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Ross Walter Nutritionist & Naturopath
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Psoriasis can be treated naturally!

4/12/2020

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Today is World Psoriasis Day (October 29, 2020), to raise awareness of this autoimmune skin condition which causes unsightly skin lesions along with stress-related psychological and mental health side effects in those with the condition.
Psoriasis is one of approximately 80 health conditions which are classified as autoimmune conditions, but what does this mean, and how can naturopathy help?
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Autoimmune conditions are health issues where your immune system attacks your normal cells instead of bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells, which is what they should be protecting you against. Autoimmune conditions are normally called a different name, depending on which organs or tissues are being attacked by the immune system. Such conditions cause a lot of inflammation in your body, which can cause many other symptoms other than just in the area being affected.

Examples of a few more common autoimmune conditions and the organs or regions which are affected can include type 1 diabetes (pancreas), Coeliac and Crohn's disease (digestive tract), Multiple Sclerosis (nervous system), Grave's and Hashimoto's disease (thyroid), Rheumatoid arthritis (joints), psoriasis (skin), lupus (connective tissue all over the body), and many others.

The typical medical approach to autoimmune conditions is to suppress the immune system with anti-inflammatory medications, immunosuppressives, corticosteroids, chemotherapy and other medications to try and slow down the damage. But this is a bandaid approach in that it covers up the symptoms and lessens them, but doesn't do anything for the cause or any real treatment. Suppressing the immune system is never a good idea as it can lead to a greater risk of other infections and even cancer.

The cause of autoimmune conditions is from lifestyle and dietary factors. Stress and nutrition always influences every disease, especially autoimmune conditions. There are other factors involved too, with some triggers being alleries and food/chemical intolerances, microbes and parasites, and toxic chemicals. Another major factor influencing autoimmune conditions is how well your digestive system is functioning, or the integrity of the instestinal wall.

Naturopaths are the best practitioners to help with autoimmune conditions as we do look at the bigger holistic (whole body) picture of your food intake, lifestyle, digestive system, food intolerances and all the other factors involved! With a treatment plan which treats all factors, autoimmune condtions can be slowed, prevented and even reversed!

I have treated many cases of psoriasis in the past, and some have responded very quickly to treatments, with some skin areas clearing within a few weeks, and some taking a little longer. But in many with psoriasis who have suffered for years or decades, seeing the skin improve within weeks gives a great sense of relief! Symptoms will continue to reduce over time, and the skin can clear, without the need for dangerous medications. All because the root causes are being identified and treated, along with symptom relief.

If you or someone you knows has psoriasis, or any another autoimmune condition, and your treatment isn't getting better, I'd love to help!
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check your vitamin D levels for coronavirus prevention!

14/8/2020

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I've been checking on the vitamin D pathology results of clients through winter, and have yet to see ANYONE with sufficient vitamin D needed for good health, which is not at all ideal.

A quick recap - vitamin D is made in your body from direct sun exposure on your skin. There are many factors needed for this to occur, such as sufficient cholesterol levels, good liver and kidney function and more.

Vitamin D production is also dependent on your location, or distance from the equator. The further you are from the equator, especially in winter, the more time you need to spend in the sun to make sufficient vitamin D. In summer, the amount of time you need to spend in the sun in most capital cities in Australia to make the same amount of vitamin D is similar (at 6-9 mins daily, as shown in the attached table). In winter, however, the differences between the capital cities are very different. Much more time is needed in winter to make the same amount of vitamin D, at 9-12 minutes for northern cities, or up to 52 minutes daily in southern cities such as Melbourne (Diamond et al., 2005). Spending an hour outside in Melbourne in shorts and t-shirt every day in winter isn't going to happen!

Those at high risk of vitamin D deficiency include the elderly, who we have seen in the coronavirus pandemic have had the greatest loss of life, those in aged care and hospital, shift workers, mothers with breastfed infants, and those with darker skin who need 3-4 times this sun exposure to get the same vitamin D levels (Diamond et al., 2005).

Vitamin D acts as an anti-inflammatory hormone in your body, to reduce inflammation, as well as being a massive immune system booster (Prietl, Treiber, Pieber & Amrein, 2013) and prevention of most respiratory infections such as the common cold, flu (Fagbo et al. 2017), and even the new coronavirus (Grant et al., 2020). Normally, your vitamin D levels should be high through summer from the warmer weather and sun exposure, and high enough to keep your levels sufficient through the colder months. But sun-safe programs of avoiding the sun and wearing sunscreens reduce or even prevent the production of vitamin D, which explains why most people do not have enough of the preventative benefits of vitamin D. It is well known in published studies that a low vitamin D level in winter increases your risk of any respiratory infection.

I was not surprised when the coronavirus outbreak and pandemic occurred in the northern hemisphere during and immediately after their winter, being their highest risk period of low vitamin D levels. Southern hemisphere countries, such as here in Australia, were mostly protected as we were coming out of summer and when vitamin D levels are highest.

But now, being in the period of lowest vitamin D levels in Australia, this is the time of highest risk, but also the most critical time to prevent and reduce incidences of flu and the coronavirus, by addressing the major cause of respiratory infections and a low immune system function - by checking and improving your vitamin D levels.

You can get your vitamin D levels checked with a quick blood test. This can be requested through your GP, or even through me! Vitamin D testing is a paid-for test, at about $30 (ex GST) to the lab at the time of the test.

What result should you look for? In Australia, optimal vitamin D levels need to be at a minimum of 100 nmol/L. Other countries use different units of measurement, so your result may need to be converted.

If you are supplementing with vitamin D through winter or as a preventative for the coronavirus, GREAT! The dose is important too, more so if you have low levels. Therapeutic doses require a minimum of 3000-5000IU per day for adults for at least 6 weeks (Diamond et al., 2005), in order to increase your levels and get health benefits.

There are other factors which can reduce your vitamin D levels, which may need to be investigated and treated, in order to improve your results.

If you are in winter and further from the equator (NB, especially those in Victoria!) get onto the above high dose vitamin D supplementation to reduce your risks of the coronavirus, reduce incidences and mortality, and be able to get back to your free lives again!
 
References:
Diamond, T.H., Eisman, J.A., Mason, R.S., Nowson, C.A., Pasco, J.A., Sambrook, P.N., & Wark, J.D. (2005). Vitamin D and adult bone health in Australia and New Zealand: a position statement. Medical Journal of Australia, 182 (6), 281-285. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2005.tb06701.x

Fagbo, S.F., Garbati, M.A., Hasan, R., AlShahrani, D., Al-Shehri, M., AlFawaz, T., Hakawi, A., Wani, T.A., Skakni, L. (2017). Acute viral respiratory infections among children in MERS-endemic Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2012-2013. Journal of Medical Virology, 89 (2):195-201. doi: 10.1002/jmv.24632

Grant, W.B., Lahore, H., McDonnell, S.L., Baggerly, C.A., French, C.B., Aliano, J.L., & Bhattoa, H.P. (2020). Evidence that Vitamin D Supplementation Could Reduce Risk of Influenza and COVID-19 Infections and Deaths. Nutrients, 12 (4), 988.  Doi: 10.3390/nu12040988
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Prietl, B., Treiber, G., Pieber, T.R., & Amrein, K. (2013). Vitamin D and Immune Function. Nutrients, 5 (7): 2502–2521. doi: 10.3390/nu5072502
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Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is not the cure for coronavirus!

3/8/2020

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What are the facts on Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ)?
HCQ is a medication which has come under intense scrutiny in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, but much more recently after a group of doctors in the USA came out in public and the media to say how good it is at reducing deaths of those in hospital and infected with this virus. These doctors, and many others, have said that they have treated hundreds of people with HCQ (together with other prescriptions) and their patients recovered quickly and they had no deaths. 
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Since then the social media censors have gone into overdrive and have removed all mentions of the doctors' media interviews, posts and articles. These platforms have banned or silenced many high profile accounts of people who shared the videos of these doctors, including President Trump! Some of the doctors who took part in the recent video have since been fired for speaking out about the benefits of using HCQ.

What is hydroxychloroquine used for?
HCQ is mainly used to treat malaria, a parasitic infection which is very common in many parts of the world. Malaria causes symptoms of fevers, chills, fatigue, and flu-like symptoms - similar to COVID. HCQ has also been prescribed for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus (SLE). This drug has been used for 65 years, but recent speculation for using it against COVID-19 threatens its availability for those taking it for valid conditions. Its precise method of action is "unknown", according to the product's manufacturer! (Sanofi-Aventis, 2020).

What do the studies say about hydroxychloroquine?
HCQ was suggested as a possible coronavirus prevention and treatment as a result of a similar drug, chloroquine, was researched as a treatment after the 2002/3 SARS pandemic. A key study found that chloroquine has strong antiviral effects on the SARS coronavirus by preventing the virus binding to the ACE-2 receptors (which the new coronavirus also uses to infect cells), in monkey cell cultures (Vincent et al., 2005). But HCQ and chloroquine are different drugs, with similar chemical structures. Both are used for similar conditions, such as malaria, and have similar actions and side effects too. But this study on chloroquine in 2005 doesn't prove that HCQ would work on the new coronavirus, hence why new studies were needed. Note that studies on cell cultures often do not reflect reality of how cells (or medications) work in the WHOLE body! Similarly, animal studies also aren't always reflective of how effective a medication will be in humans. Many further studies over a long period of time are required to determine if a drug will be effective in humans, but overall the incidence rates around the world are decreasing while studies are ongoing for HCQ.

The SARS coronavirus, and the MERS coronavirus pandemic in 2012/3 both died out on their own, without any widespread use of HCQ or chloroquine, and no vaccine has been able to be produced since then.

In April 2020, The Qld Government and University of Queensland announced a clinical trial of HCQ for people with a COVID-19 infection. Due to very low numbers in Qld, finding suitable candidates for the study has proven difficult. In the meantime, the Qld government made it illegal for doctors to prescribe HCQ, with a $13,000 fine if they did (Queensland Times, 2020). Similarly, other state governments (such as Victoria) also banned prescribing of HCQ, as did the federal government's medicine regulator, the TGA. In June 2020, the WHO and UK discontinued using HCQ in trials for its effectiveness against the coronavirus, as no benefit was found for people severely affected with the virus, as well as its many risks (WHO, 2020). Why is time and money being wasted on yet another study on HCQ, when there have been many other such tests around the world?! There are over 140 other trials investigating the use of HCQ in coronavirus cases, which is a huge waste of effort and money (ABC News, 2020).

Will HCQ benefit everyone? (Side effects, contraindications and cautions)
HCQ is not for everyone, especially not for children under 6 years, and those with some specific health conditions. The medication should not be used in those with severe gastrointestinal, neurological or blood conditions, as explained on the drug's Product Information insert, but not detailing what these conditions actually are. If you are using this medication, periodic blood tests are recommended, so that any issues from taking it can be seen, and the medication stopped if so. The medication may exacerbate some conditions, such as with psoriasis. Caution is advised in those with liver and kidney conditions (Sanofi-Aventis, 2020).

There are many side effects of taking HCQ, so it is not an entirely safe medication, but then again no medications are. The most serious concerns are with it causing chronic heart toxicity and death. The drug also has other side effects affecting the heart, if one has pre-existing heart conditions such as heart disease, arrhythmic conditions, or low potassium or magnesium levels. The medication can cause severe low blood sugar levels and loss of consciousness that can be life threatening, especially in those on diabetic medications. Irreversible eye damage and vision disturbances can occur in some people on long term or high dose HCQ therapy, which can also cause kidney damage.  Many people have experienced skin rashes and lesions, itching and dryness, and increased pigmentation. Other side effects include low white cell counts (and therefore reduced immune system function), muscle weakness, gastrointestinal disturbances (nausea, low appetite, cramps, vomiting), vertigo, tinnitus, deafness, headache, nervousness, mania, vivid dreams, and suicidal behaviour. There are many more side effects available on the Product Information insert (Sanofi-Aventis, 2020).

HCQ has many interactions with other medications. Check with your Doctor or Pharmacist before taking this medication. The drug has NOT been tested for its effects on fertility, nor in pregnancy. However the drug does cross the placenta, and hence should be avoided in pregnancy. HCQ is also secreted in breast milk, and as infants are very sensitive to this medication, together with no safety data in infants, this medication should also be avoided if breastfeeding.

People taking this medication also need to be aware of it causing visual disturbances when driving or operating heavy machinery.

So do you still want to take this medication?!

HCQ is also known in studies to cause gene mutations and chromosomal and DNA breaks, which can lead to cancers.

More recent studies on HCQ
In April 2020, a study was published in The Lancet, a prestigious medical journal, on the use of HCQ on COVID-19 patients. The study looked at medical data of 96,000 coronavirus-affected patients, and claimed that those who were treated with HCQ or chloroquine had a higher risk of death and heart rhythm problems than those who did not receive these drugs. The authors concluded that they were unable to confirm a benefit of using HCQ to improve survival rates from the virus (Mehra, Desai, Ruschitzka & Patel, 2020). The study had a huge impact, with the WHO and other scientists stopping their trials of HCQ for COVID-19 patients. Intense scrutiny of the study started, and shortly afterwards, claims of many discrepancies and accusations of the data being falsified to reach its conclusions. An independent investigation started, and the company that provided the data for the research failed to prove that the data was accurate, and as a result, the authors of the study retracted it (Mehra, Ruschitzka & Patel, 2020).

One of the problems with this study and many others on HCQ that show little or no benefit is that the research studies were only looking at using this drug as a monotherapy, or on its own. This is a very reductionist approach to research, and one of the major problems with researching medications, and medicine in general. There is never just one cause of a disease or infection, and similarly there is never just one solution for any treatment. The doctors in the USA who came out in public promoting HCQ were also prescribing zinc and azithromycin, an antibiotic, TOGETHER, to get their alleged good outcomes.

The trouble with some scientific research is that scientists are not always trying to prove something works, but many studies are deliberately designed to show that something does NOT work, even though other studies show it does work. This corruption of science is based on bias and competition for money for research funding or profits has been happening for many decades. Good quality scientific studies are hard to find these days, and just because a study has been published doesn't mean that it is good, or that you can believe the conclusions. Hence why there are some studies showing the benefits of HCQ, and some that don't because of bad study design, incorrect dosing (too little to have any effect, or too high a dose to cause increased side effects), or just using the drug on its own.

There are many published studies on HCQ being used on its own, with some showing benefits, and others highlighting the risks of its use or showing no benefit. There are fewer studies showing the use of HCQ together with azithromycin, and less again on the triple therapy of HCQ, azithromycin and zinc. A pre-published study found that the addition of zinc sulphate to the HCQ and azithromycin combination reduced mortality by about 50% compared to the double therapy (Carlucci, Ahuja, Petrilli, Rajagopalan, Jones & Rahimian, 2020).

Alternatives to HCQ
Studies show that HCQ appears to work by increasing the uptake of zinc and increases the effects of chloroquine against virus infected cells (Xue et al., 2014). Zinc is a major mineral that is needed for the immune system, so a deficiency in zinc will increase your risks of contracting the virus (or a cold or flu). Zinc also has anti-viral actions against coronaviruses, anti-inflammatory activity and many other benefits (te Velthuis et al., 2010). Eating zinc-rich foods or supplementing with zinc (together with other nutrients) can be done without taking a drug which has a long list of interactions, cautions and side effects.

Again, zinc shouldn't be taken alone, similar to taking HCQ alone. I have written before on using natural, safer and more effective methods, such as zinc, vitamin C, vitamin D, herbal remedies and others, before the TGA banned such recommendations and advice. Since then, there have been a lot of studies showing the effectiveness of these natural supplements against the coronavirus to reduce risks of getting the infection and severity of symptoms because they improve your immune system function. The dosing of these supplements is very important to getting the best benefits from them.

Conclusion
Some doctors have said HCQ is a safe and effective "cure" for the coronavirus. It's not. It cannot or should not be used as a monotherapy, as it needs other treatments to work effectively. And it's not suitable for everyone either...  So we should not be relying on this medication alone, or even at all, at this time. There are justified reasons why HCQ should not be freely available, and it should only be prescribed for its intended uses and conditions for which it has more thorough testing and research.

Luckily there are many other better and safer natural preventatives and treatments which can help your immune system to better protect you against the coronavirus. But sadly, I've not seen any government health department or doctor recommend these simple and effective preventatives or treatments.

Don't wait for your health departments or regulators to change their rules on HCQ to save you, because that won't happen quickly enough. Don't wait for the vaccine either, as previous coronavirus vaccines have never been able to be made or were effective. But you CAN reduce your risks and severity of this infection in other better ways.
 
References:
ABC News. (2020). How did The Lancet's now-retracted study on hydroxychloroquine make it through peer review? Retrieved 30th July 2020 from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-05/hydroxychloroquine-study-the-lancet-peer-review-coronavirus/12324118

Carlucci, P., Ahuja, T., Petrilli, C.M., Rajagopalan, H., Jones, S., & Rahimian, J. (2020). Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin plus zinc vs hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin alone: outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. medRxiv, 20080036; doi: 10.1101/2020.05.02.20080036

Mehra, M.R., Desai, S.S., Ruschitzka, F., & Patel, A.N. (2020). Hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine with or without a macrolide for treatment of COVID-19: a multinational registry analysis. The Lancet, Published online May 22, 2020 from https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31180-6/fulltext. Doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31180-6

Mehra, M.R., Ruschitzka, F., & Patel, A.N. (2020). Retraction—Hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine with or without a macrolide for treatment of COVID-19: a multinational registry analysis. The Lancet. Published online June 5, 2020 from https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31324-6/fulltext

Queensland Times. (2020). Queensland to join trial of virus drugs but state needs more patients. Retrieved 30th July 2020 from https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/queensland-to-join-trial-of-virus-drugs-but-state-needs-more-patients-20200421-p54lsu.html

Sanofi-Aventis. (2020). Australian Product Information - Plaquenil (Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate). Retrieved 30th July 2020 from https://www.ebs.tga.gov.au/ebs/picmi/picmirepository.nsf/pdf?OpenAgent&id=CP-2010-PI-05655-3

te Velthuis, A.J.W., van den Worm, S.H.E., Sims, A.C., Baric, R.S., Snijder, E.J., & van Hemert, M.J. (2010). Zn(2+) inhibits coronavirus and arterivirus RNA polymerase activity in vitro and zinc ionophores block the replication of these viruses in cell culture. PLoS Pathogens, 6 (11):e1001176. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1001176

Vincent, M.J., Bergeron, E., Benjannet, S., Erickson, B.R., Rollin, P.E., Ksiazek, T.G., Seidah, N.G., &  Nichol, S.T. (2005). Chloroquine is a potent inhibitor of SARS coronavirus infection and spread. Virology Journal, 2, 69. doi: 10.1186/1743-422X-2-69

World Health Organisation (WHO). (2020). WHO discontinues hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir treatment arms for COVID-19. Retrieved 1st August 2020 from https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/04-07-2020-who-discontinues-hydroxychloroquine-and-lopinavir-ritonavir-treatment-arms-for-covid-19?fbclid=IwAR1b2TQqt03QpQO0e-UmjsnsAss8gapc9SlfGxqspoG8mYDbFuXZkSfqrbQ

Xue, J., Moyer, A., Peng, B., Wu, J., Hannafon, B.N., & Ding, W-Q. (2014). Chloroquine Is a Zinc Ionophore. PLoS One, 9 (10): e109180. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0109180
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the coronavirus is insignificant and shouldn't even be news

9/7/2020

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Here's some perspective of the coronavirus situation...

Over 4 million people this year have died from hunger, with around 9 million dying every year from a lack of food. A further 815 million people (over 10% of the world's population) suffer chronic undernourishment (World Hunger, 2017), which is not just confined to developing countries, as many in western countries are also suffering hunger and a lack of nutrition. Over 45% of all child deaths are from poor nutrition (Global Nutrition Report, 2015).

If you believe the statistics, around 500,000 people have allegedly died from coronavirus around the world. But these statistics are based on corrupt WHO recommendations for classifying deaths from assumptions being made, no testing to confirm, no autopsies being recommended, and an inaccurate PCR test that is not designed for diagnostic purposes.

What would be the true numbers of covid deaths, we might never know. But one thing is for sure - the coronavirus should be a very minor player in world health issues at the moment. But it isn't because of clever planning and marketing by those who only want you to see that the virus is the only thing that is affecting people.

I haven't even gone into the statistics of other causes of death due to chronic diseases or other infections such as influenza, which kill many, many more people in the world each year.

But we have a media scare campaign over a man-made virus to which just 0.3% of people test positive for, and a mortality rate of those who test positive of just 0.1%... This virus should not even be a published news story, because it is so insignificant in the overall picture of health in the world.

Have you seen any doctor, health official, government, or media outlet during this whole scare campaign, recommending that you can reduce your risks of coronavirus by getting the right nutrition or addressing nutritional deficiencies? No, of course not. Why?

How do you know if you have nutritional deficiencies? You have some if you:
1) Get an infection
2) Have a chronic disease condition
3) or if you have any symptoms at all.

You can easily get tested to see what deficiencies you may have, and then get the results analysed holistically and naturopathically to look for these deficiencies. Sadly, a doctor or GP doesn't interpret your results to look for these as they aren't trained to. This is where I can help!

If you do eat the right nutrition and address deficiencies, you can improve your immune system to better protect you from the coronavirus, as well as solving the world's hunger and malnutrition problems, and also reducing and preventing all chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, mental health and neurological conditions, and even cancer.

See my earlier articles on how to support your immune system better for reducing your health issues.
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And stay healthy.
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Open letter to health officials Re: Coronavirus prevention

4/5/2020

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Open letter to all Australian Health Ministers, Health Departments, Doctors, Politicians and Health Regulators, re: coronavirus prevention and containment

I am a Clinical Nutritionist and Naturopath, based in Brisbane and with many years of experience in treating acute and chronic health conditions. I am an evidence-based practitioner, using only proven therapies and treatments for my clients. I specialise in inflammatory and immune system related conditions.

Regarding the current coronavirus infection spreading around the world and Australia (confirmed as a Pandemic by the World Health Organisation), I have been following the statistics and government advice, and I would like to share my thoughts, based on evidence and clinical experience.
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Regardless of how the coronavirus came to be, the following facts are relevant:
  • SARS-CoV-2 is the official virus name, and the infection itself is COVID-19, as designated by the WHO, herein referred to as “coronavirus”
  • The coronavirus causes a respiratory infection, allegedly transmitted via aerosol droplets, mucus secretions and infected fomites (objects touched by those infected with this virus)
  • The TGA have recently published announcements to all health practitioners to not recommend any treatments or products that claim to prevent or treat this coronavirus, unless there is proven evidence of their effectiveness against this specific virus
  • With this virus being so new, there was NO evidence of anything, pharmaceutical or natural as being proven effective at the time of the TGA announcement
  • The virus appears to survive much longer than other viruses out of the body on surfaces
  • Improved hygiene practices such as washing of hands, coughing into the crook of one’s elbow, and self-isolation have been proven in the past to be effective in reducing the risks of other respiratory infections
  • There are no published studies showing the effectiveness of handwashing or improved hygiene against this specific coronavirus. I’m not saying that this should not be done, as past published evidence and anecdotal evidence (from observations, not clinical studies) shows handwashing can reduce transmission risks
  • But the TGA and health departments have only been recommending handwashing, sanitising, social distancing (a totally new concept), and other hygiene practices as preventions or to reduce the risks of this coronavirus, despite a lack of evidence
  • There are many other preventative and treatment strategies and products which have similarly been proven to be effective in the past against all other known coronaviruses (which cause the common cold infections, and previous pandemic viruses of SARS and MERS), but according to the new TGA guidelines, these preventions or treatments cannot be recommended by any health practitioners because there is “no current evidence”. All health practitioners in Australia are effectively "gagged" and cannot make any recommendations to prevent infections or save the lives of our fellow Australians.
I will summarise some statistics of the pandemic, and bring to light some new and missing evidence, and proven recommendations for further reducing the risks of this new virus. Or you can jump to the Conclusions for a brief summary!
 
Statistics

Some statistics on the current coronavirus infection include (as at 28th March 2020):
Country                          Coronavirus Mortality Rate

Australia                         0.39%
USA                                   3.0%
China                                3.9%
Italy                                  10.10%

Conclusion: the Italian Government, like Australia, is classifying deaths by many causes as from COVID-19 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2020b). Italy also has demographic, cultural and other factors contributing to a higher incidence and mortality rate (Centre for Evidence Based Medicine, 2020). There is a significant difference in mortality rates in different countries, or more accurately, by location.
There are many other major causes of daily deaths in the world, compared to the coronavirus:
Reason                                 Daily Deaths

Hunger                                 2,500 (UN, Food and Agriculture Organization)
Malaria                                 2,739 (UNICEF)
AIDS                                      2,100 (HIV.gov)
Influenza                             795 - 1,781 (CDC/WHO)
Coronavirus/COVID-19     270 (as at 11/3/2020), now approx 2000

Total deaths per day         144,000 (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, 2010)

Conclusion: we cannot believe the "official" death rates, when the Australian government and health departments from WHO recommendations, classifies any death as a "COVID-19" death even if someone were to die from a chronic health condition (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2020b).

These are additional statistics I have analysed (as at 28th March 2020):
Number coronavirus incidences by location/hemisphere
Coronavirus                  Northern            Southern            Equatorial   
incidences                     Hemisphere       Hemisphere       Region
 
No. countries affected         133                        48                        16
Incidences confirmed          96.8%                   1.4%                    1.8%
Deaths confirmed                 98.8%                   0.22%                  1.0%

Conclusion: There is a significant difference between the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths between those who live in the northern hemisphere vs southern.

Or a different analysis of the Australian mortality rate (as at 30th March 2020) (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2020):
Australian Population                                     25,464,116
Coronavirus incidences                                  4,460
Coronavirus deaths                                         19
Coronavirus incidences (% population)      0.000175%
Coronavirus deaths (% population)             0.000000746%

Conclusion: Is this really worth shutting the country down for?
 
 
What is significant about the northern hemisphere as a factor of the coronavirus?
It is typical to see many more respiratory infections in winter than summer. Transmission rates and incidences of the common cold, influenza and pneumonia are greatly increased in the cooler months. The infection started in China, in their winter, and spread much more quickly through northern hemisphere countries in their cooler months of winter and early spring. There are several reasons for this difference in seasonal activity in respiratory infections:
  1. Humidity and temperature – the warmer months are generally more humid, especially in more tropical areas. Humidity appears to slow rates of infection transmission by causing infected droplets from coughing or sneezing to fall to the ground instead of floating more in the air and being transmitted to infect people nearby. In the MERS coronavirus outbreak, studies showed a higher temperature and humidity resulted in significantly less lower respiratory tract infections of 45% (Fagbo et al., 2017)
  2. Latitude – Where one lives on the planet, especially their latitude or distance from the equator, determines their Ultra-Violet (UV) light exposure in a given period. People in cities closer to the equator are exposed to more UV-B light on their skin. Direct UV-B radiation on exposed skin is needed to make vitamin D. People living much further away from the equator need more time in direct sunlight to make the same amount of vitamin D (Leary et l. 2017; van der Mei, 2007; Tamerius et al., 2011)
  3. Vitamin D deficiency – vitamin D acts as an anti-inflammatory hormone in the body, and regulates the expression of many genes to have a major systemic benefit to one’s health. Vitamin D isn’t just needed for bone health, but assists the immune system, reduces the rates of viral respiratory infections and influenza, reduces lung conditions like asthma, and can even reduce the risks of many cancers (Hossein-Nezhad & Holick, 2014; Martineau et al., 2017). Vitamin D can also offer antiviral and antibacterial actions as well as stimulating the innate immune system (which identifies and deals with unknown or new infections) (Martineau et al., 2017). Vitamin D deficiency can occur in any season, even in sunny Queensland in summer! (Leary et l. 2017). Vitamin D deficiency, especially in winter, can be a major cause of respiratory infections (Fagbo et al., 2017) and in this study, a vitamin D deficiency amongst a large percentage of the population (which occurs in winter) is the cause of influenza respiratory infection epidemics (Cannell et al., 2008).

There are other factors for the seasonal causes of influenza infections, including temperature, other concomitant infections, other nutrient deficiencies (selenium, vitamin E) (Tamerius et al., 2011), and more. There are other environmental and cultural factors which contribute to the differences in mortality rates between many countries, such as smoking status, air pollution, sleep quality and quantity and others.

The fact that Australia is now entering the cooler months highlights the importance of reducing the risks of respiratory infections using vitamin D supplementation interventions.
 
Virus Transmission and Severity, and the Germ Theory
The transmission of a virus, its severity, and the rate of incidences and mortality depend entirely on the strength and function of each individual person's immune system. This is confirmed with the majority of people with the coronavirus having very mild symptoms. It is only when someone is immune compromised or with a chronic health condition which has reduced their immune system function, that the infection to take hold in their body more quickly and severely. Having a compromised or immune system, perhaps together with ineffectual medical treatments (or no treatments) any virus is going to cause more severe complications like pneumonia.

The transmission, severity, incidences and mortality are not dependent on the coronavirus at all. This is old 1800s germ theory "science". Yet the health officials and media are blaming the virus and trying to stop the virus itself, which is futile and prolongs the pandemic. Washing hands, regular hygiene and isolation are not enough! In conjunction with improved hygiene, prevention and treatments should also focus on the individual, by supporting one's immune system to protect them for prevention, or to fight off the infection better.

The old Germ Theory promoted by Koch and Pasteur no longer applies as not everyone who is exposed to a virus actually develops symptoms or has the infection. This breaks Koch's famous postulates of the germ theory (MedicineNet, 2019), which states that a pathogen must cause the disease in EVERY case of exposure, which doesn't happen. Some more recent experiments have been conducted and results published, after deliberately infecting individuals with a flu virus - even with a strain that was similar to the one which allegedly caused huge mortality rates in the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. In this study, researchers found less than 40% of those who inhaled the virus actually developed symptoms! And of those who did develop symptoms, they were very mild to mild, and none had any serious symptoms at all (Cannell et al., 2008).
 
Evidence-based preventative (and treatment) strategies which should be recommended:
  • Vitamin D - Vitamin D supplementation can reduce risk of infections by reducing inflammation, reducing viral replication rates, reducing age-related morbidity, Vitamin D supplementation during winter has been shown to support immune system function and reduce the incidence of influenza A by approximately one third (Urashima, Segawa, Okazaki, Kurihara, Wada, & Ida, 2010). A very recent study by Grant et al (2020) found evidence that vitamin D supplementation could reduce the risk of influenza and COVID-19 infections and deaths, but required a higher therapeutic dose than the low recommended daily intakes.
  • Vitamin C – In early studies, a vitamin C deficiency is associated with pneumonia (an often deadly complication of a COVID-19 infection). Vitamin C deficiency is also associated with a reduced immune system function and increases susceptibility to respiratory infections, and vice versa, with infections causing a decrease in vitamin C concentrations (Hemilä, 2017).  Several studies are currently underway in China using vitamin C interventions, with results still to be published.
  • Zinc - is deficient in 49% of adults in the coronavirus risk age group of 51-70 (Boudrealt et al. 2017),  and in people who are frequently exposed to stress. Zinc is needed for good immune system support, as well as reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, and improving the immune system response against viruses (Wessels, Maywald, & Rink, 2017). A zinc deficiency is often seen in those with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and contributes to lung injury from the use of a respirator (Boudrealt et al. 2017).
  • Keeping up good water intake – water is needed to keep mucous membranes moist as they act as a protective barrier against viruses in the respiratory tract (Chen, 2009)
  • Eating a good variety of quality foods – your food provides nutrients needed for immune systems function. Nutrient deficiencies reduce immune system function and increase susceptibility to infections.
  • Reducing intake of refined and processed carbohydrate foods - in a recently published study from China, patients with COVID-19 who had poorly managed blood sugar levels and Type 2 Diabetes were at much higher risk of increased incidence, more severe symptoms, and a higher mortality rate. High blood sugar increases inflammation and blood pressure, but reduces immune system function, whereas a well-controlled blood sugar level improved the outcomes of those with COVID-19 and pre-existing diabetes (Zhu et al., 2020). Type 2 Diabetes develops over time from a diet high in carbohydrate-rich foods (>60% of total daily energy from poor food choices), causes insulin resistance, insulin depletion from pancreatic insufficiency, obesity, and cardiovascular and heart disease, being the highest risk factors for incidence and mortality of COVID-19 (Frost, 2003).
  • Getting sufficient and quality sleep - as sleep is needed to maintain good function of the immune system Studies show reduced sleep reduces immune system function and increases susceptibility to respiratory infections (Prather, Janicki-Deverts, Hall & Cohen, 2015)
  • Moderate and regular exercise - a moderate exercise program can improve immune system function and reduce the risk of infections, but intensive training seen with athletes can have the opposite effects (Jones & Davison, 2019).
These recommendations and interventions are cheap, very easy to recommend and implement, and will have a very quick response. They can also reduce the strain on the hospital system by reducing infection rates and severity of symptoms, or in the case of those already having severe symptoms in hospital, these interventions can shorten the severity of symptoms and save lives.

I started recommending these preventative treatments back in January when news of the infection emerged. At the time there was no TGA ban on such advice.
 
The TGA and Expert Recommendations
The scientifically referenced and relevant recommendations in this document have been proven in the past to be safe and effective against many respiratory infections such as influenza and other types of coronavirus. New evidence has been published recently on these preventions and treatments, yet these recommendations are not approved by the TGA, and one must really ask why?

I see the TGA's guidelines of effectively banning all Australian health practitioners (medical and alternative/complementary) from giving any preventative or treatment advice, as being overly cautious. Yes there was little to no evidence for anything (either medical, pharmaceutical or natural) being effective as a preventative or treatment against this particular coronavirus at the time of their guidelines being announced. However, in times of something new like this novel coronavirus, past evidence and anecdotal evidence MUST be seen as the highest form of scientific evidence available. To restrict or ignore past evidence and anecdotal evidence is immoral, and will likely cause many more people to lose their lives in this virus outbreak, as well as prolong the outbreak, disrupt many businesses and perhaps cause the collapse of many companies, threaten the livelihoods of many workers and especially the casual workforce, affect the economy and stock markets, reduce investments, cause further desperation and panic amongst the public, cause social unrest, and more.

There have been a lot of new published studies since the TGA guidelines were announced, giving more clues as to what are some of the causative factors for increased risk of a COVID-19 infection, and for suitable preventions and even treatments. The TGA guidelines now must be updated to reflect this new evidence, and allow health practitioners to give additional preventative strategies and treatment options and further 'flatten the curve" for all Australians.

We have next to nothing to lose by implementing these preventative strategies, but there is so much to lose if we do not.
 
COVID-19 PCR Testing
The current PCR pathology test for COVID-19 is highly inaccurate. The PCR process was developed to increase the amount of a subset of the genetic code of a virus DNA (Ghannam & Varacallo, 2018). The inventor of the PCR process has publicly said it should not be used for pathology testing, based on studies showing it is inaccurate as PCR testing is not standardised with different labs or countries use different variations of the test (Teo & Shaunak, 1995), is not designed to give a definitive binary result of a "positive" or "negative" confirmation, is affected by contamination that can produce misleading results (Ghannam & Varacallo, 2018), is not consistently reproducible and gives a high percentage of false positive and false negative results that were observed in all laboratories (Defer et al., 1992; Zhuang et al., 2020). Even the World Health Organisation's PCR Working Group demonstrated high levels of false-positive and false-negative results (World Health Organisation, 2011).

In addition, limiting testing of the coronavirus to only people who meet a set criteria is skewing the rates of incidences. Hence the rates of incidences are not accurate and cannot be believed, yet the government and health authorities are making significant changes to laws to restrict rights and freedoms based on inaccurate statistics of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as an inaccurate test used to determine those statistics, and more recently the COVIDSafe app that is also reliant on accurate PCR testing!

We can't actually believe any of the "official" statistics of incidences or mortality rates of this pandemic when:
  1. The PCR test is inaccurate, as explained here, and
  2. The WHO and governments (including Australia) are recommending deaths from chronic health conditions and all respiratory infections (flu or pneumonia), to be caused by COVID-19, whether the patient was tested by a faulty PCR test or just ASSUMED to be having the virus (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2020b).
Thus inflating the true incidence rates and the mortality rates, which then gets turned into a fear campaign by the media, and knee-jerk reactions by state and federal governments to implement a raft of laws to restrict our rights and freedoms as well as wrecking the economy and many businesses, all for a generally mild infection for most people.

Instead, consider using faecal testing, as the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been detected in stool samples (Warish et al., 2020).
 
Flu vaccinations during the coronavirus pandemic
The Federal and state governments of Australia have been adding new laws to mandate flu vaccinations for healthcare workers or for the public to visit relatives in aged care, or even for general work. I believe that this decision is irresponsible, is not based on scientific evidence and can actually increase the risks of someone getting the coronavirus. The flu vaccine does not prevent or reduce the risks of getting the coronavirus infection - it's a different type of virus. Several published studies, however, have found that flu vaccinations can cause a phenomenon called "vaccine-associated virus interference"; that is, recently vaccinated individuals may be at increased risk for other respiratory virus infections, especially coronaviruses (Wolff, 2020). This study, on military personnel found a 36% increase in coronavirus infection risk after a flu vaccine (Wolff, 2020).

Another study by Cowling and colleagues (2012), found those who had the flu vaccine, who had no other respiratory viruses beforehand, over a follow-up period of 9 months had a significantly increased risk of confirmed non-influenza respiratory virus infections compared to a placebo group. The study also found no significant reduction in confirmed flu infections in the test group (those who had the vaccine), meaning that the flu vaccine was ineffective.
 
Herd immunity
Herd immunity has been discussed by some experts and being used as a strategy by some countries such as Sweden and Japan. Herd immunity is a theoretical belief that if sufficient numbers of people are immune to in infection (the "herd"), the spread of the infection could be reduced or stopped, thus protecting those who are not immune to the infection.

The theoretical percentage of the population who need to be immune to an infection has been increased over time from 50% to 80% to 90% to 95%, depending on the infection. The estimate has increased as outbreaks were still occurring in populations which had reached the previous "herd immunity" levels through vaccinations for many infectious diseases. Outbreaks still occur in populations with 100% vaccine coverage. Hence vaccination programs are not working.

The NHMRC have published a suggested herd immunity rate for the coronavirus in Australia of 61% (MacIntyre, 2020), based on the rate of transmission, in turn based on a faulty test as described above.

Unfortunately, health officials have confused herd immunity with "natural immunity" from contracting an infection, and "vaccinated immunity" from vaccinations. They are very two different concepts. Herd immunity never occurs from vaccinations for several reasons:
  1. Vaccines only give short-term temporary "immunity" from 6 months (in most flu vaccines) to just a few years for most others. Vaccine-induced immunity is significantly reduced at 5 years after initial whooping cough vaccination and 2x boosters (Lavine, Bjørnstad, de Blasio, Storsaeterf, 2012), and other studies show the same for other vaccines
  2. Not everyone who gets a vaccine develops immunity. This is why boosters or multiple shots are needed, to try and force immunity a second or third time (or more) in those who did not achieve immunity from previous shots. Seroconversion rates (ie, immunity developed via antibodies) can be as low as 16% effectiveness in the annual flu vaccines for some age groups (Sequirus, 2018) , hence in most vaccines, many people do not develop immunity
  3. With 75.2% of the Australian population being adults over 19 years (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2020a) and assuming that most adults do not get regular boosters, when the temporary vaccine immunity wears off a couple of years afterwards, those adults are no longer immune. So there is no longer any "herd" to protect those who cannot have the vaccine; herd immunity does not exist!
  4. Vaccinated women of a child-bearing age who have lost their temporary vaccine immunity cannot pass on this immunity to the foetus, in comparison to women with natural acquired immunity passing that onto the foetus via the placenta and breastfeeding (Jackson, 2006).
Herd immunity is only possible from more people being exposed to the actual infection, and developing antibodies that last a lifetime. Countries that are implementing a herd immunity strategy to combat the coronavirus allow healthy and younger people to continue their normal lives without any lockdowns or business shutdowns. Yes they may contract the infection but without chronic health conditions they are likely to develop only mild or even no symptoms. But they will develop immunity, will shorten this pandemic as the virus will die out, and will increase the level of true natural herd immunity that will protect others.

Those at risk of the virus with chronic health conditions should be recommended to continue to isolate themselves, but those who are young and healthy should be allowed to leave their homes, travel, and resume normal daily activities.

Herd immunity is never achieved from vaccination programs. In fact, the population loses more herd immunity as more people are vaccinated.
 
Recommendations:
For the prevention of coronavirus infections, reducing transmission rates, reducing duration and severity of symptoms, and other benefits, I recommend the State and Federal governments and their respective Health Departments undertake the following:
  • Increase social media marketing and traditional media coverage of better preventative strategies – more than just washing your hands and improved hygiene practices
  • Include recommending preventative strategies that are evidence-based, and have previously been shown effective against respiratory infections, viruses in general and/or other coronavirus strains:
    • Vitamin D – at least 1200IU per day, and safe sun exposure regularly. A study by Grant et al. (2020) recommended a higher dose of 10,000IU per day for a few weeks, followed by 5,000IU per day to get vitamin D levels in the range of 100-150nmol/L for the best benefit of prevention, and a higher dose for treatment
    • Vitamin C – at least 1000mg per day for children, and up to 6-8g per day for adults. A Cochrane systematic review of placebo-controlled trials found that children taking 1-2g (1000-2000mg) vitamin C daily shortened the duration of a common cold infection (a type of coronavirus) by 18% and reduced their severity. In adults the results were smaller (Hemilä & Chalker, 2013).  Best results for reducing respiratory infection duration and symptoms, including preventing pneumonia (a major complication in COVID-19 infections), requires a higher therapeutic dose of up to 6-8gm per day for adults (Hemilä, 2017).  
    • Zinc – 20-30mg per day for adults, and age/weight equivalent for children
    • Other nutritional advice – eating a healthy diet for a variety of nutrients
    • Reducing foods that cause high blood sugar levels - such as sugary foods and drinks, grain-based products, and dairy foods
    • Drinking sufficient water - to keep mucous membranes moist and prevent viral infections, and even using saline nasal sprays if required
    • Getting good quality and quantity sleep - of 7-8 hours per night
    • Moderate exercise.
  • Recommend cautions on using or self-prescribing anti-inflammatory medications such as Aspirin, NSAIDs, and others during a coronavirus infection. Studies have shown that the 1918 Spanish flu did not cause the high number of deaths, but from bacterial pneumonia (National Institutes of Health, 2008)) in conjunction with a new medication at that time - Aspirin, which was prescribed in too high a dose and it affected lung function in those who took it (Starko, 2009). NSAIDs and other anti-inflammatory medications suppress the immune system responses to an infection, leading to more severe symptoms, a longer duration of illness and higher risks of serious complications and deaths (Basille, Plouvier, Trouve, Duhaut, Andrejak, & Jounieaux, 2017).
 
Conclusion
The novel coronavirus pandemic is nothing like what we have seen before.  Hence novel strategies must be implemented to deal with it. Banning recommendations of previously-proven prevention and treatment strategies is immoral when there are many lives at stake.

There are many factors which influence your individual risk for contracting this infection, most of which are environmental. There are also cultural and geographic factors which can significantly increase your risk, which we see in the referenced studies here.

Incidences of respiratory infections (from colds, flu, pneumonia, asthma, and the new coronavirus) can be reduced with preventative vitamin D, vitamin C, zinc, and other natural interventions, and these should be recommended.

The reported statistics of incidences and mortality are highly inflated due to inaccurate PCR testing, and manipulative recording of deaths to blame the cause on COVID-19. Then these inaccurate statistics are used by governments to implement knee-jerk reactive legislation that destroys lives in many other ways with failed businesses, investments, jobs, and the economy.

A natural "herd immunity" strategy should be implemented to combat the virus, by allowing those who are fit and healthy to resume normal lives, travels and work. Those at risk with chronic health conditions should continue to isolate themselves while also working on improving their immune systems as detailed above. This way, we have a chance of achieving the herd immunity rate of 61% which can slow down the true rate of incidences and mortality, and bring this pandemic to an end quickly.

Please consider the abovementioned simple, cheap, and readily-available preventative and treatment recommendations in the overall prevention and treatment plans for the coronavirus pandemic. All of this evidence (and more) is available in peer-reviewed medical journals. Clinical Nutritionists and Naturopaths like myself have been using and recommending these preventions and treatments for all manner of viral infections with great success in the past, and they should be considered based on past evidence of safety and effectiveness against this coronavirus. As the medical system has no effective strategies or proven medications for this specific infection, it makes sense to use existing therapies such as the above. If not, in the reviews and inquiries after this pandemic, the public will be wondering why these simple and effective therapies were not allowed, or not tried, and why more peoples' lives could not be saved.

Thank you for your consideration.

Ross Walter
Clinical Nutritionist, Naturopath and Herbalist. ATMS

NB - a PDF copy of this article is available from the link below. Feel free to download and share this information to your family, friends, elected officials as needed.
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World Health Organisation (WHO). (2011). The use of PCR in the surveillance and diagnosis of influenza. Report of the 4th meeting of the WHO working group on polymerase chain reaction protocols for detecting subtype influenza A viruses, Geneva, Switzerland 2011. Retrieved 30th March 2020 from https://www.who.int/influenza/gisrs_laboratory/final_who_pcr__meeting_report_aug_2011_en.pdf

World o Meter. (2020). COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic statistics. Retrieved 29th March 2020 from https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

Zhu, L., She, Z.G., Cheng, X., Qin, J-J., Zhang, X-J., Cai, J., Lei, F., Wang, H., Xie, J., Wang, W., Li, H., Zhang, P., Song, X., Chen, X., Xiang, M., Zhang, C., Bai, L., Xiang, D., Chen, M-M., Liu, Y., Yan, Y., Liu, M., Mao, W., Zou, J., Liu, L., Chen, G., Luo, P., Xiao, B., Zhang, C., Zhang, Z., Lu, Z., Wang, J., Lu, H., Xia, X., Wang, D., Liao, X., Peng, G., Ye, P., Yang, J., Yuan, Y., Huang, X., Guo, J., Zhang, B-H., Li, H. (2020). Association of Blood Glucose Control and Outcomes in Patients with COVID-19 and Pre-existing Type 2 Diabetes. Cell Metabolism, 31: 1-10. Doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2020.04.021

​Zhuang, G.H., Shen, M.W., Zeng, L.X., Mi, B.B., Chen, F.Y., Liu, W.J., Pei, L.L., Qi, X., & Li, C. (2020). Potential False-Positive Rate Among the 'Asymptomatic Infected Individuals' in Close Contacts of COVID-19 Patients. Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi, 41 (4), 485-488. DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.cn112338-20200221-00144.
 
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High carbohydrate foods can reduce immune system function against infections

2/4/2020

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I have been writing a lot of articles over the past 2 months or more on your immune system, to help you improve its function and strength against the current coronavirus pandemic. I've given you multiple ways to improve your immune system through dietary, lifestyle, supplements and more. This time I am going to talk about what NOT to do!

For your immune system to work properly to protect you from all types of infections, it needs a variety of nutrients from your foods. Good digestion and gut function is important too, which will be a topic for another article in the future!

All those people who have hoarded high carbohydrate foods for the coronavirus apocalypse may not like what I am about to say!

A very recent published open letter from several doctors and specialists trained in nutritional medicine (Clemens et al., 2020) has again confirmed that diets high in carbohydrates, in particular the refined carbohydrates of sugary foods and drinks, grain-based foods (breads, bakery products, cereals, pasta etc) and alcohol (sorry!), all deplete the immune system in a couple of ways:
  • Carbohydrate-rich foods are metabolised in your body into glucose, which causes an increase in blood sugar levels. High blood sugar levels cause a lot of inflammation, particularly to the blood vessels, the liver, but many other organs and tissues too
  • High carbohydrate foods are generally low in real nutrients, thus causing nutrient deficiencies if consumed in high amounts
  • High carbohydrate diets cause an increased demand for certain nutrients needed to metabolise the sugar from the foods, such as vitamin C, zinc, magnesium, B-vitamins and more. Note that some of these I've mentioned before in my  previous articles on what you need to improve your immune system function
  • People with chronic health conditions have been shown to have reduced levels of these essential nutrients. Generally, the elderly have more chronic health conditions than other age groups, meaning that they are at greater risk to infections (which is what we are seeing in this coronavirus infection)
  • The higher your blood sugar level, the lower your vitamin C level, and vitamin C is blocked from entering cells when blood sugar levels are high
  • Immune system cells (white blood cells) need 100 times the amount of vitamin C than other cells, so high blood glucose will reduce immune system function
  • High levels of fructose (a type of sugar from fruit, fruit juices, soft drinks, grains and alcohol) significantly inhibits the activation of vitamin D (which is a massive immune system booster and infection protective compound).
In the same open letter, the specialist doctors found for previous infections such as the H1N1 flu, the biggest risk factor for a severe case of this infection was high carbohydrate intake and high blood glucose, especially in those who were diabetics.

To confirm this, other studies showed by reducing carbohydrate intake can provide protection against infections, by stimulating the immune system response (Clemens et al., 2020; Goldberg et al, 2019).

Sadly all those high carbohydrate long shelf-life foods that people have hoarded and now in short supply on the bare supermarket shelves, should be eaten at a minimum because of their negative effects on your immune system.

You need your immune system working optimally at the moment, which means eating more whole, fresh, real and preferably organic foods as much as possible. This means quality meats, vegetables , nuts and seeds, quality fats, eggs, etc and only a small amount of fruit. These foods are nutrient-dense with more real nutrients your immune system needs! Eat less of the highly processed and packaged foods, especially those high in sugar or foods that metabolise into sugar (glucose or fructose) from grain-based foods.
​
Stay Healthy!
 
References:
Clemens, Z., Tóth, C., Dabóczi, A., Andrásofszky, E., Horváth, R., Kolonics, G. (2020). Possibilities of reducing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and increasing natural resistance to the disease via nutritional intervention. Retrieved 1 April 2020 from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340296931_Possibilities_of_reducing_the_spread_of_the_SARS-CoV-2_virus_and_increasing_natural_resistance_to_the_disease_via_nutritional_intervention. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.27031.93605
Goldberg, E.L., Molony, R.D., Kudo, E., Sidorov, S., Kong, Y., Dixit, V.D., & Iwasaki. A. (2019). Ketogenic diet activates protective γδ T cell responses against influenza virus infection. Science Immunology, 4 (41): eaav2026. DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aav2026
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COVID-19 and coronavirus lies and statistics

30/3/2020

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Scientists can only make good conclusions and recommendations after testing or using good quality data from good sources. There’s an old IT saying of “garbage in, garbage out” – if you put garbage data into a program, it will give you garbage results!

Similarly, doctors, politicians and the general public can only make good decisions based on good quality data. But sadly the data we are seeing in this pandemic is not of good quality, and yet the governments of the world are making massive decisions (and many new restrictive laws) which have a significant impact on people, people’s health and stresses, peoples’ livelihoods, jobs, businesses, education, companies, our rights and freedoms, and the economy (which sadly seems to be a more important factor in their eyes).

In science, the data is everything! Or more correctly, the quality of the data is everything. Without good quality data, we are only guessing. Guessing is not good enough. We need accurate information in order to justify the decisions our politicians and medical experts are making.

Dr John Ioannidis, a Professor of Medicine and a world leading expert in health research and policy, has given the following statements:
  • “In the coronavirus pandemic, we’re making decisions without reliable data.”
  • “The current coronavirus disease, Covid-19, has been called a once-in-a-century pandemic. But it may also be a once-in-a-century evidence fiasco.”
  • “At a time when everyone needs better information, from disease modellers and governments to people quarantined or just social distancing, we lack reliable evidence on how many people have been infected with SARS-Co-V-2 or who continue to become infected.”
  • “The data collected so far on how many people are infected and how the epidemic is evolving are utterly unreliable.”
  • “If we had not known about a new virus out there, and had not checked individuals with PCR tests, the number of total deaths due to “influenza-like illness” would not seem unusual this year.”
  • “Adding these extra sources of uncertainty, reasonable estimates for the case of fatality ratio in the general U.S. population vary from 0.05% to 1%.”
There are many reasons why we cannot believe the statistics (ie data) about this pandemic:
  • China is a secretive communist country, and they didn’t give out accurate or realistic statistics of incidences and deaths when the infection broke out there. Their official data showed a nice linear growth rate of incidences and deaths, but as we know with the coronavirus, it has a much higher transmission rate than the flu, and infected people are transmitting the virus to 2-3+ more people, which actually causes an exponential increase in numbers, not a linear increase. We are seeing that now the exponential growth in the “official’ statistics, since the infection spread to other countries. China’s data sucked.
  • Other countries have different testing criteria, with some testing more people and some testing not many at all
  • In Australia, there is a specific criteria which is used to determine if you get tested or not. Testing isn’t being done on everyone who shows with a respiratory infection
  • There is a lack of test kits, or laboratory staff or equipment to process all the tests, which has lead to the restriction of those who can actually get tested
  • There is no central register of case incidences and mortality
  • Recording of cases is open to bias or assumption
  • People who die with one or more chronic health conditions are being classified as dying as a primary result of the virus and not of their existing health conditions
  • The COVID-19 PCR testing used to confirm infection isn't accurate!
Governments and health authorities have also made very basic (ie, pathetic IMHO) recommendations for reducing your risks of getting the virus and transmitting it, based on NO accurate scientific data whatsoever. They are only using the above inaccurate and biased reporting data.

Here’s some more data from Australian officials as at March 26 2020: (Australian Government Department of Health, 2020)

Australian NCOVID-19 Incidences             3966 (as at 29 March, 2020)
Australian NCOVID-19 Deaths                    16
Australian Mortality Rate                              0.4%

Are these statistics worth shutting down the entire country for?

Let's compare our statistics to that of the country with the highest mortality rate - Italy:

Italian NCOVID-19 Incidences     92,472 (as at 29 March, 2020)
Italian NCOVID-19 Deaths            10,023
Italian Mortality Rate                      10.8%

What did Italy do, or what other factors have lead to such a high mortality rate, compared to other countries?

A report by the Centre for Evidence Based Medicine (2020) investigated the incidence and mortality rates in Italy compared to other countries and found a higher aging population (2nd highest in the world), a high prevalence of men who smoke (28% compared to 15% in UK), the highest rate of antibiotic resistance deaths in Europe, and how deaths are recorded. Their ministry of health reported that only 12% of deaths being reported as being caused by the coronavirus had any direct causality to the virus. Hence more people are dying WITH the coronavirus, but not OF the coronavirus.

But this situation is not new in Italy, with studies published on flu infections and mortality in previous years, showing that Italy (because of a high aging population) has a much higher mortality rate amongst the elderly compared to other European countries (Rosano, A. et al, 2019).

And lastly, since the medical authorities and governments of the world are making vast changes to laws and restrictions to your rights and freedoms to try and reduce your risk of the virus, why don't they know that the COVID-19 test is only 20% accurate?!

Yes, a recent published study shows that the COVID-19 pathology test is reporting up to 80% false positive results in asymptomatic people (those showing no symptoms at all) (Zhuang et al., 2020). In many cases, people have tested positive for COVID-19, but a day or so later, testing negative, then positive again. This shouldn't happen.

All this disruption to our personal and work lives, to our families, finances, companies and the economy, and more, are based on a VERY low mortality rate in healthy people, and on a test that is only 20% accurate, and data which is totally inaccurate...

If an infection, like this coronavirus, gives only mild symptoms in healthy people, then it is a MILD infection! If it causes more serious symptoms in some people, it's because of something else going on with that person. As we now know, those other reasons include having one or more chronic health condition which has already weakened their immune system and their body's ability to deal with the infection.

In short, the testing for coronavirus is inadequate as well as inaccurate, the reporting of cases is inaccurate, the reporting of deaths being too quick to lay blame at the virus, and therefore the overall statistics are essentially useless, but they make for great fuel for the fire that is the media coverage of this infection. Don't buy into the media scare campaign!

Heed the warnings, but do more to support your immune system as well, as per my previous articles.
​
Stay healthy!
 
 
 
References:
Australian Government Department of Health. (2020). Coronavirus (COVID-19) current situation and case numbers. Retrieved 29th March 2020 from https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert/coronavirus-covid-19-current-situation-and-case-numbers
Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. (2020). Global Covid-19 Case Fatality Rates. Retrieved 29th March 2020 from https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/global-covid-19-case-fatality-rates/
Rosano, A. Bella, A., Gesualdo, F., Acampora, A., Pezzotti, P., Marchetti, S., Ricciardi, W., Rizzo, C. (2019). Investigating the impact of influenza on excess mortality in all ages in Italy during recent seasons (2013/14-2016/17 seasons). International Journal of Infectious Diseases 88: 127-34. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2019.08.003
World o Meter. (2020). COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic statistics. Retrieved 29th March 2020 from https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
Zhuang, G.H., Shen, M.W., Zeng, L.X., Mi, B.B., Chen, F.Y., Liu, W.J., Pei, L.L., Qi, X., & Li, C. (2020). Potential False-Positive Rate Among the 'Asymptomatic Infected Individuals' in Close Contacts of COVID-19 Patients. Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi, 41 (4), 485-488. DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.cn112338-20200221-00144. 
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Why are there huge differences in coronavirus incidences & deaths between the northeRN and southern hemispheres?

26/3/2020

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​In a previous article I crunched some numbers on the statistics of coronavirus incidences and deaths, and identified a large disparity between the incidences of the infection in the northern vs southern hemispheres.

In many studies on respiratory infections like the common cold, flu, asthma and pneumonia, there is a significant seasonal fluctuation with most incidences being in the cooler and drier months of the year (Fagbo et al., 2017). The causative link of much higher respiratory infections in winter is due to a vitamin D deficiency. In fact, some studies have shown that a vitamin D deficiency is THE cause of epidemics of respiratory infections in winter (Cannell et al., 2008).

I have crunched the numbers again on the coronavirus statistics, again to look at the differences between the hemispheres. With more data available, I get a similar picture to before, but showing an even more significant outcome. My findings are:

                                                           North                    Equator                South
No. countries affected                  67.5%                    8.1%                      24.3%
No. COVID-19 incidences              96.8%                    1.7%                      1.4%
No. COVID-19 deaths                     98.8%                    1.0%                      0.22%   

Note the huge difference in incidences and deaths between the northern hemisphere and the south. Yes 88-90% of the world’s population live in the northern hemisphere, which can account for some of the difference, but certainly not all of it.

Some more statistics and more differences in the seasonal influence of coronavirus:

                                                    Northern Hemisphere                  Southern Hemisphere
Average mortality rate*      2.04% (range: 0 - 10.10%)            0.57% (range: 0 – 2.07%)
Australian mortality rate    0.39%

* Using data from countries with over 100 incidences (as at 26/03/2020)

There is a 400% increase in coronavirus mortality rates in the northern hemisphere compared to the south. And a 500% difference in the maximum mortality rates between the hemispheres. Australia's mortality rate is very low overall, and when compared to other southern hemisphere countries, and far less than those in the north.

Why is there such a difference between the north and south? The northern hemisphere is coming out of their winter, the traditional season of the highest seasonal respiratory infections, and into spring, another time for seasonal respiratory issues with asthma and hayfever. The attached table shows the differences in the amount of time needed in the Aus capital cities to make the same amount of vitamin D in winter vs summer!  In summer, there's not much of a difference, but a huge difference in time needed in the sun in winter to make vitamin D, especially the further from the equator you are located. This is the problem that the northern hemisphere countries are having.

Low vitamin D levels, from low sun exposure in the colder months, is a cause of low immune system function in winter, and a major cause of respiratory infections and outbreaks like we are seeing (Cannell et al., 2008). Vitamin D is THE key! Vitamin D is the key to prevention and treatment in this pandemic. Conversely, as we in the southern hemisphere are coming out of our summer, our vitamin D levels should be optimal (if we don't use sunscreen every 5 minutes and don't avoid the sun!) to keep us healthy and our immune systems strong going into the colder months. That's the ideal situation, but I see very low vitamin D levels in many clients, even in summer in Qld!

As I keep saying, in order to fix health issues, you must “FIND THE CAUSE AND FIX THE CAUSE”! Normally I would recommend getting your vitamin D levels tested first to check, and then see if you are deficient and need to supplement. At this time with pathology labs working overtime to do coronavirus testing and more on those in hospital, there’s a delay for waiting on pathology results. I don’t think you should wait – get more sun time daily (without getting sunburnt!) AND take a good quality vitamin D supplement daily. You need vitamin D3 (NOT vitamin D2, so check the product label) from a good source, in a capsule form, or oral drops or oral spray, or in cod liver oil! There’s very little harm or risk in taking a vitamin D supplement daily at the moment and continue this while this pandemic is still around or until after winter (for those of us in the southern hemisphere).

Keep up with good hygiene practices, but more importantly, support your immune system better to help it prevent and fight this or any other infection! If you have to isolate yourself, through government mandates or due to infection, DON’T just stay inside! Get outside in the sun in your garden! Get some direct sun exposure on your skin to make more vitamin D (remember that glass blocks the UV-B light needed to make it), as it is the most powerful immune system booster we have!

Stay healthy!
 
References:
Cannell, J.J., Zasloff, M., Garland, C.F., Scragg, R., & Giovannucci, E. (2008). On the epidemiology of influenza. Virology Journal, 5 (29). DOI: 10.1186/1743-422X-5-29
​
Fagbo, S.F., Garbati, M.A., Hasan, R., AlShahrani, D., Al-Shehri, M., AlFawaz, T., Hakawi, A., Wani, T.A., Skakni, L. (2017). Acute viral respiratory infections among children in MERS-endemic Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2012-2013. Journal of Medical Virology, 89 (2):195-201. doi: 10.1002/jmv.24632
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Why the germ theory focus of coronavirus prevention is wrong

24/3/2020

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In the late 1800s, and earlier, the popular belief of the time was that diseases and infections were caused by evil spirits, or a "miasma" in the air. This was until Robert Koch, a German doctor, using a microscope found "germs" (ie, bacteria) in the blood of cows who died from anthrax. He suspected that these "germs" caused the anthrax, so he transferred them into mice, who then developed anthrax. Koch proved that these microorganisms were the cause of diseases (National Academy of Sciences, 2004).

Koch then developed his famous 4 "postulates" (MedicineNet, 2019), being:
  1. The microorganism must be present in every case of the disease (or infection)
  2. The microorganism must be isolated from the host with the disease and grown in pure culture
  3. The specific disease must be reproduced when a pure culture of the microorganism is inoculated into a healthy susceptible host
  4. The microorganism must be recoverable from the experimentally infected host.
Koch's postulates are still used somewhat today, despite having some limitations, in that they don't always apply to all types of bacteria or even for viruses.

This germ theory was not universally accepted even after the discoveries of Koch and Pasteur. One of the reasons was that, according to Koch's Postulates, a pathogen must cause the disease in EVERY case. But this doesn't happen! Some more recent experiments have been conducted and results published, after deliberately infecting individuals with a flu virus - even with a strain that was similar to the one which allegedly caused huge mortality rates in the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. In this study, researchers found less than 40% of those who inhaled the virus actually developed symptoms! And of those who did develop symptoms, they were very mild to mild, and none had any serious symptoms at all (Cannell et al., 2008). Other research investigating the transmission of respiratory viruses amongst people in close proximity, again where some human participants were deliberately infected with a flu virus, found that only 20% of people developed symptoms of an infection. Up to 80% of people who were exposed to the virus did NOT actually develop the infection (Cannell et al., 2008).

Results from this research and other viral infections show that there are many more factors involved in an outbreak than it just being caused by a virus. We are seeing this in the current pandemic too - of symptoms being very individual in severity and duration, and many people being exposed but not getting symptoms at all. There are many reasons for this that have been known for a long time (Stewart, 1968):
  • Genetic constitution - your inherited genes, and your how they are expressed (turned on or off) to contribute to your health or ill-health
  • Susceptibility - your existing health
  • Behaviour - including hygiene and lifestyle practices
  • Socioeconomic determinants - income and expenses, and how the income is spent.
All of these factors are host-based factors, meaning they are related to YOU, your body, your choices and your immune system.  However, the germ theory of disease believes that infectious disease is primarily caused by transmission of an organism from one host to another. This is a gross oversimplification. The germ theory has become a dogma because it neglects the many other factors which have a part to play in deciding whether the host person/germ/environment complex is to lead to infection (Stewart, 1968).

In this current coronavirus pandemic, the media scare campaign has everyone overly anxious and fearful about everything, but pretty much the only guidance from your elected officials and health departments have given you to date for the "prevention" of this virus has been to "wash your hands" more.
I said in a previous post that the recommended advice by these "experts" of just washing your hands was pathetic advice, in terms of all the other things you can do for prevention. Similarly, the belief that sanitising everything in sight, distancing yourself from others in schools, cinemas, shopping centres, restaurants and any other public place, again, may only slightly reduce your risks of getting this infection or reducing its severity. All of the current prevention strategies being recommended are trying to avoid or target the virus itself, when we can neither completely avoid all pathogens, and we certainly cannot kill them all with hand sanitiser or antibacterial wipes! Not to mention (again) that there is no evidence that washing hands, or using sanitisers or removing oneself from others, will actually reduce your risks of this particular infection. It's pure speculation!

Instead, or perhaps as well as improved hygiene, some better things you can do to prevent and reduce your risks of this pandemic are to work on your immune system! After all, as mentioned above and shown in studies, if your immune system is strong, it can deal with any virus without you developing symptoms or the infection. If for many reasons, your immune system isn’t so strong, then there are many natural things you can do regarding your food intake, lifestyle, environment, to quickly improve its function to protect you and reduce your risks of this infection. It's not too late to start!

I'm sure some readers will take this article the wrong way. I'm not saying to not wash your hands or not improve your hygiene. Keep doing this every day, regardless of whether there is a pandemic or not! But I'm also highlighting that the recent focus on killing the virus or attempted restrictions on movement or isolation is NOT ENOUGH! You MUST also work on your immune system defences to help prevent the virus getting into your body, and to help it fight any infection so that you can recover more quickly, without progressing to pneumonia that can be very dangerous.

Louis Pasteur, one of the leading figures in the early germ theory, said on his deathbed "The microbe is nothing, the terrain is everything" - meaning that infections are nothing compared to the host or the body , or that an infection is more the result of host-based factors, and not the microbe. A strong immune system will prevent the infection more than any other factor. Antoine Bechamp, a rival of Pasteur, said to "treat the PATIENT, not the infection"! Just like Koch and Pasteur, the focus on prevention and treatment in this pandemic is wrong. It must be changed to help people and their immune systems instead.

Please refer to my other articles on the coronavirus prevention strategies for more information. You CAN improve your immune system function to better reduce your risks of this virus!

Stay healthy!
 
References:
Cannell, J.J., Zasloff, M., Garland, C.F., Scragg, R., & Giovannucci, E. (2008). On the epidemiology of influenza. Virology Journal, 5 (29). DOI: 10.1186/1743-422X-5-29

MedicineNet. (2019). Medical Definition of Koch's Postulates. https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=7105

​National Academy of Sciences. (2004). A theory of germs. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK24649/

Stewart, G.T. (1968). Limitations of the Germ Theory. The Lancet, 291 (7551): 1077-1081. Doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(68)91425-6
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Coronavirus outbreak is affected by season and vitamin D

16/3/2020

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A few days ago I investigated the statistics of the coronavirus incidences and deaths around the world to check a suspicion. This article is based on what I found. You can use this information to help protect yourself during this outbreak.

Looking at the statistics of the countries with tested and apparently confirmed coronavirus incidences, there are:
  • 83% are in the northern hemisphere, and
  • only 17% is the southern hemisphere.
In addition to these stats, out of the countries with coronavirus deaths:
  • 91% are in the northern hemisphere, and
  • just 9% in the south or on the equator...
This is extremely significant, but why?

Well, the northern hemisphere countries are just coming out of their winter.

From past experience and reading relevant research, I know that the rates of respiratory infections like the common cold, flu and pneumonia are higher in the cooler and drier winter months, and not in summer. So it didn't surprise me to see the coronavirus taking hold during the 2019-2020 winter in the northern hemisphere.

But why do we see this seasonal variation of respiratory infections?

It's quite simple really! During winter, and especially coming out of it, it is very typical of most people to have low vitamin D levels! Vitamin D is made by our bodies from direct sunlight on exposed skin. In summer we are outside in the sun more, exposing more skin to the sun and making more vitamin D. In winter the reverse is true.

Vitamin D is a massive immune system booster! Vitamin D also reduces inflammation, reduces the rates of viral respiratory infections and influenza, and reduces lung conditions like asthma (Hossein-Nezhad & Holick, 2014; Martineau et al., 2017). Vitamin D can also offer antiviral and antibacterial actions as well as stimulating the innate immune system (which identifies and deals with unknown or new infections) (Martineau et al., 2017).

Our summer vitamin D levels should be good enough to keep our immune systems functioning well through winter and into spring when it warms again (then we start going outside with less clothes on again!). But I see more clients than not are vitamin D deficient even in summer in Qld, which is crazy!

Vitamin D deficiency, especially in winter, can be a major cause of respiratory infections (Fagbo et al., 2017) and a vitamin D deficiency amongst a large percentage of the population (which occurs in winter) is the cause of influenza respiratory infection epidemics (Cannell et al., 2008).

Flu and respiratory infection epidemics are caused by a deficiency of vitamin D! Regardless of whether you are located in the northern or southern hemisphere, get out into the sun (without getting sunburnt!) daily to make more vitamin D, and/or start getting onto your vitamin D supplements NOW for prevention! And also look at some of the other immune system supportive nutrients and herbals, and antiviral products too, as mentioned in my earlier articles!

References:
Cannell, J.J., Zasloff, M., Garland, C.F., Scragg, R., & Giovannucci, E. (2008). On the epidemiology of influenza. Virology Journal, 5 (29). DOI: 10.1186/1743-422X-5-29

Fagbo, S.F., Garbati, M.A., Hasan, R., AlShahrani, D., Al-Shehri, M., AlFawaz, T., Hakawi, A., Wani, T.A., Skakni, L. (2017). Acute viral respiratory infections among children in MERS-endemic Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2012-2013. Journal of Medical Virology, 89 (2):195-201. doi: 10.1002/jmv.24632

Hemilä, H., & Chalker, R. (2013). Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 1: 1465-1858. 

Hossein-nezhad, A., & Holick, M.F. (2014). Vitamin D for Health: A Global Perspective. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 88 (7): 720–755. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2013.05.011

Leary, P. F., Zamfirova, I., Au, J., & McCracken, W. H. (2017). Effect of Latitude on Vitamin D Levels. The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, 117 (7), 433. doi:10.7556/jaoa.2017.089 

Martineau, A.R., Jolliffe, D.A., Hooper, R.L., Greenberg, L., Aloia, J.F., Bergman, P., Dubnov-Raz, G., Esposito, S., Ganmaa, D., Ginde, A.A., Goodall, E.C., Grant, C.C., Griffiths, C.J., Janssens, W., Laaksi, I., Manaseki-Holland, S. Mauger, D., Murdoch, D.R., Neale, R., Rees, J.R., Simpson, Jr, S., Stelmach, I., Kumar, G.T., Urashima, M., & Camargo, Jr, C.A. (2017). Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infections: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data. British Medical Journal, 356: i6583. doi: 10.1136/bmj.i6583

Tamerius, J., Nelson, M.I., Zhou, S.Z., Viboud, C., Miller, M.A., & Alonso, W.J. (2011). Global Influenza Seasonality: Reconciling Patterns across Temperate and Tropical Regions. Environmental Health Perspectives, 119 (4). doi: 10.1289/ehp.1002383
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van der Mei, I.A.F.  Ponsonby, A-L., Engelsen, O., Pasco, J.A., McGrath, J.J., Eyles, D.W., Blizzard, L., Dwyer, T., Lucas, R., & Jones, G. (2007). The High Prevalence of Vitamin D Insufficiency across Australian Populations Is Only Partly Explained by Season and Latitude. Environmental Health Perspectives, 115 (8): 1132–1139.  doi: 10.1289/ehp.9937

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why is washing your hands not enough to prevent the coronavirus?

10/3/2020

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I've had a lot of questions about what would I recommend people do to reduce their risks of either getting the coronavirus, or treating it. I will give more advice here!

As I've said in my previous articles on the topic, our medicines and supplements regulator (the Therapeutic Goods Administration or TGA) has warned all health practitioners to not recommend any products or therapies or make any claims that they can either prevent or treat the coronavirus, unless there is published evidence of their effectiveness against this specific virus.

But of course with this virus being very new, there is NO evidence of any therapy, either natural or pharmaceutical, that can claim to prevent or treat this infection. There is NO evidence that washing your hands will prevent this coronavirus! Yet the TGA, and health departments and doctors are happy to be hypocrites and recommend this and basically nothing else, because they have nothing else to help you.

I find their lack of advice to you, and the public in general, to be pathetic and next to useless. Their lack of acceptance of natural preventatives or treatments based on PAST evidence on all other types of coronaviruses, is insane and likely to cost a lot more people their lives. They SHOULD be recommending more preventative strategies based on past evidence. But they aren't...

Since I can't apparently give you advice or recommendations, I will tell you what I would do!

But firstly, since there is no vaccine for this new virus, you are totally dependent on your immune system for protection, prevention and recovery for this infection. Your immune systems have developed over millennia to protect you 24/7 from any and all known and unknown infections. Your immune systems are amazing! They know exactly what to do whenever a new bacteria or virus comes along that it hasn't seen before. That's why you need to help your immune system to do its job!

Washing your hands won't help much at all, especially when you can simply BREATHE in the virus from being in close proximity to others who are infected.
I started recommending strategies and products for immune system support weeks ago, when the virus first started making the news. I need to actively support my immune system, because if I don't, I can get infections easily. That's just my dodgy genetics combined with not looking after myself at times in the past!

The main strategies and products I use for prevention include:

• Vitamin C at a higher dose - vitamin C is a proven immune system stimulant, effective against most infections in research studies and including against other forms of the coronavirus (the common cold virus and SARS). However, a 100mg, 250mg or 500mg daily dose of vitamin C is nowhere near enough! This is a deficiency-preventing dose, not a therapeutic dose. I am taking at last 2000mg daily for prevention at this time.

• Vitamin D at a higher dose - Vitamin D is a huge immune system booster, anti-inflammatory, and many other benefits. Low vitamin D levels are the cause of seasonal flu outbreaks and other respiratory infections. We usually see such respiratory infection outbreaks in winter, when vitamin D levels are lowest! Many studies show improving vitamin D levels by supplementing in the cooler months can reduce incidences and severity of colds and flu! All the more reason to start getting onto this now that summer is over! I am taking 4000IU daily now.

• Zinc - I find that a large percentage of my clients are deficient in this essential mineral, which is needed for good immune system function against infections, and a lot of other uses and benefits. Dose - once daily (avoid zinc oxide products). I take 1x 25-30mg dose daily.

• Probiotics - Your probiotic bacteria in your digestive tract make most of your immune system proteins, hence its importance in improving your immune system function. A good quality multi-strain probiotic is good, or regular fermented foods, together with a healthy variety of foods can greatly help your immune system. I would take one capsule once daily to start.

• Herbal medicines - many herbal medicines have immune system boosting effects as proven in published research, as well as some having antiviral effects, even against other coronavirus species! One very well tolerated (and tasty) one is elderberry - which has immune stimulating actions as well as being an antiviral herb. Also, garlic has potent antiviral and antimicrobial effects! Both elderberry and garlic have been shown effective against other coronavirus strains in research. Licorice (the real licorice, not the sweet lolly form!) also has antiviral effects against other coronaviruses. There are a lot more herbs which can help your immune system and have antiviral effects. I can't recommend more here or their doses, as other factors need to be taken into account, such as medication interactions and personalised dosing etc. See me for more advice on these.

• Water intake - keeping up your water intake is very important! Sufficient water will keep your mucus membranes in your nose and respiratory tract nice and moist, which will trap and stop viruses and bacteria from infecting your cells there.

• Good hygiene - This is the only thing that you are being told to do - wash your hands regularly with soap and water, and stop touching your face, eyes and nose etc. Sneeze or cough into the crook of your arm/elbow, and not into your hand!

• Sleep quality and quantity - this is needed for cellular and tissue repair, detoxing, and immune system functions. So make sure to get sufficient quantity and quality sleep!

• Reducing stress - Stress not only depletes some essential nutrients needed for your immune system, but stress reduces your immune system function on its own. Hence reduce your stress exposure, or improve how you deal with stress. Exercise, meditation, breathing exercises, and more can help reduce the effects of stress.

• Improving your nutrient intake - your immune system is reliant on a variety of nutrients to make your white blood cells (your infection-fighting cells). Avoid sugary foods and drinks, as these can reduce your vitamin C levels, increase inflammation and weaken your immune system. Similarly, reduce intake of high carbohydrate foods, such as grain-based products like cereals, breads, pasta, bakery products and alcohol, as these have the same effects as sugar. Eat more vegetables, more protein and healthy fats too!

I'm not concerned about the coronavirus, because I have been doing the above to reduce my risks, as well as supporting my immune system. However, I am concerned for others who have chronic health issues who are much more at risk of this infection. But if you know friends or family who are at risk, getting them to use the above recommendations will greatly reduce their risks of getting this infection or reducing the severity of it.

The media are beating up this issue far more than necessary, causing much stress and panic. Remember that the infection has at least a 97% survival rate! We need common sense to prevail, not knee-jerk government reactions such as lockdowns or restrictions on rights and freedoms.

Buying more toilet paper won't prevent or treat this coronavirus! The above points can!

Don't rely on your government or health authorities to protect you, because they are next to useless at the moment on this issue.
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Stay healthy!
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Cancer in children is increasing

17/2/2020

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According to a very recent study (published today) in the Medical Journal of Australia, incidences of childhood cancers have been rising dramatically over the past 30 years. In 10 years, from 2005 to 2015, childhood cancer rates have been increasing at 1.2% PER YEAR. The study estimates that childhood cancers are expected to rise by 40% in the next 20 years. The media only reported a 7% increase – no idea where they pulled that number from. These are truly shocking statistics.

Statistics in other developed countries are similar, with the USA finding one in 285 children being diagnosed with cancer before their 20th birthday. This equates to 3.5%, and in both the USA and Australia, cancer is currently the biggest cause of child mortality (other than accidents).

The MJA study claims the causes of cancer in children is unknown, and that more research is needed. No, we know what the causes are, so I will save them time and research money…

Cancers arise from chronic inflammation which causes a low functioning immune system. As your immune system detects cancer cells and destroys them, the prevention of cancer is completely dependent on the effective functioning of your immune system.

What causes chronic inflammation? Lots of things, including:
  • Stress
  • Lifestyle factors – smoking, alcohol, drugs, low exercise, poor sleep etc
  • Nutrient deficiencies, or excesses of some foods
  • Toxins and chemicals in foods, water, the environment, and from other products that the body is exposed to
  • Medications – especially antibiotics, corticosteroids, NSAIDs, and other immune system suppressing drugs
  • Viral infections
  • Radiation exposure
  • Weight gain
  • Hormone imbalance
  • Other existing chronic health conditions
  • Genetics – only in 5-10% of cases.
These are your causes of cancer.

The medical and pharmaceutical industries are always after research money to find the ONE cause of cancer. They won’t find it when there are many causes of cancer, and the causes can also vary from person to person. This makes research very difficult to prove, and why they have no answer after decades and many billions of dollars of research.

To prevent cancers, you need to avoid the above root causes. To treat cancers, you need to fix the above root causes.

This is why I like specialising in investigating and treating chronic inflammatory conditions, immune system dysfunction, autoimmune conditions, and cancer too! I can get to the root causes of each person’s issues, and put a plan in place to treat the causes and reduce symptoms too.
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We all want our kids and family to be healthy and happy, and sometimes it’s difficult to know what actually is good or healthy for us or not, or what are the most effective treatments for long-term health. If your family are frequently sick with infections, or have chronic inflammatory conditions, then something is wrong with their immune system. That’s where I can help, by investigating the causes and fixing them!
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Coronavirus update and government censorship

17/2/2020

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News media around the world are regularly giving updates of the coronavirus situation in China and other countries. But are you just taking in this news with interest, or are you a little concerned, or are you taking this seriously?

Considering that we cannot trust the news media to tell the whole truth, as they are restricted by their owners, as well as your governments, to not want to cause panic or “misinformation” (also known as “censorship”), and other factors, we should take what the media says with some skepticism!

We also know that we cannot trust what the communist Chinese government says, as they for many reasons, would not want the world to know that:

1) The virus appears to be man-made in the BSL-4 rated (ie, in other words, a biowarfare lab) Wuhan Institute of Virology, where scientists there have published many papers on how clever they are in playing with the genetics of the SARS coronavirus, which is 96% similar to this new COVID-19 named coronavirus

2) The real numbers of people affected or died from the infection are not accurate. With so many people living in China and who were swamping hospitals in the early days, they do not have the resources to test everyone for a confirmed coronavirus infection, or even treat them. Hence the “official” numbers are very much on the very low end of reality. Leaked estimates of statistics have the infection rate at about 1.5 million and death rate at about 50,000

3) Cities with 10 million or more people are in complete military lockdown (aka “quarantine”), with no access to food, services, transport, or healthcare. A self-imposed quarantine at home when you are sick with a cold or flu can prevent you passing on the infection to others. But in an epidemic like this, a forced lockdown with potentially infected people can spread the infection far more

4) The true mortality rate is not 2-3% as was officially announced, but in fact is 11-15%, based on published studies done that I have read, one of which was published in the prestigious Lancet journal recently (Chen et al., 2020). This makes this infection a LOT more serious than anyone in the media or governments have publicly said. https://www.thelancet.com/…/PIIS0140-6736(20)3021…/fulltext…

All is not well in China, and they know it, and they are taking drastic measures to try and contain this virus. Other countries aren't.

Several recent studies have shown that coronavirus infections are more likely to affect males (up to 67%) who are older (55 years and higher), especially those with existing chronic conditions (55%) that cause weaker immune systems, which can result in severe and fatal respiratory distress. In this study, the death rate was 11%, which is far higher than the official figures of 2-3% from the secretive Chinese media. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32007143

The air quality in Chinese cities is not great, and most males in China smoke, which reduces their health, their lung function, and makes them more susceptible to chronic diseases and the coronavirus infection.

As I have mentioned in my earlier articles, if you are concerned about this virus, there are many things which you can do to improve your immune system function, to stay healthy, and reduce your risks.

Unfortunately, our regulatory authority (the Therapeutic Goods Administration or TGA, in Australia) has put out a public notice to all health practitioners to not provide any advice or recommendations directly or indirectly related to this coronavirus! They only want “official” methods and therapies recommended that have been scientifically proven effective against this specific coronavirus.

I guess the TGA has forgotten that, in times of a new health issue like now, that anecdotal evidence ALWAYS comes first, before any published, peer-reviewed evidence?! Published evidence takes too long. If they are only going to rely on published evidence as their "accepted" evidence, then potentially tens or hundreds of thousands of people will die needlessly. There are many simple and basic practices and treatments which have initially found in the past to be anecdotally proven effective against all previous infections, long before any study was published to "officially" prove it.

Such methods include washing hands, to improved hygiene practices, to higher dose vitamin C, antiviral or immune supporting herbal remedies, vitamin and mineral supplements that support your immune system to do what it already knows what to do against ANY known or unknown new infection.

So I can’t repeat or go into detail in this article some of the easy strategies and treatments for improving your immune system function… but read my previous articles!

I'm sure there are no published studies as yet proving that washing hands can prevent or reduce the risk of spreading this coronavirus, but the TGA and various health departments and hospitals around Australia and the world have this advice as very basic prevention step, based on anecdotal or past evidence!
To go hunting for practitioners giving simple preventative advice that is based on past evidence of effectiveness, but not yet "proven" against this coronavirus is disgraceful.

There's no official pharmaceutical medications that have been proven effective against coronavirus in published studies as yet either, but we know that such medications are being used, based on their PAST evidence! This is not a time to be denying or restricting what people can do to prevent and treat this virus, especially when we cannot believe the official infection and mortality rates from a secretive foreign government.

In a follow-up article I will provide suggestions which have worked against other coronaviruses (like the common cold virus or SARS etc), with referenced proof!

​Stay healthy!
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confirmed: the coronavirus was man-made!

2/2/2020

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The current coronavirus infection is still occurring, mainly in China, but due to recent infection control and quarantine procedures, it is only very slowly progressing in other countries. While the death rate from the coronavirus is much less than its sister virus SARS, it has caused more infections than SARS in 2003.

There has been a lot of speculation about the coronavirus such as where it originated, how it spread to humans, and was the large maximum-security biological laboratory, coincidentally located in Wuhan, somehow involved in this virus outbreak?

With some new information, it appears that this is indeed the case - that not only was the Wuhan laboratory involved in experimenting with the SARS coronavirus, they published scientific studies on it, AND appear to have created this new coronavirus by playing with its genetics to create a new and potentially more dangerous and deadly virus, before it was either accidently or deliberately released!

In a scientific study published in 2010, scientists at the Wuhan laboratory studied the SARS coronavirus to identify whether bats could be the natural host for SARS, and which bats are associated with this virus. Remember in the early days of the new novel coronavirus, that it was suggested in the media that bats may have been involved! The scientists published that there were indeed 2 species of bats that were susceptible to SARS, and may be the original host of the virus. (Hou et al., 2010) (study link here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00705-010-0729-6)

But now is the real shock...

Scientists in India have published a very recent study (on Jan 31, 2020), to look at the genetic sequence of the new novel coronavirus, to get clues as to its evolution and capacity to cause symptoms and disease. (Pradhan et al., 2020) (full study link here: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.01.30.927871v1.full.pdf)

The Indian scientists have found that the new coronavirus is based on the 2003 SARS virus but has 4 new genetic sequences added into it, that are not found in any other coronavirus. Interestingly, ALL 4 of these genetic sequences added to this virus' genetic code come from the HIV-1 virus!  Yes, the new coronavirus has had 4x HIV gene sequences inserted into it. The HIV virus has been depleting human immune systems since the 1980s, and is one factor which leads to a diagnosis of AIDS.

The Indian scientists published that the 4x HIV sequences in the coronavirus would not be possible in nature. Hence the new novel coronavirus is MAN-MADE.

And it was most likely made in the Wuhan laboratory to change the preference of the host from a bat to human, and then somehow released into humans, where it was able to start infecting from one human to another.

These new findings should really make people (and governments) question why scientists are "playing with" such viruses, how can they be allowed to create newer and more dangerous viruses, and how can these somehow escape from high security labs.

These new developments are all the more reason to support your immune system NOW with natural techniques and supplements as per my previous 2 articles on my website and FB page, for prevention, and continue the same (with higher doses) should you become infected. 

​Stay healthy!
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Coronavirus prevention (Part 2)

2/2/2020

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This article is part 2 of my coronavirus articles (see below for part 1) during this worldwide scare of the coronavirus, and is relevant to those who may have an immune system that may be low functioning, or anyone who is concerned about the coronavirus.

I have seen many clients recently with poor functioning immune systems, or recurrent infections. There can be many reasons for a low functioning immune system, but it is unusual for me to see so many people with a cold or flu in the middle of summer here in Australia!

If you get a cold or flu, or any other infection, then it means that your immune system defences are not strong enough to protect you from that infection. So you need to do something about this!

Your immune system strength and function relies on many factors:

1) a good supply of nutrients to make your white blood cells and other immune system proteins, and having good levels of vitamin C, zinc, vitamin D and other essential nutrients for immune system function

2) A working digestive system function - as you can have the perfect diet, but if your digestive system isn't working well, you may not digest and absorb the nutrients you need

3) good quality and quantity sleep, which can repair damaged tissues and your immune system

4) a well-balanced microbiome - of helpful and symbiotic bacteria in your mucus membranes, digestive tract and on your skin

5) a well functioning thyroid gland (which is the controller of your metabolism or ALL cells in your body)

6) drinking enough water, needed to make and keep your mucus membranes moist to prevent infections.

Hence these are clues as to what you need to focus on for prevention of infections, or strengthening your immune system! In addition, there are factors which can affect immune system function:

1) Stress, which triggers the "flight or fight" stress response, and in turn reduces your digestive system function and immune system function (and other "normal" body functions) as these are not deemed as "essential for short-term survival", hence they do not work optimally in times of stress

2) Inflammation, which can be from many causes such as food intolerances, obesity, imbalance of your microbiome, stress, chronic infections, autoimmune conditions, toxins and chemicals (such as with the poor air quality in China)

3) Other chronic infections or assaults such as EBV (Epstein-Barr Virus, which causes glandular fever, and causes very long-term symptoms and immune system effects), CMV, HIV, and many other viral infections, or having an autoimmune condition, or having any other recent infection or illness.

4) Medications, such as antibiotics, NSAIDs, corticosteroids, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, immuno-suppressives and more. These all reduce or stop the immune system from working optimally.

Again, these are clues as to what to work on or reduce in order to having a well-functioning immune system!

There are many other things you can do to improve your immune system, for preventing or treating viral infections like coronavirus, such as:

1) nutritional supplements - to rectify deficiencies that affect immune system function, especially of vitamin C (with therapeutic doses being shown to be effective against coronavirus strains!), zinc, and vitamin D (a MASSIVE immune system booster, and when levels are low, this CAUSES colds and flu infections and outbreaks especially in winter!), and other nutrients too

2) probiotics - since your gut microbiome makes most of your immune system proteins, you can improve their production with an improved diet and specific probiotic strains

3) herbal supplements - many herbal extracts or supplements can not only boost your immune system, but can also offer anti-viral actions to directly kill the infection or stop it replicating or spreading around the body

4) practicing good hygiene - even washing of hands is very effective in killing microbes on your skin. Not touching your face, nose, mouth or eyes can prevent infection. 

I cannot recommend specific nutrient or herbal supplements in this article, as checks for interactions with any medications is essential, other symptoms or conditions may need to be taken into account, and dosing will be different for different age groups. However this is something I can help with in a personalised consultation, or see an experienced Nutritionist, Naturopath or Herbalist for advice.
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If you are concerned about coronavirus, or if you have frequent infections or a low immune system, there are many things you can do to improve your immune system function!
 
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Is the coronavirus something to be concerned about?

27/1/2020

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You may have seen in the past day or so in the news of an alleged new virus doing the rounds in China, causing a handful of deaths and causing a huge health scare in the media and health authorities around the world.

Is this "new" virus something to really be scared about? No!

Is this "new" virus" something you can do something about? YES!

More on this later...

But first, some other interesting facts about this new coronavirus:

1) "Coronavirus" is actually a family of viruses that cause infections in some animals, including causing the common cold in humans. The current coronavirus scare is a particular strain of coronavirus.

2) The source of the first infections were in the Wuhan fish market.

3) Just across the river from the Wuhan fish market is a large maximum-security biological laboratory, designed to study the world's most dangerous pathogens (viruses and bacteria)! Very interesting indeed. Details here - https://www.nature.com/news/inside-the-chinese-lab-poised-to-study-world-s-most-dangerous-pathogens-1.21487

4) If the above wasn't enough, Wuhan also has 8 out of the top 13 top biopharmaceutical companies located there. Details here - http://www.fdi.gov.cn/1800000121_37_42197_0_7.html?fbclid=IwAR0JLoHmxf1OeqjbRKnbWzN8pvlkb4Jvqjh9Dtdy88Cmei9aleTMY6M9Wv4

5) In October 2019, a summit of government officials, health officials and infection experts met to discuss a simulation of a global infection pandemic, coincidentally based on a coronavirus outbreak! How did they guess that would happen?! I'll leave that for you to ponder... Details here - https://web.archive.org/web/20200126110537/http://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/event201/ and here - https://web.archive.org/web/20191106171718/https://hub.jhu.edu/2019/11/06/event-201-health-security/.

6) It is winter in China at the moment, and any infections or epidemics usually occur when people's immune system defences are low. This is why we see more colds and flu in winter. I have repeatedly written about before, that common cold and flu infections increase in winter, caused from low vitamin D levels in people due to low sunlight exposure when it's colder. So it is not surprising that this infection is spreading at the moment, among those whose immune defences are down or not as strong as they should be.

There is no vaccine for coronavirus, and won't be for at least 6 months unless one is "fast-tracked" (meaning it will have done very limited to no clinical trials for safety of efficacy), or could be years until such a vaccine is available. But that's not worth worrying about, as you and I are already protected from this virus, by our immune system!

We have always had our "innate" immune system which detects and destroys all known and unknown infective pathogens 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, for your entire life! Your immune system, quite literally, keeps you alive!

There are several main parts to your immune system:

1) Innate immune system - these cells protect you from all unknown infection-causing microbes, bacteria and viruses! They recognise what is "self" or safe and what isn't, and will attack and destroy any foreign invaders. This part of your immune system is how we have been able to survive for millenia without modern medicines or medical interventions! The innate immune system, when confronted by a new microbe or invader, learns from this and then trains the adaptive immune system for longer-term defence mechanisms.

2) Adaptive immune system - the adaptive immune system develops antibodies against each invader. Antibodies are then used by the immune system to more quickly respond to and stop infections in future!

3) Your microbiome - or the trillions of bacteria on your skin, in your mucus membranes, digestive tract, and other parts of your body. Your microbiome works to regulate and produce most of your immune system proteins to protect you from any pathogenic bacteria.
 
It's only when your immune system cannot defend itself quick enough or destroy the invading pathogens that you actually "get" symptoms of an infection.

Your immune system is affected by factors such as stress, a poor diet (ie, nutrient deficiencies or excesses), poor digestive system function, chemicals and toxins in foods and environment, poor sleep quality or quantity, and chronic (long-term) infections, medications (antibiotics, NSAIDs, anti-inflammatories, immunosuppressives, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, steroids, etc), and other factors. If any one of more of these are affecting your immune system, then it's not going to work as well as it should. Reduced immune system function can lead to longer and more severe infections.
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Hence the importance of supporting your immune system, not just to prevent and survive the coronavirus, but any and all infections! If your immune system is weak, or you get frequent infections, or want to protect yourself against coronavirus, there are many things that I can help with, by investigating all possible causes of a low functioning immune system and treating those, as well as immune supporting treatments and direct anti-viral actions too.
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Your immune system finds and destroys cancer cells!

1/11/2019

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If you know me or have read some of my articles here, you may know that the topic of cancer comes up a lot, because it has been my main area of interest in natural health treatments for many years.I was initially drawn to natural cancer treatments because the general public believe that this is the biggest and baddest health problem, because a diagnosis of "cancer" fills people with such dread and fear, that it reminds people that we really are mortal. We shouldn't fear cancer at all, but welcome it, as it is your body giving you warnings and telling you that it is not liking what you are doing to it. It may take some time to change this perception of cancer, but we can start now.

My fears of cancer disappeared when I started reading cancer research over 12 years ago, when I found that your body's white blood cells, in particular the Cytotoxic CD4+ T-cells and NK (Natural Killer) cells, have a primary task every day in our bodies to find and destroy virus-infected AND cancer cells! Hence it is your own immune systems that CAN and DOES fight cancer every day!

I have linked a short video showing this - actual footage of your immune system cells attacking cancer cells and destroying them! Watch this video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntk8XsxVDi0

This information and this video highlights the importance of your immune system for the prevention and treatment of cancer!

Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery are NOT the only options for cancer treatment! These actually don't help you much at all, because both chemotherapy and radiotherapy (ie, chemical therapy and radiation therapy, respectively) actually CAUSE more cancer by poisoning the body and destroying the immune system - the main part of your body's defence against cancer! It just doesn't make sense to do this.

I still read a lot of cancer research, and I put this knowledge into practice with my clients. There is no one cure for cancer (and probably never will be) as treatment requires a holistic (whole body) approach using a combination of correct nutrition and avoiding some specific foods, supplementation, stress relief and management, detoxification, mindset, lifestyle, exercise and other treatments.
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If your immune system is not strong, or you get frequent infections or illnesses, or if there is a family history of cancer or autoimmune conditions, this is where I can help - this is what I do!
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Low water intake and low humidity can increase rate of flu infectionS!

30/6/2019

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I have written many articles before on how to prevent and treat the winter head colds and flu infections, without resorting to the useless flu vaccine! I will repeat these articles again shortly, now that it's allegedly flu "season". But first, to correct my own statement, flu does not really occur as a seasonal occurrence, but because of a combination of factors which just so happen to coincide in winter.

One of the least known but common factors which can greatly increase your risks of colds and flu in winter is a very simple one of not drinking enough water in winter! Why is this such a problem, and how does this cause more flu infections?!

Our immune system is the ONLY thing which can protect you from colds and flu. One of the physical barriers in this protection is your mucous membrane barrier, in your respiratory and digestive tracts.  Your mucous membrane barrier is highly populated with your immune system cells and infection-fighting cells, as well as having a layer of mucus across this barrier for additional protection. The mucus barrier makes it more difficult for any infectious organisms to get through it to reach your cells and to infect them to affect your health.

But in winter this mucous membrane barrier is often much weaker because of a lack of water intake, because of these reasons:

1) We generally drink less water in winter as it's colder and we don't sweat as much, hence we often don't feel thirsty or the need to drink as much water as in summer
2) We drink more hot drinks like teas and coffees to stay warm! Unfortunately teas and coffees (and alcohol) are diuretic and cause more fluid loss in the body
3) The air in winter is drier and less humid, which can dry out our mucous membranes
4) We use more heaters and fires etc for warmth, but this too dries out our mucous membranes.

The lack of water means less production of mucus, and therefore less protection against infections like the flu virus.

Studies show that countries and environments with a higher humidity have a greatly reduced rate of flu. Other studies show that people in drier environments in winter have a much higher rate of flu. This is because the survival and transmission of the flu virus is affected by humid conditions, and virus survival rates increase in low humidity. Humid conditions will keep your mucous membranes moist, but drier conditions will dry them out.

In addition to my usual recommendations for prevention and treatment of the winter colds and flu, make sure you are drinking enough water! If you have a cup of tea or coffee to keep warm, have a glass of water too, to negate the diuretic effects of these drinks.

For the relief of symptoms of colds and flu, our supplement and herbal dispensary can help you get over the infection quicker!

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food intolerances or sensitivities can cause chronic issues

24/2/2019

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I see a lot of people, mostly children, with intolerances and sensitivities to any number of foods, food ingredients or environmental  substances. The number of people with such intolerances or sensitivities appears to be increasing at a rapid rate. So what might be causing these issues?

But firstly, what are some symptoms to look out for in yourself or your children?

Common symptoms of intolerances and sensitivities can include:
- constant or recurring runny nose, and having to blow nose frequently
- clearing of throat by coughing frequently, especially after waking in the morning
- sinus infections or pressure
- frequent tummy upsets, with sudden or frequent diarrhoea
- bloating of lower abdomen and lots of gas/flatulence
- frequent infections such as throat infections, colds and flu
- foul or smelly breath
- frequent enlarged or infected tonsils and adenoid glands, or had them removed due to being enlarged
- skin rashes, eczema, or itchy skin
- having a horizontal crease across the lower part of the nose
- sunken and/or dark circles under the eyes, as shown in the meme photo.

Many people think that these intolerances are "allergies" and use this term to describe the reactions or symptoms they see. Allergies and intolerances are both immune system reactions to triggering substances, but they are very different! Intolerances such as to dairy or gluten (as in Coeliac Disease) are an IgG immune system response, whereas allergies are a more severe IgE response.

People also believe that if you avoid the food or substance that you are intolerant to in the same way as for allergies - ie, complete avoidance, you actually have a high risk of developing new intolerances to MORE substances. I've seen this in some clients and in published research.

Hence intolerances need to be treated quite differently to allergies! In addition, failure to identify various intolerances and act on them can result in ongoing symptoms and development of chronic health conditions.

Because of the delayed reaction of symptoms  appearing with intolerances, it can be very difficult to identify what are your individual triggers! But there are some very good pathology tests using blood or hair samples which can identify 50-500 different food and environmental triggers which cause intolerance symptoms. Bear in mind that allergy tests will not identify intolerances or vice versa.

If you see the "allergy shiners" under your eyes or other intolerance symptoms or in your children or family, please look into getting an intolerance test to identify what is causing these issues, and then make some adjustments to  dietary intake or lifestyle to reduce exposure, to improve health! I can help with testing and recommendations from the test results!

Do you have any known intolerances and what are they? Or do you suspect some intolerances but are not sure what is causing them?
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How your immune system works to keep you alive!

20/7/2018

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This article is about your immune system! You might not think much about your immune system or think that it does very much, but your immune system is on alert constantly to protect you from all known and unknown infections, injuries, damaged cells and more, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, for your entire life! Your immune system, quite literally, keeps you alive!

There are two main parts to your immune system:
1) Innate immune system - these cells protect you from all unknown infection-causing microbes, bacteria and viruses! They recognise what is "self" or safe and what isn't, and will attack and destroy any foreign invaders. This part of your immune system is how we have been able to survive for millenia without modern medicines or medical interventions! The innate immune system, when confronted by a new microbe or invader, learns from this and then trains the adaptive immune system for longer-term defence mechanisms.
2) Adaptive immune system - the adaptive immune system develops antibodies against each invader. Antibodies are then used by the immune system to more quickly respond to and stop infections in future!

Contrary to popular belief, newborn babies do have an immune system! They get this from the mother during development, then from being exposed to good bacteria during birth, and from breast milk which is high in immune system proteins and antibodies. Their immune system gets stronger each day to protect them!

Your immune system is affected by factors such as stress, a poor diet (ie, nutrient deficiencies or excesses), poor digestive system function, chemicals and toxins in foods and environment, poor sleep quality or quantity, and chronic (long-term) infections, medications (antibiotics, NSAIDs, anti-inflammatories, immunosuppressives, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, steroids, etc), and other factors. then it's not going to work as well as it should. Reduced immune system function can lead to longer and more severe infections, reduced or slow healing of wounds, inflammatory conditions, auto-immune conditions (where the immune system turns against your body to damage organs and tissues), and even cancer. Your immune system has several types of cells which find and destroy cancer cells, so when the immune system isn't working optimally, this can allow cancers to grow and spread.

Suppressing your symptoms and your immune system with medications (as listed above) may reduce your symptoms, but will increase the risk of further or more severe infections or other chronic conditions such as cancer.
 
Having a good immune system is incredibly important, not just to prevent those nasty head colds or flus in winter, but for your long-term health and survival! Your immune system can be affected and reduced by so many factors. If you suffer from frequent infections such as colds, flu, tonsillitis, sinusitis, UTIs, allergies or intolerances, any autoimmune conditions, cancer, or any chronic infection, then your immune system needs help!

This is where I can help! By investigating all possible causes of a poorly functioning immune system and treating the causes, you CAN have your health back!

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