THE AMYGDALA, SYMPATHETIC OVERDRIVE AND ELEVATED CATECHOLAMINE LEVELS: THE SPIKE PROTEIN’S INDUCTION OF LONG COVID AS A CONSTANT STATE OF “FEAR OR FLIGHT” RESPONSE
THE AMYGDALA, SYMPATHETIC OVERDRIVE AND ELEVATED CATECHOLAMINE LEVELS: THE SPIKE PROTEIN’S INDUCTION OF LONG COVID AS A CONSTANT STATE OF “FEAR OR FLIGHT” RESPONSE
This is a serious question. We repeatedly hear about the mysterious (at least to me) problem of 'Long Covid'. Leaving apart the fact I believe it's often a case of 'Long Vaccine', can someone explain how it works ... if you go to a doctor with a case of, for example, myocarditis, as a result of Covid (or a side effect of the vaccines but thats another matter), what are you suffering from, Long Covid or myocarditis? I feel L/Covid is being used as a catch all when it might make more sense to say you have "Covid induced myocarditis", or "vaccine induced myocarditis", not the vague "Long Covid" which could be just about anything - or nothing
Of course the propaganda media do their best to blur the lines and make attribution fuzzy but Long Covid is a real thing. FLCCC treats both long covid and vaccine injury similarly since the spike protein seems to cause much of the trouble; some folks react to the virus in ways that mirror jab effects. Go figure the human body is complex and every one different! :~)
But it might also be an easy "get out" for doctors, enabling them to put "Long Covid" on a medical record rather than "caused by Covid vaccination" (if they suspected that) which would start alarm bells ringing and even licences to be suspended in some cases. I suppose it might be more accurate to say someone has x, y or z "caused by the Covid spike protein", rather than just saying they have 'Long Covid'. Of course exactly how they got the spike in the first place is another matter, but it might allow doctors to duck the 'caused by vax' conclusion
This is so weird. I just heard about a 40 year old musician, not jabbed (not sure if he had covid) who fell down and wasn't breathing and his heart wasn't beating..they rescued him with CPR for 11 minutes and then shocked his heart back with the defillibration machine. The doctors could find no damage and no reason for his heart to have stopped
I am covid recovered, but not with long covid. This scares the crap out of me.
Same boat. Covid recovered, not vaxxed, long covid symptoms for 20 months now. Loss of weight- 65 lbs, brain fog and confusion, extreme fatigue. I’m miserable and no physicians have been able to find the problem. I feel like my body is wasting away. I don’t know who to turn to.
Have you tried telehealth with the FLCC or American’s Frontline Doctors? Perhaps you can detox with one of their protocols. We need specialists for what is happening. Praying everyday that diagnostics and therapies become available and accessible.
So sorry to hear you have been suffering for so long post Covid. Have you tried reaching out to the Docs at FLCCC? They might be able to help. Take good care and hope you feel better soon.
is there the possibility that you got bitten by a "shared" mosquito (vaccinated household member as just one example)? i ask this, because so far in my environment all in 2020 naturally infected returned to aerobe within 1-6 months (similar to other yearly strong cold/flu waves) and i am asking myself if shedding & long-covid is only valid for later, maybe vaccine induced mutations. do you have changed food preferences or changes in olfaction (i ask this to evaluate if you have switched to permanent fermentation, "i feel like my body is wasting away" could point to this)?
How did you deal with your Covid? Did you take one of the anti-virals (such as ivermectin?)? The people I know who are unvaxxed, but took IVM or Hydroxychloroquine right away (as soon as they had symptoms of Covid) are fine now with no signs of long Covid.
I believe I had it for 3 days in February of 2020. I use Listerine at least twice a day and more when I feel a post nasal drip and also use Benedryl to dry up the drip. Also used a Flonase type nasal spray to reduce inflammation. Worked out at the gym the entire time. Took NyQuil at night. Broke a fever one night which woke me up. And that was it. I have never taken a test and am not vaxxed. I have always been interested in nutrition and supplements and have no prescriptions at 71. As I live in Florida, I do have the number of the doctors who pioneered the use of Ivermectin in Broward County who will do a telehealth call and prescribe meds. We need doctors in the know to deal with the long covid syndrome and to help diagnose and treat the vaxxed who are not exhibiting any symptoms.
Me too. I feel like I'm languishing away. I've read books about prisoners who spent years in California's SHU[ isolated confinement] and I feel like I can relate to their situations.
Poor you nothing worse than feeling like there is no solution but there are many things that can help and wonderful MDs who now specialize in the patients that other docs won't or can't treat. Check out FLCCC who have protocols and doctors all over the place who will help. Several walked away from hospital careers when health officials banned effective treatments. https://covid19criticalcare.com/treatment-protocols/
Well don’t spend TOO much time dwelling upon it as clearly stress has a negative effect with regard to this syndrome. Get out your yoga mat and start intermittent fasting STAT. Also make sure your vitamin D levels are boosted!
Mast Cell Activation in Brain Injury, Stress, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis
"...Mast cells play a crucial role in the peripheral inflammation as well as in neuroinflammation due to brain injuries, stress, depression, and PTSD. Therefore, mast cells activation in brain injury, stress, and PTSD may accelerate the pathogenesis of neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases including AD."
2. And is that why many papers indicate promise for Quercetin, because it seems to be a mast cell stabilizer? And why this doc appears to have had success treating with it?
"quercetin implicates the mast cell. It blocks the receptor responsible for anaphylactoid reactions (anaphylaxis-like but without IgE)--the MRGPRX2 receptor. There are lots of basic secretagogues that can activate MRGPRX2. The mast cell can cause many weird symptoms. Many poorly defined syndromes, eg chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, etc may reflect mast cell activation (like MCAS itself). Allergic rhinitis and the common cold, as well as asthma, may all start with the mast cell. All are potentially blockable with quercetin."
"Some people think quercetin is a zinc ionophore. But I never had to use zinc. My hypothesis is that quercetin blocks the MRGRPX2 receptor on mast cells that's activated by basic secretagogues like the viral nucleocapsid protein, perhaps even the spike protein."
dwmoskowitz has fascinating takes on quercetin use, mast cells, etc. I'm attempting to view what WMC posts through the lens of how dwmoskowitz *might* view them, with an emphasis on 'might', because tweets are limiting form of communication and what I can glean from his tweets is limited.
Anyways, someone I know was diagnosed with Churg-Stauss (n/k/a Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis - EGPA) back in the 90's. It is supposed to be rare - "The estimated mean annual incidence is 2.4 individuals per million". But just recently, I became aware of an acquaintance diagnosed with it. While searching for info, I came across WMC's article from July, "End stage covid is Ahserson's Syndrome - Early Covid mimics Churg-Strauss: my work from December 2020".
And so now I'm wondering: what role do mast cells play in the development of EGPA?
And it seems mast cells do play some type of role.
Role of Cytokines in EGPA and the Possibility of Treatment with an Anti-IL-5 Antibody
"...EGPA is pathologically a granulomatous inflammation of the respiratory tract, often with eosinophil infiltration and necrotizing vasculitis in small- and medium-sized vessels [2,3]. Asthma is present in 96% to 100% of EGPA patients and is a major feature of EGPA. The involvement of type 1 allergy has been suggested due to the spread of allergic disease. When an allergic patient is stimulated by antigens from the respiratory tract, airway mucosa, **mast cells** [emphasis mine], macrophages, T cells, and eosinophils produce eotaxin, which mobilizes eosinophils and cytokines and activates eosinophils [4,5,6]. Eosinophils secrete major basic proteins that damage tissues from eosinophil granules, eosinophil peroxidase, and platelet-activating factors, which are involved in the exacerbation of bronchial asthma and lesions, leading to peripheral neuropathy and myocardial damage [7,8,9]. In addition, inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-8/CXCL8 are produced in response to antigen stimulation, and vascular endothelial cell damage due to degranulation and immune complex deposition associated with neutrophil activation leads to necrotizing vasculitis [10,11]. Activated T cells produce macrophage chemotactic factors, macrophage activating factors, and IL-5, which activate macrophages and cause granuloma formation. Granuloma formation involves the influx and accumulation of phagocytic monocytes in vascular lesions, aggregation and organization of embryonic monocytes and mature macrophages, and eventually their development into epithelioid cells. IL-5 is also involved in eosinophil recruitment [12,13,14]."
And might Quercetin have a role to play in EGPA treatment?
Well, the first google result for "quercetin and churg strauss" is a warning case of a patient who used a botanical solution that, among many other items, included quercetin. "Though it is not possible for us to conclusively prove that the use of the herbal remedy was responsible for the development of the syndrome but the temporal profile of the use of the herbal remedy and the patient's symptoms makes us hypothesize this and thus implicate it as the possible causative agent of CSS in our patient."
Ok, that is fascinating because in regards to the person I mentioned who was diagnosed with EGPA back in the 90s, I'm pretty sure at one point years earlier doctors had misdiagnosed him with sarcoidosis after a flare-up of lymph nodes.
Also, it seems mast cells play a role of some kind in sarcoidosis, e.g.:
Correlation of Mast Cells Oncostatin M Expression in BAL With FEV1/FVC in Sarcoidosis
"...Sarcoidosis is characterized by an exaggerated T cell immune response, which is believed, at least to some extent, to be the result of dysfunctional Tregs. However, high numbers of mast cells in the lavage fluid have been connected to a more active and severe sarcoidosis, and mediators released from activated mast cells have been suggested to be involved in the development of fibrosis [15,17]."
Quercetin has a long list of herb-drug interactions, so I have avoided it in supplement form, as I take one of these drugs. https://go.drugbank.com/drugs/DB04216
EGCG in green tea and hesperidin in citrus/citrus peel seem to have been sufficient for me, and can be taken at the opposite end of the day from the medication.
Also looks like a number of articles about EGCG in relation to mast cells.
dwmoskowitz's twitter feed does include some snippets about quercetin and drug interactions. It appears his approach with quercetin for the patients he has treated is high and increasing dosage when symptomatic (covid or long-haul) as opposed to a daily vitamin type of approach.
"Although there are 30 CYP450 liver enzymes that metabolize drugs, only 6 do most of the work. Quercetin inhibits 5 of them! If you're taking pills daily, I would limit quercetin to just 1-2 weeks at a time so it doesn't mess up levels of your other drugs...
I was wrong. Quercetin inhibits all 6: CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP2E1, and CYP3A4. For some, this could be advantageous. For ex. anti-seizure meds like Tegretol, Dilantin induce CYP3A4, lowering production of active vitamin D (1,25-[OH]2-vit D3, calcitriol)....
...There's an assumption that vitamins can never hurt. But vitamin overload is possible. Papers like the following suggest that everything should be checked:
...I can't find if thymoquinone blocks the MRGPRX2 receptor. So I can't recommend it. But a week or even two with quercetin isn't going to change levels of other drugs that much, compared to the benefit of keeping you safe from COVID."
"...Taking quercetin longterm is safe, unless you're on a blood thinner, in which case the dose of blood thinner may need to be adjusted (except Pradaxa)."
Well... just came across a fb post of an interview with Dr. Moskowitz from about 3 months ago, and if you skip to around the 18 min mark, he discusses how Quercetin was not working for him with the newer variant.
Disappointing if true. The mast cell theory still seems possible, though (?). Multiple items on the FLCCC protocol (besides quercetin) appear to be mast cell stabilizers, notably Vitamin D.
Warning: I'm not a doc, just interested in the research.
Also: I literally just found this video with Dr. Moskowitz from about 3 months ago, and it sounds as though he found Quercetin was **not** effective with the newer variant.
There's always the FLCCC protocol. Multiple items on their prevention protocol such as Vitamin D (they also include quercetin) seem to have mast cell stabilization properties.
I get that you were just trying to find a "sympathetic system" diagram, and that this post is not about migraine, but the diagram gets migraine pathophysiology pretty wrong. Photophobia in migraine is not due to simple pupillary dilation.
The vaginal constriction would be beneficial for my wife. I'm sorry for being crass as nothing about any of this should be taken lightly, however; a smile doesn't hurt every once in awhile.
After having been infected with EBV, some 20 years ago, I developed ME/CFS, tinnitus, brain fog ...
Now, one month after COVID, my energy levels are again fading away and my anxiety level is going through the roof. I treated the virus with everything: IVM, HCQ, vitamins, oils, minerals … you name it. I also follow a clean keto diet (no dairy, eggs, nightshades …) with grass fed lamb, organically grown fish and vegetables and occasionally raw honey. Thanks to the diet, I recovered from a terrible brain fog and increased my energy, in the past. Now, I have included 250mg of aspirin, in the middle of my only lunch, at midday.
medical advice given in your situation as mentioned in your comment if as follows.
Your bp is extremely high because of the rates you wrote, it is called 'crisis hypertension (CH) This phenomene start to occure about the rates you mentioned and up.
When a symptome of CH appears, similiarly to the CH BP, you need to be seen immedeately by a doctor, or visit asap the ER, because your body, especially your organs, can be damaged severly and or permanently!
In the hospital they must find out what causes this high BP, among other things of course!
Hope you are satisfied or helped with this advice, and that you will be taking good care of yourself and wish you well!
I am from NZ probably only exposed to Omicron which I had a mild dose back in May. Found out 3 months ago weeks ago that my BP is very high. Visit toe ED 226/104. Am taking medication but some days I can't get it down to below the 180 mark. Levels seem to be higher at night and I am conscious that it is high with head-ache and neck pain. I am not vaxed.
I have long been interested in a subset of rare medical conditions I refer to as the unhappy genotoxic family.
Gulf war syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, long covid, chronic Lyme disease etc. And I always suspected mitochondrial damage, especially within the nervous system and brain was the root cause of these conditions. The post exhaustion malaise. Brain fog. And a host of other symptoms stem from their inability to produce enough energy. Like a shitty old car with engine knocking or a faulty carburetor. They run and are not dead... Just not well
Such “Stress” cardiomyopathy is indeed mediated via the catecholamines leading to an increase in mitochondrial uncoupling, and an increase in ROS and further mitochondrial dysfunction.
UVR is one of the primordial stressors in evolution, however, there is another more energetic and devastating primordial stress to life on earth, one which strikes at the surface and damages deep within and also causes a prolonged QT and propagates myocardial destruction.
Not wanting to rubbish the notion of 'Long Covid' I believe it's use was abused by governments who tried to justify restrictions and mandates by saying if we dont do this or that, millions will get 'Long Covid', but they had little proof really and it was more scare tactics. Now doctors who can't find a specific cause of someone's problems often lump it under the Long Covid umbrella, and seeing as the majority of people will have had either the virus or the 'vaccines' or both, it's an easy diagnosis to make if you can't come up with anything else - it also allows them NOT to put the expression "caused by Covid vaccantion" on the medical forms
thanks walter for all your dedication and hard work, and please, please do not give up on us.
even if we do not know realize it yet, we need you!!
This is a serious question. We repeatedly hear about the mysterious (at least to me) problem of 'Long Covid'. Leaving apart the fact I believe it's often a case of 'Long Vaccine', can someone explain how it works ... if you go to a doctor with a case of, for example, myocarditis, as a result of Covid (or a side effect of the vaccines but thats another matter), what are you suffering from, Long Covid or myocarditis? I feel L/Covid is being used as a catch all when it might make more sense to say you have "Covid induced myocarditis", or "vaccine induced myocarditis", not the vague "Long Covid" which could be just about anything - or nothing
the vagueness is intentional
Of course the propaganda media do their best to blur the lines and make attribution fuzzy but Long Covid is a real thing. FLCCC treats both long covid and vaccine injury similarly since the spike protein seems to cause much of the trouble; some folks react to the virus in ways that mirror jab effects. Go figure the human body is complex and every one different! :~)
https://covid19criticalcare.com/treatment-protocols/
But it might also be an easy "get out" for doctors, enabling them to put "Long Covid" on a medical record rather than "caused by Covid vaccination" (if they suspected that) which would start alarm bells ringing and even licences to be suspended in some cases. I suppose it might be more accurate to say someone has x, y or z "caused by the Covid spike protein", rather than just saying they have 'Long Covid'. Of course exactly how they got the spike in the first place is another matter, but it might allow doctors to duck the 'caused by vax' conclusion
very good point, never thought about it, but what you are saying makes very much sense and it is true. it goes to the heart of the problem.
This is so weird. I just heard about a 40 year old musician, not jabbed (not sure if he had covid) who fell down and wasn't breathing and his heart wasn't beating..they rescued him with CPR for 11 minutes and then shocked his heart back with the defillibration machine. The doctors could find no damage and no reason for his heart to have stopped
I am covid recovered, but not with long covid. This scares the crap out of me.
Same boat. Covid recovered, not vaxxed, long covid symptoms for 20 months now. Loss of weight- 65 lbs, brain fog and confusion, extreme fatigue. I’m miserable and no physicians have been able to find the problem. I feel like my body is wasting away. I don’t know who to turn to.
Have you tried telehealth with the FLCC or American’s Frontline Doctors? Perhaps you can detox with one of their protocols. We need specialists for what is happening. Praying everyday that diagnostics and therapies become available and accessible.
have you researched/looked into spike protein shedding??
Yes I sure have. I’ve done so much reading on shedding the past year and 1/2, sometimes it’s so overwhelming tbh.
Have you had EBV and HHV6 titers run? Your Covid may have triggered another viral infection.
So sorry to hear you have been suffering for so long post Covid. Have you tried reaching out to the Docs at FLCCC? They might be able to help. Take good care and hope you feel better soon.
is there the possibility that you got bitten by a "shared" mosquito (vaccinated household member as just one example)? i ask this, because so far in my environment all in 2020 naturally infected returned to aerobe within 1-6 months (similar to other yearly strong cold/flu waves) and i am asking myself if shedding & long-covid is only valid for later, maybe vaccine induced mutations. do you have changed food preferences or changes in olfaction (i ask this to evaluate if you have switched to permanent fermentation, "i feel like my body is wasting away" could point to this)?
How did you deal with your Covid? Did you take one of the anti-virals (such as ivermectin?)? The people I know who are unvaxxed, but took IVM or Hydroxychloroquine right away (as soon as they had symptoms of Covid) are fine now with no signs of long Covid.
I believe I had it for 3 days in February of 2020. I use Listerine at least twice a day and more when I feel a post nasal drip and also use Benedryl to dry up the drip. Also used a Flonase type nasal spray to reduce inflammation. Worked out at the gym the entire time. Took NyQuil at night. Broke a fever one night which woke me up. And that was it. I have never taken a test and am not vaxxed. I have always been interested in nutrition and supplements and have no prescriptions at 71. As I live in Florida, I do have the number of the doctors who pioneered the use of Ivermectin in Broward County who will do a telehealth call and prescribe meds. We need doctors in the know to deal with the long covid syndrome and to help diagnose and treat the vaxxed who are not exhibiting any symptoms.
FLCCC post-vax protocol: https://covid19criticalcare.com/treatment-protocols/i-recover/
Me too. I feel like I'm languishing away. I've read books about prisoners who spent years in California's SHU[ isolated confinement] and I feel like I can relate to their situations.
Poor you nothing worse than feeling like there is no solution but there are many things that can help and wonderful MDs who now specialize in the patients that other docs won't or can't treat. Check out FLCCC who have protocols and doctors all over the place who will help. Several walked away from hospital careers when health officials banned effective treatments. https://covid19criticalcare.com/treatment-protocols/
Well don’t spend TOO much time dwelling upon it as clearly stress has a negative effect with regard to this syndrome. Get out your yoga mat and start intermittent fasting STAT. Also make sure your vitamin D levels are boosted!
Excellent advice for EVERYONE.
This short composition called "Takotsubo" will get your catecholamine level down:
https://tinyurl.com/2vwy5y7r
Nice!
1. Could all those symptoms be manifestations of issues related to mast cell activation?
MAST CELLS AND THE HEART: KOUNIS SYNDROME AND TAKOTSUBO CARDIOMYOPATHY
https://tmsforacure.org/expert-information/mast-cells-heart-kounis-syndrome-takotsubo-cardiomyopathy/
Mast Cell Activation in Brain Injury, Stress, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis
"...Mast cells play a crucial role in the peripheral inflammation as well as in neuroinflammation due to brain injuries, stress, depression, and PTSD. Therefore, mast cells activation in brain injury, stress, and PTSD may accelerate the pathogenesis of neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases including AD."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5733004/
Mast Cells in Stress, Pain, Blood-Brain Barrier, Neuroinflammation and Alzheimer’s Disease
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncel.2019.00054/full
Mast cell‑mediated neuroinflammation may have a role in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (Review)
https://www.spandidos-publications.com/10.3892/etm.2020.8789
Activated brain mast cells contribute to postoperative cognitive dysfunction by evoking microglia activation and neuronal apoptosis
https://jneuroinflammation.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12974-016-0592-9
Mast cells' involvement in inflammation pathways linked to depression: evidence in mastocytosis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26809839/
Mast Cells, Stress, Fear and Autism Spectrum Disorder
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6696098/
2. And is that why many papers indicate promise for Quercetin, because it seems to be a mast cell stabilizer? And why this doc appears to have had success treating with it?
https://twitter.com/search?q=from%3Adwmoskowitz%20quercetin&src=typed_query&f=live
"quercetin implicates the mast cell. It blocks the receptor responsible for anaphylactoid reactions (anaphylaxis-like but without IgE)--the MRGPRX2 receptor. There are lots of basic secretagogues that can activate MRGPRX2. The mast cell can cause many weird symptoms. Many poorly defined syndromes, eg chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, etc may reflect mast cell activation (like MCAS itself). Allergic rhinitis and the common cold, as well as asthma, may all start with the mast cell. All are potentially blockable with quercetin."
https://twitter.com/dwmoskowitz/status/1480917694148976641
"Some people think quercetin is a zinc ionophore. But I never had to use zinc. My hypothesis is that quercetin blocks the MRGRPX2 receptor on mast cells that's activated by basic secretagogues like the viral nucleocapsid protein, perhaps even the spike protein."
https://twitter.com/dwmoskowitz/status/1444042308509478916
Great information and suggestions. Thank you!
Interesting thoughts here.
dwmoskowitz has fascinating takes on quercetin use, mast cells, etc. I'm attempting to view what WMC posts through the lens of how dwmoskowitz *might* view them, with an emphasis on 'might', because tweets are limiting form of communication and what I can glean from his tweets is limited.
https://twitter.com/search?q=from%3Adwmoskowitz%20quercetin&src=typed_query&f=live
https://twitter.com/search?q=from%3Adwmoskowitz%20mast&src=typed_query
https://twitter.com/search?q=from%3Adwmoskowitz%20200&src=typed_query&f=live
https://twitter.com/search?q=from%3Adwmoskowitz%20long%20covid&src=typed_query&f=live
https://twitter.com/search?q=from%3Adwmoskowitz%20blood&src=typed_query&f=live
Added a comment to WMC's article hypothesizing about Quercetin and Curcumin and included more of dwmoskowitz tweet content there: https://wmcresearch.substack.com/p/quercetin-and-curcumin-as-potentially/comment/9969387
Anyways, someone I know was diagnosed with Churg-Stauss (n/k/a Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis - EGPA) back in the 90's. It is supposed to be rare - "The estimated mean annual incidence is 2.4 individuals per million". But just recently, I became aware of an acquaintance diagnosed with it. While searching for info, I came across WMC's article from July, "End stage covid is Ahserson's Syndrome - Early Covid mimics Churg-Strauss: my work from December 2020".
https://wmcresearch.substack.com/p/end-stage-covid-is-ashersons-syndrome
I left a comment there giving links to a few case reports of individuals getting EGPA, most of them post-jab.
https://wmcresearch.substack.com/p/end-stage-covid-is-ashersons-syndrome/comment/9965091
And so now I'm wondering: what role do mast cells play in the development of EGPA?
And it seems mast cells do play some type of role.
Role of Cytokines in EGPA and the Possibility of Treatment with an Anti-IL-5 Antibody
"...EGPA is pathologically a granulomatous inflammation of the respiratory tract, often with eosinophil infiltration and necrotizing vasculitis in small- and medium-sized vessels [2,3]. Asthma is present in 96% to 100% of EGPA patients and is a major feature of EGPA. The involvement of type 1 allergy has been suggested due to the spread of allergic disease. When an allergic patient is stimulated by antigens from the respiratory tract, airway mucosa, **mast cells** [emphasis mine], macrophages, T cells, and eosinophils produce eotaxin, which mobilizes eosinophils and cytokines and activates eosinophils [4,5,6]. Eosinophils secrete major basic proteins that damage tissues from eosinophil granules, eosinophil peroxidase, and platelet-activating factors, which are involved in the exacerbation of bronchial asthma and lesions, leading to peripheral neuropathy and myocardial damage [7,8,9]. In addition, inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-8/CXCL8 are produced in response to antigen stimulation, and vascular endothelial cell damage due to degranulation and immune complex deposition associated with neutrophil activation leads to necrotizing vasculitis [10,11]. Activated T cells produce macrophage chemotactic factors, macrophage activating factors, and IL-5, which activate macrophages and cause granuloma formation. Granuloma formation involves the influx and accumulation of phagocytic monocytes in vascular lesions, aggregation and organization of embryonic monocytes and mature macrophages, and eventually their development into epithelioid cells. IL-5 is also involved in eosinophil recruitment [12,13,14]."
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/9/12/3890/htm
And might Quercetin have a role to play in EGPA treatment?
Well, the first google result for "quercetin and churg strauss" is a warning case of a patient who used a botanical solution that, among many other items, included quercetin. "Though it is not possible for us to conclusively prove that the use of the herbal remedy was responsible for the development of the syndrome but the temporal profile of the use of the herbal remedy and the patient's symptoms makes us hypothesize this and thus implicate it as the possible causative agent of CSS in our patient."
https://ispub.com/IJN/5/1/12473
Yet there are plenty of other papers that suggest Quercetin merits further investigation.
Inhibitory Action of Quercetin on Eosinophil Activation In Vitro
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248385131_Inhibitory_Action_of_Quercetin_on_Eosinophil_Activation_In_Vitro
Potential Implications of Quercetin in Autoimmune Diseases
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2021.689044/full
Quercetin and Its Anti-Allergic Immune Response
https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/21/5/623/htm
Impact of polyphenols on mast cells with special emphasis on the effect of quercetin and luteolin
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6384425/
Rheumatoid arthritis induces enteric neurodegeneration and jejunal inflammation, and quercetin promotes neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory actions
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024320519308835
Quercetin Is More Effective than Cromolyn in Blocking Human Mast Cell Cytokine Release and Inhibits Contact Dermatitis and Photosensitivity in Humans
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3314669/
Natural polyphenols for the prevention of irritable bowel syndrome: molecular mechanisms and targets; a comprehensive review
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6895345/
Quercetin in the Prevention and Treatment of Coronavirus Infections: A Focus on SARS-CoV-2
https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/15/9/1049
Isoquercetin as an Anti-Covid-19 Medication: A Potential to Realize
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2022.830205/full
One of the authors of this paper was interviewed by the CBC on this very topic at start of the pandemic. https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1703883331818
Quercetin with the potential effect on allergic diseases
https://aacijournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13223-020-00434-0
The Effect of Quercetin on Inflammatory Factors and Clinical Symptoms in Women with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27710596/
Quercetin alleviates rheumatoid arthritis by inhibiting neutrophil inflammatory activities
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0955286320304861
Anti-inflammatory Effects of Quercetin and Vitexin on Activated Human Peripheral Blood Neutrophils
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5532472/
Additional Quercetin-related links to papers here:
https://wmcresearch.substack.com/p/transdifferentiation-dedifferentiation/comment/9971267
Your comments on the effect of quercetin on Churg-Strauss (which is granulomatous) piqued my curiosity regarding quercetin and sarcoidosis.
Lo and behold...
Antioxidant status associated with inflammation in sarcoidosis: a potential role for antioxidants
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19010653/
Quercetin reduces markers of oxidative stress and inflammation in sarcoidosis https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21324570/
The Role of Oxidative Stress in Sarcoidosis
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/21/11712/htm
Ok, that is fascinating because in regards to the person I mentioned who was diagnosed with EGPA back in the 90s, I'm pretty sure at one point years earlier doctors had misdiagnosed him with sarcoidosis after a flare-up of lymph nodes.
Also, it seems mast cells play a role of some kind in sarcoidosis, e.g.:
Correlation of Mast Cells Oncostatin M Expression in BAL With FEV1/FVC in Sarcoidosis
https://journal.chestnet.org/article/S0012-3692(16)54371-2/fulltext
Changes in lung immune cells related to clinical outcome during treatment with infliximab for sarcoidosis
https://academic.oup.com/cei/article/201/1/85/6401631
"...Sarcoidosis is characterized by an exaggerated T cell immune response, which is believed, at least to some extent, to be the result of dysfunctional Tregs. However, high numbers of mast cells in the lavage fluid have been connected to a more active and severe sarcoidosis, and mediators released from activated mast cells have been suggested to be involved in the development of fibrosis [15,17]."
I wonder whether there is also mast cell involvement in non-pulmonary sarcoidosis - there's so little information in these rare syndromes.
Quercetin has a long list of herb-drug interactions, so I have avoided it in supplement form, as I take one of these drugs. https://go.drugbank.com/drugs/DB04216
EGCG in green tea and hesperidin in citrus/citrus peel seem to have been sufficient for me, and can be taken at the opposite end of the day from the medication.
Thanks; great link.
Also looks like a number of articles about EGCG in relation to mast cells.
dwmoskowitz's twitter feed does include some snippets about quercetin and drug interactions. It appears his approach with quercetin for the patients he has treated is high and increasing dosage when symptomatic (covid or long-haul) as opposed to a daily vitamin type of approach.
"Although there are 30 CYP450 liver enzymes that metabolize drugs, only 6 do most of the work. Quercetin inhibits 5 of them! If you're taking pills daily, I would limit quercetin to just 1-2 weeks at a time so it doesn't mess up levels of your other drugs...
I was wrong. Quercetin inhibits all 6: CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP2E1, and CYP3A4. For some, this could be advantageous. For ex. anti-seizure meds like Tegretol, Dilantin induce CYP3A4, lowering production of active vitamin D (1,25-[OH]2-vit D3, calcitriol)....
...There's an assumption that vitamins can never hurt. But vitamin overload is possible. Papers like the following suggest that everything should be checked:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5822518/
...I can't find if thymoquinone blocks the MRGPRX2 receptor. So I can't recommend it. But a week or even two with quercetin isn't going to change levels of other drugs that much, compared to the benefit of keeping you safe from COVID."
https://twitter.com/dwmoskowitz/status/1433122455229448194
"...Taking quercetin longterm is safe, unless you're on a blood thinner, in which case the dose of blood thinner may need to be adjusted (except Pradaxa)."
https://twitter.com/dwmoskowitz/status/1455581365408346115
Well... just came across a fb post of an interview with Dr. Moskowitz from about 3 months ago, and if you skip to around the 18 min mark, he discusses how Quercetin was not working for him with the newer variant.
Disappointing if true. The mast cell theory still seems possible, though (?). Multiple items on the FLCCC protocol (besides quercetin) appear to be mast cell stabilizers, notably Vitamin D.
https://www.facebook.com/100063590949593/videos/740821290492214/?__so__=watchlist&__rv__=video_home_www_playlist_video_list
Thank you very much! I finally recognise my own health threat(s), it is well possible you just saved my live with this information, hug!
?
Warning: I'm not a doc, just interested in the research.
Also: I literally just found this video with Dr. Moskowitz from about 3 months ago, and it sounds as though he found Quercetin was **not** effective with the newer variant.
Skip to about the 18 minute mark:
https://www.facebook.com/100063590949593/videos/740821290492214/?__so__=watchlist&__rv__=video_home_www_playlist_video_list
There's always the FLCCC protocol. Multiple items on their prevention protocol such as Vitamin D (they also include quercetin) seem to have mast cell stabilization properties.
https://covid19criticalcare.com/treatment-protocols/
Unfortunately I think this is a real effect. Great work putting this together Walter
I get that you were just trying to find a "sympathetic system" diagram, and that this post is not about migraine, but the diagram gets migraine pathophysiology pretty wrong. Photophobia in migraine is not due to simple pupillary dilation.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27190022/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33990148/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21467933/
In fact, there is debate as to whether the sympathetic or the parasympathetic system takes precedence. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29476276/
Migraine=constricted blood vessel is also wrong. Just saying.
Sorry for the distraction. Carry on, and thanks for what you do.
Has anybody any idea what to doc o counter this sympatic overdrive?herbs?supplements?foods?teas?other?
The vaginal constriction would be beneficial for my wife. I'm sorry for being crass as nothing about any of this should be taken lightly, however; a smile doesn't hurt every once in awhile.
> Is Long COVID a combination of microvascular destruction and constant sympathetic overdrive?
No its the shotz
This is fascinating, Walter!
After having been infected with EBV, some 20 years ago, I developed ME/CFS, tinnitus, brain fog ...
Now, one month after COVID, my energy levels are again fading away and my anxiety level is going through the roof. I treated the virus with everything: IVM, HCQ, vitamins, oils, minerals … you name it. I also follow a clean keto diet (no dairy, eggs, nightshades …) with grass fed lamb, organically grown fish and vegetables and occasionally raw honey. Thanks to the diet, I recovered from a terrible brain fog and increased my energy, in the past. Now, I have included 250mg of aspirin, in the middle of my only lunch, at midday.
I hope this will pass soon.
Dear Sally, the professional
medical advice given in your situation as mentioned in your comment if as follows.
Your bp is extremely high because of the rates you wrote, it is called 'crisis hypertension (CH) This phenomene start to occure about the rates you mentioned and up.
When a symptome of CH appears, similiarly to the CH BP, you need to be seen immedeately by a doctor, or visit asap the ER, because your body, especially your organs, can be damaged severly and or permanently!
In the hospital they must find out what causes this high BP, among other things of course!
Hope you are satisfied or helped with this advice, and that you will be taking good care of yourself and wish you well!
I am from NZ probably only exposed to Omicron which I had a mild dose back in May. Found out 3 months ago weeks ago that my BP is very high. Visit toe ED 226/104. Am taking medication but some days I can't get it down to below the 180 mark. Levels seem to be higher at night and I am conscious that it is high with head-ache and neck pain. I am not vaxed.
Interesting line of enquiry. Maybe.
I have long been interested in a subset of rare medical conditions I refer to as the unhappy genotoxic family.
Gulf war syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, long covid, chronic Lyme disease etc. And I always suspected mitochondrial damage, especially within the nervous system and brain was the root cause of these conditions. The post exhaustion malaise. Brain fog. And a host of other symptoms stem from their inability to produce enough energy. Like a shitty old car with engine knocking or a faulty carburetor. They run and are not dead... Just not well
UVR can also trigger TTS - as can any of the psychological stresses inflicted upon the masses over the last few years.
Highlighting the importance of the mind body connection to health and why inducing a state of fear is counterproductive.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8562109/
Such “Stress” cardiomyopathy is indeed mediated via the catecholamines leading to an increase in mitochondrial uncoupling, and an increase in ROS and further mitochondrial dysfunction.
UVR is one of the primordial stressors in evolution, however, there is another more energetic and devastating primordial stress to life on earth, one which strikes at the surface and damages deep within and also causes a prolonged QT and propagates myocardial destruction.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5610732/
Unsurprisingly, it induces fear and is one of the commonest phobias in the world today - Astraphobia.
https://www.bitchute.com/video/7ISiQ7P8GxAN/
As Above So Below!
Not wanting to rubbish the notion of 'Long Covid' I believe it's use was abused by governments who tried to justify restrictions and mandates by saying if we dont do this or that, millions will get 'Long Covid', but they had little proof really and it was more scare tactics. Now doctors who can't find a specific cause of someone's problems often lump it under the Long Covid umbrella, and seeing as the majority of people will have had either the virus or the 'vaccines' or both, it's an easy diagnosis to make if you can't come up with anything else - it also allows them NOT to put the expression "caused by Covid vaccantion" on the medical forms