Your Pets, Flu and COVID-19 ?

[Dr. Jeff]

Why some people get sick from covid while others do not is puzzling doctors around the globe.

This question of individual susceptibility, is super important.

Here's an excerpt from an article in The Atlantic hat begins to tackle this issue:

...The people who get the most severely sick from COVID-19 will sometimes be unpredictable, but in many cases, they will not. They will be the same people who get sick from most every other cause...

...Over the course of a lifetime, the effects of daily and hourly stressors accumulate. Ultimately, people who are unable to take time off of work when sick—or who don’t have a comfortable and quiet home, or who lack access to good food and clean air—are likely to bear the burden of severe disease...

Here's the full article:

Why Some People Get Sicker Than Others

COVID-19 is proving to be a disease of the immune system. This could, in theory, be controlled.

www.theatlantic.com

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Here's more about susceptibility and herd immunity.

Dr. Katz does a great job in this ~15 min. video with Bill Maher.

It's about using mindful gradual exposure to develop immunity and slowly "turn the dial up" on the economy (as per NY Governor Andrew Cuomo).

In the interview Dr. Katz agrees with HA! that the tragic and "unpredictable" severe disease and death from covid are actually very predictable.

He says that the same lifestyle factors which promote chronic dis-eases like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart dis-ease, etc. are also predisposing factors for severe infections.

Therefore, it's so important to use holistic actions, like eating fresh food, exercising and building vital lung capacity at the same time as slowly exposing ourselves to the virus.

Similar to the mindful exposure protocol we use to build natural immunity in puppies and kittens:

Besides the fantastic job that Dr. Katz does of presenting the info. his ace tracking pups Barley and Bramble have found missing people!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Here's the latest Johns Hopkins about covid antibody tests:

Global Progress on COVID-19 Serology-Based Testing

Serology testing for SARS-CoV-2 is at increased demand in order to better quantify the number of cases of COVID-19.

www.centerforhealthsecurity.org

These titers are like those for Lyme, parvo, distemper, etc.

They are the keys to safely re-starting the economy and monitoring for herd immunity.

 

[jsqueglia]

I've been following these folks from Absolute Dogs dog training in the UK,. Tom Mitchell is a vet behaviorist and Lauren Langman is an international agility competitor.
They have a short podcast on the subject - Lockdown 101:Will lockdown affect my dogs behavior?

itunes ‎Sexier Than A Squirrel: Dog Training That Gets Real Life Results on Apple Podcasts and

spotify Sexier Than A Squirrel: Dog Training That Gets Real Life Results - absoluteDogs

They too had some great tips so I thought I would share.
Jackie

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Thanks Jackie!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Dr. Andre´ Saine just wrapped up another excellent webinar about the successful prevention and management of patients with covid symptoms.

After 3 hours of positive outcomes, someone asked if we presented this data to the WHO or FDA.

The reply was that using vitality, balance and homeopathy are too far removed from mainstream medicine, at this time, to be seriously considered.

The hope is that over time, this will change.

Homeopathy and the study of individual susceptibility readily reduces confusion such as these doctors write about:

What We Don’t Know About the Coronavirus

Respiratory symptoms may be the hallmark of COVID-19, but the disease is affecting patients in other ways that we still don’t understand.

www.newyorker.com

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi everyone reading this thread. As we begin to re-enter the world and gradually expose ourselves the SARS-CoV2 virus, one of the enormous questions that remains unanswered is about development of protective immunity.

This paper discusses the challenges in this area regarding the original SARS virus:

Host Immune Responses to SARS Coronavirus in Humans - PMC

The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a newly identified infectious disease caused by a novel zoonotic coronavirus (SARS-CoV) with unknown animal reservoirs. The risk of SARS reemergence in humans remains high due to the large animal ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Here's one of the prescient quotes from it:

Although a huge global public health initiative by the WHO successfully contained the SARS outbreak in 2003, the risk of reemergence of SARS in humans remains high due to the large number of animal reservoirs that harbor SARS-CoV-like coronavirus.

And their conclusion:

Despite the wealth of active scientific research and information, the mechanisms of viral clearance, immune correlates of protection, and the immunopathogenesis of SARS infection remain unclear.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hello to anyone following along in this thread.

There's been important breaking news in the past 8 days since I last posted here.

I started new threads with some of it, but also wanted to add pointers here.

Foremost is corroboration about the individual internal imbalance as being the principal factor determining if we get severe cases of covid:

Balance, Molecular Biology and covid

Hi everyone. Molecular biologists have published some very interesting research in the past few days. Some of it is in the 5/15/20 issue of the prestigious scientific journal called "Cell". All of this new data helps corroborate the vitality and balance approach to keeping our pets internally...

www.holisticactions.com

Another is the "training" of our immune systems which can help protect against dis-ease:

"Training" Immunity to Reduce Risks from covid

On 5/14/20 the molecular biology journal "Cell." had a few important pre-press articles about immunity and covid. First, preliminary results look like we will develop immunological memory to this virus. Meaning that SARs-CoV-2 won't take our immune systems by surprise again. Second is even...

www.holisticactions.com

It's important to note that the authors did not investigate methods to generate natural immunity. Instead, they used an older bacterial vaccine called BCG.

Regardless, it's a step towards better understanding how we can move forward.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Lots of other news including a recent study from Italy of 50 self-isolating covid symptomatic patients.

None of them ended up in the hospital!

Here is a brief excerpt:

The hospitalization rate in this group of symptomatic 50 outpatients treated homeopathically for COVID-19 was 0,

Pts. received from 2 to 6 remedies.

The top 7 most commonly used single remedies were:
Bryonia alba (21 times)
Arsenicum Album (16 times)
Phosphorus flavus (9 times)
Atropa belladonna (6 times)
Antimonium tartaricum (6 times)
Eupatorium perfoliatum (4 times)
Phosphoricum acidum (3 times)

I'll download the article and add it the HMDM folder for everyone to read.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Here's the thread with the article mentioned above:

100% Prevention of Hospitalization of Self-Isolating Covid-19 Patients

A recent study from Italy shows 100% effectiveness of homeopathy! Remedies prevented hospitalization of every self-isolating patient with covid: Symptomatic COVID-19 positive and likely patients treated by homeopathic physicians - an Italian descriptive study...

www.holisticactions.com

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Here's the most recent AVMA recommendations about pets and covid:

COVID-19

AVMA is committed to helping the veterinary community through the COVID-19 pandemic. Get actionable information to support your veterinary team, patients, and clients.

www.avma.org

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Mindful reopening of the economy is partially based on antibody titers. These are the same type of tests at dogs get for parvo and distemper.

Here is a list of antibody tests that FDA says work:

EUA Authorized Serology Test Performance

EUA Authorized Serology Test Performance

www.fda.gov

The bottom line (from ABC news):

"Until we know more, there is not a lot of value to antibody tests right now," said Grenache.

Scientists are still learning about whether or not antibodies confer any protection or immunity from future reinfection. In fact, the World Health Organization has cautioned against issuing "immunity passports" for people who test positive, saying "at this point in the pandemic, there is not enough evidence about the effectiveness of antibody-mediated immunity."

 

[AliceR]

Thank you, Dr. Jeff for the antibody test information. I am getting an antibody test on Fri. The information I have is that the test is approved by the FDA but I don't know the name of the test.

Alice

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Thanks Alice! Please let us know which test they use and what they find.

Here are lots of antibody testing details from experts in the field:

covid19 antibodies cidrap-part3.pdf

drive.google.com

 

[JoanD]

How are homeopaths treating FIP? A friend of mine has a young cat with it and they are frantic. Can you offer any guidance?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi Joan! Vet homeopaths treat FIP based on the symptoms of each patient.

Infection with coronavirus like that of FIP and like SARS-CoV-2 in people is usually not a health challenge. The dis-eases of FIP and covid occur primarily because of individual factors and not from the big itself.

The terrain of kitties who develop FIP promotes adverse effects of the virus. We aim homeopathic treatment at making the terrain inhospitable.

A separate thread to discuss FIP would be great if one doesn't already exist.

 

[JoanD]

My friends are ready to euthanize. Their vets have told them there is nothing to be done. Her 4 year old ragdoll cat won't eat and just lays around with a bloated belly and swollen eyes. My friend is administering CBD oil orally and dermally to help with the pain and is feeding liquids with a syringe and giving IV saline. They don't know what else to do. This all started when the power went out for 2-3 days in PA with temperatures in the 90s. It was very hot and humid in their townhouse for those 3 days. Also, there has been a lot of stress in their household and anxiety about the corona virus and the antics of the government surrounding the lockdown and a possible mandatory vaccine. Do you have any thoughts on how they might proceed? Their final attempt to help their cat is to use a Qwest remedy for her.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

It's been 6 weeks since I posted in this thread. Not much has changed in the science and covid world. This email from OZY sums up many of the current issues:

​ ​ [TD valign="middle"] ​ ​ Sunday, July 12, 2020 Remember the good ol’ days when conventional wisdom said the coronavirus would lose strength with the arrival of summer heat? Not so much. Recent weeks have seen the virus roar back with a vengeance across most of the United States — and much of the world. As scientists race for a cure and businesses struggle to survive, our understanding of this global threat continues to shift by the day. One thing we do know: It’s going to change our lives permanently. Today’s Sunday magazine dives into the state of the virus and efforts to fight it, as well as the changes it has wrought and the people taking on new prominence in our societies. We also take a peek at the next pandemics: Where will they come from, and how can we prevent another catastrophe? Read on to find out.

what do we know? 1. By the Numbers America passed a grim milestone this week: 3 million cases of COVID-19. Deaths have topped 134,000, the most in the world by far, though the United Kingdom still leads major nations in most deaths per capita. The U.S. keeps setting daily case records with spikes most pronounced in the South and West, and deaths starting to rise after a lull. Elsewhere, South America is becoming a global hotspot — particularly in Brazil. Bolivian interim President Jeanine Áñez and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro both tested positive for the virus this week. 2. Tiny but Mighty As the virus surges in the U.S., there are 12 mostly Northeastern states where cases are decreasing. The chief virus wrangler at the moment? Rhode Island, where coronavirus cases have declined by more than 85 percent in the past six weeks, the most in the country. What’s going on? It starts with an aggressive attack by a governor who was in no hurry to reopen. READ MORE ON OZY 3. Catch Me If You Can Studies show that your blood type can have an impact on whether you catch the virus, and how bad it gets. Type A can be worse; Type O is better off. But it appears that all of us are more at risk in this don’t-call-it-a-second-wave: A new mutation of the virus has made it 10 times more infectious than the original strain emanating from Wuhan, China, according to one laboratory study. At least the latest research indicates that you probably can’t catch it twice for at least a few months — but longer term results remain a mystery, given that this is a novel virus. 4. In Treatment This week, Gilead Sciences announced a new trial for the Ebola drug remdesivir for use in inhalers to fight the coronavirus — a significant step for at-home use. So far, remdesivir has been shown to help reduce hospital stays, but not to reduce deaths. The U.S. government has responded by buying up 90 percent of the world’s supply of the drug for the next three months. But to truly fight the virus, we’ll more likely need a cocktail of treatments, as with HIV. Doctors are having some success in treating COVID-19 with plasma from patients who have recovered from the disease, and Oxford researchers are bullish on a common steroid called dexamethasone. 5. Political Science President Donald Trump has consistently downplayed the virus — to his evident electoral peril — and even wearing a mask has become politicized. But on Saturday, Trump was photographed wearing a mask in public for the first time, on a trip to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, a sign that he finally realizes the benefit of mass masking to both public health and his own reelection.

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the vaccine sprint 1. All Deliberate Haste An unprecedented race is on to validate and mass-produce a vaccine for the virus, with millions of lives and billions of dollars at stake for the world’s drugmakers. Early leaders include AstraZeneca’s collaboration with the University of Oxford, as well as Chinese companies Sinopharm and Sinovac — all of which have moved to large-scale human trials. But an experimental technology called mRNA could move faster. READ MORE ABOUT ONE VACCINE SCIENTIST ON OZY 2. Uncle Sam Ponies Up The U.S. government is doling out billions of dollars to drug companies to mass produce the vaccines — even before they’ve been proven to work. Last week, the Trump administration announced a $1.6 billion deal with Novavax with the goal of producing 100 million doses by year’s end. Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and AstraZeneca have also gotten government cash from Operation Warp Speed. READ HOW BIG PHARMA’S REPUTATION IS ON THE LINE ON OZY ​ 3. October Surprise Pfizer’s CEO says he expects FDA approval as soon as October, after its vaccine (in collaboration with Germany’s BioNTech and China’s Fosun Pharma) aced small-scale human trials. AstraZeneca/Oxford could also be ready in October — at least for certain segments of the population. That lines up perfectly with political incentives for Trump, who would love to be able to tout a successful vaccine before Election Day. 4. Vaccine Equity Even if a vaccine is approved, it’s not like everyone can run down to Walgreens and get injected. So while production ramps up, who goes first? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working on a prioritization plan that starts with medical and national security workers and then — controversially — favors Black and Latino Americans, who have been disproportionately affected by the crisis. READ ABOUT BLACK WOMEN’S EXTRA BURDEN ON OZY 5. China First There is one vaccine that’s already been approved for limited use — but only for China’s military. CanSino and the People’s Liberation Army developed a vaccine using an adenovirus, and China fast-tracked the approval as a special use for the military. No one will say whether the vaccine is required or merely voluntary for China’s soldiers. It’s also been approved for human trials in Canada. 6. What It Feels Like “We’re all starved for hope. I get it. But this isn’t magic. It’s science, which means protocols and phases and data to collect. There has to be room for trial and error. That’s part of what they’re learning from me.” Ian Haydon, one of the first humans to receive the Moderna vaccine, shared with the Washington Post the ups and downs that come with a clinical trial.

how the world has changed ​ 1. I Believe I Can Fly The world’s tourist destinations are slowly starting to reopen — see a handy timeline here — but last week's announcement of 36,000 United Airlines layoffs coming in October was an ugly reminder that travel isn’t bouncing back anywhere near where it was. What’s next? Americans won’t be super welcome overseas for a while (Europe has already declared a travel ban ) and the airlines will compete not on amenities but on how well they disinfect. READ MORE ON OZY 2. Lip Service Lipstick is so 2019. Why? Because we live in an age when not wearing a mask is for dummies, and masks are the ultimate cosmetic concealer. In fact, a recent McKinsey report found that lip makeup sales — believed to be the type of impulse buying that survives downturns — fell 15 percent in the U.S. this spring compared to last year. READ MORE ON OZY 3. Geo-Blocked Concerts Not only are we working remotely but — at least the responsible among us — are partying remotely too. Deprived of writhing fans crowding mosh pits, artists are getting creative. London-based folk singer Laura Marling has already sold out two remote concerts targeted to certain locations, with private video links. READ MORE ON OZY 4. Flex Jobs Many of us have become better acquainted with Zoom, Slack and other work-from-home tools in recent months, but the work revolution post-pandemic will be as much about when as where. Removing workers from the rhythms of office life has upended work hours as well, and gig work, rotations and tours of duty become easier remotely. One other outcome: Many low-wage service workers are emerging with a new moniker, “essential,” and knowledge of their power.

the next pandemics ​ 1. Virus Hunters Even as the world grapples with a coronavirus crisis that still has not peaked, researchers, governments and global agencies like the World Health Organization are scrambling to prepare for the next pandemic. But it’s a daunting challenge — an estimated 1.67 million unknown viruses lurk in animals that might infect humans. And growing global mistrust of scientific experts and governments raises the risks of a pathogen that might otherwise have been stopped turning into the next global killer. READ MORE ON OZY 2. Chronic Bubonic Local authorities in China’s Inner Mongolia region are on high alert after confirming a case of bubonic plague. Yes, that bubonic plague, which ravaged 14th-century Europe, killing an estimated 50 million people. Rats were the main culprit then, but modern Mongolian cases have been traced to eating marmot meat. The good news: The plague is now curable in most cases. 3. At the Zoo Noticing a pattern yet? Zoonotic diseases, which jump from animals to humans, are some of the biggest threats we face. A new United Nations report pitches some solutions, such as strengthening the monitoring of the food system and improving animal health. So should the planet go vegan? It might help, but would not eliminate all human-animal interactions that could spread these viruses. 4. Bioweapons on the Loose? While politically motivated speculation that the coronavirus emerged from a lab accident in Wuhan (or the U.S., depending on the accuser) is most likely not true, escaped bioweapons are not to be taken lightly. Nearly 100 people died after a 1979 anthrax leak from a Soviet lab. A U.S. Army lab in Maryland that studies the world’s most dangerous pathogens was partially shut down over safety concerns last year, before reopening this spring. With adversaries like terror groups and North Koreareportedly pursuing bioweapons, there are plenty of possible premeditated sources for the next pandemic.

getting schooled 1. Clusterfudge Perhaps the biggest question for parents, students and the economy is: When can kids go back to school? The answer: ¯_(ツ)_/¯. The CDC has put out guidelines for U.S. schools to consider, such as spacing desks 6 feet apart and having students eat at their desks rather than in a cafeteria. (The American Academy of Pediatrics also has a guide. ) Trump is taking the productive step of tweeting in all caps about this, threatening to cut federal funding from districts that don’t reopen. ​ 2. School’s In Florida and Texas are planning to open as normal — even as virus cases spike in those states — while the nation’s largest public school system, New York City, says it will only partially reopen. State and district plans for reopening remain a constantly changing patchwork. 3. Lessons from Abroad Denmark and Finland were among the first to reopen their schools, with both nations phasing in starting with the youngest children. Denmark mandated extra spacing and hand-washing, and encouraged more classes to be held outside. Wuhan went back to school with mass testing and temperature checks. And the Australian state of New South Wales is starting with one day a week of in-person instruction. The good news? Overseas school reopenings have not tended to be linked with large outbreaks, though there was an event at an Israeli high school pinned on a superspreading teacher. 4. Higher (Priced) Learning America’s college campuses are finding themselves constantly shifting as well. Many schools brought back athletes to train for the return of sports (often a critical cash cow), but the result was clusters of coronavirus cases. Tales abound of hard-partying collegians with little interest in social distancing making life risky for faculty and staff. Meanwhile, several schools that are keeping students away are suing the Trump administration, which wants to kick international students out of the country if they’re not able to take in-person classes. Distance learning also raises the thorny question of whether students should have to keep paying the full tuition bill. Harvard, for example, is still raising tuition about $2,000 this fall, to more than $49,000 — not including room and board.

the new players 1. The Landless Workers Movement A group of Marxist farmers that has squatted on government land since the 1980s has become a pandemic-fighting force in Brazil. While Bolsonaro has tried to downplay the virus and institute half-measures for economic recovery, the activist group has given out more than 1,500 tons of food and 60,000 lunch boxes to homeless families. It has also distributed medical equipment and health education materials to those in need. READ MORE ON OZY 2. KK Shailaja The health minister of the Indian state of Kerala, which has seen only a handful of deaths among its 35 million people, has become a global star and was recently honored by the United Nations. But the cheerful former schoolteacher is not out of the woods yet: She instituted a new triple-lockdown on Friday after a superspreader event in the coastal city of Thiruvananthapuram. 3. Eric Yuan The CEO of videoconferencing company Zoom has seen his personal wealth leap nearly $12 billion during the pandemic along with the San Jose company’s stock price, as “zoom” becomes a verb nearly on par with google or tweet. But the more money he comes across, the more problems he sees: Zoom has come under scrutiny for security lapses and for canceling the accounts of activists who hosted a call about the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, a taboo topic in China. ​ 4. Michelle vanDellen The University of Georgia psychologist is helping coordinate the world’s biggest pandemic behavioral study, with some 60,000 participants across 100 countries. One early finding: Economic concerns, rather than health ones, more directly correlate with people taking precautions — meaning that stressing financial fears could incentivize more responsible public health behavior. READ MORE ON OZY

​ TV | PODCASTS | NEWS | FESTIVALS​ Modern Media Company OZY Media, 800 West El Camino Mountain View, California 94040 This email was sent to [email protected] Manage Subscriptions | Privacy Policy​

[/TD]

 

[Dr. Jeff]

This page from the New England Journal of medicine summarizes what doctors and scientists know about covid (at this time):

https://www.nejm.org/coronavirus

One of the articles on this page also contains information about the early stages of vaccine development.

This is important information so has its own thread here:

Tests and Vaccines for the SARS Virus

I am starting a new thread for this important topic. Most of the posts and videos about covid can be found in this thread: https://www.holisticactions.com/forum/threads/your-pets-flu-and-covid-19.42012/ This might make it easier to read and comment on the current state of SARs info. This is...

www.holisticactions.com

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Wow! I can't believe that it's been almost a month since I updated this thread.

There's lots happening in the world, but not so much with covid.

The summary remains the same. Just like with any "infection", it is the interplay of 2 factors that determines if someone gets sick from a virus.

Those factors are:

1. Individual susceptibility as determined by balance and

2. Dose of the virus

In other words, the better balanced we are, the more resistant we are to SARS-CoV-2. Just like any other germ.

There's really nothing magical or different about this virus except that it is (was) a novel virus that our immune systems had not seen before.

Here's a brief summary from an article about what is known, and not, about covid:

Whether you become infected or not when you encounter a pathogen isn’t just a question of whether you’re susceptible or immune. It depends on how much of the virus (or bacterium) you encounter.

And the amount capable of tipping the balance is what’s known as the minimum infectious dose. Some pathogens have a low infectious dose. For example, it doesn’t take a lot of E. coli 0157, a dangerous bacterium transmitted in food, to make someone sick.

How big a dose of SARS-CoV-2 does it take to infect most people? It’s one of the burning questions in SARS-CoV-2 research, said Angela Rasmussen, a coronavirus expert at Columbia University. “We don’t know the amount that is required to cause an infection, but it seems that it’s probably not a really, really small amount, like measles.

That's why sheltering at home and avoiding exposure works. No exposure = no infection.

However, it also means that the immune system is not fully prepared to do its' job.

IMHO, the same method of gradual exposure that we recommend for vaccine free puppies and kittens may be preferable.

Here's one of the HA! blogs that talks a little more about ways that should help us stay safer as we increase exposure:

Got a Case of the COVID Blues? Six Easy, Fun, and Meaningful Ways to Feel Better and Enhance Your Mental and Physical Health - Holistic Actions!

www.holisticactions.com

Also, here's the full article which contains the quoted text above:

Seven months later, what we know about Covid-19 — and the pressing questions that remain

In the about seven months since the world learned a new and dangerous coronavirus was in our midst, we've learned an extraordinary amount about the virus and the disease it causes.

www.statnews.com