Who gets to decide what is Covid-19 “MIS-information”?

My biggest concern about people’s ability to cope successfully with covid-19 and for that matter to preserve our democracy, is censorship. How can we possibly arrive at the best solutions if one side of every debate is silenced or at least denigrated? On this HBN website, in the newsletter and on the radio show, we aim to cover relevant information that the media suppresses. They do so not because it is wrong, but rather because it simply does not support their chosen narrative or agenda. In contrast, we select credible sources who have studied the totality of the science, not just the part that helps their case. Granted, we do not really offer a “balanced view” because that would mean spending precious time discussing the establishment’s dogmatic talking points–I think you already get that drivel crammed down your throat at every turn. The recent tidbits below illustrate my point and show the high cost of limiting our choices. [I added italics here and there to call attention to something.]

• NIH is to study Ivermectin, Hydroxychloroquin and other potential Covid-19 early treatments for home use. According to a story in The Epoch Times, “The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently announced it will fund [with $155 million] a large randomized clinical trial to assess whether existing drugs already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can be repurposed to treat COVID-19 at home.” Ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine are two examples of 7 drugs to finally be examined [I cannot list more because, as I write this, the NIH website is down]. NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins previously said in a press release, “While we’re doing a good job with treating hospitalized patients with severe disease, we don’t currently have an approved medication that can be self-administered to ease symptoms of people suffering mild disease at home, and reduce the chance of their needing hospitalization.”

No kidding!?! Seems that early treatment should have been a higher priority since there is no debate that your chances of dying are greatly increased if you end up in the hospital and worse yet if a ventilator is required. More below on the deadly cost of this delay.

Many brave US integrative practitioners (and even whole medical systems in some other countries) have been successfully using these drugs as early outpatient treatments for a year or more. The US government’s explanation for the delay in evaluating early treatments has been their obsessive focus on vaccines and pricey drugs for use in hospitals. However, it is tempting to wonder if the real problem with US acceptance of these safe, widely available, and affordable medications is that the patents on them have expired and they are therefore not profitable for their partners in big pharma.

• Ivermectin has been used safely for over 30 years. This quote is from that same Epoch Times [TET] article above, “According to ivmmeta.com, a website providing real-time meta-analysis of ivermectin studies, there have been 52 trials on ivermectin involving more than 17,000 patients, of which 27 were randomized controlled studies and 18 focused on early treatment. Ninety-six percent of the 27 randomized controlled studies “report positive effect [on covid-19], with an estimated 65 percent improvement” and a low relative risk of mortality, the website said.”
• Another TET article interviews Elizabeth Lee Vliet, MD. The Epoch Times asked: “I remember last year that any mention of taking vitamins C and D for COVID-19 was being censored. Social media companies said it was to prevent misinformation. But why would they try to prevent doctors from providing basic nutritional information, especially at a time when so many people feared for their lives?”

Dr. Vliet’s reply: “It was to drive control of the population through fear to get them to follow the vaccination campaign. That’s clearly the motive. There is no other explanation for the orchestrated attacks on vitamins, hydroxychloroquine, and now ivermectin to prevent early treatment, and censoring any doctor that posts about this on Twitter.

I was on Twitter for six years. I had about 80 thousand followers. I was summarily suspended from Twitter on Jan. 11 for posting medically correct information about the vaccine risk and about early treatment options that were available. My account was suspended without warning and with no reason given. There wasn’t anything medically incorrect that I had posted. I consider it my responsibility to read the medical literature and put it into layman’s language in the hopes that people understand their options. I’ve always done that. I’ve written seven consumer books on health care topics.”

Dr. Vliet continues: “Hydroxychloroquine has been used for 65 years for all ages, from young children to people in their 90s and older, as well as pregnant and nursing mothers. The CDC and other agencies all over the world have always said this was safe.”

“The National Institutes of Health guidelines instructs people to stay at home until they have symptoms, and then have them go to the ER. So, people would wait through two and a half weeks of symptoms. And by that point, this virus would have triggered an exaggerated inflammatory response which can lead to the lethal form of cytokine storm. And it can trigger the exaggerated blood-clotting response, and people were developing micro-blood clots throughout the lungs.

That’s a problem, and that’s why this virus absolutely had to be treated early to prevent those damages. Primarily what has killed people with COVID is a delay to treatment and allowing the exaggerating inflammatory response and blood clotting response to take hold in the body. But by then, there is little we can do.

By the time people got to the hospital and into the ICU, the average mortality was running across the U.S. around 25 percent. That’s totally unacceptable. We’ve never had anything like that before during my career in medicine.

By preventing treatment for that long, you’re essentially putting 25 percent of those patients to death. The 75 percent that recovered then suffered long-term complications. We’ve seen pulmonary fibrosis developing. We’ve seen neurological complications, fatigue, heart damage. You’ve got inflammation of the brain, inflammation of the heart, kidney damage, and lung damage. All of these are consequences of waiting until the late stage to treat this virus.”

My thought: The government “authorities”, the mainstream media and their big tech social media co-conspirators say that nutrition, natural approaches and early / safe / low-cost interventions don’t work—costly hospital therapies and experimental “vaccines” are their choice. Never mind that they are so often WRONG. That is their story, and they are sticking to it!

Here are more sources of important information you will not hear from mainstream sources:

• Misleading marketing? In years past, Steven Hotze, MD was a respected sponsor of the Healthy by Nature show. He recently wrote an article about the covid-19 vaccines and said: “This so-called COVID-19 ‘vaccine’ does not provide the individuals who receive the vaccine with immunity to COVID-19, nor does it prevent the transmission of this disease. It does not meet the CDC’s own definition of a vaccine. That is why it is a deceptive trade practice, under 15 U.S. Code, Section 41 of the Federal Trade Commission, for pharmaceutical companies who are producing this experimental gene therapy, to claim that this is a vaccine. These pharmaceutical companies are lying to the public. The government health bureaucrats are also lying to the public, by calling this treatment a vaccine. This COVID-19 experimental gene therapy is only designed to minimize your symptoms if you were to be infected with the COVID-19 virus.

By referring to this therapy as a ‘vaccine,’ the pharmaceutical companies are attempting to shield themselves, because vaccine injuries or deaths are exempted by law from any product liability lawsuits.” [That means, if these shots were accurately classified as a “gene therapy”, the makers could be liable for harm.]

• In this powerful video interview of Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, DO by Joni Lamb on Daystar’s “Ministry Now”, the doctor reveals how the new COVID-19 vaccines work and what you’re not being told.
• Shingles may be a possible side effect of Pfizer vaccine. That is one of many interesting posts by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and his non-profit, Children’s Health Defense (CHD). For years they have courageously informed the public about vaccine lies and risks as well as exposed threats to the environment. They have suffered attacks for their trouble, but things got even stickier when CHD started telling the truth about the pandemic and the relentless push for covid vaccines. Their website says “The Defender [newsletter] / is experiencing censorship on many social channels. Be sure to stay in touch with the news that matters by subscribing to our top news of the day. It’s free.”
• I could make a very l-o-o-o-n-n-n-g list of censorship examples, but you’ve seem it and get the idea.

Fight Censorship! There are lots of scientific studies to choose from, covering all positions. Sadly, doctors and alternative media who try to educate us about good but suppressed options are routinely censored by the government and by various social media platforms whose self-appointed “experts” say that theirs is disinformation. I subscribe to and support The Epoch Times because they tell the whole story. For example, way back in April of 2020, they wrote an excellent article on the importance of vitamin D for protection against covid-19. Hmmm, they had the science, but I didn’t see that on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and only rarely on Fox News. Dr. Anthony Fauci apparently takes 6,000 vitamin D per day but hasn’t shared that precious information. [Note: the only prejudicial position I’ve seen Epoch Times take is against Chinese Communist efforts to control the US…and I can live with that bias!]

The 3-legged health stool

On the Healthy by Nature radio show, guests and I often point out that health declines when our nutrient levels drop, and/or our toxin levels increase. That is true, but we should note that like the illustration*, there is also an important 3^rd factor or leg—the mental / emotional / spiritual. That leg is dependent on the other two. In fact, if any one of the three is weak, the other two can suffer and the stool (like health) becomes wobbly.

The 3^rd Leg

The brain can make us sick directly. It can do that directly because it sends hormones and other regulatory substances to other parts of the body (maybe to all of them) where they have effects, both good and bad. Take for example, a tension headache (i.e.  mental stress = physical pain).

The brain also affects health indirectly.  For example, someone with a negative / defeatist attitude, may not invest in exercise, good nutrition, or avoidance of toxins.

No leg stands alone. Toxins can mess with your attitude and mental health. Around and around, it goes—all connected. As you will see below, an undernourished body cannot properly detoxify.

With Earth Day coming up in a few days (April 22) this seems a good time to focus a bit on the toxic leg of the stool. There are 2 main types.

Toxins acquired from the outside:

These are called xenotoxins. As an industrialized “civilization”, we have created a toxic soup in the environment that is resulting in increases in cancer, arthritis, weakened immune systems, autism, fibromyalgia, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, infertility and many more conditions. This scientific article points out that tens of thousands of “pesticides, pharmaceuticals and plasticisers enter the environment and the food chain.” And, they say it is only getting worse. “The number of new chemicals registered is rapidly rising: from 20 million to 156 million between 2002 and 2019.” These chemicals are not thoroughly tested individually and certainly not in combinations for their effects on humans or the environment.

Here is perhaps the fundamental problem: If a tanker truck of chemicals overturns on the freeway, a chemical plant explodes, or an industrial chemical is accidentally dumped into food, the authorities (government and professionals) get very excited and do something. However, perhaps because of industry’s financial pressure on the regulatory system, the same experts show little interest in the gradual exposure to chemicals from the air, food, water and commercial products that we encounter every day in foods like breakfast cereal. The amounts of toxins may be small, but they accumulate in our cells and wreak havoc on normal cellular processes over time. I encourage readers to not only learn about and use the safest products they can find, but to also support organizations that research, educate and lobby for health and a cleaner environment. The Environmental Working Group is a good example and they offer helpful consumer guides. There is more information and other resources on this linked page.

Toxins generated inside the body:

To review, as noted above, our brain and emotions generate chemicals that affect our physical bodies. Sometimes, the well-known mind/body connection is good—like when positive thoughts create pain-killing and immune-stimulating substances. On the other hand, panic or even a type-A aggressive personality may send signals to increase blood pressure. For someone at risk for cardiovascular disease, that can be a lethally toxic message.

Our metabolic pathways routinely create toxins. Ideally, a chemical chain reaction in our system continues step by step to the needed outcome. That end point might be the creation of energy or the detoxification of something dangerous (such as an excess hormone). We are supposed to end up with something chemically harmless that can be excreted through one of our waste systems. Unfortunately, the typical two-stage detox system can get bogged down at step one and not finish the job. For example, that might happen if the body lacks the b-vitamins required to go on to phase 2 of detoxification. Oops. What is left after step one may be even more harmful than the original toxin and a buildup at this stage can cause trouble. We have to be careful because some detox products rev up only stage 1. Detoxification should be done carefully (ideally with professional help) and include not only good nutrition, but also adequate water and fiber to finish the job. Sulfur compounds found in the cruciferous family of vegetables help with the required transformations at certain steps. This article has some useful detox ideas.

Our gut critters create poisons. The zoo that lives in you (hmm, maybe a good title for a kid’s book on digestion?) is very busy. A gigantic number (bigger than the digits in government rescue proposals) of organisms of various kinds digest food, break down harmful substances, create beneficial substances and fight off pathogens. Most of these “critters” are helpful or at least not harmful bacteria. When their numbers are reduced (e.g. by toxic chemicals, medicines, or just a sudden proliferation of their enemies, bad things happen because the good guys’ work is not being done. A common example of this type of problem is when an antibiotic kills off so many good guy bugs, that yeast in the system can overtake and become aggressive. Eating their favorite food (carbohydrates) makes it worse. Yeasts make poisonous substances called mycotoxins. As that name implies, they are troublemakers that can cause or at least worsen heartburn, gas, headaches, sore joints, depression, rashes, asthma, carb cravings, obesity, generalized inflammation, chronic sinus congestion and perhaps cancer, diabetes and heart disease. To read more about yeast; how to know if you have a problem; and what to do about it, LINK HERE.

*I thought this was a handsome children’s stool from Designpublic.com, but I would have to swallow hard to pay $305 for it!

Q & A with Bill Sardi

As is too often the case, time ran out on the April 3 Healthy by Nature show before we were able to answer all the listener questions. Bill Sardi graciously agreed to answer them here. I did throw in a few that had come in at other times. [Note: any text in these brackets and italics are my comments.]

• I have heard Gonzagain the news a lot Bill, what do you recommend? [Oops, you probably know, that name isn’t something you get a shot for prior to visiting the tropics. It is a fine university with an outstanding basketball team.]
• Tinnitus? [This condition is a chronic ringing or buzzing in the ears which can drive a person batty. Sadly, ENT docs sometimes just tell patients to “get used to it” or “turn on the radio”. Sardi suggested “Vitamin B₁ in the form of benfotiamine [e.g. Nerve Guardian] plus vitamin A and magnesium. Hyaluronic acid is another approach.” [I suggest citrus fruits because they contain rutin. Omega 3 fats help. You should also watch for patterns. E.g., you may find that the problem gets worse after a particular activity or after you eat certain foods. Then you can modify those behaviors…Keeping a little “health diary” notebook can help you solve many problems]
• For diabetic neuropathy? “The ingredients in Nerve Guardian”. [In addition to Nerve Guardian consider the Body Light Pad.]
• Vein health supplement? Sardi recommended “diosmin from citrus peel and the herb horse chestnut.” [Exercise is good. Food with fiber is good, especially if the veins of concern are hemorrhoids.]
• Is there any reason that Longevinex Advantage cannot be taken with other supplements? His reply: “It can be taken with all other supplements, but for optimal effect, if taken with a meal, then do not take vitamin C at the same time.”
• What is the difference between Garlinex and Garligest? “Garlinex is the world’s first alkalinized garlic capsule and neutralizes the stomach acid which would otherwise stop the production of allicin, garlic’s chief ingredient. Garligest is a unique combination of ingredients [including that same special garlic] designed to thin the bile to alleviate indigestion and to dissolve any gallstones…as well as re-supply the needed digestive acidity which most adults do not produce in sufficient quantities. Garligest also provides some lactase so that people can consume dairy products without indigestion.”
• What to do if the “ALT” level is high on a blood test? [This test is to assess liver damage.] Sardi says that “when liver enzymes are elevated, use IP6 [rice bran extract] to normalize.”
• Iscalcium supplementation necessary? “Dietary calcium is needed, but supplements usually are not. “Also, what form of magnesium is best for muscle relaxation and to avoid laxative effect? “Magnesium balances calcium. Magnesium citrate can produce a laxative effect. Magnesium threonate (Magtein) does not seem to and it gets through the blood/brain barrier.”  
• Help for Schizophrenia?  “Cease smoking. Vitamin C 3-4 times a day [or Formula 216 morning and night.] Also Quercetin.” [Research shows that Vitamin D deficiency in early childhood increases risk. Some evidence suggests that vitamin D, perhaps combined with probiotics, may help adults with this mental illness. There are so many other reasons to make sure you get enough D.]
• If I am takingLongevinex and Molecular Multi (2 capsules) every day [both supplements have some quercetin], do I need to get more quercetin during this time? Dosage. How many milligrams? Use all year or just seasonal for allergies?  Sardi’s reply: “You don’t need more quercetin unless you are having an allergic attack. No more than 250 mg. For an allergic attack take 10,000 mg. vitamin C at one time. Zinc taken routinely should reduce sensitivity to allergens.”
• I have been told thezinc supplements I take are blocked. What can I do to get the zinc to be used in my body?  “The trace mineral selenium keeps zinc from being bound up.”

Thank you, listeners, for your questions and thanks to Bill Sardi for his enlightened answers.

Covid-19 updates

Covid-19 is now just history! Sadly, that is just a cruel April Fool’s Day joke. The waffling politicians and scientific spokespersons have gotten a lot wrong in the last year by using unreliable “models” and premature speculation. (And quite possibly taken some actions solely for the purpose of increasing their power.) But, they are right that the virus is still around. And it will be around at some level for decades. What these authorities should say, but never do is that building up our body’s immune competence is the most important thing. Even if you want to put your faith in the vaccines, the stronger your immune system is, the more protection you will get from the shot. The following are updated items that have been integrated into my Library article, Covid-19 Summary.

• Loss of the ability to smell can be a lasting effect of covid-19. Obviously, the ability to smell is important to our enjoyment of life, (think of the aroma of bread baking or “stop and smell the roses”) but it also needed for our safety (e.g. smoke from a house fire or a gas leak). If the sense of smell is lost, there is hope for regaining it. This article details the combination of medical treatment and a type of therapy using essential oils making the mind/body connection to restore the sense of smell.
• “Herd immunity” is when there are enough people in a community who are immune to a disease that it can no longer spread as an epidemic. Experts offering guesses about what percentage of a community needs to be immune for that to happen. Time will tell. I find it interesting that some authorities do not give much credit to those who are immune because of having had the disease. They only want to count on the antibodies shown by the nasal swab tests after vaccination. They don’t seem to recognize the more durable immune protection from T cells produced by the thymus gland. (Zinc helps keep the thymus healthy and active.) It is harder to measure those but they shouldn’t be discounted.
• I have long recommended the herb Andrographis paniculata in my Colds and Flu remedy kit because of its historic reputation for helping with upper respiratory conditions. Modern science is backing up that value as shown in this analysis. Recently, this investigation looked at the potential for it to help with covid-19.
• Early treatment with low-cost remedies can avoid the need for expensive heroics later. Marilyn Singleton, MD recommended this patient Covid-19 treatment guide. And, Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD, is offering his e-book, Rapid Recovery, for FREE.
• The Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC’s) Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) data released March 26, 2021 showed 44,606 reports of adverse events after COVID vaccines. That includes 2,050 deaths and 7,095 serious injuries between Dec. 14, 2020 and March 19, 2021. Of course, there is no mention of this in the mainstream news because the media will not do anything that might cause citizens to delay getting the vaccines that the media has pushed so rigorously. The number 2,050 may seem a small percentage of the total vaccines given, but it is not nothing. If you are one of those affected, it is 100% in your case.

Many experts are more worried about the delayed effects when the vaccinated person is exposed to a corona virus even years later. Because the RNA type vaccines teach all the body’s cells to create that distinctive corona virus “spike”. The vaccinate immune system go after that spike when the person is exposed to the virus itself but may overreact and attack tissues in our organs. Sounds to me kind of like a self-induced autoimmune condition.

Germany has stopped using the AstraZeneca vaccine (not used in the US) at least temporarily after 31 reports of rare blood clots and 9 deaths. Although a lot of study was conducted before any of the vaccine brands were approved, to a large extent, medications of any kind are experimental until they have been used for a long time in large, varied populations and it can then be determined who is vulnerable to side effects.

If you haven’t seen it, the article, Covid-19 Summary, includes a list of supplements you can take to help protect you from getting the disease and a guide of what to do if you do come down with it.

Melatonin Surprises- PART 2

This blog is a continuation of last week’s about the Healthy by Nature Show March 13, 2021, when investigative health journalist, Jeff T Bowles, discussed his book, Extreme Dose! Melatonin The Miracle Anti-Aging Hormone Anti-Alzheimer’s Hormone Anti-Baldness Hormone Menopause Reversal Hormone. I recommend listening to the interview because this blog just hits the high spots. I did double check and reinforced these points with information that I received from Russell Reiter, PHD a professor in the Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Immune function and covid-19. Melatonin has been known to rejuvenate the thymus gland in animals. (Zinc is also needed.) The thymus makes immune cells such as the ‘killer T cells’.  Check out this powerful medical journal article, Melatonin potentials against viral infections including COVID-19: Current evidence and new findings.

Cancer. Cancer is often associated with reduced melatonin levels. Here is an important journal article: Melatonin, a Full Service Anti-Cancer Agent: Inhibition of Initiation, Progression and Metastasis Melatonin also prevents chemo resistance and resistance to tamoxifen. Apparently, cancer grows in the daytime, not at night when melatonin is high. Therefore, keeping patient rooms dark at night seems important. For breast cancer Dr. Reiter says to take a minimum of 10 mg. whereas Jeff recommends taking 100 mg. of melatonin a day.

Alzheimer’s. Here is an encouraging medical journal article,Mechanisms of Melatonin in Alleviating Alzheimer’s Disease

Blood Pressure. There seems to be a growing interest in melatonin for helping reduce high blood pressure. Read more.Be cautious if blood pressure comes down a bit too far, you may briefly get dizzy.

Melatonin safety. According to this research article, “No studies have indicated that exogenous [supplemental] melatonin should induce any serious adverse effects.” It also said, “even in extreme doses…only mild adverse effects, such as dizziness, headache, nausea and sleepiness have been reported.” Jeff said that when he started taking 100 mg the first few nights, he described his sleep as “uncomfortable” but within a week, he slept like a baby. After 2 or 3  months, his thinning hair started to fill in. (He thinks that is because melatonin boosts progesterone which is like the hair growing drugs.) The National Institute of Health says “As with all dietary supplements, people who are taking medicine should consult their health care providers before using melatonin. In particular, people with epilepsy and those taking blood thinner medications need to be under medical supervision when taking melatonin. 

My parting thought. There must be a good reason that all animals and even plants have melatonin. Read Jeff’s article Amazing! Melatonin Secrets That Almost Nobody Knows About! It is understandable that melatonin may have a life extension effect and it likely provides a great many more benefits because it works in such fundamental ways:

• as an antioxidant
• anti-inflammatory
• as support for our cells’ mitochondria [powerhouses]
• in balancing hormones
• in regulating the body’s natural rhythms
• and, of course, improving sleep

Jeff’s answers to questions that came up after the show:

• Jeff said “I think the menopause reversal effect came from women taking just 6 mg of melatonin at night.  I just realized if melatonin is the famine survival hormone at high doses, that slows/reverses aging and acts as birth control. If women take 75 mg a night during their reproductive years it will probably delay the time/age that menopause occurs!!  Maybe dramatically. That is my prediction.”
• Regarding sleep. “Vitamin D3 and magnesium affect sleep…magnesium deficiency is a major cause of insomnia.”
• He thinks “the Alzheimer’s progression I mentioned was stopped in the one Brazilian twin with 10 mg of melatonin a night.”
• Jeff says that “smaller amounts might work but I think that the healthiest thing to stop/reverse aging would be to take the birth control amount of 75+ mg a night for women and 100+ mg a night for men (higher for men just to adjust for weight).”
• Safety? The National Institute of Health says “As with all dietary supplements, people who are taking medicine should consult their health care providers before using melatonin. In particular, people with epilepsy and those taking blood thinner medications need to be under medical supervision when taking melatonin. supplements.” Later they also said, “There’s been a lack of research on the safety of melatonin use in pregnant or breastfeeding women.”
• Some readers have asked about recommended brands of melatonin. I don’t have any favorites, but here is an example of a 10 mg type that I bought. It is a much higher dose than the commonly available 3 mg. Mr. Bowles says that high dosages of nutrients are available in powder form at https://www.vitaspace.com/

Melatonin Surprises- PART 1

On the Healthy by NatureShow March 13, 2021, investigative health journalist, Jeff T Bowles, discussed his book, Extreme Dose! Melatonin The Miracle Anti-Aging Hormone Anti-Alzheimer’s Hormone Anti-Baldness Hormone Menopause Reversal Hormone.

This supplement is a hormone that you may have heard about as a help for sleep and jet lag. It does that, but we learned about some of its other benefits noted in the subtitle of his book. There are more such help with migraine, depression, blood pressure and cancer.

A timely connection is that melatonin is being studied as an adjunct treatment for covid-19. (Incidentally, President Trump was taking it  during his brief bout with the coronavirus.) The head of our affiliate network, ACN, kindly sent me this message: “A study done by a team of researchers at the Cleveland Clinic found that melatonin may help prevent illness from COVID-19. It found that use of the sleep aid is ‘strongly associated with a 28% reduced likelihood’ of a positive COVID-19 test. For African Americans, the reduction in likelihood goes up to 52 percent.” Conveniently, melatonin has also been shown to support lung health.

The chart at the top illustrates how nighttime levels of melatonin decline as we age. That is a clue to why Jeff considers melatonin an under-appreciated help with age management. Melatonin controls other hormones. He said that a study in Europe found that 75 mg daily was effective birth control for women. (That is way higher than the 1-3 mg usually used for sleep and I don’t recommend relying on that method.)  When Jeff was taking high doses of melatonin, his blood levels of progesterone went up. (I consider that a good thing.)

I apologize for not going in greater depth and for cutting off Part 1 of this story here rather abruptly. Frankly, with taxes and other stuff, I just got really behind this week and ran out of time. Next week, I will review the Bowles interview and my notes from a previous professor’s lecture and tidy things up.

Sherry Rogers Review

As always, Sherry Rogers, MD provided us a wealth of information during her March 6 HBN interview. Although you can and maybe should listen to the show again in the archives, for your convenience, I offered to review a few of the main topics.

Covid-19. Dr. Rogers said that even though the virus has been around a year and a half (long before we were informed), the current Journal of the American Medical Association shows that mainstream medicine, the CDC, the FDA, Harvard, etc. are still clueless about how to effectively stop the virus especially with natural means. She teaches us that the virus is just a piece of DNA that must commandeer our cells to survive and spread. She identified seven steps or stages of the infection:

1. The virus lands on our cells. (So, first, try to protect yourself from exposure using common sense steps such as masks and staying away from people who may be ill. Dr. Rogers previously discussed healing our cell membranes which is important for keeping viruses out and for making good docking sites for vitamin D. I reviewed that interview in the May 21, 2020 blog. Getting the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats back to normal with cod liver oil is one factor. Taking the 8 forms of vitamin E is another. Phosphatidyl Choline is the cell anchor for the other things.)
2. The virus grabs onto the cell by making a glycoprotein which issomething like a clot. (Boluoke is a fibrinolytic enzyme that she said stops that.)
3. The virus gets into the cell through ACE2 gates. (Folks on blood pressure medicine have 4 times as many of these. Processed foods, GMO’s etc. also create more. See #7 below)
4. Covid-19 starts replicating and sometimes creates mutant forms or variants (we need to stop that duplication with virus “birth control” which is zinc).
5. It hibernates in the gut. It can stay dormant like so many other viruses do…if the gut is well nourished and not toxic.
6. There it begins making misfolded proteins. (Some are prions which target receptors of which diabetics have a lot and they can even get into the brain. They have no genetic material and can’t be eliminated with drugs or vaccines. However, lithium orotate is a natural solution.).
7. The virus attaches to the ACE2 receptors in the lung and there it acts like a fast-progressing cancer. (Saturday, she mentioned that JAMA discussed the horrendously expensive and poorly tested “monoclonal antibody treatment” for covid-19. It works on step 3 and 7 by closing the ACE2 receptors. She pointed out that adequate doses of safe and inexpensive vitamin D3 (i.e., 10,000 IU) also does that.

Sherry’s 2020 Total Wellness newsletter gives detailed instructions on how to stop covid at each of those 7 stages. There is too much to review here, and I highly recommend you order the past year newsletter from the publisher (print or digital and don’t forget the P129P code for a 20% discount).

She suggested you protect yourself if you have been out to a store without mask, glasses and other personal protection: take 2 Boluoke, put 2 squirts up your nose of antiviral Argentyn 23 silver nasal spray. Tilt your head back and feel it run down the back of your throat. (Don’t use “colloidal silver” which leads to heavy metal toxicity.)

Here are the “7 m’s” that Dr. Rogers says to get rid of in order to be healthy. Mercury (we now get it from corn syrup and sugar), Meds (she said statins guarantee Alzheimer’s), Mycotoxins (from yeast overgrowth), Mangled fats (like trans fats), Manufactured toxins (like Teflon), Managed Care and Monsanto (the chemical giant that brought us aspartame and though it sold to Bayer is responsible for spreading GMO’s and the toxic herbicide glyphosate in Roundup® (Note, American’s blood levels of glyphosate are 7 times higher than those of Europeans!) 

If you get sick and think you might have covid. Have an oximeter (about $20) on hand from the drug store or order online to make sure your oxygen is in a good range. Go to the doctor and have them do a D-dimer and an LDH test because having those increasing is bad news. Make sure they know you want heparin to make sure that you don’t have clots which can kill you (they are also the final insult in heart attack / stroke or cancer).

Vaccine? She said maybe you should take the shot if you aren’t protecting yourself with vitamin D, zinc and the other things we’ve discussed. I just found this open letter from doctors and scientists to European regulators. It details serious concerns about the vaccines.

Schizophrenia. A listener asked about this mental health issue and I asked which book would be best, thinking it might be Depression Cured at Last. Dr. Rogers recommended How to Cure Diabetes for that and maybe any problem because it goes into basics.

Longevinex. Dr. Rogers says resveratrol is great, but, based on research, this is the only brand she can recommend.

Lysine. After the show, I asked her about lysine for covid-19. She said other aminos are also helpful and that maybe the Dominican Republic did so well fighting covid using lysine because they are healthier to start with.

Covid-19 Help from an Antiviral Amino Acid

During his 2/27/21 interview, Bill Sardi, told us about studies showing that a common natural amino acid, l-lysine, has the power to protect against and even resolve many viruses including covid-19! Mr. Sardi wrote a very useful article on the topic (it links to studies). The article also discusses worrisome new covid-19 variants. This blog today reviews information from his interview plus a little extra.

The general idea. Amino acids are building blocks of protein. The amino l-arginine in the diet prompts some viruses to multiply and grow strong.  However, if there is less of that available but more of another amino acid, l-lysine, the viruses weaken and fade away. Apparently, lysine gets taken up by the virus instead of arginine, but it doesn’t work for the virus. L-lysine has been successfully used since the 1970’s to fight many viral conditions—especially the herpes type viruses that cause fever blisters, canker sores, chicken pox and shingles. In 2016,lysine even worked in a lab study against a coronavirus! In 2020, a grass roots movement started in the Dominican Republic to use lysine against another coronavirus—covid-19! A 14-minute video interview describes how this happened and surprisingly how lysine was gradually accepted by mainstream medicine and even health regulators. (I cannot imagine that this could ever happen in the US.) Watch a video of that story with details of best usage (14 min) The Mt. Sinai Health System website has a useful page on lysine.

Safety. L-lysine is prevalent in foods and has been widely used around the world as a supplement. Lysine is valued for other benefits including relief of anxiety, promoting of wound healing and (along with vitamin C), preventing buildup of plaque in arteries.

Food sources – the body can make arginine, but we must either eat or supplement lysine. Foods that are a good source of lysine include meat, poultry and fish, cheese, eggs, avocado and papaya. To avoid reducing the benefit of lysine when you are ill, eat less of lysine’s opposite, l-arginine. Foods high in arginine are nuts, seeds, chocolate, turkey, soybeans and peanuts. (People prone to fever blisters often get them around holidays where they eat nuts and chocolate.)

Lysine Supplement Usage Guidelines. Supplements of 500 mg. a day are suggested for prevention. It is probably better to avoid taking it at bedtime because it gives some people energy and may interfere with sleep. Coffee is not recommended during covid-19 or while using lysine. Higher doses, e.g. 1,500 mg a day and up are useful if fighting a coronavirus or herpes infection. The suggested upper limit for supplementation is 3,000 mg. per day. Check with physician if you have kidney or liver disease. Persons who have had covid-19 symptoms for over month and a half should go slowly, starting with ½ doses.

Supplements. Most lysine supplements are made with raw material from the same ultimate source and there is nothing complicated about absorption. So, this is one case where the brand isn’t critical. “Now” brand is usually readily available and reasonably priced. Strictly for the convenience of customers who purchase Molecular Multi, Nerve Guardian or Zinc Lozenges from his Lifespan Nutrition company, Bill Sardi added two common brands of lysine. He is offering them at a special price…but he will also be happy if our listeners find bargains elsewhere. He just wants them to have the safeguard of lysine.

Is AGE or location really the covid-19 problem?

The AARP magazine in December 2020 focused an article on the tragedy of coronavirus deaths in long-term care facilities. The author pointed out that while “fewer than 1% of Americans live in such facilities, 40% of covid-19 deaths have occurred there. Age alone is not the issue because only about 15% of the population is over age 65. What is going on here?

Let us put aside the important question of whether it was smart or humane to send New York’s senior covid-19 patients to ill-equipped rest homes instead of the empty hospital ship that had been made available. What is the fundamental reason that so many perish in long-term care facilities compared to other residential choices? For example, the statistics are less shocking with the elderly who receive help to stay in their own homes home or even in assisted-living type housing.

As people age, they do tend to collect “underlying conditions”, but there is more to it than that. Over 1 year ago, as early as February 1, 2020, Bill Sardi helped us understand the importance of vitamin D for protection against covid-19 for all age groups. Sardi, and later Jeff T. Bowles noted that too often, nursing home residents do not get to go out in the sunshine and that a high percentage ore likely deficient in vitamin D. Of course, that idea becomes less practical in the winter. (But, if you have ever tried to get rest home staff to give dietary supplements to a patient, you know that is not an easy answer either.)

The mineral zinc is also critical for immune function. Several studies show that residents in these long-term facilities are malnourished and suffer functional problems as a result. Here is one example.

Also, I remember that when I was researching my book, The Probiotic Cure, I read studies which showed that because of inadequate diets, rest home residents typically had unhealthful balances in their gut microorganisms (dysbiosis). Dysbiosis alone can lead to “leaky gut” which in turn can cause virtually any health problem you can imagine.

It is not just the building itself or the staff in rest homes that cause the problem. Lack of independence is also a major difference. If an old person needs some visiting help but can stay at home and still make their own meals, they will be better nourished. They can also remain more mobile, get some sunshine and stay more cheerful. Other than the financial cost, I am at a loss for why there hasn’t been a massive effort to assure better nutrition or at least strategic nutritional supplements for confined elderly folks. SAD.

Meanwhile, if you have a loved one considering a rest home, it would be ideal to evaluate insurance, Medicare and various professional companies to see if it is possible to have them assisted with essential services in their own home. Or the next best thing might be an assisted living facility that allows some independence. At the very least, see if doctors on duty can be persuaded either by family or the family doctor to arrange for daily supplements of at least some critical basics such as vitamin D (e.g. 6,000 to 8,000 IU), zinc (30 mg.) and B vitamins to help with mood, balance and memory (e.g. Nerve Guardian). Most doctors have not studied nutrition, but you can provide them with a wealth of studies on each of these basics. For example, look for links to studies contained in these Library articles—on vitamin D and zinc. Note: the facility might require a pharmacist or the staff to pack the nutrients in a special packaging for ease of dispensing, but it could well be a lifesaving request.

Bill Sardi Answers Our Questions

This is a review of topics covered during his 1/30/21 interview.

Bell’s Palsy? Bill says that this partial paralysis of the face is caused by a herpes type virus like the one that causes fever blisters, canker sores and shingles. The risk of those infections is increased by being low in vitamin D_3. Eating nuts and chocolate also ups risk because those foods contain arginine, an amino acid that the virus thrives on. Sardi (and I) recommend l-lysine, another amino acid, but this one slows the virus.  He said to supplement a lot, e.g. 2,000-3,000 mg a day. Be sure to keep your vitamin D, zinc and vitamin C high as well to help immune function. Because a nerve is being attacked, Nerve Guardian would also be a great idea. [Note, I Bill talks mostly in generics, but I like to link to his products because they are so superior.]

How much vitamin B₁ is needed? The listener wanted to know specifically how to prevent BeriBeri which is becoming increasingly common because of the covid-19 lockdown. Sardi said that ordinarily the need is low. The diet contains only about 1 mg. And, it is not well absorbed, so Sardi put 10 mg. of the more effective fat-soluble form in his bargain priced Nerve Guardian. Remember that alcohol, coffee and sugar greatly interfere with B₁. So, for persons indulging a lot in those items (e.g. alcoholics), they might need a stronger product which will be much more expensive.

Foundational supplements for age 40 and beyond?   I suggested Molecular Multi (MM) as a good base, with extra vitamin D₃, magnesium and vitamin C. Zinc is critical, but there is enough in MM. Women age faster after menopause because they lose estrogen. The signal to lose estrogen comes from iron. Iron signals loss of testosterone in men. It might be smart to reduce red meat which is an iron source. Calcium is also a cause of aging, and so he does not recommend calcium in supplement form. To remove excess calcium and iron, take substances that chelate (remove) them. Resveratrol (the red wine molecule), quercetin and fisetin remove the damaging and unneeded surplus iron and calcium. They are key ingredients in Longevinex. Also, read in the next section about an IP6 flush which we should do once a year to slow aging.

Liver cancer and enzymes. The listener’s husband had previously experienced great results with IP6 (a rice bran extract). However, he may be experiencing a return of trouble. Mr. Sardi said to clean the liver which would help any liver issue, use an IP6 flush for a couple of months. It pulls out the iron which is a stimulant to cancer and helps reduce fatty deposits. We can absorb only about 1600 mg a day which is a therapeutic dose. He said that because IP6 only liberates the excess iron, it should not take it from red blood cells. For extra caution, watch for signs of anemia…e.g. fatigue and cold fingers / toes. IP6 is available at most vitamin retailers and online. This article may be useful. Of course, for boosting immune competence for cancer, take extra vitamin D (it is stored in the liver) and vitamin C and zinc (which also helps control iron).

Estrogen question. It is needed for bone health, mood and more. Instead of or in addition to bioidentical hormones consider resveratrol (e.g. Longevinex) which acts as a safe plant estrogen.

Fasting and vitamins. It is okay to take them while fasting.

Cholesterol. Cholesterol can become elevated if we don’t get enough vitamin C (e.g., consuming less than 1,000 a day). Animals do not have a cholesterol problem because they make their own vitamin C. (Formula 216 helps you mimic that process.) IP6 is helpful with cholesterol as well because of the liver’s key role. Also, try  Garligest which helps keep bile thin and flowing, thereby carrying cholesterol out of the body.

Concerned about the rNA vaccines? Some experts (who are not part of the establishment pushing the government’s sunny narrative) worry about what may happen months after the vaccinations, especially the second one. They believe that the genetic messenger in the shot will prime the immune system to overreact when you encounter a coronavirus the next time. What they inject will tell all organs in the body to produce that “spike protein” associated with the covid-19 virus. Then, when alerted by a future exposure, the immune system will attack those organs because they contain the spike protein. Without long term testing as proof otherwise, there is no convincing defense against that argument. Read Bill Sardi’s powerful article about the genetics professor’s explanation. He noted that the vaccines are in two doses because they are too powerful to do in one. [I don’t like to tell people whether or not to get vaccinated. I just would feel horrible if the critics turn out to be right and I never covered that.]

What to take if you do take the shot? This is especially important for the elderly whose immune systems might be inclined to overreact with an autoimmune response…Vitamin A (2,500-5,000 IU), Vitamin D₃ (5,000-10,000 IU)_, zinc (15-30 mg) and resveratrol (100-250 mg Longevinex has that and more).

Diabetic neuropathy. We didn’t have time for a final call about that and I said I’d address her email in this newsletter. I am so sorry—it turned out to be a more complicated question and answer than I can properly deal with today. I will have something on that next week.