As winter approaches and we are all in tighter spaces with colder weather and the ''Flu Season" around the corner what should we be doing about contagious diseases.  What does COVID19 and other viruses have in store for us?

This Event was hosted by Ms. Kate Godly, PA and Dr. J.P. Saleeby, MD both Functional Medicine healthcare providers and will answer some fundamental questions about the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the influenza season and much more.

This is a free event, but donations are accepted to the Priority Health Academy a 501(c)3 NGO devoted to FxMed Learning for more information email Dr. Saleeby at dr.saleeby@carolinaholisticmedicine.com

https://m.timesofindia.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/coronavirus-ways-vitamin-d-canprevent-multiple-organ-failure-in-covid-19-patients/amp_etphotostory/78574737.cmsVaccines in the works: multiple doses of attenuated, vs live vaccines, you shed virus to thosearound.

Why/how HIV and other retroviruses are not just Ab mediated

How antivirals work, need to already have virus.

Side effects of antivirals. Herpes as an example.

How zinc and oregano oil and lemon balm stop viral replication.

Underlying issues with Th1/Th2 balance. What is causing cytokine storm in general population.

A summary of our current COVID19 pandemic now 10-months into it.

Will numbers rise of those contracting this coronavirus?  Yes

Are we to be alarmed about this?  No, it is a common circumstance that when a highly contagious virus either airborne or contact you will see a rise in those affected.  Happens with influenza, rhinovirus, enteroviruses, and the like.  No surprise here.

Will we see a rise in the number of deaths?  No, not in proportion to the number of infected.  It is likely that the current RNA COVID-19 virus in circulation has mutated to a less virulent form, while still highly contagious it is not as deadly.

Take a look at the data from the CDC/Johns Hopkins… numbers of infected rising; number of those dying is dropping.  Estimates of 45,000 new infected each day in the US, but only about 900 deaths daily nationwide (as of 10/9/2020).  This is a fatality rate of 2% of those infected.  So, for 100 people in America that we KNOW OF that are infected (those tested) it is expected that 2 will perish.  However, we can assume that not everyone will get tested (there are so many infected but asymptomatic) so the fatality number are in actuality much much lower if you were able to count everyone.

What can I do to protect myself?  Well a vaccine may or may not be ready for the latter quarter of 2020; and if one is developed in late 2020 or early 2021 will it be safe, no one knows.  So we will make some suggestions on what you can do NOW to help lower your risk for all viral infections; bolster up your primary defenses (immune system) and limit exposure with what makes sense in our communities.

https://www.mdlinx.com/news/estimate-of-covid-19-seroprevalence-in-the-us-suggests-few-in-the-population-developed-antibodies-in/432FtM9ERiWSFGy1maK7Nk

CDC on changing guidelines for masks etc.

Are masks useful?  Cloth vs N95 vs R95 vs P95 – R95 prevents oily droplets; p95 is the best and can last the longest >40hrs but is expensive;  cloth or surgical are not intended for this purpose.

Downplaying #s infected with little or no sxs; overplaying #s of infected; not focusing on #s of dead vs #s infected and not sick.

Pushing for vaccine; fast tracking vaccine (bad idea) – Kate your discussion on vaccine development

Not focusing on immune enhancement/ safer drugs to Tx

[Let us give our protocol for the season:

Thymosin Alpha-1 (Ta1) aka Zadaxin peptide therapy 1.6mg SQ tri-weekly (Rx)

Suggestions as to what to do when infected:  Azithromycin, Zn, HCQ, Vit-C, Pepcid,  IGG(pooled IGG from donors); Ivermectin or Alinia possibly;  Others in the pipeline.  Protocols can change every week.

https://www.mdlinx.com/news/coronavirus-mutations-what-weve-learned-so-far/4fbcen0hy0dmS70oXIIezQ

Slow mutation rate compared w/ influenza viruses. Mutations can make virus more or less virulent. Likely what we are seeing is a less virulent strain; will it convey immunity, remains to be seen.

graphics; downward death trend, higher infected with low level of sxs.

a.  The first is when doctors strongly suspect a patient has COVID-19 but gold-standard diagnostic PCR molecular tests that look for genetic components of the virus have been negative and at least two weeks have passed since the onset of symptoms.

b.  The second is when a child has signs and symptoms of multisystem inflammatory syndrome, a life-threatening condition that has been linked with previous coronavirus infection.

c.  The third is when public health officials conduct serosurveillance studies to track the proportion of the population that has been exposed to the virus.

https://www.mdlinx.com/news/idsa-says-when-to-test-for-covid-19-antibodies/7dNBJu2toi8C2CQGjNAKpV

Vaccine on the horizon? https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/investigational-covid-19-vaccine-well-tolerated-generates-immune-response-older-adults

https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1003358 loss of smell and taste very much pathological sign even without other signs of fever and cough.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-10-role-t-cells-sars-cov-virus-defense.html T-cell response to COVID. and response https://www.medshoprx.com/blog/low-dose-naltrexone-and-the-theorized-treatment-of-the-novel-coronavirus shows how LDN can enhance immune fxn and limit destructive nature of COVID w/ cytokine suppression.

https://www.mdlinx.com/article/top-10-causes-of-death-in-the-us-in-2020/MNpEowpA8DXKBUNcbmkpY top 10 causes of death in America for comparison.

A group of genes passed down from extinct human cousins (Neanderthals) is linked with a higher risk for severe COVID-19, https://www.mdlinx.com/news/neanderthal-genes-linked-with-severe-covid-19/gGcAM5XyWj8Y4qs6YCjjx

Substandard Research is published (under pressure to produce) & high numbers are being redacted. mdlinx.com/news/covid-19-pandemic-has-created-flood-of-potentially-substandard-research/3FbZlE22KOMj3HRwtarVw3 This also spills over to poor research and development of drugs & vaccinations.   Watch out for ''expert literature/publications'' there are record numbers of redactions and retractions!

HCQ works: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanrhe/article/PIIS2665-9913(20)30305-2/fulltext

After another study published this week in a high profile medical journal stated that HCQ was not effective in COVID-sick patients (this is counter to other studies and MD observations) but whatever.... this comes out about Regeneron Ab Tx (an experimental yet to be FDA approved treatment).

Would love to have seen a blinded placebo study with a Trump Clone (dare we ever?) to see if doing nothing vs this new Ab Tx was effective or not.   Is Dr. Fauci advocating a new treatment that has not stood the test of time nor had a peer-reviewed-double-blinded-placebo-controlled-study done?  This goes contrary to what this man preaches.

Coronavirus can survive 9-hrs on human skin according to: mdlinx.com/news/new-coronavirus-survives-nine-hours-on-human-skin/4y3eYt7T3BsmLPR6rhc3Mc  even more on some fomites.

US drugmaker Pfizer Inc. with German partner BioNTech SE, US biotech Moderna Inc and Britain-based AstraZeneca Plc in conjunction with University of Oxford researchers could provide early analyses of data from their various large trials over the next two months. Johnson & Johnson is not far behind. and vaccine during trials must be 50% or greater effective and deemed SAFE. FDA will ultimately OK it in the USA. https://www.mdlinx.com/news/q-and-amp-a-where-are-we-in-the-covid-19-vaccine-race/4FzYkxcoaw1UyDBRqLCvwD

In the news on 10/10/2020 there are an estimated 45,000 new cases of COVID each day in the USA and death rates are hovering around 970 per day. So the ratio of deaths/new cases is 0.02. Just at about 2%. While the annual flu season death rate is about 0.1%.

https://www.mdlinx.com/news/immune-cell-activation-in-severe-covid-19-resembles-lupus/2wxkeFPwWLpsHql7fXAerL Lupus like post COVID19 infections. AI component.  Be on the lookout for post-COVID syndromes.  They may spark Autoimmune syndromes and diseases of all kinds.

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/scientists-advice-for-ways-to-ward-off-the-coronavirus-68037 some suggestions by ''experts''.

Numbers in perspective: #dead per day due to cancer: 1,600/Americans per day die of cancer. for 2020 it is estimated that 606,520 Americans will die of Cancer.

# of dead per day due to CVDz (Heart Disease) is 2,353 for USA and that is about 858,845 deaths per year (2017 figures) for Americans dying of heart disease.  "Keep things in perspective here."

Currently as of this broadcast:  800/d COVID fatalities;  ~220K deaths.

Melatonin: Immune-Modulating Role in COVID-19?

By Krista Anderson Ross, ND | April 14, 2020

A recently published review article suggests that melatonin could play a role in combating COVID-19. The article “COVID-19: Melatonin as a potential adjuvant treatment” by Rui Zhang et al., published March 23rd 2020, suggests that the excessive inflammation, oxidation, and exaggerated immune response during COVID-19 infection contributes to the cytokine storm that progresses into acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and immunomodulating effects of melatonin have been shown to be protective against viral-induced ALI/ARDS. 1
Coronaviruses (CoVs) are RNA viruses that infect both humans and animals. The infection involves the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and central nervous systems. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) are similar infectious diseases that have caused thousands of deaths in the past two decades. 1
Cytokine Storm
Recently published research suggests a nucleotide similarity between SARS-CoVs, MERS-CoVs and SARS-CoV-2, suggesting a high genetic homology. In SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV infected animal models, severe inflammatory and immune responses may activate a “cytokine storm,” i.e.: apoptosis of epithelial cells and endothelial cells leading to vascular leakage and abnormal T cell and macrophage responses, inducing ALI/ARDS, and even death. This cytokine storm appears to prevail in patients with COVID-19 based on genetic homology and pathologic features of the infected lungs. In the blood of patients with COVID-19, there was a marked increase in the inflammatory markers IL-1B, IFN-y, IP-10, MCp-1, IL-4, and IL-10 compared to SARS patients. Additionally, COVID-19 patients present with suppressed immune function marked by hypo-albuminemia, lymphopenia, neutropenia, and decreased percentage of CD8+ T cells. In summary, the excessive inflammation, depressed immunity, and active cytokine storm appears to contribute to the pathogenesis of COVID-19. 1, 2, 3, 6
Indirect Anti-viral Actions
Melatonin has indirect anti-viral actions due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and immune-enhancing features. Melatonin has been shown to reduce viremia, paralysis, and death in mice infected with viral encephalitis; and has led to downregulation of acute lung oxidative injury, pro-inflammatory cytokine release, and inflammatory cell recruitment in respiratory syncytial virus models. These findings support a rationale for melatonin use in viral diseases. Additionally, the anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and immunomodulating actions of melatonin support its potential attenuation of COVID-19 infection. 1,4, 5
Anti-Inflammation
Melatonin exerts anti-inflammation effects through various pathways. Melatonin suppresses NF-kB activation in ARDS and downregulates NF-kB activation in T cells and lung tissue. Conversely, melatonin stimulates NF-E2 related factor 2 (Nrf2), crucial in protecting against lung, liver, and cardiovascular injury. Inflammation generally involves an increase in the production of the cytokines and chemokines TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8, whereas melatonin has been shown to reduce them. 1, 9, 10, 11
Immunomodulation
NOD-like receptor 3 inflammasome (NLRP3) is part of the innate immune response during lung infection. It is activated by viruses to amplify inflammation. NLRP3 is correlated to lung diseases caused by infection, including influenza A virus, syncytial virus, and bacteria. Melatonin has been shown efficacious in inhibiting NLRP3-mediated lung injury by reducing the infiltration of macrophages and neutrophils in lung tissue. 1, 7, 8
Melatonin enhances the immune response by improving proliferation and maturation of natural killer cells, T and B lymphocytes, granulocytes, and monocytes in both bone marrow and other tissues. In macrophages, antigen presentation is augmented after the application of melatonin, including the up-regulation of complement receptor 3, MHC class I and class II, and CD4 antigens. 1, 12
Melatonin effects on cytokine levels in humans
While there are no research studies related to the use of melatonin in patients with COVID-19, the use of melatonin has been shown promising in other diseases with an increased level of inflammation. At doses of 6 mg/d and 25mg/d, respectively, melatonin has been shown to decrease serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and hs-C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in patients with diabetes mellitus and periodontitis, and promotes a significant reduction in serum concentrations of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β and lipoperoxides in patients with MS. Additional studies of melatonin at intakes of 5-10mg/d have been shown to decrease many of the same inflammatory cytokines found in COVID-19. 1, 13, 14, 15
Short-term use of melatonin has been deemed safe, even at higher than physiologic doses (physiologic doses being in the 0.5 – 1mg range). While the safety of melatonin has been verified in many human studies, its effect when given to COVID-19 patients remains unknown and should be monitored closely. Its use in experimental animal models and human studies has continuously documented its efficacy and safety.
Patients prone to viral infections or dealing with inflammation-based chronic conditions may benefit from melatonin usage. Melatonin testing can reveal the baseline status of this important anti-inflammatory, immune-modulating hormone, providing a framework for supplementation.

Dr. Anderson-Ross will be presenting Melatonin: Synthesis, Sleep and Supplementation on May 6, 2020. She will review the various roles of melatonin, and discuss current testing and treatment strategies. Case studies will be discussed. Dr. Anderson-Ross will also briefly review the literature of melatonin’s immune modulating and anti-viral properties, and potential implications for COVID-19. A live Q&A session will follow the main presentation.

Popular COVID-19 conspiracies linked to vaccine 'hesitancy'

A new study of beliefs and attitudes toward COVID-19 in five different countries- UK, US, Ireland, Mexico and Spain - has identified how much traction some prominent conspiracy theories have within these populations.

The research reveals 'key predictors' for susceptibility to fake pandemic news, and finds that a small increase in the perceived reliability of conspiracies equates to a larger drop in the intention to get vaccinated.

Scientists from the University of Cambridge gathered data from national samples in each country, and asked participants to rate the reliability of several statements, including six popular myths about COVID-19.

While a large majority of people in all five nations judged the misinformation to be unreliable, researchers found that certain conspiracy theories have taken root in significant portions of the population.

The conspiracy deemed most valid across the board was the claim that COVID-19 was engineered in a Wuhan laboratory. Between 22-23% of respondents in the UK and United States rated this assertion as "reliable". In Ireland this rose to 26%, while in Mexico and Spain it jumped to 33% and 37% respectively.

This was followed by the idea that the pandemic is "part of a plot to enforce global vaccination", with 22% of the Mexican population rating this as reliable, along with 18% in Ireland, Spain and the US, and 13% in the UK.

The notorious 5G conspiracy - that some telecommunication towers are worsening COVID-19 symptoms - holds sway over smaller but still significant segments: 16% in Mexico, 16% in Spain, 12% in Ireland, and 8% in both the UK and US. The study is published today in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

"Certain misinformation claims are consistently seen as reliable by substantial sections of the public. We find a clear link between believing coronavirus conspiracies and hesitancy around any future vaccine," said Dr Sander van der Linden, co-author and Director of the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab.

"As well as flagging false claims, governments and technology companies should explore ways to increase digital media literacy in the population. Otherwise, developing a working vaccine might not be enough."

Earlier this week, the Social Decision-Making Lab launched a project with the UK Cabinet Office: Go Viral!, a short online game that helps 'inoculate' players against fake news by lifting the lid on common misinformation techniques.

**What is fact or fiction.... only time and dedicated research and truth in publishing by the media will resolve**

Update on COVID19 Pandemic: What we need to know moving into the winter