Dr. Blaylock is a neurosurgeon, the 2004 recipient of the Integrity in Science Award granted by the Weston A. Price Foundation, and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, official publication of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. (Source: https://www.blaylockreport.com/about-us)
"Abstract
A hyperimmune state secondary to dysregulation of the immune system during lower pulmonary viral infections, sepsis and in some cases non-infectious disorders, is now considered to be the principle event leading to clinical deterioration and eventual death in these [Covid-19] patients. While most studies have attributed the pathological damage to the lung to be primarily due to high levels of cytokines and chemokines along with massive infiltration of principally neutrophils and macrophages, there is compelling evidence that overactivation of glutamate receptors is also playing a significant, if not critical role in this process. Functional glutamate receptors, along with two important glutamate transport systems, have now been described in epithelial and endothelial cells in the pulmonary airways as well as all involved immune cells. Experimental studies using cytokine models have shown considerable protection against pathological damage to pulmonary tissues by reducing the activation of these glutamate receptors...
Controlling Immunoexcitotoxic Reactions in the Cytokine Storm Reaction
... Curcumin has been shown to provide powerful protection against the cytokine storm reaction in at least two cytokine storm animal models...
Curcumin has been shown to effectively suppress NFkB activation, a transcription factor linked to elevation in IL-1, IL-8, IL-6 and TNF-alpha upon immune cell activation...
Curcumin is known to suppress the release of numerous cytokines and chemokines...
While a significant portion of the protective effect of curcumin against lung damage by infections appear to be due to its ability to reduce pro-inflammatory mediators, curcumin also inhibits several glutamate receptor subunits and reduces excitotoxicity...
Conclusions
... Studies have also shown that neurodegeneration secondary to viral infections may not be secondary to directly infected neurons, rather the damage is secondary to accumulation of glutamate in the extracellular space secondary to interference of glutamate uptake, which is powerfully inhibited by inflammatory cytokines.
In most of these studies the source of the excess glutamate was intrinsic, principally from immune cells. Yet, oral ingestion of glutamate can raise glutamate levels to neurotoxic levels and should be considered. Ironically, many parenteral tube feedings contain high levels of glutamate and other excitotoxic amino acids. This could worsen existing excitotoxicity in seriously ill patients and may play a role in the rapid deterioration of moderately ill patients infected with a respiratory virus, including SARS-CoV-2, especially since so many processed foods contain significant levels of glutamate and other excitotoxin additives."
Copyright (c) 2021 Russell L. Blaylock
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