KIDS CAN TRANSMIT COVID AFTER ALL---AND PRETTY WELL
https://www.princeton.edu/news/2020/09/30/largest-covid-19-contact-tracing-study-date-finds-children-key-spread-evidence
Remember how they were saying that children don't transmit the virus, so it's OK to send your kids to school?  Well that appears to have been wrong.  Best protect your kids from exposures so that they don't bring it home to you.

VACCINE TRACKER
https://www.raps.org/news-and-articles/news-articles/2020/3/covid-19-vaccine-tracker
Been dorking out about all the vaccines under development?  Yeah lots of people are.  Not me, so much, I'm just working and waiting.  My take on vaccination: we're going to want it, but we also don't want it to hurt us, so it's worth waiting.  If you end up getting a vaccine that works really well, great.  If you get a vaccine that kinda halfway works, get another one the next time you have a chance.  Do what you can to improve your immune response to the vaccine.  A future email newsletter will be about this subject.

MOST CONTAGIOUS STRAINS COME TO DOMINATE
https://todayspractitioner.com/covid-19/coronavirus-genetic-mutation-may-mean-it-is-more-contagious/#.X701_6pKjNZ
Lots of mutations have appeared in COVID-19 the ​ones that make it more contagious are a big advantage for the virus, meaning that more and more of the cases are the most highly contagious strains.  Which means that mask wearing is even more important, and during our current spike staying completely away from others may be of ultimate importance.  The study was done in Houston, TX: https://mbio.asm.org/content/11/6/e02707-20.

THE CURRENT SURGE IS WORSE THAN ANYTHING BEFORE
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/11/13/934566781/the-pandemic-this-week-8-things-to-know-about-the-surge
This article is 11 days old already but it documents how fast the case rate accelerated in the first half of November.  An increased case rate is inevitably followed by increased hospitalizations and deaths.  During this time when so many people have the virus, there is nothing you can do except stay away from people.  Even your dearest friends and relatives can give you the virus, or you can give it to them.  So take some time to hibernate, meditate, read books, and otherwise entertain yourself at home.  Don't even go shopping if you don't have to.  This situation could last all winter if lots of people ignore this advice, but you don't have to be the one dying or killing your dearest people.  Being a homebody is not the end of the world.  It's easier to be free when you are alive.

DO WE WANT RAPID ANTIGEN TESTING HERE?  YES.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02661-2
These tests are quick and inexpensive, and help us detect people who have enough virus on board to be contagious.  While it is true that they won't detect very low level infections, they will give us a good clue as to who should be allowed to go to the grocery store, or work.  The CDC was wrong when they said only symptomatic people should be tested.  To control a pandemic that has so many asymptomatic cases you need to test everybody.  The goal is to keep people who are contagious from sharing air (or bathrooms) with others.  So yes, get the $5 test that's ready in minutes, and use it to decide whether or not you should quarantine yourself.  Push your employer and your local governments to get behind wide distribution of this simple technology. It will definitely help.

​

NEW REVIEW OF MANY STUDIES ABOUT COVID ANTIBODIES
​https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-18450-4

Released 2 days ago, this synthesis review shows that immunity to SARS-COV2 behaves in a normal way.  When a person has been quite sick and survived, they will likely have high antibody levels for that particular sickness--for a little while.  These are the people from whom you might wish to get convalescent plasma, because it's probably full of antibodies that could help.  But these antibodies ramp down pretty quickly once you clear the sickness.  A person who had the virus months ago will not have as many antibodies in their plasma as a person who just cleared it last week.  This is why there aren't studies to prove that convalescent plasma is a good treatment: it depends on the person's immune response and on the timing. 

IgM is the first kind of antibody your body makes, and appears about a week into an illness.  After that your body switches over to making IgG antibodies.  The fact that IgM antibodies decrease after the illness is NORMAL.  The IgG antibodies that are made next are the keepers.  They keep being made, but at lower and lower levels if you aren't still fighting the same virus.  This is also NORMAL.  Your body does the same thing for ever flu it ever encounters.  The fact that your body KEEPS making antibodies has to do with its MEMORY.  The immune system has cells called Memory B Cells--the ones that know how to make antibodies for a specific condition--they are your body's memory.  As long as your memory B cells survive, your body has a blueprint of how to make more B cells that can more antibodies to fight that remembered infection--in other words, it can respond faster.  

Memory B cells can live a long time but eventually they die.  The rate at which they die varies by age and lifestyle and also by what other infections you get.  One really good reason to get vaccinated against Measles is that getting measles infection can kill your memory B cells, making you MORE susceptible to things that you've had before.  And that stinks.  I hope that you are vaccinated for measles (the MMR is available if you aren't) and that you also get vaccinated for the flu this year, because it's good to protect your lungs. 

As for the COVID vaccine, we're likely to have a lot of options with varying efficacy that are available to most of us next year.  I don't know for sure what will come out, but I will say that for myself I will try to get one vaccine/year, hopefully different kinds each year, to help my body build up resistance by exposure to lots of different parts of the virus.  For those who are worried about adverse effects from vaccines, let me just say that they really are rare, a lot more rare than the diseases. Also you can also minimize your risk of adverse effects to vaccines by improving your ability to detoxify your body.  I can help with that for sure.  Spring and fall are good times for a deeper detox!

EUROPEANS + FERMENTED VEGGIES = RESIST VIRUS BETTER
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200708/Study-links-fermented-vegetable-consumption-to-low-COVID-19-mortality.aspx
Basically if your gut is healthy your immune system will work better and you will be less susceptible to dying of the virus.  Eating fermented foods is a quick and easy way to assure that your gut has a steady supply of beneficial bacteria.

​

"MILD" WRONGLY DEFINED AS NOT NEEDING HOSPITALIZATION
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02335-z
People who don't get hospitalized don't get medical follow-up either. We all know that some seek hospital care more willingly than others.  Some of us refuse to go to the hospital; we know it is full of antibiotic-resistant infections and stressed-out doctors and staff. I had a pneumonia that could have been Covid but I did not go to the hospital; I self-treated at home. My pneumonia was not "mild". I thought about going in. Many people who've survived the virus at home are having longterm after-effects. This author is absolutely right that we need a better way of categorizing and tracking the cases that did not result in hospitalization.

THE KIND OF MASK YOU USE MATTERS
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Does-your-coronavirus-mask-work-New-study-15473251.php
I've noticed that many police, highway patrol and fire department personnel are using what I would call "neck gaiters" for masks.  These are a single thin layer of polyester with some lycra for stretch. They drag the thing up over their mouths and noses when in close proximity with others. This kind of" mask" doesn't stay up well. Thin layers of fabric may stop large droplets but they are definitely not catching the aerosols which have turned out to be a major route of infection. Public servants who are in direct contact with the public should be wearing quality masks. Well, everybody should, but "should" doesn't get very far in America.

OVER 900 HEALTHCARE WORKERS HAVE DIED OF COVID
https://khn.org/news/exclusive-over-900-health-workers-have-died-of-covid-19-and-the-toll-is-rising/
POC's dominate the count and you can see from the photos that many victims of all colors are obese.  To reduce this grim outcome perhaps we should use front line workers who have fewer risk factors. Smokers shouldn't be on the front lines. People with hypertension, obesity, diabetes or a heart condition could (and should) be exempted from front line work. There's a great emphasis on PPE (personal protective equipment) and it is important, but the healthcare worker's baseline level of health and resilience is just as important.  People with immune compromise of any origin should not be expected to work with COVID patients. Period. There are so many obese nurses! They should not be put in this position. I heard on a podcast yesterday that 70% of our BMI is due to genetics: no point in punishing people for being heavy. We should evaluate the immune sufficiency of healthcare providers and place them accordingly. Those on the front lines of the pandemic should have top notch immune systems--and be most likely to survive the virus with minimal negative effects. Yes, I know there's a shortage, but seriously sending all these fine people to their deaths trying to help others?  This is murder.

ABOUT 10% OF COVID VICTIMS HAVE PROBLEMS AFTER 3 WEEKS
https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3026
We're just starting to collect information about the after-effects of this virus but for a lot of people recovery is extremely slow.  This report has some excellent resources (links) for patients who are having trouble after they are supposed to have "recovered".  The list of possible lingering symptoms is long, and you are not malingering if you have chest pain or "lung burn" and would like to get some help.

A GREAT TIME TO QUIT SMOKING: EVEN YOUTH HIGH RISK IF SMOKE
https://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(20)30399-2/fulltext
Vaping is not protective. Using it just once in a while is not protective.  Inhaling smoke at all increases your risk, even if you're young. There has never been a better time to quit and quit for good.

One thing that has become increasingly apparent is that this pandemic virus is deadly to those who are already weakened by life, and harmless to many who are young and strong.  There are many possible explanations to this phenomenon, and I want to share with you my thoughts on why.

Very young children for the most part don't get the infection at all.  This is likely because their mucosal immunity is strong.  Mucosal immunity is the defenses that live in our noses, throats, and intestine, specifically defensin, cryptidin, and secretory IgA.  There are antibodies called IgA in our saliva.  These things are capable of disposing of a virus before it even gets started infecting our cells.  Most American adults don't have strong mucosal immunity, but in children it is highly effective.  "Secretory IgA can be measured directly in stool, saliva, and breast milk to assess the degree of mucosal immunity," but in modern medicine this parameter is rarely if ever measured.  It is however possible to make it stronger in adults, by the way that we live.

Older children and young adults can be infected and carry the virus but they are less likely to get badly sick.  This is at least in part because the T-cells of their immune system are strong and active and can find the virus and kill it, and because they have lower levels of inflammation so they don't go into cytokine storm.

Middle aged adults are starting to have more chronic health problems, and this is what makes a person susceptible to a very bad case of the virus.  Being obese is one of the worst risk factors.  In the news they talk a lot about heart conditions and diabetes, but these things are strongly linked to obesity.  Obese people have higher levels of inflammation throughout the body, including in the liver which clogged with fat, and the brain which responds by getting depressed. Obesity also impairs the immune system, reducing mucosal immunity as well as the T-cell response and letting the virus get a foothold and grow.

Older adults most often have an assortment of health conditions.  The ones who've gotten overweight or obese are unlikely to survive when they get the virus.  The ones that are lean and active might survive, like the 100 year old veteran in Portland who got it and came out topside.

The lesson from these patterns is clear.  If you are declining into the diseases of abundance which are so common in America, you are at risk.  Being medicated for your high blood pressure and excessive blood sugar will not save you.  If you maintain a healthy body weight and exercise vigorously you are less at risk.  Covid-19 is a lifestyle disease, it is sorting us out by our most basic level of health.

If you would like to work on your basic health, nobody is better suited to help you than a naturopathic doctor.  Conventional physicians are too busy fulfilling the requirements of their network and insurances to really study on diet and lifestyle.  They want to do what we do, but they can't, not in a 15 minute visit.  Changing your diet and lifestyle and increasing your base health, is a gradual process.  You can start today by cutting out some sugar and moving your body just a little bit more.  Good luck!! 

If you'd like a health assessment and tips on how to improve your particular situation, feel free to touch base with me.  I'll ask you to do a diet diary (you can download the form on the bring page in this website) first so I know what you eat.  I'll want a full list of the medications you take, and the supplements.  Then we can talk on the old fashioned telephone.

Covidly: another place to watch the numbers, hover to see more
​https://covidly.com/

Inoculating Dose Matters: Bigger Exposure-->Faster Onset, Worse Disease
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/01/opinion/coronavirus-viral-dose.html​

The CDC comes around: wear a mask in public 4/3
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/03/world/coronavirus-news-updates.html

The WHO lists bogus labs and recommends no cures 3/31
https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/essential-medicines/drug-alerts20/no3-2020-falsified-mp-forcovid-en.pdf

Turmeric/Curcuma longa May Reduce Cytokine Storm
https://info.bioticsresearch.com/researchforum/curcumins-influence-on-cytokine-storm

CDC on How to Care for someone at Home
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/care-for-someone.html

If you get sick enough to need a Ventilator, you're probably a goner
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/04/02/826105278/ventilators-are-no-panacea-for-critically-ill-covid-19-patients

Foolishness: Letting Religious People Gather in Groups during Pandemic
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/01/825667542/states-consider-whether-religious-services-qualify-as-essential

Viral Shedding Continues Long Time after Illness Resolves
https://nypost.com/2020/03/30/coronavirus-patients-could-still-be-contagious-after-symptoms-resolve-study/

Dead Bodies in the Streets: Ecuador's Dark Ages
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ecuador-bodies-streets-guayaquil-coronavirus-covid-19/

This Report Suggests that Oregon has Flattened the Curve
https://govsite-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/8arHLJI7QrqywZlmFH1X_Oregon-COVID-19-Projections-2020-03-30.pdf

Mushrooms and Oats for Immune Modulation
https://blog.designsforhealth.com/node/1219

A Different Perspective: DeGrowth and Direct Democracy
https://theecologist.org/2020/apr/03/coronavirus-and-degrowth

Mortality Rates Grim Among Elders
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6912e2.htm?s_cid=mm6912e2_w

​Your Home May Not Be Private
https://www.myidcare.com/articles/single/even-sheltering-at-home-were-not-alone
​

Are you an immunologist? Yeah, probably not. There aren't a lot of immunologists in the world. I'm not one, though I've studied immunology under one of the best (Dr. Heather Zwickey) and I try to keep up. It's a fast moving field. Every time I hear Dr Zwickey speak she tells us about some new receptor or cytokine that they've discovered, and a bunch of new correlations between the things we already have a little info about. 

If you don't speak the language of immunology, a lot of the talk these days won't make a lot of sense. How does the body fight off a virus? How is a vaccine made? These questions have long, complicated answers. In this post I want to teach you the basic outline of the answers, even if we don't go into all the terminology and details.

One word you're going to hear a lot about is ANTIBODIES. Antibodies are, for the most part, a good thing. Antibodies are what you have if you have gotten sick and managed to fight off the infection.

But how do you get them? 

 This list was updated daily, 3/18, 3/19, 3/20.

In Colorado A Whole Town Will Get Tested
https://coloradosun.com/2020/03/20/telluride-san-miguel-county-coronavirus-covid19-testing/

​Worse Than the Flu: More Contagious and More Lethal
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/03/the-story-of-a-coronavirus-infection.html
​
Overview of Situation and Actions to Take
https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca

Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Dashboard (for tracking the numbers)
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

Details on Lab Testing
https://www.wired.com/story/everything-you-need-to-know-about-coronavirus-testing/
​
CDC on What To Do if you are Sick
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html

Dr Teresa Gryder on Self Care and Self Treatment Options
rb.gy/9gocvh

What Will Happen to Hospitals (Models by Propublica)
https://projects.propublica.org/graphics/covid-hospitals

Simulitis: Washington Post Graphic on How Social Distancing Works
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/corona-simulator/

Dr Heather Zwickey (audio) on Immune Support and Why C19 is so Bad
https://www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/sites/default/files/media/nmj_covid_update_zwickey.mp3

Seattle Intensivist's One Page Notes 3/15/2020
https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/ICU_one_pager_COVID_v2.3.png

Mental Health Maintenance Tips
https://www.internationalsos.com/client-magazines/looking-after-yourself-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak

Don't take Ibuprofen, Aspirin or Naproxin (Tylenol OK)
https://www.sciencealert.com/who-recommends-to-avoid-taking-ibuprofen-for-covid-19-symptoms

CDC Clinical guidance for Clinicians treating Confirmed cases
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/clinical-guidance-management-patients.html
​
Diarrhea = Presenting Symptom in <50%, Presents Later, Worse Prognosis
​(Chinese study, n=204)
https://journals.lww.com/ajg/Documents/COVID_Digestive_Symptoms_AJG_Preproof.pdf

Social Distancing May Last a Long Time
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/17/817214311/new-analysis-suggests-months-of-social-distancing-may-be-needed-to-stop-virus

No Free Pass for Young People
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/488325-cdc-data-show-coronavirus-poses-serious-risk-for-younger-people
​
Half of the patients in France's hospitals are under 65
https://theweek.com/speedreads/902571/about-half-frances-coronavirus-patients-intensive-care-are-under-65-health-official-says

Most Cases are Still Hidden 3/16/2020
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/health/coronavirus-statistics-undetected.html

American ICU's Will Be Over Max
http://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/cbn/2020/cbnreport-03132020.html
​
Effect of Mitigation: No Way to Win 3/9/2020
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30567-5/fulltext

Genetics of COVID-19 Show It is NOT Manmade
https://www.modernhealthcare.com/safety-quality/covid-19-not-man-made-comparative-genomic-study-finds
​
Capitalism is the Vector 3/18/2020
https://theecologist.org/2020/mar/18/virus-haunting-europe-vector-capitalism

​Single Payer Healthcare Systems Performing Better Than For Profit Systems
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/03/16/public-health-experts-single-payer-systems-coping-coronavirus-more-effectively
​
Rich and Famous Get Tested, Regular People Wait
https://apnews.com/b8dcd1b369001d5a70eccdb1f75ea4bd
​
Kushner aims to get rich on this too
1) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/guess-who-previously-owned-health-insurance-co-operating-coronavirus-testing-website/ar-BB11kwPT​
2) ​https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/kushner-coronavirus-team-sparks-confusion-plaudits-inside-white-house-response-efforts/2020/03/18/02038a16-6874-11ea-9923-57073adce27c_story.html

Why Paid Sick Leave Should be Mandatory
​https://www.modernhealthcare.com/safety-quality/sick-staff-fueled-outbreak-seattle-area-care-centers

On the Idea that we should let everybody get it and save the economy
https://theweek.com/articles/902582/conservatives-who-sacrifice-elderly-save-economy