NYC Doctor Highlights Importance of Vitamin D Optimization

Dr. Ken Redcross is an internal medicine physician with a concierge practice in New York. He wrote the book “Bond: The 4 Cornerstones of a Lasting and Caring Relationship with Your Doctor,” and in this interview, he shares his views on the prevention of COVID-19 through natural means.

“My specialty is the patient/doctor bond and relationship,” he says. “That leads to house calls. That leads to making sure that the patient has access to me 24/7 and that's the way I think it should be. Patients should feel like a doctor is a member of their family and so that's what I do …

It’s about four things: Trust, respect, empathy and communication. If you give that to each patient you're blessed enough to touch, then things tend to go well … My career has spanned over two decades now and, obviously, I've never seen anything like this [pandemic]. A big part of my practice are house calls.

So now, I am literally making house calls to patients who have COVID-19 and, quite honestly, especially early on, belonged in the hospital, but there was no room here in New York … I'm really, truly in the epicenter [of the epidemic in New York].” 

Some of the patients Redcross saw were concerned about going to the hospital out of fear of being exposed to COVID-19, saying they’d rather take their chances at home. Fortunately, Redcross was able to help educate many of his patients about proactive measures they can take, even if they opted to stay at home.

Vitamin D Optimization Is a Crucial Component

Redcross works with a very diverse group of patients, including Blacks, who are most adversely affected with vitamin D deficiency. Statistics have shown that the African-American community is also disproportionately at risk for severe COVID-19, and vitamin D deficiency may in fact be at the heart of this disparity.

I believe getting the word out to all communities, and especially the Black community, that vitamin D is essential for health and vital in the fight against this virus, and Redcross agrees.

Research suggests your risk of developing and dying from COVID-19 virtually disappears once your vitamin D level gets above 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L). To ignore this seems foolish in the extreme, especially since vitamin D supplementation is both safe and inexpensive.

Other disparities that also play a role are more difficult to address than vitamin D. For example, many income-restricted individuals live in ‘food deserts’ where healthy whole foods are hard to come by, and have limited options that include fast food or processed foods that are devoid of nutrients, creating a recipe for insulin resistance and all of the health ramifications that go along with it.

While this isn’t the reality for all, diet and income are factors that should be taken into consideration when addressing the health needs of the Black community. Aside from vitamin D deficiency, insulin resistance is one of the primary risk factors for severe COVID-19 infection and death, as discussed in “The Real Pandemic Is Insulin Resistance.”

Transitioning to a low-carb diet high in healthy fats and time-restricted eating are two of the most effective remedies for this, but they take time to implement and reap the benefits of. Clearly, they’re strategies that will protect your health in the long-term, but more acutely won’t have a major impact.

Another part of the nutritional approach to protecting your health is to eliminate your use of industrial vegetable oils that are high in omega-6 linoleic acid, which I believe is actually worse than carbohydrates. Redcross agrees that this is an important part of the conversation he has with his patients.

Vitamin D, on the other hand, is something that can strengthen your immune system in a matter of a few weeks. Dosing is an important factor, however, when you’re taking an oral vitamin D supplement. It needs to be high enough.

The ideal way to optimize your level is to get sensible sun exposure, but if you’re dark-skinned, you may need upward of 1.5 hours of sun a day in order to maximize conversion of vitamin D in your skin. Many don’t have the luxury of that much time.

“Five thousand IUs [of oral vitamin D] is that magic number for me,” Redcross says. “I cringe when I go over the counter and see 1,000 and 2,000 because it's not enough to get to those optimal levels.

If I put on my Western medicine hat, when you look at the parameters it'll say that the vitamin D level should be 30 ng/mL. But if I put on the better Eastern medicine hat, which is the truer hat, we get to that 40 to 60 ng/mL range …

No matter what, I'm always talking about 5,000 [IUs of vitamin D], because when [they take] 5,000 IUs, and I get lab testing after that, it tends to be in that optimal range of 40 to 60 ng/mL. That's the sweet spot where I feel like everything is better clinically.”

Why Vitamin D Recommendations Are Too Low

Indeed, it’s important to realize that when health authorities caution against exceeding a vitamin D dose of 4,000 IUs, their recommendation is based on the dosage required to prevent rickets. It has nothing to do with the dosage required to support immune function and prevent other chronic diseases.

Unfortunately, as noted by Redcross, many medical authorities are “still blind” to these facts. Redcross, on the other hand, recommends vitamin D supplementation to most of his patients.

He starts by getting a baseline reading of their vitamin D level, and continues to check their levels with regular testing while also tracking their clinical symptoms and subjective observations. Many report a sense of improved general well-being once they get their levels up.

“My whole goal in my practice is not to have to use my prescription pad,” he says. “So, when I can use something like vitamin D to make that big a difference — so that if their mood is better, maybe I don't have to reach for an antidepressant necessarily. Maybe there are some alternatives that could make a big difference in their lives that way, and naturally.”

Many of his patients tend to have vitamin D levels around 20 ng/mL at baseline. Very few have sufficient levels, especially among the elderly. In addition to his regular concierge practice, Redcross also offers affordable health care at a local assisted living facility, where he advocates for vitamin D optimization.

If you have a loved one in a nursing home, taking the time to talk to the medical management about vitamin D testing and supplementation could make a big difference in the general health of all the residents.

“When I'm looking at that population, I see [vitamin D deficiency] all the time. So, I'm pretty regimented by making sure, every three to six months, that I'm staying on top of it, correlating that with them clinically, as well, and seeing how they feel,” he says.

As it pertains to COVID-19, researchers in Indonesia, who looked at data from 780 COVID-19 patients, found¹ those with a vitamin D level between 21 ng/mL (50 nmol/L) and 29 ng/mL (75 nmol/L) had a 12.55 times higher risk of death than those with a level above 30 ng/mL. Having a level below 20 ng/mL was associated with a 19.12 times higher risk of death.

Other research^2,3 suggests your risk of developing a severe case of, and dying from, COVID-19 virtually disappears once your vitamin D level gets above 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L). To ignore this seems foolish in the extreme, especially since vitamin D supplementation is both safe and inexpensive.

“It's going to be interesting over the next few years. Even over the beginning of my career to now, we're getting more and more traction with vitamin D. We're learning more and more, and I can only imagine, in the next five to 10 years, where we're going to be using vitamin D in order to get well and heal,” Redcross says.

The Role of Magnesium and Vitamin K2

Importantly, other nutrient deficiencies may be at play if you’re having a hard time improving your vitamin D level. One of them is magnesium, which is required for the conversion of vitamin D into its active form. Without sufficient amounts of magnesium, your body cannot properly utilize the vitamin D you’re taking.^4,5,6,7

According to a scientific review^8,9 published in 2018, as many as 50% of Americans taking vitamin D supplements may not get significant benefit as the vitamin D simply gets stored in its inactive form, and the reason for this is because they have insufficient magnesium levels.

Research¹⁰ published in 2013 also highlighted this issue, concluding that higher magnesium intake helps reduce your risk of vitamin D deficiency by activating more of it.

Another cofactor is vitamin K2, as it helps prevent complications associated with excessive calcification in your arteries. In fact, relative vitamin K2 deficiency is typically what produces symptoms of “vitamin D toxicity.”

Research by GrassrootsHealth, based on data from nearly 3,000 individuals, reveals you need 244% more oral vitamin D if you’re not also taking magnesium and vitamin K2.¹¹ What this means in practical terms is that if you take all three supplements in combination, you need far less oral vitamin D in order to achieve a healthy vitamin D level. Redcross notes:

“I absolutely love magnesium, for so many reasons. I'll tell you a quick story. I trained in Columbia Presbyterian in New York many moons ago. As a resident, I had an intern who was treating to replete a patient's potassium. No matter what, it remained low.

I asked the intern, ‘Did you also supplement with magnesium at the same time?’ When the intern did that, magically the potassium came back up. That was because magnesium is a vital cofactor. So, even back then, we understood how important magnesium was. And it's even more important for vitamin D to get to its active state …

So, magnesium is a big important thing. That's what I tell patients — that every vitamin D is not created equal. I like to make sure that it has a cofactor like magnesium in there, which is necessary for energy and so much more. It's in almost every cell that we have.

My magnesium of preference is magnesium bisglycinate. I like it because it's got great bioavailability. It tends to be easier for patients to take. I don't get too many calls about GI upset or anything. So, it tends to work for them. That's the magnesium that I like to start with.”

Types of Magnesium

Aside from magnesium bisglycinate, other variations include:

• Magnesium glycinate, a powder with low solubility. Glycine is an important amino acid and precursor for glutathione.
• Ionic magnesium found in molecular hydrogen tablets. Each water-soluble tablet has about 80 mg of highly bioavailable unbound magnesium ions, which is about 20% of the recommended daily allowance.
• Magnesium threonate is another excellent choice as it seems it can efficiently penetrate the blood-brain barrier.
• Magnesium malate, which dissolves very well in water. Malate is an intermediary in the Krebs cycle, so it likely contributes to ATP production.
• Magnesium citrate also dissolves well and has a pleasant citric acid taste.

Being a Source of Inspiration

Redcross not only has a positive impact in his local community in New York, but he’s also been able to get his message of health and wellness out in the media, which is an important component.

“One of the important things when I do that is that it's all about inspiration. I don't believe in doom and gloom. No matter what, I see a silver lining in everything,” Redcross says.

“So, whenever I'm doing any of this stuff in the media, it's important that people leave inspired and happier than they were when I first got there. I think everyone's ready to hear a positive message. When you turn on the TV, unfortunately everything is negative … I don't believe in negativity. And even when you talk about disease, I really feel it's more dis-ease than an actual disease and a label.

I think the thing that's important here is that we are talking about something like vitamin D. Vitamin D is so important, and guess what, your body makes it naturally … It's really a pro-hormone, and that's a pretty big deal … So, make sure you're going out and getting tested, and getting tested regularly to make sure that that's a part of your everyday habit and behavior to stay healthy and whole.”

Take-Home Message

While the death toll from COVID-19 in the U.S. has sharply declined since its peak in mid-April — declining from 2,666 deaths the week of June 13, 2020, to 906 deaths for the week of June 20¹² — authorities predict a reemergence this fall.

We can significantly blunt any reemergence by optimizing our vitamin D levels, and this strategy is bound to be particularly important in African-American communities, nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

To aid in this educational effort, I created two vitamin D reports — one comprehensive science report and one easy to digest summary for the layperson — both of which can be downloaded below. The first is more for health care professionals and those who doubt the science of the recommendation.

The second was specifically designed to give you the nuts and bolts of the message in an easy to share, highly readable format. We need an army to take this message to the public, especially those at greatest risk, the elderly and those with melanated skin. This document should help you to spread the message.

>>>>> Click Here <<<<<

I urge everyone to share this information with your friends, family and community at large, so that we can minimize additional outbreaks. If you have a family member or know anyone that is in an assisted living facility, you could meet with the director of the program, share these reports and encourage them to get everyone tested or at least start them on vitamin D.

Additionally, you could talk to your Black friends, co-workers and those in your community — who are also at disproportionate risk — and provide them with important health information that could save many lives quicker than any vaccine program.

“It's a must-read document, to be honest, just the way it's laid out, for consumers, for my patients and that sort of thing. I love it and I appreciate you sharing that with me as well,” Redcross says. “Let's continue to fight the good fight and know that this too shall pass.”

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Your Iron Levels Could Be a Key to Slow Aging and Long Life

Iron is an essential nutrient, integral to hundreds of biological functions including oxygen transport, DNA synthesis and energy metabolism. Almost every cell in your body contains iron.¹ Plants, bacteria, animals and even cancer cells cannot survive without it.^2,3

Plants use iron to make chlorophyll, while animals and humans need it to make hemoglobin, a protein in your red blood cells used to transport oxygen. Approximately 6% of the iron in your body is bound as a component to proteins and 25% is stored as ferritin.⁴

Having too much or too little can have serious consequences. Yet, what many people and physicians do not realize is that an excessive amount of iron is more common than having a deficiency.

Doctors may check for iron deficiency as it relates to anemia, but iron overload is a far more common problem. Adult men and non-menstruating women are at risk of having dangerously high levels of iron. When left untreated, excess iron can damage your organs and contribute to the development of heart disease, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.⁵

High Levels of Iron Linked to Shorter Life Span

Researchers have linked iron overload to several medical conditions, and now find that people age at different rates when they have excess amounts in the body. European scientists gathered data from an international database to test this theory.⁶

The set of data was equivalent to about 1.75 million lifespans.⁷ They looked at the total number of years lived (life span), the total number of years marked by good health (health span) and living to an old age (longevity).⁸ The researchers identified 10 loci in the genetic sample that appear to influence aging.

The majority of the loci were associated with cardiovascular disease. Based on statistical analysis, the data suggested "that genes involved in metabolizing iron in the blood are partly responsible for a healthy long life."⁹

The new information is exciting as it suggests a modifiable pathway to explain biological aging and chronic disease rate differences among people. The researchers noted that high iron levels can reduce "the body's ability to fight infection in older age,"¹⁰ which may be yet another reason that age is a factor in infectious disease severity.

As Paul Timmers from the University of Edinburgh says, the data also offer a reasonable explanation for the association between red meat and heart disease. While cholesterol has been blamed in the past, in a growing number of studies, no association has been found between cholesterol and heart disease.¹¹ Timmers commented:¹²

"We are very excited by these findings as they strongly suggest that high levels of iron in the blood reduces our healthy years of life, and keeping these levels in check could prevent age-related damage. We speculate that our findings on iron metabolism might also start to explain why very high levels of iron-rich red meat in the diet has been linked to age-related conditions such as heart disease."

Excess Iron Impairs Mitochondrial Function

Researchers have known since the mid-1990s that when iron is bound to a protein such as hemoglobin, it plays a part in cell metabolism and growth.¹³ But when it is free, it kicks off a reaction producing hydroxyl free radicals from hydrogen peroxide. This is one of the most damaging free radicals in the body and can cause severe mitochondrial dysfunction.

Hydroxyl free radicals damage cell membranes, protein and DNA. Other research has shown excessive iron promotes apoptosis and ferroptosis in cardiomyocytes.¹⁴ Apoptosis is the programmed cell death of diseased and worn-out cells and, as the name implies, ferroptosis refers to cell death that is specifically dependent on and regulated by iron.¹⁵

Your cardiomyocytes are the muscle cells in the heart that generate and control contractions.¹⁶ In short, this tells us that excess iron can impair heart function. These are two ways iron overload can lead to cardiomyopathy, which is a leading cause of death in patients with hemochromatosis.

Excess iron also affects blood pressure and other markers of cardiovascular disease, and glycemic control in individuals with metabolic syndrome. One study was done with 64 participants who had a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome.¹⁷ The participants were randomly assigned to two groups. In the first, they gave blood at the beginning of the study and again after 4 weeks.

Researchers regulated the amount of blood given and each person's iron level. They measured systolic blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, plasma glucose and hemoglobin A1c. The group who gave blood showed a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure and had lower blood glucose levels, hemoglobin A1c and heart rate. There was no effect on insulin sensitivity.

In an earlier study, scientists removed blood in individuals who had chronic gout.¹⁸ Twelve participants with hyperuricemia gave blood over the course of 28 months to maintain their body at the lowest amount of iron stores possible, without inducing anemia. The data showed a marked reduction in the number and severity of gout attacks. Removing blood was also found to be safe and beneficial.

How Do High Iron Levels Build Up?

Men and non-menstruating women have a higher potential for iron buildup since the body has limited ways of excreting excess iron.¹⁹ With the genetic disorder hemochromatosis, the body accumulates excessive and damaging levels of iron.²⁰ When this is left untreated it contributes to many of the disorders discussed above.

Hemochromatosis is a prevalent genetic condition in Americans. It takes two inherited genetic mutations, one from your mother and one from your father, to cause the disease. In one study, researchers estimated 40% to 70% of people with the defective genes will eventually have iron overload.²¹

It is also easy to get too much iron from your food, particularly when it's "fortified" with iron. Iron is a common nutritional supplement found in many multivitamin and mineral supplements. Many processed foods are also fortified with iron.

For example, two servings of fortified breakfast cereal may give you as much as 44 milligrams (mg) of iron, rising dangerously close to the upper tolerance limit of 45 mg for adults.²² However, the upper tolerance limit is well over the recommended daily allowance, which is 8 mg for men and 18 mg for premenopausal women.²³ It's easy to see how you might consistently eat too much iron.

Another common cause for iron excess is the regular consumption of alcohol.²⁴ Alcohol increases the amount of iron you absorb from your food. In other words, by drinking alcohol with foods that are high in iron, you will likely absorb more than you need.

Other contributing factors include using iron pots and pans, drinking well water high in iron, using multivitamins and mineral supplements together or eating processed foods.

You Can Help Severe Blood Shortages and Help Yourself

Routine blood donation may be one of the simplest and quickest ways to reduce your ferritin and iron overload. Blood donation may also save the life of someone else. The American Red Cross collects blood at both permanent and mobile locations. According to the organization, more than 80% of what they collect comes from blood drives on college campuses and at workplaces.

Unfortunately, one of the consequences of COVID-19 has been a reduction in the number of blood drives and blood donations across the U.S. This has led to a severe shortage.²⁵ Chris Hrouda, who serves as president of the Red Cross Biomedical Services, expressed his concerns to a reporter from the Press Herald:²⁶

"In our experience, the American public comes together to support those in need during times of shortage and that support is needed now more than ever during this unprecedented public health crisis. Unfortunately, when people stop donating blood, it forces doctors to make hard choices about patient care, which is why we need those who are healthy and well to roll up a sleeve and give the gift of life.

We know that people want to help, but they may be hesitant to visit a blood drive during this time. We want to assure the public that blood donation is a safe process, and we have put additional precautions in place at our blood drives and donation centers to protect all who come out."

Blood donation is a safe and effective way of managing your iron stores and helping someone else. The Red Cross answers questions about your eligibility requirement on their website.²⁷ They recommend that you wait at least eight weeks between donations so your body can completely restore your blood volume.

If you are unable to donate blood because of a health condition, consider therapeutic phlebotomy. While your blood won't be used for a donation, they may do the procedure and then dispose of the blood.

If you can't find a place in your community for the services, your insurance policy may pay for routine therapeutic phlebotomies with a doctor's prescription.²⁸ In either case, whether you donate the blood or it's thrown out, the amount they take is the same.

To donate, you only need a blood donor card, a driver's license or two forms of identification. People who are at least 17, weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health are eligible.

Yearly GGT and Iron Screening Tests Advisable

Another way to measure the impact of iron toxicity and the effect on mortality is the gamma glutamyl transpeptidase test, sometimes called gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT). GGT is a liver enzyme that is involved in the metabolism of glutathione and the transport of amino acids and peptides.

It can be used as a marker for excess free iron, and as an indicator of your risk of chronic kidney disease.²⁹ Low levels of GGT tend to be protective against high levels of ferritin.

When both ferritin and GGT are high, you have a higher chance of having chronic health problems and/or early death. As with many lab tests, the normal references vary among the labs. Normal laboratory ranges are often far from ideal and those used for GGT may not be adequate for preventing disease.

As I've shared before, the range of ideal to "normal" GGT can be wide. To fully understand your risks, you'll need both the ferritin and GGT levels tested. For more information on ferritin and GGT, including healthy ranges, see "Donate Blood: You May Be Saving Your Own Life."

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Which HCPs Are Most Likely to Get COVID Vaccine?

Medscape's reader poll also found that few respondents think there will be a readily available vaccine by the end of 2020, but most think one will come by the end of 2021.

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Expert Tips on Transitioning Your Climbing Gym Skills to the Rock

Colorado-based climber Daniel Woods entered his first indoor competition at age eight. He’s since become a fixture on the elite-level climbing scene, winning the North American Bouldering Championship and consecutive USAC/ABS National Championships, beating serious adult challengers when he was just a teen.

But he’s also transitioned to bouldering, sport routes, and big ascents outside, including Colorado’s Echale (V14 FA) at age 15; Livin’ Astro (5.14c) in Rumney, New Hampshire; Esperanza (V14) in Hueco Tanks, Texas; and Mandalion (V14) in Bishop, California.

How to Read and Understand Rock Climbing Ratings

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We caught up with Woods to learn more about how to take indoor climbing prowess into the woods.

How were you introduced to both gym and outdoor climbing?

My first climbing experience was outside, when I was five, at Mineral Wells State Park. This experience inspired me to pursue climbing and I began going to the local gym in Dallas all the time. At age nine, my dad moved us to Colorado, where I joined the Boulder Rock Club junior team.

This had a huge influence on shaping me into the climber that I am today. My coaches used the gym as a tool to teach us technique and how to build strength. On weekends, we would go to a lot of outdoor areas and that sparked my love for real rock climbing.

What are the biggest differences between learning in a gym and learning outside?

Climbing on plastic and rock are very different. Styles of moves and texture of holds are the biggest difference. Outside you can grab onto holds that would be impossible to use inside (due to the difference between plastic and rock texture). Movement outside is more controlled and revolves around finger strength and body tension.

Gym climbing is a lot more gymnastic and coordinated (bigger holds, larger moves). A person creates a route for you to climb inside, whereas outside people use their vision to climb a line that the rock has naturally produced. This takes a lot of cleaning and work to make happen.

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Woods works hard at the USA Climbing national qualifiers. Photo: Greg Mionske

What are some tips for transitioning from the gym to the rock?

The best tip is to do both, understand how both work, then go from there. Both styles of climbing are not for everyone either. I love rock climbing more, but also know how useful gym climbing is.

Rock takes a while to get used to. The way you move on it is different. Rock is more abrasive than plastic, so you have to build thick skin to be able and hang onto the holds. (You then have to lose this thick skin to perform well on plastic.)

Big wall slickrock gives Woods an outdoor challenge in Moab. Photo: Scotty Rogers

What rules are important to keep in mind as you move from the gym to public spaces?

Both types of climbing have different rules. Respect outdoor areas. This includes staying on designated trails. Or if you develop a climbing area, design a trail for people to use. Pack out your trash and brush chalk off of holds. Indoors is more lenient. Obviously follow the rules set by the gym.

The Importance of Rock-Rescue Skills, According to an Expert

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Any exercises that make the transition from gym to rock smoother?

Before going on a rock trip, I train my finger strength on a fingerboard. I set moves that will resemble the moves of the climbs that I’m motivated on.

My goal with training is to build as much endurance and power as possible. I definitely stretch and do other physical therapy exercises, too.

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How COVID-19 Raced Through a Georgia Summer Camp

A report on how the new coronavirus spread rapidly through a summer camp in Georgia suggests kids transmit the virus very well .

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Faction Athletes Go to Switzerland to Ski the Steepest Lines of Their Lives

When Faction released “The Collective” last fall, it surprised us—we expected the bevy of park shots and dub 10s, and they definitely delivered, but what really turned our heads were the staggering big mountain lines that Swiss skier Sam Anthamattan tackled. So when Faction rereleased a POV segment of Anthamatten dragging Wasatch young gun Andrew Pollard up some of his native steeps, we were psyched from the get-go.

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Pollard, though competing in Freeride World Tour qualifiers since 2013, is hot off a series of podiums, skiing consistently well on some of the world’s toughest terrain. But here he admits that he’s never skied anything quite this steep. Anthamatten, born in Zermatt, was right at home. Far from the hop turns that one might expect on icy 55-plus-degree slopes, Anthamatten and Pollard open it all the way up. Rarely do ski films give us sweaty palms—we’ve seen more than our fair share—but this one counts as our cardio for the day.

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Buckle in for full-throttle turns down immaculate glaciers. We hope they ate plenty of raclette after. They earned it.

This article originally appeared on Powder.com and was republished with permission.

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Paddling Safety 101: Always Dress for Immersion

This article was produced under a grant from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, administered by the U.S. Coast Guard.

According to Murphy’s law, whatever can go wrong, most certainly will go wrong. And when you’re planning to launch any paddling trip, your outerwear choices need to follow this probability. That means: If you’re going to be on the water, you need to be prepared to be in the water.

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Following best safety practices starts with the right equipment. Beyond a safe boat or board and the necessary life jacket, the next most critical piece of gear is your clothing. Always assume that you could end up in the water, separated from your craft, and prepare for it—especially when paddling in cold water, where hypothermia can set in quickly. That means dressing in well-insulating layers, and relying on a wetsuit or a drysuit, when dictated by the temperature of the water, not the air. Dress for immersion every time you paddle.

Paddling Safety 101: Always Wear a Life Jacket

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After all, the best offense is good defense. If you foresee an errant swim and plan accordingly, you’ll ensure an enjoyable paddling excursion.

Check Out More Paddling Safety Stories Here

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Watch of the Week: The Seiko SNR045 Prospex LX Limited Edition Is Inspired by an Antarctic Expedition

Since launching in 2019, the watches in Seiko’s Prospex LX line have won accolades for their sporty design, attention to detail, and robust construction. Now Seiko has grown the collection with the new Prospex LX SNR045, a dive watch with an eye-catching green color scheme that references Japan’s long history of scientific exploration in Antarctica.

So how exactly does a green colorway represent the famously cold and icy continent of Antarctica? To answer that, you’ll need to know a little bit about the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE). The program launched with a voyage to Antarctica in 1956 and established a research outpost, Syowa Station, on the continent a year later. In the decades since, JARE teams have performed all kinds of research, and they have made a number of important discoveries—including a surprising finding under the surface of a frigid Antarctic lake in an area called Skarvsnes. There, researchers found tower-like clumps of aquatic moss growing in the icy water, and the green hues and patterned dial of the SNR045 are an homage to these hardy “moss pillars.”

Courtesy Seiko

Mounds of aquatic moss are an unexpected source for style inspiration, and it definitely makes this watch unique. The 44.8mm case stands out boldly on the wrist and offers plenty of space for the “underwater forest” pattern on the dial to shine. The dial features date and power reserve displays and LumiBrite hands and indices, and it’s topped with curved sapphire crystal and a forest green ceramic rotating bezel. Considering that many other sport watches stick with traditional accent colors like blue and black, the rich green features on the SNR045 are a welcome departure from the norm.

Of course, this is a dive watch we’re talking about, and some impressive details back up the tasteful design and ensure good performance under demanding conditions. The SNR045 is water resistant to 300 meters, features an ultra-tough titanium case and bracelet, and comes with a screw-down crown to lock out moisture. Like any true dive watch, the rotating bezel has minute indices for tracking time underwater. It’s also powered by Seiko’s innovative Spring Drive system (caliber 5R65), which combines a mechanically driven movement with a quartz regulator for top-notch accuracy—it’s accurate to within a second per day. Pair that with the watch’s 72-hour power reserve, and you have one highly dependable timepiece, whether you’re wearing it with your scuba gear or just on a weekend getaway.

It’s also destined to be a collector’s item: Seiko plans to manufacture just 500 of these emerald-toned watches, and each one will come with its limited edition number engraved on the case back. The SNR045 goes on sale in August, so keep an eye out to snag this handsome watch for your collection.

[$6,000; seikoluxe.com]

Get it

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The Healthiest Oils You Can Cook With

When it comes to cooking oils, you have lots of options. But narrowing down the list by what’s healthiest gets tricky. It boils down to specific types of fats, the amounts of those fats, and their benefits. If you’re unfamiliar, here’s our primer on the healthiest oils.

There are three major groups of fats: polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, and saturated fats. Polyunsaturated fat is the most heart-healthy and provides several benefits. More specifically, the omega-3 fats within provide the most benefits, including support for healthy inflammation levels, cholesterol levels, and overall heart health (an added bonus—they also help burn fat). Monounsaturated fat provides some health benefits, but not as many. And saturated fat, which you may have heard is “bad,” can lead to unhealthy cholesterol levels if it’s the main source of fat in your diet. That said, including a diet rich in omega-3s while eating a diet consisting of some saturated fats may not produce any unhealthy outcomes.

4 Healthy Recipes a Chef Makes to Lose Weight

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When it comes to choosing the healthiest oils, and figuring out which are the best, there are a couple things to consider:

• Which types of oils are highest in polyunsaturated (omega-3) fats?
• Which is best for the type of cooking or preparation (frying vs. using as a dressing)?

Easy Five-Ingredient Breakfast Ideas to Make on Busy Mornings

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Jordan Mazur, M.S., R.D., is the coordinator of nutrition and team sports dietitian for the San Francisco 49ers.

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Lifestyle changes are important for managing atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (afib) is a common heart rhythm disorder in which the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) beat fast and irregularly. Afib commonly causes recurrent symptoms, usually palpitations and shortness of breath, and can negatively affect quality of life. Afib also substantially increases the risk of stroke, and is also associated with heart failure, high blood pressure, and diabetes. People with afib routinely require lifelong treatment with blood thinners, to prevent blood clots that can lead to strokes.

Doctors are only recently understanding the importance of lifestyle factors in treating afib. Modifiable lifestyle factors are so important and under-recognized that the American Heart Association (AHA) recently released a scientific statement summarizing the latest research on this topic. The AHA wants both doctors and patients to understand the relationship between lifestyle and afib, and to work as a team to put these lifestyle factors into practice. Following is a discussion of important lifestyle factors, how they may impact afib, and what you can do.

Obesity

One of the strongest factors associated with afib is body weight. Obesity (defined as body mass index [BMI] > 30) has been shown in multiple studies to be linked to the development of afib. Obesity is associated with changes to electrical signaling within the atria, as well as structural changes to the heart’s upper chambers. Overeating can also cause inflammation via changes in hormone and cell-signaling pathways in the atria. Several studies have shown that as we gain weight, fat is deposited in the heart (as well as other places throughout the body), and this can trigger arrhythmias, most commonly afib.

Obesity can also be a cause of new or worsening hypertension (high blood pressure), which promotes further structural changes in the heart. Obesity also can cause obstructive sleep apnea and diabetes, both of which independently increase risk of afib.

The good news is that for people who are overweight or obese, just a 10% reduction in weight seems to improve symptoms related to afib.

Exercise

For decades cardiologists have encouraged people to exercise, because exercise reduces the risk of dying from cardiovascular causes. Not only is exercise good, but physical inactivity is actually detrimental; a sedentary lifestyle contributes to afib and may actually be an independent predictor of this condition. The AHA recommends 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, or 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise, to improve cardiovascular health. Regular exercise helps to prevent atrial fibrillation and, if you already have afib, reduces symptoms and improves afib-related quality of life.

If you are not already exercising, talk to your physician about starting a low-intensity exercise program. Brisk walking is a great form of moderate exercise and allows for physical distancing. Start with 20 minutes a day and gradually increase your pace and duration to achieve at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity.

Sleep disorders

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder in which people stop breathing for short periods while they are sleeping. It is the most common form of sleep-disordered breathing and is strongly associated with cardiovascular disease. There is also a very high prevalence of OSA in people with afib, and recurrence of afib symptoms is higher in people with more severe OSA.

Cardiologists now routinely screen people with recurrent afib symptoms for OSA. Treating OSA with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) appears to improve afib symptoms.

If you experience afib symptoms, ask your doctors if you should have a sleep study to check for OSA.

Alcohol

Alcohol is a known risk factor for atrial fibrillation, and there is mounting evidence that the old adage “less is more” may be true for drinking if you have afib. A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found less afib when patients decreased or abstained from alcohol.

If you have afib, try cutting back on alcohol, or even not drinking at all. Talk to your doctor if you are having trouble reducing your alcohol consumption.

Diabetes

The risk of afib is higher in patients with type 2 diabetes. While the mechanism is not well understood, it’s likely that elevated blood sugars directly damage the heart and promote structural, electrical, and autonomic changes within the heart tissue.

The good news is that better blood sugar control improves both the severity and frequency of afib symptoms. Lifestyle changes that promote exercise and limit inactivity can also help with weight loss and blood sugar control.

Diet

Dietary changes can translate into weight loss, and also help to control blood sugar if you have diabetes. Changing your diet can be challenging, but eating less processed foods and more fresh vegetables and fruit is a good starting place. Target bad habits, like snacking or eating out of boredom. And consider transitioning to a Mediterranean diet, which helps control weight, blood sugar, and blood pressure.

The post Lifestyle changes are important for managing atrial fibrillation appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

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Watch: Opening Day at Neko Mulally's New Bike Park 'Ride Kanuga'

Neko Mulally gives a tour of his new bike park, Ride Kanuga in North Carolina, USA. With good dirt, loam, tricky roots, pinner berms and huge jumps, this place will surely become a staple of the southern scene. As long as you don’t get rained out…

Giant Introduces XTC SLR Budget XC Mountain Bike

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This article originally appeared on Bikemag.com and was republished with permission.

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A Tweet About Your ‘Man Parts’ Can Score You $25,000 From Dollar Shave Club

We never would have thought talking about our balls could make us so rich. But thanks to the fine folks at Dollar Shave Club, it can! The brand is offering you a chance to win $25,000 just by tweeting about what your balls mean to you.

This special offer is in conjunction with Dollar Shave Club’s newly released Ball Spray, expertly designed to help reduce that ‘swampy’ feeling we all get after a day spent adventuring in the woods or on our bike.  With just a few sprays, Ball Spray goes to work, providing all-day odor and wetness protection and reducing the annoying friction and chafing we fellas get, especially after long days spent on the run. It’s no wonder the product has become quickly popular given the current heat wave we’ve been having. In fact, according to Dollar Shave Club they’ve sold out the ball spray in less than two weeks!

All that popularity has led to a wait list for the product (you can sign up for the wait list here). But while you’re waiting to get your, er – hands, on this hot summertime must have, Dollar Shave Club is offering consumers a chance to score a cool $25k just by heading over to Twitter and replying with what your balls mean to you (in 280 characters or less).  Dollar Shave Club will determine their two favorite entries and each winner will get $25K.

We want to celebrate your balls. Reply to this tweet using #paintmyballs and #contest and tell us what your balls mean to you. Use poetry or tell us a story, just DON’T use a camera. You could win $25k and see your testes turned into fine art. Rules: https://t.co/CYWmAiJMJJ pic.twitter.com/bIgWvwHPxa

— Dollar Shave Club (@DollarShaveClub) July 21, 2020

But wait, there’s more. The winners will also have their balls turned into fine art by renowned artist Serge Gay Jr.

Remember to keep it clean, literally, and you can take home cash plus have your works of art immortalized for the world to see!

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First U.S. Dog With COVID-19 Has Died

Whether the dog died from the coronavirus or lymphoma isn't clear. Buddy got sick in April but it wasn't until May that a vet confirmed the animal was infected.

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Another Effect of COVID: Lasting Hearing Problems?

When the patients were asked if they had any changes in their hearing, 13% said it was worse. Eight patients said their hearing had deteriorated and eight said they had tinnitus (ringing in the ears).

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A Long Road to Recovery for Some COVID Survivors

After fighting COVID-19, many patients struggle to walk or even turn over in their beds. Physical therapists help them regain the strength to do those everyday tasks independently.

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Study Reveals How Coronavirus Travels Indoors

For the study, they created a model of how these aerosols travel in indoor spaces such rooms, elevators and supermarkets. They also compared how the virus did in various types of ventilation and with different spacing of people within a room.

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Pandemic Could Complicate Hurricane Season

The average hurricane season has about 12 named storms, but up to 20 storms are being predicted this season, according to Marshall Shepherd, director of the Atmospheric Sciences Program at the University of Georgia.

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Vitamin D Lowers Foot Pain With Knee Osteoarthritis

The benefits of vitamin D have been well-documented over the years. I believe that getting your vitamin D status optimized to between 60 ng/mL and 80 ng/mL is one of the best things you can do to help protect yourself against the fall infectious disease season, which is expected to include both flu and COVID-19.

Health authorities are warning of a second wave of COVID-19, which means the time to start addressing your vitamin D level is now. But, as important as it is to get your level optimized by fall, it's just as important to keep it there throughout the year.

Ideally, your body makes vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight. This is why it's also called the sunshine vitamin.¹ The best indicator of your vitamin D level is a blood test measuring the concentration of 25-hydroxy vitamin D, also called 25-OH vitamin D.²

In addition to the crucial role it plays in your immune system, researchers have also found that it's integral to optimizing leptin levels, which in turn are linked to obesity.³ In one study, researchers measured vitamin D and metabolic markers in two age- and gender-matched groups.⁴

They learned that individuals with deficient or insufficient vitamin D had a higher risk of metabolic syndrome. The results from several studies have also revealed a link between low levels of vitamin D and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, although the results have not been consistent.

Foot Pain Associated With Knee or Hip Osteoarthritis

Recently, insufficient levels of vitamin D have been associated with foot pain linked to knee osteoarthritis (OA). Before delving into the results of the research, it's important to understand the relationship between low back pain and foot pain associated with severe knee OA.

In a study from 2010, researchers found that those who had OA in the knee and had pain in other joints in the body, were more likely to experience more intense knee pain.^5,6 More specifically, the researchers found that when pain was present in the lower back, foot and elbow on the same side as the affected knee, the individual rated their knee pain as more severe than those who did not have pain in other joints.

The study was led by a physician from Harvard Medical School and involved the use of data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative, a study of knee OA involving people from several locations in the northeastern area of North America. The researchers included 1,389 participants who were between 45 and 79 years of age. The results showed that 57.4% had pain in their lower back, and those same individuals had a higher pain score in their knee.

Another group of participants from the same initiative and in the same age range were gathered for a second study.⁷ Researchers evaluated 1,255 individuals who had symptoms of knee pain related to OA. They noted that 25% of them had foot pain and the majority of those had pain in both feet.

After adjusting for confounding variables, they discovered that people who had foot pain also had lower scores on other health measures compared to those who did not have pain. Those who had bilateral or ipsilateral pain had lower health scores. This suggested that the side of the body where the foot pain occurred was important.

In a third study published in the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association, scientists also evaluated the side of the body where foot pain occurred and compared it to the presence of knee OA.⁸ One author commented about the importance of this identification:⁹

"The study shows that a physician evaluating a patient for foot pain should also ask about possible hip or knee pain, and vice versa, so we can address all of a patient's issues. In medicine, many times it comes down to 'what does your MRI look like or what does your x-ray look like?'

But it's really important to conduct a thorough medical history and physical exam. A comprehensive orthopedic evaluation may prompt a broader treatment strategy and possibly a referral to another specialist."

Vitamin D May Reduce Pain Level

People with knee OA may experience mild, moderate or severe pain.¹⁰ The Arthritis Foundation compares pain medications used for osteoarthritis listing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS), acetaminophen and injections of steroids or hyaluronic acid as treatments.¹¹

In some cases, antidepressants are used to treat chronic pain, such as Duloxetine (Cymbalta).¹² In all cases, the medications have a long list of side effects. In one study, comparisons were made between NSAIDs and opioids, a drug with known addictive properties, to relieve OA pain. Researchers found that both types of medication reduced pain and the effects were nearly identical.¹³

When the use of opioids use has been measured across counties, researchers have found that where there is a higher prevalence of disability and arthritis, there is also a higher rate of opioid prescriptions.¹⁴

In a recently published study, researchers sought to determine whether sufficient levels of vitamin D could lower foot pain in those with knee OA.¹⁵ Using data from a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study they undertook a post-hoc data analysis.¹⁶

Members of the group were randomly assigned to receive either a monthly dose of vitamin D3 or a placebo for two years. The participants had a mean age of 63.2 years. Of the 413 who were enrolled, 340 completed the study. The researchers used the Manchester Foot Pain and Disability Index (MFPDI) to rate the patients' perceived pain. At the start of the study 23.7% had disabling foot pain.

The data showed greater improvement in people receiving vitamin D and in those who maintained a sufficient level of vitamin D. They concluded that "supplementation and maintenance of sufficient vitamin D levels may improve foot pain in those with knee OA."¹⁷ In an article published in Rheumatology Advisor, it was noted that the study had several limitations, one of which may have significantly underestimated the results:¹⁸

"The study had several limitations, including those secondary to a post-hoc analysis, lack of data on the clinical importance of the differences in MFPDI scores, and potential underestimation of the benefits of vitamin D, as >60% of patients in placebo group had sufficient vitamin D levels at the end of follow-up."

Slow Osteoarthritis Progression With Omega-3 Fats

A second nutrient the body uses to prevent or slow the progression of OA is omega-3 fat. Dietary fat is essential to good health. While eating too much or not enough is damaging, without healthy fat your body does not work properly.¹⁹

Polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) are one type of essential fat, which means you must eat them since the body doesn't make them. The two main types of PUFAs are omega-3 and omega-6.

Both must be consumed in the right amounts or you may develop chronic inflammation. You'll find high concentrations of omega-6 in processed food, and corn, safflower and sunflower oils. While the ideal ratio is 1-to-1, most who eat a Western diet are getting 16 times more omega-6 than is considered healthy.²⁰

As I've written recently, one of the problems with chronic inflammation may be that it promotes the damaging and dangerous cytokine storm found in those with severe COVID-19. The omega-3 index is a measure of omega-3 fat in the blood, or specifically in the red blood cell membranes. It is given as a percentage, with 8% or higher being ideal, putting you in the lowest risk zone.²¹

In a global meta-analysis of past studies measuring omega-3 levels, the researchers found areas with "very low blood levels (less than or equal to 4%)" included North, Central and South Americas, Europe and Africa.²²

This is important since the balance of omega-3 and omega-6 can help regulate inflammation²³ and slow the progression of OA after an injury,²⁴ as demonstrated in animal studies. In naturally occurring OA, animals fed a diet rich in omega-3 reduced OA by 50% over those fed a standard diet.²⁵

In a human trial, researchers found that supplementing with fish oil did not change the cartilage volume in knee osteoarthritis, but it did reduce the participants' pain scores over two years.²⁶ Additionally, researchers have discovered a link between OA and metabolic syndrome.²⁷

While metabolic syndrome increases the risk for OA, balancing your omega-3-to-omega-6 ratio can help reduce the potential risk of metabolic syndrome. The authors of one recent meta-analysis concluded:²⁸

"The present meta-analysis indicates that higher intakes of omega-3 PUFAs, but not omega-6 PUFAs, was associated with lower MetS risk; adding to the current body of evidence on the metabolic health effects of circulating/dietary omega-3 PUFAs."

In a second paper, the authors wrote:²⁹

"Lately, an inverse relationship between omega-3 fatty acids, inflammation, obesity and CVDs has been demonstrated … Omega-3 PUFAs have been shown to decrease the production of inflammatory mediators, having a positive effect in obesity and diabetes mellitus type-2. Moreover, they significantly decrease the appearance of CVD risk factors."

Based on these studies, it's apparent that omega-3 has an impact on OA pain and that it can slow the progression of OA as well as help prevent metabolic syndrome, which also raises the risk of OA.

Number of People With Osteoarthritis Has Doubled

The authors of a study published by Harvard University found that people currently living in America were more than two times more likely to have knee osteoarthritis than those who lived there before World War II. They looked at more than 2,000 skeletons with the goal of determining the age of the disease.³⁰

Interestingly, there was a rise in disease after confounding factors were accounted for, such as longer life and the meteoric rise in rates of obesity since 1940.³¹ The researchers controlled for age and body mass index and still found a significant rise in people with OA. One author was quoted in the Harvard Gazette, saying:³²

"We were able to show, for the first time, that this pervasive cause of pain is actually twice as common today than even in the recent past. But the even bigger surprise is that it's not just because people are living longer or getting fatter, but for other reasons likely related to our modern environments. Knee osteoarthritis is not a necessary consequence of old age. We should think of this as a partly preventable disease."

In the skeletons of people over the age of 50, the data showed knee osteoarthritis was 2.6 times more common in those who were born in the post-industrial age, as compared to those born in the late 1800s.³³ The researchers also found the rate of OA in both knees in the post-industrial era was 1.4 times higher.

If you are among those who have OA, consider using vitamin D3 supplements to raise your serum levels. It is important to include vitamin K2 MK-7 for reasons I discuss in "What Are the Health Benefits of Vitamin K2?", including reducing your risk of atherosclerosis.

For a list of natural pain relievers and anti-inflammatory supplements that also have demonstrated the ability to reduce pain, see my article, "Number of People Suffering From Osteoarthritis Has Doubled."

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Hong Kong Whistleblower Alleges COVID-19 Cover-Up

The debate about the origin of SARS-CoV-2 continues, as does the debate over whether the pandemic could have been quashed had Chinese authorities acted and shared information about the outbreak sooner.

According to a Hong Kong whistleblower scientist who has fled to the U.S., the Chinese government and World Health Organization representatives in Hong Kong covered up the Wuhan outbreak, allowing it to spread unchecked around the world.

In the featured Fox News interview, the whistleblower, Dr. Li-Meng Yan — who worked at the University of Hong Kong School of Public Health, a top coronavirus research lab — claims her early investigation into the SARS-like outbreak in Wuhan could have helped prevent a global pandemic from developing, had her supervisors shared her findings.

Yan claims her supervisor, WHO consultant Leo Poon, asked her to, secretly, investigate reports of a SARS-like illness spreading in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019. The Chinese government had refused overseas experts from getting involved, and Poon wanted her to figure out what was really going on.

Human-to-Human Spread Was Recognized From the Start

Yan, who has many professional colleagues in China, turned to a friend who works in the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and had first-hand information about the outbreak. Yan was told there was likely human-to-human transmission occurring, as they had found family clusters of cases.

The WHO, meanwhile, did not confirm the human-to-human spread potential for several weeks. On the contrary, an official WHO statement said the virus "does not transmit readily between people." In a Tweet, WHO also stated that preliminary investigations by Chinese authorities "found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission."

January 16, 2020, Yan was again asked to reach out to her contacts in China to see if she could learn more. Her CDC contacts were fearful, but it became clear that patients and front-line doctors were not being properly protected, and that Chinese authorities were trying to keep a lid on the flow of information.

When she updated Poon, he told her to stay silent and not cross the Chinese government, or else they'd both be "disappeared." Yan felt it was crucial to inform the public, but Poon took no action. The co-director of the University of Hong Kong School of Public Health laboratory, professor Malik Peiris, also stayed quiet.

Yan believes WHO colluded with the China Communist Party (CCP) government to prevent information about the virus from coming out. The WHO quite predictably denies her claims.

Yan describes how, since her escape, the CCP has been trying to smear her name and ruin her professional reputation, saying she's been kidnapped by Americans, and even that she has a mental disorder. Her professional webpages and affiliations have been deleted and removed.

Yan Doesn't Provide Any Shocking Revelations

On the whole, though, Yan doesn't really tell us anything we didn't already know. It's been clear that China delayed telling the public about the Wuhan outbreak. She doesn't indicate having any information about the virus' origin, and she certainly does not provide any useful recommendations for how to protect ourselves.

In fact, she parrots the recommendations of most governments — staying 6 feet apart, using alcohol-based disinfectants and wearing surgical masks. Aside from disinfectants, which may be useful for killing viruses on hands and surfaces, social distancing and mask wearing have no basis in actual science.

You can learn more about these two interventions in "Why Social Distancing Should Not Be the New Normal" and "Conclusive Proof — Masks Do Not Inhibit Viral Spread."

Of course, the Chinese have been known to wear face masks in public for some time, but they've primarily been worn to protect the wearer against air pollution^1,2 — not infectious disease. Just because masks prevent inhalation of dangerous air pollution does not mean they work against viruses.

Based on current data, Yan also seems to exaggerate the dangers of the virus, seeing how the COVID-19 mortality rate is now down to a fraction of a percent and a vast majority — about 90% — of those infected remain completely asymptomatic.

All of that said, she's certainly correct when saying that the CCP's attempts to keep details of the Wuhan outbreak from the public allowed the virus to spread, not only through China but also across the world.

SARS-CoV-2 Did Not Evolve Naturally, Scientists Say

With regard to the origin of SARS-CoV-2, scientists keep finding more clues indicating it's not a naturally-evolved virus. Among them are two recent papers by Norwegian and British researchers Sørensen, Susrud and Dalgleish.

In the first paper,³ "A Candidate Vaccine for Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) Developed from Analysis of its General Method of Action for Infectivity," published in the journal Quarterly Review of Biophysics Discovery, they claim to have identified inserted sections in the spike surface that allows it to bind to and enter human cells.

According to the authors, "The SARS-CoV-2 spike is significantly different from any other SARS that we have studied." 

The second paper,⁴ "The Evidence Which Suggests That This Is No Naturally Evolved Virus: A Reconstructed Historical Aetiology of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike," published by the Norwegian periodical Minerva,^5,6 July 13, 2020, presents several arguments for why SARS-CoV-2 is likely to have been manipulated in the lab.

As in the first paper, the researchers stress anomalies in the spike protein of the virus. The abstract reads, in part:⁷

"… SARS-CoV-2 is possessed of dual action capability … The likelihood of this being the result of natural processes is very small. The spike has six inserts which are unique fingerprints with five salient features indicative of purposive manipulation.

We then add to the bio-chemistry a diachronic dimension by analysing a sequence of four linked published research projects which, we suggest, show by deduction how, where, when and by whom the SARS-CoV-2 Spike acquired its special characteristics. This reconstructed historical aetiology meets the criteria of means, timing, agent and place to produce sufficient confidence to reverse the burden of proof.

Henceforth, those who would maintain that the COVID-19 pandemic arose from zoonotic transfer need to explain precisely why this more parsimonious account is wrong before asserting that their evidence is persuasive, most especially when, as we also show, there are puzzling errors in their use of evidence."

US-China Collaborated on Coronavirus Research

Sørensen also highlights open source studies describing the creation of new chimeraviruses that have SARS-coronavirus as a base. For example, researchers have exchanged properties between bat coronaviruses and human SARS viruses. So, there can be no doubt that the technology and know-how exists. Minerva reporter Aksel Fridstrom writes:⁸

"Furthermore, Sørensen's article points to the fact that Wuhan's Virology Institute again in 2010 took part in gain-of-function experiments with international collaborators, where SARS-coronavirus was provided with additional properties that increase the virus's ability to infect humans."

In that research, an HIV pseudovirus was used to express seven bat ACE2 receptors. The binding properties of these bat ACE2 receptors were compared to human ACE2 receptors in order to determine which one would have the greatest ability to bind to and infect human cells.

The international collaborators in this case included researchers at the University of North Carolina. Five years later, in 2015, the University of North Carolina again collaborated with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, performing gain-of-function research in which bat viruses were manipulated to create a chimeric virus capable of binding to human upper airway cells. That particular virus was called SHC014-MA15.

"Sørensen and his co-authors write that this work created 'a chimeric virus with very high infectivity potential targeted to the human upper respiratory tract' and that what is being described is 'in fact, precisely SARS-CoV-2 properties,'" Fridstrom writes.⁹

Virus Origin Papers Are Being Shunned by Scientific Journals

One of the reasons Sørensen, Susrud and Dalgleish chose to publish their science paper in a magazine rather than a scientific journal is because of the difficulty getting papers about the virus' origin published. There's tremendous stigma attached to this topic.

The journal Nature was recently caught blocking accounts of people questioning the natural origin of SARS-CoV-2 on Twitter, and several papers discussing the lab origin theory or proposing genetic engineering are languishing on preprint servers, seemingly unable to get accepted for formal publication. Several such papers are mentioned in a July 16, 2020, GM Watch article.¹⁰

Sørensen, Susrud and Dalgleish had also already gotten the runaround on their first paper. Both the Journal of Virology and Nature rejected it, stating it was "unsuitable for publication." It was eventually accepted by Quarterly Review of Biophysics Discovery, a journal chaired by Stanford University and University of Dundee scientists.

Why COVID-19 Vaccines Are Likely to Fail

Importantly, in "A Candidate Vaccine for COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) Developed from Analysis of its General Method of Action for Infectivity,"¹¹ Sorensen et.al. warn that current efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine are likely to fail since the etiology of the virus has been misunderstood:¹²

"These data reveal the biological structure of SARS-CoV-2 Spike and confirm that accumulated charge from inserts and salt bridges are in surface positions capable of binding with cell membrane components other than the ACE2 receptor.

We have also looked at the naked coronavirus spike protein as a concept for the basis of a vaccine, which we have rejected because of high risk of contamination with human-like epitopes.

Analysis of the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 shows 78.4% similarity with human-like (HL) epitopes. For the avoidance of confusion, a standard protein blast searches for functionalities and homologies to other proteins.

However, antibodies can only recognize 5-6 amino acids and therefore a 6 amino acid rolling window search for antibody epitopes was performed.

A search so tailored to match against all human known proteins will give a 78.4% human similarity to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, i.e if all epitopes on the 1255 amino acid long SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein can be used by antibodies then there will be 983 antibody binding sites which also could bind to epitopes on human proteins.

This is what we did and found … [I]n the present context, any vaccine design based on the whole Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 may not be immunogenic due its high human similarity compared to a vaccine with specifically selected NHL epitopes, such as Biovacc-19 does — and is.

COVID-19 candidate vaccines designed without appreciating these problems may run similar risks to those experienced with HIV vaccines that failed to show protection.

The possibility of inducing autoimmune responses or antibody-dependent enhancements, needs to be carefully guarded against because there is published evidence that an HIV candidate vaccine has actually enhanced infectivity:

'Vaccinations were halted; participants were unblinded. In post hoc analyses, more HIV infections occurred in vaccinees vs placebo recipients in men who had Ad5-neutralizing antibodies and/or were uncircumcised. Follow-up was extended to assess relative risk of HIV acquisition in vaccinees vs placebo recipients over time.'

Such antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) has been observed for coronaviruses in animal models, allowing them to enter cells expressing Fc𝛾R. ADE is not fully understood: however, it is suggested that antibody-dependent enhancements may come as a result of amino acid variability and antigenic drift."

They also point out that choosing an adjuvant after the primary vaccine design work has been completed, which is how vaccine development is typically done, may be yet another serious mistake that could make a COVID-19 vaccine really dangerous.

Many Different Lab Origin Hypotheses Have Been Presented

Another scientist who questions the natural evolution theory is Jonathan Latham, Ph.D., a molecular biologist and virologist. In a June 2, 2020, Independent Science News article,¹³ Latham and Allison Wilson, Ph.D., a geneticist, dissect the zoonotic origin theory, showing the research simply does not support this claim.

While they do not dispute the idea that SARS-CoV-2 started out as a bat coronavirus at some point, they dispute the mechanism by which it supposedly gained the ability to infect humans. In his article, Latham lays out several different lab origin hypotheses, which are also reviewed in my interview with him, featured in "Cover-Up of SARS-CoV-2 Origin?"

Is SARS-CoV-2 Really a Novel Virus?

Latham and Wilson continue their search for the truth in a July 15, 2020, Independent Science News article.¹⁴

"… enormous scientific attention has been paid to the molecular character of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including its novel genome sequence in comparison with its near relatives," Latham writes.

"In stark contrast, virtually no attention has been paid to the physical provenance of those nearest genetic relatives, its presumptive ancestors, which are two viral sequences named BtCoV/4991 and RaTG13."

According to Latham, SARS-CoV-2 may not be an entirely novel virus after all. A highly conserved close ancestor, BtCoV/4991, has been listed in the database for seven years and has been featured in the published literature. When the Wuhan lab later resequenced this sample, they simply renamed it, thereby obscuring its history.

As Latham explains in his article¹⁵ — which I encourage you to read in its entirety — BtCoV/4991 was found in samples collected in a mineshaft in Yunnan province, China in 2012-2013.

The samples were collected after six miners contracted a strange respiratory illness that sound remarkably similar if not identical to COVID-19. Three of them died. While the disease had only been described in a Chinese thesis written by the doctor who treated the miners, Latham had the thesis translated into English.

"The evidence it contains has led us to reconsider everything we thought we knew about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic," Latham writes.¹⁶ "It has also led us to theorize a plausible route by which an apparently isolated disease outbreak in a mine in 2012 led to a global pandemic in 2019.

The origin of SARS-CoV-2 that we propose below is based on the case histories of these miners and their hospital treatment. This simple theory accounts for all the key features of the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus …"

We suggest, first, that inside the miners RaTG13 (or a very similar virus) evolved into SARS-CoV-2, an unusually pathogenic coronavirus highly adapted to humans. Second, that the Shi lab used medical samples taken from the miners and sent to them by Kunming University Hospital for their research. It was this human-adapted virus, now known as SARS-CoV-2­, that escaped from the WIV in 2019.

Key features Latham and Wilson believe can be explained by their theory include:

• The origin of the novel furin cleavage site on the virus' spike protein that enhances its spread in the human body
• The "exceptional affinity of the virus spike protein for human receptors"
• The virus' lack of evolution since the pandemic began
• The reason SARS-CoV-2 targets the lungs

While they do not claim SARS-CoV-2 was genetically engineered, they believe gain-of-function research performed at the Wuhan Institute of Virology played "an essential causative role in the pandemic."

The Mojiang Miners Passage Hypothesis

Latham and Wilson go on to explain their hypothesis, which they've dubbed the Mojiang miners passage (MMP) hypothesis. Again, I recommend reading the original article, but for your edification, I've chosen to quote a larger than usual section to summarize it for you:

"We suggest, first, that inside the miners RaTG13 (or a very similar virus) evolved into SARS-CoV-2, an unusually pathogenic coronavirus highly adapted to humans. Second, that the Shi lab used medical samples taken from the miners and sent to them by Kunming University Hospital for their research. It was this human-adapted virus, now known as SARS-CoV-2­, that escaped from the WIV in 2019 …

Passaging is a standard virological technique for adapting viruses to new species, tissues, or cell types. It is normally done by deliberately infecting a new host species or a new host cell type with a high dose of virus. This initial viral infection would ordinarily die out because the host's immune system vanquishes the ill-adapted virus.

But, in passaging, before it does die out a sample is extracted and transferred to a new identical tissue, where viral infection restarts. Done iteratively, this technique … intensively selects for viruses adapted to the new host or cell type …

We agree that ordinary rates of evolution would not allow RaTG13 to evolve into SARS-CoV-2 but we also believe that conditions inside the lungs of the miners were far from ordinary. Five major factors specific to the hospitalized miners favored a very high rate of evolution inside them.

The lungs of the miners, we suggest, supported a very high viral load leading to proportionately rapid viral evolution. Furthermore, according to the Master's thesis, the immune systems of the miners were compromised and remained so even for those discharged. This weakness on the part of the miners may also have encouraged evolution of the virus …

In support of the MMP theory we also know something about the samples taken from the miners. According to the Master's thesis, samples were taken from patients for 'scientific research' and blood samples (at least) were sent to the WIV …

The logical course of such research would be to sequence viral RNA extracted directly from unfrozen tissue or blood samples and/or to generate live infectious clones for which it would be useful (if not imperative) to amplify the virus by placing it in human cell culture. Either technique could have led to accidental infection of a lab researcher …

We propose that, when frozen samples derived from the miners were eventually opened in the Wuhan lab they were already highly adapted to humans to an extent possibly not anticipated by the researchers. One small mistake or mechanical breakdown could have led directly to the first human infection in late 2019.

Thus, one of the miners, most likely patient 3, or patient 4 (whose thymus was removed), was effectively patient zero of the COVID-19 epidemic. In this scenario, COVID-19 is not an engineered virus; but, equally, if it had not been taken to Wuhan and no further molecular research had been performed or planned for it then the virus would have died out from natural causes, rather than escaped to initiate the COVID-19 pandemic."

As discussed in "Bioweapon Labs Must Be Shut Down and Scientists Prosecuted," the COVID-19 pandemic should be a wake-up call for the world to reconsider the wisdom of gain-of-function research. Lab escapes are guaranteed to occur, sooner or later. We got lucky this time, in the sense that SARS-CoV-2 is far less deadly than initially feared. But the government response to the pandemic has been devastating.

Global shut-downs have taken a massive toll on mental and financial health, not to mention the global economy as a whole. Could we survive as a species if something with a really high lethality were to get out? These are crucial questions that deserve public discussion and close scrutiny by lawmakers.

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