CENTRAL VIEW for Monday, April 20, 2020

Coronavirus: Lung disease or blood disorder?

The Greek physician-philosopher Galen of Pergamon (130 A.D.-210 A.D.) may have been the first to say: "Correct diagnosis is half the cure." So, the question arises: Is the Red Chinese Coronavirus a lung disease or is it an entirely different disease that just appears to present the symptoms of a flu-like lung disease?

But what if the Red Chinese Coronavirus is not a lung disease? What if the virus actually causes a blood disorder that leads to oxygen starvation? One way to find out is to discover why a drug commonly prescribed to combat malaria, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis is saving the lives of so many victims of the Red Chinese Coronavirus. (Full disclosure: I have knowledge of people close to me who have been saved by a combination of hydroxychloraquine, zinc sulfate, and zithromax, AKA HCQ Plus.) For patients without heart complications, zithromax can be included to combat bacteria-caused pneumonia.

Recall, our red blood cells carry the oxygen produced in our lungs to the organs in our body. Without oxygen, our organs shut down and death occurs. Inside the red blood cells are microscopic "hemes" that carry the oxygen we need to live.

Yet to be understood is how the Red Chinese Coronavirus defeats the ability of the "hemes" to carry oxygen. But it does. What is understood is that dosage with HCQ Plus restores the ability of the "hemes" to carry blood to our vital organs.

But HCQ Plus is not a "cure." HCQ relieves the body of the horrible symptoms caused by hypoxia so that the body has the strength to generate the anti-bodies that actually defeat the virus. Plasma from recovered patients can be used to inject virus-killing anti-bodies into other victims and save their lives. Victims saving victims.

While waiting for the HCQ Plus cocktail to restore the "hemes" ability to carry oxygen, a high dose of supplemental oxygen can relieve the patient of symptoms such as headache, fever, chills, aches, pains, and abnormally copious sweating.

Any aviator who has had too much to drink can attest to the almost immediate headache relief that can be achieved by sucking on an oxygen bottle set to 100-percent. (Prolonged oxygen starvation can lead to the death of brain cells and to a condition causing some pilots to think they can fly any airplane, to include the box it came in.) But I digress.

Physicians take an oath to "Do no harm." During the Vietnam war (1965-1975) chloroquine, the basis for hydroxychloraquine, was given as a malaria preventive to hundreds of thousands of GIs. The only side effect was mild diarrhea. Given the long and benign history of chloroquine there is little chance of HCQ doing any harm.

Unfortunately, several factors militate against the immediate U.S. adoption of the HCQ Plus cocktail: The FDA/CDC want a year-long, double-blind test of HCQ. The Red Chinese are trying to patent the U.S-invented Remdesivir as the medication of choice and then sell it world-wide. The MSM discredit HCQ because President Trump suggested that HCQ might be a "game-changer."

Hopefully, a modern-day Dr. Galen will come along to remind us that "Correct diagnosis is half the cure."

©2020. William Hamilton.

Long-time pilot, William Hamilton, is a laureate of the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, the Nebraska Aviation Hall of Fame, the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame, and the Oklahoma University Army ROTC Wall of Fame. Dr. Hamilton’s latest book: Formula for Failure in Vietnam: The Folly of Limited Warfare can be ordered toll free at: (800) 253-2187 Or, go to Amazon.com.

Dr. Hamilton can be contacted at:

Email: william@central-view.com