The Bioregulatory Medicine Institute
If you have heard the saying that life is stranger than fiction, the past few years have under-promised and over-delivered. This is especially true for the thousands who are still struggling with the lingering effects of long-haul-COVID that may include loss of taste, smell, and tinnitus, to name a few symptoms.
Reverse engineering the root cause of “long-haul COVID” symptoms
Without finding the root cause of a problem, it is often difficult to find the solution. Reverse
engineering can often narrow in on a cause. For instance, if you have a stain on your
shirt and a degreaser is effective, it is logical to think that the stain was caused by some
type of grease.
Operating on a very unique theory about the root cause of COVID, Dr. Bryan Ardis
reveals research that demonstrates nicotine to be highly effective in treating adverse
symptoms in a litany of complaints following exposure to COVID 19. (See table)
Through reverse engineering, it points to the cause of the stain, (i.e. substances that
interfere with the alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR). These receptors have such an extreme affinity for nicotine, they releases other substances that have become bound, allowing the functionality of the receptor to be restored.
If nicotine holds the answer, what are the risks?
We have been indoctrinated that there are numerous and frightening negative health effects associated with nicotine; we have heard about them our whole lives. This is straight from the American Heart Association. “Nicotine is a dangerous and highly addictive chemical. It can cause an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, flow of blood to the heart and a narrowing of the arteries (vessels that carry blood).” 1
Therefore, we first have to tackle the truth about the safety of nicotine. After all, what good is a stain remover that ruins your shirt?
Is nicotine really the villain we have made it out to be?
Ask the average person–or yourself–what is in a cigarette? Now think of the results.
How many could you name? Tobacco/nicotine, tar, formaldehyde…
In totality, there are approximately 600 total documented additives in cigarettes, but
individual brands usually contain about 40 or more additives.2
In 2015, Harvard published the following: “A study of pyrazines in cigarettes and how additives might be used to enhance tobacco addiction.” However, when nicotine is not combined with the use of pyrazines, it does not demonstrate addictive properties.3 Though tobacco contains the highest levels of nicotine, it is also present in the other nightshades such as eggplant, tomatoes, peppers and other members of the Solanaceae family.4
Furthermore, it is non-carcinogenic (it does not cause cancer) though widely perceived
to.5
This means that nicotine is not the dangerous component of cigarettes. It is non-addictive, and does not cause cancer!
What about the other dangerous aspects of nicotine?
Nicotine is a stimulant that acts as an agonist at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.
Because of this, nicotine can cause increased heart rate and blood pressure along with
increased adrenaline production and this effect should be considered when
administered.
Though caffeine is also a stimulant, its groupies are comprised mostly of coffee drinkers. If your parents ever warned you that you would get a bad reputation from hanging out with the wrong crowd, nicotine has surely suffered from its association with smoking. Pointing only at nicotine, It has become the “fall guy” of tobacco products. Meanwhile, the other
perpetrators have escaped, while the only innocent one has been given consecutive life
sentences.
Nicotine in a new light
Let's revisit the "stain" analogy. If we think of nicotine as the stain remover, how would
this work? Understanding that these α7 nAChR cell receptors have a higher affinity to
nicotine than the antagonist occupying these, causes the release of its grasp.6
Interestingly, nicotinic receptors are found in the somatic nervous system
(neuromuscular junctions in skeletal muscles), the sympathetic and parasympathetic
nervous system (autonomic ganglia), and the central nervous system, indicating the
importance of their presence.7 Furthermore, the α7 nAChR plays a critical role in
controlling the systemic and local inflammation response by the cholinergic anti-
inflammatory pathway and functions as an interface between the brain and the immune
system.8
So what is the "stain"?
Dr. Bryan Ardis asserts “antagonists of α7 nAChR are a wide group represented by
conotoxin and bungarotoxin”9 causing a multitude of unwanted and debilitating long-
haul-COVID symptoms. So yes, Ardis is asserting that the symptoms of COVID are not
caused by a virus, they are caused by the venoms primarily of cone snails which
secrets conotoxins,10 and Bungarus multicinctus and B. caeruleus (Indian krait) which
secrete bungarotoxin.11
Remember, we started with the idiom, life is stranger than fiction.
A momentary side note…
Although the science is clear that nicotine alone is not addictive or cancer
causing, this is not reflected on the pages of some of the most trusted
organizations that are often cited. That is alarming! We hope this encourages you to do your own research.
It is worth sharing that in researching this subject, two things are apparent; if you use AI (we did at times–though new concerns about the impact of AI are having us consider this choice for the future), to find the primary sources of the studies, the information you will receive is as good as the databases it draws from. Keep in mind that much of this is obscured from us. Equally important, what you get out is also equally dependent on the quality of questions asked. For instance, when asking about loss of taste or smell related to the venoms of conotoxin and bungarotoxin, α7 nAChR, nicotine, etc.) different results will be found when using the Latin terms anosmia and ageusia.
Lastly–and by no means least–sometimes it takes two steps to make a connection. As an example, ask AI if acetylcholine influences anosmia and ageusia–it does. Then ask if nicotine does; the answer is a vague no. Lastly, ask if nicotine influences acetylcholine–it does. So, if acetylcholine influences taste and smell, and nicotine influences acetylcholine, it seems logical that there is a connection of nicotine to these symptoms.
What is the evidence that nicotine can help with long-haul COVID?
Whether there are other factors at play, Ardis makes a compelling case, enough to
inspire further research. His assertions are not in written form; he is on many podcasts
bravely outlining his course in the conclusions he has made and does mention some
promising studies.
Dr. Ardis makes a strong case for the benefits and safety of nicotine which can be
applied via patch or chewed as gum. From a bioregulatory standpoint we emphasize the
importance of binding these antagonists and having fully functioning emunctories to
excrete them. There is no point in displacing toxins from receptor sites to have them
circulating. The primary emunctories are urination, defecation, respiration, and urination.
Keeping them at optimal capacity is key!
In Ardis’s case, independent theories often do not have the quantity of studies in order
to declare them as fact, and we are not asserting that they are. Sometimes enough
anecdotal evidence places pressure for independent scientists to take up the cause. It
may take individuals who have tried conventional methods to decide for themselves that
the risk versus benefit is worthy enough to give an alternative theory a try. If you do
choose this course, we would love to hear from you and know if it removes any of your
stains of long-haul COVID.
References: