VIRUSES ARE LIKE LITTLE GREASE-NANOPARTICLES. SOAP DISSOLVES THE FAT MEMBRANE AND THE VIRUS FALLS APART OR BECOMES INACTIVE.

Here is an elegant explanation of why the simple but important task of washing your hands is effective in destroying germs, viruses, and bacteria. The pharmaceutical industry will claim that washing is not enough, that you will need some limousine prescription to fight that cold.  The following is a Twitter thread by Palli Thordarson, professor, School of Chemistry UNSW.  Bob Wenzel highlighted key points of the thread in [bold]:

1/25 Part 1 - Why does soap work so well on the SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus and indeed most viruses? Because it is a self-assembled nanoparticle in which the weakest link is the lipid (fatty) bilayer. A two-part thread about soap, viruses and supramolecular chemistry #COVID19

2/25 The soap dissolves the fat membrane and the virus falls apart like a house of cards and "dies", or rather, we should say it becomes inactive as viruses aren’t really alive. Viruses can be active outside the body for hours, even days.

3/25 Disinfectants or liquids, wipes, gels and creams containing alcohol (and soap) have similar effects but are not really quite as good as normal soap. Apart from the alcohol and soap, the “antibacterial agents” in these products don't affect the virus structure much at all.

4/25 Consequently, many antibacterial products are basically just an expensive version of soap in terms of how they act on viruses. Soap is the best but alcohol wipes are good when soap is not practical or handy (e.g. office receptions).

5/25 But why exactly is soap so good? To explain that, I will take you through a bit of a journey through supramolecular #chemistry, nanoscience, and virology. I try to explain this in generic terms as much as possible, which means leaving some specialist chemistry terms out.

6/25 I point out to that while I am expert in supramolecular chemistry and the assembly of nanoparticles, I am not a virologist. The image with the first tweet is from an excellent post here which is dense with good virology info:

7/25 I have always been fascinated by viruses as I see them as one of the most spectacular examples of how supramolecular chemistry and nanoscience can converge. Most viruses consist of three key building blocks: RNA, proteins, and lipids.

8/25 The RNA is the viral genetic material -it is very similar to DNA. The proteins have several roles including breaking into the target cell, assist with virus replication and basically to be a key building block (like a brick in a house) in the whole virus structure.

9/25 The lipids then form a coat around the virus, both for protection and to assist with its spread and cellular invasion. The RNA, proteins, and lipids self-assemble to form the virus. Critically, there are no strong “covalent” bonds holding these units together.

10/25 Instead the viral self-assembly is based on weak “non-covalent” interactions between the proteins, RNA, and lipids. Together these act together like a Velcro so it is very hard to break up the self-assembled viral particle. Still, we can do it (e.g. with soap!).

11/25 Most viruses, including the coronavirus, are between 50-200 nanometers – so they are truly nanoparticles. Nanoparticles have complex interactions with surfaces they are on. Same with viruses. Skin, steel, timber, fabric, paint, and porcelain are very different surfaces.

12/25 When a virus invades a cell, the RNA “hijacks” the cellular machinery like a computer virus (!) and forces the cell to start to makes a lot of fresh copies of its own RNA and the various proteins that make up the virus.

13/25 These new RNA and protein molecules, self-assemble with lipids (usually readily present in the cell) to form new copies of the virus. That is, the virus does not photocopy itself, it makes copies of the building blocks which then self-assemble into new viruses!

14/25 All those new viruses eventually overwhelm the cell and it dies/explodes releasing viruses which then go on to infect more cells. In the lungs, some of these viruses end up in the airways and the mucous membranes surrounding these.

15/25 When you cough, or especially when you sneeze, tiny droplets from the airways can fly up to 10 meters (30 ft)! The larger ones are thought to be main coronavirus carriers and they can go at least 2 m (7 ft). Thus – cover your coughs & sneezes people!

16/25 These tiny droplets end on surfaces and often dry out quickly. But the viruses are still active! What happens next is all about supramolecular chemistry and how self-assembled nanoparticles (like the viruses) interact with their environment!

17/25 Now it is time to introduce a powerful supramolecular chemistry concept that effectively says: similar molecules appear to interact more strongly with each other than dissimilar ones. Wood, fabric and not to mention skin interact fairly strongly with viruses.

18/25 Contrast this with steel, porcelain, and at least some plastics, e.g. Teflon. The surface structure also matters–the flatter the surface the less the virus will “stick” to the surface. Rougher surfaces can actually pull the virus apart.

19/25 So why are surfaces different? The virus is held together by a combination of hydrogen bonds (like those in water) and what we call hydrophilic or “fat-like” interactions. The surface of fibers or wood, for instance, can form a lot of hydrogen bonds with the virus.

20/25 In contrast steel, porcelain or Teflon do not form a lot of hydrogen bonds with the virus. So the virus is not strongly bound to these surfaces. The virus is quite stable on these surfaces whereas it doesn’t stay active for as long on say fabric or wood.

21/25 For how long does the virus stay active? It depends. The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is thought to stay active on favorable surfaces for hours, possibly a day. Moisture (“dissolves”), sunlight (UV light) and heat (molecular motions) all make the virus less stable.

22/25 The skin is an ideal surface for a virus! It is “organic” and the proteins and fatty acids in the dead cells on the surface interact with the virus through both hydrogen bonds and the “fat-like” hydrophilic interactions.

23/25 So when you touch, say, a steel surface with a virus particle on it, it will stick to your skin and hence get transferred onto your hands. But you are not (yet) infected. If you touch your face though, the virus can get transferred from your hands and on to your face.

24/25 And now the virus is dangerously close to the airways and the mucus type membranes in and around your mouth and eyes. So the virus can get in…and voila! You are infected (that is unless your immune system kills the virus).

25/25 If the virus is on your hands you can pass it on by shaking someone’s else hand. Kisses, well, that's pretty obvious…It comes without saying that if someone sneezes right in your face you are kind of stuffed. Part 2 about soap coming next (25 post limit reached)!

26/39 Part 2 about soap, supramolecular chemistry, and viruses. 

So how often do you touch your face? It turns out most people touch the face once every 2-5 minutes! Yeah, so you at high risk once the virus gets on your hands unless you can wash the active virus off.

27/39 So let’s try washing it off with plain water. It might just work. But water “only” competes with the strong “glue-like” interactions between the skin and virus via hydrogen bonds. The virus is quite sticky and may not budge. Water isn’t enough.

28/39 Soapy water is totally different.  Soap contains fat-like substances knowns as amphiphiles, some structurally very similar to the lipids in the virus membrane. The soap molecules “compete” with the lipids in the virus membrane. 

29/39 The soap molecules also compete with a lot of other non-covalent bonds that help the proteins, RNA and the lipids to stick together. The soap is effectively “dissolving” the glue that holds the virus together. Add to that all the water.

30/39 The soap also outcompetes the interactions between the virus and the skin surface. Soon the viruses get detached and fall apart like a house of cards due to the combined action of the soap and water. The virus is gone!

31/39 The skin is quite rough and wrinkly which is why you do need a fair amount of rubbing and soaking to ensure the soap reaches every crook and nanny on the skin surface that could be hiding active viruses.

32/39 Alcohol-based products, which pretty includes all “disinfectants” and “antibacterial” products contain a high-% alcohol solution, typically 60-80% ethanol, sometimes with a bit of isopropanol as well and then water + a bit of soap.

33/39 Ethanol and other alcohols do not only readily form hydrogen bonds with the virus material but as a solvent, are more lipophilic than water. Hence, alcohol does also dissolve the lipid membrane and disrupt other supramolecular interactions in the virus.

34/39 However, you need a fairly high concentration (maybe +60%) of the alcohol to get a rapid dissolution of the virus. Vodka or whiskey (usually 40% ethanol), will not dissolve the virus as quickly. Overall alcohol is not quite as good as soap at this task.

35/39 Nearly all antibacterial products contain alcohol and some soap and this does help killing viruses. But some also include “active” bacterial killing agents, like triclosan. Those, however, do basically nothing to the virus!

36/39 To sum up, viruses are almost like little grease-nanoparticles. They can stay active for many hours on surfaces and then get picked up by touch. They then get to our face and infect us because most of us touch the face quite frequently.

37/39 Water is not very effective alone in washing the virus off our hands. Alcohol-based products work better. But nothing beats soap – the virus detaches from the skin and falls apart very readily in soapy water.

38/39 Here you have it–supramolecular chemistry and nanoscience tell us not only a lot about how the virus self-assembled into a functional active menace but also how we can beat viruses with something as simple as soap.

39/39 Thank you for reading my first thread. Apologies for any mistakes in the above. I might have some virology details wrong here as I am not a virologist unlike @MackayIM who I am a big fan of! But I hope this inspires you not only to use soap but to read up on chemistry!

DAILY WALK CUTS RISK OF DEATH

STUDY: 30 Minute Daily Walk Dramatically Cuts Risk Of Death...https://t.co/MIx1N0mSb4

— NEWS MAKER (@NEWS_MAKER) March 8, 2020

CORONAVIRUS VS SARS/MERS/EBOLA/SWINE FLU

Thanks to Robert Wenzel, who writes

The coronavirus, now known as COVID-19, originated in Wuhan, China, and has spread to at least 26 other countries.

Here is some sound background information on the virus from Syra Madad, the senior director of the NYC Health + Hospitals System-wide Special Pathogens Program, and Stephen Morse, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University, debunked 13 of the most common myths about the coronavirus. 

I would want to know who is generating these myths?  Bat soup?  I mean this is the stuff of legends, of Vlad the Impaler.  Like most viruses, they are spread through human contact, which means that people have to touch another person and that contact usually involves some fluid, like saliva from someone sneezing or coughing.  And if you're of a certain age, I mean 35 and younger and in good physical health, odds are that that contact won't even make you sick.  But if you're older and susceptible to illness and have a lowered or compromised immunity, then, yes, you'd want to take precautions.  But a mask is not a great precaution as the two reviewed in the video.  And the Corona-virus does not have the deaths associated with it like SARS did or does.  In fact, if you're looking for deaths or body count as a marker for a serious condition, look no further than hospital beds where Sepsis is responsible for 50% of all hospitable deaths.  So unless you've got sepsis, odds are you're probably going to survive this purported pandemic as well.  Darn it.  Does that mean you have to go to work?  Does that mean that you have to continue making money, continue looking after and enduring family problems?  You bet it does.    

Compare the Corona Virus against other viruses: 

Coronavirus vs SARS/MERS/Ebola/Swine Flu 😬 pic.twitter.com/iRmeV0kWoI

— Dave Jones 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏳️‍🌈 (@WelshGasDoc) February 25, 2020

Still freaked out?  Then take some daily vitamin C, vitamin D, and Zinc Citrate.  Bill Sardi points out how indispensable zinc is for healthy immunity.

IN THIS EXPERIMENT, NONE OF THE IMPLANTED TUMORS GREW AMONG 40 ANIMALS OVER A 30-DAY PERIOD! THIS WAS STRIKING!

From Bill Sardi

The anti-tumor therapy involves an anti-worming agent used for horses and dogs. It has been deemed to be safe by the Food & Drug Administration.  Published studies involving this canine drug, fenbendazole, date back a couple of decades.  There has been a lot of foot-dragging over fenbendazole since it was unexpectedly reported to exhibit potent anti-cancer properties when combined with a vitamin regimen in laboratory animals in a study published in 2008.

From G. Edward Griffin's NeedtoKnowNews.

When you look for this compound online, at Amazon or Google it from another vendor, know that the compound is the same, whether it is advertised for animal or human consumption.  Just make sure that you see the term Fendbendazole in the ingredients.  It's the same compound for dogs or humans.  

From G. Edward Griffin's NeedtoKnowNews.

In December, we published a video featuring Joe Tippens, who claims that his stage 4 small cell lung cancer that had metastasized throughout his body, but was cured using a protocol that included fenbendazole, an inexpensive drug commonly used for dogs to get rid of worms and parasites.

We are posting this article from  CancerTreatmentsResearch.com that has a collection of information about fenbendazole, which has been shown to eliminate cancer cells. We apologize for the technical information, but the point is that the studies listed in the article indicate that it works, how it works, and that it needs further study. The studies at the end of the article also show that it can be more effective when combined with vitamins, but was dangerous when mixed with another drug, acetaminophen in an animal study. This is a very good source of information for anyone interested in learning the details of fenbendazole.

FROM ANTI-WORMS TO ANTI-CANCER

Previously, we discussed on this website the anti-worm drug Mebendazole, which based on a good amount of scientific and clinical evidence, shows relevant ant cancer potential. Indeed, there are case reports published in peer review papers showing that Mebendazole can induce anti-cancer response in some aggressive cancers.

In the same article, we explored the mechanism behind the anticancer action of Mebendazole and found that Mebendazole acts in a similar way as a group of chemotherapies such as Taxol. Yet, in contrast to chemotherapies, due to the way Mebendazole works, its toxicity is incomparably lower. Because of its good safety profile, the drug is an over the counter drug in most of the countries.

I specifically like the anti-worms, anti-parasites, antibiotics, antiviral drugs, as a pattern start to emerge suggesting that the origin of cancer maybe related to such a trigger (e.g. viruses, parasites, etc.) in much more cases than we are currently aware of.  

Read the full article here…

When you've finished reading the above article, be sure to check out Bill Sardi's review of this very interesting, anti-cancer compound. 

Joe Tippens now reports at his own “My Cancer Story Rocks” blog site that is bustling with visitors.

He now says around 40 otherwise hopeless cancer patients have reported similar cures.

He continues to take the anti-worming medication and dietary supplements as prevention.

His dietary supplement regimen that he still adheres to is as follows:

• Vitamin E complex (tocotrienols, tocopherols)

• Curcumin (turmeric extract 600 mg/day

• CBD oil

ZINC SUPPLEMENTATION SHORTENS THE DURATION OF COLDS BY APPROX. 33%

The best thing for bronchitis is 2-4 mg of vitamin C every 4 hours, OptiZinc because it's the most absorbable variety and 10,000 to 40,000IU of vitamin D for one week.  Be sure to add vitamin A to that to make the D more absorbable.  NCBI observes that

Considering zinc, the supplementation may shorten the duration of colds by approximately 33%.

Consider in a 72 hour period what a double dose of zinc would do to bronchitis?  One of the reasons why I think zinc works so well with most people is that most people are zinc deficient.  We just never got enough growing up, and so our innate immunity may only be bolstered by innate things that kids do, like playing outdoors.  Certainly, with oysters being the highest in zinc content when it comes to food, my guess is that few kids are consuming oysters on a regular basis.  So by the time we're in our 20s, 30s, and 40s, we're kind of zinc deficient.  There are benefits to maintaining your immune system in the first place.  Most people don’t really enjoy the activity of self-care since it involves daily calorie vigilance or supplement intakes or exercise or all three.  It’s a full-time job with little to no reward except when you get sick.  But who wants to commit to a regimen that only minimizes or prevents you from getting sick?  Not much of a reward there at the end of that rainbow, huh, Kimosabe?  But look at what this study published at NCBI stated,

Maintaining the immune defense system within a normal healthy state lowers the incidence of infection and/or lessens the severity of symptoms and/or shortens the duration of common colds.

But if you don’t like getting sick in the first place, if you’d prefer to be on top of your vocational game 24/7, then I recommend supplementing, in part, because of the accumulative effect of stress.  We don’t see a cold or fever coming on.  When I got bronchitis recently, I sure couldn’t see it coming on.  But I was out working late in the snow and did not prepare for the extended hours out in that cold, snowy evening.  And I worked late into that night.  I like working.  I like completing assignments, which I did but at a cost.  The bronchitis was deep in my chest.  And my cough was productive for one full week.  But I took exactly what I described above and the symptoms shortened, and I believe the duration of bronchitis itself shortened.  There is no greater pleasure than being able to breathe fully.  Take that inhale, oh, yeah!

Here is a final sampling of how zinc up-regulates your innate immunity . . . from NCBI: 

Zinc supplementation increases cellular components of innate immunity (e.g., phagocytosis by macrophages and neutrophils, natural killer cell activity, and generation of oxidative burst) [10].

Neutrophil granulocytes, macrophages: large amounts of oral zinc significantly impaired polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) function and, in vitro, zinc potentiated the neutrophil response against Staphylococcus aureus [11]. Zn supplementation (150 mg/d) in elderly also induces a decrease in granulocyte zinc that has implications in phagocytosis and chemotaxis [41]. 

Natural killer: a supplementation of zinc (in vitro studies or 100mg/d in elderly) improves natural killer (NK) cells activity, as argued by a lot of authors [9, 11, 39, 42]. Zinc administration decreased peripheral. 

For more on zinc from one of the best nutritional reviewers in the English-speaking world, check out what Bill Sardi says about zinc.