Global Chiropractors Analysis of Hair Tissue and the Trace Mineral Selenium as it pertains to Sar-Cov 2 (Covid 19)
Should a hair tissue biopsy be complementary with the Sar-Cov-2 testing?
By Dr. Richard N. Olree Jr.
I am writing this letter to the profession because I do not want to see the Covid 19 virus enter the lives of our profession any more than you want to get the darn virus. This is not a cure, advice on prevention or prescription, and you should consult with a qualified healthcare provider for your health status.
Researchers found that the Sar-Cov2 cure rate was significantly associated with selenium status, as measured by the amount of selenium in hair, in 17 cities outside of Hubei.(1) In an article showing the link identified between dietary selenium and outcome of COVID-19 disease which is dated April 29, 2020 from the University of Surrey. The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, England.
China has populations that have both the lowest and the highest selenium status in the world. (2) A set of interesting studies published by the Beck laboratory in the 1990s showed that host selenium deficiency increased the virulence of RNA viruses such as coxsackievirus B3 and influenza A, and now possibly Covid-19. (1)
Passage through a selenium-deficient animal and humans unable to produce sufficient antioxidant selenoproteins for its own protection resulted in the virus mutating to a virulent form that caused more severe pathologies. An article cites, “Among the proteins most impacted by selenium status is glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX1), a cytosolic selenoenzyme with known antiviral properties. Viral infection increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in host cells, which, if not counterbalanced by antioxidant defense mechanisms, leads to oxidative stress. Excess oxidative stress, in turn, augments mutation of the viral genome, which can lead to the emergence of more virulent strains. GPX1 comprises a key defense against ROS, catalyzing the detoxification of hydrogen peroxide to water.” (2)
Michigan, my home state and about half of the United States has little to no selenium in the soil, while the other half of the country has too much of the wrong kind of selenium in the soil. Ask any good farmer if they must add selenium to the animal feeding and the universal answer is yes, ‘it is in our salt block’. Farms have been adding selenium to animal feed starting in 1981. Soils lacking selenium results in eating mineral deficient food out of your garden, regardless of what you plant, if the mineral selenium is not in the soil it cannot be in food you grow.
Selenium is an essential trace element obtained from the diet (i.e. fish, meat and cereals Brazil nuts, chicken gizzards) which has been found to affect the severity of most viral diseases in animals and humans. For example, selenium status in those with HIV has been shown to be an important factor in the progression of the virus to AIDs and death from the condition. Selenium can impact infectious diseases caused by viruses (e.g., HIV, IAV, hepatitis C virus, polio-virus, West Nile virus) and bacteria (e.g., M. tuberculosis, Helicobacter pylori).
Examining data from provinces and municipalities with more than 200 cases and cities with more than 40 cases, researchers found that areas with high levels of selenium were more likely to recover from the virus. For example, in the city of Enshi in Hubei Province, which has the highest selenium intake in China, the cure rate (percentage of COVID-19 patients declared 'cured') was almost three-times higher than the average for all the other cities in Hubei Province. (3)
By contrast, in Heilongjiang Province, where selenium intake is among the lowest in the world, the death rate from COVID-19 was almost five-times as high as the average of all the other provinces outside of Hubei. (1)
Most convincingly, the researchers found that the COVID-19 cure rate was significantly associated with selenium status, as measured by the amount of selenium in hair, in 17 cities outside of Hubei. (1)
Mineral Blueprint
A hair tissue mineral analysis simply stated, is a screening test that measures the mineral content of your hair. A hair tissue mineral analysis is considered a standard test used around the world for the biological monitoring of trace elements and toxic metals in humans, and animal species. The same technology is used for soil testing and testing of rock samples to detect mineral levels.
Hair, like all other body tissues, contains minerals that are deposited as the hair grows. Although the hair is dead, the minerals remain as the hair continues to grow out. A sample of hair cut close to the scalp provides information about the mineral activity in the hair that took place over the past three to four months, depending on the rate of hair growth.
Providing a mineral blueprint of one’s biochemistry, a hair tissue mineral analysis can provide pertinent information about your metabolic rate, energy levels, sugar and carbohydrate tolerance, stage of stress, immune system, and glandular activity and yes, selenium levels.
As our profession emerges from the throws of the various government backed safety protocols which is mandated to be enacted into the office setting, one should give extraordinarily strong consideration to having a hair mineral analysis test to determine the long term release of selenium from the body.
Having been forced into a Sar-Cov-2 sabbatical I am undertaking this initiative with the help of CanAlt hair testing company. This is the website you can sign up to receive your hair test at a onetime dramatically reduced price of 55 US dollars.
The main player in the human genome is how selenium affects glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX1), a cytosolic selenoenzyme with known antiviral properties. These properties affect the anatomy of the virus called nsp5. Nsp5, also called 3C-like protease, is responsible for processing viral polyprotein precursors in coronavirus (CoV) replication. (4) Research show that selenium has implication in this process and have therapeutic values.
The correlation that has been identified is compelling, particularly given previous research done on selenium and infectious diseases. As such, a careful and thorough assessment of the role selenium may play in Sar-Cov-2 is certainly justified and may help to guide ongoing personal-health decisions.
Becoming involved in Global Chiropractors Analysis of Hair Tissue is simple.
1. Go to the website: SeleniumInitiative.com
2. Pick your state and fill out the simple application
3. Take a digital picture of your current state obtained license and paste it into the area provided or prove you are a chiropractic student
4. Put 150.00 dollars on your credit card
Click here to view a sample hair test
Instructions will be emailed for the tissue collection and the turnaround time will be short as to determine the hair status of the Chiropractor/and or chiropractic student. The results will be automatically emailed to the provider/student. If the provider wishes further consultation arrangements will be made on a case by case basis. The names of the providers will never be shared with anyone, only the city and states and the amounts of selenium will be tabulated for research purposes only.
References
1. Association between regional selenium status and reported outcome of COVID-19 cases in China
Jinsong Zhang, Ethan Will Taylor, Kate Bennett, Ramy Saad, Margaret P Rayman
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 111, Issue 6, June 2020, Pages 1297–1299, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqaa095
Published: 28 April 2020
2. A role for selenium-dependent GPX1 in SARS-CoV-2 virulence
Lucia A Seale, Daniel J Torres, Marla J Berry, Matthew W Pitts
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 112, Issue 2, August 2020, Pages 447–448, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqaa177
Published: 27 June 2020
3. Reply to LA Seale et al
Jinsong Zhang, Ethan Will Taylor, Kate Bennett, Ramy Saad, Margaret P Rayman
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 112, Issue 2, August 2020, Pages 448–450, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqaa178
Published: 27 June 2020
4. Porcine Deltacoronavirus nsp5 Cleaves DCP1A to Decrease Its Antiviral Ability
Xinyu Zhu, Jiyao Chen, Liyuan Tian, Yanrong Zhou, Shangen Xu, Siwen Long, Dang Wang, Liurong Fang, Shaobo Xiao
DOI: 10.1128/JVI.02162-19
5. A role for selenium-dependent GPX1 in SARS-CoV-2 virulence
Lucia A Seale, Daniel J Torres, Marla J Berry, Matthew W Pitts
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 112, Issue 2, August 2020, Pages 447–448, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqaa177
Published: 27 June 2020