Your Pets, Flu and COVID-19 ?

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi everyone-

The country is being wracked by the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease of 2019) pandemic.

This forum thread is to help put it in context using reliable and useful information from the WHO, CDC and doctors in private practice.

This situation should not be taken lightly so please follow any preventive local public health advice.

Typical precautions, like 20 second hand washing, are still effective for people.

The virus does not appear to effect pets, so do not worry.

No pets have been effected so far, and the only documented case is in a geriatric (17 years young) dog who did not get ill.

The disease is running its course with a dramatic decrease in cases in China.

I'd expect that we'll see the same occurring here in the next few months.

Here's much more from CDC 3/3/20:

Here's some more information, also from CDC:

...there is no evidence that “pet animals can be infected with COVID-19 virus or can be a source of infection to people,” according to the statement.

For pet owners in areas where human cases have been identified, WSAVA’s advice is to continue take standard precautions: Wash your hands before and after interacting with your pet and, if you are sick, wear a face mask when around them.

The CDC provides this advice for pet owners: “You should restrict contact with pets and other animals while you are sick with COVID-19, just like you would around other people. Although there have not been reports of pets or other animals becoming sick with COVID-19, it is still recommended that people sick with COVID-19 limit contact with animals until more information is known about the virus. When possible, have another member of your household care for your animals while you are sick. If you are sick with COVID-19, avoid contact with your pet, including petting, snuggling, being kissed or licked, and sharing food. If you must care for your pet or be around animals while you are sick, wash your hands before and after you interact with pets and wear a facemask.

Another piece of useful info. comes from the World Small Animal Vet Ass on 2/29/20:

https://wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/COVID-19_WSAVA-Advisory-Document-Feb-29-2020.pdf

From this report:

Reports from Hong Kong on February 28, indicated that the pet dog of an infected patient had tested ‘weakly positive’ to COVID-19 after routine testing. The Hong Kong SAR Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has reported that the dog, which is showing no relevant clinical signs, has been quarantined and further samples will be collected to confirm if the dog is actually infected with the virus, or if the test result has been caused by environmental contamination.

The AFCD’s website further states that it ‘does not have evidence that pet animals can be infected with COVID-19 virus or can be a source of infection to people’. WSAVA urges pet owners in areas where there are known human cases of COVID-19 to continue to follow the information in its advisory, including washing their hands before interacting with their pets and, if sick, wearing face masks around them.

Other reports show that masks are typically unnecessary and some may not even be protective.

The bottom line is that this "outbreak" is not much different than the flu pandemics we have every year so try not to worry.? The CDC is just pointing out the general procedures to take whenever we're sick with a flu, cold, kennel cough, etc.?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Most patients exposed to any flu, or other germ like Lyme or kennel cough, don't get sick.

This the case because of the molecular mechanisms that keep pets and people healthy and in homeostasis/balance.

For much more info. about the exact cellular process that keep us all healthy, take a look at the "homeostasis" presentation over at:

Molecular Meaning of Balance for Pets (as in Vitality and Balance)

IMHO, the most important thing that we can do for our pets is to keep them in physiological equilibrium. This means that everything on their bodies is in balance and working optimally. Doing so can help them resist infections, and other stressors like low level toxins, and reduce their risk of...

www.holisticactions.com

Immunity, genetics and individuality are 3 of the 6 factors that help our pets resist infections.

These are the same 6 which make up the "terrain" which helps determine if cancer develops and whether it metastasizes.

A human oncologist wrote eloquently about the terrain and cancer in a great article last year:

Cancer’s Invasion Equation | The New Yorker.pdf

drive.google.com

Holistic Actions! that you can take today to reduce invasion by COVID-19 or your pets risk from flu, kennel cough, Lyme, leukemia, etc include:

1. Feeding fresh food
2. Avoiding toxins (like mercury and aluminum in vaccines)
3. Maximizing positive interaction and outside play
4. Encouraging sniffing and purring with 20 minutes of sniff walks, snuffle mat or hunt for treats if well (2-3 times if ill)
5. Using a well-absorbed form of magnesium, like magnesium oil, to increase ATP and cellular energy

Spring is here early (today is 3/5) in CT, so take advantage of the sun?, fresh air and nature ? by taking yourself and your pets for a sniff walk!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Warning:

This post contains the text of a detailed scientific letter written by an esteemed ND, homeopath and discusses medical concepts that are not part of the current conventional medical model.

In it you can learn the general approach to how vitality and balance can be modified using homeopathy.

Homeopathy saved so many lives during past fatal epidemics that the only monument dedication to a doctor in Washington DC. is in honor of Dr. Samuel Hahnemann.

Here's much more information about the effectiveness of balancing vitality using homeopathy for infections and in epidemics:

Dr. Andre Saine debates famous skeptics in U.S. and Canada

homeopathy.ca

And lastly is some awe-some and scientific homeopathy, flu and COVID-19 info from Dr. Paul Herscu:

Epidemic Updates from Paul Herscu ND, MPH

Paul Herscu ND, MPH presents this resource for timely updates on current epidemics (influenza or otherwise). Be sure to sign up at bottom of this blog to receive notice of new postings directly via email. Or follow @PaulHerscu on Twitter.

paulherscuepidemics.blogspot.com

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Here's more details from an esteemed MD-homeopath:

flu covid-19 actions whitmont.pdf

drive.google.com

 

[Carol L.]

Good morning Dr Jeff,
Thank you for the information
Wondering what your thoughts are on ars 30c recipe coming out of India? Government actually sending out information to their country to take as they suggest, helping prevention, etc. ??

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Yes, Ars is one of the Genus Epidemicus (GE) remedies in India. Ep-p, Bry, and Gels. are others applicable in the US.

However, as Hahnemann teaches, the homeopathic medicines needed for pandemics, epidemics, and many infectious diseases (no hyphen) varies based on the specific symptoms seen in each geographic area.

In other words, the remedies needed in India may or may not apply in the eastern US.

Therefore, rather than use a protocol, let's all learn together the GE method.

Dr. Todd touched on this during his webinar about infections and the history of homeopathy that led to the Hahnemann monument in DC (the only monument dedicated to a doctor in DC!).

We'll take a deeper-dive into GE during an upcoming EH!

Genus Epidemicus and Prophylaxis in Homeopathy

Homeopathy and the prophylactic treatment of epidemic disease. One of the great examples of homeopathy's effectiveness over its 200-year history.

www.wholehealthnow.com

 

[Carol L.]

Dr Jeff,
Fascinating reading. Thank you.
I look forward to another very interesting topic.
And I did not know about the Hahnemann monument!

 

[AnneH]

Thank you, Dr. Jeff!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

You're welcome Anne.

Here's some more COVID-19 information from one of the first molecular virologists in the world to work on coronaviruses (the 1970s):

The current projections for its expansion in the US are only probable, due to continued insufficient worldwide data, but it is most likely to be widespread in the US by mid to late March and April.

Here is what I have done and the precautions that I take and will take. These are the same precautions I currently use during our influenza seasons, except for the mask and gloves.:

1) NO HANDSHAKING! Use a fist bump, slight bow, elbow bump, etc.

2) Use ONLY your knuckle to touch light switches. elevator buttons, etc.. Lift the gasoline dispenser with a paper towel or use a disposable glove.

3) Open doors with your closed fist or hip - do not grasp the handle with your hand, unless there is no other way to open the door. Especially important on bathroom and post office/commercial doors.

4) Use disinfectant wipes at the stores when they are available, including wiping the handle and child seat in grocery carts.

5) Wash your hands with soap for 10-20 seconds and/or use a greater than 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer whenever you return home from ANY activity that involves locations where other people have been.

6) Keep a bottle of sanitizer available at each of your home's entrances. AND in your car for use after getting gas or touching other contaminated objects when you can't immediately wash your hands.

7) If possible, cough or sneeze into a disposable tissue and discard. Use your elbow only if you have to. The clothing on your elbow will contain infectious virus that can be passed on for up to a week or more!

What I have stocked in preparation for the pandemic spread to the US:

1) Latex or nitrile latex disposable gloves for use when going shopping, using the gasoline pump, and all other outside activity when you come in contact with contaminated areas.

Note: This virus is spread in large droplets by coughing and sneezing. This means that the air will not infect you! BUT all the surfaces where these droplets land are infectious for about a week on average - everything that is associated with infected people will be contaminated and potentially infectious. The virus is on surfaces and you will not be infected unless your unprotected face is directly coughed or sneezed upon. This virus only has cell receptors for lung cells (it only infects your lungs) The only way for the virus to infect you is through your nose or mouth via your hands or an infected cough or sneeze onto or into your nose or mouth.

2) Stock up now with disposable surgical masks and use them to prevent you from touching your nose and/or mouth (We touch our nose/mouth 90X/day without knowing it!). This is the only way this virus can infect you - it is lung-specific. The mask will not prevent the virus in a direct sneeze from getting into your nose or mouth - it is only to keep you from touching your nose or mouth.

3) Stock up now with hand sanitizers and latex/nitrile gloves (get the appropriate sizes for your family). The hand sanitizers must be alcohol-based and greater than 60% alcohol to be effective.

4) Stock up now with zinc lozenges. These lozenges have been proven to be effective in blocking coronavirus (and most other viruses) from multiplying in your throat and nasopharynx. Use as directed several times each day when you begin to feel ANY "cold-like" symptoms beginning. It is best to lie down and let the lozenge dissolve in the back of your throat and nasopharynx. Cold-Eeze lozenges is one brand available, but there are other brands available.

I, as many others do, hope that this pandemic will be reasonably contained, BUT I personally do not think it will be. Humans have never seen this snake-associated virus before and have no internal defense against it. Tremendous worldwide efforts are being made to understand the molecular and clinical virology of this virus. Unbelievable molecular knowledge about the genomics, structure, and virulence of this virus has already been achieved. BUT, there will be NO drugs or vaccines available this year to protect us or limit the infection within us. Only symptomatic support is available.
I hope these personal thoughts will be helpful during this potentially catastrophic pandemic. You are welcome to share this email. Good luck to all of us! Jim
James Robb, MD


HAND SANITIZER RECIPE
Here’s what you need:

2/3 cup Isopropyl alcohol 91% (rubbing alcohol)
1/3 cup aloe vera gel
Essential oil in your choice of fragrance (optional)
A small or medium mixing bowl
A spoon
An empty container, such as a 3-ounce container from a travel toiletries kit
A small piece of masking tape for labeling
Here’s how to make it:
In a mixing bowl, stir Isopropyl alcohol and aloe vera gel together until well blended.
Add 8-10 drops of scented essential oil (optional, but nice!). Stir to incorporate.

Pour the homemade hand sanitizer into an empty container and seal. Write “hand sanitizer” on a piece of masking tape and affix to the bottle.

Dr. Robb was the first to demonstrate the number of genes which coronaviruses contain and has kept up with the coronavirus field and its multiple clinical transfers into the human population (e.g., SARS, MERS), from animals.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Here's an update for today.

I see lots of great precautions being taken here in CT. These include stopping using shared cards at yoga. They are also now requesting that we wipe down the yoga block props (which we touch during class) after each use.

Breathing through your nose whenever in crowded enclosed spaces is another way to practice proactive prevention because the nasal mucosa can help contain the virus and keep it from replicating.

This effect is increased by slowing down your breath and practicing restricted breathing like ujjayi. Restricted breathing sounds as if you are fogging a mirror.

In addition to Dr. Robb's email on the prior post, here's an article from a CA newspaper:

Pathologist Offers Understanding and Tips on Avoiding Coronavirus - The San Fernando Valley Sun

Noted pathologist and molecular virologist James Robb, MD, is warning the general public of the strong possibility of the coronavirus being “widespread in the US” by late March and April. […]

www.sanfernandosun.com

In it he also reminds us of the protective effect of since lozenges. The clinical effectiveness of these is still in question, but there is some research data that confirms the recommendation:

Zn2+ Inhibits Coronavirus and Arterivirus RNA Polymerase Activity In Vitro and Zinc Ionophores Block the Replication of These Viruses in Cell Culture

Author Summary Positive-stranded RNA (+RNA) viruses include many important pathogens. They have evolved a variety of replication strategies, but are unified in the fact that an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) functions as the core enzyme of their RNA-synthesizing machinery. The RdRp is...

journals.plos.org

The next post will contain some great information from two MD-homeopaths.

 

[JoannC]

Great info! Thank you Dr Jeff! The writeup on precautions is very helpful!

For tonight, can Dr Sheldon comment on her experience with EO for cats with seizure in using a 1 oz spray bottle with water and starting out with 2 drops of Away RTU. Then spray on my hands and then pet down Teddy lightly to get him use to it?

Right now I have Feliway plugged in so both kitties are ok with that.

Then I’d get a diffuser and try kitty boost lite?or neuro balance. Not sure so her recommendations would be great if there is time tonight. Thank you!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Here's an update on the last update.

This is another comprehensive article from a homeopath which contains both the physiologic as well as the energetic views:

Coronavirus Covid-19 - Analysis of symptoms from confirmed cases with an assessment of possible homeopathic remedies for treatment and prophylaxis - Doctor Bhatia's Asha Homeopathy

Dr. Manish Bhatia provides an in-depth analysis of the recorded symptom-set of patients of Coronavirus Covid-19 infection with an analysis of the possible group of indicated homeopathic remedies for treatment and prophylaxis.

www.doctorbhatia.com

Also, here are some excepts from Dr. Whitmont's letter that is posted above:

...Remember that viral illnesses are normal and that most people who are otherwise healthy will benefit immunologically from these experiences (even though they may be unpleasant). Infections help the immune system manage and reduce chronic inflammation and can provide significant long-term health benefits. Try to avoid using any unnecessary medicines that simply manage symptoms. Consult closely with your homeopath if you are having difficulties or if you seem to be getting worse, rather than better. Pay attention to your instincts and ask for help if things are progressing unexpectedly...

...Surviving the challenges posed by the introduction of any new organism (an acute infection) can be asymptomatic (at best) and deadly at worst, but every healthy human carries multiple benign asymptomatic chronic viral infections all the time. Only a very small fraction of these viruses are capable of causing human illness, and most exist in symbiosis with the immune system and the microbiome. These viruses act beneficially to protect against many illnesses, as the herpes simplex virus (HSV) prevents and eliminates late stage malignant melanoma, and many “common cold” viruses prevent and cure bladder, brain, and breast cancers...

...During the great influenza epidemic of 1918, the global pandemic that killed millions worldwide, there were similar factors involved. In that pandemic aspirin (which was first made available for over the counter use in 1915) was, for the first time in history, strongly and widely recommended to prevent and treat influenza. There is now considerable anecdotal and preclinical evidence implicating the use of aspirin in the grave consequences that resulted in otherwise “young and healthy” individuals who precipitously died from this virus. Modern-day physicians now understand that aspirin is contraindicated in all viral infections precisely because of its’ immune and neurological complications...

In China, the mortality rate is around 2.5% for Covid-19 but as the diagnosis and awareness is improving, so is the management and prognosis. Most people who are succumbing to this infection are over 50 years of age or have some associated comorbidity (illness) like asthma, COPD, diabetes etc. For reasons that we do not understand yet, Covid-19 is NOT affecting children below the age of 18 and the children who are getting infected are only developing mild flu-like illness.[ii] So parents of young children can reduce their parental anxiety.

At this time, no homeopathic practitioners have treated cases of COVID-19, or made the results of this treatment public. A worldwide network of practitioners, from India, Asia, Europe and the Americas, have been in communication and have been looking to share information on the Genus Epidemicus when it emerges. Since no one has had any direct experience using homeopathy to treat COVID-19 to date, the following seasonal influenza medicines have been highly recommended as fallback for consideration in individual cases, but they are clinically unproven in COVID-19. Each case should be carefully evaluated to determine the most appropriate medicine:

Gelsemium sempervirens, Bryonia alba, Mercurius vivus, Eupatorium perfoliatum, Arsenicum album, and Squilla maritma.

The full article is here (and your HMDM research folder):

Corona Virus covid-19 whitmont.pdf

drive.google.com

 

[ChristineL]

Thank you for the great info!

Just saw this interesting article re Vitamin C for COVID 19:

Shanghai Government Officially Recommends Vitamin C for COVID-19

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[beccak]

Hi Dr Feinman, All.
I find this information fascinating.
Although this is new to me, it helps me more clearly see/have a stronger understanding of what I know as traditional homeopathic treatment.
In the article by Drs Manish and Bhatia, there is the mention of CH potencies. I did google the potency but only found more questions: K and XM. I stopped there!!
What is a CH potency?
Becca

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Becca, thanks for posting!

A CH potency is the same as C.

Here's words from a homeopath in Belgium:

What is the difference between a CH - dilution and a K-dilution?

CH-dilutions are centesimal (C) dilutions, using Hahnemann’s (H) dilution method. The homeopathic mother tincture is diluted to a 1/100 dilution rate and then shaken vigorously (also known as dynamization). This dilution is known as 1 CH.

When 1 CH is diluted again, following the same process, this results in a dilution rate of 1/ 10 000 of the mother tincture, or 2 CH. This can then be diluted again to create 3 CH and so on. The most common dilutions are 4 CH, 5 CH, 7 CH, 9 CH, 11 CH and 30 CH.

A K-dilution is a Korsakov-dilution. In Flanders, Belgium, K-dilutions are most common. The Korsakov method begins its dilution with a 3 CH dilution. The 3 CH dilution is poured out of a flask, and what remains of the substance sticking on the sides of the flask is used to make a K-dilution. The flask gets refilled with an alcohol solution and then shaken vigorously, the process of dynamization. This dilution is known as 4 K. To obtain a 5 K dilution, the substance in the flask is once again emptied, refilled and dynamized...

Here's an info. page from the same doc:

Dokter-Goossens.be - Homeopathy

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Last night a group of vet homeopaths gathered online for a webinar about COVID-19.

One of the resources that was shared was the registration for this recorded webinar about homeopathy, pneumonia and pandemics including COVID.

Here's where you can watch these recordings:

Webinar Recording - Coronavirus

www.cheonline.co.uk

Here are the slides from the webinar:

 

[beccak]

Thank you for the info (had to read it twice but I get it!) Dr Feinman, and the link for the webinar, I will get to that later today.

I have taken so much of what I have learned from HA, applied it to our/(spouse) lifestyle and feel prepared for our health during this pandemic.
Have done our best to have a healthy terrain.
Make sure we get exercise, open air, do things we enjoy.
Getting info from multiple/many sources.
Will stick to our HMDM
And, if it is going to happen, likely will (just like introducing our dogs to parvo), trying to opt for small exposure such as shopping at night, diligent about washing hands, those sorts of little things.
This list could go on and on,
Thank you for all you do!!
Feeling empowered even during a pandemic!,
Becca

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Here's the latest information from AVMA about COVID and pets:

https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2020-03/covid-19-faq-email.pdf?utm_source=email-mem&utm_medium=coronovirus200311&utm_campaign=coronovirus&utm_term=button&utm_content=covid-19-faqs

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Just in from WHO and Angell Memorial in Boston:

it is comforting that the World Health Organization (WHO) has established that dogs are not likely to get sick from and transmit COVID-19

I'd think, but have no verification, that this applies to cats as well.