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By Dr. Borgardt Health , , , ,

COVID-19 Truth & Facts | March 17th, 2020

COVID-19 Truth & Facts

I would like to thank you for all of your business over the past few weeks. We appreciate your trust in our office and feel privileged to be a part of how you take care of yourselves during this sensitive time.

Truths as we know them today, March 17th 2020:

    • COVID-19 is also known as: “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) [1]
    • The incubation period (the time between infection and symptom onset) can be one to fourteen days. Statistically it is 5 days. [2]
    • It is still unclear regarding if it is infectious during its incubation period. [3] On February 1st, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that "transmission from asymptomatic cases is likely not a major driver of transmission”. [4]
    • There are some concerns regarding an action called “pre-symptomatic shedding” and a statistical model has been built and appears to model what we know about its  known documented spread.[5]
    • Transmission is via respiratory droplets. [6]
    • Details regarding its ability to live on surfaces for a period of time are not available as of 26 February 2020. However, it is assumed that they are similar to other coronaviruses, which survive up to 9 days at room temperature. [7]
    • Community mitigation or the ability to delay the outbreak peak as to decompress the health care burden is the major goal at this point regarding the quarantining of individuals. [8]

How do you offend or defend yourself against this viral menace?

I would like to preface that any supplementation of any item suggested here comes with concern and risk for the interaction with medications or pre-existing conditions. The perfect example is the second recommendation - Vitamin C, which can directly impact some very important antipsychotic drugs. Please do not under any circumstance just take my word for it, over the internet, that you should start this as a regiment, as it can have unintended consequences. Please talk to your health care provider or call our office if you have any questions. These suggestions are not for emergency care under any circumstances. They are meant for possible preventative care, as all disease processes are multifactorial.

    • Eat foods that are dense in nutrition and hydration; I won’t even use a citation for this one
    • Vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid [9] [10]
    • Vitamin D [11]
    • Zinc [12]
    • Cordyceps [13]
    • Vitamin A [14]

Mechanisms and actions can be explain at further detail at a later date. At the time of this article I just want to get it out to the people of the Flathead Valley and in most part maybe even further to help those that might need it. Especially considering the state of our current news organizations just want to talk about what makes them special.

Please call our office (406) 314-6314 if you need any suggestions or advice; I may not be at the office or be busy with patients. However, I will be returning all phone calls within a 8 hour period.

Citations

  1. Gobalenya AE, Baker SC, Baric RS, et al. (March 2020). Nature Microbiology: 1–9. doi:10.1038/s41564-020-0695-z
  2. "WHO COVID-19 situation report 29" (PDF). WHO.int. World Health Organization. 19 February 2020
  3. Kupferschmidt K (February 2020). "Study claiming new coronavirus can be transmitted by people without symptoms was flawed” Science. doi:10.1126/science.abb1524
  4. World Health Organization (2020). Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV): situation report, 12 (Report). hdl:10665/330777
  5. Li R, Pei S, Chen B, et al. (16 March 2020):  "Substantial undocumented infection facilitates the rapid dissemination of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV2)" Science: eabb3221
  6. How Coronavirus Spreads: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/05/812570693/how-coronavirus-spreads-a-cough-in-your-face-or-a-kiss-on-your-cheek 
  7. Kampf, G.; Todt, D.; Pfaender, S.; Steinmann, E. (March 2020). "Persistence of coronaviruses on inanimate surfaces and their inactivation with biocidal agents". The Journal of Hospital Infection. 104 (3): 246–251. doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2020.01.022
  8. Anderson, R. M.; Heesterbeek, H.; Klinkenberg, D.; Hollingsworth, T. D. (March 2020). "How will country-based mitigation measures influence the course of the COVID-19 epidemic?”.  Lancet. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30567-5 .
  9. Jariwalla RJ, Harakeh S. Antiviral and immunomodulatory activities of ascorbic acid. In: Harris JR, ed. Subcellular Biochemistry. Vol. 25. Ascorbic Acid: Biochemistry and Biomedical Cell Biology. New York: Plenum Press; 1996:215-231
  10. Nutrients 2017, 9(11), 1211; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9111211 
  11. Viruses and Bacteria in the Etiology of the Common Cold. J Clin Microbiol. 1998 Feb; 36(2): 539–542.
  12. Therapeutic Application of Zinc in Human Immunodeficiency Virus against Opportunistic Infections. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/130.5.1424S 
  13. Cordycepin is a novel chemical suppressor of Epstein-Barr virus replication. Published online 2014 Dec 18. doi: 10.18632/oncoscience.110 
  14. Vitamin A and Human immunodeficiency virus infection doi:  https://doi.org/10.1079/PNS19970046