APRIL 24-26, 2020 ENHANCE IMMUNE FUNCTION

You want to enhance your immune function. Sometimes this is not a good idea in certain disease. For example if you already have COVID and are very ill- I would not suggest to enhance your immune system However if you want to stay healthy and not get COVID 19 then you should enhance your immune system

We know a good diet with few if any simple carbohydrates should be adhered to as well as some exercise program.

There are some supplements that you should take

1. Vitamin D3 - all should supplement at this time You can ask your doctor to do a Vitamin D3 serum level You want to be in the 60 range

2. Melatonin - this supplement is not only used for sleep. In my cancer patients I recommend 20 mg . Drinking cherry juice can increase your melatonin levels. On teaaspoon of raw honey can also increase your own melatonin levels

3. Mushrooms can stimulate innate anti viral activity. These medicinal mushrooms can be turkey tail, lions mane, shitake , coryceps, and more. I usually recommend a mushroom formula by Paul Stammetts- Host Defense.

4. Vitamin A and Zinc - I would only use these two supplements if you have had a serum levels checked by your health care provider. Vitamin A like Vitamins D, E and K are fat soluble and cause increased liver enzymes if take too much

   Until tomorrow…

APRIL 23, 2020 A VACCINE

There has been much talk about a vaccine. More than 600 million of government funding has been earmarked to Johnson and Johnson vaccine and anti viral research and development. This sounds great

Two questions need to be raised. Does Bill Gates own the patent for a COVID vaccine. ? The amount of money to be generated from a vaccine is unbelievable. The next question is this— For those patients that are COVID 19 Antibody negative— will there be a government mandated order to get the vaccine ?

If you are COVID antibody negative- do you want to get a vaccine ? Phase I trials to assess safety in a small number of patients is to begin in September. You might be mandated to get a vaccine earlier than its phase III results.

Do you want to get a vaccine ?

Until tomorrow…

APRIL 22, 2020 REMDESIVIR

Remdesivir is a drug that shows promise with COVID 19. A preclinical study in the US found that Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug candidate remdesivir prevented disease progression in rhesus macques monkeys with Covid-19.

Remdesivir development code GS-5734 is an antiviral medication developed by the American biophar

But recently I have read conflicting reports. The Gilead company has again changed their phase 3 protocol. First the initial news was that 2,400 patients would be recruited. Good. I was happy to hear that Now today I read that 6000 will be recruited. Why the sudden change. This brings up doubt that maybe the initial data might be disappointing. Maybe the patients are not benefiting from the drug

Remdesivir is an investigational drug not used to treat any disease currently. The company Gilead has changed the way we treat HIV positive patients. Let’s hope something can be used to change the face of COVID 19.

Until tomorrow

APRIL 21, 2020 COVID DEATHS

We all get some sort of news whether listening on the television/radio or reading the internet /newspapers. The numbers are frightening especially when you look at earlier reports. New York City has had the highest number of deaths, As a native New Yorker I find this disturbing on many levels.

I feel the whole death toll in New York City and the United States is undercounted due to the limitations in testing. The CDC stated that their tallies only include deaths with confirmed laboratory testing. This is fine but WILL LEAD to an underestimation of the true number of deaths.I believe states could be counting death tolls differently based on the above statement by the FDA

WE need more testing NOW WE need reliable testing. I know many laboratories have testing now- but are they reliable. In one day I read there different states interpreting deaths differently. This cannot happen

For example in New York City there has been an increase in number of deaths This could be happening as people suspected of dying from COVID 19 were added ( but were never tested) I read about how Colorado and Alabama are interpreting deaths. There is no consistency

The bottom line is people are dying. We need testing as soon as possible. People need to be tested before they go back to work Kudos to Governor Cuomo and Murphy

Until tomorrow…

APRIL 20, 2020 COVID AND ACE-2

COVID 19 enters the human cells by attaching to a protein of the cell surface called ACE-2. ACE 2 is an enzyme that has strong beneficial impact on the organs that produce it., There are some belief that when ACE-2 levels are low , it causes the severe pneumonia that is seen in COVID patients. I feel it is more than that. The ACE-2 exhaustion is from the deprivation of oxygen in the cells along with circulatory issues. There is a series of effects of peptides and other enzymes that are reflected in ACE -2 exhaustion

You can enhance your ACE-2 . For one we know exercise can enhance ACE-2 production There are supplements that also enhance ACE-2 production

One herb that previously was discussed is Curcuma longa ( Tumeric). The other herb is an adaptogen called Panax notoginseng. There are many adaptogenic herbs that can be used. The supplement alpha lipoic acid ( used commonly to decrease blood sugar) can be used to enhance ACE-2

There are two herbs that may stimulate MAS receptors and saveACE-2 signaling even when ACE-2 levels are diminished. ACE-2 produces a peptide called ANG1-7 which is responsible for the cells benefit. The ANG 1-7 in turn activated another protein called MAS. ACE-2 works because of the coupling of ANG 1-7 and MAS receptors. You can activate the MAS receptors and bypass the ACE-2 The two herbs that do this are Astragalus ( Astragalus membranoceus) and a protein from the herb Skullcap species ( Scutellaria baiaicalinensis)

Until tomorrow…

APRIL 17-19, 2020 WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT DOING FOR US

There are thousands of health care workers who are sick with COVID. It is not only health care workers - it is the first responders like emergency medicine technicians , police officers, fire officers, sanitation workers, mass transit workers, post (mail) persons, and more. There are more than 610,00 cases globally which 30 % are in the United States

More than 9,000 health care workers across the U.S. contracted COVID-19 as of last week and at least 27 died, according to a report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the 9,282 health care personnel confirmed between Feb.12 and April 9 with the disease caused by the new coronavirus, more than half, 55%, reported only having contact with COVID-19 patients within the health care setting. About 73% of the workers who provided personal information were women, and the median age of those infected was 42 years old

I have children and a grandchild. Although high risk I wanted to help out And I do. I have watched colleagues die, and I have seen patients gasp for breath on a ventilator before he/she dies. I have lost some patients to COVID.

Everyone who is working in the capacities above are also at risk. Some of my colleagues were hospitalized. Ninety percent of the infected health care patients were not hospitalized. Of the 8% to 10% who were, up to 5% were admitted to intensive care. Among the 27 who died, 10 were 65 years old or older. Supplies are dwindling. There is not enough of protective clothing.

I choke up and tear up at 7 PM when I hear the roars, bells, and claps. I thank you al who participate in NYC . We —the United States was not prepared for this pandemic. No matter what your opinion is — I look forward to seeing Governor Cuomo. He makes me feel better.

I bow my head every night and pray for us all. I know “ This Too Shall Pass”- “ One Day at a Time”

Until tomorrow…

APRIL 16, 2020 CORONA AND BLOOD PURIFICATION

I was not surprised to read that the FDA issued a emergency use for blood purification system to treat patients age 18 years and older for COVID admitted to the ICU. I used blood purification with a IRG ( investigation research grant) to treat Hepatitis C and HIV years ago. It worked very well. The patients decreased their viral loads of both Hep C and HIV. This allowed these patients to wait for newer oral medications that were being investigated. It allowed these patients to live.

I feel this will work for COVID . It will reduce the amount of cytokines and other inflammatory mediators which are elevated during acute COVID. This is not just a respiratory virus. These proteins are elevated during a COVID infections ( especially if there is underlying systemic disease, or even exposure to metals, molds, and glyphosates) which create a cytokine storm. This severe cytokine storm causes severe inflammation, rapidly progressive shock , respiratory failure and death. This is why ventilators are of no use at this time. As I said before , hyperbaric oxygen would serve the patient better.

This blood purification called UV irradiation is available in other countries. In the USA it is considered alternative or complimentary. I call in integrative and innovative. It is about time we start to think of this virus —more than a respiratory ( flu ) virus. As has been written this corona virus is unlike any other. It interferes with the amount of oxygen .

It is involved in many pathways as NOX, SUOX, and HEME pathways which can be and are insufficient in many patients. If these pathways are genetically not working, these patients will most likely succumb to the corona virus.

Until tomorrow…

APRIL 15, 2020 CORONA AND GLYPHOSATE

We know that corona virus is the cause of the common cold. It is not supposed to be as virulent . This variety attacks the lungs and launches your immune system into a cytokine storm. This is an exaggerated response to the immune system. This creates extensive oxidative damage to your lungs. In other words the lungs are attacking themselves creating severe oxygen deficiency which a ventilator cannot help This is NOT a common reaction from a virus.

The individual who has an underlying immune deficiency or an immune system that is damaged due to other toxic substances will not survive from COVID 19

Glyphosate from the biofuel industry are toxic to the lungs and the entire body. Those that have exposure to these toxic fumes would have a difficult time clearing a virus like COVID 19. Glyphosate is also in a herbicide known as Roundup. Therefore are there a large number of cases in Queens NY because these individuals live by highways and airports. Do the hot spot areas track down by large rivers as the Hudson and the Mississippi Rivers or cities along large lakes like the Great Lake Michigan. So why Italy? There are lots of pesticides used around the olive trees

There is a lot of information on glyphosates and disease. Add a virus and the resulting deaths are numerous

Until tomorrow…