Coronavirus Conversations - Day 26: Ventilators, Air Transmission and Fasting

Good afternoon or good evening, everybody. I'm Dr. David Perlmutter. Welcome. We are now in our 26th update as it relates to coronavirus, and really a lot of information today to cover, a lot of science, a lot of interesting developments today, and we're gonna jump right in. I want to talk first about fasting, and really grateful that so many people decided to join me on A 24-hour fast. This is the time when you start to get kind of hungry, and I would just say that as we break our fast this evening, it would be really a neat thing to think about gratitude. You know, you're going to have that meal, you're going to be able to eat, and just think about all the things that you're grateful for, which is a good thing to focus on in these times because There's a lot going on around us. So if we focus on some positive things, it tends to distract us, which is a good thing, from all the other excitement that is bombarding our souls. We have a lot to talk about tonight or today, and I want to just add one thing to our story though, and that is I want to just tell you an interesting story real quick. See if this opens this link. So I went to— I was cruising last summer in British Columbia with my wife, and we were tied up at a dock, and the man next to me had some troubles with his fuel— rather, his water pump, so the filter for his water system. So I took my tools, went into his boat, and started helping him. And he, of course, began telling me about his family. He had a son that lived In Australia and was telling me— or actually it was New Zealand— that his son was a neurologist of all things and was studying things like fasting and something called a ketogenic— I don't know, ketogenic diet, but I don't know if he even knew much about it— and said, but you probably won't know anything about that. And he was right because I'm a boat mechanic, right? I'm fixing his water filter system. But anyway, as to make a long story short, I ended up connecting with his son, who's written some several very interesting papers. I've interviewed him on the Empowering Neurologist, and he's recently published a new study. I'm going to post it to you right now, talking about the use of fasting like we all did. Many of us did today as a therapeutic for various types of neurological problems. So something to think about. Let's get into our. Program for the day. I do want to tell you all that I have identified a very, very meaningful website. I just posted it. It really gives a lot of very easy-to-understand information in terms of where we're having our problems, what is the rate of this COVID-19, how rapidly is it increasing, etc. So, a very intriguing website. I was very grateful to get that. And I guess I can't post an image to you from there. But let's just jump right in and give me one second, then we will take questions, that's for sure. All right. So, I want to start by this very important discussion. I think it's extremely valuable. We know that we can spread the virus or it can be spread to us by coughing and sneezing. We know that surfaces can be contaminated and that can spread the virus to us. The real concern is air, breathing, being downwind of somebody who happens to exhale and they may not know that they're infected. Turns out that the literature that's now coming out tells us that this may in fact be a big deal. I'm going to post to you the citation for this, what I'm going to be discussing right now. And this is a bit of research that is— while it's troubling, it's good to know. And the title of the study is The Coronavirus Pandemic and Aerosols: Does COVID-19 Transmit Via Excretory Particles? So we're not talking about sneezing on somebody, coughing on somebody. We're talking about having a conversation with somebody who is infected. And as we've talked about extensively, at least for 2 weeks now, that individual may be asymptomatic or presymptomatic. In other words, they may have no symptoms or they may be getting ready to develop symptoms. So they wanted to determine, does this COVID-19 transmit via expiratory particles? Can we simply exhale and is that infectious? And it looks like— Their conclusion is yes. We know that sneezes and coughs transmit what are called virus-laden respiratory fluids, but they want to discuss: Can a susceptible person inhale microscopic aerosol particles from just from somebody's breath? And most recently, epidemiologists calculated get this that about 86% of infections in Wuhan, China. prior to the implementation of travel restrictions were from undocumented individuals, meaning those individuals with mild, limited, or no symptoms who were never tested. Notably, their modeling indicated that 79% of the actual documented cases were infected by other undocumented individuals. So we're talking about people who are presymptomatic or asymptomatic and their ability to shed this virus when they talk to you Or when they are simply breathing. I'll continue. It appears that large numbers of patients who became ill enough to require hospital treatment could have themselves been infected by others who did not appear to be sick. So our interactions with people around town, at the, the takeout, at the restaurant, etc., the interactions we have with people may very well be Very important in terms of a vector. The editorial is, given the large numbers of expiratory particles known to be emitted during breathing and speech, and given the clearly high transmissibility of COVID-19, a plausible and important hypothesis is that a face-to-face conversation, I'm quoting, with an asymptomatic but infected individual, even if both individuals take care not to touch, might be adequate to transmit COVID-19, meaning you don't have to shake somebody's hand. What these authors are telling us is that having a conversation near a person or just being in the air that they are breathing may be sufficient to transmit the virus, and again, they may not know that they're infected. So it means that social distancing is very important, especially as I talked about a couple weeks ago, if you are downwind from somebody. Maybe they're 6 feet and upwind from you, the wind blowing towards you. Maybe 6 feet in that circumstance is not enough. Also consider closed environments like elevators where people may have been recently. These airborne particles can remain floating around and may well be infectious. I want to move on, and we'll take questions about this because I know it is really It's a real touchpoint. And I will say that it's a powerful argument, in my opinion, for wearing a mask all the time when you're around other people. At home, everybody's not— everybody that you know of that has been with you for 2 to 3 weeks likely doesn't— they don't have the problem. But, you know, if you're out, if you're in a store, if you're going through a drive-through, by all means wear a mask. Very, very important. And I will say, of course, that people have said, you know, don't get a mask if it's going to take one from a healthcare provider. I'm all in for that. Now let's move on to something that's very exciting, and that is this immunoglobulins or antibodies that can be harvested from somebody who has recovered and used as a treatment. I'm going to post that now right under Mitch Roth. Wow, I look like I lost some weight. Yeah, with one day of, one day of fasting. But anyway, so again, immunoglobulins— when you read about immunoglobulins, they are basically the same thing as antibodies against something. They're created by a type of white blood cell that we have called plasma cells, and they bind to a particular protein on a particular thing, and they then allow that thing to be inactivated, like a virus. Bacteria, viruses, and it aids ultimately in the destruction of these viruses and the destruction of bacteria. I'm going to be tomorrow on national television talking about this. It airs where I am, Eastern Standard Time, at 9 AM on Christian Broadcast Network, but don't know what time that 700 Club airs in your area, but you could check the listings for that. Anyhow— Understand then that there's a lot of research going on right now looking at harvesting the plasma from people who have recovered, making sure it does not carry virus but only other things like antibodies, making sure it's safe, making sure it's purified, then using that as a treatment. Guess what? Along with antivirals, that might be the home run. So what this study that I just posted to you and is on drperlmutter.com talks about is that it's really important— I'll read this— it's really important, it would be better if the immune antibodies were collected from patients who have recovered from COVID-19 in the same city or surrounding area in order to increase the chance of neutralizing the virus. Now this is going to take a little bit of working through, so stay with me on this. There are subtle variations in the virus that we know have already taken place. There is already an S form and an L form, the original one from Wuhan and now a modified one that's making up about— the L form making up about 70% of the cases that we see. Now, you might think, gee whiz, if this virus has already mutated to some degree, what happens to all of the immunization programs, all the vaccine protocols that are going on? Well, it turns out— I asked the same question, so I had to explore it for you. It turns out that the vaccines, most of them, many of them, are being developed not against the part of the virus that has mutated, but rather against a part that has not mutated called the spike protein. You know, when you see these pictures of the virus, what it looks like, it's got all these spikes sticking out of it, right? And that is one area for which these vaccines are being created. So it means that even the original research on the S-type might well be valuable in terms of creating a vaccine. I want to read a quote from Franklin Roosevelt, and he says, It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it. Frankly, and try another, but above all, try something. Franklin Roosevelt. Now, I want to read to you a question, and then I'll get on to your questions. This one was actually sent to our online portal. The next time you do an update, could you address where we go next with COVID-19? Specifically, we are working now to flatten the curve so healthcare providers will not be overwhelmed. We may succeed, we may fail. We will have some number of people who have not been exposed and some that survive about, whether it mild or serious, with the virus. But some will be immune, at least hopefully based on a recent study of monkeys, the macaque study that I shared several days ago, and some will not. Those who are not yet immune, will they have to shelter until there is a vaccine? It sounds like the severe cases are dangerous enough that we probably don't want to catch it deliberately, even if healthcare resources are available. I guess I'm wondering if I will be staying at home until sometime in 2021. I realize you don't have a crystal ball. Thank you for your answer. So let me respond, because this question really gets to the heart of some important issues that we need to address. First, It does look as if getting this virus once will allow a person to become immune. As mentioned, that study, the only study that is available just yet, has only been done in macaque monkeys, but I think we can expect from previous experiences that this will likely happen, but it does not mean that we will therefore develop immunity for next year's coronavirus if indeed there is one. Having said that, moving on to the rest of his question, if there isn't a vaccine available in the next year, does that mean we're going to have to continue our sheltering in place? Well, I think it really has to do with what you consider to be your risk. I'm in a high-risk category by virtue of my age. So that said, I don't want to— I've thought about it. I've thought about, you know, because I know a lot of people who've had it, they've gotten to the other side. One guy driving down the street the other day on his bike said it wasn't that bad. Yeah, he's a lot younger than I am. But that said, I've thought about it, giving it a shot, going out and getting it. But it is a bad, a bad illness. And, you know, we look at Boris Johnson now going into intensive care, and it is indiscriminate in terms of who gets affected. We even see younger people being hospitalized. So I Personally, I can't take a chance. I'm gonna stay in as long as it needs— as long as I need to. Not waiting for an immunization or vaccine, but probably waiting at least for a darn good treatment, a darn good antiviral, perhaps in combination with immunoglobulins like we just talked about. So that's true, I don't have a crystal ball, but it's— that's my answer and I'm sticking to it. Okay. I don't— I'm feeling a little bit light-headed from not eating, but usually after you move further on into a fast, that tends to go away. Make sure to drink a lot of water and always think about your electrolytes. Okay, let's move on. The ventilators, how to think about them preparing. You know, I think it's pretty straightforward. The problem with the shortage of ventilators A large number of people going into an intensive care unit will need to go on a ventilator, and there aren't enough currently to go around. Encouraging news from Washington State is that Governor Inslee was able to donate back, I think, 400 ventilators to the federal stockpile to make them available to other states. And how did they do that? They locked down and they just kept— they flattened the curve. So don't know where we're going to go on that. And I don't know, you know, if you ask how long are we going to be in this situation, it's not going to be 2 weeks. We were told that we're going to— we should expect the worst 2 weeks, these next 2 weeks to come. My sense is that 2 weeks from now it's going to be a lot worse and we're still going to be in the thick of it. And the, you know, some of the estimates I think are pretty valuable have indicated that the peak may be sometime in mid-June. That said, you know, we don't know, and we need to, we need to prepare for the fact that this may go on for a long time. Okay, walk outside, no mask or gloves, get some fresh air and vitamin D. And Angel Bayless, danke. I would say that's great advice. If you want to walk outside and there's nobody around you, absolutely. I can't imagine you'd need a mask. I think getting some sunshine, I don't think you need gloves. Go for your walk, come back to your house, and everything should be fine. I totally agree with you. I'm not taking a vaccine. And I don't know that I will either. But if that's the only thing that might allow me to then get out, I am considering it. I've never had a flu shot, but I'm, you know, we're certainly thinking about how aggressive this is. But that said, if there is an antiviral treatment that still will allow you to get coronavirus and then develop your own antibodies, that's a home run and I'm in for that. Do we need to worry about the virus infecting fresh produce? That's a very good question from I already left. I can't read it. So that's a, that's a great question. What did we do yesterday, day before yesterday? So we received fresh produce. We received cucumbers, which got washed in the sink with soap and a brush. Tomatoes, same. Apples, same. Spinach got rinsed in soapy water and then dried and then cooked last night in a wok, and the bag in which they were, that they were contained in, was thrown away. We did get cauliflower, which I scrubbed with soapy water and then left out for a day. That will be cooked and not eaten raw. So yeah, we're eating— we are eating fresh produce. I'm not sure that I want to spray produce with bleach. I think soap may be enough. And so I guess you have to decide that one on your own. There's a post here from Chris Wheatcraft about heart damage from coronavirus, which is very interesting. Thank you for posting that. That's Wheatcraft. Heart damage, yes, we're seeing heart damage in some individuals who have bad coronavirus experience, and, and that said, it makes us then want to think twice about hydroxychloroquine. Chloroquine. Why? Because hydroxychloroquine can also damage the heart. You got a person in the intensive care unit, very sick, you're tempted to give them hydroxychloroquine, and they may be getting heart issues anyway by virtue of the virus itself. So we need to think about that. And, you know, this may not necessarily be like the flu, you get over it, the next thing you know you're back on your bike and having a great time. There may be some residual damage. We don't know if there's going to be permanent damage, but there is some suggestion of some lung changes that may resemble pulmonary fibrosis and heart issues as well. Even a suggestion now of neurological complications when people are ill with coronavirus. I recommend when going out— I thought they were only effective from being No. So let's talk about why again I'm in favor of the mask. It can protect the wearer. It can protect people with whom you're nearby if you are infected, and it'll keep you hopefully from touching your face. Is it 100%? No. Is anything less than an N95 mask less effective? Yes, it is. Some masks are really fairly ineffective, but at least it's a start. You know, if it's 10% effective, that's A certainly reasonable, best thing to do is stay away from people. Okay. I'm going to move through a couple more questions and then be back with you guys tomorrow. And again, join me tomorrow on The 700 Club. I will be on around 9:00, 10:00 Eastern Standard. I don't know what time that will air. 9:00 Eastern Standard Time. But I'll be sharing some of this information and some up-to-date information. And I know that I have liver issues. I don't. I'm reading somebody's question. I have liver issues. Should I stay in? I would, absolutely. I mean, go for a walk if you want. I don't know what medications you're on. Hello, Cousin Peggy. Thank you for all the great information you've sent to me. Eventually return to Oregon. Bye, Oregon, Washington. Couldn't read it. It scrolled past too quickly. But again, thank you, Peggy. You've been sending me some great things from your pal in Italy. Very, very helpful. What about vinegar? I don't think vinegar has been shown to be effective. Are you— what are thoughts on carnivore diet? Okay, I will— What are my thoughts on the carnivore diet? I'm going to leave it with that and I'll answer the question. So the carnivore diet, eating meat and virtually all animal products, has become something of a discussion point lately. I don't think for— I don't think it's the best idea. I think in the short term, perhaps, if you're having some allergic issues with certain vegetables or sensitivities, it might be reasonable for a couple of weeks. But I think long term, you don't want to go on a diet that deprives you of dietary Fiber. There is no fiber in animal products at all, and we desperately need fiber, especially now. Why? To nurture our gut bacteria, our very important first line of defense as it relates to immunity. Our gut bacteria balance our immune systems, they calm inflammation, and there is a suggestion made by me, although I haven't seen much in the literature yet, that the status of our microbiomes may have a role to play in how we are responding to COVID-19. So I would tell— I would explain that my view on a purely carnivorous diet, purely meat-based diet right now, I would not be in favor of it, and that's my position. Okay everybody, I am going to sign off for now. I'll be back tomorrow. I thank you all for your attention, and tune in on 700 Club if you care to watch that tomorrow, and we'll talk later. Bye-bye.