How I “cured” myself from 824 days of Long-COVID (like symptoms from an adverse effect to the vaccine), subsequently beat COVID-19 and stopped Paxlovid-rebound while having Long-COVID (LC) beating both with 92.36% recovery using Western Medicine and Eastern Medicine (Russian Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, First Nations Medicine) using a targeted approach.
In addition, I helped my 76-yr old mother who was suffering with Post-Acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) from 2020 COVID-19 infection recover fully. A month later she gets COVID-19 again and I helped her stop Paxlovid rebound beating the new infection in 2023. She has fully recovered.
Before I begin I want to thank all the researchers and scientists who asked questions and published their findings; all the medical personnel, in specific Dr. Leonardo Rodriguez, Dr. Griffin, Dr.Prather; Tato & Linda. Friends: Joel, Kristin & Mischa. Family: Sloane; Bonny; my mother as we helped each other during our daily COVID talks ; Steve, whom endured much of my pain; John & Colleen, whom without their ears, words of wisdom and shoulders I could not have endured this nightmare; and most of all my loving and supportive wife, Nikki, whom without I would not have been able to succeed.
This is my story.
“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” — Issac Newton
At the beginning of the pandemic my wife and I took the isolation route as I wanted to wait to be one of the last infected so that a treatment plan would be available. At the time, the narrative pushed by the media was that SARS-COV-2 only killed the elderly, yet it was a novel virus. That narrative did not resonate with me. Wouldn’t SARS-COV-2 be an equal opportunity killer like Ebola? So I began to study the virus, looking at finites and yes all the data I collected from NYC government website on death rates revealed such ( See Chart).
One thing that really stuck out to me is the logarithmic curve from infants to senior age in death rate. By that time I had a theory that it was current vaccinations that prevented serious illness as a newborns babies up to the age of two gets 24 vaccine shots, basically one per month. I did not know which one or ones. I recalled that the USS Rosevelt had 4900 sailors with 31.8% (1273) of sailors testing positive with only one death, or a 0.08% death rate. At that time, the estimated death rate from the virus was anywhere from 6–15% worldwide. During the very same period of time, there were outbreaks on multiple cruise ships resulting in a significant percentage of reported fatalities- the Diamond Princess, with a mortality rate of 2%; the Ruby Princess at 3.3%, the Celebrity Enterprise at 20%; and the Norwegian Breakaway at 33%, to name a few. Yet the US military is one of the most vaccinated people on the planet and compared to the high death rates on other cruise ships at the time my wheels were left spinning. I had to focus on getting back into our home due to a complete home remodel so I let it rest.
On Dec. 24, 2020 my 76-yr old mother gets Covid-19. I await for the call, which never came. She did get sick, got convalescent plasma treatment and that was it. No hospital admission, outpatient. It left a question mark in my mind. She had the usual symptoms fatigue, malaise, brain fog, etc.
At the beginning of Jan 2021 I reach out to my cousin who talks to me about the Analysis of Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) Titers of Recovered COVID-19 Patients and explains to me the titer levels. The very next day I got my MMR, wrote a position paper and on Jan 19, 2021 sent it to then Gov. Andrew Cuomo, his staff, Dr. Zucker (NYDOH Commissioner), the press, Merck and the CDC. On Cuomo’s COVID briefings that Friday he paraphrases a couple of lines in my letter, confirming receipt. No written response from anyone, however. So I let it rest. 6-months later I was proven half right as it offered protection to men not women.
I searched for a live attenuated and inactivated vaccines for COVID-19 yet they were not available (Novavax July 2022). Thus, on March 31, 2021 I was administered the first Covid-19 mRNA vaccine shot and, unaware, my adverse effect began there (I never had an adverse effect to any vaccine in my life), it was the second shot that immediately turned my life upside down on April 21, 2021. The paranoia, an adverse effect, that I was having at the time prior to the 2nd shot but I had no idea it was related to that first dose immediately changed after being administered that second dose. Hysteria, pressure in head, tunnel vision, hallucinations, rage and irritability were brought on immediately, I tried to contain myself as I did not trust anyone as I felt and truly believed that I was being poisoned by the US government. Those were the longest 15min of wait time I experienced in my life as all I could do was bite my lip and tongue and count the seconds passing by slowly. It attacked my brain and within days inability to think, brain pressure, laying prone and drooling like a baby, inability to speak or move, GI issues, loss of appetite, heightened senes, 10 lbs weight yo-yo’s overnight and hysteria worsening are just a few of the forever increasing list of my symptoms.
On May 2nd just after 6pm, 11 days after the 2nd dose I met with, my brother, the former President of MGM National Harbor & COO of Portfolio properties, Jorge Perez. Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of meeting him knows that his gift and talent is people, he has an ability to read people and win them over, a true leader. He said to me “I have known you for 50 years and you are not my brother. You don’t walk like my brother, you don’t talk like my brother, you don’t look like my brother, you don’t act like my brother! You are not my brother!” It’s like I became as mad as Rasputin or King Aerys II Targaryen (The Mad King, Game of Thrones) and as dumb as Forest Gump all at once and all in one person.
At the end of May 2021 I sought medical help as my list of symptoms kept growing and the hysteria/paranoia persisted. MD’s, Neurologist, Psychologist, etc. My psychologist documented my “broken synapses” which have been with me all this time due to my inability to articulate anything as I lost my brain to the vaccine. I lost my ability to executive function. Yet, the fight or flight mechanism was raging. It took me three months to figure out my new apple watch, which under normal circumstances would be minutes. I went through the “Ground Hog” phase like Bill Murray. Every morning I woke up “feeling ok” then the fog brain or Post Exertion Malaise would set in and the next day repeat. The difference is that it took me 3–4 months to figure out I was stuck in a cycle. I lost my ability to hold things in my hand, I cut part of one finger off while making dinner and had to go to the Emergency Room (9.26.21).
Yet unbeknownst to me and in the background many things were starting to exhibit signs of being negatively impacted by the vaccine. By June 14, my list of symptoms had grown to over 100.
Cardio Fitness, a measurement by Apple Watch called VO2max (figure below)
used to calculate the maximum amount of oxygen during workout (walking, running, hiking only) in sum it demonstrates general wellness. My first reading was 48.2pts on July 30, 2021 and by Oct 29, 2021 it had dropped to 35.9pts — over a 25% loss of oxygen. By that time I couldn’t exercise at all and if I did my body temperature would deregulate, the migraines would begin, the fog would intensify and my aggression would worsen (a few of the many symptoms). It further fell to 32.5pts by May 1st, 2022. — That’s over a 33% total reduction in oxygen levels, or confirmation of degree of fatigue and sickness. By mid September 2021, the fatigue was so menacing that I could no longer ride my bike nor walk. My body temperature would de-regulate taking over 3 hours to warm me up under many layers of blankets. Hyper-bowel up to 7/day and all different were the norm. A constant gag reflex, migraines, thunderclap headaches, headaches; Copper, Iron, Salt, Mineral taste in mouth all on the left side only; Parkinson’s-like Left hand, falling, change in elevation caused a plethora of symptoms, dizziness, sexual dysfunction, insomnia, lightning bolt through my left eye, blurry & tunnel vision are just a few.
On July 14, 2021 an article published in The Lancet by Davis, Hannah E. Et al, Characterizing long COVID in an international cohort: 7 months of symptoms and their impact. The article is about 203 COVID symptoms, which I read that day, and realized I had about half those symptoms and I had other symptoms not listed affecting all organ systems.
I reported it to VAERS and CICP. I lost my ability to work and was denied any disability benefits or collect unemployment benefits. The financial burden fell on my wife’s shoulders.
By middle of September 2021 my health took a turn for the worst. That is the beginning of my organ systems shutting down. It was my mother who said to me for months as she was suffering from ~15 Long Covid symptoms, “papi, your symptoms are worse than mine and you never had Covid.” It took months of her repeating those same words to me for them to penetrate through that thick fog, fatigue, malaise, and reach my brain.
I have sought out treatment from at least 18 practitioners, two Long-COVID clinics (D.C. & N.Y.C.). After the first failed attempt to obtain clarity at the GW clinic, the 2nd practitioner on December 21, 2021 which I specifically came to him asking for a steroid treatment referenced in the ESPN article that I had learned through a friend ten days earlier. He told me “we don’t treat people like you” and I left empty handed. On Jan. 13, 2022, the 3rd practitioner gave me an official diagnosis of Post-Acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), POTS, and Dysautonomia and said to me “you now live in an 80-year olds body” (I was also hypertensive).
I immediately questioned “How could I have PASC without having COVID-19 as all my symptoms began with the BNT162b2 vaccine? I asked, “How can I be an athlete one day and the next be an invalid?” That one-and-a-half hour intake interview landed me in bed for three (3) days as it took the life out of me. Experimental treatment started a week later; and a month later it had to be discontinued as the piecemeal approach mainly failed and it revived some of the initial symptoms from the adverse effect to the vaccine, like the piercing lightning bolt through the left eye. I was able to begin to walk and ride a bike so my logical mind decided to do the same route every day as a way to self monitor my progress or decline. Exercise came with limitations, like loosing control of my left foot as it often slipped off the pedal while riding and falling while walking. A lesson for me: things work until they don’t or things don’t work until they do.
On Feb 2nd, 2022 I got a second opinion form Mt. Sinai clinic in NYC, the intake practitioner said, “nothing that you have told me I have not heard before, what you are not going to like is that you are the King…the King of symptoms” and she continued saying “you will never fully recover and most-likely never lose the weight.” No treatment was offered. By this time my body was shutting down. How can a virus behave like cancer? It can’t by definition: nucleic acid encapsulated in a protein sheath with a very specific set of instructions.
In March 2022, I sought help from a well known and respected virologist, who agreed that a piecemeal approach was incorrect for me and that the “Wait and See” approach was harmful. Any treatment he offered my body rejected. I figured out that one of the things he was testing was my Blood-Brain-Barrier (BBB). By this time my list of symptoms had grown to 150+ symptoms, affecting 13 organ body systems all stemming from an adverse effect to the BNT162b2 vaccine. Blood work revealed many things like Anemia, pre-Hepatic damage, pre-Diabetes, etc.
On April 6th, 2022 I am seen by the Mt. Sinai Neurologist as my symptoms worsen whom gives me an official diagnosis of “‘adverse neurologic event after covid-19 vaccination,’ in other words chronic neurologic symptoms after covid vaccine.” She recommended vitamins. By the end of May 2022 I had accepted the inevitable as I said to the virologist “I am dying from within. I feel like I am being suffocated.” He had stopped treating me because my body rejected all treatments. The grim reaper had me and had started slicing and all the doctor could do was watch my decaying health worsen. I felt helpless. I had gone through my stages of viral progression and symptoms from date of initial injection(infection), Adverse Effect Onset post-injection (hallucinations, rage increasing); Extreme Acute (ex: hysteria and drooling); Acute (Groundhogs Day) — waking up “fine” then the fog would set in losing the rest of the day to the sickness; Post-acute — (hysteria dwindling, broken synapses, struggling speaking, paranoia, “feeling like things returning to normal”); Lingering & worsening-(The surprise, as in the background VO2max dropping 20pts+ in two months and resurgence of other limiting symptoms); and Debilitating — (any stress on my body would send my body into shock). My sickness has taught me that without proper treatment for me by this last stage there is only death. My body, the hamster, was stuck in the wheel and in my instance, I believe the wheel to be the germinal centers.
On my 429th sick day, June 2nd, 2022, I stumbled across a happy accident for treatment. I felt a difference that I could not articulate. At the time and in my frail state, I thought it was the only solution for me. I shared the news with my wife as I said “I am shooting past the moon.” She responded “too high.” I said “not high enough.” As I believed at the time it was the magic pill, yet in hind-sight it was a crack in the door and she was right, as she was managing my expectations.
On June 9th, I shared my findings with the virologist where he asked “what were you expecting?” I responded with the “V” sign as the fatigue from speaking was unbearable. “You are on to something…you are now leading the charge,” he said. The essence of our relationship changed. I started directing my treatments, creating experiments, researching more, logging data and metrics, keeping meticulous records. I did the same bike and walk routes, kept the same routine to minimize the variables. That evening I had so much energy and I was able to do more, yet the next day I would be confronted with a harsh reality as it all faded. I was staying in NYC at my best friends house (a MENSA tech genius with an ability to read people) and he said to me “You figured out COVID!” In my fog I responded affirmatively, yet I struggled with any formulation of logical thought as he said to me “the vaccine fried your brain and made you dumb as a rock.” I asked family members to help me write this paper for over two years because physiologically I could not, that is how fried my brain was.
With the new found success came immediate setbacks that were even more brutal as the scintillation of success was immediately erased and all I had was a vague memory of what a “good feeling” felt like as I was back in Hell. I was so weak and my mind was very compromised that I struggled for words. I had at least three failed attempts on holding progress.
That opening was caused by Valtrex/Valacyclovir. The next more intense treatment recording of June 19, 2022 held.
Yet my body was so weak that with no treatment it would stagnate
as the July 4, 2022 reading shows (above). That stagnation is rampart in PASC sufferers like myself as reported on by PBS on April 18, 2023 “Long COVID symptoms keeping many Americans from returning to work.” I vowed to beat that prison sentence. Once progress started and held, I researched and I shared my findings with the virologist. I said to the virologist, “all the answers to solving PASC have been published when the mud was being flung at the wall in 2020.”
I was progressing with each treatment which was an awesome feeling as some symptoms would go away, yet others would rear their heads and when the pullbacks happened I was in the house of pain again. I experimented with dosage levels and frequency as my sickness pushed my limits on how long to take Valacyclovir. With this new found success finally I could use my mind for a limited time before I would crash. At first it was 5-min, then 10-min, then 15-min, then longer. By July 7, 2022 I had read how the BNT162b2 vaccine triggers Herpes Zoster with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases. I don’t have rheumatic disease prior to the vaccine but “I have been in a hypoxic state for about a year and that only breeds one thing: disease,” I shared with the virologist during one of our sessions and I continued with “the next call will be the Oncologist.” So I increased dosage limits and durations. Two days later on July 9 is when I write for the first time at 3:10pm my “VO2max keeps climbing now 36.4[pts] up from 35.7[pts] (June 20 & July 4 respectively) a 0.7pt increase (1.9%).The increase on June 20 to 35.7[pts] from June 19 of 32.6[pts] is 3.1pts increase (9.5%).” Which did hold as the prior ones did not. Two hours later I read dosage limits and side effects from NIH as my list of symptoms was confusing. The next day I kept researching about drug interactions and side effects. By this time I had found a hypothetical study supporting Acyclovir from August 2020 in sum, it supported using Valtrex family of drugs to treat SARS-COV-2. Supporting my one-trick pony thesis, however and due to my ill state it wasn’t enough (much later it proves correct for me when I get COVID-19 for the first time). By July 13, 2022 I had lost over 12 lbs from the 40 lbs gained from the adverse effect, thus inflammation reduction, but I was still hypertensive 135/90 with pulse 69.
On July 19, 2022 I began trying to put my symptoms into A, B & C groups because they weren’t going away. I kept on reading periodicals and asking questions and I began to loosely “diagnose myself” to gain clarity of my symptoms so that I could ask for treatment or find treatment options, yet all the reading was only giving me clarity in articulating my present predicament not a way forward. I wrote in my notes at 12:12pm “…two weeks ago I could not ride [a bike] and walk. Now I can ride [a bike] and walk and it’s just July 18 that I could walk b4 ride and after ride…”
I found an article on viruses and hypoxia, another on The Warburg effect from glycolysis disruption due to SARS-COV-2, but my fog brain kept me from connecting my symptoms to the adverse effect from the vaccine. Thus, I was sure that for me it was the Krebs cycle, I looked for ways to increase ATP production naturally. NAD+ capsules, food, etc. I had issues drinking mineral water, which is composed of HCO3- (bicarbonate) also an important component part of the Krebs cycle and Glycolysis. On July 22, 2022 at 12:19pm entry I write “…VO2max up 0.3pts to 37.2pts surpassing Dec 26 [2021] and 0.1pts short of Oct 25, 2021 reading of 37.3pts.” So Valtrex kept working as I was on and off for periods of time. I kept working with what I had control of: food and the anti-viral. The very next day I write after my afternoon walk at 6:26p “…VO2max 37.3pts a 0.1 increase from this morning on a day I feel crummy. Matching Oct 25. If this holds and is surpassed then this might be the turning point. It is too early to tell.” I kept researching, the level did not hold as it dropped by 0.1pts. That small 0.5% drop brought back my fog brain and malaise.
On July 24, 2022, I found this NIH article titled Drug-induced life-threatening potassium disturbances detected by a pharmacovigilance program from laboratory signals where the authors state “we identified previously undeserved pharmacological causes of…hypokalemia (acyclovir)…” and wrote in my notes at 2:45pm “so my gut is right. If this article is true, then it is HYPOKALEMIA and the regimen I am on stays.” I was borderline hyperkalemic. In the back of my mind I start thinking there was something else happening as my litany of symptoms persisted. The first, SARS-CoV-2 Infects Red Blood Cell Progenitors and Dysregulates Hemoglobin and Iron Metabolism stating “…It was suggested that the innate immune system may aim to decrease the bioavailability of iron in order to prevent an expanding viral load in the acute phase of the infection. This leads to the activation of hepcidin, sequestration of iron within cells, increased levels of ferritin and decreased hemoglobin, culminating in hypoxia...”
Which lead to asking for inhibitor of hepcidin and the article Natural and synthetic STAT3 inhibitors reduce hepcidin expression in differentiated mouse hepatocytes expressing the active phosphorylated STAT3 form where the authors state that “…STAT3 inhibitors, including curcumin, AG490 and a peptide (PpYLKTK), reduced hepcidin mRNA expression even when cells were additionally exposed to IL-6…”
Furthermore, steroid inhibits hepcidin transcription. Thus, a full score for me as as my diet is rich in Curcumin and I begin targeting what my sickness had disrupted in me. The three articles paint a picture for me as logical explanation for my low ferritin levels and my state. Yet, the forward progress on VO2max had slowed and my research became so technical that in my state it was almost impossible to explain, but made logical sense to me and gave me articulation to explain my situation to the virologist as I targeted hepcidin with turmeric.
I do some more research and my wife and I go on a trip for a friends wedding. With that trip comes a diet change. We drove and the symptoms that came with that road trip were overwhelming, one in particular was elevation change — a trigger for a plethora of symptoms.
On Aug 3, 2022 I wrote in my journal 8:40PM: “Long COVID May Be Chronic, Require Anti-Inflammatory Meds: Study”…followed by “Steroids” and another study talking about post-acute COVID syndrome (long COVID (LC)) lasting longer than 12 weeks related to type I IFN (IFN-β) and type III IFN (IFN-λ1). And this is where it began to click for me that for me what my next step could be. Earlier that day I had an appointment with the Mt. Sinai practitioner, whom I shared my findings and progress. Furthermore, I was having horrible edema of my lower legs. It lasted 24–36hrs and resolved on its own. I had also seen the virologist and I and I asked him “Occam’s Razor or Hickam’s dictum? SARS-COV-2 has shown us the alternative which, I believe, is both. Or is it?” He just listened.
By now I had taken what I knew was true: my list of symptoms (not comprehensive) (see table below)
and what researchers had published in periodicals about SARS COV-2 and PASC. In my mind and on paper I began deciphering what my symptoms meant in the grand scheme of things. The hard part was that my sickness masked the true identity of the cause of the symptoms as Group A →Viral. I felt like I was back with Marshall McLuhan deciphering the sign/signifier paradigm and Alan Turing attempting to solve Enigma as I needed more than one letter to break the code, yet my brain was still so compromised with the migraines, headaches, thunder-clap headaches, fog brain, fatigue, malaise, etc. Furthermore, my sickness had taught me which dosage level and duration was good for me with the anti-viral. It also taught me that I have a 24-hr window from ending treatment to confirm success. If symptoms return, then repeat or have another plan.
On Aug 7th, 2022 the first of three-rounds of Prednisone begin. Two days later I wrote in my notes what my sickness had taught me thus far: “what I do know is that VIRAL REPLICATION must be stopped before any healing can happen.” And I continued analyzing and attempting to group my symptoms into categories like my left-hand “Parkinson’s[-like-]fist”, the left-flat foot that would not articulate when walking, the NO-sweating when riding my bike/walking and blurred vision to name a few. Due to my symptoms and my sickness I kept researching and asking questions and increased my electrolytes intake before and after my bike ride.
On Aug. 10, 2022 I found the following articles presenting the problem that COVID-19 causes and a solution.
- COVID-19: hemoglobin, iron, and hypoxia beyond inflammation. A narrative review.
- SARS-CoV-2 Infects Red Blood Cell Progenitors and Dysregulates Hemoglobin and Iron Metabolism the authors write “…It was suggested that the innate immune system may aim to decrease the bioavailability of iron in order to prevent an expanding viral load in the acute phase of the infection. This leads to the activation of hepcidin, sequestration of iron within cells, increased levels of ferritin and decreased hemoglobin, culminating in hypoxia…”
- Natural and synthetic STAT3 inhibitors reduce hepcidin expression in differentiated mouse hepatocytes expressing the active phosphorylated STAT3 form where the authors write “…STAT3 inhibitors, including curcumin, AG490 and a peptide (PpYLKTK), reduced hepcidin1 mRNA expression even when cells were additionally exposed to IL-6…”
- Testosterone administration inhibits hepcidin transcription and is associated with increased iron incorporation into red blood cells as the authors state that “testosterone administration increases hemoglobin levels and has been used to treat anemia of chronic disease.”
On Aug 10, 2022 around 1030pm I finally view a video on flavonoids that a friend sent. So I find an explanation as Group C for me is inflammation in Chapter 18 — Role of Flavanoids in Management of Inflammatory Disorders. I will quote part of this article: “Flavonoids are a wide category of polyphenolic compounds that have a major role in the treatment of various inflammatory diseases, including arthritis, gastritis, nephritis, hepatitis, ulcerative colitis, Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, and many allergic reactions…These compounds also regulate the oxidative status and prevent damage caused by oxidative stress such as the antioxidant effect. The high levels of cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin (IL)-1, and IL-6, are allied with chronic inflammatory diseases. Some flavonoids, namely luteolin, quercetin, and apigenin, reduce cytokine expression and their secretion. It suggests that these flavonoids may have a therapeutic benefit in the treatment of inflammation-associated diseases as cytokine modulators.” SARS-COV-2 is an inflammatory disease targeting TNF, IL-1, IL-6 (specifically), TNF-, etc.
Yet, while the steroid was helping with some symptoms and my brain begins the process of coming online, it is here where my quest to solve me, the remaining symptoms, using natural herbs strengthens as Turmeric worked. The next time I saw the doctor he had done his own homework and implored that I continue targeting Hepcidin. I then added to my regimen Quercetin tablets as “Quercetin suppressed protein digestion in the intestinal fluid by inhibiting trypsin; enhanced the intestinal absorption of proteins rather than small molecules; promoted protein absorption at a dose lower than recommended as supplement; and promoted the internalization of oligopeptides in the intestinal villi cells. The enhanced cellular uptake associates with its flavone backbone of quercetin.” These flavonoids come from food, I later switched to getting Quercetin from diet only.
On Aug 13, 2022 my weight had reduced more to 206.6 lbs, my VO2max had climbed to 38.3pts. My sickness kept pushing to ask my teacher who kept revealing answers for me. SARS-CoV-2 Disrupts Proximal Elements in the JAK-STAT Pathway article stated “…IFN treatment does not function in COVID-19 patients.” And my teacher would have me write in my notes, “*Correct. Viral replication must be stopped before INF treatment.” Furthermore, I became aware of my pitfalls if I did not improve and the potential of long-lasting symptoms: SARS-CoV-2 Spike Proteins Disrupt the Blood-Brain Barrier, Potentially Raising Risk of Neurological Damage in COVID-19 Patients. My body kept giving me signals and while I kept trying to logically place my symptoms in groups, things would change. I had started to go my “normal” route when taking prednisone → angry/rage on day 6; however the first five days were so peaceful, it was so nice. The very next day Aug 14th, the 8th day of treatment, and due to my symptoms I find this article titled Adrenal tropism of SARS-CoV-2 and adrenal findings in a post-mortem case series of patients with severe fatal COVID-19 where the authors write “Cytokine toxicity and autoimmunity can be reduced by mild immunosuppression due to activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) with hypercortisolemia…ACE2 and TMPRSS2, which have been shown to contribute to viral entry into the cell and to viral persistence were expressed in adrenal and endothelial cells.” I did finish the ten day regimen screaming at the wall those last three days.
On Aug 18, 2022 I was having side effects from too much piperine (Pippali and Black pepper) with Turmeric. Which lead me to the book LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury where the author writes “...Importantly, means of increasing the bioavailability of curcumin were developed using piperine (black pepper) or nanoparticle delivery methods to increase absorption. These high bioavailability forms of turmeric were subsequently linked to several cases of liver injury and mentioned as a possible cause of outbreaks of acute hepatitis with jaundice in Italy…” Thus, I cut out piperine. VO2max 38.9pts. By Aug 22, 2022 my VO2max had climbed to 39.3pts. I still had a litany of symptoms and feeling very off. I made a case to the virologist as bacterial infections all too often accompany viral ones for an anti-bacterial. I was given Doxycycline and my experience was not positive. I still had paranoia that was slowly dwindling, I began to include in my notes more details of all research unlike before. This is when I begin looking at my Cat-ions as a possible imbalance. Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal gland (HPA) axis with the focus on really trying to pinpoint where my symptoms were coming from. I explored many known diseases and one that struck out was Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma as I had almost all the symptoms listed. Which lead me down the Endocrine system path as I had a lump on my neck under my left jaw from a swollen lymph node most likely anterior cervical lymph node, which I shared with the doctor. On Aug 24 I wrote in my notes about a recent article on SARS COV-2 affecting the Vagus nerve- important will circle back. However I have no real answers.
On Aug 25, 2022 I enter in my journal an article from John Hopkins Medical on the Adrenal glands that gets my wheels turning: “produce hormones that help regulate your metabolism, immune system, blood pressure, response to stress and other essential functions…Excess of Cortisol: Cushing Syndrome “The symptoms may include weight gain … thinning arms and legs; … fatigue; muscle weakness; easily bruised skin; high blood pressure; diabetes; and other health issues.” (Some of my symptoms) I am starting to get somewhere. I follow my leads with more questions about the Endocrine system.
I then rewound and started from the beginning the first symptom I had and self diagnosed with possible Encephalitis, Meningitis, paresthesia, TIA, Amygdala Hijack, Encephalopathy etc. All to try to make sense of my state of disease: symptoms that present themselves one way but are something else. So my first symptom presented itself as an electric bolt starting between C3-C5 in the neck and went straight up into the center of my brain in an explosion of the worst pain I have ever felt, that I bent the knee to the God of Pain, a horrible migraine (never had I had one before), followed by a lightning bolt through my left eye. This lead me to a possible Mitochondrial dysfunction is an early event in high-NaCl-induced apoptosis of mIMCD3 cells as one of my complaints.
It is during this period of recovery that things become more murky and disjointed for me. I read everything I could on the brain, heart, SARS-COV-2, etc. On Aug 28, 2021 my journal entry reveals “…I don’t understand this conundrum. When I ‘feel good’ the VO2 either stays unchanged or drops, but when I don’t it goes up. What am I missing here? Electrolytes: Na,Ca,Fe,K &Mg.” I still did not understand me with my sexual disfunction and inflammation, Cu+ (copper) taste in mouth on the left side only, blurry vision, weakness on my left side, rapid weight gain -held for a few days then rapid weight loss, etc. On Aug 29, I find a possible explanation for the copper taste in my mouth in an article titled Water may inhibit oxygen binding in hemoprotein models where in models “…oxygen may bind first to Cu(I) before binding to iron…oxygen binding is not facile when water cluster is present” in the distal pocket in the lung.
Could this be an explanation for the Cu+ taste in my mouth stemming from my excessive inflammation?
At the same time I begin to connect dots for another group of symptoms: epinephrine, dopamine, oxytocin, cortisol and hepcidin. As I begin to develop a theory and write “the last remaining symptom hold the key. Break that code and it is complete. I truly believe I have A part of it. Thymus-Adrenal gland. Maybe even a pathway…Could the virus create an imbalance of nutrients that use spasm, contraction, dilation, constriction? Or is it hormonal only? Or is the hormone imbalance the trigger?” Furthermore, I began to test if I was still in viral replication by taking BBB meds that my body rejected before Valtrex. My body now accepted them. While at the time I attributed the BBB barrier drugs accepted because of Valtrex, it may really be attributed to Oregano tea that I had been drinking due to the fear of a fungal infection as well.
On Aug 30 I read The Effect of SARS-CoV-2 on the Spleen and T Lymphocytes (Published Online:13 Aug 2021. How to naturally increase T-Lymphocytes in body? “HOW TO INCREASE T CELLS. VITAMIN D ACTIVATES T CELLS Back in 2010, scientists found that T cells require Vitamin D to activate.” This mode of pairing continued as my understanding of the virus in relation to my symptoms grew. This mode of pairing continued as my understanding of the virus in relation to my symptoms grew.
On Sept 2, 2022 I begin quantifying my current state as I loosely figure out weight before pandemic to the highest on Feb 7, 2022 and the difference is 39.3 lbs. and “On 9.1.22 203.2 (from high 18.6 or 46.5% recovery).” As I logged my weight everyday at the same time. My 3:16pm walk reading delivered a VO2max reading of “40.8pts=52.866% recovery.” But I was not out of the woods.
My mother and I spoke almost daily as we had our “Covid talks.” She, with her long-COVID symptoms, watched me improve from looking like death. By Sept 9, 2022 she began to implement the safest of things I had discovered worked for me, Turmeric. She said to me, “I walked up and down the stairs yesterday without stopping to take a breath. My first time” about 24hrs after starting to take it. As my sickness has taught me that once I had success I wanted more and refused go back. She now understood that. Now, PASC became her teacher. By this time I had learned that a probable explanation as to why she “survived COVID-19” without hospitalization was probably due to her recent Shingles vaccination three-months prior to getting COVID-19. Valacyclovir and the Shingles vaccine fight the same family of viruses, Herpes.
After Doxycycline, I was still struggling with symptoms and a suspected an unresolved bacterial infection or fungal infection and another doctor prescribed Azithromycin. By Sept. 3, 2022 I had listened twice to Dr. Gregory Poland, MAYO clinic vaccinologist whom on his March 15, 2022 podcast sated (~15min mark) that vaccine developers expected “0.3% (0.0003) [of the population] to have a reaction to the vaccine.” The US population as of 9.3.22 is 333,051,910 which would be about 99,915.573 people. Of which he is one with tinnitus and I with 185+ symptoms. Also, my VO2max forward progress started to slow down and my daily list of 50–70 symptoms raged as my progress yo-yoed, which meant other things were going on. I reached out to him and left a message with his staff doctor.
On Sept 4 my 1:22pm journal entry states “Yesterday, after taking Benadryl and I don’t remember how many hours afterwards maybe 2–3hrs around the time I felt my body relax. That is when I felt (for lack of a better word- a penis like structure) in my brain relax and move. It was curled downward and it relaxed like it kinda straightened. The only structure in the brain that is like that is the Hypothalamus. I am not surprised as MERS a cousin of SARS-COV-2 affects the same.” While this lead me to the endocrine system, the “penis” I referenced is the Corpus Callosum, not the hypothalamus (see figure below),
however, what caused the Corpus Callosum to contract might be the hypothalamus.
On Sept 6, 2022, 525 sick days, I met with the virologist and showed him that I had noticed a new symptoms to me that of dermatographia which I had for some time now. I asked for a diuretic and left empty handed. The very next day I researched natural diuretics as most common diuretics I am unable to take. I found common foods, herbs, drinks, etc. Most of them were included in my diet. Two days later I intended to speak with our cleaning lady about an issue, yet my symptoms took hold and that conversation went sideways quickly. The following day and due to my inability to maintain a mild manner is when I made the connection to the second [B Group:] hormones. “Cortisol — target!” The very next day I begin a two-week test regimen with very dark chocolate 95%+ and 100% cacao and “if it doesn’t work, it is just chocolate. What isn’t there to like?” I told my wife. 10–12 days later a noticeable reduction in my aggression and rage. Another win! So I looked for more.
By Sept 10, I had lost over 20 lbs, drastic reduction in inflammation over 55.35% and my VO2max at 41.1pts a 54.77%(retracement). I then turn my attention to solving NEMO for me as the current research showed: SARS-CoV-2 protein caught severing critical immunity pathway, where “The team caught the moment when a virus protein, called Mpro, cuts a protective protein, known as NEMO, in an infected person. Without NEMO, an immune system is slower to respond to increasing viral loads or new infections.” The next article published two days prior titled Structural and functional characterization of NEMO cleavage by SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro, here researchers write “In addition to its essential role in viral polyprotein processing, the SARS-CoV-2 3C-like protease (3CLpro) can cleave human immune signaling proteins, like NF-κB Essential Modulator (NEMO) and deregulate the host immune response.” A published article from 2016, NEMO is critical for Thyroid Function — “The nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway controls a variety of important biological functions, including immune and inflammatory responses, differentiation, cell growth, tumorigenesis, and apoptosis…Instead, intestinal epithelial cell-specific deletion of NEMO results in severe chronic intestinal inflammation due to apoptosis of colonic epithelial cells, impaired expression of antimicrobial peptides, and translocation of bacteria into the mucosa.” I write in my journal “Thus a bacterial infection!!!!” Furthermore the article continues with the “…Central nervous system-specific ablation of NEMO results in no apparent abnormalities but rather ameliorates inflammatory and autoimmune pathologies.” It helped to possibly explain my excessive weight gain and yo-yo’s.
Thus turmeric — -> hepcidin antagonist, anti-inflamtory and neurotoxin reducer (attacking three things COVID-19 promotes)
Cacao (Montezuma’s favorite bean)/dark chocolate →cortisol
I added the Queen of herbs, Holy Basil, to assist in “reducing anxiety…calming central nervous system disorders…and to decrease stress symptoms including sleep and memory problems, severe fatigue, and sexual dysfunction.”
While these three herbs are safe, my body and the sickness rejected Holy Basil at first. Since I was low in ferretin, my blood was thin and another issue was that a cut on my right big toe did not scab up at all. (Issue with the pathway or the glycoprotein hormone Thrombopoietin?) Since it did not heal, a month later it had developed into gangrene.
Hypoxia causes a lot of negative repercussions in my body.
On Sept 11, 2022 I added to my regimen Pai Mu Tang (natural diuretic) mixed with turmeric. Also a new herb Ashwaghanda. Looking at my metrics: inflammation reduction 57.44% and VO2max retracement 56.05%. I am still dropping things.
I added curry leaves into beans as it keeps anemia at bay and promotes eye wellness. My recovery was variegated, meaning some things got better however others did not improve, but usually did not worsen. Thus, my plan has been the mitigation and elimination of all symptoms that my sickness showed me was possible shortly after the happy accident. As my new success with herbs in slowly reducing symptoms, I dug deeper to make everything I put into my body for a nutritional and medicinal purpose. The importance of food in medicine was recognized in the 5th Century BC by Hippocrates of Cos, the father of western medicine.
Camellia Sinensis (white/green tea) contains catechins “Studies have credited them with cancer-fighting properties. They’re classified as flavonoids, which are one of the most common types of polyphenols — a large family of compounds with potent antioxidant properties [from]…epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epicatechin (EC). L-theanine is a non-protein amino acid [which] has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and is associated with improved immune function.” Led to foods high in oxalic acid (oxalate) as they block nutrients from being absorbed. On the other side Quercetin: Its Main Pharmacological Activity and Potential Application in Clinical Medicine, in specific the inhibitory effect on bacteria.
On Sept 14 I read three articles; one on SARS-COV-2 and IL-6 from 2020. The next two were preprints at the time one on IL-6, IL-8, MIP-1β. The third article summed them up “Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a multi-tasking cytokine that represents high activity in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and cancer. High concentration of this pleiotropic cytokine accounts for hyperinflammation and cytokine storm, and is related to multi-organ failure in patients with SARS-CoV-2 induced disease. IL-6 promotes lymphopenia and increases C-reactive protein (CRP) in such cases.”
The very next day (534 sick days) I decided that IL-6 was a target for me, as I have referred to my sickness as a cancer. “Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a multi-tasking cytokine that represents high activity in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and cancer.” I intensified my research on Holy Basil “has been discussed for its beneficial effects in improving cognition.” I continued and I identified quite a number of herbs to use:
- Murraya koenigii Leaves and Their Use in Dementia “…effects of M. koenigii leaves on dementia and their related mechanisms, including memory-enhancing facilitation of neuronal cholinergic activity, scavenging of oxidative free radicals, control of the inflammation process, and reduction in glucose and cholesterol levels in circulation.”
- Ganoderma lucidum (the King of Herbs)- “used for more than 4000 years in China to promote health and longevity.” “G. lucidum has the abundant chemical components such as triterpenes and polysaccharides, which have various biological activities including anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-liver disorders, anti-tumor growth and metastasis, etc…G. lucidum and its extractions on various acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) pathogenesis, including autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, diabetic nephropathy, renal proximal tubular cell oxidative damage and fibrotic process, renal ischemia reperfusion injury, cisplatin-induced renal injury, adriamycin-induced nephropathy, chronic proteinuric renal diseases, etc… Ganoderma lucidum might be a useful ingredient in the treatment of androgen-induced diseases, including benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer.”
At 10:40pm my journal entry reads, “… drinking HB [Holy Basil]. Just took BP [Blood Pressure] RT arm: 105/62 pulse 64 LF arm: 113/60 pulse 60.”
On Sept. 16, I continued to add to the above list with Withaferin A (Ashwagandha), used for 8000 years. The following article proves later so useful Phytochemicals and botanical extracts regulate NF-κB and Nrf2/ARE reporter activities in DI TNC1 astrocytes:
“The increase in oxidative stress and inflammatory responses associated with neurodegenerative diseases has drawn considerable attention towards understanding the transcriptional signaling pathways involving NF-κB (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells) and Nrf2 (Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2-like 2). Our recent studies with immortalized murine microglial cells (BV-2) demonstrated effects of botanical polyphenols to inhibit lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) and enhance Nrf2-mediated antioxidant responses (Sun et al., 2015). In this study, an immortalized rat astrocyte (DI TNC1) cell line expressing a luciferase reporter driven by the NF-κB or the Nrf2/Antioxidant Response Element (ARE) promoter was used to assess regulation of these two pathways by phytochemicals such as quercetin, rutin, cyanidin, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, as well as botanical extracts from Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha), Sutherlandia frutescens (Sutherlandia) and Euterpe oleracea (Açaí). Quercetin effectively inhibited LPS-induced NF-κB reporter activity and stimulated Nrf2/ARE reporter activity in DI TNC1 astrocytes. Cyanidin and the glycosides showed similar effects but only at much higher concentrations. All three botanical extracts effectively inhibited LPS-induced NF-κB reporter activity. These extracts were capable of enhancing ARE activity by themselves and further enhanced ARE activity in the presence of LPS. Quercetin and botanical extracts induced Nrf2 and HO-1 protein expression. Interestingly, Ashwagandha extract was more active in inducing Nrf2 and HO-1 expression in DI TNC1 astrocytes as compared to Sutherlandia and Açaí extracts. In summary, this study demonstrated NF-kB and Nrf2/ARE promoter activities in DI TNC1 astrocytes, and further showed differences in ability for specific botanical polyphenols and extracts to down-regulate LPS-induced NF-kB and up-regulate the NRF2/ARE activities in these cells.”
Furthermore, Neuroprotective effects of Withania somnifera on mice, as I had no other option and as I leared my lesson from using Cacao targeting cortisol which until I tested it I did not know for sure. (“Conclusion: These findings suggest that Ws significantly ameliorates the level of BPA intoxicated oxidative stress thereby potentially treating cognitive dysfunction which acts as the primary symptom in a number of neurodegenerative diseases.”) I researched dosage and duration. However, I was focused on a possible fungal infection as the stagnation of VO2max coupled with my symptoms made everyday hell. I added fresh oregano tea and Inonotus Obliquus(Chaga) “is an effective treatment against tumors, diabetes and cardiovascular disease”.
I finished the anti-bacterial treatment and restarted anti-viral with a mix of medicinal herbs. All seemed to be working, however antiviral was “cycling Covid-19 symptoms”. On Sept 21, 2022 my weight finally breaks below 200 lbs registering at 199.6 lbs. I read more on how to get Quercetin from foods and stumble across that “Quercetin is an excellent scavenger of ROS and reactive nitrogen species, and an excellent candidate for reducing oxidative stress…[as it] inhibits NF-κB activation, thereby directly reducing the cytokine production via this transcription factor” as I begin to question whether Quercetin is what I need in targeting NF-κB as my sleep cycle has been disrupted throughout this sickness. “the activation of cortical and lateral hypothalamic NF-κB expression increases following sleep deprivation.”
I kept my weekly, bi-monthly appointments with the virologist and shared my important findings, reduction of symptoms and general improvement. By this time my mother had seen the tremendous progress: weight reduction (inflammation reduction) 53.79% and VO2max 58.60%. She was planning a trip to go visit family back home, she still had some fog and fatigue issues but less intense since she began Turmeric. She started an antibiotic treatment. I continued to experiment on myself with the herbs. I began to question cation imbalance again as I began to attempt to articulate a differentiation of upstream and downstream to figure out my imbalance due to my hypercalcemia and hyperkalemia status. At the time I was focused with Mg++ uptake in the distal convoluted tubule.
My lack of sleep, lead me to cAMP (Cyclic adenosine monophosphate) pathways where as “cAMP plays an important role as a second messenger in the mechanism of secretion in many endocrine cells…(cAMP) is an intracellular second messenger to a wide variety of hormones and neurotransmitters. In T cells, elevated cAMP levels antagonize T cell activation by inhibiting T cell proliferation and by suppressing the production of IL-2 and IFN-γ.” In my journal I wrote “the mental that is the last key in this recovery: as the short-fuse (road rage & judgmentalness), irrationality, paranoia, OCD (controlling of others & actions).” By this time I had already begun to target the HPA-axis informing the doctor.
By Sept 25, 2022 my VO2max dropped 0.5pts from the high coupled with weight gain confirming fatigue and the house of pain I was in as the symptoms intensified. I also had began focusing on getting needed flavanoids and catechines from diet as I had added a number of fruits for breakfast, yet I continued with medicinal herb combinations. The following day, Sept 29 and my body was rebalancing as my weight registered to its lowest 198.6lbs (a 60.57% inflammation reduction) but VO2max reading was 41.4pts. 0.3pts from the high about a week earlier.
On Sept 28 my journal entry states: “I can definitely state that I am out of the fog. I think it has been a week or so but not more than two weeks. I do think the anti-viral is helping…” By this time my mother had sent me a text with a picture of edema of her lower legs. I promptly call her and explain that mine lasted 24–36hrs, subsequently hers did too. Weeks later she reported to me that the anti-bacterial worked as she had significant symptom reduction and elimination and could do more.
On Oct 3 I stopped antiviral due to my symptoms and I was struggling to get to the 61.8% retracement target on VO2max. I looked into hesperidin. “Hesperidin exhibits several pharmacological actions such as antihyperlipidemic, cardioprotective, antihypertensive, antidiabetic activities, which are mainly attributed to an antioxidant defense mechanism and suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokine production…[The authors] demonstrated that administration of hesperidin (160 or 320 mg/kg) significantly minimized HFD-induced elevation in levels of ALT, AST, TNF-α, free fatty acids (FFA), IL-6, MDA and cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) expression.” A co-worker who works with my wife and who had symptoms called her that evening to inform her of his positive COVID-19 test. My fear that I was not strong enough to survive COVID-19 would soon be put to the test.
The next day I began with lemon water and eating the rind consequently I find an article on Melissa Officials (Lemon Balm) Attenuation of neuroinflammation in microglia cells by extracts with high content of rosmarinic acid from in vitro cultured Melissa officinalis L. cells and its antioxidant properties. This new knowledge would be put to the test soon in the future. By this time I could “do more” but multi-tasking was almost impossible. I also wrote in my journal “These ‘old’ symptoms coming back not sure if Val-cycling or [COVID] coming back.” I am still on my regimen including vitamins and electrolytes.
On Oct 5, 2022 (554 sick days, 126 days since the happy accident) my journal entry “Just finished 1.19 mi walk in 14:02min @ 11:44/mi pace blowing yesterdays by ~2min. So I was not pushing myself. I am sweating. PND. Left leg numb (faint). VO2max???=41.4pts.” The next day my wife has symptoms and goes get an official test as the home test is negative.
On Oct 7th, I review the out of the fog entry from 9.28.22 and I write the following “So I am going to put a date of Sept 25 as usually it takes me 3 days to articulate and 28th was Wed and 25th was Sunday. So today is 13days out of the fog. Only 13DAYS!!!!” I get tested as her test is positive. My morning walk was about 1 minute slower than yesterdays, but my evening one was only 20 sec slower than yesterdays. My bike ride average pace was 15.5mph,
a level that would not be seen for many months to come. I started Melissa O. that evening.
Then on Oct 8, 2022 I tested positive for SARS-COV-2 for the first time ever since the pandemic began on my 558th day of having PASC like symptoms stemming from an adverse effect to the BNT162b2 vaccine. I roll up my sleeves terrified as my body was weak and on its own I knew it would not have been able to sustain the COVID-19 attack. I pick up my toolbox and go to war, hoping that what my sickness has taught me thus far I can use to beat it. My wife, her co-worker and I are all in our early 50’s he is athletic & an avid cyclist. So am I. We all had the primary series of Covid shots; he has two boosters and my wife one booster. We all take Paxlovid. He & my wife have what is termed Paxlovid-rebound (meaning that viral replication is still active). I saw them suffering and began therapeutic & experimental treatments. On day one I started Paxlovid. I took NAD+ as I had been experimenting to see if that was the cause of “falling off the cliff” = rapid symptom onset. Yes, I fell off the cliff (my list of symptoms came back by the minute then by the second). This too happened 7–10days before when I tested NAD+ for the first time: 1st day -ok, 2nd day — fell off the cliff. Innonotus Ubbliqus stopped it in its tracks and reversed the process. The same happened with Paxlovid (probably the anti-retroviral). The following figure shows for me that with excess NAD+ triggers Cytockine Storm. For me Cytokine storm manifests differently as “falling off of the cliff” and the rapid decay that comes with it.
As my brain was coming back online slowly my VO2max drops to 41.3pts. I started to log “new” symptoms: like severe body aches and fever (the last time I was sick in bed with fever was March of 2013) and old symptoms: like hyperemotional and deregulation of body temperature. Just to name a few. On Oct 9, 2022 while looking for NAD+ I find a useful graphic on Kynureine Pathway.
Furthermore, Kynurenine serves as useful biomarker in acute, Long- and Post-COVID-19 diagnostics published two weeks prior. Followed by the following article: Kynurenine pathway in Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Potential role in prognosis where I write in my journal “IDO is compromised, TDO comes broken.”
The very next day after falling off the cliff and PAX stopping it, my 8:05pm entry reads: “So is it only Pax? Or is the 1–2 punch w/NAD+ as that is the broken pathway from IDO (compromised) and TDO (broken).” Which lead me to Kynurenine-3-monooxygenase (KMO) broadly inhibits viral infections via triggering NMDAR/ Ca2+ influx and CaMKII/ IRF3-mediated IFN-β production. “So for Covid, the KMO to QUIN is broken. Because of too much quinolinic acid (QUIN) is a neurotoxin. There is potentially an overproduction of QUIN.” And another article that states “The kynurenine pathway (KP) of tryptophan metabolism…Dysregulated KP metabolism has been strongly associated with neurological diseases in recent years…neurotoxic metabolites (e.g. quinolinic acid, an excitotoxin and N-Methyl-d-Aspartate (NMDA) receptor agonist), while…neuroprotective metabolites such as kynurenic acid.” This day is the very first day VO2max increases.
The very next day (Pax day-5) it fell. Yet my quest to understand NAD+ lead me to a fundamental paper replete with illustrations and possibilities titled NAD+ in COVID-19 and viral infections. It presented a way forward while it did not work for me in this mode NAD+ tablets, it was forward thinking. Which lead me to the next article titled: Neuroprotective Activity of Curcumin in Combination with Piperine against Quinolinic Acid Induced Neurodegeneration in Rats. Adding to the list of protective actions of Curcumin.
The very next day seeing my wife and hearing about her co-worker having Paxlovid rebound I begin with Valacyclovir. While my weight reduction continued so did the VO2max. I kept testing NAD+ as my symptoms had brought clarity to possible adrenal dysfunction as those herbs helped better my situation. On Oct 15, (564 sick days, 21 days out of the fog, VAL day3) at 2:22PM my journal entry reads: “Theory: Since the NAD-H process is broken TDO and compromised IDO by taking NAD+ tomorrow it will confirm how broken. If the — NAD+ loop to cytokine storm avails it’s head then I am still infected & viral replication. If not, then I am out of that phase and healing (potentially) can happen. This is tomorrow. In sum, I am targeting the Warberg like effect which is fatigue that I had during the LC phase. These targets on IDO : IL’s, NF-κB, etc. and the targets from TDO in Adrenal support have brought my body to a healthier point…The goal is 1.272 from the low (that has not changed).” The next day I hit the wall after taking the second NAD+ pill. Yet I found an explanation for my anemia…Iron Deficiency in Chronic Kidney Disease: Updates on Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment
which gave me much more clarity as I write “Treating iron deficiency increases oxidative stress.” And “Hypoxia signaling controls erythropoiesis by coordinating EPO synthesis with the expression of genes involved in iron metabolism.”
On Oct 17, Val day 5 — I write that my symptoms are much less and that “today feels like a pivotal day.” On Oct 19, (568 sick days, 12 days since COVID+, 25 days out of the fog, Val day 7, I begin Azithromycin. My notes from 11:45AM “ -I am at an inflection point. There are some symptoms that are troubling and I don’t know if it is VAL or the virus. The list: liver discomfort, funky taste in mouth, gum & teeth discomfort (left side), left eye, tinnitus, left leg, itchy skin (which is primarily gone), Sleep disruption, #2 irregularities, the occasional headache, 1-H[iccup]-B[urp], weight increase (spells inflammation), liver-like pain (new symptom) or old colic, etc…I will start Quercetin BID and tomorrow will add NAD. Quercetin inhibits NF-kB which is the — feedback loop (rate limiting part) when adding NAD+.” I questioned whether to stop VAL, yet my VO2max dropped again to 41.0pts and my wife while she broke the high fever days ago still had a low grade fever which lasted weeks that cleared up after taking antibiotics (on the 4th day to be exact). The next day my VO2max jumps 0.2pts (1%) from the prior reading confirming how good I feel as my walking pace was 30sec faster than the day before. At 6:18pm I write “The tiredness is the fight b/w tmprss1 NF-kB &NAD+ on 1 side and Quercetin stopping NF-kB.” An hour later I write “I have the “Covid Look” F**K! Too much NAD. So that is def the pathway and it is too much.” Followed by an entry 9-minutes later “Just finished Chaga and pretty much immediately I felt better. That ‘Covid look’ just left.” This new found knowledge and effect of Inonotus Obliquus packed with Beta-Glucans “[β-(1→3) linkages in the main chain of the glucan and additional β-(1→6) branch points]…may have antitumor activity…promising medicine to treat colon cancer…antioxidant abilities on ferric-reducing power and lipid peroxidation inhibition activity were enhanced…”Furthermore, “…β-(1,3)-(1,6) glucans are considered the most effective and safe according to the list issued by the European Commission”…“Since the 16th century, Chaga has traditionally been used in Russia, Poland, and most of the Baltic states for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders (e.g., gastritis, ulcers, stomach cancer), cardiovascular diseases, tuberculosis, diabetes, and skin problems (Shashkina et al., 2006)…”Notably, in regions where Chaga tea is widely consumed, cancer incidence is lower than in adjacent regions.”
As COVID always does, the jerk throws me a wrench and this time it was that even though I would feel better and there were hints that I beat it. My wife was still sick and her tests would come back +. That changed after a week or so after we segregated in the house until we both had negative tests (mine 10.27 and hers 11.1)
On Oct 22, while on one of my fastest walks my left leg fails and I fall. I cut my left palm, right knee and left big toe. What is interesting is that my body failed to produce scabs. The cuts healed without a scab, as I showed the virologist. Thrombocidin is the hormone needed to produce scabs, which that pathway was either blocked or not working.
On Oct 23, I reviewed my older notes on “cAMP. Parathyroid hormone” and “Oregano. — Thymol & Carvacrol.” Which lead me to “Many authors highlighted the activity of carvacrol as a potent suppressor of COX-2 expression minimizing the acute inflammatory process, decreasing the release of some pro-inflammatory mediators such as IL-1β, TNF-α, PGE2. Anyway, the benefits of carvacrol are numerous and the therapeutic possibilities too.” So I begin brewing Oregano tea again and add it to my regimen. As well as Melissa Officialis, Chaga with Ashwaghanda, cacao, white tea, quercetin and a lot of fresh fruits. VO2max 41.4pts.
On Oct 27, (576 sick days, 33 days out of the fog, 20 days since COVID+) I stopped using and testing with NAD+. I found the following article Cytotoxic lesions of the corpus callosum (CLOCCs) associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection where they report case of “a 26-year-old patient…CLOCCs are non-specific findings on brain MRI associated with reversible neurological signs, such as behavior changes and multiple etiologies, including viral illness, drug toxicity, seizures, malignancy, subarachnoid hemorrhage and metabolic disturbances.” Another article titled COVID-19 and Involvement of the Corpus Callosum: Potential Effect of the Cytokine Storm? Which lead me to Reversible cytotoxic lesion of the corpus callosum following SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine administration: a finding to be aware of [where the authors state] “Cytotoxic lesions of the corpus callosum are typically associated with mild clinical symptoms including fever, headache, confusion, and altered mental status…reversible.” More answers for my condition and confirmation of what I have been telling the doctor and mother that “all my symptoms are reversible.” The very next day my 8:42pm entry I write “I feel there is a + shift and VAL is stopping the rest.” A few days later my VO2max begins to climb. Finally on Oct 28 my PCR test is negative. By Oct 31 I found a plausible answer for my borderline hypercalcemia as “cortisol may stimulate Ca2+ release also from ER.”
On Nov 1st my wife’s PCR test is negative. Nov 2, 2022 (582 sick days. 39 days out of the FOG; 26 days since COVID+) at noon I am irritable at 1pm I eat chocolate and “5min after eating chocolate I felt better…the target is Cortisol and that I needed to increase cacao.” While I focus on the HPA-axis as all my signs are pointing to hormones that are causing me to “fall off the cliff” and I need to separate my head from my body. On Nov 8 (588 sick days; 45 days out of the FOG; 32 days since COVID+), I add Linghzi to my list of herbs. The very next day, my VO2max stabilized at 41.8pts. Yet I still had a plethora of symptoms as I was nearing my last day of Val on Nov 12 (day 30) by then the end of the war. I begin divesting of off everything a little at time in the coming weeks to see what is left.
In the morning of Nov 9 I had teledoc appointment and was able to slightly do two things slowly, I shared everything with the doctor including that I needed to separate my head from my body so when my body “fell off the cliff” my mind did not. Yet, I had not made up my mind from my research as a way forward. Some of my symptoms at the time (clenching, inward contraction, tinnitus, etc), which lead me to Catharanthus roseus (Madagascar Periwinkle) plant being used medicinally dates back to 2600 BC…[and] has also been used in the Ayurveda system of traditional Indian medicine as well as traditional Chinese medicine.” “It contains a series of active substances, including the bisindol alkaloids vinblastin and vincristin.” That afternoon during my bike ride I made a decision and when I finished the ride I prepared a tea as I tested that theory of separation due to its medicinal properties, the target: cerebrovascular vasodilator. I felt something but not exactly what I was looking for. Four-and-half-hours later I write in my journal: “I feel almost back to me. I have more energy, brain is functioning. Vinca!!!” Because I attributed a change to Caranthus roseus as the only thing I added to my regimen, as the research demonstrated that its derivatives are used to treat Dementia, Hodgkin’s disease, children’s leukemia and “although the precise mechanism of action is unknown, it is a potent cerebrovascular vasodilator and data have shown that it acts as a selective inhibitor of Ca++/calmodulin-dependent phosphodiesterase type I; a potent blocker of voltage-gated sodium channels and also interacts with glutamate receptors; it has also been suggested that it results in an increase in glucose utilization and oxygen consumption in the brain.” I decided to continue on the 2nd day I showed my mother via FaceTime the process and she stated that I looked much better than the day before. It was a limited 5-day trial as it did succeed in separating my head from my body. With this separation I turned my focus on the Hypothalamus as it controls almost all my vital organs directly and the others indirectly through the pituitary gland. Some of my hormones were still out of wack like: Erythropoietin (thin blood & anemia), Thrombocidin (unable to produce scabs), Oxytocin (Brought on symptoms), ADH (hypertension, water retention), cortisol, easily angered, etc. Forgetfulness. On Nov 11 12:55AM entry I write: “ I forgot what I told myself to write a while ago. Picked up my phone and remembered: “That tinnitus increases w/concentration & learning …during dinner…I realized that there are two of me. The sick evil one and the one she married. The sick one is going away and I am doing everything in my power for that to be a FULL reality.” This is the last day on Valtrex (30 days) as the war with COVID-19 is wrapping up. That morning we went to Shenandoah National park and that elevation change from sea level to 3400feet above sea level where by 1170 feet above sea level my symptoms came and worsened with the climb. It took over 1.5hrs for some of them to begin to quiet down, while some persisted throughout the night.
The next day, Nov 12, 2022 (592 days sick), Val is on Pause and I am still taking the a group of medicinal herbs. I hiked down the next day VO2max climbed 1% from morning hike to afternoon hike. The next day I ask a question during my 9:54AM entry: “What is the Ca+, Mg+, Na+, K+ pathway in relation to electrical pulses and vasoconstriction? K+ & Na+ , low you get cramps, constriction.” I find a plausible answer 6-months later. In addition, my VO2max dropped 1% over night as my morning walk revealed. I shift my focus due to my symptoms to “endothelium-derived hyper-polarizing factor (EDHF) or K+ channel opening substance.” …“The endothelium maintains vascular homeostasis through the release of active vasodilators. Although nitric oxide (NO) is recognized as the primary factor at level of arteries, increased evidence for the role of another endothelium-derived vasodilator known as endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) has accumulated in the last years…” I write in my journal “This is the target now!!!!” And due to my gastric issues the reality that I might have to endure them as “about 8% of critically ill COVID-19 patients may develop a severe duodenitis presumably associated with a direct infection of the duodenal enterocytes by SARS-CoV-2. Clinical consequences from severe bleeding and/or upper gastrointestinal dysmotility seem to be underestimated.” Blood in stool or in bowl and black tarry stool was all too common for me. I kept researching all the while my VO2max stagnated then it would go up 0.1pts to return to 41.8pts as I experimented with nitrites from sandwich meat and K+ from banana leading me to learn that for cattle and sheep when eaten together “the bacteria in the animal’s stomach breaks the chemical down, producing nitrite ions. Nitrite ions then combine with hemoglobin to produce methemoglobin, blocking the transport of oxygen. The result is a form of oxygen deprivation.” So could this be happening to me from my lunch sandwiches? As I write in my journal on Nov. 20 “So now it makes sense, nitrites from sandwich & potassium will lower VO2max…” a plausible theory. The very next day (601 sick days, 45 days since COVID-19+) I look into glycolysis and the Krebs cycle (Figure above right) as it related to and Anemia and iron metabolism in COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis
The very next day, Nov 21 (601 sick days) everything is on pause to see what is left standing and to let my body heal. My VO2max registers 41.9pts from my evening walk. Yet my list of symptoms persisted as the persistent Fe+ (iron) taste on my left side would not go away I write in my notes: “Arginine has become a prominent amino acid in several disease states, not only those related to nitric oxide (NO) production but also those associated with the arginine catabolic enzyme, arginase. Arginase is released from human red blood cells and is therefore a factor in hemolytic diseases such as sickle cell disease. Arginase activity is also elevated in asthmatic patients, possibly limiting the availability of arginine for NO biosynthesis…(figure below)”
By Nov. 25 (605 sick days), my VO2max morning reading was 42.3pts down 0.1pt over night. Yet with the new found connection I wrote in my notes a plausible theory: “Cu+ taste in mouth → inflammation → renal → Adrenal Gland.” And later that day another entry states: “So I am back where I started w/the Warlberg like effect b/c abundance of K+…Upstream causes more problems downstream.” Yet later I realize for me it is more than just K+. As I focus on Cardiovascular protective effect of cinnamon which on paper looks good to me “…(Ceylon cinnamon) are inhibitors of α-glucosidase and pancreatic α-amylase…Cinnamon extracts can also inhibit pro-inflammatory genes and proteins such as IL-1β, IL-6, cytokines, and TNF-α… cinnamaldehyde has a vasodilator effect because it inhibits the invasion and discharges of Ca2+… the cytokine IL-6, which is produced in response to wounds or infections, decreases; however, it is also involved in the synthesis of IL-1β, CRP, NF-κ-B (Nuclear factor-kappa B), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α)…” However, every time I ate it I felt worse as it might be related to IL-1β and NF-κ-B (Nuclear factor-kappa B) two things SARS-COV-2 promotes. A flurry of research occurred in relation to my symptoms in specific the lack of sweating, the GI issues and blurry vision through the end of the month. Leading me back to hormones and the HPA-axis where I write on Nov 26 a “Hypothesis: Twofold: 1. Is it cortisol alone that will now get VO2 to the pre-vaccine #? Or 2. In tandem with the Ca+/Na+/HCO3- & bioflavonoids.” Furthermore, leading me to a plausible reason for the discomfort in chest “Pericardial and myocardial involvement with clinical stability are frequent after SARS-CoV-2 infection…Pericarditis and myocarditis after conventional viral infections both stem from an inadequate or excessive immune response driven by T and B cell-mediated mechanisms. If there is an inadequate response, continued viral replication in the perimyocardium protracts inflammation by attracting killer T cells and the concomitant production of chemokines and cytokines. In contrast, molecular mimicry can result in the production of autoantibodies against cardiac proteins, leading to a cardio-specific autoimmune response that causes sustained inflammation, effusion, or cardiac remodeling.” The treatment is a) Pain relievers b) Colchicine (Colcrys, Mitigare) C) Corticosteroids. By Nov 30 (610 sick days), I write “So theory is that it is the 1) pericardium, hence steroid treatment, & possibly 2) the hypothalamus hence low-dose Naltrexone. So I started to plan after talking it over with the virologist the possibility of another round of Steroids and at some point begin Low-dose-Naltrexone due to its ability to target “the CNS POMC system [which] has other functions, including regulation of sexual behaviour, lactation, the reproductive cycle and possibly central cardiovascular control…POMC are mainly located in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus and the nucleus tractus solitarius of the brainstem.” My HPA-axis target My VO2max had dropped to 42.1pts a 1% decrease, not fun. Sometime around now I had a very old friend that said to me “your voice is starting to sound like you.” I asked for clarification and she said “you have a very distinctive voice and for a long time that was gone.”
On Dec 3rd (613 sick days) I begin my 2nd steroid treatment. VO2max reading 42.2pts = 61.78% retracement finally hitting my Fibonacci goal where I can begin to say I am in recovery mode. Weight at 196.8 = 65.27% reduction/recovery. During the ten-day regimen my VO2 dropped 1% and unlike the prior body response, it made me sad and depressed. Yet some of my symptoms persisted in specific what I call “ironman center chest” or “ironman Left-back shoulder” tightness. Whereas, “…proanthocyanidins has therapeutic effects on a variety of diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases and tumors…” found in grape seed. “Grape seed has bioactive compounds as proanthocyanidin play role in metabolism…contributes to anti-obesity effects…induces positive changes in gut permeability…attenuates deleterious effects of high-fat diet…[and most importantly] attenuates inflammation by inhibition of NF-kB translocation.” On Dec 11 I write in my journal after reading a case report: “So begs the question is it Pericarditis or pleural empyema or scar tissue now?” The following day (day 10 of steroid) I find explanation from a therapeutic drug “ARCALYST specifically blocks interleukin-1 (IL-1) to address an underlying cause of auto inflammation in recurrent pericarditis.” But I don’t connect the dots until much later.
By this time I had connected with a very old friend via phone and we had spoken a few times. She says “your voice is changing.” I asked her to explain and her response “over the past few months your voice is starting to sound like you as you have a very distinctive voice.” My VO2max had stabilized at 41.9pts. On Dec 16 (626 sick days and four days post prednisone) my symptoms lead me to article published Dec 14, 2022 where the authors “show that SARS-CoV-2 is widely distributed, predominantly among patients who died with severe COVID-19, and that virus replication is present in multiple respiratory and non-respiratory tissues, including the brain, early in infection.” It validated my concerns and complaints to my doctors. Furthermore another article shed light to the problems I have been having since the vaccine with my sight. The next day journal entry “…my hormones are off…” as well as other things as I share with the virologist.
On Dec 21 (631 sick days, 75 days post COVID+) I start another round of antibiotics. My VO2max had climbed back up to 42.2pts. In the background I continue to drink Chaga and have been for a while. My VO2max dropped again to 41.8pts (Dec 25, 2022: day 4 of Azithromycin) and I was hurting and sluggish. On the morning reading of Dec 26 my VO2max crept up 0.1pts, but that evening reading jumped to 42.2pts a 1.5% increase confirming for me bacterial infection is getting dealt a blow. The next day it continued the trek upwards yet I struggled with my walks as I felt a “governor” was on — something physiological holding me back — since my pace was slowing down from 12:38/mi to 13:25/mi. pace. Then on Dec 30, 2022 (640 sick days, 84 days post COVID+, Azithromycin day10) my walking pace during morning walk was 12:27/mi and my VO2max=42.6pts and evening walk at a 13:05/mi pace with a 1% rise in VO2max = 42.8pts (65.61% retracement).
On Jan 1, 2023 (642 sick days, 86 days post COVID+) my weight yo-yo’s continued a symptom I have had stemming from the adverse effect to the vaccine. My pace from my morning walk was 12:48/mi revealing VO2max of 43.2pts (68.15% retracement). And I set my sight on goals as my 3:48PM journal entry reads:
“last date: VO2max levels: when hit — [points needed] -% recovery
Aug 25, 2021 : 44.6pt , need 1.4 pts, 77.07%
Aug 5, 2021 7&10pm: 45.7pts, need 2.5pts, 84.08%
Aug 5, 2021 4pm: 46.2pts, 3pts, 87.26%
Aug 4, 2021 11pm: 47pts, 3.8pts, 92.36%
Aug 4, 2021 9 &5pm: 47.5ps, 4.3pts, 95.5%”
The very next day and due to my symptoms I find the following article: Myocarditis Cases Reported After mRNA-Based COVID-19 Vaccination in the US From December 2020 to August 2021 which finally shed light to one of my symptoms and treatment is steroids. My VO2max kept climbing and on Jan 5, 2023 (646 sick days, 90 days post COVID+, Azithromycin day 16) VO2max=43.6pts and my bike ride pace hits 15mph average pace during the 16.87mile ride where my journal entry reads “The last time I rode at a 15mph+ pace was on Oct 7, 2022 @2pm @15.5mph pace.** in addition this was the day b-4 starting PAX. So SARS-COV-2 derailed my recovery 2.5–3mo.” Yet like everything in my recovery is not rosy my 10:42PM entry reads that my wife “inform[s] me that I have been thrashing in my sleep the last 3 nights. Coincidental[l]y I have been dropping things (phone) during the the same time.” By Jan 8th, I started to make connections for me “so hindering cortisol at this point is the wrong treatment for VO2max. It was the right treatment for aggression” as I cut out Cacao and chocolate. My VO2max reading highest to date at 43.8pts (71.97% retracement).
My body adjusted, yet a cohort of my symptoms raged and my body began to “fall off the cliff” weekly. So Chaga was re-introduced to stop the “episodes.” On Jan 13 (654 sick days, 99 days post COVID+) updated the doctor on my status as “I started Val. As a 5 day course” as I wrote and sent him a letter. That afternoon my VO2max registered 44.0pts (73.25% retracement) the highest to date and my weight had dropped to 193.8 (73.11% reduction in inflammation). Yet my walks were slow at 13:03/mi pace as I felt the “governor” was still on and as it is always the case in my recovery and my sickness. I eyed my next VO2max target from Aug 25, 2021, on Jan 15 (656 days sick, 100 days post COVID+) my VO2max hits 44.1pts (73.88% retracement). On Jan 18 a friend sends me a email about a woman who recovered 29 days after being administered the Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine (JEV) for work travel while she had PASC and I write in my journal “My theory about COVID-19 remains the same that…all herpes virus meds stop [viral] progression. So I explained it to [my wife.] The recent article on the Japanese Encephalitis vaccine and the target. Also, how the shingles vaccine most likely protected Mami. Another Ah-ha moment. What if a different vaccine can be used as treatment? That is what the article suggests as a happy accident…What if the Shingles vaccine does the same?” Thus, Cross-Protection Induced by Encephalitis Vaccines against COVID-19 Might be a Reason for Relatively Lower Mortality Rate in Some Countries and “RZV vaccination was associated with a 16% lower risk of COVID-19 diagnosis and 32% lower risk of hospitalization. Further study of vaccine-induced nonspecific immunity for potential attenuation of future pandemics is warranted.” A scientific article confirming my hunch about how my mother most likely survived COVID-19 in 2020. By Jan 20, 2023 (661 sick days, 105 days post COVID+) I had learned how JEV “targeting the neuro-invasion drug targets…two novel neuronal membrane receptors, PLVAP and GKN3, and HSP70 and GRP78, have been identified as playing a critical role in the JEV entry mechanism.” However, I made a decision since ALL my symptoms began with the adverse effect from a vaccine that I did not want to risk it with RZV, yet undecided with JEV. I still question a way forward for me as I write “So thinking about next steps and since yesterday I had to take CHAGA. I am going to wait until Sunday to decide:
1. Ironman issue: 2-options a)Catharanthus roseus tea b) Prednisone
2. Inflammation: TEA
3. Tinnitus, left eye, possible PND: VAL
4. Temp dereg[ulation]???”
My VO2max remained unchanged and I kept falling off the cliff and taking Chaga. The next day my VO2max hits 44.2pts (74.52% retracement) to be taken away by Jan 24 I was back down to 44.0pts. and suffering. Then on Jan 26 (667 sick days, 111 days since COVID+) I write “Just finished 1.06mi walk in 12:57min @ 12:13/mi pace this has blown any pace for the past few weeks. Over 1min faster than this morning. I expect VO2 to go down as that is the historical case. VO2max=43.9pts.” By Jan 29 (670 sick days, 114 days post COVID+) my VO2max had dropped to 43.7pts and I questioned my next steps and begin Prednisone the very next day (3rd treatment) a decision I did not like yet upheld due to the potential benefit outweighing the cost. Things did not start well and Trying to figure it out hours later I introduced VAL. Yet I felt that now they did not play well in the sandbox as my 7:05PM entry “There are interactions of VAL & PRED. So I will discont. VAL. Sent message to Mami.” I was suffering with PND and had to do a full neti-pot/nostril every day. My VO2max continued to drop. I continue my research and on Feb 1st while looking for something else I stumble across this article Curcumin Downregulates NF-kB and Related Genes in Patients with Multiple Myeloma: Results of a Phase I/II Study. Another win for Turmeric. There were symptoms that were revealing themselves due to the steroid or sickness or both, I couldn’t make heads or tails of them. I couldn’t wear my new running shoes as I had pain in my right foot. Finally on 5th day of steroid it looked like my VO2max had stopped the free fall and found a bottom as the 6:33PM reading revealed a 0.1pt increase from 43.4pts reading 6–7hrs before. I continue with the regimen and researching natural safe herbs and their mechanism of action. By Feb 6 (678 sick days; 237 days since happy accident;135 days out of the FOG; 122 days since COVID+) I communicate with the virologist that I felt my “body fighting infection.” As well as drug/drug interaction from Prednisone and Valtrex “Common interactions include chest pain among females and dyspnoea among males.” Furthermore,“…prednisone as we all know is an immunosuppressant…messing up neutrophil counts…” Shedding light on what would be my next step. My VO2max remained unchanged for the remainder of the treatment and this experience while not the depression route, was not my “normal” route of aggression. So things for me are still not right. By Feb 8, 2023 (last day of Prednisone) I had focused my attention back to Glycolysis (figure below)
and the Krebs Cycle (below)
(aka TCA or Tricarboxylic acid cycle).
My VO2max began its trek up, up 0.1pts from the morning walk to VO2max=43.7pts (71.34% retracement) as all my symptoms have lead my recovery and I begin, once again, an antibiotic the very next day.
On Feb 10 (682 sick days; 241 days since happy accident; 139 days out of the FOG; 126 days since COVID+) my body wasn’t complying as I was going through a reset period with a probable infection I added raw garlic to my diet TID. My VO2max hat hit 43.8pts pulling back 0.1pts. Three days later it seemed that my VO2max at 43.6pts hit a bottom and began a trek upwards, while my average walk pace was in the 13–14min range then I would have days that it was in mid 12min, a preview of what to come as I still felt the “governor was still on.” My bike rides were in the 14–14.5mph average pace
(Figure above) and my weight had hit 190.6 (81.46%) recovery/reduction in inflammation. On day 7 of Azithromycin I had to begin Valacyclovir for a cold sore outbreak. On Feb 20 (692 sick days. 251 days since happy accident; 136 days since COVID+)not only do I hit a VO2max level last seen on Aug 25, 2021 of 44.6pts (77.07% retracement) in the morning. The afternoon number surpasses it by 0.1 where it stays pegged until it drops on the evening walk four days later. In the meantime and due to the symptoms left I turn my attention back to IDO (Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase) & TDO (Tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase) where “TDO is activated by glucocorticoids, and IDO1 is stimulated by oxidative stress and inflammatory stimuli.” Which lead me to understand G-proteins as mechanism of action for Valacyclovir, Cyclic AMP, Parathyroid Hormone, Vitamin D and Ca++. “Calcium (Ca(2+)) is a universal second messenger that regulates the most important activities of all eukaryotic cells. It is of critical importance to neurons as it participates in the transmission of the depolarizing signal and contributes to synaptic activity…The release of Ca(2+) from the intracellular stores, such as the endoplasmic reticulum, by intracellular channels also contributes to the elevation of cytosolic Ca(2+)…” Making sense of my Hypercalcemia as the “level of calcium in blood is regulated primarily by two hormones: Parathyroid hormone & Calcitonin.” I shift my dietary intake of occasional some milk to quite a number of cups per day “to test the theory of Ca++ absorption or not in the ER” on Feb 25 (697 sick days). Before the pandemic I was lactose intolerant ever since I can remember in my adult life, now that isn’t the case: Darwin, adaptation of species. My hope is that my body should become more fit according to Darwinian evolutionary genetics. Time will tell. My VO2max flatlined at 44.6pts, the very next day my 3:29pm journal entry reads : “…So last time VAL 17 days for the eye release. This is 10 days for the chest.
Tinnitus is related to cortisol levels as they increase in early morning, circadian rhythm, it gets louder. So hormones is the E group.
A group is Viral → Targets like IL-6, G-protein -> @ GPCRs & cAMP; IDO presents itself as neurological
B group is Bacterial → general Azithromycin
indescript = indiscernible
descript = discernible, ie: PND on 1 side, UTI
C group is inflammation → distal convoluted tube; PMT
D group is pericarditis/myocarditis (11.28.22) → fatigue, pressure in chest → pain relievers, Colchicine (Colcrys, Mitigare). Corticosteroids,
E group is Hormonal → cortisol, TDO, hypothalamus
F group GI
G group blood”
Finally my walking pace breaks below 13min and the very next day VO2max ticks up 0.1pts. Yet my symptoms persist as they led me to Reversible conduction block of peroneal nerve associated with SARS-CoV-2 and with less clarity on the way forward on Feb 27 my VO2max hits 44.8pts to begin a reversal the following day closing out February. Whereas, by this time I sent a flurry of letters on my findings to Scripps Institute, Dr. Eric Topol, Medpage and Scientific American. The latter responded and as expected nothing materialized as I am an outsider.
March 1st (701 sick days; 273 days since happy accident and the beginning of experimentation; 157 days out of the FOG; 145 days since COVID+) my average pace during walks remain under 13min/mile. My 3:14pm entry “…Why the hypothesis: to increase mph to 15.5mph to pre-vaccine. But why? Mg+ & K+ & Ca+ → increase NAD+ & ATP → increase in mitochondrial activity What other + effect, if any? It is the Cations & what is left of the virus & reaction…” During the next 14 days my VO2max yo-yo’s and settles at 44.5pts, however my symptoms keep on pushing me to get clarity and read up on the latest research on SARS-COV-2. A comprehensive SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 review, Part 1: Intracellular overdrive for SARS-CoV-2 infection (figures below):
Leading me back to “Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), first discovered in 2000, serves as an important counterregulatory enzyme to the angiotensin II-mediated vasoconstrictive, pro-inflammatory, and pro-fibrotic actions of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS)…Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) functions by converting Angiotensin 1 (Ang I) and Angiotensin 2 (Ang II) to Angiotensin 1–9 (Ang 1–9) and Angiotensin 1–7 (Ang 1–7), respectively. Ang 1–9 can further be converted to Ang 1–7; Ang 1–7 acts at the MAS1 oncogene (MasR). Ang II can act directly at the Angiotensin Receptor Type 1 (AT1R) or be converted into Angiotensin III (ANG III) by aminopeptidase (APA), which can act at both AT1R or Angiotensin Receptor Type 2 (AT2R). AT1R functions to increase vasoconstriction, fibrosis, hypertrophy, and inflammation, whereas MasR opposes each of these effects. The increased presence of ACE2 catalyzes the shift from Ang II-mediated processes toward those mediated by Ang 1–7, thus influencing the balance in these opposing forces.” It elucidated further detail of ANG 1–7 roles as they correlated to my symptoms as I have been targeting some of those processes. Yet the article itself was questioning wether targeting ANG as therapeutic approach would work.
Leading me to get some understanding while researching Thiol. I find a plausible explanation to one of my symptoms “…A human olfactory receptor, OR2T11, has been identified which, in the presence of copper, is highly responsive to the gas odorants…” from the persistent copper taste in my mouth that I have had for a-year-and-a-half and heightened senses. I restart my electrolytes and by Mar 3 my 11:30am journal entry reads “All of the sudden like a switch was flipped [on] and I have more clarity. — is this a shift? This is new. It reminds me of falling off the cliff and drinking Chaga and 2min later BAM!” I am still going through periods of sweating and no sweating and at 11:55pm the entry reads “…So hormones still off. LDN is the next stage of treatment”. I was still doing the neti-pot and read Long COVID Linked to Lower Brain Oxygen Levels, Cognitive Problems and Psychiatric Symptoms published March 1, 2023. What I have complained about from the beginning. I struggled with my walking times and average speed on my bike ride as I felt the “governor on” (something physiological holding me back), for example I would get one good reading on the morning of March 5th registering a “11:58min/mile pace.”
By March 9th I cut out medicinal garlic & ginger. I was still having cognitive & mental issues on top of the physiological ones. The weekend of March 11–12 I was able to read a book over the span of two days for the first time since I became sick with a lot of breaks as the concentration brought on a sleuth of symptoms. I looked at a brain diagram (below)
to help me identify locations of pain. I was back on Holy Basil and researching to solve my symptoms in specific Oleanolic acid protects against pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, possibly via FXR-mediated angiotensin (Ang)-(1–7) upregulation “Oleanolic acid, a common triterpenoid is abundantly present in… Olea europaea (olive), … seaweeds, apples, figs, and cranberries. Oleanolic acid exhibits several pharmacological properties including antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory activity, hepatoprotective activity, cardioprotective activity, antipruritic activity, spasmolytic activity, antiallergic activity, antibacterial activity, and antiviral activity.” Yet it did not effect my current choices in diet as those dietary changes had already been implemented months ago. As some of my old symptoms started to come back like failure in hand-eye coordination, sweating profusely during dinner, typing issues to name a few something was off. I stopped taking Valacyclovir that evening.
On March 16, 2023 (716 sick days; 288 days since the happy accident and start of experimentation; 172 days out of the FOG; 160 days since COVID+) still having night sweats, blurry vision, clenching teeth, Fe+ (iron) taste on left side of mouth, hyper-bowel, to name a few; I pause, wait to see what is left and reassess. The very next day my I find confirmation that what I was telling the virologist and the primary research technical site that I use confirmation about why Chaga works. “Chaga mushroom terpenoids can bind tightly to GRP78 SDBβ. The terpenoids have an affinity to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike and its receptor GRP78. Chaga mushroom terpenoids can be used against SARS-CoV-2 and cancer. Oleanolic acid and Inonotsulide A are the best two terpenoids in binding GRP78.”
Yet my symptoms persisted, I kept “falling off the cliff” and having to drink Chaga to stop the episodes. The next day due to my hunch in a potassium imbalance I find the following article that helps confirm my HPA-axis targets have been correct as “In the course of SARS-CoV2 infection, hypokalemia is primarily caused by elevated aldosterone…” as “…Heparin has a direct toxic impact on the adrenal zona glomerulosa cells, which may be facilitated by a drop in the number and affinity of adrenal angiotensin II receptors. This reduction in aldosterone can lead to severe hyperkalemia.” A very good explanation to my current state: hormone imbalance and chest discomfort potentially cardiac issues due to both the vaccine and COVID-19. So I continue on the medicinal route as I am having success with it and I find a list medicinal herbs used for thousands of years targeting the cardiovascular system (use, preparation, dosage, side effects, etc). Out of that list I am already using three: White Tea (Camellia sinensis); Reishi Mushrooms (Ganoderma lucidum) and Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10 — from diet). 1. Arjuna (bark) (Terminalia Arjuna) 2. Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) — Known as Huang-qi (or Milk Vetch) 3. Neem Leaf (Azadirachta indica) :anti-viral actions, antibacterial, anti-fungal and antioxidant. Much later I add MACA followed by Eleuthero.
Terminalia Arjuna (Roxb. ex DC.) “used for the treatment of a variety of diseases, including cardiovascular disorders.” “The bark of the tree contains a number of medically active ingredients, including tannins, flavonoids, sterols and triterpenoid saponins. The bark is a cardiac tonic, lowers blood pressure and reduces blood cholesterol levels. Arjuna is a herb where modern research has fully supported its traditional use for treating heart disease. The bark is taken internally to treat a range of heart conditions and seems to work best when blood supply to the heart is poor, as in angina and ischaemic heart disease. It is also of value in helping to maintain a steady heart beat.” It is full of CoQ10. Benefits and warnings.
By the 7th day post Valtrex and everything else on-pause except Turmeric my VO2max had stabilized at 44.0–44.1pts. or 5% down from the high. Not a good sign. On March 21st, I have a tele-doc appointment with the virologist, where I give him my update at 72% recovery and he kicks me out of the nest as he says the famous words “THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO FOR YOU.” Not his fault he doesn’t understand this sickness, his numbers aren’t as good as mine, and he doesn’t understand the virus the way I do. Like he told me before when I asked him to co-publish he said “you can publish on-line.” Thus, my only avenue left is to get to 100% recovery with no symptoms and publish online.
Because my symptoms persisted on March 22 (722 sick days; 294 days since happy accident; 178 days out of the FOG; 166 days since COVID+) I begin to take action more targeted with teas…It is also the day my mother tells me she has COVID after recovering fully from Long-Covid. So we come up with a plan Paxlovid and I say to her “if on day 6, if your symptoms come back take Valtrex as prescribed.” Of course she had Paxlovid-rebound. That evening of day 6 she began Val. At that moment COVID-19 became her teacher. Days before she finished all her pills she had no symptoms but finished the bottle. 7–10days later her VO2max jumps 9.5% and continued the jumps totaling over a 21% increase in her VO2max in less than a week. She said to me “I feel amazing.” That is when she truly understood why I have been fighting so hard to get back to 100% — only through interventions. COVID-19 is a “weak” Novel-virus (not strong like Ebola, yet give it time it will kill) and my body just needs a nudge at the broken mechanisms of action.
I digress, as I return to my research on March 24 to try to put PASC to rest and close that chapter in my life. I added Cacao and two days later had to cut it out. Also, cut out ginger. It lead me to Brain serotonin levels are also decreased in individuals with Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease as I write in my notes: “*NOTE* as I am reading this the Parkinson’s[-like-]fist. (I don’t like this as it has shown its face again)” as well as other “resolved” symptoms. The very next day No Cacao, something happens as my lunch walk at 1:24PM I write” Just finished 1.06mi walk in 11:42min @ 10:57/mi pace. THIS IS THE FASTEST EVER!” In my recovery. VO2max=44.3pts. The evening walk was 1min/mile slower. As my sickness has shown me time and time again, it gives me a preview to be erased and later surpassed.
On March 26 (726 sick days; 285 days since happy accident; 182 days out of the FOG; 170 days since COVID+; VAL day 1) I begin with Arjuna, milk and cinnamon. My VO2max is 44.2pts both readings. In the evening I add chocolate 3 rows to my cocktail. My 10:15PM journal entry reads:
“Treatment: VAL → virus
Turmeric & bp → Hepcidin, neurocleanser, [anti-oxidant]
Arjuna → myocarditis/pericarditis; blood
Cacao → ALD deficiency ; adrenal gland insufficiency,
I will add either Neem tea or Astragalus membranaceus to this cocktail tomorrow.”
The next day I began with Cacao in morning and Astragalus. Two days later my VO2max had a slight trek up but there were issues as something was off. Yet I was 0.2pts from hitting August 25, 2021 VO2max number of 44.6pts. I added Neem tea to deal with what I thought was an infection. On April 1, 2023 my lunch walk is “ 1.08miles walk in 12:33min @ 11:31/mile pace”. Yet that is where it has been. That evening my 6:39PM walk did not record VO2max but “finished 1.06mi walk in 10:01min @ 9:25/mile pace.” So I walked again and my 7PM reading reads “Just finished 1.06mile walk in 9:27min @ 8:55/mi pace”. VO2max =44.5pts. That is the fastest walk to date in my recovery. My sickness has a way to mess with my head when my VO2max would get close to important levels it would stall. Somethings were still off with the cocktail. I thought I had H. Pylori infection (test came back negative) I dug deeper into understanding Astragalus membranaceus as it “has demonstrated the ability to modulate the immune system during drug therapy making the patient physically fit and prolonged life.” For the next couple of days my walks were in the low 9:10’s and evening pace was 8:50’s. On April 3rd my mother informs me that she finished Paxlovid, had Pax-rebound and had just started on Valtrex. I write in my notes that she is taking “VAL now [I think it] is not strong enough (my take). Will the dosage level work on her? I don’t know.” On April 5th I write “Just finished 17.51mile ride in 72min @ 14.5mph pace.” This is progress but still VO2max stagnated. Then on evening jog of April 6th I record my fastest pace to date 8:40min/mile to be broken 24-hrs later clocking in 8:24min/mile pace. Yet symptoms persisted. On April 8,2023 (Today is 739 sick days; 298 days since happy accident; 195 days out of the FOG; 183 days since COVID+; VAL Day14) I record my fastest run “Just finished 1.03mi run in 8:12 @ 7:55[min/mile] Pace. FASTEST to Date!” (Figure below).
Yet my VO2max remained unchanged and I was having a lot of symptoms. I had added tea to the cocktail as well. By April 11, 2023 my gastric issues raged so I looked for answers: Catechins. My noon walk registered my VO2max at 44.7pts. The very next day VO2max 44.8pts (78.34% retracemtent) and weight reduction of 31.4 lbs or 81.98% (inflammation reduction). Val is stopped the following day. By this time my mother was finishing up her Val treatment and had no symptoms.
On April 14 (745 sick days. 304 days since happy accident; 201 days out of the FOG; 189 days since COVID+) I begin the process of starting to divest from my medicinal cocktail as I cut out almost everything. The next evening speaking to my mother I said “I am coming out [of] it [however] I am not out of it [yet].” On April 17th and due to my symptoms I cut out Cacao and while my jogging pace vacillated between 10min-9min/mile I write in my notes “GOVERNOR IS ON.” My VO2max while it had gone higher had dropped to 45.0pts. My weight still yo-yoed 2–3 lbs over night, much better than 10lbs at the very beginning. The next morning I “fell off the Cliff” and had to drink Chaga, my VO2max registered 45.1pts. So I researched more into, if anything new was written on Chaga as I had repeated told the virologist that it has been my life-saver. Current research revealed “…Two mechanisms of action of I. obliquus extracts are currently emerging. The first is associated with the broad-sense impact on antioxidant enzymes and the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The other is related to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) effects…”
That evenings walk VO2max registered at 45.2pts = “80.98% (retracement) The highest thus far.” My journal entry read.
Yet on April 19th (Today is 750 sick days. 322 days since happy accident and start of experimentation; 206 days out of the FOG; 194 days since COVID+) my symptoms took me to an article from 2021 on Long COVID and kidney disease. I write for my noon walk at 1:31PM “Just finished 1.06mi jog in 10min @ 9:23/mi pace…VO2max=45.3pts (81.53% (retracement). The highest thus far. Passing Aug 15, 2021 (45.2pts)” I follow up later writing “Symptoms persist.” That night I write in my notes the next VO2 targets and needed pts. as that 24-hr period of time back in 2021 I lost 1.8pts (9% drop) and if that happened today I would be destroyed as currently I feel a 0.1pts or 0.5% drop and a 0.2pts a 1% drop I am in a fog:
“Aug 5, 2021 7&10pm: 45.7pts, need 0.4pts, 84.08%
Aug 5, 2021 4pm: 46.2pts, 0.9pts, 87.26%
Aug 4, 2021 11pm: 47pts, 1.7pts, 92.36%
Aug 4, 2021 9 &5pm: 47.5ps, 2.2pts, 95.5%”
I turn my focus on what my next step is addressing renal issues: “Protective effect of antioxidants on kidney damage…Tocotrienol, a member of vitamin E family… Troxerutin which is found abundant in cereal grain, tea, coffee and a variety of fruits and vegetables has been shown to elevate antioxidant enzyme activities…” nothing new to me so no diet change. I decided to increase my natural Erythropoietin (EPO) through diet: in specific, Probiotics, CoQ10, Garlic, Kelp but limiting Zinc. On April 21, I read Long COVID: pathophysiological factors and abnormalities of coagulation where authors suggest a multi-prong approach to treat PASC in clinical trials shedding light on what I am fighting as a possible explanation for the cause for my disease. That day I begin to write my story. As things are off I have a cold sore outbreak and go on VAL for 3.5 days. On April 23rd I am thinking about cutting out Arjuna and my 3PM note entry reads: “Reading notes from 3wks ago (April 2nd) there are aspects that stand out.
Day 8 as a shift. What caused that shift?
VAL[trex]
Cacao & chocolate → target cortisol,
Arjuna & milk w/canela → target heart, cortisol,
Astragalus, (*Does not play well w/VAL)
NEEM
PMT [Pai Mu Tan] w/T[umeric] & bp [black pepper]
Here lies the equation: which herb combo caused that shift?”
I fell off of the cliff that evening where my 9:49pm entry reads “Drank Chaga shortly after last entry. Almost immediately started to feel better…’Falling off the cliff’ — is L-side of face sensation like tingling when a herpes outbreak is beginning coupled with a droop feeling -tugging down on face muscles on L-side of face only [and followed by my list of symptoms coming back by the minute then by the second.] What is Astragalus Mechanism of action? NAD+ → Krebs Cycle → IDO & TDO…Thus, Astragalus path is clear and activating NAD+ & NADH, which I know causes me to go off of the cliff. So this is how I test when I get to 48.2pts. In the mean time, what am I missing? What is blocked? Is it just time? Or is it that VAL ran out?”
That evening I write in my notes “Brain clearer… My mother tells me her VO2max jumped to 24.4pts from 23.9pts (on 4.20.23) her low was 19.0pts so her spread is 5.4pts and a 0.5pts jump for her is 9.25%.” I said to her “when mother nature throws our way the venom the question is: will we find the anti-venom in time?” and she added “and use it.” I continue my research and find Eleutherococcus senticosus/Acanthopanax senticosus (Eleuthero/Siberian ginseng) as it has “immunostimulant properties…[and its use in TCM for] treating allergic, cardiovascular, cardiometabolic, urogenital, musculoskeletal, neurological, and psychiatric disorders, among others.” I stop taking the evening dose of Val on April 24th. The next day I begin to see what is left in my list of symptoms. That morning VO2max 45.4pts to be broken that evening 45.6pts (83.44% retracement) the highest thus far with my cocktail of medicinal herbs.
On April 26 (757 sick days. 316 days since happy accident; 213 days out of the FOG; 201 days since COVID+) my mother informs me of another jump for her in VO2max. I cry tears of joy as this was a confirmation that her VO2max breakout was true. I share with her what my psychologist said from my session with her from the prior day. She said “Wow, this is the first time you come in here and you are not negative.” I was taken a bit aback by that and said “I don’t know who that [sick] guy was [coming here], the person in front of you is me.” The next evening my VO2max hits 45.7pts last seen on Aug 5, 2021 at 7PM and 10PM readings. I shared with my mother that “I feel like my body is ‘The Little engine that could.’ As it is trying to gain its healthy footing and trying to find its way.” It is a physiological problem that I face in my body that my sickness has caused. By May 2nd (763 sick days. 334 days since happy accident and start of experimentation; 219 days out of the FOG; 207 days since COVID+; Chaga Day6) my VO2max had reached 46.2pts (86.26% retracement) a level last seen on Aug 5, 2021 at 4pm. Due to my symptoms I discontinue Chaga after the next day. As I had to pivot due to my symptoms, however my jogging pace was back in the 9min/mile range.
On May 4th my symptoms lead me to ACE-inhibition mechanism from Lepidium meyenii — Wlap., a medicinal root used since the Inca Empire, called Maca. “However, there is still no clear understanding of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory substances in Maca. In the present study, six novel angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE) peptides (RSRGVFF, LGHPVFRNK, HGSCNYR, KANLGFRF, GGGHKRLY and SSYLGRN) were found in maca protein hydrolysates using in silico tools and molecular docking….It has been reported that maca had the effect of lowering blood pressure in vivo.” Furthermore, “ an inflammatory marker, cytokine IL-6, at a severe level was reduced in maca users, and this was associated with a better quality of life, which may indicate an anti-inflammatory maca property [in humans]…The polysaccharides of Peruvian Maca can effectively improve the enzymatic activity of glutathione peroxidase and creatine kinase and, therefore, help delay the onset of symptoms of fatigue, increasing the antioxidant capacity and accelerating the conversion of energy in ATP [mice studies showed]. ” Thus, I add Maca to my regimen. While my VO2max remained unchanged some symptom severity begin to diminish but not resolve completely so I was on the right track. Three days later — I add Eleutherococcus senticosus as it “significantly attenuated LPS-induced iNOS expression but not COX-2 expression. In using the standard inhibitors (MAPKs and Akt), our results show that Eleutherococcus senticosus downregulates inflammatory iNOS expression by blocking JNK and Akt activation.”
Yet, my sickness keeps revealing things to me via my symptoms as every day is a surprise, I truly don’t know how my body is going to behave hour by hour each day. On May 9th (770 sick days. 341 days since happy accident and the beginning of experimentation; 226 days out of the FOG; 214 days since COVID+) my noon jog entry reads “Just finished 1.05mi in 8:41min @ 8:15/mi pace…I set my 2nd fastest time in the mile today.” I read the Neurologic Long COVID Patients Show Immune Dysregulation published on Medpagetoday, which is not news to me, as I have been in this hell and share article with my psychologist. That evening I spoke with my mother whom informed me she was having an “allergic reaction” to a new anti-histamine. Due to my issue with 1st and 2nd generation antihistamines I went back into my notes and at 6pm I called her back and “thinking it is IL-1 blockage so carvacol.” I asked her to make 1 cup of oregano tea. The next morning when we spoke she said “I woke up fine” as the reaction was gone. That day I registered an average 14.9mph on my 17.51mi bike ride for 70min. On May 16th (777 sick days. 349 days since happy accident and beginning experimentation.; 233 days out of the FOG) I met with psychologist whom said to me “You are better today than the last time we met.” My response “that person that has been coming here is because of the sickness.” However her comment confirms progress for me as my whole being is coming back online.
In June (beginning to middle) my VO2max pegged for weeks at 46.1–46.2pts (86.62%-87.26% retracement, respectively), I was able to write my story and multitask on a higher plane. Towards the end of June my VO2max pegged 46.9pts (91.72% recovery) and inflammation reduction 34.4 lbs or 89.82% (current weight 187.4 LBS). (Figure below: three(3) screenshots superimposed)
As of this writing July 2, 2023 at 824 sick days with over one year since the “happy accident”, 395 days since the commencement of self experimentation I share a few of my metrics: my VO2max registers at 47.0pts (92.36% recovery), inflammation reduction of 35.0 lbs loss (91.38% recovery), my resting heart rate is in the low 40’s level not seen since before adverse effect to vaccine, bike riding is above 15mph average pacefor ~80min ride, my running time is closing in on my “recovery-all-time high” and the number of symptoms have been reduced to less than ten as well as their severity.
I conclude with what my sickness (PASC) from an adverse effect from the vaccine and COVID-19 has taught me are the following:
- PASC like symptoms from an adverse effect to vaccine are very similar but in no way are they the same as COVID-19 symptoms.
- Symptoms presented as one thing, yet the root of them is something else. For me a lot of my symptoms presented themselves as “neurologic” but in actuality they were many other things, except neurologic. For example, my “Parkinson’s-like left fist,” my left foot that would not articulate when walking, inability to speak, the weird body painful pains, etc.
- Long-Covid can be prevented for me and Paxlovid-rebound can be stopped. Both with Valtrex following the completion of Paxlovid regimen and taken until 2-days post no symptoms.
- Western medicine only got me to ~45% recovery. The rest I attribute to TCM, Russian, Ayurveda and First Nations medicine.
- Covid-19 is 100% manageable; the sooner the treatment the quicker the recovery.
- Like any other virus, COVID-19 is “curable” and it becomes like HSV-1 for me.
- The longer I was sick the harder it is to come out of it and at some point my time would have expired without proper treatment. Yet, once proper treatment begun my body was so weak it would stagnate as it was “stuck” in many “novel- ruts.”
- Those “novel-ruts” have continued throughout and my physiological symptoms only improve through proper treatment.
- I surmise, that there are many other medicinal herb combinations that need to be explored.
- SARS-COV-2 is a weak virus that can be beaten, unlike a very strong virus like Ebola (which can be beaten too with very early intervention only and the time to figure it out is less than 45-days from exposure), I was at 429 days post vaccine exposure when the happy accident happened and my time was expiring.
- What my sickness taught me I applied in diagnosing my 76-yr old mother, figuring out what mechanisms in her were stuck and provided direction to get her to 100%, three times: the first — PASC from 2020 COVID-19 infection, the second — COVID-19 infection in 2023 and the third — adverse reaction to her antihistamine due to COVID-19 infection resulting in a broken mechanism of action.
I welcome the opportunity to talk with Researchers, Practitioners, NGO’s, Governments and Journalists — All are welcome.
Arturo Pérez Saad:. M.F.A., B.A., B.S.
1.917.292.1404
