ABC Says Homemade Sanitizers Don’t Work For Coronavirus – We Disagree, So Here’s a Recipe

There are more than 14,000 reported cases of CoVID-19 in the United States, and numbers are only expected to rise as testing becomes more readily available. The EPA recently released its list of approved disinfectants for the virus. Clorox and Lysol wipes and sprays were among the list of various other products, 287 in all. You can view the EPA’s approved list of disinfectants here. To see if your product can kill CoVID-19, the EPA suggests looking for the EPA registration number to see if it shows up on the list of approved disinfectants.

Shortly after the EPA released its approved list of disinfectants ABC News released an article titled “EPA releases list of approved disinfectants to kill coronavirus, and why homemade sanitizer won’t work”. This, however, is misleading because the article fails to mention homemade hand sanitizers at all. It does, however, point out that the EPA does not test “household products” such as vinegar when testing approved disinfectants.

EPA does not review other household products, such as vinegar, or whether they’re effective against viruses and bacteria, the spokesperson said”

EPA releases list of approved disinfectants to kill coronavirus, and why homemade sanitizer won’t work

Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol can also reduce the number of germs on your hands to a lesser extent, but CDC said products that are alcohol-free or have a lower percentage of alcohol are not as effective.”

EPA releases list of approved disinfectants to kill coronavirus, and why homemade sanitizer won’t work

According to the CDC, compared to washing with soap, hand sanitizer is not as effective at eliminating germs for a couple of different reasons. Hand sanitizer is not effective at removing toxic chemicals such as pesticides or heavy metals and when hands are visibly dirty or greasy hand sanitizer is shown to be less effective. Overall, hand sanitizer eliminates fewer germs than soap. So while the article says that hand sanitizers with less than 60% alcohol are not as effective the article neglects to mention that the CDC recommends hand washing above hand sanitizer whenever possible, And the article fails to explain that one can easily make him or herself homemade sanitizer that is just as effective as the commercial products, without the useless ingredients like perfumes..

CDC recommends washing hands with soap and water whenever possible because handwashing reduces the amounts of all types of germs and chemicals on hands. But if soap and water are not available, using a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol can help you avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. The guidance for effective handwashing and use of hand sanitizer in community settings was developed based on data from a number of studies.”

Show Me the Science – When & How to Use Hand Sanitizer in Community Settings

While this article attempts to steer one away from homemade household cleaners, there are several homemade products you can use that do have antimicrobial properties. They are often more affordable and gentler on the body than store-bought EPA approved products.

Simply create your own hand sanitizer with the right percentage of alcohol:

isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol – 99 percent alcohol volume
aloe vera gel (or water or both)
an essential oil (optional)

Use a 2-1 ratio, or 60-70% alcohol with this solution. Water works as a spray, aloe works as a gel.

If Rubbing alcohol irritates your skin check out this alternative. Vinegar (consider an eco-friendly industrial strength for recipes) is another option to consider. The active ingredients are antimicrobial, but they have not been tested by the EPA and are not guaranteed to kill CoVID-19. If you are wondering what the best way to stay healthy right now, check out our complete guide to COVID 19.

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Wisconsin Primaries takes place amidst Coronavirus Pandemic – Putting Thousands At Risk

Wisconsin held primary elections on Tuesday in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, even though the Centers for Disease Control recommends practicing social distancing and staying indoors whenever possible. Despite those recommendations, the president has yet to enact an executive stay at home order, and stay at home orders are currently up to the ruling of each individual state.

Related: Coronavirus – Your Guide to the CoVID-19 Pandemic

In Wisconsin, an executive order was put into place by Tony Evers on April 6th, postponing their primary election. However, the executive order was overturned Monday night by the Wisconsin supreme court. Additionally, the WI supreme court overturned a ruling that would extend the deadline for absentee ballot voting despite concerns that a surplus of absentee ballot requests would keep voters from receiving their absentee ballot in time for the election.

Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

People are being forced to risk their lives to place their vote or fulfill their right as an American to vote. It’s just unbelievable that we are even having this conversation right now,”

-Milwaukee Health commissioner Jennette Kowalik

Wisconsin took certain precautions to protect voters, having a volunteer spray sanitize each voters’ hands as they walked through the door, as well as wiping down poll booths after each person votes. Voters were instructed to dispose of, or take home the pen they used for voting. Poll workers were provided with gloves, masks, and sneeze guards. Tape was placed every 6 feet to practice social distancing, although this proved difficult with lines at polling locations extending far beyond the pre-taped area. One volunteer running a polling location speaks about precautions she is taking to prevent her 77-year-old husband from getting sick, she plans to “Strip in the garage put my clothes in the washer and go downstairs for two weeks”

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden put out a statement claiming that in-person voting could be done safely saying the following:

“A convention having tens of thousands of people in one arena is very different than having people walk into a polling booth with accurate spacing with 6 to 10 feet apart, one at a time going in, and having the machines scrubbed down,”

-Joe Biden via virtual press briefing

While Joe Biden put out a statement saying voting could be done safely, democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders spoke out against the decision to hold in-person voting at this time saying the following:

“It’s outrageous that the Republican legislative leaders and the conservative majority on the Supreme Court in Wisconsin are willing to risk the health and safety of many thousands of Wisconsin voters tomorrow for their own political gain,”

-Bernie Sanders via twitter

Senator Sanders has since suspended his campaign.

Holding an election in the middle of a pandemic puts millions of citizens at risk for illness. Hundreds of polling locations were closed due to CoVID-19, making it even harder to practice social distancing. In Milwaukee, five polling locations were open, where under normal circumstances there would be 180 locations open. Videos and pictures show crowded polling locations with long wait times. Continuing to hold primaries in the middle of a global pandemic is a form of voter suppression where citizens of Wisconsin have had to choose between their safety and exercising their right to vote.

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Trump’s Ban On the Use of Fetal Tissue Delays Coronavirus Vaccine Research

A recent report by Washington Post’s Amy Goldstein, states that immunologist Kim Hasenkrug wants to test potential treatments for Covid-19 in mice using “humanized lungs.” Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services are not allowing the research because using donated fetal tissue from abortions was banned last year by the Trump administration.

Government scientists will be barred from conducting research using donated fetal tissue the Trump administration announced on Wednesday, dealing a major blow to scientists who say it is an irreplaceable part of ongoing scientific research.

Trump Administration Bans Government Scientists From Using Fetal Tissue –
Jun 6, 2019

Fetal tissue from abortions is used to create mice with human tissue suitable for medical testing. The research Kim Hasenkrug proposed reportedly aims to use mice with implanted fetal lung tissue, then infecting the mice with coronavirus strains similar to CoVID-19, and then testing for successful treatments for CoVID-19.

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Humanized mice have been key to developing several important medical treatments for diseases like the Zika virus or HIV/AIDS, which was Hasenkrug’s previous research focus. The calculation is simple. You can’t test certain treatments without humanized mice, and you can’t get humanized mice without fetal tissue.

… The calculation is simple. You can’t test certain treatments without humanized mice, and you can’t get humanized mice without fetal tissue.

Coronavirus treatment research is being held up by Trump’s ban on the use of fetal tissue

Related: Does Elderberry Increase Risk Of Death With CoVID-19?

The Washington Post reported that Kim Hasenkrug at the NIH Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Montana has been appealing for “nearly a month” to get approval for the experiments using fetal tissue.

Regarding the proposal, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services told CNA “no decision has been made.”

Related: How Plumbing Eradicated Disease

Sold Out – How To Get Vitamin C (Recipe/DIY)

Vitamin C is needed for the immune system, but that is not it’s only claim to fame. Vitamin C is needed for many physiological functions. It is an anti-oxidant. It is a co-factor for eight enzymes, thereby aiding in developing and maintaining scar tissue, blood vessels, cartilage, hormonal stability, biosynthesis of neurotransmitters, and transport of fatty acids into mitochondria.

It’s no surprise that in the middle of a pandemic vitamin C is hard to find. It’s almost always better to get your vitamin C from whole foods, but there’s also a way to make your own whole-food vitamin C supplement that’s probably better than anything you’d find in the store.

Related: How to Make the Healthiest Smoothies – 4 Recipes

Fruits With At Least 50% Daily Recommended Vitamin C

Papaya (one medium) – 224%
Strawberries (one cup) – 113%
Pineapple (one cup) – 105%
Oranges (one medium) – 93%
Kiwi ( 1- 1/2 in) – 85%
Cantaloupe (1 cup) – 78%
Grapefruit (1/2) – 59%

What may surprise you is the number of vegetables that meet the criteria.

Vegetables With At Least 50% Daily Recommended Vitamin C

Bell Peppers (1 cup) – 157%
Broccoli (1 cup) – 135%
Brussels sprouts (1 cup) – 129%
Cauliflower (1 cup) – 73%
Kale (1 cup) – 71%
Cabbage (1 cup) – 69%
Bok Choy (1 cup) – 59%
Parsley (1 cup) – 54%
Turnip greens (1 cup) – 53%
Sweet potato (1 cup) – 52%

If you eat well you should be getting plenty of vitamin C. But if you would still like to supplement your diet with extra vitamin C, we recommend not wasting your citrus peels. They’re full of vitamin C! Simply dehydrate them and then grind them up into a powder.

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Other herbs and supplements you may want to consider for vitamin C include thyme, basil, rose hips and chlorella.

I don’t take a multivitamin but I do use something called Total Nutrition Formula. It’s expensive to buy by the bag but if you can afford the bulk ingredients from Mountain Rose Herbs you can make your own and save lots of money.

Total Nutrition Formula Recipe

With this recipe, a “part” means a measurement by volume and not weight. What volume you use is up to you. All ingredients should be organic or wildcrafted.

Available for purchase on Green Lifestyle Market

1 part Alfalfa Grass Powder
1 part Barley Grass Powder
1 part Wheat Grass Powder
1 part Norwegian Purple Dulse Seaweed Powder
1 part Beet Root Powder
1 part Spinach Leaf Powder
1 part Rosehips Powder
1 part Orange Peel Powder
1 part Lemon Peel Powder
1 part Astragalus Powder
1.5 parts Spirulina Green Algae
1.5 parts Chlorella Broken Cell Algae
5 parts Yeast Flakes
5 parts Yeast Powder

Related: Homemade Calcium and Magnesium

Remember, it’s not how many nutrients you can get into your system, it’s how many quality ingredients your body can absorb and use.

Combine all ingredients. Mix thoroughly. You may need a dust mask when mixing, as the powders can get into the air and irritate the nose and throat. We mix ours on a patio when there is no wind where we can easily rinse off the mess.

Yeast (both the flakes and the powder) must be non-active saccharomyces cerevisiae nutritional yeast fortified with B12. Which is safe for patients with Candida albicans. Doc wrote, “I added astragalus as it is the #1 herb for balancing metabolism and blood sugar levels. Without changing my diet one iota, I dropped 10 pounds when I added this little goody to the formula. I also upped the spirulina and chlorella 50% each to increase the protein, and mineral intake.”

Most of the ingredients can be purchased at Mountain Rose Herbs. We plan to offer all of these ingredients at Green Lifestyle Market soon as well so that you can make your own without having to go to multiple stores to get ingredients. Use 1-2 teaspoons as a daily addition to any drink.

A Study Shows Masks are Extremely Effective at Preventing Virus Spread

New research shows that masks are extremely effective at preventing the spread of CoVID-19. Previous research focused primarily on masks preventing the spread of the flu rather than CoVID-19. The new study tested the effectiveness of surgical masks at preventing the spread through droplets aerosolized particles.

“…surgical face masks could prevent transmission of human coronaviruses and influenza viruses from symptomatic individuals.”

Respiratory virus shedding in exhaled breath and efficacy of face masks– Nature Medicine

The study found that CoVID-19 was detected in 30- 40% of particles in aerosols and droplets expelled by those not wearing a mask. However, no virus was detected in aerosols or droplets from those who wore a face mask.

Despite research indicating that wearing masks could prevent the spread of the virus, the CDC has not recommended that everyone wear N95 masks. Alternatively, they recommend that N95 masks are saved for healthcare personnel only. Currently, the CDC is recommending homemade/alternative masks that are not N95 masks, and recommending social distancing and handwashing instead of N95 masks.

A surgical N95 (also referred as a medical respirator) is recommended only for use by healthcare personnel (HCP) who need protection from both airborne and fluid hazards (e.g., splashes, sprays). These respirators are not used or needed outside of healthcare settings.”

Coronavirus Disease 2019 -CDC

The Trump administration has ordered 3M to stop supplying N95 masks to Canada however they have not yet recommended that everyone wear masks, although the CDC is expected to advise all citizens to wear masks, very soon.

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Tiger Tests Positive for Coronavirus

A Malay tiger named Nadia at the Bronx Zoo has tested positive for SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes CoVID-19. Six other big cats at the zoo, three tigers and three lions, are also displaying similar symptoms. These symptoms include coughs and a loss of appetite. The test used by the zoo’s veterinary team is not the same one as used by healthcare providers, and the zoo was able to confirm Nadia’s diagnosis after sending samples to the New York State Diagnostic Laboratory at Cornell University and the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. The zoo has been closed since March 16th, so it likely the tiger contracted the virus from an asymptomatic zookeeper.

It’s the first time, to our knowledge, that a [wild] animal has gotten sick from COVID-19 from a person…It’s the only thing that makes sense…”

Paul Calle, chief veterinarian for the Bronx Zoo

Nadia is not the first animal that has tested positive for SARS-CoV2. Two dogs in Hong Kong and a domestic cat in Belgium have also been confirmed to have the virus. Cat’s are particularly susceptible to the coronavirus, and a recent study has found that cats are able to transmit the virus to other cats through respiratory droplets.

According to the World Organisation for Animal Health and the World Health Organization, there is no evidence that SARS-Cov can be transmitted from domestic pets like cats and dogs to humans.

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U.S. Registers Highest Number of Coronavirus Deaths in a Single Day

The number of Coronavirus cases in the United States passed 300,000 on Saturday, and the country recorded the highest number of fatalities so far in the pandemic. The death toll in the U.S. reached more 8,400, with 1,344 of those deaths reported over the weekend. That trend is likely to continue. According to Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, estimates that the next 6-7 days will see hundreds of deaths a day in CoVID-19 hotspots like New York, Detroit, and Louisiana.

Image credit: NY Times

They are predicting in those three hotspots, all of them hitting together in the next six to seven days…This is the moment to not be going to the grocery store, not going to the pharmacy, but doing everything you can to keep your family and your friends safe…”

USA TODAY

Efforts to contain the spread of CoVID-19 in the U.S. have been severely hampered by the lack of available testing at the beginning of the pandemic. The lack of testing made it difficult to determine those that needed to be quarantined, and many people who were infected with the coronavirus continued their usual activities. This has led to the current shortage of medical supplies and personal protective equipment.

Sources:

US coronavirus fight enters crucial weeks after reaching a grim milestone – CNN

Dr. Birx predicts up to 200,000 U.S. coronavirus deaths ‘if we do things almost perfectly – ABC News

The COVID Tracking Project