COVID-19 is in our community. Not to scare you, but that is a fact. How do you get COVID-19, and are there ways to protect yourself and your family?
It is mostly gotten by having sustained contact with the virus, and transmitted mainly by touching your face.
In this video, Dr. David Price, who has been on the front lines fighting this disease in New York City, gives you the details of the virus, and how you can protect yourself and your family. That is, how not to get infected:
Paul Plante says
Speaking as an associate-level public health engineer in New York (how quaint that term sounds today when them real public health experts are lawyers who know nothing about public health and really don’t care, not giving a flying **** about how healthy the public might be), regardless of all the HYSTERICAL HYPE being pumped out every day by Andy Cuomo’s BULL**** DISPENSERS in the main-stream media, the fact of the matter is that wherever it might have come from, the corona virus is nothing new, and it is well-understood by those of us who are not lawyers with our heads in our asses like Andy Cuomo.
When I say it is well-understood, I mean exactly that, in terms of how the virus attacks the human being, and in terms of how the innate and adaptive immune systems of the human being fight back against the virus, and I could go on about that for hours or days, because it is a fascinating subject from both perspectives, and if one knows the “battle plans” of each, one is in a better position to marshal one’s own defenses against the “invader,” which is what a virus really is.
And to bring this to a point easily understood, let’s first go to this from the National Institute of Health, to wit:
“T cell-mediated immune response to respiratory coronaviruses”
Rudragouda Channappanavar, Jincun Zhao, and Stanley Perlman
Although SARS-CoV is not known to productively infect T cells, altered antigen presenting cell (APC) function and impaired DC migration resulting in reduced priming of T cells likely contribute to fewer number of virus-specific T cells in the lungs.
Other possible explanations for T cell lymphopenia include an exuberant type I IFN response and high levels of glucocorticoids resulting from a normal stress response both of which might induce T cell apoptosis.
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Ah, yes, people, high levels of glucocorticoids resulting from a normal stress response which might induce T cell apoptosis.
In other words, the more stressed out the hack politicians like Saddam Cuomo in New York and his pet media BULL**** DISPENSERS make you, the more you inhibit your own immune system precisely at a time when you need to be making it stronger, and if one bothers to study the subject, one KNOWS the human lungs have their own unique immunity systems, because other than the skin, the lung system, which includes the mouth, nose, throat, etc., is the most exposed 24/7/365 to environmental threats of ALL kinds, including the common cold, a corona virus.
As to Lymphocytopenia, it is the condition of having an abnormally low level of lymphocytes in the blood.
Lymphocytes are a white blood cell with important functions in the immune system.
As to apoptosis, it refers to the death of cells which occurs as a normal and controlled part of an organism’s growth or development.
Apoptosis is an orderly process in which the cell’s contents break down and are packaged into small packets of membrane for “garbage collection” by immune cells.
When stress weakens that system, and it does, then that process of “garbage collection” breaks down, and the invader gets the upper hand, just as in war games, when the defender is or weak or incompetent than the attacker.
So, how do we counter having high cortisol levels due to stress that effectively make us easy prey for COVID?
Healthline
How to remove cortisol from the body naturally
Written by Bethany Cadman
Medically reviewed by Daniel Murrell, MD on January 15, 2020
The following simple tips may help to moderate cortisol levels:
1. Lowering stress
People trying to lower their cortisol levels should aim to reduce stress.
They can do this by removing themselves from stressful situations, where possible, or learning how to cope with stress better.
People can learn to recognize the triggers for their stress and try to manage these proactively to reduce instances of worry or anxiety and decrease feelings of tension.
People who learn how to cope when stressful thoughts arise will manage their cortisol levels better.
2. Eating a good diet
3. Sleeping well
A bad night’s sleep or more prolonged sleep deprivation can lead to increased levels of cortisol in the bloodstream.
4. Trying relaxation techniques (CHIVE ON, BUDDY, CHIVE ON!)
Meditation, mindfulness, and even simple breathing exercises can help a person deal with stress more effectively.
5. Taking up a hobby
6. Learning to unwind (CHIVE SOME MORE!)
7. Laughing and having fun
It is hard to feel stressed when having a good time, so finding time to have fun can also lower a person’s cortisol levels.
One study showed cortisol levels decreasing in response to laughter.
Being happy and having a positive outlook appear to be related to lower cortisol levels, and happiness has other benefits too, such as lower blood pressure and a stronger immune system.
8. Exercising
Being physically active is beneficial to health and can improve a person’s mood.
9. Having good relationships
Takeaway
Having too much cortisol in the blood can be damaging to health, particularly if cortisol levels remain high over an extended period.
Trying to lower stress levels is the best way to lower cortisol.
By making simple lifestyle changes to live a healthier, more active life, people can reduce the amount of stress they experience, and keep their cortisol levels normal.
Sara says
OMG..common sense. People be respectful of others. Use your common sense.
Paul Plante says
So, people, as we all now find ourselves here we all are now, living like political prisoners in a third-world socialist police state here in what used to be America which has people literally locking themselves into rooms, or closets, or down in their basements, or the tool shed, or the trunk of their car, and not coming out until some time in the future when an all-clear signal might reach them, and we find ourselves looking for something with which to occupy our minds so we don’t all go crazy from the deleterious effects on the human psyche from prolonged social isolation, let us take a moment to consider these following realities about the human body and its immune system, which is what is needed to deal with this COVID, to wit:
First of all is the effect of stress on our immune system.
Quite simply, as stated above, when we are stressed, the immune system’s ability to fight off antigens is reduced.
That is why we are more susceptible to infections.
The stress hormone corticosteroid can suppress the effectiveness of the immune system (e.g. lowers the number of lymphocytes).
So by getting all stressed out about this COVID, which people are doing in droves, it seems, or being made all stressed out about COVID by the media coverage, as again was stated above, it simply increases your chances of getting it.
Secondly, now that you have locked yourself inside your room out of fear, which already weakens your immune system, there you are in there, breathing stale and foul air.
So what affect does that have on your immune system?
The power of fresh air helps your immune system to fight off disease more effectively due to healthier white blood cells.
It also supplies your immune system with the oxygen it needs to kill and destroy bacteria, viruses and germs.
Breathing in stale air will not supply your body with enough oxygen to keep your cells fueled and functioning properly.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the indoor air in the United States is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air.
Fresh air is also filled with negative ions, which have been linked to an improved sense of well-being.
Breathing that fresh air in and out not only feels great, it’s benefiting your lungs.
It helps the airways of your lungs to dilate more fully and improves the cleansing action of your lungs.
Being outside and getting some air straight from the great outdoors helps to improve both blood pressure and heart rate due to the decrease in pollution, providing you with better overall heart health.
Stale and dirty air forces the body to work harder to get the proper amount of oxygen it needs.
You’re breathing in more oxygen when you’re out in the fresh air.
When your brain gets more oxygen, it’s going to be able to function more efficiently.
It brings greater clarity and improved concentration.
So by locking yourself in your room in a stressed condition, you are making yourself weak, not protected.
And what effect does stress and anxiety have on your breathing?
Anxiety is your body’s natural fear response.
You may feel like you can’t catch your breath, tightness in your chest, or like you’re suffocating or hungry for air.
Studies have shown a strong association between anxiety and respiratory symptoms, including shortness of breath.
People who are anxious tend to breathe in their upper lungs (upper chest) with shallow, rapid breaths, instead of breathing into their lower lungs (lower chest).
So there you are, all stressed out, locked in your room, breathing air with God alone knows what is now in it (think about that dirty sock odor, people) and because you are not breathing properly due to stress caused by fear, whatever pathogens are deep in in your lungs are not being cleansed back out, which is not good for your health.
Shallow breathing can lead to low blood oxygen levels and high blood carbon dioxide levels.
And then there is the social isolation impact on the immune system as people’s social support systems collapse all across POLICEN STATE AMERICA, where people have been ordered to stay inside for the duration, whatever that might be.
Consider the MedicalNewsToday article “Loneliness alters the immune system to cause illness, study finds” written by Honor Whiteman on November 24, 2015, to wit:
While previous research has demonstrated the negative impact loneliness can have on health, the mechanisms underlying this association have been unclear.
Now, a new study sheds light on the issue, finding that loneliness can alter immune system cells in a way that increases susceptibility to illness.
Researchers say their study helps explain why loneliness can lead to poor health and early death.
Another study reported by Medical News Today earlier this year expanded on such findings, revealing that loneliness and social isolation experienced at any age can increase the risk of early mortality.
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Or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services article “Social isolation, loneliness in older people pose health risks” on April 23, 2019, to wit:
Human beings are social creatures.
Our connection to others enables us to survive and thrive.
Yet, as we age, many of us are alone more often than when we were younger, leaving us vulnerable to social isolation and loneliness — and related health problems such as cognitive decline, depression, and heart disease.
Health effects of social isolation, loneliness
Research has linked social isolation and loneliness to higher risks for a variety of physical and mental conditions: high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, a weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, and even death.
People who find themselves unexpectedly alone due to the death of a spouse or partner, separation from friends or family, retirement, loss of mobility, and lack of transportation are at particular risk.
Conversely, people who engage in meaningful, productive activities with others tend to live longer, boost their mood, and have a sense of purpose.
These activities seem to help maintain their well-being and may improve their cognitive function, studies show.
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And those studies go on and on and on.
So these dictatorial governors who are ordering people to stay inside have really boosted their chances of getting really sick, and thus, it is the dictatorial governors like Saddam Cuomo in New York who are killing people.
People should instead be outside in the sunshine and fresh air exercising to stay strong, especially their immune systems which are being weakened by all the police-state commands we have been given to deal with this COVID from these hack politicians who know nothing about protecting and preserving our health and until this COVID came along, never really gave a damn whether we were healthy, or not.
OH, THE HYPOCRISY!
What Cape Charles should be doing is setting up loudspeakers at the beach and cueing up old Fats Domino singing “I’m Walking to New Orleans” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-eWAuFmjN0 and get the whole town out there doing “The Stroll.”
Paul Plante says
As a public health engineer, I am very much into the theory that to be well, i.e., healthy, it helps very much if we have an idea of how the human body is designed to stay healthy, a condition known as homeostasis, and that brings us to an article from the US National Library of Medicine entitled “Innate Immunity in the Lungs” by Thomas R. Martin and Charles W. Frevert, where in the abstract, we learn about ourselves as virus fighters, to wit:
Abstract
Innate immunity is a primordial system that has a primary role in lung antimicrobial defenses.
end quotes
“Primordial” means existing at or from the beginning of time; primeval, and the reality is that if we did not have this innate immunity, like the dinosaurs, we would all now be dead, period, plain and simple, and that includes from COVID-19.
So, when the SHRIEKERS and HYSTERIA MONGERS screech at us that we are all in big trouble deep because we have no immunity to COVID-19, are they telling us the truth?
And that answer is not really, because the HYSTERIA MONGERS and SHRIEKERS want us off-balance and scared for political reasons, not reasons related to protecting and promoting our health, which means educating us, no lying to us as is the case here with COVID-19, which causes mild symptoms in the majority of cases, precisely because the body, if not immuno-compromised, can indeed mount a defense against COVID-19.
Getting back to that article, we have:
Recent advances in understanding the recognition systems by which cells of the innate immune system recognize and respond to microbial products have revolutionized the understanding of host defenses in the lungs and other tissues.
The innate immune system includes lung leukocytes and also epithelial cells lining the alveolar surface and the conducting airways.
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According to the National Cancer Institute, a “leukocyte” is a type of blood cell that is made in the bone marrow and found in the blood and lymph tissue.
Leukocytes are part of the body’s immune system.
They help the body fight infection and other diseases.
Types of leukocytes are granulocytes (neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils), monocytes, and lymphocytes (T cells and B cells).
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In other words, people, they are soldiers in our personal internal army, and like soldiers in our external national army, we want out personal soldiers to be on duty, not asleep at the switch, and we want them as strong as possible, not flabby and obese and unable to get out of their own way, which is where the power of the mind enters the game here.
As to epithelial cells, they are cells that serve as a barrier between the inside and outside of your body, and protect it from viruses, keeping in mind that the inside of the lungs are directly connected to the outside world through our nose and mouth.
And the alveolar membrane is the gas exchange surface in the lungs, surrounded by a network of capillaries.
Across the membrane oxygen is diffused into the capillaries and carbon dioxide released from the capillaries into the alveoli to be breathed out.
Alveoli are particular to mammalian lungs.
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So there, people, is the battlefield defined, and a battlefield it is, 24/7/365, because there are a l9ot of things out there small in size that see us as a food source in the same way rats see a farmer’s corn crib as their food supply.
Getting back to the science, then:
The innate immune system drives adaptive immunity in the lungs and has important interactions with other systems, including apoptosis pathways and signaling pathways induced by mechanical stretch.
Human diversity in innate immune responses could explain some of the variability seen in the responses of patients to bacterial, fungal, and viral infections in the lungs.
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And there is an important point, people – with respect to innate immunity, we might not all be the same, and that is a function of how nature threw the dice the day we were born, which is one of the reasons maintain good health is so important to a long life..
Getting back to the science:
The alveolar membrane is the largest surface of the body in contact with the outside environment.
Like the skin and the gastrointestinal mucosa, the lungs are continuously exposed to a diverse array of microbes and organic and inorganic particulate materials.
As life evolved, strategies were needed to recognize material from the outside environment, and to distinguish potentially harmful agents from most innocuous foreign material.
Higher vertebrates have developed two interactive protective systems: the innate and adaptive immune systems.
The innate immune system is older and consists of soluble proteins, which bind microbial products, and phagocytic leukocytes resembling primitive amebae, which float through the bloodstream and migrate into tissues at sites of inflammation, or reside in tissue waiting for foreign material.
The innate immune system is always active and is immediately responsive, ready to recognize and inactivate microbial products entering the lungs and other tissues.
Its specificity is relatively broad, and based on the recognition of common microbial motifs.
Higher animals have evolved an adaptive immune system of lymphocytes that respond specifically to signals from the innate immune system by producing high-affinity antibodies to very specific peptide sequences presented on specialized antigen-presenting cells.
These antibodies opsonize microbes and viruses and facilitate their destruction by leukocytes in tissue and lymph nodes.
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As to opsonization, it is a term that refers to an immune process where particles such as bacteria are targeted for destruction by an immune cell known as a phagocyte.
The process of opsonization is a means of identifying the invading particle to the phagocyte.
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That is directly analogous to a ground troop in our Army using a laser to paint a target so it can be eliminated by a smart bomb homing on the laser beam.
And back to the science again:
Cytokines and growth factors produced by macrophages and dendritic cells of the innate immune system drive the specialized antibody responses of the adaptive immune system.
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Cytokines, which are more of our internal army, are any of a number of substances, such as interferon, interleukin, and growth factors, which are secreted by certain cells of the immune system and have an effect on other cells.
Growth Factor is a protein molecule made by the body; it functions to regulate cell division & cell survival.
Growth factors bind to receptors on the cell surface, with the result of activating cellular proliferation and/or differentiation.
Growth factors are quite versatile, stimulating cellular division in numerous different cell types; while others are specific to a particular cell-type.
Growth factors are proteins that function as growth stimulators (mitogens) and/or growth inhibitors, stimulate cell migration, act as chemotactic agents, inhibit cell migration, inhibit invasion of tumor cells, modulate differentiated functions of cells, involved in apoptosis, involved in angiogenesis and promote survival of cells without influencing growth and differentiation.
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Se, we can see that in theory, at least, we have defense in depth, if the system is not compromised, which takes us back for more science, to wit:
The adaptive immune system has a memory component lacking in the innate immune system.
Together, the innate and the adaptive immune systems enable the host to react to the array of microbial and other products encountered in everyday life.
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Think about it, people, when it comes to fighting COVID-19, your best defense is inside your body.
And if you put your mind into the game, you have the power to make it that much stronger.
Meanwhile, fear kills.
So, take your choice because game is on and the ball is now in play.
Paul Plante says
Going back to this statement from the scientific article above, “Innate immunity is a primordial system that has a primary role in lung antimicrobial defenses,” it is important to know what that word “antimicrobial” means in the context of lung immune defenses, since it is the lung immune defenses that have to deal with the invading corona virus, so let’s see what the word “microbial” itself means, so we can see exactly what we are being attacked by, literally, 24/7/365, because nature is full of hungry things that try to feed off us, because we are big, which means plenty of food for them, and we are plentiful, as well as being very easy prey to hunt in many cases, to wit:
Microbial means relating to or caused by microbes.
Microbial infections now kill 17m people a year.
– Collins Dictionary
Next, asking Britannica the question of “What are the 4 types of microbes?” we find ourselves informed as follows on that important subject, to wit, and it is important because we need to fix our mind on the fact that what is attacking us is not a bacteria, but a virus, which fights the battle for dominance in its own way, trying to both defeat our immune system and turn it against us, to wit:
What are the 4 types of microbes?
Types of microorganisms.
The major groups of microorganisms are namely bacteria, archaea, fungi (yeasts and molds), algae, protozoa, and viruses.
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And since we are specifically now in a fight with a specific virus, a corona virus, let’s scroll through the owner’s manual to see if we have any specific defenses against a virus built in, and we can easily do that by going back to the US National Library of Medicine, where we find a paper entitled “The host immune response in respiratory virus infection: balancing virus clearance and immunopathology” by Amy H. Newton, Amber Cardani, and Thomas J. Braciale, corresponding author, which informs us in the Abstract, s follows:
The respiratory tract is constantly exposed to the external environment, and therefore, must be equipped to respond to and eliminate pathogens.
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Now, seriously, people, in this time of COVID HYSTERIA, where every one in the media with the exception of Wayne Creed and the Cape Charles Mirror and few others, are trying to make you bat**** crazy so you can’t think straight and thus, will be easily led by the nose to wherever that path might take you, focus on that sentence and then meditate on it, and accept that nature did not leave you defenseless, although by your lifestyle, you may have done that to yourself, so you are the ones who should be heeding that better than anyone else, because if your immune system has gone to sleep, you’d better give it a good kick to get it awake, and if you can’t get over being afraid, get somebody with a backhoe to dig you a good-sized hole in the yard you can put a comfortable recliner min so you can get used to being surrounded by dirt.
Getting back to our natural defenses, we have:
Viral clearance and resolution of infection requires a complex, multi-faceted response initiated by resident respiratory tract cells and innate immune cells and ultimately resolved by adaptive immune cells.
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As to the respiratory system, of which the respiratory tract is a vital part, Live Science tells us that system is what allows us to breathe and exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen.
The human respiratory system is a series of organs responsible for taking in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide.
The primary organs of the respiratory system are the lungs, which carry out this exchange of gases as we breathe.
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As to what kind of epithelia line the respiratory tract, the trachea and bronchi-cuboidal epithelium are composed of 4 cell types: ciliated cells, mucus-producing cells, neuroendocrine cells and basal cells.
And that brings us to another scientific paper entitled “Histology, Respiratory Epithelium” by Nakisa Kia’i and Tushar Bajaj, last update: December 25, 2019, where we learn some more about ourselves as virus fighters, to wit:
Introduction
The respiratory system is constantly filtering through the external environment as humans breathe air.
The airways must maintain the ability to clear inhaled pathogens, allergens, and debris to maintain homeostasis and prevent inflammation.
The respiratory system subdivides into a conducting portion and a respiratory portion.
The majority of the respiratory tree, from the nasal cavity to the bronchi, is lined by pseudostratified columnar ciliated epithelium.
The bronchioles are lined by simple columnar to the cuboidal epithelium, and the alveoli possess a lining of thin squamous epithelium that allows for gas exchange.
Structure
There are four main histological layers within the respiratory system: respiratory mucosa, which includes epithelium and supporting lamina propria, submucosa, cartilage and/or muscular layer and adventitia.
Respiratory epithelium is ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium found lining most of the respiratory tract; it is not present in the larynx or pharynx.
The epithelium classifies as pseudostratified; though it is a single layer of cells along the basement membrane, the alignment of the nuclei is not in the same plane and appears as multiple layers.
The role of this unique type of epithelium is to function as a barrier to pathogens and foreign particles; however, it also operates by preventing infection and tissue injury via the use of the mucociliary elevator.
The Conducting Portion
The conducting piece of the respiratory system consists of the nasal cavity, trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles.
The luminal surfaces of this entire portion have a lining of ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium and contain goblet cells.
Their role is to secrete mucus that serves as the first line of defense against incoming environmental pathogens.
Cilia move the mucus-bound particulate up and away for expulsion from the body.
The various types and abundance of cells are dependent on which region of the airway they are.
In the most proximal airway, hyaline cartilage rings support the larger respiratory passages, namely, the trachea and bronchi, to facilitate the passage of air.
Three major cell types are found in this region: ciliated, non-ciliated secretory cells, and basal cells.
Ciliated cells, each lined with 200 to 300 cilia, account for more than half of all epithelial cells in the conducting airway.
As the degree of branching within the airway tree continues, the epithelium gradually changes from pseudostratified to simple cuboidal; and the predominant cells become non-ciliated cells, Clara cel
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Yes, I know, a lot of big words, but right now, all you need focus on are these:
The luminal surfaces of this entire portion have a lining of ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium and contain goblet cells.
Their role is to secrete mucus that serves as the first line of defense against incoming environmental pathogens.
Cilia move the mucus-bound particulate up and away for expulsion from the body.
end quotes
That is why if you are concerned you may have come into contact with the virus, or it has come into contact with you, gargle with hot salt water, not because salt will kill the virus, which isn’t even alive in the first place, being no more than a transport vehicle when it comes in contact with your body, but because the salt lifts viruses and bacteria away from the wall, and back out they come with the expelled gargle water and the hot water brings blood to the area, as well.
Just like calling out the national guard in force.
Paul Plante says
And before I go further with the “science,” let’s go back to some real simple, very basic tips to protect your lungs, and hence, yourself, and where that all starts (check yourself out in the mirror, people) is with posture.
Google the question “How does posture affect lung capacity?” and under the heading “Does Posture Really Affect Breathing and Lung Capacity ” by calgarywellness.com, this is what you will find:
Leaning over squeezes your lungs, making them smaller, and decreasing your breathing volume.
Shallow breathing means less oxygen to your brain and body.
Using 70 able-bodied participants in wheelchairs, the study found that bad posture does indeed affect breathing and lung capacity.
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And how can anyone possibly be surprised at that?
As an aside, if you are ever allowed outside again where you can observe people and their posture, notice how slouchy people are, which compresses the chest, and then when the COVID death toll is finally tallied up, wonder to yourself how many of those who were taken were the slouchers, and let me say here that when I was young, pneumonia was common, and I was in the hospital for 33 days with a case of it, so I think I have as good a feel for what it is like to have a serious lung disease as does Chris Cuomo of CNN, who nearly died of COVID, but miraculously was cured overnight, and pneumonia is far worse than the COVID, so stop being hysterical and try thinking straight for a moment of two about reality.
I and other people work with older people through t’ai chi and chi gong and what we work on with older people (I am over 70) is their posture – get them to stand tall and be upright instead of being all stooped over.
Then we go to the Journal of Physical Therapy Science, where we find an article entitled, and this should not be surprising in this day and age of people with lousy posture fixated on the palm of their hand,
“Effect of sitting posture on respiratory function while using a smartphone” by Kyung Woo Kang, PhD, PT, Sang In Jung, MS, PT, Do Youn Lee, MS, PT, Kyoung Kim, PhD, PT, and Na Kyung Lee, PhD, PT, where in the Abstract, we learn as follows:
The purpose of this study was to investigate respiratory function in different sitting postures while using a smartphone.
Fifty healthy volunteers were recruited.
Participants were divided into 2 groups, a control group of participants who spent time as they liked for 1 hour, and a smartphone group of participants who spent time using a smartphone in a sitting position for 1 hour.
To investigate changes in respiratory function, we measured forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 second, ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 second to forced vital capacity, and peak expiratory flow.
There was a statistically significant difference in forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 second between the control group and smartphone group.
The clinical implication of our findings is that the posture assumed while using a smartphone leads to reduced respiratory function.
INTRODUCTION
Body position can influence respiratory function.
Changes in body position can alter the length of a respiratory muscle, namely the diaphragm, thereby influencing its ability to generate tension.
Several studies have reported that a slumped, poor posture significantly reduces lung capacity, expiratory flow, and lumbar lordosis compared with a normal upright posture.
Recently, smartphones have become essential mobile devices in our daily lives, and people often demonstrate poor posture when using smartphones.
Several studies have reported that frequent smartphone use can lead to adoption of a non-neutral neck posture or development of musculoskeletal disorders.
Additionally, many people use smartphones with their head shifted forward and the smartphone placed near their waist or lap while in a sitting position.
Changes in cervical mobility, head posture, and dysfunction of local and global muscle systems are believed to lead to changes in force-length curves, muscle imbalances, and segmental instability, all of which can potentially affect thoracic cage function and rib cage biomechanics.
Many previous studies have investigated alterations in cervical movement patterns during smartphone use.
In addition, previous studies have focused on psychological problems, such as subjective symptoms of physical problems and stress.
DISCUSSION
In our study, we investigated the effect of using a smartphone while in different sitting postures on respiratory function.
The smartphone group exhibited significant decreases in FVC and FEV1 compared with the control group.
These results suggest that a sitting posture while using a smartphone can reduce respiratory function.
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And then there is the Healthline article “Breathe Deeper to Improve Health and Posture” written by Sarah Dalton and medically reviewed by Judith Marcin, MD on February 27, 2018, where we are informed as follows:
The way you breathe can impact your whole body, helping to regulate important functions such as heart rate and blood pressure.
It can also reinforce proper body mechanics that put less stress on your body as you move.
While these benefits are widely known, the busy pace of life plus a sedentary work environment have conditioned many of us to take only quick, shallow breaths.
Over time, this weakens the strength of our respiratory muscles.
How do we breathe?
Air is inhaled and exhaled by contractions of the respiratory muscles that surround your lungs.
The diaphragm is the primary muscle used in the process of inhalation.
It’s a dome-shaped muscle located inside the lower ribs at the base of the chest.
During inhalation, your diaphragm contracts to create space in your chest cavity for your lungs to expand.
Your intercostal muscles, located between your ribs, assist your diaphragm by elevating your rib cage to allow more air into your lungs.
Poor posture also contributes to breathing pattern dysfunction.
This is commonly seen in people who spend long hours sitting each day.
Rounded shoulders and a forward head posture cause the muscles around the chest to tighten.
That tightening limits the ability of the rib cage to expand and causes people to take more rapid, shallow breaths.
Reinforcing proper breathing patterns
A slow, steady breathing pattern enhances core stability, helps improve tolerance to high-intensity exercise, and reduces the risk of muscle fatigue and injury.
Taking balanced, equal breaths should be your goal.
A good way to practice balanced breathing is to take a deep inhale, count to four, and then release a deep exhale to the same count.
If you’re unsure of whether you’re a shallow breather, place your palm against your abdomen beneath your rib cage and exhale.
Take a deep breath and follow the movement of your hand.
If your hand moves as your abdomen expands, you’re breathing correctly.
If your hand only moves slightly but your shoulders elevate, you may want to consider practicing breathing exercises to strengthen your muscles and reinforce proper breathing patterns.
Performing deep breathing exercises along with general fitness training can increase the strength of the respiratory muscles.
The takeaway
There are many benefits to deep breathing.
It helps to foster a sense of calm, reduce stress and anxiety levels, and lower blood pressure.
In fact, deep breathing is the basis for all meditative and mindfulness practices.
Practicing healthy breathing patterns also allows you to build your endurance for strenuous exercise.
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So, while you are all huddled up and locked in your linen closet in abject fear of dying of COVID, think about what it is that you are doing to yourself to help that process along.
Nature is cruel, people, and nature does not care about you, and if you are weak, or stupid, as far as nature is concerned, it doesn’t need you nor want you around!
Paul Plante says
So, okay, people, having defined the fact that the microorganism or microbe that is attacking us is a virus, not a bacteria, let’s go back to the US National Library of Medicine, where we find an article entitled “The host immune response in respiratory virus infection: balancing virus clearance and immunopathology” by Amy H. Newton, Amber Cardani, and Thomas J. Braciale, to wit:
Abstract
The respiratory tract is constantly exposed to the external environment, and therefore, must be equipped to respond to and eliminate pathogens.
end quote
“Constantly exposed” means exactly that, 24/7/365, and the “external environment” means outside your body and includes the closet you might be hiding in to escape COVID, which kills less than one percent of the people infected, according to an article published in The Lancet, a scientific publication, entitled “Understanding pathways to death in patients with COVID-19” by Jean-Louis Vincent and Fabio S. Taccone published April 06, 2020, as follows:
Currently reported case fatality rates vary from 1% to more than 7%, but these values must be interpreted with caution.
For example, where massive screening has been performed in the whole population (eg, in South Korea and Switzerland), overall case fatality rates of less than 1% have been reported, because the denominator included many mild or asymptomatic cases.
end quotes
So there we all are, freaked out to the max, because we think everybody exposed to COVID is going to die, when in fact, the majority of us will not, and by getting all freaked out and panicky, all we manage to do is make ourselves easier prey for the hunter, which is quite silly, if you are not hysterical and can think rationally about it.
And with respect to COVID being “something novel” that we have never seen before (GASP! GASP!), drop back in time to 2007, and an Associated Press article published on November 16, 2007 and updated January 13, 2015 entitled “CDC: Deadly Mutation of Common Cold Kills 10, Sickens 140 in Past 18 Months” wherein we learned as follows about what is known as the “common cold,” another one of those viral pathogens constantly on the prowl, just like a tiger or a wolverine or a fisher cat, to wit:
ATLANTA – A mutated version of a common cold virus has caused 10 deaths in the last 18 months, U.S. health officials said this week.
Adenoviruses usually cause respiratory infections that aren’t considered lethal.
But a new variant has caused at least 140 illnesses in New York, Oregon, Washington and Texas, according to a report issued Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The illness made headlines in Texas earlier this year, when a so-called boot camp flu sickened hundreds at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.
“What really got people’s attention is these are healthy young adults landing in the hospital and, in some cases, the ICU,” said Dr. John Su, an infectious diseases investigator with the CDC.
There are more than 50 distinct types of adenoviruses tied to human illnesses.
They are one cause of the common cold, and also trigger pneumonia and bronchitis.
Severe illnesses are more likely in people with weaker immune systems.
“We have to put this in perspective,” said Dr. Joseph Rahimian, attending physician of infectious disease at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City.
“It’s still a rare infection.”
“But it is definitely on our radar.”
“Normally, it can cause a common cold, intestinal infection and conjunctivitis and then it goes away,” said Rahimian.
“But this (strain) causes severe respiratory syndrome and 5 percent of people die from this infection.”
“So this is much more aggressive.”
“This is something we need to be concerned about and monitor very closely.”
The Ad14 form of adenovirus was first identified in 1955.
In 1969, it was blamed for a rash of illnesses in military recruits stationed in Europe, but it’s been detected rarely since then.
But it seems to growing more common.
The strain accounted for 6 percent of adenovirus samples collected in 22 medical facilities in 2006, while none was seen the previous two years, according to a study published this month in the medical journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
end quotes
So let’s all get hysterical about COVID and die of a common cold, instead.
As to a “pathogen,” and they are all around us and in us 24/7/365. just like the coyotes in your backyard that you never notice, the definition of a pathogenic organism is an organism capable of causing disease in its host, and the common cold is as much of a pathogen as is COVID.
A human pathogen is capable of causing illness in humans, and pathogens of all classes must have mechanisms for entering their host and for evading immediate destruction by the host immune system.
And there, people, to keep ourselves as strong as possible, which starts with the MIND, is where we must keep our attention focused!
Get hysterical – get dead!
Paul Plante says
So, here we all are, finding ourselves on a cruel planet, some apparently for the first time given all the hysteria, while others of us who were raised in a different century know that death is constantly all around us, having lived with it all our lives, and we really have two choices which boil down, as combat infantrymen know, to live or to die
And your chances of living improve somewhat if you know two essential things, to wit:
1. Yourself; and
2. The nature of the enemy, and when it comes to microbes, as we saw above with the mutant adenovirus, there are a host of them, all lurking and waiting, like one of those yappy little purse dogs, for the opportunity to sink their teeth into us, just because that is the way nature arranged for things to be.
As to the adenovirus, as we were informed above, there are more than 50 distinct types of adenoviruses tied to human illnesses and they are one cause of the common cold, and also trigger pneumonia and bronchitis.
But, let us stay focused here, because this time, the fight is against a coronavirus, which is called that simply because it looks like a crown, and that thought is taking us back to US National Library of Medicine where we find a paper entitled “SARS CORONAVIRUS AND INNATE IMMUNITY” by Matthew Frieman, Mark Heise, and Ralph Baric, where we learn as follows about this particular microbial enemy that is now ravaging the minds of countless peop0le all across America and is making those it doesn’t outright kill bat**** crazy, instead, which doesn’t bode well for the future, especially as we open the news this morning to find, not at all surprisingly, that with everybody locked down as if we were all now in a super-max prison, domestic abuse is on the rise, to wit:
Abstract
The emergence of the highly pathogenic SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) has reignited interest in coronavirus biology and pathogenesis.
An emerging theme in coronavirus pathogenesis is that the interaction between specific viral genes and the host immune system, specifically the innate immune system, functions as a key determinant in regulating virulence and disease outcomes.
Using SARS-CoV as a model, we will review the current knowledge of the interplay between coronavirus infection and the host innate immune system in vivo, and then discuss the mechanisms by which specific gene products antagonize the host innate immune response in cell culture models.
Our data suggests that the SARS-CoV uses specific strategies to evade and antagonize the sensing and signaling arms of the interferon pathway.
end quotes
These coronaviruses may well in fact be much smarter than we are, because they are predators who have to work hard for their meal, while we are now in far too many cases, merely stupid prey who take no precautions whatsoever to keep ourselves safe from nature, and let me say here that when I was young, I was in the hospital limp as a wet dishrag for 33 days with pneumonia, and in Viet Nam, I was left laying there on the ground with a head wound, well, because that is the way triage works.
And now, I am over 70, taking no drugs, so I take this game quite seriously.
And for those unfamiliar with the term “innate immune system,” innate immunity refers to nonspecific defense mechanisms that come into play immediately or within hours of an antigen’s appearance in the body.
These mechanisms include physical barriers such as skin, chemicals in the blood, and immune system cells that attack foreign cells in the body.
As to an antigen, it is a toxin or other foreign substance which induces an immune response in the body, especially the production of antibodies.
Another definition of antigen is that it is a harmful substance which enters the body and which in turn causes the body to make antibodies as a response to fight off disease.
An example of an antigen is a common cold virus which causes the body to make antibodies which help prevent the person from getting sick.
Getting back to the specific science here, we have:
1. Introduction
Viral interactions with the innate immune system play a central role in determining the outcome of infection.
Early control of viral replication by type I Interferons (IFN), complement proteins, and other innate immune mediators limit viral spread within the host during the early phases of the disease (Katze et al., 2002).
end quotes
Now, here you want to focus your gaze like a laser on that phrase, EARLY CONTROL OF VIRAL REPLICATION!
The so-called virus is a transport vehicle.
That is all it is.
For us to be made sick, there is a distinct process that must take place, and if we are aware of the process of viral replication, it can help to calm our minds, which is always the first best defense we humans have against a cold, cruel world that frankly, doesn’t give a crap if we live or die!
And sometimes, as a public health engineer, I think it gets tired of having us hanging around, so every now and then, like a croupier in a gambling house reaching out with that long stick to take chips off the table, nature sends something like the coronavirus to rearrange the chairs on the deck of the Titantic.
Getting back to viral replication, it involves six steps, which are as follows:
1. attachment;
2. penetration;
3. uncoating;
4. replication;
5. assembly; and
6. release.
During uncoating, replication, and assembly, the viral DNA or RNA incorporates itself into the host cell’s genetic material and induces it to replicate the viral genome.
end quotes
But for any of that process to happen, the virus must first ATTACH itself somewhere to make that process happen, which is why in the case of something attacking the respiratory tract, gargling with hot (like tea water) salt water is an effective defense, because the salt lifts the virus back away from the wall of the throat, which counters the attachment part of the viral replication process.
And by the way, having a dry throat or dry mouth tips the odds in the favor of the virus, so if you have a brain in your head, and many don’t seem to these days, you will stay hydrated, and drink lemon juice and honey in hot water as another simple defense against attachment, which is the first thing as virus has to do to attack you.
Lemon juice is acidic in nature which can change the environment in the throat which makes the job of viral attachment a bit harder.
As to honey, it is a natural substance (have you ever seen honey go bad by getting moldy) that can interfere with the viral replication process and in fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends using honey if you have a sore throat that is accompanied by a cough.
And if you think that is stupid advice, keep in mind that what we call “modern medicine” has only been around since the 1700’s, while humans have been around for some 200,000 years, and it wasn’t until the late 1950s that the first modern ICUs were established, so then, how did all of old folks in America today born before there were modern ICUs survive?
And compared to today, when I was young, the threats from microbes of all kinds were far worse than is the case today, and out in the countryside, pneumonia was always on the prowl, as it still is today, where influenza and pneumonia remain among the leading causes of death in the United States, accounting for around 2 percent of all deaths in 2017.
Influenza, or the flu, is a viral infection that is highly contagious and especially common in the winter season.
Influenza is a common cause of pneumonia, although most cases of the flu do not develop into pneumonia.
Pneumonia is an infection or inflammation of the lungs and is particularly deadly among young children and the elderly.
So, lacking any other “defense” back then, we were not stupid as people seem to be today, and instead of being reckless with our health (I live where the winters were severe) we took precautions, because we are back to that basic fact that if a virus trying to attack you cannot first attach itself to begin the process of viral replication, it can do you no more harm than some dog poop on the sole of your shoe so long as you don’t put your fingers in it and stick them in your mouth.
And let me close with these words to meditate on from the science article above, to wit:
The early innate response also plays an important role in shaping the downstream adaptive immune response!
Paul Plante says
With respect to a condition known as “pneumonia,” which condition had me in the hospital limp as a dishrag for 33 days when I was younger, in the scientific article “Viral Pneumonia” by Andrew M. Freeman and Townes R. Leigh, Jr., last updated December 25, 2019, we learn in the article as follows:
Introduction
Viral pneumonia is defined as a disease entity wherein there is the viral causation of oxygen and carbon dioxide gas exchange abnormalities at the level of the alveoli, secondary to viral-mediated and/or immune response-mediated inflammation.
The traditional role of viral pneumonia was as a disease found predominantly in the very young, the elderly, and those exposed to influenza.
end quotes
Of interest to us in our own time, as we can clearly see from the COVID public health crisis caused by a failed public health system that is sweeping our nation today and crippling it, while government crumbles into non-existence and the mental health of the nation is now at risk, is the following from that article, to wit:
The concepts of diagnosis, prevalence, clinical role, and treatment of viral pneumonia are in flux for several reasons.
1. There is a growing population at increased risk of viral pneumonia:
• The increases in life span and early infant survivability have created an additional population at greater risk of viral pneumonia.
• The increased number of those receiving immune-impairing therapy (radiation and/or chemotherapy) for cancer.
• The increased use of disease-modifying hematological/immunological agents in chronic illness, resulting in secondary impaired immunity.
• The advent of HIV
• The increase in the number of patients with inborn immune impairment serving bacterial infection secondary to antibiotic therapy.
• The increased incidence of organ transplantation and immunosuppressive therapy.
end quotes
So, given that this epidemic really was all predicted, albeit among public health professionals, not politicians who have no interest in this kind of boring scientific “stuff,” should we be surprised at all these COVID deaths, especially given the following:
The increasing role of viral pathogens in pneumonia and the increased realization of the role of bacterial and viral co-infection necessitate a higher clinical index of suspicion and early identification of viral pulmonary pathogens.
As pneumonia can be considered somewhat a final common pathway of infection, especially for those who are immune-compromised, a great number of viruses can cause pneumonia.
In general, these viruses can be divided into those containing DNA or RNA as their nucleic acid.
Human metapneumovirus
• RNA
• Human Metapneumovirus is a novel viral pathogen that is increasingly recognized as a cause of viral pneumonia and is implicated as the cause of the SARS outbreak.
Human bocavirusCoronavirus
• RNA
• Coronal viruses are already viruses that cause pneumonia, typically in immune incompetent people.
• However, one subtype of coronavirus is the virus causing Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome, and another has been implicated in severe acute respiratory syndrome.
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Coronavirus)
• RNA
• A subset of the coronavirus associated with severe pneumonia.
This was first observed in the Middle East and had an initial mortality rate of 30%.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Metapneumovirus)
• RNA
• A subset of Coronavirus causing life-threatening pneumonia
end quotes
Coronal viruses are already viruses that cause pneumonia, people, typically in immune incompetent people, and those words were last updated on December 25, 2019, before we knew about COVID.
So seriously, people, why are we being surprised by COVID today, when the health professionals were predicting this rise some time ago?
WHERE HAS THE PUBLIC HEALTH SUREVEILLANCE SYSTEM FAILED?
AND WHY?
Getting back to what we really do know, despite what hysterical politicians are telling us about being caught flatfooted here, which they most certainly were, we have, to wit:
A number of epidemiological cues can aid in the diagnosis of viral pneumonia, including the following:
Age – Viral pneumonia is most common in the very young and in the elderly.
There is a steep decline in the incidence of viral pneumonia from adolescence through the fifth or sixth decade of life.
Then an upsurge as age-related immunosuppression and age-related pathologies result in immunosuppression increase.
end quotes
My goodness, who’d a thought it!
And seriously, that is why older people like myself who value our lives take care of ourselves, which takes us back to that article one more time as follows, to wit:
Enhancing Healthcare Team Outcomes
Patients who are immunocompromised should be educated about the symptoms of pneumonia and when to seek medical care.
Finally, patients should be urged to lead a healthy lifestyle, eat healthily, and exercise regularly.
end quotes
yes, people, as hard as it might be to believe in this day and age of everything coming out of a pill bottle, through foods with anti-viral qualities (look them up, that is what Google is for, afterall), nature does provide us with an easy means of defending ourselves against viral attacks, assuming our immune systems are not severely compromised, in which case if we are old, we are probably screwed, and that just is the way it is!
If you don’t like it, open your window and scream at nature about how unfair it is, and hey, if you scream loud enough, maybe it is possible that nature will listen.
As for me, I am outside getting fresh air and sunlight and exercise as my means of living a healthy lifestyle.
And I got pneumonia while in the Army, and I can say in my case, anyway, it was a cascade of events that could have been halted, but for the fact that I was then in infantry training to go to Viet Nam, and there were no days off for being sick!
We were in Louisiana which was supposed to be hot like Viet Nam, except that winter, 1968 if anyone remembers it, it snowed in Louisiana, and I got chilled because we were out in a cold, pouring rain, and that began the downward path that I was unable to arrest, the head cold, down to the sore throat, and down into the lungs, and coughing up blood began, and still down I went.
Such it is when it is.
Paul Plante says
Before we go further, let’s for the moment go back to this sentence from an above scientific paper, to wit:
“Our data suggests that the SARS-CoV uses specific strategies to evade and antagonize the sensing and signaling arms of the interferon pathway.”
end quotes
In terms of mentally arming yourself to be as strong as you can in defense of yourself against this invader, it is vitally important that you comprehend exactly what that sentence is really saying when it says “(O)ur data suggests that the SARS-CoV uses specific strategies to evade and antagonize the sensing and signaling arms of the interferon pathway,” because that interferon pathway is a vital part of YOUR body’s immune defenses against COVID, and don’t let anyone kid you that your body cannot fight back against COVID, because that is actually happening every day in all the people who are recovering on their own from COVID.
But more on that in a moment.
So what the heck is this interferon, then, and why should we bother spending any mental energy on that when the big concern is how the heck are the Kardashians dealing with this social isolation thing?
For that answer, let’s go see what Wikipedia has to say on the subject, which is as follows, to wit:
Interferons (IFNs) are a group of signaling proteins made and released by host cells in response to the presence of several viruses.
In a typical scenario, a virus-infected cell will release interferons causing nearby cells to heighten their anti-viral defenses.
end quotes
The reference in there to “host cells” is talking about you – it is your cells that are the host cells the COVID is seeking out so it can replicate itself, and to do that, it has to defeat a host of your defenses, many of which are contained in the mucous which lines your nose, throat and respiratory tract, and it has to defeat your interferons which are your internal messengers like Paul Reveres to let the other cells know an attack has been commenced.
Getting back to the science, we have:
IFNs belong to the large class of proteins known as cytokines, molecules used for communication between cells to trigger the protective defenses of the immune system that help eradicate pathogens.
Interferons are named for their ability to “interfere” with viral replication by protecting cells from virus infections.
IFNs also have various other functions: they activate immune cells, such as natural killer cells and macrophages; they increase host defenses by up-regulating antigen presentation by virtue of increasing the expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens.
end quotes
Don’t disregard that – meditate upon it with great mental clarity!
Beats freaking out, anyway.
And that takes us to another scientific paper just out from a medical site called UpToDate entitled
“Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)” by Kenneth McIntosh, MD Section; Editor: Martin S Hirsch, MD; Deputy Editor: Allyson Bloom, MD, Literature review current through: Mar 2020, topic last updated: Apr 07, 2020, where we learn further about COVID as follows:
INTRODUCTION
Coronaviruses are important human and animal pathogens.
At the end of 2019, a novel coronavirus was identified as the cause of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, a city in the Hubei Province of China.
It rapidly spread, resulting in an epidemic throughout China, followed by an increasing number of cases in other countries throughout the world.
In February 2020, the World Health Organization designated the disease COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019 [1].
The virus that causes COVID-19 is designated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); previously, it was referred to as 2019-nCoV.
Understanding of COVID-19 is evolving.
end quotes
Regardless of all the hype and various conspiracy theories coming out about COVID, the fact of the matter is that it is new, and here we are, three and a half months or so, later, just really getting to understand what this new attacker is really all about, which takes us back to that update, as follows:
VIROLOGY
Full-genome sequencing and phylogenic analysis indicated that the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is a betacoronavirus in the same subgenus as the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus (as well as several bat coronaviruses), but in a different clade.
end quotes
As to what a “clade” is, in biology, a clade is a grouping that includes a common ancestor and all the descendants (living and extinct) of that ancestor.
Getting back to the science for more information about this specific attacker, we have:
The structure of the receptor-binding gene region is very similar to that of the SARS coronavirus, and the virus has been shown to use the same receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), for cell entry.
end quotes
Cell entry is the important first step of a viral infection that a healthy immune system has to defeat, and as we learn in the article “Cell Science at a Glance – Virus entry at a glance” by Yohei Yamauchi and Ari Helenius in the Journal of Cell Science 2013 126: 1289-1295; doi: 10.1242/jcs.119685:
After reaching the cytosol, viruses and viral capsids have to find their way to the site of replication in the nucleus or to specific locations in the cytoplasm.
Influenza virus has solved the problem of excessive genome size by dividing its genome into eight separate RNA segments, which are packaged individually into viral ribonucleoproteins (vRNPs) that are small enough to enter through the pores.
end quotes
So what is the genome then?
Quite simply, it is a computer program.
The main function of the virion is to deliver its DNA or RNA genome into the host cell so that the genome can be expressed (transcribed and translated) by the host cell.
The viral genome, often with associated basic proteins, is packaged inside a symmetric protein capsid.
In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism ‘s hereditary information.
It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA.
A virus has either DNA or RNA genes and is called a DNA virus or a RNA virus.
The COVID is an RNA virus.
But what about immunity to COVID?
What have we learned about that since janjuary?
Let’s go back to the UpToDate article on COVID, where we have the latest on that subject, as follows:
Immunity — Antibodies to the virus are induced in those who have become infected.
Preliminary evidence suggests that some of these antibodies are protective, but this remains to be definitively established.
Moreover, it is unknown whether all infected patients mount a protective immune response and how long any protective effect will last.
Data on protective immunity following COVID-19 are emerging.
A case series evaluating convalescent plasma for treatment of COVID-19 identified neutralizing activity in plasma of recovered patients that appeared to be transferred to recipients following plasma infusion [34].
Similarly, in another study of 23 patients who recovered from COVID-19, antibodies to the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein and the nucleocapsid protein were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in most patients by 14 days following the onset of symptoms; ELISA antibody titers correlated with neutralizing activity [19].
As above, the FDA has approved a test that qualitatively identifies immunoglobulin (Ig)M and IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in serum or plasma [33].
Should evidence confirm that the presence of these antibodies reflects a protective immune response, serologic screening will be an important tool to understand population immunity and distinguish individuals who are at lower risk for reinfection.
end quotes
So, is everybody going to be immune to COVID?
Not those who are immuno-compromised already, sad to say, although that is not even for certain, for the human body is an amazing thing, or we wou7ld not still be around.
People like my mother get written off after having been diagnosed with cancer, and like my mother, they can go home and live in peace and last for many more years, despite what the doctors say about it.
And as a disabled veteran, I was supposed to dead maybe forty or so years ago now, according to the doctor’s version of how my life was going to go.
If I had bought into that, I suppose it could have been true, but I didn’t so here I still am.
Is COVID a joke?
I certainly don’t think so.
Is COVID a stone killer?
Not from the statistics.
Should you take steps to not get exposed?
If you have sense you will, just as you wouldn’t willingly offer your leg to a dog that you thought had rabies because of all the foam pouring out of its mouth.
And what is your best defense?
Not locking yourself in your linen closet in abject fear.