Coronavirus is listed in medical textbooks as one of the causes of the common ‘cold’. The common ‘cold’ is considered to be the most common human disease we experience—everyone gets two to three infections a year, and children can have several, and we usually don’t bother much with them.
Virologists estimate that there are more than 200 types of viruses that are associated with common cold symptoms—examples being rhinoviruses, picornaviruses, coronaviruses, adenoviruses, human respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza viruses, metapneumovirus, sometimes influenza viruses—and usually more than one of these types of viruses is present every time you experience a ‘cold’. Human coronaviruses cause between 15% and 18% of all ‘colds’.
Some Information about Coronaviruses for You
The viral family Coronaviridae encompasses a broad spectrum of animal and human viruses, which are characterized by a distinctive morphology. Each viral particle is surrounded by a fringe, or ‘corona’, representing the bulbous distal ends of embedded envelope glycoproteins. Prior to 2003, members of this family were believed to cause only mild respiratory illness in humans.
There are now seven types of coronaviruses infecting humans—four are considered to be long-term human viruses (they have probably been infecting humans for hundreds and probably thousands of years).
These four are: HCoV-229E, HCoV-NL63, HCoV-OC43, and HCoV-HKU1. The three newest cross-species coronaviruses have infected humans since 2003. These three are the SARS-HCoV, the Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS coronavirus), and the current CoVid19 virus.
For those interested: All coronaviruses are subdivided into four genera. There are:
1. The Alpha-coronavirus, that contain the human viruses HCoV-229E, and HCoV-NL63 (as well as different types infecting other animal species).
2. The genus Beta-coronavirus, which includes the three human viruses HCoV-OC43, HCoV-HKU1; along with the SARS-HCoV, Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus, and the current HCoV19 (as well as different types infecting other animals).
3. The genus Gamma-coronavirus, contains viruses of cetaceans (whales) and birds.
4. The genus Delta-coronavirus, contains viruses isolated from pigs and birds.
Since 2005, dozens of new coronaviruses have been isolated from bats, and there is evidence that all the human respiratory coronaviruses, including the SARS coronavirus, MERS coronavirus, and CoVid19, may each have originally emerged from ancestral bat viruses.
The typical ‘common cold’ caused by the human coronaviruses, is mild, and the viral population remains localised to the epithelial tissue of the sinus, and rarely stimulates a major immune response. Because of this, the virus continues to circulate year after year throughout the population, with a high rate of reinfection.
There is no cross-immunity between the four human coronavirus—HCoV-229E, HCoV-NL63, HCoV-OC43, and HCoV-HKU1—and it is likely that new strains are continually arising by mutation selection. (read more about human coronaviruses: https://www.
First Symptoms
Contrary to what you are being told by the Australian Government Department of Health, the first symptoms of CoVid19, ARE NOT: fever, coughing, sore throat, fatigue, shortness of breath. These are the second level of symptoms, which occur when the viral population is circumventing an ‘inadequate’ initial immune response (involving innate cells, B-cells and compliment factor) and migrates to the throat region. (See: https://www.
The coronaviruses, typical of cold viruses, have an easier time infecting the sinus rather than the throat region (unlike influenza which tend to initially infects the back of the mouth and throat regions).
When the coronavirus (and many of the other ‘cold’ viruses) lodge in the sinus, the initial immune response is aimed at corralling the virus to this region; inhibiting viral replication; denaturing the viral infected epithelial cells; and removing these cells in mucous (IgA); either via the throat to the stomach, or out through the nostrils. Sneezing often can occur during this process.
When the population of the coronavirus is destroyed in the sinus cavity, the immune response then induces epithelial tissue repair, and may transfer information to initiate a prolonged adaptive immune response against the particular type of coronavirus—depending on how competent the person’s immune system is, and how much effort the immune system had to expend removing the viral population.
The First Symptoms
The FIRST SYMPTOMS are usually the blocking of the nose with mucous (generated by the immune system), and sometimes people experience changes to the sense of smell. Sometimes the sinus cools and the nose feels ‘cold’ for some hours, and then heats up as the immune system kicks in. The infected person finds they start to breathe only through one nostril (which will change form one to the other every two hours). A healthy immune system that can kick in quickly, will corral the population to the sinus, and destroy it over 24 to 48 hours—and if this happens, the individual suffers no more than very mild symptoms. Some people think they don’t have symptoms, because they don’t regard a blocked nose as a symptom of a disease.
The process to remove the ‘cold’virus, could take as long as 10 to 12 days in some people who don’t have a really strong immune system, and during this time the person can infect other people. This is why people must isolate themselves for 14 days.
Secondary Symptoms
The SECONDARY SYMPTOMS occur when a temporarily incompetent immune system (because of the lifestyle of the person, or the environment in which they are living) is unable to corral and destroy the coronavirus population, and it spreads from the nose to the upper throat. This causes the coughing, and sore throat, and sometimes the person feels cold all over and cannot warm up, even in a warm room.
At this stage the innate immune system is signalling for adaptive immune backup, such as virus-specific antibodies from T-dependent B-cells. Shifting over to this type of adaptive mmune response, can cause intermittent fever and fatigue. If this immune response is successful, the spread of the viral population is halted in the throat region. Over a few days (or a week), if all stays stable, and the person looks after their health, the symptoms abate and normal health is regained.
If the adaptive immune system is really incompetent, or the person is subject to emotional stress, or exposed to wet and cold weather for too long, or injury, or allergy attacks, or eats too much junk/sugary foods, the coronavirus population can expand and penetrate into the lungs. This is when the person experiences TERTIARY SYMPTOMS.
Tertiary Symptoms
When the viral population spreads to the lungs, there is only one more thing the immune system can do. It creates a constant fever and activates CD8+ T-cell aggression. CD8+ T-cells are cytotoxic cells that target and kill cells that are infected with viruses.
When there is healthy and competent communication between CD8+ T-cells and CD4+ ‘communicator’ T-cells, the result is targeted cell destruction and low-grade inflammation with not much breathing distress.
However poor CD8+ T-cell to CD4+ T-cell miscommunication can cause brutal regional destruction of lung tissue by the CD8+ T-cells (like the American overkill completely destroying Bagdad in 2003). This massive tissue damage throughout the lungs will cause respiratory distress associated as viral pneumonia, and usually requires emergency hospital support.
During this CD8+ T-cell campaign, there can also be secondary bacterial infections (Klebs and Staph induced pneumonia) which will further threaten the individual’s life.
When a person has good CD8+ T-cell to CD4+ T-cell communication, independent of age, they will have good chances of overcoming coronavirus lung infection without complications. However if a person’s immune system is exhausted, compromised, or has scarred communication, then life will be threatened at any age.
This communication incompetence increases with age. Also those in terminal stages of cancer, those with lung autoimmune diseases, such as scleroderma, sarcoidosis or Wegener’s granulomatosis, or even people with past lung scarring due to previous pneumonia, are also at high risk.
Factors affecting Coronavirus Infection
You are probably starting to understand that when most people are tested positive for CoVid-19, the overwhelming majority experience the primary symptoms of a mild head cold. CoVid19 is starting to be considered as a mild type of coronavirus. It is not as virulent as the SARS virus, and not as dangerous as influenza-A viruses.
However, weather conditions have an important influence on the rate of transfer, and the existence of either secondary or tertiary symptoms. The Northern Hemisphere is coming out of their Winter, and people are being ‘caught-out’ in the changing patterns of late-Winter and early Spring. Getting cold for any length of time allows the coronavirus to establish and buffer immune surveillance.
This may have been what has happened across USA, Europe and Italy/Spain. It may have also been a factor in China and Iran. Countries in the Southern Hemisphere are not recording the same lethal nature of CoVid19. However we are coming into Autumn, and according to Chinese Medicine theories, this is the season which directly weakens the lungs. I have recorded most of the pneumonia cases throughout my career, during Autumn months.
According to Chinese medicine, the emotional stress related to sadness, affects the competency of lung function. Over the next few months, make every effort to not feel sad for yourself. If you don’t know the psychotherapy techniques to remove sadness and move on in life, get a professional counsellor, hypnotherapist, psychotherapist or yoga teacher who knows raja yoga, to assist you.
Over the next three months learn how to take better care of your health. I have completed more than 20,000 anecdotal clinic case studies across nine variables that weaken immune systems (Emotional stress: Inadequate sleep; Phytochemicals in plant foods; Dominating superantigen pathogens; Inadequate exercise; Accumulating industrial/commercial toxins; Poor responses to vaccinations; Inadequate nutrition; and Local environmental influences).
My advice to you is to undertake a trial for about three weeks, during which you remove ALL grain-foods and substitute grain-free products into your diet. Most people find they improve in their health, lose weight and stop getting viral infections (talk to people who have taken up a Paleo diet or follow a grain-free diet).
Take vitamin C every day during the Autumn (5–10 mgs). Keep your blood sugar stable, stop eating junk/fast foods until this pandemic is over. Take immune-boosting herbal medicine. Do yoga or pilates, or some form of exercise every few days. Sit in prayer or meditation every day. Laugh with friends and cultivate optimism. Help others in your community. Be grateful for the life you have.
Don’t fear Covid19, and ignore the spin.
Good luck
Bill Giles
Clinical Immunobiologist