Tag: NAD

bookmark_borderOmnivores: About Your Immune System and COVID

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By Daniel Brouse

Humans are omnivores. A human’s immune system is dependent on eating an omnivore’s diet. Your immune system is really a collaboration between many of your body’s systems, such as, neurological, respiratory, cardiovascular, and circulatory systems. The “health” of your immune system is dependent on your overall status, but more importantly, the ability of your immune system to respond to any given battle at a particular time.

COVID can cause damage to your organs directly during the fight. COVID can also cause damage to all your body’s systems. Post-COVID chronic ailments comprise both categories. Many COVID cases result in damage to the lungs, heart, kidneys, and brain. Many COVID cases also cause damage to your immune system. (eg Long Haulers Syndrome)

Diet and lifestyle choices are detrimental in both the immune system’s ability to fight individual battles, as well as, your immune system’s ability to survive the war.

THE BATTLE
When an infection starts attacking your body, your immune system starts a process involving most of your body’s systems including neurological, respiratory, cardiovascular, and circulatory systems. Your brain connects with command centers throughout your body. The power supply for these command centers is called NAD+

The timing and locations of the battles are crucial for victory. Your command centers deploy Trojan horses to the nearest fight. The Trojan horses come in a variety of different breeds but are commonly called interferons. The interferons are unique antiviral proteins. They are part of the process that invades the infection, gets inside, steals the memory. Then, the interferon creates more protein. The proteins prevent the virus from multiplying. To help you win the war, the memory of the virus is then transferred to your central intelligence agency and used in your antibody production including T-cells and B-cells.

Your immunity factory needs a bunch of supplies to metabolize in order to win. It is critical that your body make and distribute the supplies to the immune factory assembly line. Supplements may be substituted in an emergency, but supplements can not replace your assembly line. You need to consume plants, animals, O2, H20, and sunlight. Time is of the essence.

WINNING THE BATTLE AGAINST COVID
The simplest strategy to defeat COVID is to consume Niacin (B3) and photosynthesized Vitamin D (sunlight).

Niacin is crucial for the production of your command centers — Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)

Sunlight is crucial for the production of your interferons. The photosynthesis of Vitamin D produces the Vitamin D you need, but more important for this battle is the timing of the unique photoproducts that are also created in the photosynthesis process — interferons. The interferons need to be deployed rapidly to the exact location of the intruder. In the end, interferons are meat proteins consumed by your immune system. The role of eating meat in your diet is not yet clearly known; however, animal proteins and amino acids obtained through eating meat likely play an important role. We do know that bacterium found in ruminant cattle (meat and milk) is essential for humans to make Vitamin D.

CONCLUSION
To help prevent catching COVID, to help fight COVID, and/or to recover from post-COVID, Niacin and the photosynthesis of Vitamin D are the simplest protocol.

bookmark_borderCOVID, Tryptophan, Stress, Anxiety, and Pellagra

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by Daniel Brouse

NAD+ is a crucial part of the immune and neurological systems. COVID depletes your NAD+. The body needs the time and materials necessary to replenish NAD+. Included in the elements you need are Vitamins C, B3 (Niacin), D, Quercetin, Zinc, and Selenium.

In their paper, COVID-19: NAD+ deficiency, Robert Miller and Ade Wentzel explain the role of NAD+ in the severity of COVID-19 and the depletion of niacin and tryptophan.

I asked Robert Miller, “Is the NAD+ depletion what causes the tryptophan shortage?”

Robert replied, “Post Covid-19 is CISP (Covid Induced Secondary Pellagra) which causes the body to divert tryptophan to NAD+ production at the expense of Serotonin, Oxytocin, Endorphins and Dopamine. In the case of pre Covid-19 it’s the conditions that drive up CD38, oxidative stress, and continual hyperglycemic events and undiagnosed subclinical pellagra (hard to diagnose) which all reduce NAD+. Basically our diet and lifestyle set us up for Covid-19 and can’t save us post Covid-19.”

Ade said, “The anxiety is because the body is using all the tryptophan to make NAD+.”

COVID depletes your NAD+. The body depletes tryptophan trying to make NAD+. This causes post-COVID anxiety. You can treat CISP and post-COVID anxiety with niacin.

B3 Deficiency and Anxiety Disorders
The anxiety disorder caused by COVID-19 is also related to undiagnosed subclinical pellagra. Most Americans have a niacin (Vitamin B3) deficiency before they contract COVID. Though the virus may make the niacin deficiency more obvious, many non-COVID related anxiety disorders can also be treated with niacin.

In the US, the largest source of niacin in most diets is from fortified breakfast cereal. They spray vitamins, including Niacin, on the outside surface of the cereal. You would need to eat 100 bowls of Wheaties a day to make-up for a niacin deficiency (not recommended).

Stress uses up NAD+, depleting the tryptophan further, thus compounding the feeling of anxiety. The main ingredient of Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is niacin. The best method for treating anxiety caused by depleted NAD+ and tryptophan is to replenish the niacin.

Robert and Ade explain to me how to supplement my niacin and create NAD+ — COVID, Vitamin B3, and the Immune System.

MORE ON COVID: COVID-19 / SARS-CoV-2 / Novel Coronavirus

bookmark_borderCOVID, Vitamin K, and NAD+

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NAD+ is a crucial part of the immune system. COVID depletes your NAD+. The body needs the time and materials necessary to replenish NAD+. Included in the elements you need are Vitamins C, B3 (Niacin), D, Quercetin, Zinc, and Selenium.

In their paper, COVID-19: NAD+ deficiency, Robert Miller and Ade Wentzel explain the role of NAD+ in the severity of COVID-19 symptoms and the cause.

I asked Robert Miller:
Have you given any thought to Vitamin K and NAD+?

My father died in February. We didn’t know it at the time, but later figured out he died of COVID. (COVID testing and diagnosis hadn’t arrived to America, yet.) He had an upper respiratory illness for three weeks. My father was also on blood thinners. We worked with his doctor on a daily basis. Because his INR blood test level was spiking, we started testing every day and eventual stopped the blood thinner medication. Nevertheless, his INR kept climbing. His doctor prescribed the antidote, Vitamin K. The next day my father went into crisis. His heart became irregular, he couldn’t get oxygen to his brain, and was put on a ventilator The next day he was removed from life support and died.

All of this makes me wonder about the role of Vitamin K and COVID?

Robert replied, “Vitamin K metabolism depends on NAD(P)H being available. So, basically it’s back to NAD+; meaning low NAD+ will result in low K2 metabolism.”

“NQO1 [NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1; also known as DT-diaphorase] is a cytosolic enzyme that catalyses the two-electron reduction of various quinones including vitamin K. The enzyme may play a role in vitamin K metabolism by reducing vitamin K to vitamin K hydroquinone for utilization in the post-translational γ-glutamyl carboxylation reactions required by several proteins involved in blood coagulation.” — Assessment of the contribution of NAD(P)H-dependent quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) to the reduction of vitamin K

MORE ON COVID: COVID-19 / SARS-CoV-2 / Novel Coronavirus

bookmark_borderCOVID: Vitamin D, Sunlight, the Season, and People of Color

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By Daniel Brouse

COVID-19
A human’s main source of Vitamin D is the synthesis of UVB radiation through your skin. The chemical reaction creates Vitamin D and other photoproducts essential for a healthy immune system. Taking a Vitamin D supplement is NOT the same as your body making Vitamin D.

How You Photosynthesize (And Why a Vitamin D Supplement Is Not the Same)

PEOPLE OF COLOR
People of color are more severely impacted by COVID than people with lighter skin. The darker your skin, the harder it is to synthesis Vitamin D in your body. Vitamin D supplements can not provide you with the photoproducts and metabolic processes necessary for NAD+ to perform optimally. And, this is a predominant factor in why people of color are more severely impacted.

SEASONAL IMPACT
People with all types of skin color are subject to their distance from the sun and the length of exposure to the sun. In the Northern Hemisphere, the length of daylight decreases during the fall and winter. At the same time, the angle of the sun becomes less direct to your skin. If left to its own devices, your body will not make as much Vitamin D in the winter. Both your ability to fight pathogens and age related diseases will be diminished. Less synthesized Vitamin D and less NAD+ result in sickness or death.

YOUR HEALTH
You can improve the quality and quantity of your life by learning how to safely expose your skin to sunlight depending on the day of the year, time of day, your location, and skin tone. WARNING: UVB radiation (found in sunlight) is both a savior and a killer. It is of utmost importance to figure out the optimum exposure for your body.

The Vitamin D and other photoproducts made by your body are essential for your immune system to create and utilize NAD+ (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide). NAD+ is critical in preventing and fighting COVID, cancer, aging, type2 diabetes, neurodegeneration, MS, and many other ailments.

Learn More About Vitamin D and Sunlight

Learn More About NAD+

MORE ON COVID: COVID-19 / SARS-CoV-2 / Novel Coronavirus

bookmark_borderCOVID: Treatment?

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By Daniel Brouse

COVID
COVID

This is an interview with Ade Wentzel. Ade is a doctor and scientist working with COVID hospitals. I met Ade in a COVID survivors group. Though I did not know it at the time, I survived COVID in February of 2020. It was only months later that I figured out something was wrong with me. Even though I had been isolating since February, I kept getting sick. After a month of scientific research, I was diagnosed with Long Haulers Syndrome.

I had come to the conclusion that my long haulers was caused by lots of little cytokine storms. During a heated debate with a COVID antigen scientist from Spain that is researching for Johns Hopkins, Ade joined the conversation. The Johns Hopkins scientist took issue with the words “cytokine storms”. A cytokine storm is defined as a single large event. Ade helped me come to the conclusion that I was having cytokine disfunctions.

We do know that the virus consumes NAD+ because various studies have measured it. We do know that NAD+ and zinc are needed for SIRT1 activation. We also know that SIRT 1 downregulates TACE and hence downregulates TNFa and hence IL6.

Possibly for the longhaulers it’s cytokine imbalance or just NAD+ deficiency. The symptomatology improves vastly with NAD+ precursors but if cellular damage or organ damage is to occur, this takes time.

I do agree the term cytokine storm for long haulers is very incorrect, but an autoimmune disconnect seems more appropriate.
— Ade Wentzel

Ade referred me to a research paper: COVID-19: NAD+ deficiency may predispose the aged, obese and type2 diabetics to mortality through its effect on SIRT1 activity. It took me several months to figure out that Ade is a co-author of the research. During this time, I embraced “Ade’s Protocol”: Vitamin B3, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Quercetin, Zinc, and Selenium.

INTERVIEW WITH ADE
Do you think you are cured of your long haulers? Do you think it is likely you may have other long term damage that you are not yet aware of?
Ade: So I am probably one of the longest around 6 Dec 2019 and am 99.5% back to normal.

We set out to investigate how to do the above, change risk, and of the about 3500 on a prophylactic regime only 1 person has been positive and had multiple exposures running a covid hospital. His course proved to be mild.

As a clinician I am super scared of such anecdotal evidence and a trial is really the only way to gain exposure and traction.

Am I worried about long term damage that I may not be aware of? No…if it raises its head I will deal with it then.

We never set out to chase the virus, but only to save 1 person….and that we have done. It’s been a team approach with Robert Miller
who first noticed the NAD+ link and Prof Guy A. Richard’s who guided, scrutinized, questioned and encouraged the clinical process.

In my humble opinion, you guys should get the Nobel Prize. I knew the protocol was working on my long haulers, but wasn’t sure if you thought it was a prophylactic, too. And, I’m guessing it might also be a “treatment” for active COVID cases?
Ade: it works wonders for all 3. Pre, during and after and for post covid anxiety.We started with pre covid prophylaxis on a small 250 strong group in Ireland who were then starting to peak and at 3 care centers in the UK all on a voluntary basis. Then, progressed to acute patients. Through this process I was a long hauler who had access to all specialties to discuss our research and often going on to treat them when they became unwell.

COVID NAD+ Deficiency

COVID-19 Index

bookmark_borderCOVID: NAD+ and Zinc

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NAD+ is a crucial part of the immune system. COVID depletes your NAD+. The body needs the time and materials necessary to replenish NAD+. Included in the elements you need are Vitamins C, B3, D, Quercetin, Zinc, and Selenium.

Ade Wentzel, co-author of “COVID-19: NAD+ deficiency” was asked about about zinc. Ade replied:
Zinc decreases viral replication directly.
35% of Americans over 65 yrs have low zinc NHANES 3 trial.

Zinc and NAD+ are both needed and consumed for Sirt1 activation

SIRT 1 decreases viral replication directly

Sirt1 decreases TACE activity which decreases TNFa

Lower TNFa leads to lower IL6 and IL1

The nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)- and zinc-dependent molecule, the Silent Information Regulator 1 (SIRT1) represents a potential common thread in the aetiology of the hyperinflammatory response and increased mortality.

When NAD gets low it uses nicotinic acid which is limited in the diet, as well as, tryptophan.

Tryptophan is the base for serotinin. Serotonin controls loads of stuff. A lot of symptomatology is tryptophan based.

You should take the recommend daily allowance of zinc for your weight and age. The problem is that there are many zinc products which deliver different amounts of free zinc per milligram.

Robert Miller added, “Try to find zinc picolinate or zinc citrate.”

NOTE: Zinc may interfere with your iron intake. If your doctor recommends iron supplements, they should be taken at a different time of day than the zinc. Most people don’t need extra iron. Too much iron is thought to contribute to cardiovascular problems. Too little iron makes you anemic.

The Miller/Wentzel/Richards COVID NAD+ protocol:
NAD+: Vitamin B3, Vitamin D and sunlight, Vitamin C, Quercetin, Zinc, and Selenium

What you need to know about COVID and NAD+ deficiencies.

bookmark_borderCOVID-19: NAD+ Deficiency

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The Miller/Wentzel/Richards COVID NAD+ protocol
NAD+: Niacin B3, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Quercetin, Zinc, and Selenium

NAD+ is a crucial part of the immune system. COVID depletes your NAD+. The body needs the time and materials necessary to replenish NAD+. Included in the elements you need are Vitamins C, Niacin B3, D, Quercetin, Zinc, and Selenium.

Vitamin B3 / Niacin is the most important ingredient. It must be the correct type of Niacin. Please click here for detailed B3 information.

Vitamin C is best ingested in whole foods not juice or supplements. If it is not possible to consume whole foods, 1,000mg / day is plenty for adults.

Vitamin D is best synthesized by your body. Adults can take an additional 1,000iu / day BUT supplements will not create the photoproducts with unique biologic properties required for your immune system. Exposure of the skin to sunlight is preferred for your body to photosynthesize its own Vitamin D.

Quercetin is best consumed as part of your diet and is contained in abundance in onions, apples, honey, raspberries, red grapes, cherries, citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, green tea, coffee, and red wine.

Zinc supplements should be taken daily at the recommend daily allowance for your weight and age. The problem is that there are many zinc products which deliver different amounts of free zinc per milligram.

Selenium should be consumed as part of your diet. Selenium supplements may cause an overdose. Brazil nuts, seafoods, meat, eggs, dairy, and brown rice are the richest food sources of selenium.

In general, it takes 3-6 months to replenish a NAD+ deficiency. You can’t just take higher doses. Your body can only create so much NAD+ in a day. Exercise, inflammation, stress, and/or anxiety can aggravate or prolong long haulers syndrome.


Ade's Original NAD+ Diagram
Ade’s Original NAD+ Diagram

ABOUT NAD+
“Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is both a crucial coenzyme and a cosubstrate for various metabolic reactions in all living cells. Maintenance of NAD+ levels is essential for cell energy homeostasis, survival, proliferation and function. Mounting evidence points to NAD+ as one of the major modulators of immuno-metabolic circuits, thus regulating immune responses and functions. Recent studies delineate impaired host NAD+ metabolism during chronic infections and inflammation, suggesting NAD+ replenishment as an avenue to ameliorate deleterious inflammatory responses.” (Host NAD+ metabolism and infections: therapeutic implications)

NAD+ is often referred to as the anti-aging part of your immune system or “the fountain of youth”. In fact, NAD+ does decline with age. Quite possibly NAD+ deficiencies contribute to most premature deaths. The natural reaction is to want to boost your NAD+; however, there is little evidence that your body will produce more NAD+ than your natural baseline. The best you can do is to make sure you are reaching your baseline level.

REFERENCE
COVID-19: NAD+ deficiency may predispose the aged, obese and type2 diabetics to mortality through its effect on SIRT1 activity Miller/Wentzel/Richards (2020)

MORE ON COVID: COVID-19 / SARS-CoV-2 / Novel Coronavirus

bookmark_borderCOVID, Vitamin B3 (Nicotinic Acid), and the Immune System

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By Daniel Brouse

Vitamin B3 / Niacin / Nicotinic Acid

Attn: Long Haulers focus on supplementing with nicotinic acid.

A research paper co-authored by Ade Wentzel found, “The SARS-CoV-2 hyperinflammatory response is associated with high mortality.” In essence, COVID-19 ‘eats’ the immune system’s NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and restricts your ability to make more.  NAD+ is one of the most critical pieces to your immune system puzzle. A deficiency in NAD+ needs to be corrected over time by allowing the body to produce a new supply of NAD+. Nicotinic acid can help reduce the severity of COVID-19, as well as, treat long-COVID long haulers syndrome. Nicotinic acid is also the most important supplement to prevent aging, hypertension, type II diabetes, and obesity NAD+ deficiencies.

NAD+ is nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. The formula to create NAD+ is complicated (see diagram below). The simplest way to explain it is: add Vitamin B3 Niacin (nicotinic acid) to your diet. Ade suggests, ‘You can take nicotinic acid orally or niagen (if you have deep pockets). However you supplement, you need to keep going for at least a good few months.”

Ade added, “I’d rather use nicotinic acid and not nicotinamide, as the latter can be a SIRT1 inhibitor.
Nicotinic acid is also probably the most direct way to save tryptophan.
There is no need to limit nicotinic acid to 35mg.
It has been used in lipid trials up to 3000mg a day (44mg/kg body weight)”

I have to take 150mg of nicotinic acid with each meal (3 times per day) to treat my long-COVID “long haulers syndrome”. To save money, I buy 500mg tablets and break them into pieces. It costs me about 3 cents per day to treat my NAD+ deficiency.

“When you dig down deep enough it’s amazing how often you end up at NAD+,” added Robert Miller, another co-author of COVID-19: NAD+ deficiency.

Vitamin B3 / niacin is the most crucial component for creating NAD+; however, you also need to be concerned about Vitamins C, D, Quercetin, Zinc, Methyltetrahydrofolate, and Selenium. All of these elements need to be considered both on their own merits, as well as, combined with the others. Vitamin D is particularly complex and should be part of a well thought out plan. If brain fog makes this too complicated, start with the nicotinic acid. Lack of nicotinic acid causes your body to hi-jack tryptophan and all hell breaks loose. Focus on supplementing with nicotinic acid.

Ade asked, “My American bread check didn’t show Niacin fortification?”

I replied, “Unfortunately, most Americans get their Niacin from fortified breakfast cereal.” They spray Niacin on the outside with several other vitamins. It would take 100 bowls of Wheaties/day to correct a niacin deficiency (not recommended).

Robert added, “17.5mg nicotinic acid per 100g of Kellogg’s cereal BUT this isn’t enough given the destructive diet of many of those eating the cereal. Continually hyperglycaemia like you would expect from the sugar in the cereal drives up CD38 and drives down NAD+ meaning you would need substantially more nicotinic acid. We are seriously beginning to suspect that many people actually have pseudo pellegra which is not easy to diagnose. However low Vitamin D levels and plasma tryptophan could be a good indicator of this as well as your risk from Covid-19.”

I replied, “The problem in the USA is… it is difficult to get prescribed Nicotinic Acid… and I have not been able to find it over-the-counter. Doctors and insurance companies don’t cover it. I have been trying to increase my dietary intake, as well as, taking a Inositol Nicotinate supplement.”

Robert offered, “Avoid Inositol Nicotinate (non-flushing B3 Niacin).”

Ade added, “We suggest you use nicotinic acid (niacin B3). We also believe it works most directly to increase NAD+. Niacin doesn’t cause liver problems. Non-flush niacin does though.”

After searching, I said, “It is surprisingly hard to find at a drug store. Neither CVS nor Walgreens carry it. I think I found it at Rite Aid. I’ll try to buy some today. If not, I’ll have to order it online.”

Robert explained, “The problem is that nicotininc acid costs around $15 per kg, so the nicotinic acid in bottle of 90 35mg tablets costs $0.047 . There is no money in it so big pharma isn’t interested in it.”

Finally, I found it, “If anybody is looking to get Niacin, I found it at Rite Aid… currently buy 1 get one free… confirmed with the pharmacist that it is the correct type.”

DOSAGE

WARNING: Niacin may cause flushing. Niacin flush is a common side effect of taking niacin supplements. It appears as red flushing skin, and may be accompanied by itching or burning. It usually lasts under 15 minutes. In almost all cases, flushing is not harmful. [If you have a severe flushing experience and are freaking-out, ingest apples or apple juice (pectin).] Start with 20mg consumed with a meal. Increase to 50mg with each meal. Keep increasing your daily dosage until you stop flushing. That is how you know the proper dosage for you. The more deficient you are the worse the flushing. If you do not flush the first time, you probably are not taking the right type of B3 Niacin. Some people prefer to smash it up and dissolve the dosage in a drink or mix it into their food.

Niacin may aggravate some medical conditions. You should consult your doctor prior to taking Niacin. Your doctor may prescribe higher does to help correct an NAD+ deficiency.

A complete NAD+ immune boosting diet.

Niacin / Vitamin B3
Niacin / Vitamin B3
Niacin Label
Niacin Label
B3, Niacin, COVID, and NAD+
B3, Niacin, COVID, and NAD+

COVID-19: NAD+ deficiency may predispose the aged, obese and type2 diabetics to mortality through its effect on SIRT1 activity R.Millerc, A.R.Wentzel, G.A.Richards

What you need to know about COVID and
NAD+ deficiencies.

bookmark_borderCOVID-19 Long Haulers: SARS-CoV-2 Causes Dysfunctional Autoimmune Response

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Coronavirus / COVID
By Daniel Brouse
Email: help@membrane.com
Last Updated December 18, 2021

Long haulers syndrome is in part due to “an autoimmune response that makes you feel symptoms in waves, or due to stress, and anxiety that triggers your immune system.”
— Daniel Brouse (August, 2020)

My original description of long-COVID was, “It feels like my body is having lots of micro cytokine storms.” Now two years later, the hypothesis has been proven true. “‘It is important to note that the severity of disease in humans is not determined only by virus replication but also by the host immune response to the infection, which may lead to dysregulation of the innate immune system, i.e. “cytokine storm”‘ (Omicron SARS-CoV-2 can infect faster and better)

My gravest concerns about long-COVID remain the same — what are the long term consequences of my immune system attacking my healthy body?

Do recovered coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 patients have immunity?
Why do some people appear to be reinfected?

Maybe. Those who recover from COVID-19 appear to have some immunity.(1) “It’s reasonable to assume that there will be protection for a time frame of one to three years,” says Florian Krammer.(2) Though recent examples suggest immunity, if any, may be very short lived. The Omicron variant appears to escape immunity from both prior infection and vaccination.

It appears there are 2 different types of COVID damage: direct damage from the COVID infection, as well as, a variety of post-COVID syndromes. The direct damage appears to be dependent on the severity of the COVID infection (which likely has to do with viral load, age, and underlying conditions.) The post-COVID long haulers syndrome appears to have little to do with the severity of the COVID infection and more to do with the post-infection immune response.

Then, why do some people appear to get reinfected?
“Over the last 2 weeks, I’ve been working with my doctor about recurring symptoms. It turns out I have ‘long haulers’ syndrome. Every couple of weeks I go through a wave of symptoms. Though not as severe as the original experience, it is still not pleasant. The symptoms don’t come on all at the same time, rather they cycle through over two weeks or so (and not necessarily in the same order.) I’m not infected again, nor am I contagious.(3) The symptoms include:
* difficulty breathing (feeling like you’re not taking in enough oxygen)
* congestion / mild cough
* stomach issues / diarrhea
* loss of taste, smell, and appetite
* night sweats
* nightmares / vivid dreams
* dizziness / the spins / foggy thinking
* headaches / body aches / soreness
* fatigue
* ear aches

What causes the recurring COVID symptoms?
It is too early for a definitive answer; however, an examination of cases appear to point to an autoimmune response due to epigenetic changes caused by the virus.

Is the person still contagious? No.

How long will it take for the immune system to recognize that there is no longer a threat? It’s too early to tell. So far, symptoms have been observed for over 2 years. BUT, there are still many questions about COVID-19 and autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases.

“Emerging reports show that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection precedes the appearance of various autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases, including paediatric inflammatory multisystemic syndrome (PIMS) or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), thus adding to the growing mystery of this virus and raising questions about the nature of its link with autoimmune and autoinflammatory sequelae.” (4)

What is long haulers syndrome?
The vast majority of long haulers experience fluctuations both in the type and intensity of symptoms over the course of being symptomatic.(5)

Research is pointing to “an autoimmune response due to changes in the genes of the infected host” for causing “long haulers syndrome” in adults. “Support groups on Facebook include thousands of people who say they have been wrestling with serious COVID-19 symptoms for at least a month, if not two or three. The groups have coined a name for themselves: ‘long-haulers.’ But their lives have been irrevocably changed by the onslaught of symptoms — relentless and rolling waves of fever, headache, nausea, and the terrifying inability to catch their breath. For Roberts, it’s robbed her of time. ‘I was so good. This COVID-19 has stolen my life,’ she says.” (6)

According to a WHO report, most people fall into one of two groups when it comes to the virus. Approximately 80% of those with COVID-19 end up having a mild response and most of those cases resolve in about two weeks. For people who have a severe response to the virus, it can take between three and six weeks to recover.

But now, there is growing concern over a separate group that doesn’t seem to fall into either of those categories. A number of people are now reporting lingering symptoms of the illness for one, two or even three months. This new group is mixed with those who experienced both mild and severe cases. As health experts step in to try to manage these patients and learn more, many are referring to this group as coronavirus “long-haulers” or “long-termers.”

“We’re now seeing a percentage of patients whose symptoms seem to be lasting a while,” explains family medicine provider Christopher Babiuch, MD. “This is challenging because everyone’s needs are so unique. We’re finding that collaborating as a team between different specialists helps to manage and support these patients, but there’s a lot that we just don’t know yet.” (7)

What is actually causing the immune system to have an autoimmune disconnect?
All the research is still theoretical. More studies and longer recovery times are required to confirm the theories. So, we still do not know for sure about the antigen presentation of COVID-19.

Possibly for the longhaulers it’s cytokine imbalance which causes an Down Regulating NAD+, * Up Regulating IDO, Rogue Antibodies, and other conditions that result from genetic changes. The symptomatology improves vastly with NAD+ precursors but if cellular damage or organ damage is to occur the damage is likely permanent.

“The SARS-CoV-2 hyperinflammatory response is associated with high mortality. This hypothesis suggests that a deficiency of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) may be the primary factor related to the SARS-Cov-2 disease spectrum and the risk for mortality, as subclinical nutritional deficiencies may be unmasked by any significant increase in oxidative stress.

NAD+ levels decline with age and are also reduced in conditions associated with oxidative stress as occurs with hypertension, diabetes and obesity. These groups have also been observed to have high mortality following infection with COVID-19. Further consumption of NAD+ in a pre-existent depleted state is more likely to cause progression to the hyperinflammatory stage of the disease through its limiting effects on the production of SIRT1,” said Ade Wentzel, co-author of the research.(9)

Does an auto-immune disconnect explain all long haulers’ symptoms?
No. Evidence is mounting that long haulers are unique and may have a variety of ailments. Many post-viral COVID cases exhibit the Lyme-like autoimmune disfuntions. Many also exhibit symptoms, such as, dysautonomia (10)(11). Long haulers have reported over 100 different symptoms. COVID appears to impact many of the body’s systems including respiratory, circulatory, cardiovascular, neurological, and immune systems to name a few. This makes diagnosis and treatment very confusing for doctors. And, those aren’t the only difficulties. An additional problem for diagnosing is memory T-cells. Some people’s memory T-cells may be getting erased. That means your body does not recognize previous infections nor vaccines. So, long haulers syndrome may be a combination of new conditions (Lyme-like autoimmune, dysautonomia, chronic fatigue, etc.) AND re-infections to everything you use to be immune to… with no one person having the same ailments as another.

Is there a treatment or cure for long haulers syndrome?
No. Currently, there is no cure or treatment for the onset of these autoimmune responses. The closest comparison appears to be when Lyme disease was first discovered or HIV.

Ade Wentzel replied: You can take nicotinic acid orally or niagen (if you have deep pockets). The IV will help, but however you supplement, you need to keep going for at least a good few months.

Ade has developed a protocol for a NAD+ deficiency: NAD+: Vitamin B3, Vitamin D and sunlight, Vitamin C, Quercetin, Zinc, and Selenium

COVID-19 Index

FOOTNOTES:
0. Technically speaking a virus is never alive. It is only RNA. Dead is not the scientifically correct way to describe it. But, in all essence, the virus is dead.

REFERENCES:
1. Potent antibodies found in people recovered from COVID-19 (NIH)
2. How Long Will Immunity To The Coronavirus Last? (NPR)
3. COVID-19 Testimonial (The Membrane Domain)
4. Autoimmune and inflammatory diseases following COVID-19 (Nature)
5. COVID-19 Prolonged Symptoms Survey – Analysis Report (MIT)
6.What It’s Like When COVID-19 Lasts For Months (NPR)
7. What It Means to Be a Coronavirus “Long-Hauler” (Cleveland Clinic)
8. Study: COVID-19 antibodies decay quickly after mild illness (University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy)
9. COVID-19: NAD+ deficiency may predispose the aged, obese and type2 diabetics to mortality through its effect on SIRT1 activity (Science Direct)
10. Dysautonomia: An Overlooked Neurological Manifestation in a Critically ill COVID-19 Patient (NIH)
11. Redefining Covid-19: Months after infection, patients report breathing difficulty, excessive fatigue (CNN)

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES:
A. Long-term consequences of COVID-19: research needs (The Lancet)
B. Humoral Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 in Iceland (New England Journal of Medicine)
C. Is a Bradykinin Storm Brewing in COVID-19? (The Scientist)
D. The Power of Antibody-Based Surveillance (New England Journal of Medicine)
E. Coronavirus Infection and PARP Expression Dysregulate the NAD Metabolome: A Potentially Actionable Component of Innate Immunity bioRxiv
G. Relationships between hyperinsulinaemia, magnesium, vitamin D, thrombosis and COVID-19: rationale for clinical management British Cardiovascular Society

bookmark_borderCOVID-19 Testimonial

Posted on by admin

COVID=19
By Daniel Brouse
help@membrane.com

I’ve been reluctant to talk about my COVID experience for several reasons, but have decided — if my testimony can convince just 1 person to avoid contracting or spreading the disease, it will be worth it.

I had COVID back at the end of January and the first weeks of February and conducted a study of people that got infected along with me. The sample size of infected individuals in my study sample is 6.
Ages 30-80
16.7% died
33.3% had severe symptoms
33.3% had moderate symptoms
16.7% were asymptomatic
Age and blood type appear to be the dominant factors.

I’ve been working with my doctor for a couple months. In May, he first told me not to bother with the antibody test. That my symptoms were most certainly COVID. Insurance only covers the antibody test if you have previously tested positive, and getting tested doesn’t tell you anything, anyway. (eg inaccurate test results, inability of tests to determine the amount of antibodies and T cells, etc.) He believes I’ll have immunity until around December.

Now, here’s the interesting part…
I’ve been questioning whether recovered patients have immunity and how some people have appeared to be reinfected? Over the last 2 weeks, I’ve been working with my doctor about recurring symptoms. It turns out I have “long haulers” syndrome. Every couple of weeks I go through a wave of symptoms. Though not as severe as the original experience, it is still not pleasant. The symptoms don’t come on all at the same time, rather they cycle through over two weeks (not necessarily in the same order.) I’m not infected again, nor am I contagious. Exercise or anything that causes inflammation aggravates my symptoms. The symptoms include:

* difficulty breathing (feeling like you’re not taking in enough oxygen)
* congestion / mild cough
* stomach issues / diarrhea
* loss of taste, smell, and appetite
* temperature regulation / night sweats
* nightmares / vivid dreams
* dizziness / the spins / foggy thinking
* headaches / body aches / soreness
* fatigue
* ear aches
* peripheral neuropathy (tingling of the hands and feet)

There is currently no treatment or cure for long haul syndrome.

IMPORTANT UPDATE (November 2020)
A treatment has been found for long haulers syndrome. After 8 long, long, brutal months of long haulers, I am back to better than I was before. I am a scientist living in Pennsylvania (USA). In August of 2020, I joined a COVID survivors group. There I met Dr. Ade Wentzel from Port Elizabeth (South Africa). Ade and his colleagues, Robert Miller (Cape Town) and Guy Richards (Johannesburg), developed a diet based protocol based on their research COVID-19: NAD+ deficiency may predispose the aged, obese and type2 diabetics to mortality through its effect on SIRT1 activity.

Long haulers syndrome is the depletion of NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide). NAD+ is involved in cell creation, maintenance, metabolism, and regulating cell processes. COVID both increases the breakdown of NAD+ and decreases the production of NAD+. The result is the same as the disease pellagra. A niacin deficiency results in pellagra. Long haulers syndrome is COVID-19 Induced Secondary Pellagra (CISP).

Once I started the protocol, my symptoms diminished and then disappeared completely. In fact three weeks later, my quality of life improved back to when I was 20 years younger. Obviously, I was NAD+ deficient prior to contracting the virus, and COVID depleted my NAD+ even further (bringing me close to death.)

THE PROTOCOL is:
Niacin B3, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Quercetin, Zinc, and Selenium

Here’s what I’m doing:
Vitamin C, Quercetin and Selenium you can get from your diet. Careful not too much Selenium. I eat 1 Brazil nut a day. The Vitamin D is best gotten from 15 minutes a day in the sun. You can take 1000iu, too. A 15mg zinc/day supplement. The niacin is the trickiest and most important part. You need to make sure you get the right kind. Non-flush is no good. You can start with 35mg/day, but it will depend on your deficiency. I take 50-75mg with each meal. Here’s the walk through on getting the niacin right. It is recommended I stay on the protocol for 6 months. This is how Ade and Rob walk me through getting the correct Niacin B3.

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