How did something that started as a textile dye end up curing malaria?
On this episode of the Health Quest podcast, Dr. Sal is talking about the fascinating substance called methylene blue. Originally meant for dying fabrics, methylene blue was found to have a great number of uses, from medical stains to poison antidotes to treating several different pathogens.
Dr. Sal also discusses how methylene blue has shown promise in inactivating the cellular replication of various viruses, including herpes, West Nile, hepatitis C, Ebola, Zika, HIV, and even COVID-19. It also has brain-boosting properties, the potential to improve cognitive function, and can reduce stress and chronic pain.
Plus, we’ll explore the ongoing research into the various potential applications of methylene blue, from postoperative pain relief to its use in treating migraines and metabolic disorders associated with neurological conditions.
Key takeaways:
1. Methylene Blue as a Virus Inactivator: Studies have shown that methylene blue can effectively inactivate the cellular replication of a wide spectrum of viruses, including herpes, West Nile, hepatitis C, Ebola, Zika, HIV, and COVID-19.
2. Brain-Boosting Powerhouse: Methylene blue isn’t just limited to virus-fighting properties. This remarkable compound has been linked to improved brain function and cognition, memory retrieval, attention, and emotional regulation. It also enhances mitochondrial efficiency, protecting brain cells from damage and increasing oxygen consumption and glucose uptake.
3. Pain Relief and Chronic Neuropathic Conditions: The benefits of methylene blue extend to pain management, including postoperative pain, chronic neuropathic pain, arthritic pain, and even refractory pain from mucositis related to cancer treatment. Recent studies are even exploring its potential in treating migraine headaches.
Dr. Sal [00:00:00]:
Methylene blue could be used to inactivate a variety of different viruses. And, of course, studies have shown to inactivate the cellular replication of herpes, West Nile, hepatitis c, Ebola, Zika, HIV, and COVID nineteen. Welcome to the Health podcast, your guide to God's will for your good health. Hello. I'm doctor sal I've been a practicing surgeon and doctor for well over 30 years, and my goal for each episode is that you'll be able to have your mind transformed to God's design for good health and hopefully to affect the way that you eat and the way that you live. Please forgive me for today. I just started having these hiccups, and I've been drinking water to try to get rid of them. And at this point, I'm in a situation where I have to give this podcast, Yes.
Dr. Sal [00:01:09]:
But unfortunately, I have these, these hiccups, so please bear with me. If you're new here, we release a new episode every week. And if you enjoy content. Would you please leave us a good review? Because it really helps our ratings and allows our show to reach more people. And in turn, we could help them changing their life and hopefully improving their health. So we really thank you for your support. And on today's episode, we'll be talking about methylene blue. So let's dive right into today's health quest.
Dr. Sal [00:01:44]:
Methylene blue is an inexpensive blue dye that was developed by scientists in the 19th century for the textile industry. It was soon discovered to be useful in the scientific laboratory as well as for medicinal purposes. As a stain, it can help scientists see bacteria and yeast and other microorganisms under the microscope, and it's still used today. Now one of the wonderful things about methylene blue is that it is an antidote for chemical poisonings. An overdose of pharmaceutical or street drugs or even swallowing excessive amount of toothpaste which contains fluoride, Eat a poisonous mushroom. Methylene blue is a first line of treatment that will be administered in an emergency setting. It is an effective antidote for virtually all chemical poisonings. Now there's other ones that they're now using to swell and that's activated charcoal and sodium bicarbonate, which are also used as well in these settings.
Dr. Sal [00:02:47]:
Malaria, cured in 48 hours. Methylene blue was the 1st antimalarial drug used in medicine and successfully treated all types of malaria in the 1800 and early 1900. Paul Ehrlich In 18/71 was the 1st to treat malaria successfully with methylene blue. And out forces in the South specific during World War 2 widely used methylene blue to prevent and treat malarial infections. It works by inhibiting the malarial causing parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Now prior to methylene blue, the classic treatment for malaria was a compound called quinine, which comes from the bark of a chinchona tree native to South America to treat malaria, and it was used actually to treat malaria in Europe during the 15th century. Tonic water contains quinine, glucose, and carbon dioxide. So in itself, if you did get malaria, you could Drink, tonic water, and that would help out as well.
Dr. Sal [00:04:07]:
But methylene blue has been replaced with other antimalarial drugs. Since Wilhelm Roll, a student of Erlox, eventually gave rise to a drug called quanacrine, which was used for malaria. And in 1934, Hans Andersagg synthesized Chloroquine, which is now the standard treatment for malaria today. Now you've heard of hydroxychloroquine. It became swole not only for malaria, but also was used as an antidote against COVID nineteen. Hydroxychloroquine c Chloroquine is derived from methylene blue, which is the parent compound. So you could see now With that being the case, that methylene blue could be used as to inactivate a variety of different viruses. And, of course, studies have shown to inactivate the cellular replication of herpes, West Nile, hepatitis c, Ebola, Zika, HIV, and COVID nineteen.
Dr. Sal [00:05:13]:
Method blue and specific wavelengths of red light or near infrared light possesses an even more significant threat to the survival of all types of pathogens. So you're starting to see the benefits of methylene blue. It's also a brain boosting powerhouse. That's right. Methylene blue has health improve brain function and cognition. It also includes memory retrieval, attention, and emotional regulation. It improves mitochondrial efficiency and protects brain cells from damage through its antioxidant functions. It significantly The increases mitochondrial complex 1 through 3 activity in isolated mitochondria and enhances oxygen consumption and glucose uptake.
Dr. Sal [00:06:04]:
It significantly increases mitochondrial complex 1 through 3 activity in isolated mitochondria and enhances oxygen consumption as well as glucose uptake. Methylene blue targets all four plexus in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. And so methylene blue has helped prove the attention span in adults as well in young children. And as a result, this would definitely help in the reduction of the use of amphetamine and amphetamines that we've given these children for attention deficit disorder. We know that medications such as Adderall and Concert are neurotoxic. So methylene blue being more of a neutral type of, substance that can benefit these children. We can get them off of these drugs. And on top of that, amphetamines and metamphetamines are also addictive.
Dr. Sal [00:07:02]:
It's also shown to reduce stress, which is the precursor to depression and anxiety as well as post traumatic stress disorder. It is believed that depression, dementia, and Alzheimer's are metabolic disorder. The brain depends on glucose far more for its weight than the rest of the body or any of the other organs. Methylene blue helps to reregulate the metabolic like, processes of the mitochondria within the brain cells. So you start to see that a lot of the underlying problems to these disorders is metabolic, and that's what methylene blue actually helps to regulate those processes making chondria, and the cellular function much more optimal in getting the body's organs to function optimally as well. It's also known as the great pain reliever. Numerous studies are now coming out showing that methylene blue is a great treatment to help for surgical pain postoperatively. Also, studies in Sweden are revealing the improvement of chronic neuropathic pain with the use of methylene blue.
Dr. Sal [00:08:17]:
A study in 2021 at the University of Texas led researchers to conclude the methylene blue oral rinses is an effective and safe treatment for the refractory pain from moral mucositis related to cancer treatment. And in 2018, a study that was done that shows how methylene blue is effective in treating arthritic pain. Recent studies are now underway to use methylene blue treatment for migraine headaches. And we're starting to see now that even migraines are a metabolic disorder as well. So we're starting to see how a simple dye that came up in the 18 100 used in a laboratory just to identify germs and bugs under the microscope has then later been used to treat not only infectious diseases, but also to help out in other areas of All these disorders that we're seeing today, particularly the neurologic disorders from dementia and Alzheimer's to stress and anxiety and depression and to pain and hopefully to improve metabolic function of the cells giving us optimal health. I'd like to thank you for joining us for watching our show today. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave us a good review, and visit our website and social media accounts to connect with us more. If you happen to have any questions about your health regarding this episode, My email will be in the description below, and I'd be happy to answer your any of the questions that you may have.
Dr. Sal [00:09:55]:
And if you would like to see any of these resources of this search in this episode, it'll be available in the show notes and description. With that, I'm doctor Sal. Have a great day, and God bless.