Disclaimer: I am neither a biologist nor a microbiologist nor a virologist. I have long-term medical condition which I believe to be viral, and I belong to a private website dedicated to a drug protocol that has taken care of a great deal, but not all, of my illness. The new antiviral therapies being explored to treat the SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan virus have provided an opportunity to explore and pursue new ideas and bring together research from across the spectrum to form a new understanding of how to treat not just the current viral pandemic, but all viruses. What follows is my up-to-the-minute understanding, which is subject to change, including complete reversal!
If you’ve watched one of the videos where Dr. Zelenko (the doctor in NY who is having so much success with hydroxychloroquine therapy), you already know that the key to the therapy’s success is not azithromycin. That’s just a wide-spectrum antibiotic to catch any secondary infections. (It may have antiviral properties as well, but how it might work is still at the hypothesis stage.)
The key to the hydroxychloroquine therapy is to pair it with zinc, an over-the-counter dietary supplement. It is actually zinc that stops viral replication, not HCQ. But zinc is a mineral that the body does not absorb well. It can’t even get into the virus-infected cells all by itself because it is a 2+ ion, and ions cannot cross the cell membrane. HCQ functions as an ionophore, which means it transfers the zinc ion across the infected cell membrane, where the zinc ion changes the cell’s pH and thereby prevents the virus in the cell from replicating. Explanations of the process use words like “channel,” “pathway,” “gate,” “bridge,” or even “transporter” to describe the function of the ionophore (in this case HCQ).
Perhaps the absolutely best thing about this is that doctors are realizing that zinc + ionophore is a tool that works not just against SARS-CoV-2 but against any virus. And guess what, it’s cheap, either generic or over-the-counter, and widely available. What’s more, if you are a chronically ill person (like I am) who suffers from a persistent virus like Epstein-Barr (to name just one, there are lots), there is nothing to stop you from using this zinc + ionophore tool to go after whatever persistent viruses are hiding from your immune system. This is of course not a guaranteed cure. But it appears to be an effective therapy which might, over time, find all the viruses hiding in cells throughout your body. (N.B. If you decide to try this, be aware that you will almost certainly experience an increase in symptoms temporarily from cytokines; feel free to contact me privately.)
Fortunately, there are other ionophores besides HCQ that work with zinc and some of them are over-the-counter, though it’s becoming harder to find them.
The most well-documented is quercetin. This is a common supplement. It has been used as a zinc ionophore to treat both Ebola and Zika, as well as the earlier SARS-CoV that now circulates as (part of?) Influenza A. Quercetin is available in many whole foods, but not in the quantities needed, so a supplement is better.
There is also a substance in green tea that acts as an ionophore. The tea needs to be very strong. It does not work as well as quercetin. There is also a supplement called EGCg (epigallocatechin-gallate) which is green tea extract, and much more concentrated (not to mention much easier to control the dose). It may be more effective than quercetin (perhaps because more concentrated).
Picolinic acid (part of chromium III picolinate and of zinc picolinate) also acts “somewhat” as an ionophore. So if you have a choice, get zinc picolinate. (Not easy to find right now.) Zinc picolinate is also more absorbable than zinc gluconate (the more commonly available supplement). Be aware that if you take this in large quantities, especially on an empty stomach, you may have nausea.
And don’t forget, there’s also that old-fashioned quinine. Enjoy those G&Ts! 🙂
Finally, a footnote, sort of. Azithromycin and ciprofloxacin (antibiotics) have been found also to have a pH-modulating effect (which prevents the virus from replicating). Not exactly the same as zinc + ionophore, but a different way to accomplish the same thing, though it seems not as effectively. It possibly works synergistically with zinc + HCQ, whic is why Dr. Zelenko’s patients did so well with the combination of all three together, while other studies that did not use zinc had varying results.
I will try to update this later with a reference list of explanatory videos and links to papers or abstracts that demonstrate the various things I’ve stated above. But it will take me a while to get that together, so I’m going to go ahead and post.
Also, I have several other topics to cover, including a couple of other antiviral therapies. I will post them separately.