Understanding COVID-19 Antibody Testing

I have been getting a lot of questions lately about the Coronavirus antibody test so I wanted to take the time to explain it here.  If you have gotten tested for the antibodies and it is positive, that’s good news but experts aren’t sure exactly how good it is and here’s why.

If you have antibodies it means you have had a past infection with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Antibodies are proteins that help fight off infections and can provide protection against getting that disease again (you have immunity). Antibodies are disease specific. For example, measles antibodies will protect you from getting measles if you are exposed to it again, but they won’t protect you from getting other bacteria or viruses.  

When fighting an infection your white blood cells can produce these proteins to build immunity.  For every infection the body could make two different kinds of antibodies.  There are IgM antibodies, which happen early in an infection and IgG antibodies, which are more likely to show up later. But the body doesn’t always make antibodies when fighting an infection.  It is possible to have gotten infected with the coronavirus and not make antibodies.  

Most people have IgG antibodies about 14 days after symptoms start. They usually stay in your blood long after the infection goes away, but we don’t know how long that is for the new coronavirus.

Across the US, Americans are anxious to learn whether they may have been infected with the coronavirus – which they hope would offer some immunity. In New York, researchers found that 19.3%, which is well below the estimated 67% needed to achieve community immunity.  

But while the tests may be helpful in understanding how the virus moves through a population, researchers say much remains unknown: not all tests produce consistently accurate results, and scientists are still researching whether and for how long antibodies offer immunity from reinfection. The recommendation is to not change any social distancing or other practices based on an antibody test results, simply because we don’t know how long or even if there is protective immunity against reinfection if you’re antibody-positive. There are still too many unknowns, both about the accuracy of the antibody tests that are available and about the nature of the virus itself.

The World Health Organization, in late April, released a scientific brief that said, "There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from Covid-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection."  While studies of blood samples taken from people who have recovered from Covid-19 do show an immune response to the virus, some have "very low levels of neutralizing antibodies in their blood," WHO said.  It's possible that immunity may need to occur on a cellular level as well as via antibodies circulating in the blood.  "The body also makes T-cells that recognize and eliminate other cells infected with the virus. This is called cellular immunity," WHO explained.  Along with antibodies, the "combined adaptive response may clear the virus from the body, and if the response is strong enough, may prevent progression to severe illness or reinfection by the same virus," WHO said.

Antibody tests should not be used to diagnose a current COVID-19 infection. An antibody test may not show if you have a current COVID-19 infection because it can take 1–3 weeks after infection for your body to make antibodies. To see if you are currently infected, you need a viral test. Viral tests identify the virus in samples from your respiratory system, such as a swab from the inside of your nose.

There are plenty of antibody tests floating around that haven't been reviewed or validated by the US Food and Drug Administration. According to the FDA, there are currently over 130 unvetted antibody tests in use, along with the dozens of diagnostic tests. The agency recently announced it was tightening its policy to keep unproven and even fraudulent tests from entering the market by requiring commercial test makers to meet new standards of accuracy and submit information proving testing quality. The FDA maintains a public website with the performance rates of the 12 EUA tests, showing how likely a certain test is to give false positive confirmations of the antibodies, and sensitivity, how likely the test will give a true positive result when someone has the virus. But the numbers can be hard to interpret by consumers who don’t have medical background

To date, the antibody test that seems to be the most accurate is made by Roche but that could be changing soon.  For more info on the Roche test, https://www.roche.com/media/releases/med-cor-2020-05-03.htm

How Healthy pH Levels Can Help With COVID-19

An overlooked aspect of the coronavirus pandemic is the fact that most viruses are pH sensitive. pH medicine offers us a key to treating viral infections that is easy, safe and inexpensive. Shifting a patient's pH, combined with high dosages of vitamin C, vitamin D and other immune boosting support is foundational support to both treat and prevent COVID-19.  

There are many additional treatments like zinc, glutathione, iodine and selenium, even hydrogen, but the first thing we should reach for is baking soda aka sodium bicarbonate, which offers us control of oxygen and carbon dioxide levels.

Wherever the body has low voltage (pH), the cells begin to have problems that get more serious the lower the voltage goes. The lower the voltage goes, the lower the pH goes, and the lower oxygen levels go.  Chronic disease is associated with low pH values (acid conditions).  This means that alkaline (higher pH) tissues have more oxygen in them. 

Wherever the body becomes acidic, voltage drops as does tissue oxygen levels. What is pH after all? It is ultimately a measure of redox potential. Redox potential is a measure of whether electrons are available in surplus (and thus are “electron donors”) or whether electrons are positive (and thus are “electron stealers”). Electrons are necessary for life and are needed for health and in high quantities for healing and the growth of new cells.

Dr. David Brownstein wrote, “The human body is constantly removing old and injured cells and replacing them with healthy new cells. This process can only occur if the voltage of the cells is maintained at an optimal level. This process works more effectively when we are young as compared to when we are older. In the body (or in a solution), voltage is a direct reflection of pH, which is a measure of the degree of acidity or alkalinity of a solution, measured on a scale of 1 to 14. A low pH reading (highly acidic) indicates a low voltage state. Conversely, a high pH reading (highly alkaline) means a high voltage state.”

The amount of oxygen in cells is determined by voltage. If a cell has adequate voltage, it will also have adequate oxygen. If cellular voltage is low, the amount of oxygen in the tissues will be low. This applies to metabolism as well. When voltage and oxygen are low, metabolism becomes anaerobic, which means that oxygen is unavailable. The more aerobic metabolism we have the healthier we are.  

So now that you know what pH is you need to know that the Coronavirus needs a slightly acidic pH to penetrate the cell. The simple alkalinization of the blood reduces the cells susceptibility to the virus and this goes for lots of other viruses and pathogens as well.  When we are alkaline we invariably don't get sick or have mild attacks of viral infections and the same is true for bacterial and fungus infections. Studies have shown there is significant decrease in the growth of bacteria and fungi in the lungs of pneumonia patients when sodium bicarbonate is used compared to saline during nebulizer treatments.  

Although the pH of blood ranges from 7.35-7.45, the pH of other body fluids is different. If the pH blood levels drop below 6.9, it can lead to coma. The pH of saliva is ranges from 6.5 to 7.5. After swallowing, the food reaches the stomach where upper and lower parts of stomach have different pH values. The upper part has a pH of 4.0−6.5, while the lower part is highly acidic with a pH of 1.5−4.0. It then enters the intestine which is slightly alkaline, with a pH of 7.0−8.5. Maintaining the pH values of different regions is critical for their function and good digestion.  

Any increase or decrease in the blood pH can lead to inflammation and we know inflammation is the cause of all disease.  Maintaining the right pH is so important to have good health.  The body does this using primarily three mechanisms: buffer systems, respiratory control, and renal control.

Proteins form a part of the buffer system to regulate the pH levels. These proteins can act as electron acceptors or donors because of the presence of basic or acidic groups. Similarly phosphate buffers also help in moderating the levels of pH. Buffers may help in regulating pH during minor physiological changes, such as during breath holding (which increases the CO2 in the blood), exercise (which increases lactic acid in the blood), or when stomach acid is secreted.

The pH of blood during normal conditions is 7.4. However, CO2 dissociates into carbonic acid in the tissues. Thus, presence of more CO2 makes the blood more acidic. That is the reason when we hold our breath for long durations, the CO2 levels increase in the blood lowering our pH leading to fainting. On the other hand with increased pH, the breathing may get slow in order to increase the CO2 levels and reduce the alkalinity. However, low breathing rate could also lead to low oxygen levels which could be detrimental. Thus, respiration provides an important control to regulate the pH levels.  We already know how important breathing and lung support is for the Coronavirus.  For more info on good breathing techniques, click here. 

The kidneys (renal system) regulates the pH of water in your body. The changes in pH induced by the respiratory system are in minutes, while the changes induced by the renal system are in the order of days. If the acidity of the fluids is high, kidney secretes H+ ions, while if the carbonate ion levels are high it retains H+ ions and secretes HCO3 ions. Although this process is slow it can prove an effective mode to regulate pH. One limitation of renal regulation is that the pH of urine cannot be below 4.4 so renal regulation can only do so much. 

Respiratory acidosis occurs when too much CO2 builds up in the body. Normally, the lungs remove CO2 while you breathe. However, sometimes your body can’t get rid of enough CO2. This may happen due to:

• chronic airway conditions, like asthma
• injury to the chest
• obesity, which can make breathing difficult
• sedative misuse
• overuse of alcohol
• muscle weakness in the chest
• problems with the nervous system
• deformed chest structure

Metabolic acidosis starts in the kidneys instead of the lungs. It occurs when they can’t eliminate enough acid or when they get rid of too much base. There are four major forms of metabolic acidosis:

1. Diabetic acidosis occurs in people with diabetes that’s poorly controlled. If your body lacks enough insulin, ketones build up in your body and acidify your blood.

2. Hyperchloremic acidosis results from a loss of sodium bicarbonate. This base helps to keep the blood neutral. Both diarrhea and vomiting can cause this type of acidosis.

3. Lactic acidosis occurs when there’s too much lactic acid in your body. Causes can include chronic alcohol use, heart failure, cancer, seizures, liver failure, prolonged lack of oxygen, and low blood sugar. Even prolonged exercise can lead to lactic acid buildup.

4. Renal tubular acidosis occurs when the kidneys are unable to excrete acids into the urine. This causes the blood to become acidic.

Factors that can contribute to your risk of acidosis include:

• kidneys not functioning
• obesity
• dehydration
• aspirin or methanol poisoning
• diabetes

If you body is too acidic which most people's are, here are some common symptoms:

• fatigue or drowsiness
• becoming tired easily
• confusion
• shortness of breath
• headache
• lack of appetite
• jaundice - yellow skin
• increased heart rate
• breath that smells fruity, which is a sign of diabetic acidosis 

If you think you may have acidosis, you can get blood work to check your pH levels and your kidney function.  Blood work can also check your calcium, protein, blood sugar, and electrolyte levels which are all important levels to know to see if the body is too acidic.  

If you are concerned about respiratory acidosis is you want to test the health of your lungs. This may involve a chest X-ray or a pulmonary function test.

If metabolic acidosis is suspected, you’ll need to give a urine sample. Doctors will check the pH to see if you are properly eliminating acids and bases. 

Now that I know the relationship between pH and viruses I will start checking oral pH in the office to keep everyone healthy.  It's a quick easy thing that can give us a good idea of your overall pH and the health of the mouth which is part of the digestive tract.  Based on the results we may test you for mineral drops, phosphorus drops or add a baking soda drink in the morning on an empty stomach to help become less acidic.  The less alcohol you consume and the more water you drink can also help your pH levels.  Chlorophyl can also be very helpful in supplement form or just increase your intake of green leafy veggies.  Because this coronavirus likes to hit the back of the throat and go into the lungs the less acidic our mouth and throat are the better.  A mouth wash can really help but not the Lysterine types.  You need to get a more natural one and I love Oxy Pulling mouth wash.  It advertises to do Oxy Pulling instead of oil pulling but instead I love to do them together.  The extra oxygen is exactly what the mouth and throat need to kill any germs and keep the body healthy.    

Create a New Normal

I've recently been blogging health tips that we should add to our daily routine.  They should be our new normal not only now but also after the pandemic.  What else should your new normal be? We can’t go back to the way things were. First, it wasn’t working. That’s how we got to a pandemic level to begin with and second, we are different people now.  This is a wake up call to keep ourselves healthy.  With the world on pause this is a perfect time to get new healthy habits in place. When we do start getting back to our new normal I want to warn you about the gaslighting we will be under.
Gaslighting, if you don’t know the word, is defined as manipulation into doubting your own sanity; as in, Dave denies smoking cigarettes even though you saw him do it. Dave is trying to gastlight you.

Pretty soon, as the country begins to figure out how we “open back up” and move forward, very powerful forces will try to convince us all to get back to the old normal, that COVID-19 never happened. Billions of dollars will be spent on advertising, messaging, and television to make you feel comfortable again. It will come in the traditional forms — a billboard here, a hundred commercials there — and in the new-media form memes to remind you that what you want again is normalcy. In truth, of course we all want the feeling of normalcy.  We want desperately to feel good again, to get back to the routines of life, to not lie in bed at night wondering how we’re going to afford our rent and pay the bills, to not wake up to an endless scroll of human tragedy on our phones.  We will desperately and simply want to leave the house for work. 

The need for comfort during these dark times is real and every brand in America will come to your rescue to help take away that darkness and get life back to the way it was before the pandemic. I urge you to be well aware of what is coming.

What the trauma has shown us, though, cannot be unseen. In a quiet New York, I can hear the birds chirp in the middle of Lexington Avenue.  There are photos of a carless Los Angeles  that has clear blue skies as pollution has simply stopped.  Coyotes have been spotted on the Golden Gate Bridge. These are the postcard images of what the world might be like if we could find a way to have a less deadly daily effect on the planet. What’s not fit for a postcard are the other scenes we have witnessed: a health care system that cannot provide basic protective equipment for its frontline; small businesses — and very large ones — that do not have enough cash to pay their rent or workers, sending over 16 million people to seek unemployment benefits; a government that has so severely damaged the credibility of our media that 300 million people don’t know who to listen to for basic facts that can save their lives.

This pandemic hasn’t broken us, it has brought to light the truths of how we live, all of the beautiful and painful truths. So I ask you What do you want to do now that these truths are exposed.  How can we heal and grow from this, together?  How can we create a better country and a better world for our kids? I beg you, do not blow this opportunity to recreate.  Do not  look at McDonald’s, Macey’s and Target to make you feel normal again. I know what you are thinking, If I could just have the new iPhone in my hand, because that’s what my daughter thinks.... if I could just go try on the new Nikes. if I could drink a venti blonde vanilla latte then I could feel normal again. Instead of running to the normal consumerism and distractions I dare you to take a deep breath, ignore the deafening marketing that will come, and think deeply about what you want to put back into your life. This is our chance to define a new version of normal, a rare and truly sacred opportunity to get rid of what was broken and to only bring back what works for us, what makes our lives richer, what makes our kids happier, what makes us truly healthy. I am proud of us. I see us supporting one another through this in every positive Facebook post, in every meal dropped off for a neighbor, in every Zoom birthday party, I had my own last week. We now have a chance to define — on our own terms — what this country will look like in 5, 10, 50 years. This great pause is our chance to do that.  We’ll never have a chance like this again.

We can recreate what we want on a personal scale in our homes, in how we choose to spend our family time, what we watch, what we listen to, what we eat, and what we choose to spend our dollars on and where. We can do it locally in our communities, in what organizations we support, what truths we tell, and what events we attend. And we can do it nationally in our government, in which leaders we vote in and to whom we give power. If we want cleaner air, we can make it happen. If we want to protect our doctors and nurses from the next virus — and protect all Americans — we can make it happen. If we want our neighbors and friends to earn a dignified income, we can make that happen. If we want millions of kids to be able to eat if suddenly their school is closed, we can make that happen because we already did it. And, yes, if we just want to live a simpler life, we can make that happen, too. But only if we stay strong and resist the massive gaslighting that is about to come because I am warning you it’s on its way.  So please stay healthy and strong during this time and during the transition that is to come.  Together we can do this.