Page 13 - Winter2020

Caustic Commentary

have consistently warned the public to avoid taking toxic was highly associated with severity of symptoms, and could
statin drugs. Turns out that this is especially good advice in even be a factor in determining who contracts Covid in the
the coronavirus era. Preliminary data from Norway suggest first place (www.preprints.org/manuscript/202004.0457/v1).
that cod liver oil users may have a reduced risk of contracting The best sources of K are poultry liver and fat, aged cheese,
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Covid-19 and less severe disease outcomes if they are infect- egg yolks and butter, all preferably from grass-fed animals.
ed (sciencenorway.no, November 10, 2020). The researchers Just another reason to enjoy a Wise Traditions diet during
credit vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids in cod liver oil, these difficult times.
but cod liver oil is also an excellent source of vitamin A.
The participants in the study group will receive the Moller’s FINALLY!
brand of cod liver oil, a brand that is fairly high in vitamin A. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has spent
A European study suggests that the last twenty years holding
coronavirus mortality rates are public discussions on the safety
lower in countries where diets of dental amalgam (mercury-
are rich in fermented vegetables. containing) fillings. At long last,
In Europe the death rate in Italy, the agency has come up with
France and the UK has been very guidelines that recognize the
high compared with the Balkans potential adverse health effects
and Nordic countries. Although of mercury exposure, identify-
many factors can explain the ing seven groups that should
discrepancy, researchers found not receive mercury fillings:
that only fermented vegetables pregnant women; women plan-
consumption had a significant ning to become pregnant; nurs-
impact on mortality rate by Elastin ing women and their newborns
country. For each gram per day and infants; children, especially
increase in the average national consumption of fermented those younger than six years of age; people with pre-existing
vegetables, the risk for Covid-19 mortality fell by 35 percent neurological disease; people with impaired kidney function;
(news-medical.net, July 8, 2020). Finally, in a study published and those with known heightened sensitivity to mercury.
in October, 2020, researchers found that routine statin treat- The guidelines did not go as far as activists had hoped; they
ment is significantly associated with increased mortality in did not result in an outright ban on amalgam fillings. But
diabetic patients hospitalized for Covid-19 (pubmed.ncbi. these guidelines are a step in the right direction. The FDA
nlm.nih.gov/33091555/). Higher coronavirus mortality is did not recommend anyone removing or replacing existing
another condition that should be added to the warning list amalgams unless it is considered “medically necessary” and
for statins like Zocor—which is already nineteen pages long warned that removal of intact amalgam fillings “may result in
and all in fine print! a temporary increase in exposure of mercury vapor released
during the removal process” (www.fda.gov/medical-devices/
VITAMIN K AND LUNG FUNCTION dental-devices/dental-amalgam-fillings).
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Vitamin K plays an important role in lung function because
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it helps activate elastin, the protein responsible for lung tissue SHAMELESS
flexibility. Constantly expanding and contracting, the lungs Formula companies are shameless in the ways they exploit
must be very flexible to do their job. When vitamin K is medical situations to their advantage, and the coronavirus
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lacking, elastin becomes stiff and fibrous, making breath- situation is no exception. For example, in April, Danone of
ing and oxygen exchange more difficult. In a recent study, India facilitated a YouTube channel called VoiceofExperts
researchers determined vitamin K status in one hundred that advised women with Covid-19 to maintain a distance of
twenty-three people hospitalized with Covid-19 and those in at least six feet from their infants and to stop breastfeeding
a healthy control group; they found that low vitamin K status until free of fever for more than seventy-two hours, free of

WINTER 2020 Wise Traditions 11