Hello All,

With the prospect of reopening the economy increasing many are huddling in fear of a second wave.
So I thought I would again throw in my $.02.

We should all know about vitamin D.

[www.grassrootshealth.net]

A pulse oximeter is also a wise investment (<$20 at Amazon)

Yesterday I read another hot off the press article that pertains to my favorite strategy, i.e., losartan (an Angiotensin receptor blocker for COVID therapy in those with a comorbidity)

[www.medscape.com]

I have posted about this several times

[www.afibbers.org]
[www.afibbers.org]
[www.peakprosperity.com] (remove "&gt" from every link or you'll get "not found”)

Good luck and don't let fear dominate your life. Be prepared.

PC:

Do you have an opinion on the C-19 Antibody or "Immune response" tests? Quest just emailed me that they are offering these. I am wondering if its even worth doing this test, since it might not be reliable.

Hi TAF,

I’m no expert on what's available out there with respect to Covid antibody tests. There is the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) which duplicates any strand of DNA or RNA present in the blood to a level that can be detected. The result is either positive or negative and there are many false positives. Then there’s the antibody tests which are measured in titers. The blood sample (serum) is diluted, e.g., 1 to 10, 1 to 20, 1 to 40, 1 to 80 etc., and antibodies measured. The more dilute with detectable antibody, the higher the titer and antibody level.

This enveloped RNA virus is more contagious than the flu, but like the flu is constantly mutating. Like the flu it will stay endemic in the population and come out seasonally during the winter (low vitamin D levels) each year => cold, flu, corona season. And each year a new vaccine will be required, just like the flu.

So many are so fearful that there is a widespread search for an antibody test that guarantees immunity. This search will be in vain for the above reasons. Why not just forget about the viruses and pursue a healthy lifestyle. Get plenty of C&D, address your comorbidities (exercise, weight control, ? ARB,...) and get prepared for the monetary reset. Other than that, enjoy today!

From Quest Labs:

Testing statements

The antibody tests (sometimes known as the serology tests or IgG tests) are intended for use as an aid in identifying individuals with an adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2, indicating recent or prior infection. Results are for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 are generally detectable in blood several days after initial infection, although the duration of time antibodies are present post-infection is not well characterized. At this time, it is unknown for how long antibodies persist following infection and if the presence of antibodies confers protective immunity. Individuals may have detectable virus present for several weeks following seroconversion. Negative results do not preclude acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. If acute infection is suspected, molecular testing for SARS-CoV-2 is necessary. The antibody test should not be used to diagnose acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. False positive results for the antibody test may occur due to cross-reactivity from pre-existing antibodies or other possible causes.

-The antibody tests and the molecular tests (together “All tests”) have not been FDA cleared or approved;
- All tests have been authorized by FDA under EUAs for use by authorized laboratories;
-The antibody tests have been authorized only for the detection of IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens;
-The molecular tests have been authorized only for the detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens; and,
-All tests are only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of in vitro diagnostics for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19 under Section 564(b)(1) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the authorization is terminated or revoked sooner.

Quote
PC, MD
Why not just forget about the viruses and pursue a healthy lifestyle. Get plenty of C&D, address your comorbidities (exercise, weight control, ? ARB,...)

PC, thank you for all your work & posts here. {edit} including this 2nd thread on COVID.

My strategy (quite a bit of this I would do, virus or not).

I don't have all the answers, this is what I came up with for me. I'm a fan of asymmetric risk (low downside, large upside) and diversification.

- don't catch it - social distancing, mask, hand washing, limit exposure

- upregulate immune function: KAATSU blood flow moderation training, exercise as I've suggested for my afibber son-in-law (Zone 2, bodyweight), optimize sleep and deep sleep, Base level of Vitamin C intake. Zn, Se, Mg, K. Optimize serum vitamin D - sun & supplements (25(OH)D in April 96 ng/mL). High dose melatonin (>200 mg/day).

{edit} I am taking NAC and Mercola has an article on it, as well as a MedCram video. From the article,

"N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and glutathione may be a useful adjunct in COVID-19 treatment due to the role they play in combating oxidative stress.

NAC may also combat the abnormal blood clotting seen in many cases

Research has demonstrated that NAC can attenuate symptoms of influenza and improve cell-mediated immunity. For every two people treated with NAC, one will be protected against symptomatic influenza

NAC also inhibits viral replication and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), in cells infected with highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza virus, and reduces acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)

NAC may protect against coagulation problems associated with COVID-19, as it counteracts hypercoagulation and breaks down blood clots"

- don't have comorbidities. Avoid hyperinsulinemia through diet/fasting. My systolic blood pressure was creeping above 120. I fasted for 5 days in March and it did not respond, so added in training with Zona, an isometric device based on fighter pilot g training (takes 6-12 weeks of regular use for effect). Also strength and other fitness training with KAATSU bands that cyclically moderate blood flow while using. This will stimulate the production of growth hormone, IGF-1, VEGF. Now systolic is consistently < 120 and sometimes even < 100 (diastolic is usually 60 or less). Focus on nasal breathing even during exercise and at night for nitric oxide as well as increased O2 to cells because of higher serum CO2 and Bohr Effect. I have taped my mouth shut at night for years and can see the elimination of apenas on a beat to beat tachogram overnight (HR vs time).

- test various metrics 2x/day to potentially get early warning of infection. This includes SpO2, temperature, BP, HRV, HR during sleep, pulse wave velocity, blood glucose, serum ketones. An infected friend got early warning in HRV and HR. I'm guessing I'd also see it in glucose at a minimum.

- if early warning signal occurs:
50,000 ius vitamin D3 three times/day for 3 days
increase vitamin C (ascorbic acid) intake to bowel tolerance with intake every 1/2 hour
see if I can get IV vitamin C from a doc (per Liz's Doc Brownstein Have to go to his blog on the Wayback Machine to get details for this and the following.
have an ozone generator for ear & rectal insufflation as well as creating ozonated water for consumption
have a nebulizer to nebulize [web.archive.org] iodine with saline solution as well as H2O2 (food grade) with saline solution {update 6 Sept 2020} See Brownstein's paper [www.kaarid.ca]
consume quercetin (a Zn ionophore like chloroquine, but no negative side effects) with Zn

-if this fails and SpO2 drops, have a filled script for losartan to upregulate circulating ACE2 (per PC's posts). If it looks like I'm getting pneumonia have a filled script for a Z Pack to take care of the bacterial side (will test for bacterial infection before taking).

- if this fails, will ask for repeated hyperbaric oxygen treatment, 90 min at 2 ATM rather than a ventilator (see presentation)

Avoid hypercoagulability

{edit} from Dr. Brownstein's now hidden post on nebulizing "With my patients, I have them nebulize Lugol’s 5% solution. I tell them to put 1-2 drops of Lugol’s 5% in 3cc of normal saline and nebulize the mixture.

For hydrogen peroxide, food grade hydrogen peroxide should be used. We mix up a bag of normal saline and add hydrogen peroxide along with minerals. It is similar to the IV version that we infuse into patients.

My (Brownstein's) cousin was experiencing shortness of breath and had flu-like symptoms. We were in a pinch since he was 200 miles away. In this case, I had his wife dilute food grade—35%–peroxide down to 3% using clean, sterile water. Then, 3cc of that diluted mixture was further diluted in 250 cc of normal saline. Finally, 3 cc of the saline-diluted mixture can be nebulized."

Update 6 Sept 2020. Interview with Brownstein [articles.mercola.com] Brownstein's group published an article on 107 case studies in July 2020 [www.kaarid.ca] Mercola suggests a 0.1% hydrogen peroxide dilution, Brownstein 0.04%. Instructions are in the interview. Dilute with normal saline water.



Edited 13 time(s). Last edit at 09/06/2020 10:30PM by GeorgeN.

Aloha George,

I'm convinced that the only route via which you will leave this life is by homicide or accident. Otherwise you would be a permanent scourge, at least for your wife.

We've had only 17 deaths in this state. And I don't want anyone losing site of the forest for the trees on this. TAKE YOUR VITAMIN D3 (with a meal).

[academic.oup.com]

This is just another article that underscores this.

Quote
PC, MD
We've had only 17 deaths in this state. And I don't want anyone losing site of the forest for the trees on this. TAKE YOUR VITAMIN D3 (with a meal).

Aloha PC,

I'm sure having a ~20 deg latitude helps a lot!

Along this line: Evidence of Protective Role of Ultraviolet-B (UVB ) Radiation in Reducing COVID-19 Deaths
Interview with one of the authors

I'd linked this above, but to emphasize actually treating with D3:
High dose vitamin D administration in ventilated intensive care unit patients: A pilot double blind randomized controlled trial (this is pre-COVID-19) "A total of 31 subjects were enrolled with 13 (43%) being vitamin D deficient at entry (25(OH)D levels < 20 ng/mL). The 250,000 IU and 500,000 IU vitamin D3 regimens each resulted in a significant increase in mean plasma 25(OH)D concentrations from baseline to day 7; values rose to 45.7 ± 19.6 ng/mL and 55.2 ± 14.4 ng/mL, respectively, compared to essentially no change in the placebo group (21 ± 11.2 ng/mL), p < 0.001. There was a significant decrease in hospital length of stay over time in the 250,000 IU and the 500,000 IU vitamin D3 group, compared to the placebo group (25 ± 14 and 18 ± 11 days compared to 36 ± 19 days, respectively; p = 0.03). There was no statically significant change in plasma LL-37 concentrations or other clinical outcomes by group over time."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/26/2020 12:45PM by GeorgeN.

🤙🏽😎

The Essential Role of Vitamin D in the Biosynthesis of Endogenous Antimicrobial Peptides May Explain Why Deficiency Increases Mortality Risk in COVID-19 Infections

Yep. Thanks to Steve Carr this last 6 months I've increased my D level to 176 nmol/l (70ng/mL) and am maintaining it around that level with 5000iu/day. It hasn't eliminated ectopics like it did for Steve, but I'm sure the 20000iu/day I've been taking played a significant role in keeping my own recent (mid-March) run-in with Covid 19 to just a bit of a sore throat for a few days (my other half had it rather worse than me but recovered fully after 10 days - lost sense of taste and smell for last 3 days of those 10).

When Googling ref ranges just now I saw a lot of stuff warning that evidence was/is emerging showing that levels > 50ng/mL are linked to potential side effects but not detail. IIRC George N here keeps his levels around 100ng/mL and knowing George with very sound logic backing that up!! Although I'm figuring that anywhere between 50 and 100 ng/mL one needs to be keeping Ca intake to a reasonable minimum.

Quote
mwcf
When Googling ref ranges just now I saw a lot of stuff warning that evidence was/is emerging showing that levels > 50ng/mL are linked to potential side effects but not detail. IIRC George N here keeps his levels around 100ng/mL and knowing George with very sound logic backing that up!! Although I'm figuring that anywhere between 50 and 100 ng/mL one needs to be keeping Ca intake to a reasonable minimum.

From the data presented, even 40 ng/mL seems to be protective. Gundry told us that ~20 years ago, when he started his "longevity" practice, he was very traditional with respect to vitamin D. He had some patients who came in with intentional levels around 250 ng/mL. They were adamant that levels should be that high. He later came around to that point of view & said that he's seen higher levels be very beneficial for those with autoimmune issues (me). He told me he keeps his own around 120 ng/mL. I've run my levels up to 150 ng/mL without negative consequences, though more normally keep them around 95-100 ng/mL. He also told me he's not seen hypervitaminosis D in his practice. Dr. Mercola told me he's not taken a D supplement for over 10 years, he keeps his level at >70 ng/mL by walking on the beach in shorts for an hour a day near his Florida home in the middle of the day.

I'm not advocating for levels like I keep, but certainly >40 ng/mL makes sense to me. Here is an infographic that Rhonda Patrick put together. As well as her discussion on the topic.

That D would be integral in a longevity practice makes perfect sense.

D technically is not even a vitamin (something we take to address a dietary deficiency) but a hormone (requires sunlight) that inhibits renin that produces angiotensin II.
Angiotensin II is essential to the development of diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and many of the other comorbid maladies, not to mention alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s.
[vitamindwiki.com]
Angiotensin II by an indirect pathway suppresses vitamin D.
[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
D down regulates the pro inflammatory effects of angiotensin II.
[pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

For me D is right up there with Mg!

Thank you George for leading the discharge errr D charge.

Mercola hosted a roundtable discussion of 3 researchers in the Vitamin D space here. Worth a listen, in my opinion.

One nugget, one of the participants noted his serum 25(OH)D levels increased after he increased his magnesium intake.

Thought this graph comparing D3 intake vs serum 25(OH)D was interesting from Grassrootshealth.net

Thank you again George for the great graph.

I detect some element of fear of excess vitamin D amongst many out there. I include the below graph to allay any such worry about toxicity.

[www.grassrootshealth.net]



And to repeat the most important step graph of all

[www.grassrootshealth.net]

[www.grassrootshealth.net]

For those of you who are loathe to visit a medical facility to learn your vitamin D status, perhaps the below will be of some assistance.

[www.grassrootshealth.net]

Received an email from a cardiologist friend in Milan, ground zero for COVID in Italy, about research his father and colleagues just published. The results of this new therapy had triggered a phone call from Fauci three weeks earlier. It involves addressing the disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) that claims many COVID patients.

[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov] (Aug 2020)

So

1) take D3 to avoid the COVID

2) take losartan ASAP after contracting it to avoid the hospital (personal approach)

[www.researchgate.net] (May 2020) *

[academic.oup.com] (May 2020)

3) consider an anti platelet med at each step, esp if in the ICU to avoid the coffin (follow DIC risk with lab hs CRP, D-dimer levels)

* My contact in the Netherlands just published an article supporting #2 (first hyperlink)

Quote
PC, MD
3) consider an anti platelet med at each step, esp if in the ICU to avoid the coffin (follow DIC risk with lab hs CRP, D-dimer levels)

Though I didn't comment on it in my link above, I was thinking about hypercoagulability with a number of my interventions.

KAATSU users in an inpatient setting had significantly lower incidence of DVT's than typical. Per Jim Stray-Gundersen MD's presentation. (Also IHMC presentation) He describes how this training reduces the elements of Virchow's triad {edit} Endothelial health is important to me. Tonight, did an hour of KAATSU cycles (not working out, just cycles) on my arms. Then measured my aortic pulse wave velocity. It was 5.84 m/s (slower is better). My device also reports it by statistical age. Mine was 19 and I'll be 65 in a couple weeks. BP was 104/58. More on KAATSU here, here and here.

NAC "counteracts hypercoagulation and breaks down blood clots." N-acetylcysteine attenuates systemic platelet activation and cerebral vessel thrombosis in (a mouse model of) diabetes

Avoiding or fixing hyperinsulinemia will also help with hypercoagulation (as well as some of the other comorbidities). Per this interview with Ron Rosedale, MD, this can be fixed in fairly short order. In this interview, Dr. John Madany describes how he's helped reverse heart failure quickly. Note, if you are on meds for hypertension or high glucose (except metformin), be careful and implement with help to deprescribe. I keep my fasting insulin <4 mIU/L and usually in the 1-2 mIU/L range. I've been keto adapted since Oct 2009, though my diet is not what is typically described as keto. I eat a lot of unprocessed, non-starchy carbs and I also eat in a narrow eating window.

The other thing I do for hypercoagulability is a high omega 3 intake. Gundry likes us to have an Omega 3 index >12%. Mine in Nov was >17%. This was a bit much as my arms, with all my activity, started to look like I was on Warfarin with a high INR. I've backed off a bit. One of the things I consume is a beta version of this plasmalogen. Omega 3 & hypercoagulability [www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

My understanding is that while vitamin C can increase absorption of iron, it can also help deal with the iron issues caused by COVID - but I don't have links right now.



Edited 12 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2020 06:31PM by GeorgeN.

One thing else I do is take a large amount of Vitamin K2 as Koncentrated K with 5 mg of K1, 25 mg of K2-MK4 and 0.5 mg of K2-MK7.

Saw this article today.

"Patients who have died or been admitted to intensive care with Covid-19 have been found to be deficient in a vitamin found in spinach, eggs, and hard and blue cheeses, raising hopes that dietary change might be one part of the answer to combating the disease.

Researchers studying patients who were admitted to the Canisius Wilhelmina hospital in the Dutch city of Nijmegen have extolled the benefits of vitamin K after discovering a link between deficiency and the worst coronavirus outcomes."

“I have worked with a Japanese scientist in London and she said it was remarkable that in the regions in Japan where they eat a lot of natto, there is not a single person to die of Covid-19; so that is something to dive into, I would say.”

Go Dean & Colindo with your natto!!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/2020 01:45PM by GeorgeN.

George has plenty of great advice.

I might add that DIC is caused by the secondary bacterial infection that often follows in the wake of the COVID pneumonia. It played a big role in the Spanish pandemic of 1918.
That's why the initial Lancet protocol recommended Zithromax (azithromycin), an antibacterial.

It is critical in my approach
[www.afibbers.org]

My SPO2 levels for the last 10 weeks are 92 sitting in a chair or lying down, and 95-96 moving around. Is that normal?

Quote
The Anti-Fib
My SPO2 levels for the last 10 weeks are 92 sitting in a chair or lying down, and 95-96 moving around. Is that normal?

What elevation do you live at? SpO2 does drop with elevation. I live at 5,500' and a 93 reading is common. Though I can also have readings of 98.

I assume your hemoglobin and hematocrit levels are normal?

I'm helping a friend who has been having SpO2 in the 80's after she recently moved to 9,100'. Below is the text of an email I sent to her.

=============================================================

The thing that stood out for me was that your SpO2 improved with some exercise. Not surprising that it would decline with more intense work.

Since I've not been around you to observe, I'm just going to make some assumptions and you can see if they apply.

I would suggest always nasal breathing. This will direct your breath to the lowest lobes of your lungs. Breathe diaphragmatically - deeply in the sense of into the lowest lobes, but not in the sense of a large quantity of breath. Per the Bohr effect, you are trying to conserve CO2, so don't want to over-breathe. You might even try this with your monitor on, on your back with your hand on your belly, focusing on making sure the diaphragm is moving. Then see what happens to your SpO2. There is much better O2 exchange in the lowest lobes.

If you are exercising and feel you need to breathe through your mouth, just slow down.

Again, having more CO2 will allow your body to use the O2 that you do have more effectively.

You may want to consider taping your mouth shut at night. I know this sounds odd, I've done it for quite a few years. Many others in the health/longevity space do as well. This is tape for that purpose.

[correctbreathing.com]

This is a book by breathing instructor Patrick McKeown [www.snoring.ie] that will give a background into the CO2 concepts.

So with this podcast with UK doc, Rangan Chattergee & McKeown [drchatterjee.com]

McKeown's more recent book, Oxygen Advantage, goes into even more detail. [www.amazon.com]

For even more explorations of breathing, James Nestor's very recent book gives even more detail. [www.amazon.com]

So, in summary, try to always direct your breath to your lowest lobes by breathing through your nose and diaphragmatically, but easily so as to conserve CO2.

A way to help doing this at night is by taping your mouth shut. I can monitor heart rate patterns over night with an ECG level heart rate monitor. I could see apnea patterns in these data. When I started taping, the apnea patterns went away. I also thought I was getting poor sleep when I was spending the night in the 7-10,500' range. Again, after taping, sleep improved.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/08/2020 01:02PM by GeorgeN.

Aloha Anti,

If you're not short of breath at 92, the reading is artifactual.

Furthermore, spO2 decreases with age and a reading of 95 is OK

Mine jumped around a bit too initially. So be sure you

1) don't move your finger during the reading
2) insert your index finger all the way (I even spread the spring a little to fit it in more)
3) fingernail on same side as the monitor
4) keep your finger lower than your heart to make sure there’s good perfusion

Whatever it says in the first 10 seconds is probably correct.

How could you get a good rating of 96 at any time if you have a problem? So don’t worry.

What elevation do you live at?

About 2200 ft

I assume your hemoglobin and hematocrit levels are normal?

Hemoglobin has been running 50.3 - 51.7 Quest range 38.5 - 50
Hematocrit has been running 17.1 - 17.8 Quest Range 13.1 - 17.2

Quote
The Anti-Fib
What elevation do you live at?

About 2200 ft

I assume your hemoglobin and hematocrit levels are normal?

Hemoglobin has been running 50.3 - 51.7 Quest range 38.5 - 50
Hematocrit has been running 17.1 - 17.8 Quest Range 13.1 - 17.2

Hemoglobin & hematocrit are pretty high. Do you happen to have a ferritin level? I'm wondering if your iron level is high - not from an SpO2 perspective - but from a too much iron perspective. If ferritin is > 100, you might consider donating blood.

2200' (670m) would not have a big impact (bands are 95% confidence interval, x axis is in meters)

Do you happen to have a ferritin level?

I only had that tested once, back in 2013, it was 143.

Aloha,
Many of you have probably OD'd on the D discourse. This post will probably ensure that.
The below charts are from this article. Don't overlook the last one.

[shazidamain.com] (June 15, 2020)


[shazidamain.com]


[shazidamain.com]


[shazidamain.com]

Thanks, PC - I circulated those charts today to friends who are not afibbers but are interested in maintaining important key that help keep us healthy. Excellent report. Glad you posted it here.

Be well,
Jackie

😎🤙🏽
Thank you Jackie
The Covid fear out there is incredible, it’s unbelievable.
I can understand wearing a mask when you won’t be allowed in the store otherwise. But wearing when one alone in the car or while walking outside in a gentle breeze is akin to a guy wearing a condom when sleeping alone to prevent impregnation.
The above charts include many people with all sorts of comorbidities.
JUST TAKE YOUR D3!