Nu OriginsCoronavirus is visiting us again. This is the seventh time it has presented itself as a threat to humankind.
There was SARS in 2003 in China and MERS in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Both of these took their toll but ran their course.
Here we are again so I want to share some of what I am understanding with respect to what this virus signifies and means for us all.
As a Yale trained physician in primary care for over 30 years, with a background in botanical medicine, homeopathy, physics and metaphysics, I thought it important to bring another set of eyes to this problem.
What I’m writing now is to complement presentations that I did on Pacifica radio KPFK 90.7 featuring interviews with Dr. Paul Herscu, renowned homeopathic physician with a Masters in Public Health, who has actively studied and written about epidemics and pandemics for the last thirty years, and my other guest Nathalie Thandiwe, another MPH and also a herbalist, who cohosted a second program where we discussed in more detail the virus, its makeup, and ways that we can better protect ourselves. I was also assisted by Acharan Narula, a PH.D organic chemist, who is known as a Systems Biologist with a biochemical understanding of plant medicines and interaction with the body.
From the standpoint of epidemiology and predicting the outcome of these epidemics, Herscu has been spot on for decades. So when he writes that, “the case fatality number will settle around .2% to .5%” for the present crisis, while still associated with significant loss of life, this is much much less than the figures we have heard through some media outlets.
Herscu’s newsletter has more in depth analysis of how to follow an epidemic in a predictive fashion. You can also go to KPFK’s archives to replay my interview with Herscu in its entirety.
Given that the virus is out and about around the world, we can assume that it’s here to stay with us for a while and will present itself at different times, particularly during the flu season. The real issue is how to recognize and protect individuals who are susceptible to developing serious illness and dying from contracting this virus.
The elderly, those over 60, those with diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic illness are most at risk. Of course any of you who have a history of recurrent bronchitis, asthma, COPD, or have abused your lungs can also add yourself to the at-risk list.
Herscu prognosticates that the virus in this virulent form will mimic our seasonal flu patterns for years to come, thus pointing to the need for other measures to be taken to protect at risk populations and the caregivers who are in contact with them.
One may carry the virus five to six days before becoming symptomatic and even be infective days after symptoms have cleared. Herscu recommends the R95 mask as a real deterrent along with all the other hygienic measures that one would take with the flu ie. hand washing 20 to 30 seconds with soap and water, isolating yourself and not traveling.
The first video in my references covers viral spread very nicely in less than five minutes. As for the masks, most people are getting N95 breathers with R95 offering the extra filtration of oil based particulates. Both have a 95% efficiency.
Herscu also stressed how important copper and copper surfaces are as viruses and bacteria are neutralized by contact with it. Masks with copper are readily available.
Where this discussion becomes interesting for me is looking at what can be done to prevent serious illness in general, for those that have historically been shown to be susceptible to the flu. For this I want to reference material that appears in the journal articles that have been referenced below and what I have learned through my association with Dr Narula.
If we understand viruses and how they work then we can better investigate and avail ourselves of therapies that lie outside of waiting for a high priced pharmaceutical, vaccine or waiting to be told that we must be vaccinated against this flu.
Viruses are programmed data streams that present as genetic material in the form of RNA and single and double stranded DNA. They are not able to express themselves ie. make the proteins that characterize their function unless they can hijack the genetic programming of a cell.
They are however aggressive interlopers or “sleepers” that can be awakened by some trigger. Think of a computer virus or unwanted thought you can’t shake.
They have no power unless they take over your cellular operating systems. Hit the wrong key or press the wrong “emotional “ button and there is activation.
Viruses are like thought forms in that they have no real ability to carry anything out unless they are able to take up a home in you. It’s interesting that from the human biologic perspectives viruses are not considered to be alive because they don’t reproduce or have any actual metabolism of their own. I would say that this is a very narrow understanding of what constitutes Life. These genetic elementals want to take over and know enough to dig into your cell and trigger a molecular cascade that leads to your cellular operating systems coming under viral control.
Viruses inject themselves directly into the cell or attach to a cell receptor on the outside membrane. I have shared a number of more technicql articles below that speak to this for those of you who are inclined. These “pattern recognition receptors” have various names; (toll)tlr, (nul) nlr (rig)rlr, etc…but what is important is that when they are activated this leads to stimulation of an important messenger or transcription molecule called Nf kappa B. This molecule is cleaved in such a way that it then attaches and takes over the genes of the cell nucleus, inserting its own genetic material, leading to the production of proteins needed by the virus as well as mobilizing various pro inflammatory proteins or cytokines. It’s a coup.
The stimulation of these extracellular and intracellular receptors by the virus also leads to the production of Type 1 Interferon which is involved with making proteins that will block the virus’ ability to manufacture its proteins. The problem in individuals that are susceptible to going into acute respiratory distress is that the pro inflammatory stimulation overwhelms the interferon’s ability to block viral protein replication. The more inflammation that takes place with the recruitment of inflammatory immune agents the more destructive for the tissue, organ, and ultimately its host. This is what happens in adult respiratory distress syndrome and it can happen very quickly.
Steroids, like prednisone, are brought into play to stop this inflammatory process or what has been called a cytokine storm. However there are receptors for this class of drugs throughout the body and invariably it creates unwanted side effects. At present there is a good understanding of the subcellular proteins and receptors that are involved in promoting this inflammatory process. While pharmaceutical companies are seeking to develop drugs that target these receptors plant medicines and other bio energetic therapies can be employed.
Its really a question of balance as inflammation is a necessary step in moving to a healing resolution but in chronic inflammation that is associated with chronic disease, a perpetual loop of unchecked inflammation is in play and with an acute flu like process the cytokine storm leads to sepsis and a total breakdown of the body and death.
In the same way that big pharma is producing drugs that will target this viral incursion, there are botanicals, well described In the medical literature, which can block or modulate the inflammatory cascade at the cellular level so that it does not get out of control. These plant medicines may work at the level of receptors targeted by the virus, may block the activation of NF kappa B directly, or promote the interferon proteins that are involved with blocking viral protein production. I have listed a number of technical studies siting the role that supplements have in combatting this viral takeover.
Within the medical literature the pathophysiology of viral infections has been detailed down to the specific receptors and chemical moieties like the protein coding gene MYD88.
The second educational video that I site below speaks to this as well as the more technical articles that detail how various therapeutic botanical agents target cellular mechanisms which prevent the virus from taking over the cellular machinery. The MYD88 protein mentioned above, when blocked by a plant agent like oxymatrine, really shuts down the inflammatory cascade. Botanicals such as genistein in soy, resveratrol and the steroidal sapogins that naturally occur in wild yam are useful agents to block this protein. Anti viral activity can be stimulated by various mushroom formulas and the androphaphis complex, baicalin (scutalleria) and berberine. Vitamin C and E are weaker anti oxidants and are generally not strong enough to block this inflammatory cascade. Botanicals like curcumin are more designed for the gut unless they have been modified to be lipophilic (fat soluble) and can cross the cell membrane.
Ultimately what leads to the death of an individual are when the forces that restore and regenerate the energy matter field that constitutes a human being are overwhelmed by those that are destructive in nature. Too much NF kappa B stimulation with viral promoting activity and not enough interferon to block viral replication is a problem. While we can use plant medicines to help maintain a proper balance its also necessary to move beyond the molecular level to that actual bio field that houses the Mind of an individual, which is to say the sum total of the thoughts, feelings, emotions, and habits that are a much a part of an individual as their biochemistry and physical structure. When everything is working together we will be much more resilient. The more energetically present you can be with a clear mind and light heart the easier it is for you to create the vitality and chemical moieties that will enhance your innate immunity.
In the world of quantum physics where the atom is understood as a non physical reality its more appropriate to understand the human anatomy and make up with more than a five sense consciousness lens. The civilizations that developed acupuncture and tracked the meridians of the body had a Consciousness expanded beyond the five senses. The Traditional African or Native American healer used their other than five sense Consciousness to understand an address underlying causes of disease through ritual and altered states of Consciousness.
In the West there are numerous technological devices that purport to interface with, measure, and modulate the human bio field. In 1980 I wrote in my thesis addressing physics and its backdrop to modern medicine and acupuncture. I speculated that there would appear technologies capable of diagnosing and treating at the level of the body’s energetic field. Such systems are available now. The NES health technology is one such system that I use but there are many others that people are working with. More research needs to go into these vibrational diagnostic and healing systems. For some individuals their application will make all the difference in the world.
We must also remember that we live on a magnet and one only need to review any of the hundreds of studies that speak to the impact of the earth’s electromagnetic field on human life, not to mention the energetic fields of all the forms of life that are a part of this planet, to understand that we are interdependent and interconnected on many levels. Quantum physics demonstrates that our attention is enough to affect the sub molecular world and our experiences should inform us that the same is also true at our five sense molecular level when we keep our intention clear and present.
The actual quality of our thoughts and the persona that emerges has a lot to do with the quality of our life. And while it seems like common sense to think that older and compromised individuals would be more susceptible to the virus what about individuals that are stressed by the quality of thoughts that they hold onto in their field i.e fear, worry, anger, sadness, humiliation and shame, etc. We know that the more one resonates with feelings of joy, peace, love, gratitude, and appreciation the better the functioning of our organism as a whole. Indeed radiating the energy of Love and Compassion can dissipate and dissolve so many unwanted thoughts and feelings not just for oneself but for those around us. How might this affect our susceptibility to disease and health outcomes?
From clinical practice I have realized that physical pathology is very often associated or I should say runs in parallel, or as a harmonic, of other levels of energy matter imbalance, whether it’s a thought, feeling, sensation, emotion or reaction to a difficult human experience. In homeopathy we attempt to see how the vital force of an individual expresses itself through symptoms that are physical and non physical and we treat the pattern of imbalance with a homeopathic remedy that has been shown to be effective in humans for the pattern that reveals itself. Not surprisingly homeopathy has an excellent track record in the treatment of epidemics and pandemics historically. Efforts to undermine it stem from a need for a segment of the population to hold onto a materialistic view of life that has a stranglehold on so many aspects of our human existence. Indeed many of us find ourselves in situations where just about all of our life energy has to be focused on day to day survival.
Multiple cultural lenses need to be used when solving the problems of human living, especially given the billions of people that now need to thrive on this planet. Answers can come from the technologies of cultures past and present. I am clear that there is a role for therapies that help to clear a person’s bio field of thoughts and emotions and charged experiential memories that detract from the flow of life energy and that this would help to minimize the incidence of serious illness. The crutches of alcohol, sugar, and any number of habits an addictions are ill advised coping mechanisms and it will take a cultural shift toward a non material based understanding of life to effectively address the real emotional and physical needs of people. The bio field itself is full of so many random “charges” from a lifetime of emotional hits and the accumulating residue of an aging body.. We have to come up with better solutions than expensive drugs to solve the problems of our living together and the appearance of toxins and viruses that are inimical to our existence.
I have shared perspectives that have focused on public health, biochemistry and botanicals, and looking at the larger human bio field in relation to our concern about how to deal with the corona virus and future iterations of it. There is a lot that can be said about where viruses come from…how this genetic material was generated. Its safe to say that if we do not examine how we are contributing to the incidence and occurrence of these entities threatening human existence then we run the risk of never getting to the bottom of what we need to do to truly create a harmonious existence for all life on this planet. As Conscious Beings we should be clear that our outer environment will resonate with whatever we are carrying in our inner environment. Lets give some thought to some of these larger issues and realities as we master the day the day skills of keeping our bodies healthy and free of disease. .
The following are recommendations for botanicals which have a track record for supporting the body’s ability to survive viral attacks.
While I list the supplements that can be obtained online and with local vendors I am also adding the ones that I recommend out of my office that are only sold to practicing physicians.
In some of the articles provided at the end there are additional recommendations along with the rational.
Oxymatrine
Resveratrol
Andrographis complex
Baicailin
Berberine
N Acetyl Cysteine 1200 to 1800mg/day
Selenium 50 to 100ug/day
Elderberry
Glucosamine 3000mg
Lipoic Acid 1200 to 1800mg
Genistein (soy isoflavone)
Chinese herbs with documented effectiveness against previous strains of corona virus.
Shi Wei, Chai Hu, Xuan Shen, Huang Hua Huo
Wu Yao, Ban Lan Gen, Yu Xiang Cao
Out of my office
Immunopad (multiple antiviral botanical compounds) 4/day
Bitter win….source for oxymatrine 2/day
Copterlin (scutellaria and berberine) 2/day
For those with chronic respiratory issues NAC 1200mg/day as a base
Chinese herbal formulations that are patient specific
References: Useful videos, Scholarly articles
- https://youtu.be/mOV1aBVYKGA Corona virus animated
- https://youtu.be/wUgEhfo_qxU Understanding viruses
- Nutraceuticals boosting interferon response to influenza and corona virus https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0033062020300372
- Antiviral Nutraceuticals
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4032839/
- Antiviral Natural Products and Herbal Medicine
Liang-Tzung Lin et al
J of Traditional and Complementary Medicine 2014 Jan-Mar 4(1)
- Nuclear Factor Kappa B – A Pivotal Transcription Factor in Chronic Inflammatory Disease
By Peter Barnes D.M and Michael Karin Ph.D
NEJM April 10, 1997
- The Regulatory Effect of Oxymatrine on TLR/MYD88/NF kappa B signaling….
Lumeti et al
Phytomedicine 36 2017
8) Andrographolide sulfonate ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in mice by down-regulating MAPK and NF-κB pathways.
Peng S1et al
Acta Pharm Sin B. 2016 May;6(3):205-
9) https://www.doctorbhatia.com/treatment/coronavirus-covid-19-symptoms-homeopathic-remedies-for-treatment-and-prophylaxis/
10) Resveratrol ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced epithelial mesenchymal transition and pulmonary fibrosis through suppression of oxidative stress and transforming growth factor-β1 signaling.
Zhang YQ et al
Clin Nutr. 2015 Aug;34(4):752-6
- Regulation of Antiviral Cell Response by Type 1 interferon Josh Crouse et al Nature Reviews Immunology Volume 15, April 2015
- Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Taylor Thompson MD et al NEJM.org Aug 10, 2017
- Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: From Mechanism
To Translation by SeungHye Han and Rama K. Mallampalli
Journal of Immunology Feb 29, 2020
13) Role of Pattern Recognition Receptors in Innate Immunity….
By Taro Kawai, Shizuo Akira
Nature Immunology May 2010
Article by Dr Kamau Kokayi
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