Human Brain Directly Attacked by COVID-19, by ShepherdFarmerGeek

I ran across this report while doing some COVID-19 research online. If I’m understanding it correctly this is a major insight into how the virus attacks humans, especially in the more serious cases. And it’s implications may give us a useful strategy to attempt to combat it.

Here’s the original research article, published February 27, 2020.

If I may, let me try to put the article’s main findings (below in italics) into everyday English:

Here’s The Problem

The COVID-19 virus can infect a person through any mucous membranes – the mouth, eyes and nose. Infections via the mouth are typically from touching contaminated surfaces or objects (foamites) and the viruses are subsequently transferred to the mouth or eyes. Having virus-laden saliva particles drift into a person’s eyes is a second way infections happen and is why the best protective strategy includes non-vented goggles.

Of course the major route of infection is by breathing virus-laden particles into the lungs where they have a particular affinity (as well as the intestines). And people typically breathe through their noses most of the time. Doctors and researchers have now discovered that COVID-19 viruses can travel from the nose [and even the lower respiratory airways] to the brain stem where they infect the Central Nervous System (CNS).

There, the viruses attack the body’s normal ability to breathe spontaneously (without conscious effort). This is especially a problem when the person tries to sleep, but conscious effort is required to continue breathing. Hence the heavy use of mechanical respirators. Persons whose infection primarily started via breathing and nasal inhalation would be expected to experience respiratory crises more often / more seriously than persons infected via the fecal-oral or eye route.

Will nasal washing help?

Given this issue, washing the viruses out of the nose and throat might be one useful defensive strategy. We know that N-95 masks are not perfect (hence the 95% protection rating) and some viral exposure can still happen. But the exposure can be so little that the body’s normal defenses can inactivate the invading viruses. I would propose that we use a saline nasal wash (for heaven’s sake don’t spray ordinary water or distilled water into your noses! It burns, so use saline). And maybe use a saline that has some antiviral substance(s) added to help combat the viruses and wash them out of the nose?

Additives

A lot of people would propose colloidal silver and that could be one option. It’s certainly popular among preppers. Xylitol could help and nasal sprays containing Xylitol are specifically marketed to help flush the sinuses. According this National Institutes of Health article:

“GSE [grapefruit seed extract] is a potential novel disinfectant against viruses and bacteria, effective even within a short contact time.” We do not know if it will specifically work against COVID-19, but it’s also not likely to cause any harm if we only add a few drops to a saline nasal spray.

Finally, we know from an earlier SurvivalBlog article and comments that Betadine / Povidone Iodine kills viruses. At the time the author recommended swabbing the nose with this solution (which might be a bit tingly…), but it might work better if it was sprayed (diluted!) from a saline spray bottle (like Simply Saline, NeilMed nasal rinse, and OCEAN saline spray – all just a couple of bucks at your local pharmacy).

Selenium, Zinc, Olive Leaf Extract, Vitamins C and D, and other supplements and vitamins have antiviral properties – but we do not know if that property requires their ingestion/digestion first or if they’ll work directly on a virus via a nasal spray. And for all I know some of these substances could be p-r-e-t-t-y unpleasant when sprayed into a nose! I’m not personally recommending anything beyond GSE (which I’ve used in saline wash for years) and Betadine. Now that research like this article has been published I’d expect a flurry of research about what type of spray additives works best.

Our strategy

For me and my family, we’re planning to add a round of saline spray with GSE and Betadine after every public exposure even though we will be wearing high quality filter masks. And in more controlled settings where infected persons are unlikely to be present I would think it would still be prudent to occasionally give the old sinuses a rinse, maybe once an hour or two? And we’ll follow the nasal rinses with some drink to help wash the viruses off the mucus in our esophagus and into the acid bath of the stomach.

This won’t be a solution, and it definitely won’t be a cure, because these viruses can still travel from the lungs to the brain in theory, but this might be a way to minimize or reduce our exposure to the virus itself. And it might be a way to try to prevent the worst COVID-19 symptom – acute respiratory distress. Only time will tell and I’m throwing this out to the prepper community simply because time is of the essence.

And please, this should also be the end of the absurd public arguments that N-95 (and better) filter masks are not important for protection from COVID-19, even though doctors and nurses require them.

So, mask up, use those non-vented goggles, spray your noses and for heaven’s sake, practice good hand hygiene! Stay out of crowds as much as you can. Any one of these measures alone is not enough. You need a comprehensive strategy!

Here’s the Abstract

The article’s Abstract from [Originally sourced by this in the Comments section!]

SFG: Underlines, bolds and [comments in brackets] are my emphasis.

“Following the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARSCoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERSCoV), another highly pathogenic coronavirus named SARSCoV2 (previously known as 2019nCoV) emerged in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and rapidly spreads around the world. This virus shares highly homological sequence with SARSCoV, and causes acute, highly lethal pneumonia (COVID19) with clinical symptoms similar to those reported for SARSCoV and MERSCoV. The most characteristic symptom of COVID19 patients is respiratory distress, and most of the patients admitted to the intensive care could not breathe spontaneously. Additionally, some COVID19 patients also showed neurologic signs such as headache, nausea and vomiting. Increasing evidence shows that coronavriruses are not always confined to the respiratory tract and that they may also invade the central nervous system inducing neurological diseases. The infection of SARSCoV has been reported in the brains from both patients and experimental animals, where the brainstem was heavily infected. Furthermore, some coronaviruses [SFG: But not COVID-19, yet] have been demonstrated able to spread via a synapseconnected route to the medullary cardiorespiratory center from the mechanoand chemoreceptors in the lung and lower respiratory airways. In light of the high similarity between SARSCoV and SARSCoV2, it is quite likely that the potential invasion of SARSCoV2 is partially responsible for the acute respiratory failure of COVID19 patients. Awareness of this will have important guiding significance for the prevention and treatment of the SARSCoV2induced respiratory failure.”

Fuller Summary

And here is the fuller summary from the original research article:

“Following the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARSCoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERSCoV), another highly pathogenic coronavirus named SARSCoV2 (previously known as 2019nCoV) emerged in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and rapidly spreads around the world. This virus shares highly homological sequence with SARSCoV, and causes acute, highly lethal pneumonia (COVID19) with clinical symptoms similar to those reported for SARSCoV and MERSCoV. The most characteristic symptom of COVID19 patients is respiratory distress, and most of the patients admitted to the intensive care could not breathe spontaneously. Additionally, some COVID19 patients also showed neurologic signs such as headache, nausea and vomiting. Increasing evidence shows that coronavriruses are not always confined to the respiratory tract and that they may also invade the central nervous system inducing neurological diseases. The infection of SARSCoV has been reported in the brains from both patients and experimental animals, where the brainstem was heavily infected. Furthermore, some coronaviruses [SFG: But not COVID-19, yet] have been demonstrated able to spread via a synapseconnected route to the medullary cardiorespiratory center from the mechano and chemoreceptors in the lung and lower respiratory airways. In light of the high similarity between SARSCoV and SARSCoV2, it is quite likely that the potential invasion of SARSCoV2 is partially responsible for the acute respiratory failure of COVID19 patients. Awareness of this will have important guiding significance for the prevention and treatment of the SARSCoV2induced respiratory failure.”

Fuller Summary

And here is the fuller summary from the original research article:

“Taken together, the neuroinvasive propensity has been demonstrated as a common feature of CoVs. In light of the high similarity between SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV2, it is quite likely that SARS-CoV-2 also possesses a similar potential. Based on an epidemiological survey on COVID-19, the median time from the first symptom to dyspnea [SFG: difficulty breathing] was 5.0 days, to hospital admission was 7.0 days, and to the intensive care was 8.0 days 15. Therefore, the latency period is enough for the virus to enter and destroy the medullary neurons [SFG in the brain stem]. As a matter of fact, it has been reported that some patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 did show neurologic signs such as headache (about 8%), nausea and vomiting (1%).

The implications of the potential neuroinvasion of SARS-CoV-2.
As an emerging virus, no effective treatment has been developed for the disease resulting from SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, awareness of the possible entry of SARS-CoV-2 into the CNS will have important guiding significance for the prevention and treatment.

If the neuroinvasion of SARS-CoV-2 does take a part in the development of respiratory failure in COVID-19 patients, the precaution with masks will absolutely be the most effective measure to protect against the possible entry of the virus into the CNS. It may also be expected that the symptoms of the patients infected via facal-oral or conjunctival [SFG: eyes] route will be lighter than those infected intranasally. The possible neuroinvasion of SARS-CoV-2 may also partially explain why some patients developed respiratory failure, while others not. It is very possible that most of the persons in Wuhan, who were the first exposed to this previously unknown virus, did not have any protective measure [SFG: such as masks, so people were heavily infected via breathing and breathing through their noses], so that the critical patients is much more in Wuhan than in other cities in China.

Considering the potential neuroinvasion of SARS-CoV-2, antiviral therapy should be carried out as early as possible to block its entry into the CNS. Airway inhalation of antiviral agents will be the first choice at the early stage of infection, which will inhibit the replication SARS-CoV-2 in the respiratory tracts and lung and prevent from its subsequent neuroinvasion. It is also urgent to find effective antiviral drugs that can cross the blood-brain barrier. Moreover, corticosteroids, which are used frequently for severe patients, may have no treatment effect, but rather accelerate the replication of the virus within the neurons.

Since SARS-CoV2 may conceal itself in the neurons from the immune recognition, complete clearance of the virus may not be guaranteed even the patients have recovered from the acute infection. In support of this, there is evidence that SARS-CoV-2 is still detectable in some patients during the convalescent period 43. Therefore, given the probable neuroinvasion the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection may be currently underestimated.”

Trust God. Be prepared. You can do both.

ShepherdFarmerGeek




82 Comments

  1. The best way I have found to irrigate my nasal passages is in the shower using a shower head on a flexible hose and set to the smallest water jet.

    I set the unit on the smallest water jet and the volume to an appropriate strength.

    Then firmly holding one side of my nose closed by pressing a finger against it, I direct the water jet from below directly into the other nostril. It is amazing how much pressure you can put into yoru nose this way without discomfort. You can feel it go thru various layers of snot, which is washed out, leaving that nostril clear.

    Then repeat for the other side.

    Your mileage may vary.

    1. I gave myself a roaring ear infection by spraying water at too high of pressure into my nose. I’d be really careful with pressure. The ear infection took the better part of a week to beat with prescription antibiotics.

      Just FYI

      I’m really surprised you can do this with just regular tap water. It burns my sinuses like fire.

      Note also, regular tap water is NOT the most sterile thing around. That’s why I add Grapefruit Seed Extract to my NeilMed nasal wash, and why I mainly use commercial sterile saline spray bottles.

      1. NeliMed sells small packs of 5- & 100 sterile baking soda and sterile salt that you can mix in your neli Pot and lavage your sinus. Use tepid tap water or distilled water. It works very good.

      2. I agree with you! I do not recommend the shower spray method anymore, had a bad experience with some sort of infection after an too vigorous spray.

        It doesn’t burn much if you really press the other side of the nose while doing it, but again probably do not spray tap water directly into your nose, there’s always something nasty in it.

    2. I am glad I found survivalblog.com and what preppers are doing to combat COVID-19 in regards to pre-emptive measures regarding coming up with nasal sprays to defend against coronavirus. I was searching for like minded people and seeing if anyone else has come up with my take on pre-emptive nasal spray measures. I found this site, so I’m giving my take on it. After researching extensively, my first thought was to crush up a zinc supplement into a powder form and snort it, not a good idea because zinc can cause you to lose your sense of smell, look up recall on zycam.
      We know that this virus does not like an alcohol environment, it’s what is used as a disinfectant to clean surfaces to combat it.
      I’m in no way condoning drinking a lot of alcohol to combat it but, who knows, it might help.
      Anyways, You do not want to snort zinc or isopropyl alcohol because zinc can cause you to loose your sense of smell and isopropyl alcohol has ingredients that are poisonous and can kill you.

      My take and what I have been doing.
      Went to the local drug store and got a small spray bottle. Went to the liquor store and bought a bottle of, you guessed it, Everclear.
      I have been spraying Everclear up my nostrils and breathing in and spraying it in my mouth and breathing it into my lungs for the past 2 weeks with no adverse side-effects. I have a slight case of Asthma and it has not given me any problems. Food for thought.

  2. Good morning,

    Thank you for this excellent article. I myself have been using the Navage nasal wash system that I purchased months ago. I have trouble keeping my sinuses clear and for years used a regular neti pot but I I find that I like the Navage system much better as it is battery powered and much easier to use. The initial system cost around $75 and uses “pods “ (a box of the pods costs about $11, 30 count) This system is available at pretty much any chain store (Walmart, Walgreens, Ect) and I was able to use my points to get a bunch of free and 1/2 off boxes of the salt pods so I now have about a dozen boxes on hand .

    In light of reading this article, I am more comforted in my investment of this system. I may experiment with adding some of the colloidal Silver I have to enhance the benefit.

    Have a Rockin great day!

    1. If you are going to use colloidal silver, do NOT mix in salt or anything else. If the silver ions bind to salts or other elements they lose their effectiveness, and more importantly your liver can’t process it. What was a single silver atom has become a molecule that builds up in the body, no bueno. Colloidal silver is supposed to be made using pure distilled H2O with nothing added.

      1. Dodo,
        Thank you for the information. I think I’ll just stick to using my system with only the pods for it and not start mixing in anything extra. It works great the way it is without me being a mad scientist. LOL

        Rock on

  3. That the American public was told that masks don’t work and besides, we need them for our medical professionals is a travesty of the highest order. Because hospital administrations and our government didn’t adequately prepare for a potential pandemic, they lied to the public that mostly believed them. And then there are the articles accusing the public of being hoarders if they have any masks at all and telling them to turn them over to hospitals; one such article was published by the NYT the other day. In truth, masks, if worn correctly do work. People need to know which kind for the situation, how to fit them and use them properly but that is doable.

    Today the NYT kinda backed off a bit and acknowledged that maybe if ALL people had been wearing masks we would have had much less spread. Yah think! Oops!

    https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/health/us-coronavirus-face-masks.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

  4. This is not an infection path but there is some data coming out now that shows that the Covid-19 virus may be infecting the testicles and causing a serious impact- scary given that so many young people seem to think that they are Teflon and will only get a few sniffles if they get this disease. As the mother of a young adult son who wants to be a grandma some day…….. So mask up people! And that includes all of your young sons!

    https://www.zerohedge.com/health/covid-19-may-attack-testicles-reduce-testosterone-study

    1. Been using Xlear for several years. My wife now makes up her own using same ingredients and we use the old Xlear bottles. Have had one small cold in those years.

  5. I’ve been using a neti pot for years and make my own saline mix from salt and baking soda. The ratio is equal parts fine sea salt and fresh baking soda. Don’t get your soda from the open box in the fridge! I use 1/4 teaspoon(or a little more) of the mix in 8 ounces of warm distilled water. Don’t get the water too hot. While the water is flowing thru your nostrils make “swallowing” motions in your throat to allow a little of the saline solution into the top of your throat. This is especially helpful when you feel a sore throat coming on.

    LT

  6. Stay away from Ocean Brand nasal spray. I believe the product was pulled from shelves quite awhile ago because it was contaminated. Apparently the Ocean manufacturer changed hands and the product suffered. Any old Ocean product you might see is probably old stock that did not get pulled (unless something has changed that I am not aware of).

  7. Thank you, ShepherdFarmerGeek! An excellent article and reminders. We find the discussions of both “strategy” and “operation” to be especially helpful and interesting. We’re all having to think through the details of everything we do, and to assess and reassess risk. Tasks that might been simple in another environment, may now be much more complicated endeavors.

    Remain steady. Be safe. Stay well everyone!

  8. Betadine surgical scrub liquid soap for cleansing your face and hands can be bought online if it hasn’t sold out, but be careful, if the suds splashes onto your toilet seat it will be permanently stained with “blood-looking” spots. Also, you can use a Q-Tip dipped in colloidal silver to swab your nostrils, ears and mouth, or snort a dropperful of colloidal silver just like you would use regular nose drops- it also kills germs in the back of the throat when used through the nose. Another method would be to spread a layer of VICKS on/up your nose and stick a gob down the back of your throat. Sit outside on a sunny day with your mouth wide open, sunshine kills germs.

  9. Solid studies on the anti-virial properties of colloidal silver are a bit lacking at least for me at the moment. I did a deep dive on Pub-Med and did not find anything to my liking. I would stick to other more-proven agents. Personally, I am doing just a regular neli-med saline rinse. I don’t want to risk irritation and damage to the mucus membranes and cause a break or tear that would allow the virus direct access. I also prefer a regular 1/2 silicone respirator masks with P100 filters to the disposable masks which are much harder to breathe through. They are not terribly hard to decontaminate and re-use. The 3M platform is great as I can use the same filters across their whole line and it is the most commonly sold across the big – box hardware stores.

    1. FWIW, the bigger puffy-looking 3M N-95 masks have a larger filter area, so less breathing resistance and fatigue.

      But I’m guessing the half-mask respirators have even more (not having used one like Mark here).

      1. I run a North/Honeywell 5500 half mask, with the P100 acid vapor filters. Filters may still be available, but the mask isn’t. The filters are likely impregnated with alkali to deal with the acid. That will kill this bug by converting the lipid shell to soap. If that’s true, then the filter decontaminates itself of the virus. So these filters may be the best to run for longer than the 8hr life. In a hospital setting, I’d still go by the 8hr lifespan.

  10. Last fall I caught a bad cough/cold that went on for a week and a half. Nothing over the counter that I tried helped much. What finally got me over it was a solution of salt, apple cider vinegar, and water mixed as strong as I could stand. I first took a mouthful and swished it around for 5-10 minutes. Then I gargled with it, letting it go as deep in my throat as I could without swallowing it. Then I poured some in my hand and snorted it up my nostrils. Did it burn? You bet it did. Did it clear out my sinuses? Affirmative! I was over that bug in nothing flat.

    1. Not sure about the current viral situation but, I have a thin lining in my nose that produces a bloody nose after 2 days of Sudafed like drugs, or 3 days of serious sinus drainage. Over the years I have played with Neosporin type on a q-tip up the nose which helped but any saline would dry it out and lead to a bloody nose. In the past few years I read about using Apple cider vinegar (very dilute but still stings) in a reused saline nose spray bottle. It appear to kill what ever is eating the lining in my nose and maybe cauterizes the lining. Ends the drainage and no bloody nose. It appears to stop the sinus problem in it’s tracks and gargling is also helpful for a sore throat.

  11. As I mentioned before, but some may not have seen it:

    COVID DEFENSE IN DEPTH

    Defense in depth.

    No one layer is responsible for total defense

    1. Prep & Plan: collect adequate food, medicines, and supplies

    2. Boost & Nourish: immune system and overall health/nutrition status

    3. Blockade & Minimize: minimize eye access with goggles, respiratory system with mask

    4. Extend & Avoid: strategies to extend mask life

    5. Sanitize & Restore: hands and face, mask and goggles

    6. Wash & Vape: direct-to-virus post-doff medicated saline nasal washes & essential oils vapor

    7. Trust & Follow: Stress reduces immune response. Trust God’s providence and guidance.

    N-95s are not perfect, likelihood of some tiny virus leakage

    Two saline nasal sprays
    – one with GSE (2 drops) + Betadine (5+ drops)
    – one emptied and replaced with colloidal silver

    3 to 5 minute post-doffing deep inhalation of Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Cinnamon, Bergamot essential oils vapors. (This Quest began with a friend’s observation “…we need to have a way to prevent the virus from surviving when it attaches to the lining of the airways and lungs.”)

    You can’t very well inhale your classic antiviral supplements (Olive Leaf Extract, Selenium, Zinc, Quercetin, etc. etc.), but you can inhale essential oil vapors (NOT the same as vaping…)

    This will get you started:
    http://www.altmedrev.com/archive/publications/15/1/33.pdf https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5552930/

  12. Saline Nasal Spray is $1.00 a bottle in a sprayable bottle at Dollar Tree. My hope is that it will set up a environment of discouragement in my nasal passages for any virus. The thought is similar to gargle with salt water. I also wash dishes with Dawn dish liquid as I have heard that the virus has a layer of fat for protection that must be broken down to pop it like a balloon. No need to reinvent the wheel. I also saw that Dawn was a recommended soap to wash with to kill the virus. They use it to clean birds in an oil spill so it must be non harmful. These procedures don’t hurt me anyway. Jesus is Still the Prince of Peace. God Bless.

    1. Good suggestion Beautiful Pearl. I use Dawn for dishes in all my homemade cleaners and liquid hand soaps. For the hand soaps, in used hand pump dispensers, a good squirt of Dawn, then I add water and a good ounce of olive oil. All this handwashing has totally wrecked my hands and my skin is cracked, so along with oil in the soap dispenser, I’m using a thick ointment at night and slip my hands into nitrile gloves to sleep so I can use my hands the next day. Breaks in the skin is not good. For bathroom spray, in a large spray bottle, a good squirt of Dawn, added water, an ounce of rubbing alcohol, an ounce of lemon juice, and a few drops of lemon essential oil (mostly for scent, any scent will do). White vinegar could be substituted for rubbing alcohol but the smell is really strong. It’s great for a shower spray as well. I use the “bathroom spray” in the kitchen as well, wiping surfaces down every time they’re used, and spray down the kitchen sink and faucets. You can use it most anywhere with the exception of wood surfaces. I spray doorknobs and handles with straight rubbing alcohol fairly often. I am immune compromised, so this is part of my normal routine. I got in the habit of making my own cleaners since I have to keep things fairly germ free.

  13. All,

    I just wanted to re-emphasize something that MANY astute Commentators have already mentioned: this virus has triggered secondary and tertiary cascading effects. And one of those cascades looks to me to be an economic collapse, as predicted by many, and described so well in Captain Rawles’ novels and articles. It’s here.

    It’s my opinion that if you’ve got your COVID stuff together you need to pivot immediately to be working on what else you might need or might want to do prior to a full-on economic collapse.

    Always be working. Right now it’s hard to add to our food stocks, but it can be done. Don’t hoard, but keep chipping away and building your supplies – you’ll probably need every bit of it.

    Any expensive equipment you’ve put off buying? Well, if YOU are convinced that an economic reset is coming and nothing will be available for sale online (and even locally) for a long time, then maybe now is the time to get that gear that will be a game-changer for your security or survival.

    Don’t just get locked in on prepping for COVID, there’s more coming. Just my opinion, FWIW…

    1. Yep. And just because we’re in the middle of a pandemic doesn’t preclude other stuff, even totally unrelated stuff from happening. So we could experience a major earthquake, EMP or resurgence of forest fires in the dry season in CA. The hurricane predictions are now out and they are predicting an active hurricane season with a number of named hurricanes and several to hit land here in the US. And then there is next year’s flu season. And hopefully we don’t experience a terrorist attack while we’re focused on our pandemic. And none of that is even directly related to what may come out of the pandemic and collapse of the economy. No end to the fun……… I’m stocking up on good dark chocolate myself………

      1. Shalom Ani,

        Ha! on the Dark Chocolate. Good thing to stock up on. We just bought 30 pounds of dark chocolate chips…

        Listen, just to add a little bit more insight to your disaster list above. The northeast could suffer from a major earthquake in the coming months or years. Also, there is a huge pool of Magma under VT, NH, MA, and NY that was discovered recently.

        Today, there was a three something?, earthquake in Medina, NY.

        Dutchsinse (on YouTube) has reported on the Magma under the Northeast and and I have seen articles speaking of it.

        Steve Quale, tonight, on the Paul Begley show, mentioned that there have been studies done that have discovered a major fault line that runs through the Northeast that could rupture and cause volcanic eruptions. He is of course predicting large earthquakes in the Northeast.

        I have heard that there is a particular mountain in VT that looks like a volcano/crouching lion and could actually be a volcano… ?? A Very interesting thought, since traditionally the east coast is not thought to have been seismically active for thousands/millions of years (I don’t believe the earth has been here or millions of years). Plus I did have a dream of seeing a magnitude 8 red dot on the USGS map covering all of New England, western New York and southern Canada last year. Not that I am predicting it. I just find it very interesting that I would have that kind of a dream of that region of the country.

        Another gloom and doom thought/prediction going through the prophesy sites, is that we could see a short hot world war that includes Israel?? before the fall of 2021 when many expect that the elite PTB will sign a “Peace Treaty/covenant ” with Israel. This “peace Treaty” will be a seven year treaty and bring a “Peace” to the world and Israel for about three years, maybe… This appears to be predicted in the Book of Daniel, chapters 7-9.

        Another scripture says, “When they say ‘Peace and safety/security’ look out for sudden destruction will come”

        I believe that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg for what is coming upon the earth, All these things you mentioned above are just the beginning and more will fall quickly like dominoes/birth pains. They will accelerate with increased frequency and power, and as we recover from one disaster, another will quickly follow until we are not recovering. One will occur on top of another, until the real Messiah comes in the clouds of heaven.

        By the way do you have mature maple trees on your new property??? Just curious! 😉 You’ll need lots of maple syrup to sweeten the comfort food pancakes for the days that may be coming. I like to make apple walnut pancakes with maple syrup. Yum!

        May you be blessed by our Lord and may He keep you safe and give you personal peace and comfort and Godspeed with your prepping.

        Lily

        1. Shalom to you too Lily;

          Wow you are full of good news ! 😉 The first I had heard of magma underneath VT was something in the latest book of the Geostorm(pole-shift) series I am reading but I wasn’t sure if that was “fictional” or based on something real and haven’t had time to look into it. Now I will…….. Not fair really. We get 6 months of winter, mud season, virus fleeing refugees from NY, NJ, MA and CT, Bernie Sanders, AND we get to have volcanoes and earthquakes too? I definitely am going to need lots more dark chocolate than I already have!

          We have had small earthquakes before here; I remember one that was quite interesting as the metal roof was shaking and vibrating away and I couldn’t figure out what on earth was happening til my son called out “earthquake” from his room and rolled over in bed! Not much happened other than wood piles falling down. I sure don’t have earthquake coverage on my home insurance, nor flood, volcano or anything other than the basic coverage. But probably if a major quake/volcanic eruption happened here, my insurance coverage wouldn’t matter a whole lot anyway. Ah well……

          Re: world affairs. Well as you’ve surely seen, Netanyahu and Gantz have “buried the hatchet”(sadly not in Liberman) to avoid a 4th election, made peace with each other for the good of the country facing the pandemic and are building a unity government. That’s amazingly functional for Israel so who knows…….;-)

          Exciting times we live in……. I could do with a good helping of boredom myself…

          And yes, there are some mature maples but haven’t had a chance to check them out yet; don’t know my property lines yet and all evidence of them is buried in snow”! On the list….. I’ve tapped a small number of trees before(on the farm) and boiled it down. Yumm.

          Interestingly, there is a company I’ve driven past that produces and sells syrup from the sap of many different trees, not just maples; birch and I can’t remember what else is on their sign.

          Be well and stay safe-

          1. Boker Tov, Ani,

            Oh, I hadn’t heard about Mt. Ascutney being a volcano. I will have to look into that one. It was a different mountain that had been rumored to be a volcano, further north… Camel’s Hump. I wonder if Mt. Kahtadin (sp) in Maine was a volcano, too. Definitely these granite mountains: the Adirondacks, Greens, Whites, were formed by vulcanism (sp) and metamorphism. So it is logical to think that there must still be an “active” zone underneath that has just been quiet during the recent recorded history. Well, in these Last Days, I don’t think anyone in the whole world will be exempt from feeling earthquakes or experiencing actual volcanic eruptions or their effects after their eruptions…We also live just north of a huge pool of magma and between hot springs in the USA and in Canada. The Lord God has through his prophets (Isaiah in particular and Zechariah) prophesied that he will destroy this sin worn earth and will create a new heaven and earth for all of those redeemed in the blood of His lamb, will be citizens of the new heaven and earth. I think that is very good news.

            May I suggest a comparison study of the book of Leviticus and the book of Hebrews in the New Testament? Also, A comparison study of the plagues in Exodus with the events of the book of Revelation compared to what is happening right now?

            I’m sorry to say, that I don’t think you’ll ever be bored again. We are living in “Interesting times”

            I heard about Gantz and Netanyahu forming an emergency unity government which is really a religious government. What a liar and traitor Gantz was to Lapid’s Yesh Atid’s party, Vote stealer!! Now it is rumored that Gantz as Speaker of the Knesset, will block a vote to annex Shomron, which I think Netanyahu knew all along would happen. It’s all been rhetoric and lies to deceive the people for votes. All of the parties are playing the people. They all appear to be divided between secular and religious but I do believe they are all the same and all have the same goal. The same with the two parties here in the USA, they are the same. They just fight each other on purpose to get the people riled and to cause division and chaos so that suddenly a great man will arise (Anti-Christ/Mashiach/Mahadi) (to Christians, the Anti-Christ) and bring peace with laws and control, that most will welcome for peace. This will bring absolute control of all the people, Totalitarianism at it’s finest. And in Israel the Peace treaty will include giving Shomron to the Palestinians. God is not happy about that. Joel 3:1-3 speaks about the leadership in the day that is coming will divide HIS land. And He will judge them for it.

            Personally, I believe that Shomron is biblically Israel’s and that it should be annexed. But, it won’t happen.

            You know, Liberman, may just be the only sane person there, who sees all that is happening and what is coming and is trying to stop it??? Hmm, lots to think and pray about for our country and for Israel.

            Dear Ani, may you have a sweet and productive day.

            Blessings and Shalom,

            Lily

    2. ShepardFarmerGeek,

      I just finished purchasing a Harvest Right freeze dryer. I have wanted one for a long time and after discussing with my husband we decided that this is a crucial investment for us.

      *To those that might want to make this investment, please be aware that they are out of the small units completely! I purchased the medium model and spare filters for the pump. They are also limiting oxygen absorbers and Mylar bags to one of each.

      * My confirmation upon ordering is up to 6 weeks to ship so if you think this might be something you and your family might need you better order one soon! Also, I ordered oxygen absorbers and Mylar bags on Amazon but they are running out too. Maybe a couple families could share the cost of the unit as they are rather expensive.

      Hop this helps someone
      Rock on

      1. 0h, my gosh! Woohoo. I’m so excited for you. I have wanted one too for a long time. I really want to freeze dry my lasagna. Maybe you can teach me the ins and outs after freeze drying your lasagna… Heads up, your folks might forget to rehydrate the food and just think your cooking has gotten bad, but not want to mention it, lol.
        Have you thought about what you will try/freeze dry first?

        1. Hey you two sweet ladies,

          Just wanted to say that I was very impressed and highly respected the way you two handled a difficult comment with deep respect, grace, understanding and kindness. Thank you.

          Won’t we rejoice together and have sweet fellowship on the streets that are golden in that day!! 😉

          What’s this I read? Are you acquiring a Freeze Dryer RKRGRL68? Very sweet for you! Congratulations!!

          Hmm, I think I need to go into this article’s comment section and read all these comments in subject order so I know what is really going on.
          From the moderator site, I only get comments in chronological order for all articles, so I’m not always sure of what is being talked about in all it’s fullness.

          Blessings,

          Lily

          1. Lily & Krissy,

            Good morning my friends, I was taught to always respect my elders and I practice this every day even if it is not reciprocated. Enough said. People are frightened right now so kindness is in order for all of us.

            For me I think that one of my strong qualities is that I tend to be patient when things get salty and I must exude an aura of calmness to those around me as people often tell me I am thoughtful and and offer emotional stability. I think that this is why I am able to care for my parents so well. I explain things to them in a way that comforts them and I also have the ability to re-explain topics and tailor answers to their questions or pick up subtle clues in their behavior that may require me to switch gears quickly depending on what is on their mind on a particular day.

            Yes girls, I did purchase a home freeze dryer!! I am extremely frugal with money (so this was a scary financial decision to make)! I also study and inform myself on everything I consider before buying or investing in. This was a big scary amount of money for us to spend on one item but I believe that the circumstances we are in now and the uncertain future solidified that this was a must have. I considered things such as food scarcity in the coming days/weeks/months & years. I also considered crop failures that are upon us now and are most certainly going to be an issue for the entire world. Another year or two of the wet horrible growing season like we saw here in the Midwest and we will really be in trouble more than we are now.
            I also feel that nagging sense of urgency to round out my ways of producing and preserving food that I am growing or have to buy.
            This new freeze dryer will be just another layer of my redundancy in that I will be able to freeze dry, can, pressure can and dehydrate food for my family and I believe that there will be people in my future that I can anonymously help with food as well.
            I have also acquired multiple ways to be able to grow food indoors if the weather decides it doesn’t want to cooperate anymore. I’m practicing with these indoor systems to see what works and what doesn’t. Plus it’s super fun and gratifying to see food grow.

            I think I will freeze dry my lasagna and meatballs first as any good Italian woman should! I may also track and record every step of this process so I can share it with others !

            Thank you both for being such great friends!
            Be safe, praying for all of us here.

            Have a Rockin great day!

  14. Anyone still need hand sanitizer? Try the hardware store! You can still get denatured alcohol/fuel in the paint section. Fuel alcohol is close to pure. (~95-98%)

  15. My formula for general wellness, based on a lot of research. Plus some things I have added based on this new threat to my health.

    Vitamin C – 3000mg (3 grams) spread out, 1000mg 3 times a day. Recommended is 6000mg or until it starts effecting your bowels (the runs), which ever comes first, then dial it back until there are no side effects.

    Vitamin D3 – 5000 IU per day. 10,000 wouldn’t be too much. Be careful if you have kidney issues. Too much Vitamin D can be toxic to some people.

    Vitamin B1 as Benfotiamine – 150mg

    Vitamin A – 5000 IU (not beta-Carotene, that’s not actually vitamin A) be careful too much Vitamin A can be toxic. I take mine every other day, though daily should be safe at this dosage.

    Magnesium – 300mg daily, spread out, more would be OK, also an issue with loose bowels at higher doses. Stay away from Magnesium Oxide.

    Iodine = 6250mcg (6.25mg) daily, more is OK, I’ve seen 12.5mg and as high as 25mg recommended.

    Echinacea and Goldenseal – I don’t remember the dosage, a blend or separate would be OK.

    Resveratrol – 200mg per day. Part of a cocktail of antioxidants I take.

    Zinc 30mg – Stay away from Zinc Oxide

    A good multivitamin.

    This is what I do. I have taken this, adding and subtracting as my research gets better, for several years. I don’t get colds, let alone the flu, except for the occasional sniffles. I am compromised from the get-go. I’m old (69 next month), I’m overweight (I’m not telling), and I had a heart attack 8 years ago. This SARS-CoV-2 could kill me. I take no prescription meds, not even a statin drug. My blood pressure is normal at 110/70. I’m alive and, other than my weight, relatively healthy for an old guy.

    I’m no doctor. I don’t trust most doctors, they always seem to have an agenda other than my health. What you do is up to you, this works for me. What I will be adding is the saline nasal spray. Seems like an excellent idea.

    1. Good for you for figuring out how to take care of yourself without copious drugs. I have family members who are allergic to statins and it makes their health worse. I don’t know exactly how or why, I just recall it. About a year and a half ago, I weaned myself off pain killers and stopped taking a daily chemo pill. I’d already gone through chemo, but this was an additional “maintenance chemo” pill. I figured… if I can’t maintain what health I have left with nutritious foods, medicinal teas, vitamins, etc., then I’m in God’s hands. Chemo can be curative, but also debilitating, and I just decided to move on down the road sans all the drugs. I’m doing better now than I have in the past 8 years, for lots of reasons. A quiet, stress free lifestyle is also enormously helpful. I don’t trust most doctors either, LOL, but a couple of them saved my life more than once, so I’m thankful. I’m overweight right now too, but when I get really sick, I drop 20-30 pounds in a week or two, so I’m saving my fat for a rainy day. Dieting is not in my vocabulary. Keep up the good work!!

    1. PrepHOU,

      I have mixed feelings about colloidal silver. I’m leery of claims that border on being a “panacea.” It helps some people and I’m including it in my post-doff medicated nasal wash idea for the Shepherdess and I.

      I could only find one article relating colloidal silver to cytokine storms: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17996693

      What I DO know is that most articles that are pro don’t give any decent documentation AT ALL, and just repeat each other’s claims. Reviewing a couple of pages of Google search results I didn’t see one single reputable medical or prepping site recommending silver.

      This article (below) holds out the possibility that colloidal silver has antiviral potential, but, it appears that all testing was done “in vitro” not “in vivo” – the silver killed viruses in a test tube but there was no testing to see just what it would do in a living being: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6264685/

      And if your epithelial cell collection or mouse lungs get infected, silver might help there too: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6723559/

      Then there’s this: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0142961214000842?via%3Dihub
      So, I’m not mocking it, I’m just saying that good science IS being done with colloidal silver and it may yet be found to be useful with COVID. But the evidence is not there yet.

      If you want to try it, that’s your prerogative. It might help, it might not. Just whatever you do don’t overdo it. It’s probably not a panacea, so do the Defense In Depth thing and cover your bases.

      This is not medical advice. This is just common sense, I think. And if you find someone who gets very sick and recovers with colloidal silver, write SB about it!

      1. Regarding colloidal silver. Before the advent of antibiotics, colloidal silver was known to be effective and was commonly used by doctors. Once antibiotics became popular, the big pharma industry started lobbying against colloidal silver. Since then, doctors have not been educated about it and the medical field has either ignored or disparaged it. Yet, for many years it was known to be effective. I make my own now (very easy) and take it each day. For a while I slacked off and my general health deteriorated. If you’re still doubtful, just think about silverware. Why did the wealthy eat off of silver utensils? It wasn’t just for appearance because silver tarnishes and needs to be polished which involved (typically) slave labor or laborious work on the part of the well-to-do housewife. I believe that silverware was popular (when it could be afforded) because eating off of silver transferred a little silver into the body, resulting in better health for those rich (or fortunate) enough to afford it.

  16. As a registered nurse for 34 years, I have used a solution of normal saline and acetic acid(white vinegar) hundreds of times to treat wound infections.
    By mixing 7-8 drops of white vinegar in a bottle of nasal saline spray, an individual can create a defense of the nasal passages and throat which will ameliorate bacteria and virus growth(these pathogens cannot live in an acidic environment). When nasal spraying, make certain to inhale the solution deep enough to let it run down the back of your throat to get that “vinegar taste”. An individual may need to titrate the strength of your solution weaker/stronger based on drying and burning of the sinuses. I do this procedure 3-4 times a day…

    1. Very interesting. I wouldn’t have thought of adding the white vinegar to the saline. Probably for fear of the burn. I use an electric sinus irrigator (forgot the name) with a water/salt solution, but I have to be careful in holding my head at the right angle or the solution gets in my inner ears. Another thing I’ve done for years (due to poor immune system and used to be sick a lot due to chemo), is I would always swab my nose with a q-tip dipped in hydrogen peroxide after I’d been out in the public. I also swabbed my ears. I spray my toothbrush with hydrogen peroxide before putting on the toothpaste, and also after rinsing it to put it away. If I get a hint of a sore throat, which happens after being in public for any length of time, salt/baking soda/ water gargling seems to kick it quickly. What do you think about hydrogen peroxide? I clean my cpap equipment with it daily. It’s my GO TO.

      1. Generally speaking, hydrogen peroxide is used in a hospital setting as a debriding agent and has limited use as an antimicrobial. Peroxide cleanses the wound of dead tissue before a new dressing is applied. You may want to search out a homeopathic physician to discuss the best option for your health situation.

    2. Thanks Jarhead John! Good advice. I got some nasal spray bottles and some betadine. White vinegar sounds like a good option also and I appreciate the explanation of “inhaling the solution” to let it run down the back of your throat. I don’t think I’ve done a nasal spray to this point.
      It’s almost an involuntary response for me to avoid this but it sounds like it would be more effective than just spraying into your nostrils and letting it run out into a Kleenex.

  17. Came across this just now:

    The Latest Death Count for the U.S. for This Year’s Cold-and-Flu Season

    According to the cdc.gov Web site as of 8 AM EST on March 28:

    COVID-19: 1,711

    Seasonal Flu: As many as 62,000 (In other words, they really don’t know the actual numbers yet!) What good is the CDC if they don’t freaking know what they are talking about!

    Regardless of the final numbers, so far, CoVid-19 is still just a blip on the normal cold-and-flu season

    1. Then there is this: https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/the-two-faces-of-anthony-fauci/

      On March 11 Dr. Anthony Fauci famously told a congressional hearing that the COVID-19 virus was “ten times worse” than the seasonal flu. Then fifteen days later, on March 26, he co-authored an article that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in which he wrote that the COVID-19 was “no worse” than a “very bad flu” but nothing like SARS or MERSA.

      Having been involved in the academic publishing business for the past 41 years, I can say with some authority that the article published in the New England Journal of Medicine was almost certainly submitted to the journal months before March 11, probably many months. This fact suggests that Fauci knew on March 11 that he was misleading Congress — and the world — about the severity of the coronavirus.

      I suggest following the link where there is a link in the article to the original in the New England Journal of Medicine.

      1. Charles K, watching the posturing of President Trump and Dr. Fauci I see the classic time-proven ‘Good Cop v Bad Cop’ ploy. I could be wrong, but ‘out of an abundance of caution’ I prepared to be right.

        1. Some observations about the public announcements/actions regarding this situation.

          The first is that if you are leadership right now you are damned if you do and damned if you don’t no matter what you say or do. In an election year with the current partisan divide in this country this is doubly true. No matter who you are or what you do, you will be attacked.

          We have poor information about this for a variety of reasons. Insufficient testing. No randomized control testing. No significant antibody testing. Chinese data may or may not be falsified and is certainly incomplete. Even South Korea’s data, which is probably some of the best, is incomplete.

          People are math challenged in this country and probably everywhere especially when calculating risk. The classic is those who are afraid of flying when they are perfectly comfortable on the psychotic freeway they got to the airport on. With the lack of data, this is particularly so.

          Information is not always dispensed to inform but to illicit a reaction. Case in point all the recent emphasis on the illness in young people and deaths among young people. Yes young people do die from this disease but at a far/far lower rate than those over 60. This is the one piece of solid data we have in this situation and it has stayed consistent but now it is being thrown all over like a new revelation. All those stories were almost certainly not meant to inform but to scare and shame young people into compliance because they were still being knuckleheads during spring break. And now we are going to tell the young men their testicles are going to quit working? It may be true but it is also one of the oldest tricks in the book to scare young men. I suspect most young men’s testicles are as safe as ever.

          We are a risk averse society. This type of pandemic would not have hardly been noticed by most in times past. If you take the interpretive tour at Jamestown you find out that ALL of the new European arrivals developed severe dysentery from the water and roughly 1/3 died in roughly the first 6 months. They called it “seasoning” and took it in stride. In recent past think of polio, measles, mumps, scarlet fever along with seasonal influenza that maimed and killed far more than this disease is showing evidence of.

          The evidence is strong that testing though out the country varies dramatically. New York has tested more than South Korea and guess what? They found more cases. And Cuomo is using that to ask for more money. In my county, people who call up for tests are being turned down unless they are severely ill. Why? Probably because we don’t have the money and test kits and probably won’t get very many more resources by using the same tactic. And nobody in my county to my knowledge are ever likely to run for president.

          I am reminded when my daughter was in Boston for five years and witnessed a “major” hurricane and “major” blizzard. She thought they were jokes compared to the normal winter storms she had grown up with. (The bombing was no joke though as she felt the concussion through her open dorm window.) It is no surprise to me that New York is in such “crisis” over this with most of the national media and some of the craftiest politicians there.

          Stay home unless you have important business. Wash your hands. Give people space when you go out. Take the news with a grain of salt. There are a multitude of reasons why the news of this is largely inaccurate and mostly overblown.

          And accept the fact that you will likely get this eventually. Best not to get it now but you likely will at some time in the future. You might die but I suspect you have a higher chance of dying commuting to work or taking you kids somewhere on the freeway.

          1. “And now we are going to tell the young men their testicles are going to quit working? It may be true but it is also one of the oldest tricks in the book to scare young men. I suspect most young men’s testicles are as safe as ever.”

            If I thought that telling young men this would get them to take it seriously, I most definitely would. I’ve told a few myself already. Far too many young men running around at the beach and elsewhere who think that this is just an “old persons” disease” and nothing will happen to them. If we can get them to take it seriously it will be better for all concerned. Of course now they’ll send their grandmothers out to do the grocery shopping! 😉

          2. Ani,
            At this point I am encouraging young people to stay home and especially to stay away from old people and high risk people but I am actually not even sure that is a good idea.

            From early on the evidence has been that large numbers of people who have this disease are asymptomatic or have very mild symptoms. We know this from Diamond Princess, the only population that has been 100% tested. Outside Diamond Princess only those displaying symptoms are being tested and many if not the majority of people displaying mild symptoms have been refused testing up to this point.

            This means there are lots of people out there, probably the vast majority, who are not in the numbers that have the disease already, have spread it and may in fact have already recovered. At first that sounds terrible except that means there are vast numbers who are developing immunity. Which means while we are watching thousands with the disease the herd immunity is probably growing much faster silently with these silent cases.

            IMO that is why you have not had the significant “second wave” in China and South Korea. The first wave encompassed probably way, way more of the population than the numbers showed. Probably over 50% of the country.

            Those knucklehead young men are getting it, spreading it and recovering without even knowing it and in the process spreading herd immunity. They may be doing some damage to high risk people but maybe by the time the high risk people are able to get out again the herd immunity may save them to some extent.

            I am not saying that the young people are doing a service to anyone but I am not sure they are doing as much damage or are in as grave of danger as everyone says.

            In a nut shell there is a silent wave of infection, recovery and herd immunity happening right now that massively dwarfs what is visible and it will be what determines the end of this pandemic not what we are doing to stop it. That is my opinion anyway.

            In the meantime I stay home and behave and encourage others to.

  18. SFG,,,,you ain’t seen mouthing yet ,,,,,all this is hiding the food crunch , I have closed down the farm/ranch and have NO thought of restarting ,,,and I’m not alone,i have interests in three states ,i will not allow production for off farm /ranch use ,,,I know I’m hard line on this , all told we are talking square miles not acres ,,my grain tanks are down ,the combine was cut for scrap ,the grain drills are rusting out in the weather ,the big tractors are gone , last week we started to take down the Corrales and cattle feeding/ working equipment,going to have a fine crop of weeds and woodies ,going to leave fences and no tresspassing signs ,
    The biggest take away is the knowledge and know how ,

    Who is John Galt ? Didn’t have to be this way ,

      1. Ani, I would urge anyone who has not read Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged to do so. They would understand Oldhomesteader’s comment.

        While orders of magnitude less than his, my sole-proprietor business met the same fate. Millions of small businesses met the same fate in the last month.

        While the American Dream lies dormant, it may awaken again. Isn’t hope in that, with God’s help why we prep?

        1. Montana Guy and SB community…if you have not read Atlas Shrugged it is lengthy but well worth the time… if you find you can’t spare that much time may I strongly encourage reading the ‘ chapter ‘ from Part 3 titled “ This is John Galt Speaking “ … about 64 pages in the paperback version I own…

        2. I’ve read it so I got the reference. I was just wondering why he feels the need to do this at this time. And yes, Ayn Rand was amazingly prescient; the parallels with what she wrote back in the 50’s and what people say today is unbelievable. And yes, if you haven’t read it, it’s so worth reading.

      2. Ani ,,,,,,,I’m doing it for freedom ,, I will not be a SLAVE ,, those that are value freedom and will stand with me I will share with , What price will you pay ? What is too hard ?

        When you see that trading is done ,,,not by consent , but by compulsion ,,,when you see that in order to produce , you need to obtain permission from mem who produce nothing ,when you see that money is flowing to those who deal not in goods , but in favors, when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than work,and your laws don’t protect you against them ,, but protect them against you , when you see corruption being rewarded and honestly becoming a self sacrifice , you may know that your society is doomed,,, rand,

        Men like me can rebuild when the time comes ,i did it once I can do it again , in the other book it tells of tearing down the temple and why. ,,,and rebuilding

        1. I’m just saying that it’s not new what’s happening now; our current economic system, politics, “Robinhoodism”, crooked corporate elites, bailouts of those crooked corporate elites etc. So why now? What’s changed really? Yes, the virus has sort of shut down the economy and may well have destroyed any number of small businesses and their owners have little recourse yet we’re bailing out Boeing and the airlines and we’re all going to pay for this but that’s not really new. Just another twist on what’s been happening.

          1. I agree with you Ani. None of this is new. Our government has been corrupt for a very long time. We have been slaves to taxation for a very long time. I understand OldHomesteader hitting his limit and closing the gate, so to speak. I’ve been there for a long time intellectually and emotionally, slowly easing myself out of the grip of the government and into total self-sufficiency. Almost there, still a ways to go yet. As you well know, 100% self-sufficiency is extremely difficult to get to.

            I’m still not buying into the food shortages in this country yet. But, I’m ever watchful.

  19. Finding the virus in the brain doesn’t mean squirting various solutions of iodine, colloidal silver, or GSE up your nose will prevent a COVID-19 infection. Suggesting this intervention based on a ‘maybe this will help’ is not responsible and adds to the hysteria. I appreciate the concept, but without some reasonable data, you should not do this nor suggest doing it. I am a physician with 15 years of ICU experience. Let’s try to stick with the science or at least significant biological plausibility. It is difficult to feel helpless and in the absence of good data, being scared makes us do irrational things.

    I go back into the ICU in 1 week and will probably not be allowed to wear PPE to care for non COVID patients even though we know some people have few symptoms of the infection. We have to conserve our PPE, I’m told. If I thought this would work, I’d do it—-trust me.

    There is only one plan–God’s plan–even if I don’t often understand it.

    Be safe. Trust God. Get prepared.

    1. Thank you for your post and for the caution you are offering here.

      I will be saying prayers for your safety and for the safety of your fellow doctors and critical care nurses. I hope you can find a mask and will wear it – regardless of what administration tells you to do. When this is all said and done, we need you to be here still… your family needs you, your patients need you, and your colleagues need you. Your 15 years of experience makes you invaluable to those who you haven’t met yet but who will one day need to learn critical care medicine.

      I am reading stories out of NOLA that they are running out of diprivan… I can’t imagine how to manage without it. Other items are reported As being in short supply also.

      If you don’t work in Montana then please know you would be most welcome and valued here! The people in our community are working together to protect our medical personnel the best they can. Those who know how to sew are already sewing masks. They realize these masks are not N-95 quality, but they feel that doing something for our doctors, nurses, and paramedics is better than doing nothing.

      Please post again at some point and let us know you are ok. Until then, I (and many others) will be keeping you in prayer. May the angels go with you!

  20. Okay, so sounds like the virus could be “neuro-invasive” and that is a problem. I contracted West Nile Virus some 8 years ago, and it attacked my brain, and I almost died from severe encephalitis and spinal meningitis. Since then, I was diagnosed with a rare Lymphoma, and it has been suggested (in the medical literature) that a virus can “tip the scales”, if you will, towards some cancers. Prior to the WNV episode, I was as healthy as a horse and went 90mph. Afterwards, I didn’t know my name and could hardly move. Just this year, I was able to read books again, and actually retain the information!! I had retreated from society for many years while I struggled to regain cognition, physical strength, etc. I’m so much better now that I can only praise God that I can write these words with some clarity. All that to say, don’t dismiss the fact that some viruses can and do infect the brain (damaging the central nervous system). I experienced a loss of cognitive abilities, sense of smell; I cried a lot because I didn’t understand what was happening, light hurt my eyes, my head ached, I lost 35 pounds from vomiting, every inch of my body ached, I couldn’t understand what people were saying to me (still weak on non-verbal cues), I couldn’t retain information, as someone with advanced degrees in Computer Science – I couldn’t balance my checkbook, couldn’t remember what I was told, couldn’t remember what I had done or not done, horrible vertigo… it was a very scary time. I still have memory and cognitive issues, but I chalk that up to age now. I did recover because God had other plans for me. I guess what I’m saying (no, not asking for sympathy at all – I’m way over the pity party!) is that if this virus has the potential to affect the central nervous system, I’ll stick to my sheltering in place plan for quite some time. Since it attacks the lungs, and potentially the CNS (new information), that’s enough for me to stay as far away as possible from it. So far, no cases in our county of Idaho.

    1. IMO, you win the, “True Grit,” award! For outstanding achievement in perseverance through debilitating disease, pain and suffering. Thank you for being an inspiration. I look forward to meeting you in heaven one day.

  21. Sara sue ,,, I would like to challenge you to thinking ,,,,,,thinking out of the box ,,,,,from my perspective the health issues you tell about are rocks in the road ,to be driven around ,DW had polio ,i had massive injures in a helo crash including brain damage , we have not let that stop us ,dare to dream. Chase that dream ,

    Do you know that there is a place in north central Idaho called the valley by some folks ,you can only get invited in , the question the flane spotter will want to know is ‘what will you bring wwith you to make your way ‘ what skill ,? For the most part it’s not money ,it’s heart ,it’s skill ,it’s I’m tired of this sh*t in the outer world ,,,,,

    Think of life as it could be

      1. RCB5472TN ,,,,,,have no time for fools ,,,,but NEVER forget those that gave the hand up when we lost our way or life was to much , we all have that person in our past. ,,,,what was the thing that was the turning point for you ? How many times has some one helped you get up and dust you off and tell you go get them , you can do it
        I think of them every day.

        Tea and chocolate

    1. And John Galt still lives there of course? 😉 That so sounds like a page out of Atlas Shrugged. Are you for real or only joking?? I hope you’re for real.

  22. When one discusses some dominoes that are falling…one that is glaring is the presidents praise of Public Private Partnerships. In theory it sounds great, but in reality it is a path to kickbacks and graft. They override congress, or surpass it. No checks and balances in this procedure. If people were honest, it would be great, but we know the reality.

    I’d rather just get rid of most of the government, and let it all be local and mostly private sector filling needs. But alas, at the stage of the tribulation, I see nothing good coming to fruition in such regards. Beware the Red Horse is about to lead the stampede to world war. This virus and it’s ramifications, (bio logical weapon). And then $20 dollar oil, all point to world war. Plan and stock appropriately. God Bless

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