What is Bradykinin? What are kinins? Maybe more importantly, what do they have to do with COVID-19 and what PERQUE® products are recommended? In a recent interview with Dr. Jaffe I learned that these are a class of polypeptides (proteins with sugar stuck on them) discovered in the late 60’s – early 70’s but have only recently become of interest in clinical medicine. They have powerful effects on the body. Bradykinin slows the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and opens blood vessels. It turns out that when you look at the coat protein, the “docking station of the cell,” it is a kinin response center. The circulating hypothesis is that maybe what makes COVID-19 (potentially) so catastrophic has less to do with the actual viral activity and more to do with the patient’s body being unable to control its defense mechanisms.
When a body becomes infected there are specific interactive systems that are activated. The little known (understood) kinin system controls inflammation, blood pressure regulation, coagulation, fluid balance, and pain. The kinin cascade is tightly regulated by the renin-angiotensin system (RAS).
These systems are carefully controlled by a series of activators or inhibitors that work through a system of both positive and negative feedback loops. When working properly this maintains the status quo and enables the body to continue to function normally. When any of these systems are upset, serious consequences can follow.
What does this mean for someone that has COVID-19? Scientists believe people are infected because the virus is pulled into the epithelial cells which line the airways all the way down into the lungs. It appears that the virus has the same or very similar sequence and uses the cell entry receptor for—angiotensin converting enzyme II (ACE2).
If the virus is inhaled and finds a free ACE2 receptor, it binds and enters that cell. The virus is now free to take over the cell’s reproductive capacity and millions of new viral particles are created. When the epithelial cell bursts and dies the viral particles are released to bind to other cells driving infection or to be exhaled and potentially infect other people.
How is this all connected?? ACE2 is a control mechanism for that little known (understood) kinin protein system. Bradykinin receptors are the ACE2 neighbors on the lung epithelial cells. Under normal conditions the ACE2 receptors are bound to lung receptors blocking the bradykinin effects. If the ACE2 receptor is bound to the virus the body has a reduced capacity for controlling the Bradykinin release and effects. Those “powerful effects” on the body that Dr. Jaffe mentioned now come into play: drop in blood pressure, porous blood vessels which lead to fluids leaking from the blood into the tissues, activating white cells to defend against infection.
For me this all points back to what Dr. Jaffe has been teaching for many years. Keep the host inhospitable. We can’t walk around in a bubble and have long, productive, and enjoyable lives. We can do our best to guard ourselves by doing these things:
- Test – Don’t guess! Look at your food & chemical sensitivities (with the LRA by ELISA/ACT® test) as a first line approach to comprehensive care. Knowing what items are offending the immune system and likely overburdening it is key to improving your body’s defenses.
- Test your 1st morning urine pH. Aim for the 6.5-7.5 range. Staying in this range reduces cellular acidosis and increases the availability of the very important mineral magnesium. PERQUE Mg Plus Guard™ paired with PERQUE Choline Citrate™ is your super team for this job.
- Support your immune response by using PERQUE Energized Double Zinc Guard™ or PERQUE Zinc & Throat Guard™ You can use the zinc lozenge as a “guide” to know if you’re deficient.
- Do you know your D3 status? Lucky you! You can add this biomarker test along with hsCRP to your LRA test. PERQUE D3 Cell Guard™ is liquid gold when the days get longer and darker. Vitamin D3 has so many responsibilities in the body from inflammation, to brain function, to anti-viral properties.
- Start your day off right with your daily dose of PERQUE Life Guard Mini™ – enough to keep your urine sunshine yellow, PERQUE Potent C Guard™ – calibrate your system to know your body’s need, along with your PERQUE Plant Powered Protein Guard™ (in vanilla or chocolate).
- Move your body! Qi gong, Tai Chi, yoga, dancing, walking, ambling, strolling, jogging, running, whatever your heart desires. There is no right or wrong unless you’re sitting and doing nothing.
- Just breathe. Look for guided meditations that will help you with appropriate abdominal breathing techniques to help strengthen your lungs and promote stress relief and relaxation.
At this point there is much information out there. We have all learned so much in the last six months about this virus. No one knows it all but when you know better – you do better. Let’s all do a better job of guarding ourselves.
Did you enjoy this post? We have a weekly Facebook Live that we think you’d love! Like our page here to check it out.
Click here for our October Monthly Special.