Ray Peat - Blood clots, serotonin and COVID-19


Blood clots, serotonin and COVID-19

After listening to Dr. Peat's last interview on One Radio Network, I started to wonder about the affects of high serotonin in relation to the symptoms of COVID-19.
First, let's talk about serotonin.
-95% of serotonin is produced in the gut. When you are stressed, you produce MORE estrogen, cortisol AND SEROTONIN, not less. Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, migraines, anxiety, and sweating are all related to excess serotonin.
-Serotonin is NOT the happy hormone you have been lead to believe. Increasing serotonin CAN increase gut motility, this alone can make someone "feel" better.
-Estrogen can promote serotonin. Serotonin can promote estrogen. Both can promote cortisol.
-Serotonin can activate all the system of the body that promote cortisol--pituitary, adrenals, and brain.
-Starvation and diabetes can increase serotonin in the brain
-On the microscopic level, stress, serotonin, and cortisol cause changes in cell structure,
-Learned helplessness and serotonin are strongly correlated.
When the gut is irritated by stress (bacteria, endotoxin, fibrous foods, chemicals, drugs, alcohol, crappy thinking, and/or corona viruses), serotonin production increases. The lungs are the main detoxifier of serotonin. When the lungs are damaged (which can happen with age, pollution, respiratory illness, or even a heater that is run all day long), detoxification decreases. When this happens, serotonin can build up in the blood, leading to serotonin toxicity or serotonin syndrome. One common symptom of serotonin syndrome is blood clotting...
Here are the other symptoms of excess serotonin:
Early stages
-Diarrhea
-Nausea
-Sweating
-Anxiety
-Fever
Serotonin syndrome complications include:
-Seizures
-Decreased Oxygen in the blood--lower O2 saturation
-Small blood clots in your bloodstream
-Muscle damage called rhabdomyolysis
-High acid levels called metabolic acidosis
-Kidney failure
-Elevated D-Dimer
-Fluid in the lungs, called acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
-Cardiovascular disease
Hmmm, these complications look VERY familiar.
Hint:CV-19
Essentially, the more stress you place upon the body, the more serotonin will be produced. If you add in lung issues, you may have a BIG problem. Serotonin syndrome can also occur from medications that increase serotonin levels, these include most antidepressants (SSRI's, SNRI's, MAOI's) pain meds. (opioids), and recreational drugs (cocaine, MDMA) plus the cough medicine dextromethorphan.
I asked Dr. Peat about the serotonin-blood clot-CV connection: here is his response:
"The coronas, like polio, have a strong tendency to grow on the intestine (also heart, lungs, blood vessels), and the (or any) inflammation in the bowel releases large amounts of serotonin, histamine, and endotoxin into the blood, adding to any lung problem from direct infection.
The angiotensin system increases estrogen, prostaglandins, nitric oxide and other inflammation mediators, so many anti inflammatory things help with this virus. Before big stringy, plugging clots form, the thin fibrin film that always coats red blood cells and the inside of capillaries begins getting thicker as the equilibrium between forming and dissolving the fibrin film shifts toward faster forming, and oxygenation of tissues lags behind deoxygenation of blood cells.
Lactic acid formation in response to hypoxia and stress signals adds to the inflammation of the lungs, causing them to take up water even if they aren’t infected."
-Dr. Ray Peat
Unfortunately, serotonin syndrome is not well recognized by most physicians. Normally, SS is diagnosed when a patient has consumed substances that have increased serotonin. Not, when they have a virus.
Of course, this is all speculation on my part. I am not saying HIGH serotonin is the entire problem in COVID-19 patients, BUT it COULD be part of the problem, and worth checking out--especially considering a drug with anti-serotonin properties is showing promise in treating COVID-19 patients.
"Famotidine (aka Pepcid AC) Use is Associated with Improved Clinical Outcomes in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients".
"Conclusion: Famotidine use is associated with reduced risk of intubation or death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients."
*The current article is a pre-print, so has not been peer-reviewed, yet, it does show promise as a possible treatment for COVID-19 patients.
Interesting huh?
Want to know what else can reduce serotonin levels?
-Decreasing digestive distress. Eat easy to digest foods. Remove hard to digest foods like nuts, seeds, beans, and raw leafy vegetables.
-Eat a raw carrot salad every day
-Use coconut oil
-Remove/reduce the polyunsaturated fats
-Remove/reduce estrogenic foods and substances: soy, birth control, ERT, HRT, alcohol, etc.
Also, here are a list of other supplements that can help reduce serotonin
Cyproheptidine
Aspirin
Cascara sagrada
Amino acid theanine
Niacinimide
Thyroid
*Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only. I am not a doctor and am not suggesting that anyone stop their medications. Please talk to your doctor before getting off ANY medications.