Around 1994, DDP prepared a list of suggested medical supplies for your shelter. An issue not considered was how one might improve one's ability to fight biowarfare agents, especially those resistant to antibiotics and vaccines. There are no well-accepted medical guidelines, and research is limited. The following suggestions borrow heavily from a booklet called Bioterrorism: How You Can Survive by Russell Blaylock, M.D. Dr. Blaylock practiced neurosurgery for 24 years and now devotes full time to nutritional research and practice. Joseph Douglass, Ph.D., defense analyst and author of America the Vulnerable: The Threat of Chemical and Biological Warfare, called the booklet ``the best book on the problem of biological warfare I have read in over thirty years.''
The first item to buy is a copy of the book, $9.95 to Physician's Preference, Inc., 20214 Briadwood, Suite 160, Katy, TX 77450, (877) 351-0593.
While ``good nutrition'' is often cited as important in surviving epidemics, what exactly does that mean, other than the absence of malnutrition or overt vitamin deficiency disease? Dr. Blaylock states that inadequate intake of carotenoids (such as vitamin A and beta-carotene) is an important contributor to immune incompetence in the elderly. Vitamin C and B vitamins play important roles in immunity, and are depleted quickly during major infections. Biotin is critical in the ongoing immune response. Selenium, especially as selenomethionine, enhances the function of the immune system, especially of the macrophage, and also of the enzyme superoxide dismutase. Other important minerals are zinc and magnesium.
Immune cells kill invaders by producing enormous quantities of free radicals. However, if these accumulate, they also damage or kill white blood cells and surrounding tissue. That is the rationale for using ``antioxidants'' or free radical scavengers, such as vitamins C and E, and N-acetyl-cysteine.
These are some immunity stimulants: Echinacea purpurans is an herb shown to inhibit influenza, herpes, and vesicular stomatitis virus. Double-blind studies have shown some efficacy against the common cold. It loses its immune-stimulating properties after about two weeks, so should not be taken continually. As with other immune stimulants, there is a chance of exacerbating autoimmune conditions. Inositol phosphate-6 or IP6 stimulates cellular immunity and chelates iron, depriving microorganisms of an essential nutrient. Beta-1,3/1,6-D-glucan, extracted from the cell walls of plants and fungi such as mushrooms or baker's yeast, has been shown to reduce post-surgical infections in high-risk patients. Note: Preparations contaminated with proteins are ineffective and can be dangerous.
General nutritional advice in times of enhanced danger from infection: (1) Avoid red meat, especially beef, because iron can cause a catastrophic worsening of bacterial or viral infections. Also avoid eating within one hour of taking Vitamin C, as it increases iron absorption. (2) Avoid sugar and all soft drinks. Sugar enhances bacterial growth, lowers immunity, and depletes thiamine. Carbonated soft drinks deplete magnesium. (3) Avoid corn, safflower, sunflower, peanut, soybean, and canola oils, which have an immune suppressant effect; limit fat intake to 25% to 30% of calories, not counting extra virgin olive oil or omega-3 oils. (4) Avoid processed foods as your systems for detoxifying additives will be busy.
Common sense precautions include: (1) Stay away from doctors' offices and hospitals if at all possible, and from crowded places. (2) Frequently disinfect surfaces with Lysol or diluted bleach, as viruses can persist there for weeks. (3) Roll up car windows and close the vents if you see a spray truck or low-flying airplane.
In case you have to treat a smallpox patient at home, be sure to have on hand: acetaminophen or (for adults) Advil; antiemetics; grapefruit seed extract to use as a mouthwash (dilute 50:50 with distilled water) or for cleansing skin lesions; appropriate antibiotics for secondary pneumonia; liquid tears to cleanse mucus from eyes; and gentamicin drops to prevent bacterial superinfection if corneal ulcers develop and you have no access to a physician. Treat fever with slightly cool towels (not cold-that will cause peripheral vasoconstriction and may actually increase the core temperature). If you can't keep the temperature below 105°F in adults, or 102°F in children, with cool towels, treat with acetaminophen. (Ibuprofen [Advil is one brand] may be preferable in adults as it may enhance immunity.)
Keep a supply of filter masks on hand; the best are from the paint section of the hardware store. They should adjust to form a good seal.
Dr. Blaylock provides a more complete discussion, dosages, and references.
Russian scientists have investigated a special formulation of activated charcoal as a treatment for cholera. Since Vibrio cholera and pathogenic E. coli produce exotoxins that cause diarrhea, and since activated charcoal is excellent for binding many ingested poisons, it is reasonable to try it, especially very early in the course. Remember that it will also adsorb other drugs. In rabbits, both activated charcoal and activated attapulgite (heated magnesium aluminum silicate, Parepectolin) showed benefit in cholera but not enterotoxic E. coli (Infection 1977;5:211-213).
Update your emergency supplies now. Even the most basic items such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) could vanish from shelves almost instantly in a major crisis. Some of the items need to be compounded or special ordered, and some (such as the gentamicin eye drops) require a prescription.
BBC film producer Jill Fullerton-Smith, while taping a documentary about crocodiles, made a startling observation: Australian salt-water crocodiles fight constantly, inflict horrible wounds on each other, but never get infected. The experts had no explanation. Analyzing a blood sample, Dr. Gill Diamond of New Jersey Medical School, found a peptide that ``blew away bacteria'' without damaging normal cells. The peptide is called crocodillin (Sunday Times 3/17/00).
Will this be developed for possible human use? About 10 years of bureaucratic delay and a cost of some $800 million stand in the way.
Readily synthesized peptides, modeled on sequences found in honey bees and silk moths, were discovered by Dr. Bruce Merrifield and coworkers to be very promising as antibiotics. Because his peptides are made with the d-isomer of amino acids, they resist degradation by ordinary enzymes. However, no commercial interest capable of affording the FDA hurdle-which was only $100 million at the time- could be found. The discovery languishes while multiply drug-resistant bacteria proliferate. (Access to Energy, July 1996, available in the 25-year CD-ROM Archive).
Because of controversy about both effectiveness and side effects, only 152 of more than 5,100 exposed postal workers accepted the federal government's offer of anthrax vaccine. Many more-some 1,200-opted for an extra 40 days of antibiotics. The vaccine was forced on half a million military personnel, under threat of court-martial for refusal. (See DDP statement to Congress).
Sign up now for the 19th annual meeting, to be held at the Sheraton Hotel in Colorado Springs, CO, the last weekend in July. See the enclosed draft program for details. The Sheraton is offering a special $99 room rate for single or double occupancy. Reservation number: (800) 325-3535.
DDP, 1601 N. Tucson Blvd. Suite 9, Tucson, AZ 85716, (520)325-2680, www.oism.org/ddp.