Image 1. Tell-tale signs of HERV-K102 activation in the upper respiratory tract (URT) and petechiae on the lower inner lip consistent with micro-clotting/exposures to spike.
A potential shedding episode: Patient medical history
This case involves a female who in March of 2024 is 69 years of age and is not on any prescription drugs. Her blood pressure is generally around 120/70 with a pulse rate of 62-72. She has naturally practiced intermittent fasting for a number of decades probably in response to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). She exhibits Fordyce spots (Image 1) under the upper lip potentially related to familial (genetic) hypercholesterolemia (FH) . The CFS is treated with NuSleep from Immune System Management in Ottawa, Ontario that counteracts fatigue, insomnia and brain fog. When off therapy for 84 hours, the insomnia, fatigue and brain fog set in within 24 hours and worsened over time. However most telling, her plasma HERV-K102 particle levels went from zero particles per ml to 2.55 x 10 (11) cDNA containing particles [see Laderoute et al, 2007; 2015 for methodology] implying a correlation with fatigue, insomnia and brain fog. This implicates HERV-K102 activation/replication in the insomnia and fatigue characteristic of post-viral syndromes.
HERV-K102 is a protector foamy virus and reverse transcribes upon lytic release from the foamy macrophages/foamy sebocytes so the genomes are cDNA and not RNA. HERV-K102 has the opposite life cycle of pathogenic retroviruses like HIV-1 and HTLV and unlike these disease causing retroviruses, protects humans against viral infections. It is a virus anti-virus response.
In fact, trained innate immunity in foamy macrophages involving high levels of HERV-K102 particles is critical for the prevention of and recovery from COVID-19 [see more details at Laderoute, M. Antibody Dependent Enhancement (ADE) of Infection into Macrophages Validates the Importance of HERV-K102 Particle Production for Pandemic Preparedness. Preprints 2023, 2023120185. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0185.v1].
For her SARS-CoV-2 exposure history, she had a presumptive case of asymptomatic COVID-19 late January 2020 with hematochezia (once) as the only sign of COVID-19. However since COVID-19 was apparently transmitted to two others who suffered moderate COVID-19-like disease, this provided evidence confirming the index case had an asymptomatic infection (and likely very close in evolution to the original Wuhan strain).
Vaccination History
Following the first shot of the Pfizer mRNA vaccine in April 2021 in a very large and crowded center with about 2 hours waiting indoors in long lineups, a progressive delay in bowel movements was observed after about 10 days. At about 30 days later an intestinal blockage occurred which by then there had been no bowel movement for 10 days. Self-treatment was a saline enema followed by pre and probiotics which by 3 months resulted in regular bowel movements every other day. By 6 months the daily bowel movements returned. The product used was Align Pre and ProBiotics 1 billion cfu’s in two gummies of Bacillus coagulans Lactospore and 2.5 g of oligofructose (Image 2).
Image 2. The brand and the probiotic species associated with gut recovery following a serious adverse event of intestinal blockage following the first Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA gene therapy dose.
{Please note I am not necessarily recommending this brand and probiotic but I am just saying this brand and species worked for gut recovery following the mRNA gene therapy Pfizer-BioNTech gene therapy vaccine. I do not get commissions for mentioning that this product works well and the price is currently, unbeatable.}
The second dose of the Pfizer vaccine (end of July 2021 about 111 days later) was received without complications. Subsequently there was at the end of January 2022 a brief 2 day in bed stay due to dizziness with Omicron infection (weak positive on the rapid antigen test) transmitted from visiting grandchildren. Again a year later in January 2023 there was also a brief mild illness associated with a slight cough.
Note that the patient was infected prior to the administration of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, meaning she would be at higher risk of shedding due to the presence of systemic spike specific IgG1/3 that do not transition to IgG4/2 throughout the entire body.
Alleged Shedding Incident on March 16, 2024 During a Medical Consult Resulting in Tachycardia About 14 hours Later
On March 17, 2024 at about 3 am, and at about 14 hours after a medical surgical consult lasting 15-20 minutes in close proximity (considered a possible source of the shed spike protein mRNA), a transient episode of putative ventricular tachycardia (strong heart palpitations that seemed to persist for more than 5 minutes) occurred with sweating that woke up the patient (she had to open the window). The pulse rapidly elevated to 81 beats per minute from 62 while resting in bed according to a Fitbit reading. This event was 960 days after the second Pfizer-BioNTech dose and about 410 days after the last known COVID-19 infection. Since it involved sudden onset it is unlikely spike protein would have persisted this long. No pain or nausea was involved.
At the emergency room, the blood pressure was 168/98 with a resting pulse rate of 88 beats per minute. At the time, her vitamin D3 was 133 ng/ml (as tested on March 19, 2024). Attending ER physician indicated a probable transient “ventricular tachycardia (VT)” although he stated the current ECG was apparently normal (with some evidence of VT?).
The first sleep cycle (March 17, 2024) monitored after the incident with a FitBit Versa, while showed a 95 % sleep efficacy and an usual gap of 80 minutes where the sleep architecture was not recorded, the percent of sleeping heart rate below the awake resting heart rate was rather unusual at a very poor 30% . Usually this value was in the high 80’s and low 90’s percentile. Unlike any other sleep cycle ever, the average heart rate during sleep (75 beats per minute ) was higher than the awake resting heart rate of 73 beats per minute perhaps reflecting stress-trauma earlier that day around 3 am on March 16. {Dates are the next morning after a sleep cycle}. On March 17, 2024 the blood pressure was still elevated at 154/88 (and 62 beats per minute).
By the next sleep cycle recorded on March 18, the % of sleeping heart rate below the awake resting had returned to a normal of about 91% with the average sleep heart rate at 73, while the awake resting heart rate was 69. The sleep efficiency had dropped to 86.5% on March 18 (the day of putative HERV-K102 activation in the URT) and the sleep onset latency which scored an average of 3.7 minutes from March 17 to March 24, 2024 was elevated on March 18 at 19 minutes.
It is known that over time the NuSleep product reduces sleep latency (the number of minutes it takes to fall asleep) possibly because it was designed to counteract the stress of the activation of innate immunity on sleep and poor sleep on innate immunity. Perhaps more remarkable for March 22 through 24, the sleep latency was recorded at zero minutes for 3 days in a row. One has to entertain the notion that the adjunct therapy (nattokinase, artemisinin, and the alpha-lipoic acid) may have had additional benefits on health and innate immunity. Most unusual was that the onset of deep sleep on the 24 of March was also recorded as zero while the onset of REM sleep in minutes was about two fold delayed (which remains as of unknown significance).
As summarized in Image 1 above, it is suggested that the induction of a 3 day delay before HERV-K102 activation in sebocytes (Fordyce spots) related to the induction of high blood pressure (ie., by the shedding episode). Elevated blood pressure is a sign of immunosenescence of macrophages (ISM). The immediate onset of high blood pressure rules out a subclinical SARS-CoV-2 infection, or even infections from other viruses, as this would build up gradually over 6 days. Since there was no administration of any vaccine, the only other possible cause of spike protein exposure would be a shedding event which precipitated the 3 day delay before HERV-K102 could be visibly activated (Image 1).
I have argued previously that by monitoring sleep architecture, one could help determine if a new therapeutic (drug or supplement) is helpful to the innate immune response or not for a given individual (download the MPL sleep article from 2019 BELOW). This is important because the FDA regulations do not require this testing of drugs for effects on innate immunity. Just because the FDA doesn’t require this does not mean that you should not test this yourself for all drugs and supplements you take!
Anything that consistently worsens sleep may also block innate immunity which is needed to survive pandemics and perhaps moreso the iatrogenic pandemics like those caused by the COVID-19 mRNA gene therapy products (see later).
NB: Caveats to this general rule would be the temporary use of inhibitors of foamy macrophage activation (for example, statins, turmeric and/or melatonin over 2 mg per night) in attempts to resolve long COVID or post vaccination Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC).
Patient Follow-Up
A new Fitbit Sense 2 was received on March 18, 2024 and multiple ECGs were taken up to March 24, 2025 for which the software claimed all exhibited a normal pattern. It appears that Fitbit actigraphy may provide some insight on recovery. In particular, because the heart beats during sleep became lower than the awake resting heart beat rates this indicated recovery. Also the finding of normal ECGs tested at about 48 hours later was very reassuring. I am sure knowing the 6 ECGs after a transient ventricular tachycardia are normal allows one to sleep comfortably.
Indeed, blood pressures taken from March 19 onward were very typical for this patient and averaged 121.5/71.3 and 72.3 bpm.
HOWEVER, it took until 3 days after the putative shedding exposure, before the blood pressure fell to 140/80 with a pulse of 72 on March 18, 2024.
As mentioned in Image 1, high blood pressure is a sign of immunosenescence of macrophages (ISM) which blocks HERV-K102 activation explaining why HERV-K102 in the Fordyce spots were not activated within the first 3 days. It is also probably not likely that an asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection would generate high blood pressure and ventricular tachycardia at 14 hours after an alleged exposure.
This issue that the assault from shedding includes immediate paralysis of the HERV-K102 defense system in the URT unlike natural infection or even following vaccination attests to the notion that shedding may be a much more dangerous exposure to spike and could contribute to sudden death more than currently appreciated.
Indeed, in England based on the ONS data, for the unvaccinated and vaccinated, it was guesstimated that more deaths may have been due to mRNA GENE THERAPY vaccine shedding than SARS-CoV-2 infection itself.
IMAGE 3. The POTENTIAL impact of mRNA gene therapy product adverse events causing death by shedding has been severely underestimated and unappreciated.
The estimates above are for the non-COVID-19 deaths in England from January 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022 but shedding would have also contributed to COVID-19 deaths, meaning the above may be somewhat of an underestimation. The 5248 lives saved by vaccination refers to the induction of HERV-K102 trained innate immunity following the first dose before the second dose was administered (mostly in February or March 2021). (The second dose which induces the spike specific IgG1/3 including in the upper respiratory tract is not physically capable of saving anyone due to selection of variants by the spike specific antibody.) It was calculated that for each life saved by vaccination there were 103 lives lost, the latter due to the adverse effects of the COVID-19 mRNA gene therapy products used as vaccines.
About 75 % of the deaths categorized as non-COVID-19 deaths was estimated to be due to shedding in the vaccinated and the unvaccinated.
Shedding is believed to be via spike-laden exosomes in the upper respiratory tract mucosa which are covered in the spike IgG1/3 antibodies. The more the doses of the spike gene therapy products, the more the targeting to the macrophages in the body and to sebocytes (specialized macrophages in the sebaceous glands in the mucosa) and the more dangerous the shed exosomes become due to higher levels of spike protein and higher levels of IgG1/3 antibodies (see Image 4).
Image 4. Evidence that it is the second dose that focusses spike into exosomes.
Shedding in the mRNA vaccinated can last for months.
In the recipient, it is thought the transmission of these “immune complexes” to the microcirculation deep in the lungs, would be like a bomb going off causing complement and platelet activation, direct interaction of spike protein with fibrinogen causing the formation of the white rubbery clots, damage to the endothelium, and immunosenescence of the macrophages. The induction of a sudden coagulopathy would be expected to increase the risk of sudden death. Nevertheless, some cases of long COVID or post vaccination PASC may be due to shedding.
Returning to the discussion of the patient:
Interestingly, the patient was on 1 nattokinase, 1 artemisinin and 1 alpha-lipoic acid since March 13, 2024 as she was testing the combination for effects on sleep (4 nights prior to the shedding episode). She also had very high blood levels of Vitamin D3 (perhaps more than optimal). It is unclear if these interventions helped to save her life, or it was the AFP antagonists that she takes for her chronic fatigue syndrome or both.
TREATMENT Post Transient Ventricular Tachycardia (to minimize the effects of toxic spike exposures)
Starting on March 16, the patient took 2 nattokinase (100 mg each to digest spike protein) and two artemisinin daily (100 mg each) plus alpha lipoic acid (400 mg daily for the anticipated spike-induced mitochondria dysfunction) in addition to her usual supplements many of which are AFP antagonists (see Images 5 and 6).
Access to ivermectin in Canada is very difficult, so given the similarity of ivermectin effects with artemisinin, artemisinin (Artemisia annua) was used as a substitute.
{Note that Artemisia annua (sweet wormwood) may be different from Artemisia absinthium (wormwwod).}
These other usual supplements taken since at least the start of the pandemic included 100 micrograms of Vitamin K2 with about 2500 IU’s of Vitamin D3, zinc, genistein, whey protein, multivitamin, targeted Omega-3 (1800 mg EPA /1000 DHA) plus NuSleep (one capsule nightly as a remedy for the fatigue and insomnia of CFS). Note that once it was known that the vitamin D3 was 133 ng/ml (March 19, 2024), the patient stopped taking the vitamin D3 supplement but still took the K2.
On March 18, 2024 hazing over some of the Fordyce spots were noted (Image 1 C) and the petechiae were noted on the same day (Image 1 B, the petechiae lasted at least for 45 days but no new lesions). From March 20th onward, her blood pressure reached her normal levels. On March 24, 2024, the patient had the ruptured blister on the inside of the top lip (Image 1 D) on day 6 after HERV-K102 was activated, as expected.
Image 5. Spike protein* and SARS-CoV-2# cause immunosenescence of macrophages by converting the protector M1 macrophages to M2 through the induction of AFP.
* [Singh N, Bharara Singh A. S2 subunit of SARS-nCoV-2 interacts with tumor suppressor protein p53 and BRCA: an in silico study. Transl Oncol. 2020 Oct;13(10):100814. doi: 10.1016/j.tranon.2020.100814. S2 downmodulates p53 which represses AFP expression.]
#[Appelberg S, Gupta S, Svensson Akusjärvi S, Ambikan AT, Mikaeloff F, Saccon E, Végvári Á, Benfeitas R, Sperk M, Ståhlberg M, Krishnan S, Singh K, Penninger JM, Mirazimi A, Neogi U. Dysregulation in Akt/mTOR/HIF-1 signaling identified by proteo-transcriptomics of SARS-CoV-2 infected cells. Emerg Microbes Infect. 2020 Dec;9(1):1748-1760. doi: 10.1080/22221751.2020.1799723.]
AFP upregulation is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction as well as GC and insulin resistance and mediates some of its effects via CCR5 including the loss of T cells.
[ Jett KA, Baker ZN, Hossain A, Boulet A, Cobine PA, Ghosh S, Ng P, Yilmaz O, Barreto K, DeCoteau J, Mochoruk K, Ioannou GN, Savard C, Yuan S, Abdalla OH, Lowden C, Kim BE, Cheng HM, Battersby BJ, Gohil VM, Leary SC. Mitochondrial dysfunction reactivates α-fetoprotein expression that drives copper-dependent immunosuppression in mitochondrial disease models. J Clin Invest. 2023 Jan 3;133(1):e154684. doi: 10.1172/JCI154684.]
Image 6. Another view of how SARS-CoV-2 (or even spike protein) may contribute to cytokine storm (at least prior to omicron).
Image 7. Spike-laden exosomes (HERV-K102 protector particles contaminated with vaccinal spike mRNA/cDNA and covered in spike protein and the IgG1 and IgG3 spike antibodies SHED from the upper respiratory tract (URT)) may carry the highest risk of mortality.
This is especially those who were infected prior to receiving the two doses of the mRNA vaccines, and thus, retain the IgG1 and IgG3 to spike protein.
DISCUSSION
A quote from a recent paper on fatal myocarditis where 57% of myocarditis may be asymptomatic and 65% of sudden cardiac death cannot be resuscitated:
[Hulscher N, Hodkinson R, Makis W, McCullough PA. Autopsy findings in cases of fatal COVID-19 vaccine-induced myocarditis. ESC Heart Fail. 2024 Jan 14. doi: 10.1002/ehf2.14680.].
“The predominant mechanism of death is most likely a sudden arrhythmia such as ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. … Cadegiani has postulated that a surge of catecholamines can be the trigger for COVID-19 vaccine-induced sudden death, which could explain the occurrence during exercise and sports as well as during the early morning waking hours from sleep where there is a surge of epinephrine and norepinephrine.”
“However for direct vaccination induced myocarditis, there is an average time of 6.2 days between recent vax and death and a median of 3 days. Of the 28 autopsy cases 68 % were male and the mean age of death was 44.4 years old.”
So based on the timing and other parameters this case which did not involve vaccination most likely related instead to mRNA vaccine shedding and not an asymptomatic infection.
Note that it is suspected the high but optimal level of vitamin D3 in the blood of this individual (see Image 6) may have played some role in the attenuation of risk because onset of the ventricular tachycardia was associated with a profound elevation of blood pressure for this individual (168/98 whereas the normal blood pressure for this person was about 121/71). In other words the blood pressure may have otherwise reached higher and more dangerous levels had the patient not had optimal Vitamin D levels.
High blood pressure is a sign of immunosenescence of macrophages. It took 3 days before the blood pressure lowered to 140/80. It was only then (after immunosenescence associated with high blood pressure was reversed) when the evidence of strong activation of HERV-K102 in the URT became evident. However by this time 200 mg of nattokinase and 200 mg of Artemisinin had also been taken for 3 days along with 400 mg of alpha-lipoic acid. Serendipitously the individual was on 100 mg nattokinase, 100 mg artemisinin and 400 mg of alpha-lipoic acid for a few days prior to the putative shedding exposure. Thus, a role of the contribution of nattokinase, artemisinin and alpha-lipoic acid cannot be discounted in playing a role in the attenuation of shedding risks.
Indeed, while optimal vitamin D levels can prevent immunosenescence, vitamin D cannot reverse immunosenescence of macrophages (Images 5 and 6). This implied recovery in 3 days (to a strong activation of HERV-K102 in the URT) was likely due to the impact of the combination of 200 mg of artemisinin, 200 mg nattokinase and 400 mg of alpha-lipoic acid.
Whether such a combination would lessen the risk of PASC or post Vax PASC especially those that might involve shedding exposures would be useful to explore.
Summary and Conclusions:
So while there is no investigation to prove shed spike mRNA/cDNA was responsible or even present, this case study may have some value as it illustrates some clinical signs and symptoms surrounding sudden death; tachycardia and palpitations , elevated blood pressure, actigraphy heart rate changes during sleep, Fordyce spots activation (hazing), blister rupture on Fordyce spots and petechiae on the inner lower lip which might indicate micro-clotting.
This case also offers some insight that shedding of the spike mRNA/cDNA such as via exosomes may be more dangerous to the host than direct vaccination or infection by SARS-CoV-2 as it immediately promotes a pro-clotting state (both the ground coffee microclotting and the white fibrous clots (the spike fibrinogen interaction)), high blood pressure and ventricular tachycardia which are known to contribute to cardiac arrest and sudden death.
The danger in shedding is because there is a high chance the patient dies before they know what hit them.
This case study offers some hope that certain supplements may be useful as a preventative measure to reduce the risks of imminent death due to shedding.
Is it strictly from the symptoms that shedding is suspected ? Is there clear identified evidence of exosomal sheddimg of spike protein ? And is there an associated symptomology that can infer that these symptoms of this patient is possibly associated with shedding exposure ?
Thank you for the history and discussion. After 40 years in the trenches I am aware how difficult it is to obtain a history that detailed and well documented. It must be nice to have access to a lab which can assess the measures you have reported.
I am particularly interested in the 10 days of constipation and the successful management- I would have been worried that a surgical outcome would have occurred. I have recently understood that the Omicron Covid had significant GI effects, which corresponds well with my experience in Jan., 2022, which resulted in a welcome 10# post-Christmas weight loss.
My (unvaxxed) wife can quite reliably react to freshly-or heavily-vaxxed people, usually with "allergic" type symptoms but occasionally with three days of headache and appetite suppression. I suspect that the spike-laden exosome mechanism is involved although I would not eliminate an aerosol of naked spikes as the cause. I don't react but am aware of my response to particular pheromones from pregnant ladies.
The nattokinase effects are of interest. I have read that it may reduce blood pressure. As in most pharmacology, the interactions between drugs and side effects seems to increase as some exponential function of the number of compounds and I lose track after about three drugs. Your suggestion of further research is typical but rendered moot by the lack of profit potential. It is hard to break through the conventional mindset and indoctrination of our present medical establishment and individuals.