digestive issues, etc) stages, as well as for recovery.  Herbs for different stages support what the virus is known to be doing to the various organs of the body thru its course of infection.  After an infection such as COVID 19 passes acupuncture and herbal medicine are invaluable and will get one back on their feet faster.

Stay healthy and dont let your guards down.  Come to the clinic for optimal health of your body, mind, and yes spirit.