Breathe Easy: Mycoplasma Pneumonia Outbreak Solved? Vitamin A Offers Hope, No Panic Needed!
a) Chest radiograph showing patchy airspace infiltrates in both lungs. b) Chest computed tomography (CT) image showing bilateral ground-glass opacities and patchy infiltration in predominantly peribronchial and subpleural distribution. c) Chest radiograph and d) CT after 4 weeks of follow-up showing almost complete resolution of the bilateral opacities.
The above picture is from a journal article stating: a few case reports of interstitial lung disease (ILD) caused by influenza vaccine have been published. I will say it’s unrelated to this particular Substack article. I just found it interesting.
I’m sure you have all heard the news by now that a mysterious outbreak of mycoplasma pneumonia out of China & white lung pictures have been floating around but should we in the Western world be alarmed? We are seeing an uptick of cases, particularly effecting children in the United States. In continuing with its guidance or lack thereof, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been silent regarding the optimization of the immune system of the human body. As I have discussed in previous articles, there is a lot of private money invested in the WHO & let’s just say a healthy population isn’t in the best financial interest of their investors. Thank goodness there are doctors & healthcare professionals that have been on the case of this recent uptick of mycoplasma pneumonia in terms of how to cure it naturally. Dr. John Campbell & Dr. David Anderson have located studies which show Vitamin A deficiency is a big factor contributing to the likelihood of catching the bacterial infection.
As if by default, the WHO’s solution to the mycoplasma pneumonia outbreak is to make sure the population is vaccinated against pneumonia, COVID-19, & other respiratory pathogens as appropriate as well as social distancing, staying at home if ill, getting tested & medical care as needed, wearing masks, ensuring good ventilation, & practicing regular hand-washing. Again, nothing about optimizing your natural immune system.
Mycoplasma pneumoniae frequently causes community-acquired pneumonia in children & occurs throughout the year (non-seasonal). Mycoplasma pneumoniae may be transmitted by droplets with all ages of children being susceptible to the bacteria. In recent years, children with mycoplasma pneumonia have increased & the course of the disease is prolonged. This may have something to do with lockdowns causing a delay in herd immunity & the over-sanitizing every single thing out of hypochondriac fear an abundance of caution over the past several years.
Typical Symptoms of Mycoplasma Pneumonia
Fever
Wheezing/Difficulty in Breathing
Chest Pain
Chills
Cough (usually dry & not bloody)
Headache
Sore Throat
Pleural Effusion - antibiotic resistant cases
Atelectasis (lower airway damage) - antibiotic resistant cases
Organ Damage - antibiotic resistant cases
Vitamin A AKA Retinol is essential for the function of the retina at the back of the eye. A Retinol deficiency may first appear as night blindness by making the cornea in the front part of the eye very dry & Bitot’s spots, the buildup of keratin located superficially in the conjunctiva of human's eyes. If left untreated, Vitamin A deficiency may gradually progress to complete blindness.
West Indian Adolescent with Bitot’s Spots - Photo Credit: howrathtb
The National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom states on its website that Vitamin A performs several functions of helping natural defense against illness & infection such as keeping the skin, respiratory mucosa linings in the nose & lungs, & lining of the gastrointestinal tract healthy. Vitamin A plays an important pleiotropic role in supporting the normal mucosal barrier with the result of the increase of the risk of invasive pathogens. Vitamin A regulates cytokine which is necessary to assist in the functions of macrophages, neutrophils, and natural killer cells.
Vitamin A deficiency is not common in Western countries & additional supplementation is often not necessary in adults. Excess supplementation of Vitamin A may cause toxicity as it is fat soluble whereas one may take high doses of Vitamins D, E, & K without any ill effects. Natural dietary sources of Vitamin A include:
Additional Sources Include:
Cheese
Eggs
Oily Fish
Yogurt
Liver & Liver Pate` (not suggested for pregnant women due to potential toxicity to unborn baby in uterus)
The Beta Carotene as converted from red/orange-colored fruit & vegetables. In Beta Carotene form, the body will only use what is needed & discard the rest meaning high doses are acceptable. Beta Carotene is considered a healthy antioxidant & may prevent cognitive decline & dementia.
Vitamin A deficiency is common in children causing an estimated 250,000 to go blind annually. Vitamin A deficiency in children is especially prevalent in Asia due to poor diet. Half of the children that go blind from Vitamin A deficiency die within 12 months of losing their sight. In addition, Vitamin A deficiency is associated with increased morbidity & mortality from common childhood infections such as acute respiratory infection in addition to diarrhea. In pregnant women, Vitamin A deficiency contributes to the mother’s mortality rate & other poor outcomes of pregnancy & lactation is diminished.
Vitamin A via the conversion of Beta Carotene acts as an antioxidant mopping up free radicals which oxidize & damage the organelle in the DNA cell leading to genetic damage & diseases such as cancer & atherosclerosis. Vitamin A is necessary for the function of immune cells such as the T-lymphocytes.
A February 2020 peer-reviewed paper: Vitamin A deficiency is assicated with severe Mycoplasma pneumonaie pneumonia in children from Beijing, China (interesting coincidence), shows that Vitamin A deficiency is a big risk factor for severe mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia. Mycoplasma is a simple bacteria which does not contain a cell wall. Pneumonia is the infection of the lower parts of the lungs (versus bronchitis which is in the upper part of the airways) which is particularly vital for gas exchange. The research study examined 122 children who were sick with mycoplasma pneumonia; 52 were considered severe cases while 70 were considered non-severe. The severe cases were comprised of older children with an average age of 7.12 years. In the non-severe group, the average age of the children was four years. Blood serum levels of Vitamins A, D, & E were measured in each of the patients. The blood serum results for all patients showed a Vitamin A deficiency with the severe cases displaying lower Vitamin A levels than the non-severe group.
Vitamin A Levels in Severe Group - 0.15
Vitamin A Levels in Non-Severe Group - 0.19
Vitamin A Deficiency - < 0.2 mg/L
Subclinical Vitamin A Deficiency - 0.2-0.3 mg/L
Normal Vitamin A Level - 0.3 - 0.7 mg/L
The children in both groups had what was considered normal range blood serum levels for Vitamins D & E. Vitamin A deficiency seems to be the particular problem with this type of pneumonia especially given the significant correlation is 0.009.
Incidence of Vitamin A Deficiency in Children in Beijing
Under 6 Years of Age - 85%
Over 6 Years of Age - 62.5%
Several additional studies showed Vitamin A supplementation could reduce the incidence of severe mycoplasma pneumonia, incidence of other respiratory infections, & shorten the course of the disease. Therefore it is important to monitor & supplement Vitamin A in mycoplasma pneumonia patients.
Given the typical occurrence of mycoplasma pneumonia, RSV, & other respiratory illnesses are focused on children with Vitamin A deficiency, I don’t believe western countries like the United States will be overwhelmed to the point of any of the previous measures taken with the ‘pandemic’.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/ Christopher Hopefitch
Outbreaks of any disease in your geographical area highlight the importance of regular nutritional blood serum screening in both children & adults. If you routinely monitor the blood serum levels of yourself & your family members, you will be able to address any deficiencies with doctors. Disease tends to occur when vitamin & immune system deficiencies continue for a prolonged duration. Catching & preventing deficiencies as early as possible will result in more natural cost-effective treatments via food intake & supplementation versus waiting for major, potentially irreversible damage to the body to occur.
As a master personal trainer, powerlifting coach, & competitive athlete, who has watched many people close to me perish from disease, I will always err on the side of prevention via diet, exercise (both aerobic & anaerobic), & natural supplementation. You only have one body. Treat it well.
Until next time my fellow Warriors, stay informed, stay vigilant, ever forward.