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[wierd]

That article is saying that high cholesterol is bad for Covid though. It's actually good news however since diet is a controllable factor. So in other words, eat a good diet and exercise while in lockdown. These will have as much if not more benefit that obsessively washing hands with sanitizer.

I'm kinda guessing there are people out there who bath in anti-microbial sanitizer, or gargle the stuff, while still chain smoking and eating an unhealthy diet while not exercising.

You are not putting the pieces together.

Tomatine binds to cholesterol, and disrupts the conformation of the lipid raft into little round balls. (actually tubes, but meh)


(From the wikipedia article)

If the cholesterol is all janked up like that, from the excessive consumption of tomato products, it could very well provide some bastard bullshit form of protection from corona infection, by disrupting the entry pathway.


This is NOT what I need to silence my brain people.


EDIT

I will combat the bad ideas generator, by driving home the appropriate section of the wiki article.

Membrane disruption

The membrane disruptive properties of tomatine are caused by the ability to form 1:1 complexes with cholesterol. A possible mechanism of the membrane disruption by glycoalkaloids is displayed in figure 2. First, the aglycon part of tomatine binds reversible to sterols in the membrane (figure 2, part 2). When this reaches a certain density, the glycosidic residues of the glycoalkaloids interact with each other by electrostatic interactions. This interaction catalyzes the development of an irreversible matrix of glycoalkaloid-sterol complexes (figure 2, part 4). In this way, the sterols from the external membrane are immobilized and membrane budding will arise. Tubular structures are formed, because of the structure of tomatine (figure 2, part 6).[16][19] This membrane disruption causes cell death by cell leakage.[16] Also, the disrupted membrane has an influence on sodium transport, by altering the membrane potential and reducing active sodium transport. When tomatine is orally ingested, the brush border of the intestine is damaged by the membrane-disruptive properties of tomatine, so increased uptake of macromolecules occurs. This damage to the epithelial barriers is dose-dependent.[16][19]

There, suck on that, bad idea generator!

[misko27]

Given sufficient (over)analysis, any idea can rise from completely insane to plausible-if-you-squint-hard-enough.

And the internet is nothing if not a tool for (over)analysis.

Speaking of sports, it looks like MLB took one step out the gate and collapsed recently.

To be fair the MLB had a pretty interesting region-gating system for matching teams. The problem is that Florida was in the same group as much of the rest of the East Coast, leading to the Phillies lockdown (and guess who caused this outbreak? If your guess was the Miami Marlins, I would say "Wait, that's a baseball team?" But you'd be correct.)

[Reelya]

It's not unreasonable that that would work. The article for Tomatine says that there's a complex pathway to that getting absorbed (it bonds with dietary cholesterol in the gut), but there is evidence from animal studies that this does follow through to lowering blood cholesterol. But that just means that anything that helps with cholesterol will help with Covid immunity, and says nothing magical about Tomatine either for cholesterol reduction or Covid protection. Perhaps Tomatine isn't some magic bullet for cholesterol anyway? So you can unravel this into proving two separate things, which both must be true for it to be effective.

Eat plenty of tomatoes and gargle with salt water:

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/health/28real.html

In a randomized study published in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine in 2005, researchers recruited almost 400 healthy volunteers and followed them for 60 days during cold and flu season. Some of the subjects were told to gargle three times a day. At the end of the study period, the group that regularly gargled had a nearly 40 percent decrease in upper respiratory tract infections compared with the control group, and when they did get sick, “gargling tended to attenuate bronchial symptoms,” the researchers wrote.

One bit of nuance that's not often mentioned is that it's actually wrong to say "we told Group A to gargle three times a day, and at the end of the trial, they had 40% less symptoms, therefore gargling 3 times a day reduces symptoms 40%". But what was actually measured was the effect of telling people to do that, since you can't actually be sure whether or not they followed the instructions. It's handy however, since what was actually measured was the effect of the advice itself, so you can be pretty sure that giving that advice would have the desired effect.

[Bumber]

At this point it's really No True Scotsman logic in full blast. So, the original claim is that HCQ helps, then those studies finding that it helps are debunked, so they latch onto the "ah but they didn't take it with Zinc!" argument, based on some pure scientific speculation from some research notes. When subsequent tests with zinc can't find any positive effects, they'll claim that there's some other deficiency in the experiments that must be applied to make it actually work.

Chloroquine / HCQ are ionophores for zinc, leading to increased cellular intake.

Zinc has an effect on some viruses. It supposedly helps suppress virus replication and makes it harder for them to get into cells. Zinc deficiency is tied to a weakened innate immune system.

It's only fallacy for those who were touting only HCQ. A bunch of doctors were prescribing HCQ+Zinc+Azithromycin (for the pneumonia.)

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Alright you libs, I gave you all a day to post it, so the duty falls to me: Meet Trump's new COVID squeeze, """"""""""""""""""""Dr.""""""""""""""""""" Stella Immanuel, dread be her name.

A Houston doctor who praises hydroxychloroquine and says that face masks aren’t necessary to stop transmission of the highly contagious coronavirus has become a star on the right-wing internet, garnering tens of millions of views on Facebook on Monday alone.

Standard fare, right? Wrong.

She has often claimed that gynecological problems like cysts and endometriosis are in fact caused by people having sex in their dreams with demons and witches.

Straight outta Salem. And they say Puritanism is dead! But wait, there's more:

She alleges alien DNA is currently used in medical treatments, and that scientists are cooking up a vaccine to prevent people from being religious.

I'm so fucking excited for the religion vaccine, you don't even know.

And, despite appearing in Washington, D.C. to lobby Congress on Monday, she has said that the government is run in part not by humans but by “reptilians” and other aliens.

Toward the end of Immanuel’s speech, the event’s organizer and other participants can be seen trying to get her away from the microphone.

What Trump has written, a mere reptilian-denying RINO cannot make unwritten.

“Hydroxychloroquine” trended on Twitter, as Immanuel’s video was embraced by the Trumps, conservative student group Turning Point USA, and pro-Trump personalities like Diamond & Silk.

Behold, the center-right! All shall love them and despair!

Immanuel responded in her own way, declaring that Jesus Christ would destroy Facebook’s servers if her videos weren’t restored to the platform.

“Hello Facebook put back my profile page and videos up or your computers with start crashing till you do,” she tweeted. “You are not bigger that God. I promise you. If my page is not back up face book will be down in Jesus name.”

Immanuel is a registered physician in Texas, according to a Texas Medical Board database, and operates a medical clinic out of a strip mall next to her church, Firepower Ministries.

Don't you just love living in this fucking country?

Immanuel claims without offering any proof that members of a Houston networking group for women physicians are scheming to take her medical license away over her support for hydroxychloroquine.

It’s not clear whether anyone is actually trying to take Immanuel’s license. But many of her earlier medical claims are definitely ludicrous.

GOD WILL NOT LET YOU TAKE MY HCQ

Immanuel warned that the Disney Channel show Hannah Montana was a gateway to evil, because its character had an “alter ego.” She has claimed that schools teach children to meditate so they can “meet with demons.”

In the sermon, Immanuel preserved special vitriol for the Magic 8-Ball, a toy that can be shaken up to “reveal” any answer. Immanuel claims the otherwise innocuous Magic 8-Ball was in fact a scheme to get children used to witchcraft.

ASK AGAIN LATER IN HELL MOTHERFUCKER!

Immanuel has also used her pulpit to preach hatred of LGBT people. Shortly before the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage, Immanuel warned her flock that gay marriage meant that “very soon people are going to be seeking to marry children” and accused gay Americans of practicing “homosexual terrorism.” In the same sermon, she praised a father’s decision to not love his transgender son after a gender transition.

booooorrrrinnngg you didn't even say gay men are nephilim spirits

“Children need to be whipped,” she declared in a 2015 sermon, before adding that she didn’t think children should be “abused.”

Eh, you're losing me here. The whip thing is keeping it alive but you've got to get a hotter take than "child abuse is good actually" Stella, I hear that every day at work, or I did when I still had a job. Hey, can you send me some demon summoning instructions, I want to practice spirit polygamy.

Immanuel has seized on her newfound celebrity, tweeting a video demanding that CNN hosts and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases chief Anthony Fauci give her jars of their urine so she can test if they’re secretly taking hydroxychloroquine even as they caution against its use.

“I double dog dare y’all give me a urine sample,” Immanuel tweeted in her challenge.

Oh, I'm back with it now!

“Mr President I’m in town and available,” she tweeted. “I will love to meet with you.”

Finally, we can get rid of that hack Fauci and get a REAL doctor who's got an understanding of that real Jesus, that hard Jesus, that on fire whip me Jesus! Spirit wives begone!

But why listen to my Marxist-controlled liberal media take? You can listen to it straight from the doctor herself!

[Egan_BW]

See, I can see the appeal of wanting to believe that witchcraft is real because witchcraft is effin sweet, but then when you say that it's real and also evil I just don't understand how you can go on living like, there are magical powers you can use but god won't let you that sucks

[Reelya]

Libs just can't take it because they found a doctor who didn't agree with them.

Hopefully 2020 is peak crazy, because I don't think the nation can last if they jack it up any crazier than it is now.

However, this is only going to be a drive-by video thing, it's not like they're going to turn her into a celebrity because then people will start paying attention to the details. To get the most mileage out of her they actually need to downplay her views.

[Ziusudra]

See, I can see the appeal of wanting to believe that witchcraft is real because witchcraft is effin sweet, but then when you say that it's real and also evil I just don't understand how you can go on living like, there are magical powers you can use but god won't let you that sucks

Expecting delusionality to make sense is your mistake.

[Reelya]

Who could have predicted that by this year important people in the White House would be taking their talking points from people who espouse the David Icke reptilian conspiracy theory? We didn't know what "peak Trump" was, but we do now. It's the rise of brain addled conspiracy theorists.

Think about it, no wonder China chose this year to make their big power play. They've decided that your entire leadership is delusional so they know this is their big break.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

I mean, I sort of assumed they already believed that stuff, just in the way where it's a euphemism for Jews. Magic ritualism, on the other hand, that's new.

[Reelya]

That's the Nigerian angle. How ironic that white supremicists are sharing and believing crackpot beliefs of African mystics.

Shape-shifting and witchcraft are common beliefs in African mysticism which then get blended with christianity as an overlay. So I'd guess the secret reptilians mesh well with that stuff.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

No crazier than prosperity gospel, really.

[Reelya]

Oh this gets better. Trump was just called out about crazy lady's beliefs at a press conference and stormed out of there.

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/coronavirus-donald-trump-defends-his-promotion-of-doctor-advocating-hydroxychloroquine/news-story/8e4712d2b73e91e37bb089464b2e9141

Mr Trump was asked about his promotion of the group during today’s media briefing at the White House.

“I think they’re very respected doctors. There was a woman who was spectacular,”

“Mr President, the woman that you said is a great doctor in that video that you retweeted last night said that masks don’t work and there is a cure for COVID-19, both of which health experts say is not true,” Collins said.

“She’s also made videos saying that doctors make medicine using DNA from aliens, and that they’re trying to make a vaccine to make you immune from becoming religious. So what is the logic in retweeting that?”

“I can tell you this. She was on air, along with many other doctors. They were big fans of hydroxychloroquine,” Mr Trump replied.

“And I thought she was very impressive in the sense that, from where she came – I don’t know which country she comes from – but she said that she’s had tremendous success with hundreds of different patients, and I thought her voice was an important voice.

“But I know nothing about her,” he added.

The President then pointed to CBS reporter Paula Reid and told her to “go ahead”, clearly intending to take another question. But Reid yielded to Collins, giving her a chance to ask a follow-up.

“But she said masks don’t work, and last week you said, real quick, last week you said masks -” Collins started to say.

“OK, thank you very much everyone,” said Mr Trump, turning and walking out of the room.

EDIT: oh and this bit was good too:

Today’s press conference included another particularly strange moment, as Mr Trump told an African-American reporter he looked like Michael Bloomberg, who is a 78-year-old white man.

A different journalist had asked the President why a planned meeting with pharmaceutical executives at the White House hadn’t gone ahead. He didn’t know, and said he thought it might be happening tomorrow.

“Sorry about the dates. I see how upset you are by it,” he told her, before pointing at Bloomberg News reporter Mario Parker.

“Yes, Bloomberg. Bloomberg. Mr Bloomberg,” said Mr Trump.

“You look like Mr Bloomberg. Go ahead. I think you look much better, actually.”

[Reelya]

Everything that's laughable is a distraction from the more important and terrible stuff. That doesn't mean however that they set this up deliberately.

[Eschar]

True, conspiracy theories and assorted crackpottery can arise without central direction, feeding on the human desires for grand narratives, in-groups, and scapegoats like a forest fire feeds on the crackling blazing pines or whatnot sucked into it