Ebola

Peace.

This ebola thing is scary is it not? I mean you get this disease and you die in 3 weeks. For those of us without the virus, that's cool. If you suspect that someone has ebola, you just avoid them for 3 weeks and if they are still alive then you can relax. But IMO there isn't enough useful information out there regarding this disease. We are being told to just trust the CDC and hospitals. And y'all... I work at Emory!!!! I do not trust the government to be concerned about my health so I have begun to get proactive about avoiding this disease.

I don't mention this often... but I am a doctor/dentist. Seriously, I went to school for it, graduated, completed a residency and everything. I have also worked in several microbiology labs throughout my career and my undergraduate degree is in Zoology with minors in chemistry and math. You may choose not to believe what I say... and you don't have to... but it will be for some other reason than I'm not qualified to tell you.

Ebola is a virus. Do you know what a virus is? It is a single strand of DNA that is capable of existing on it's own. All viruses are RNA. DNA during it's replication phase pulls apart... imagine a zipper splitting down the middle.... But DNA for regular cells never pulls apart without instantly attracting it's complementary nucleic acid. By the time it's completely unzipped, you have 2 molecules. That's mitosis and mieosis. No charge for the biology lesson. RNA is just one side of a zipper that can live and function like that. Because it is so similar to DNA, the body doesn't just instantly reject it. I don't know of an issue where any RNA has been helpful to humans. It's a parasite. Also... viral infections cannot be healed. Every single virus that has ever gotten in your body, is still there somewhere chilling in the cut. And if you become immuno-compromised.... it can come back out and reek havoc. Google chicken pox – shingles relationship.

So there is a lot of ebola information out there. You don't need to to tell you what you already know. But let me tell you some things that I had to search for....

The first surprising thing I found out about ebola is that it has been a thing since 1976. You can't blame Obama for that. This should really have a cure by now. It's almost 40 years old. Which leads me to believe it does.

Ebola, once in the body, attack monocytes and microphages. PUMPERNICKEL!!! Our bodies are amazing and have amazing reactions. When a foreign body enters the bloodstream... because among other things, blood snitches... there are cells that sound the alarm. T helper cells do this. They tell the body that right here, right now, there is some BS that needs to be taken care of. (BTW HIV appropriates the T helper cells, so that alarm never gets heard) Ebola doesn't affect the T helper cells... it affects the next level of defense... the phages.

We have cells in our bodies that eat foreign matter; anything the body doesn't recognize. When you have an infection, these phages eat the foreign bodies up like it's gubment cheese. And then the phages die together and that's how pus is formed. These are the targets of ebola virus. Ebola enters the cell not from getting eaten, but from a receptor... Getting in through a receptor is like gaining entry to someone's house with a key. The cell won't consider the virus a threat and allow it to have access to all parts of it. Ebola will then shut down the original function of the cell and change it to the creation of more ebola viruses. The cell will make more and more ebola virus strands until the cell is full and it bursts at the seams. As long as the ebola was in the cell it was safe from the body's immune system. Once out the immune response starts over again.

Think about this... the presence of ebola activates T helper cells in turn causes an acute immune response that brings the phages. The phages are the ebola target. The ebola essentially calls for it's own food. Damn.

Now you know the what's and hows... the symptoms are out there... Fever, sores, pain, vomiting, rash diarrhea and bleeding from the inside out. What do we do?????

Despite what the govt says... there is no cure. Viruses cannot be cured; they have to be survived. What we can do is more preventative. (1) Don't get it. Mind your business by staying away from folks. If you know someone has been traveling stay away from them for 3 weeks. If they don't get sick, your good. The research says that ebola has come from bats... I'm at a loss at how bats can pass a disease to a human via fluids but I suppose it's possible... Keep your spaces clean. Ebola allegedly can live for a while on surfaces Bleach works. Hand sanitizer. Lysol. No public toilets. And stop being social. Don't invite folks all up and through your spaces. No parties, no free rides for folk, no mass transit. Wear maskes at movies. No sharing. No puffing/sipping and passing. Keep it to your self. Lay low until this foolishness passes. (2) Pay attention to your body. Stay healthy as possible. Now is the time to start thinking about adopting a healthy lifestyle. When the body is healthy, it is better suited to survive illness. If you feel like you could have gotten infected, by all means go to the doctor and prepare to be interned. And (3) treat your symptoms. But this is a tricky thing. Fever, vomiting and diarrhea are tricky. It is the body's response to pathogens. This needs to happen. But it needs to be managed and not allowed to be overdone. That's the tricky. It's important to stay hydrated... with water.... and feed yourself the best way you know how. Now is the time to think about smoothies and non-dairy protein drinks. Dairy causes mucus and skin issues. That makes things worse. Muscles pains... NSAIDS. Fever.... tylenol. Diarrhea..... carbs and imodium. The liver and kidneys needs to be supported though. Liver can regenerate... kidneys... not so much. If they get too damaged, you might need dialysis. If you want to treat without meds, otc or otherwise.... I wouldn't suggest that. This ain't the time for that.

That's all I got right now.

Y'all be safe. And be mindful that it's your responsibility to manage your own selves.

Be Safe....


Peace