“What Happened Last Year?” A Brief Summary

This is my brief summary of the webinar, “What Happened Last Year?” hosted by Zach Bush, MD (www.zachbushmd.com) Thoughts and statistics are not my own, all information obtained through Zach Bush, MD. Direct quotes cited.

Bush began the seminar by sharing the Oxford dictionary definition of nature.

He commented on how this definition separates humans from the natural world- further emphasizing the point that nature will continue to exist outside of humanity. When we are gone, biology reigns on. But to address our public health crisis we must recognize the impact nature has on our biology, and how we impact the planet through our actions.

Bush argues that humanity’s existence is due to the virome. The virome describes the multitudes of viruses within our biome. A staggering 20,000 human genes are inherited from viruses. Eight-percent of all DNA are inserted by RNA retroviruses; the Eri15 retrovirus is of special significance, as it is required for egg fertilization. We need viruses.

Bush does an excellent job of creating a perspective on just how many viruses we come into contact with.

The entire ocean contains 1.2 x 10³⁰ viruses- which is more than the number of stars in the universe. One gram of soil contains billions of viruses. If you are a healthy adult, your body contains 10¹⁵ viruses. He refers to this phenomena as a “sea of genomic activity,” as our bodies are constantly communicating and adapting to the information received from the virome.

Viruses are not something to be feared- we must reframe this narrative that viruses are “evil.”

Viruses travel primarily through air currents. Bush argues viruses behave independent of human action and the public has been misled by media depicting human behavior and breath as the cause of spread of SARS-CoV-2.

Along with falsely emphasizing the above phenomena, the CDC claims 100% of respiratory deaths in 2020 were due to the novel coronavirus. Bush claims this is highly improbable- historical data suggests the majority of deaths were due to other common respiratory diseases such as pneumonia- while a small fraction of respiratory deaths were caused by SARS-CoV-2.

“Antibodies are not the primary mechanisms of biologic balance (Bush, 2021).” In fact, SARS-CoV-2 antibodies become present 3–6 weeks after initial infection. PCR testing places significance on these antibodies as a means of identifying infected populations. Bush claims PCR testing has been widely misused by professionals- which has had dire public health effects. The test is not a clear determinant of who may or may not be contagious- but the rhetoric created by public health officials and media continues to claim the PCR’s effectiveness in diagnosing the disease. Bush shared a study that concluded high rates of PCR testing led to higher rates of mortality in some areas.

Soil, water, and air quality lead to the breakdown of the immune system. Bush focuses primarily on glyphosate and PM2.5 in this lecture. He claims the Australian wildfires in January may have been a contributing factor to the pandemic, as the smoke made two entire rotations through the atmosphere, depositing high amounts of PM2.5 into our lungs. Weeks after the fires, we began to see cases of the novel virus appear. He claims the historic California wildfires (with 4% of the state actively burning at one point) was also a contributing factor. Nationwide cases began to decline toward the end of summer, but began to rise again after the California fires in August. This accumulation of particulate matter in the air, coupled with the excess glyphosate in our air, water, and soil led to increased susceptibility.

One study showed just 1 microgram per cubic meter of PM2.5 leads to a 15% greater increase of developing SARS-CoV-2.

Along with particulate matter and glyphosate, the use of biocides and herbicides lead to the breakdown of the immune system. These chemicals attack the tight junction barriers in the body- the gut lining, blood brain barrier, nasal pathways, and more. The breakdown of these bodily defense mechanisms leads to the development of cancer, autoimmune disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and more. And in the midst of a pandemic, this weakened state leaves us vulnerable to infection.

Areas of the world with high usage of glyphosate have seen high rates of coronavirus infection; namely, Asia, Europe, and the United States. The Pacific Northwest region of the United States has high amounts of glyphosate in the soil- and this is where the first cases of the novel virus appeared in the U.S.

Bush argues we must eliminate the use of these chemicals to save humanity from extinction- continuing to use such chemicals has no benefit for the environment nor human race.

Bush claims the primary risk factors for developing SARS-CoV-2 are:

• Microbiome Stress
• Glyphosate Toxicity
• Aging Population
• High Comorbidity/Chronic Disease Pandemic
• Vitamin D Deficiency
• Fear
• Isolation

This is a brief overview of the topics discussed by Bush. These words are sourced his webinar, “What Happened Last Year?” on 2.26.2021. More information can be found at www.zachbusmd.com