The appearance of COVID-19, together with today’s technology for travel and communication, presents an unprecedented situation. Challenges to responding to this pandemic are extraordinary. We need an unheard-of perspective to enable us to design and accept novel treatments in short timelines.
We live in a symbiotic relationship with micro-organisms. They envelope us as they stream through us. There are more micro-organism cells in and around a human body than there are human cells. They have been part of our makeup ever since we evolved beyond the micro-organism stage ourselves.
They have influenced the direction and nature of our evolution. We have an intricate relationship with them that determines our nature.
The entirety of the micro-organisms which work with our bodies is called the “microflora.” Another name is the “microbiome.”
The microflora is, literally, one of our organs. Like the heart and the liver and blood and the nervous system. They are unique to each individual in their variety and balance and quantity. This organ is constantly changing according to the needs of the body.
Like the genome, it is specific to each person. Unlike the genome, it consists of a huge variety of members, the various micro-organisms. Also, unlike the genome, it adjusts and changes throughout our lives. Whereas one’s genetic nature determines the starting place of the individual, the microflora determines the beginning and then influences changes over a lifetime.
Most illnesses arise because of deficiencies. Calcium in the bone for osteoporosis, reduced blood vessel flow for arterial disease, and falling levels of vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) in each cell are common examples. Reduced micronutrient levels in the cells impairs the cellular function and reduces resistance to disease, aging, and injury. Similarly, reductions in the microflora make us susceptible to illness. Many things depress the balance, activity and numbers of the microflora. When this happens, we are more susceptible to disease.
As with all preventive health strategies, maintaining our bodily flora is best accomplished if probiotic supplements are taken over years and decades. But when infections supervene, the preventive approach is of less benefit. An acute infection will crowd out and impair the activity of the microfloral organ. Having the backup provided by an actively maintained microflora will help. But intervention of a more acute nature is necessary. That is when and why antimicrobial agents are utilized. Antimicrobial drugs suppress the attacking agent and then allow the flora to regenerate.
The term “antimicrobial” refers to many classes of medicines that are used to suppress and/or kill micro-organisms. There are numerous known mechanisms by which they are successful. If someone becomes infected with streptococcus, malaria, tuberculosis, herpes, or other infection, doctors treat with the appropriate antimicrobial agent. And with great success.
These medicines have other effects besides killing the targeted pathogen. They have anti-inflammatory properties. They also affect the immune system. They can suppress auto-immune activity, which is often harmful. Indeed, they have been used to treat such chronic illnesses as Rheumatoid Arthritis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
Inflammatory and auto-immune reactions are fundamental bodily activities that have evolved to protect us against micro-organisms. Without them, our species would have never existed. With them, we have been able to resist the many infectious assaults that threatened us. In response to an infection, the immune system is activated and fights back using the inflammation tool.
These two systems are also causative in many of our illnesses. Coronary artery disease, arthritis and any problem named with “-itis” (the Latin word for inflammation), and even cancers are worsened by our inflammatory system. The immune system causes auto-immune disease, like rheumatoid arthritis and Lupus. Therefore, like so many things in life, these two related systems cause good (preservation of the species against epidemics) and ill (many of the diseases that ail individuals).
Oxygen is a good example of the binary nature of life’s processes. Though we require molecular oxygen (O-2) to fuel cellular energy, its byproduct (ionic oxygen, or O-) is destructive to the body and promotes the aging process.
In addition, anti-microbial medicines affect the activity and makeup of our microflora organ. This is a complex interaction. We do not know if the effect is suppressing overgrowth, inhibiting floral activity, rebalancing the proportions, or other affects.
I have treated many patients who have chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, cognitive disorders, neuralgias, myopathies, gastrointestinal problems, and other symptoms. These patients usually came to me after being attended by many other primary care doctors, specialists, experts and other providers.
My treatment includes healthy lifestyle and dietary adjustments.
Also, I often prescribed anti-microbial medicines. This was a notably positive therapy. None of these patients exhibited evidence of infections. Many had previously consulted with infectious disease specialists and been told they did not have infections. Many believed they had Lyme Disease.
I believe they had an active auto-immune problem from some earlier exposure. This stimulated a chronic inflammatory response.
All aspects of their experience led to a faulty microflora envelope.
The correction was achieved by using anti-microbial medicines. These include antibiotics, anti-malarial and anti-parasitic drugs, anti-fungal agents, medicines used to treat common viruses. The strategy was to experiment with different classes and doses and combinations of these medicines until the patient recognized success. This is not scientific. But these people suffered, and this was an effective therapy.
Fortunately, it rarely took much experimentation to find a decent regimen. Then this could be tweaked over time. This gave relief.
The lifestyle changes I recommended allowed patients to wean off these prescription medicines.
Today, we are battling coronavirus COVID-19. It is truly a war. Hopefully, science will find cures and prevention.
Science rightfully employs the “double-blind placebo-controlled study” as its gold standard. This is an ideal method to evaluate medically significant therapies.
Compassionate-use drug status (the use of a new, unapproved drug to treat a seriously ill patient when no other treatments are available) may be a good approach to treating COVID-19. We can apply this philosophy to known medicines before proof of efficacy is shown.
Many scientific studies for medicine use show some benefit without reaching the goal of statistical proof. Some minority of patients may respond to the drug in question.
It has been suggested that a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin may be an effective treatment for early-stage COVID-19. It may not be very useful once the patient is hospitalized in an ICU on a ventilator. This regimen should be offered to high-risk patients who test have early symptoms and test positive for the disease.
Other potential regimens are also being experimented with at this time. The doctors doing this work should be encouraged. There are many medicines with known side effects and risks that can be used on a trial-and-error basis.
Ideally, data should be accumulated and coordinated to help create growing wisdom within what is essentially a haphazard approach.
Many will die needlessly if there are potential therapies that are not explored because of a standard that cannot be met in time to make a difference.
While this is happening, I think it is important to recognize that we can use my [above] perspective on the cause of this (and other) illness. We can feel empowered to try various novel anti-microbial treatments and combinations to fight this deadly illness.
Of course, the immediate problem with this approach is that the drugs have become in short supply. Patients with malaria and Lupus may not be able to get their needed medicine (hydroxychloroquine). As part of the effort, we must be able to respond to this contingency by quickly ramping up production just as we’ve seen we have to do with protective masks, ventilators, and other necessities.
The take-away point is that there may be useful medicines that may treat COVID-19. Of course, we should be studying various regimens. The time from defining a possible therapy and the completion of proper studies can be months. Therefore, supporting the efforts of doctors to treat using unproven medication regimens is warranted to save lives in the short run.
Health and Spirit by Dr. Jack Zoldan 