brushhog-
Sure. I cherry picked the good stuff. Antibiotics, casts for my broken arm, and ivermectin. These are some pretty slick interventions. I could add niacin to that also. Maybe you don’t need it, but I sure did. Why on earth would I pick the lame interventions? Wouldn’t that be silly?
I do agree we most definitely need to use our discernment, especially in an environment where Oligarchy seeks to maximize revenue at the expense of our health. This latest alzheimer’s non-treatment ($56,000/year!) is a prime example. Pharma is a giant snake oil salesman, that has seized control of medical schools, media, Congress, and our “health” agencies. Caveat Emptor x 100. Their “remdesivir” study is a case in point.
When I look for things that work, mostly I confine my searches to off-patent stuff that shows something promising. That way, there’s less of a chance its corrupt. Not no chance - but less chance. I use studies to do this. I have to read between the lines. If there are a bunch of slick websites hawking the stuff - I start to become wary. If nobody makes money, and there is still support, then I look more closely. And then try it out myself - assuming it applies.
There’s a sort of vibe to “stuff that works, that is cheap” in the studies I’ve read. Hard to explain. One researcher wrote something up in a melatonin/cancer study - a bit mournfully: “but this is a cheap compound, so it is likely that nobody will care.” That got my attention.
There were some studies in Africa about A Annua and Moringa. The researchers clearly struggled to get them funded, and then published. They made slow progress, but they persisted. And the WHO definitely complained. That got my attention too. When the WHO complains, that’s a positive signal for me to look more closely. It’s a threat to somebody.
Everyone is different. You figure things out using your own process. I have my process too. They aren’t the same. But it doesn’t mean that mine isn’t effective.
As for the intuition thing - for my next project, I hope to put some sort of metrics around the placebo effect. How can we train it up? How can we measure it? Placebo effect = the ability of your own belief to affect outcomes. Skip the supplements and go right to your own internal power & belief - whatever system you use. Then measure the effects.
Funny thing is, proving that it works, and quantifying how well it works, will (most likely) make it work even better. I mean, theoretically anyway. And there are almost certainly lots of ways to get there, too. If we can train it up, it might even be the most effective mechanism there is. If true - not even the Pharma-shills at FDA that stole our NAC can take it away from us.
JAG-
I appreciate the complement. Thanks for taking the time to write it up so carefully. 
20 years is a long time to write about anything. I can understand why you might be a teensy bit jaded about the supplement industry. Some areas seem to have that same Pharma-smell about them too.
https://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/flowers/artemisia-sweet-annie/artemisia-sweet-annie-key-growing-information.html
This is also interesting because Artemesia vulgaris grows as a an aggressive, spreading plant at least here in the Northeastern USA. The link describes it’s antimalarial action, similar to Artemisai annua. Perhaps it works against covid too. This would be a big plus for me as I have to work to keep it from aggressively taking over various perennial beds on my property.
Unfortunately, Moringa is a subtropical tree from Northern India and Bangladesh. Those of you in zone 10-11 might want to try growing it.
Trigger warning: body-stuff
One of my Tai Ji tribe gave me a moringa seedling about 6" tall just as my son got born. We planted the seedling on top of his placenta and it shot up like crazy. Have now transplanted it from a container into the ground at my gf’s land. Trying to get it even bigger (and bushy, as opposed to tall, easier to harvest). Quite a useful food/medicine plant. NB: we are located on the border of 12a-12b, climate wise…
VIVA – Sager
Some general interventions I’ve done over the past year.
- Regular stretching, strength training and yoga (the yoga isn't often enough, only 2x/week) including what I learned from my physical therapist to address a slightly out of alignment L4 disk.
- A high quality multivitamin. This one has the best complete vitamin K1-K2 profile I've seen.
- Fish oil on days I don't eat fish with DHA/EPA
- A high quality probioitic
- Magnesium glycinate - 267 mg/day Mg + what's in the multi..
- NAC 1200 mg/day
- Zinc and selenenium 2x/week to slightly boost the amount in the multi.
- Vitamin D3 5000 IU (7000 including the 2000 in the multi) - Blood level 59 last time measured.
- Quercetin - 250 mg 2x/day.
- Lions Mane 1 tsp, Astragalus 1tsp 2x/day and Cordyceps 1 tsp 2x/day - dried powders for immune an neurological support.
- Avoiding foods with certain sugar alcohols, lactose, fructose, and complex carbs (known as FODMAPS) and adjusting the restrictions based on my tolerances. And using this product. I've been buying it for $20 at my local food coop. I don't know why it's $40 online.
- Niacin flush - 500 mg only at 9 AM. Eat only noon-8 PM. Sometimes a 2nd flush at bedtime. I add trimethylglycine, 500 mg to prevent methyl group depletion.
- 2 g vitamin C powder dissolved in water and drunk over 5-6 hours.
- Eating wild greens/veggies/fruit and greens/veggies/fruit from my garden as well as eggs from my hens as much as possible.
- Much less back and joint pain. I can dance much more intensely. I am much more flexible.
- Better skin.
- No hemorrhoids.
- Huge improvement in digestion.
- Better moods, better response to stress.
QB-
That sounds like a pretty interesting program to me! Congrats on getting rid of the back pain. I really tried doing yoga, but it just didn’t resonate. I know its good for me. Sigh.
I totally agree with eliminating stuff and seeing if anything changes. I write down everything, and this has really helped me to identify stuff I did that might have made a difference. That’s how I spotted the change in alcohol consumption. Not what I was going for, just some emergent effect.
I saw this study which might shed some light. This is along the lines of something Chris suggested a million years ago. Check everything, and see what correlates. These guys did this for various hormone levels and COVID19. Guess what popped up?
Testosterone! The higher it was, the better people did. Oops, when I say people, I mean men, not women. Or should I say - non-birthing-people? Its so confusing now!
I’ll stick with “men”.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2780135 This cohort study found that men with severe COVID-19 had approximately 65% to 85% lower testosterone concentrations compared with men with a milder disease course, and this difference was independent of other known risk factors associated with severity of COVID-19, such as age, BMI, comorbidities, smoking, and race... Our study results suggest that, unlike the common presumption, testosterone may not be a propagator of COVID-19 severity in either gender. On the contrary, it may be protective in men. In contrast to the lower circulating testosterone concentrations, our data on gene enrichment showed an upregulation of androgen (and estrogen) signaling pathways in circulating monocytes in men with severe COVID-19. Median [interquartile range] testosterone concentrations were: - severe group (n=66), day 0: 53 [18 to 114] ng/dL, vs milder group (n=24): 151 [95 to 217] ng/dL; P = .01) - severe group (n=66), day 3: 19 [6 to 68] ng/dL vs milder group (n=24): 111 [49 to 274] ng/dL; P = .006)This data point does suggest that your regimen may not be putting you in any danger. And it also hints at why those anti-androgens do so well, although the authors temporize on this point.
Our study could not determine whether testosterone was a marker or a mediator associated with COVID-19 severity. We did not know the pre-illness serum testosterone concentrations in our study patients. Because patients who came to the hospital were already symptomatic, it is likely that their admission testosterone concentrations had already declined dramatically compared with their baseline concentrations. Alternatively, it is also possible that the men who developed severe COVID-19 had testosterone concentrations that were chronically less than the reference range, even prior to their illness
Trying to raise testosterone? Lifting weights helps quite a bit. So does playing sports. Oddly enough, chopping wood was found to raise testosterone as well;
researchers examined testosterone levels in a group of Tsimane forager-farmers in the Bolivian Amazon after playing soccer and also after chopping down trees to clear a jungle for crops. Saliva samples were collected from the Bolivian farmers after they completed both physical activities. Dr. Ben Trumble from the Institute of Social, Behavioral and Economic Research at the University of California, Santa Barbara and his colleagues found that one hour of chopping trees spiked testosterone levels by 48 percent in men of all ages, regardless of their state of health. In contrast, during a soccer game, testosterone levels only increased by 30.1 percentWhataya know, science finds that men doing natural man stuff makes men more manly. After ten thousand studies they'll find that cooking, cleaning and taking care of babies makes women more feminine ;)
Hi QB,
Last year I investigated AA together with another Dave on this forum. I did find an article about the artemisinin content of several artemisia species; as far as I remember, almost all species have some artemisinin in them. Here are some links (link1, link2, link3)
The artemisinin content is ~5x less however (link1, link2). Finally, some links about other compounds in artemisia species (link1, link2).
FYI, I used AA last year during my covid episode. The effect of AA was near immediate body temp regulation, 15 minutes after taking AA. I used both Artemisinin compound, and dried AA. My vitamin C bowel tolerance dropped from 150grams per day, yes, no kidding, to around 40 grams per day. The real kicker was quinine in the form of cinchona bark tea. Last month I found an article that suggested this is even more effective than HCQ against covid (link).
Since then I stacked Artemisinin, Artemisia Annua, and another, dried, Artemisia species. The latter one makes for some really nice tea. But, my n=1 experiment suggests that it should be part of a suite of supplements.
I used/use: NAC, zink, selenium, vitamin D, melatonin, cinchona (once a week, tea made from 2grams bark), magnesium, etc. AA, high dose of vitamin C, elderberry sirup etc, are reserved for the next time we have a covid patient in our place.
Grts, Dave
Manly stuff- - great!
Pine pollen seems to be the key herb for testosterone. It is present in significant amounts in the pollen of most Pinus species, especially scotch pine (planted around here in places). I tried collecting some a month ago. I spent maybe 20 minutes collecting and another 20 processing to detatch the male flowers and shake out the pollen. The result was enough for less than a day’s worth of tincture. If it isn’t available commercially someday, I will work hard for my youthfulness. But then again manly activities and trashing my couch, mattress and other stuff with flame retardants in them will do the trick.
So testosterone might be protective or at least not a risk factor. That is great news because I like the new me! Thanks for finding that Dave.
I’ll add to the many interventions mentioned previously (quite a few that I follow) one that I like that was not noted.
pine needle / peppermint tea (antioxidant + VitC)
I drink this chilled and find it very refreshing on a hot day. I also add to veggie/fruit smoothies.
I too have utilized LifeExtension for lab work. I would recommend that when ordering, you request the kit. This provides the phlebotomist/lab with everything they need in order to draw blood and ship it back to LifeExtension’s lab for testing (which I believe is in FL). The lab you choose will charge you a fee to do the draw. For me, I used my preferred hospital system and paid a $50 fee for the service.
Results are relatively fast, easy to download from their portal and if you want, one of their providers will review the results with you. This is of value if you are not getting the best advice or support from your current physician.
I think one of the biggest take-aways from this COVID disaster is to recognize the only person in charge of your health is – you. And with that knowledge, we can each begin the emotional, psychological and physical changes that come with recognizing that the current system is not interested in keeping us healthy, but rather keeping us ill so that we continue to feed their coffers.
Chris - You had some numbers in your video on risk to reward ratio over vaccinating our kids for covid. Can you be specific on how you came to those numbers? Can you and show the math?
-Travis
You can give your kids Ivermectin if you want… But if you have to ask somebody else to make the decision for you, I suggest you don’t have the backbone for this… Grow some balls and fight for your kids. They. Don’t. Need. This. Vaccine.
https://twitter.com/CoronapassCy/status/1403794986638974984
https://twitter.com/TracyBethHoeg/status/1404198915818225664
Cases of post Vax Mycarditis in WA State alone right now? 63
https://www.bulksupplements.com/products/n-acetyl-l-cysteine-nac?variant=32133437325423
Also in 250 and 100 grams.
For example, a mega vitamins C supplement is less effective than the lesser amount of vitamins C delivered by an apple. Plant foods contain micronutrients that we haven’t studied. It would seem the supplement delivery system plays a role in the supplements effectiveness.
Are supplements merely a way for people to attempt, perhaps unsuccessfully, to rectify an otherwise extremely unhealthy diet?
The science on good nutrition points overwhelmingly in a specific direction. It is not that the science is unclear, it’s just extremely unpopular.
At this juncture, it is a rare person, even on this website, who is open minded about studies/science that encourages them to give up their “favorite” foods.
We wring our hands about opioid addictions, but don’t talk about food addictions in today’s society. Yet, cardiovascular disease is the number one killer, today, not opioid overdoses.