The real scoop on Hydroxychloroquine

There has been much conflict over the value of Hydroxychloroquine. Part of the problem began with an article published in the medical journal The Lancet. The authors, Prof Mandeep R Mehra, MD, ,Sapan S Desai, MD, Prof Frank Ruschitzka, MD, Amit N Patel, MD were caught in the act of fraud when they falsified data stating that hydroxychloroquine does not work and may in fact make the disease worse, (that article, sponsored by the Surgisphere Corporation, Hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine with or without a macrolide for treatment of COVID-19: a multinational registry analysis) was retracted in less than 13 days. To the more recent study published by the Henry Ford Health Care System, that stated in hospitalized patients there was a 50% decreased incidence of mortality in those given the Hydroxychloroquine (26% of untreated vs 13% of those treated).

· Hydroxychloroquine is inexpensive with a known track record of safety, over 60 years of use in treating malaria, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus. So why all of the debate and confusion?

· It turns out that some of the confusion is based on when it is implemented. If your doctor waits until the Covid has advanced to the point of hospitalization, it may be too late to get the full benefit. Hydroxychloroquine is most effective at the early stages of Covid. Here is why.

· In the early stages of Covid infection, as the virus is attacked by our immune system, it is taken up by the white blood cells and encapsulated by the production of endosomes. Here is the critical timing, you have maybe 2-3 weeks to act. By taking hydroxychloroquine at that time, the endosomes are stabilized and will not release the viruses. The longer you wait, the more time the viruses have to reproduce within the endosomes and eventually they rupture, releasing many more viruses into the cells that eventually die and spews out the viruses, further spreading the disease. At a certain point, usually after 2-3 weeks, the person begins to get sicker as more and more viruses are released into the circulation. The spread has begun. By taking the hydroxychloroquine early on, especially with zinc, it stops the spread and you can recover, quickly.

· When your doctor delays the medication, you can reach the point of no return and the disease can become debilitating or even fatal.

· The solution? If you experience fever with at least 2 of the symptoms of Covid, DRY cough, DRY nose, loss of taste or sense of smell, shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, ask your doctor to prescribe hydroxychloroquine. The problem we are facing is that in many states,, in fact, doctors can be penalized for prescribing hydroxychloroquine, if that is the case you may have to find alternatives. You may want to write to your respective medical boards or state congressmen or senator to reconsider their policies.