From eNewsletter 6/3/2020
DID YOU KNOW that a recent study in Frontiers in Microbiology stated that several chronic inflammatory diseases display seasonal patterns in levels of severity?
Researchers found symptoms may be related to vitamin D synthesis and sun exposure or lack thereof. This was the the first study to find that exacerbations in inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis are commonly reported when serum vitamin D levels are low, which occurs more frequently during cold weather months when sun exposure is minimal.
For the majority of us, sun exposure is insufficient throughout the year, making vitamin D supplementation essential.
PREVENT AND FIGHT CORONAVIRUS 2.0 If you missed our recommendations about how to prevent and fight the coronavirus, especially now that things have re-opened, the information is available here. RE-OPENING PROCEDURE Since Illinois has moved to Phase 3, if you are local, please read our re-opening guidelines.
COVID-19 UPDATE
Steve & Bonnie: According to a CDC statement last Friday, four separate lines of evidence (syndromic surveillance, virus surveillance, phylogenetic analysis, and retrospectively identified cases) suggest that limited U.S. community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 likely began in late January or early February 2020, after a single importation from China, followed by multiple importations from Europe. Not to toot our own horn, but we gave you our first preventive recommendations January 22nd!
Here are two links that may be of assistance to you. New Guidelines for Those Who Have COVID-19 Infection. CDC Says Antibody Tests for COVID-19 Are Wrong Half the Time. Note: This is why we did not want to jump the gun on antibody testing. Blood Type In a recent Journal of Cellular Physiology, scientists looked into the pattern of blood type distribution in 2,173 patients in three hospitals, who had been confirmed to have SARS-CoV-2 infection. There was a higher prevalence of blood type A among the patients with COVID-19 than in the normal population. Individuals with O blood type were spared somehow, as there were fewer patients with this blood type in this study. Other available also data indicated a significantly higher risk for COVID-19 in people with blood type A, relative to individuals with non-A blood types. Isolation According to a huge study in this month's Nutrients, while isolation may be a necessary measure to protect public health, results indicate that it alters physical activity and eating behaviors in a health compromising direction. Our clientele is the exception! Prevention Keeping at least 3.28 feet (one meter) apart and wearing face masks and eye protection are the best ways to cut the risk of spreading COVID-19 infection, according to the largest review to date of studies on coronavirus disease transmission. Hand-washing and good hygiene are also critical, though even all those measures combined can not give full protection. The findings were published in The Lancet on Monday. Quercetin Senior researchers at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute say that quercetin, which some research suggests can protect against the Ebola and Zika viruses, may be able to treat the coronavirus. Working with Chinese health officials, they will supervise clinical trials for testing the drug on patients in China over a four month period They investigated quercetin's inhibiting effects on parasites, bacteria, and viruses, especially after the outbreaks of the SARS-CoV and Ebola viruses in 2003 and 2018, respectively. These investigations unravelled the pivotal role of quercetin not only as an anti-metabolic compound through affecting PCSK9 and lowering cholesterol, but also as a potential antiviral agent that targets the entry process of viruses. They explained it as follows...a cell has a lock, and the virus has a key to enter and infect the cell. But quercetin puts glue in the lock. Here's the most amazing comment: "Quercetin costs peanuts compared to the antivirals that are on the market, which cost sometimes $1000 per shot," one author said. "Two months ago, you could have a one day treatment of over-the-counter quercetin for two dollars." We offer it for even less! We will be tracking this study and let you know the results. SPMs COVID-19 is characterized by pulmonary hyper-inflammation and potentially life-threatening "cytokine storms". Controlling the local and systemic inflammatory response in COVID-19 may be as important as anti-viral therapies. According to a study in the May issue of Cancer and Metastasis Reviews, a paradigm shift is emerging in our understanding of the resolution of inflammation as an active biochemical process with the discovery of specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs), such as resolvins (remember these?). Resolvins and other SPMs stimulate clearance of debris and counter pro-inflammatory cytokine production, a process called inflammation resolution. SPMs exhibit anti-viral activity at nano doses in the setting of influenza without being immunosuppressive. SPMs also promote anti-viral antibodies and lymphocyte activity, highlighting their potential use in the treatment of COVID-19. Resolvins also prevent pathological thrombosis and promote clot removal, which is emerging as a key pathology of COVID-19 infection. Thus, SPMs may promote the resolution of inflammation in COVID-19, thereby reducing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and other life-threatening complications associated with robust viral-induced inflammation. While most COVID-19 clinical trials focus on "anti-viral" and "anti-inflammatory" strategies, stimulating inflammation resolution is a novel host-centric therapeutic avenue. This is not novel to us. We are so pumped about this study!
SPRING TO SUMMER SALAD
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