Hydroxychloroquine needs zinc to be effective against COVID-19 infection, doctor says
(NaturalHealth365) As the novel coronavirus pandemic wears on, scientists and doctors around the world are racing around for an effective COVID-19 treatment, including big pharma sponsored ideas that have many people quite concerned. But, one potential treatment that’s garnered a lot of press recently is hydroxychloroquine. But, most people don’t realize what makes this antimalaria medication so effective against COVID-19 … until now. (keep reading!)
Setting aside the highly politicized headlines, it’s worth realizing that doctors are prescribing hydroxychloroquine as an experimental treatment for COVID-19. But there’s one detail that’s often missing in the media coverage: data indicates that zinc is necessary for hydroxychloroquine to actually work.
Hydroxychloroquine is nothing new: But, as a “COVID-19 treatment,” many doctors are missing a huge piece of the puzzle
Hydroxychloroquine (brand name Plaquenil) isn’t some brand-new wonder drug. It’s is already used to treat malaria as well as certain autoimmune conditions like systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Pioneered by controversial French physician and microbiologist Dr. Didier Raoult, hydroxychloroquine is now showing early promise as a highly effective COVID-19 treatment. Doctors from around the world – including France, Brazil, and the United States – have observed remarkable effects after prescribing the drug, particularly when prescribed alongside zinc sulfate and the antibiotic azithromycin, otherwise known as Z-pack.
While the use of Z-pack concerns us – we’ve previously reported on a 2012 study out of Vanderbilt University which found that the antibiotic was associated with an increased risk of deadly heart issues – we are hopeful about the use of zinc. In fact, this trace element is involved in hundreds of functions in the body, including proper immune function.
Many doctors now believe zinc is key for effective hydroxychloroquine/COVID treatment, especially when provided early on in very sick individuals.
Don’t write off hydroxychloroquine just yet, doctors plead – this trace mineral needs to be included for the drug to work
Currently, the data on hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment is not a slam dunk.
For example, one small French study found no beneficial effects of hydroxychloroquine plus Z-pack in 11 COVID-19 patients. However, the majority of these patients had significant comorbidities (including obesity, cancer, and HIV) and there was no mention if zinc was included in the intervention.
But other studies, including a randomized controlled trial out of China involving 62 patients as well as a study from Dr. Raoult and his team involving 1,061 patients suggest that this COVID-19 treatment is both safe and effective (neither of these studies have been peer-reviewed yet). The French team actually reported a 91 percent success rate (meaning the virus was undetectable in 973 patients within 10 days).
And in an April 6 interview with Southern California-based KABC-TV, Dr. Anthony Cardillo, CEO of Mend Urgent Care in Sherman Oaks, says hydroxychloroquine “really only works in conjunction with zinc.” He says this is because hydroxychloroquine opens up a channel in infected cells through which zinc can enter and block viral replication. (His statement is corroborated by 2010 research published in PLOS Pathology which showed that zinc inhibits the replication of SARS-coronavirus, at least in cell culture samples.)
Meanwhile, Dr. Cardillo says he is prescribing zinc plus hydroxychloroquine to good effect. “Every patient I’ve prescribed it to has been very, very ill and within 8 to 12 hours, they were basically symptom-free.”
Dr. Cardillo advises that this COVID-19 treatment be reserved for people who are already very sick, in order to preserve supplies for people who are already currently taking hydroxychloroquine for other conditions, including those previously mentioned (RA and SLE).
Want to boost your body’s own stores of zinc now? The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) is 8 milligrams per day for women and 11 mg per day for men. In addition, you can find this essential mineral in foods like wild rice, peas, pecans, oysters, beans, and yogurt.
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