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Severe COVID Is a Gut Disease?
One Protein Changed Everything We Knew About COVID
In partnership with
A Message from Dr. McMillan
A major breakthrough in my research is the realization that gut inflammation is central to severe COVID-19. Once you recognize this, the seemingly unpredictable outcomes—especially in outwardly healthy individuals—begin to make sense.
This also opens the door to something hopeful:
targeted strategies to reduce gut inflammation may be one of our best defenses as COVID-19 continues to circulate globally.
Dr. Philip McMillan
In this week's November 21th, 2025 update:
Covid-19: One protein changed everything we knew about COVID
Vejon: This week’s featured Vejon video
Health: Nasal irrigation Is effective against the common cold
Infographic: Severe COVID is a gut disease?
News: Medical news in brief
Education: McMillan ROOT spike detox protocol
Read time: 6 minutes
FEATURE ARTICLE
COVID-19
Severe COVID Is a Gut Disease? One Protein Changed Everything We Knew About COVID
Authors: Dr. Philp McMillan, John McMillan
MYL9 protein found in lung micro-clots strongly predicted COVID-19 mortality, yet viral replication had ceased by the time severe illness occurred.
Research on inflammatory bowel disease revealed that MYL9 primarily originates from intestinal inflammation, not respiratory tissue.
Severe COVID may fundamentally be a gut disease, where intestinal infection triggers MYL9 release, causing lung complications.
This gut-centric model explains why late antivirals failed and why treatments targeting intestinal health, like vitamin D, showed benefit.
Why this is important: Physicians treated COVID as just a lung disease, but evidence suggests that severe cases may be driven by gut inflammation releasing a protein called MYL9. This could reframe treatment priorities to both respiratory support and intestinal health, potentially explaining why certain previously dismissed therapies showed unexpected benefits.
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HEALTH
The Ancient Practice of Nasal Irrigation Is Effective at Fighting the Common Cold
Authors: Mary J. Scourboutakos, Macon & Joan Brock, Old Dominion University
Nasal saline irrigation reduces the duration of colds by approximately two days and decreases viral transmission to others.
It works by physically flushing out viruses, creating an inhospitable acidic environment, and supporting the natural defense of cilia.
Regular use reduces unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions and can decrease allergy medication usage by 62 percent.
Mix half a teaspoon of non-iodized salt with distilled or boiled water, and begin irrigating at the first symptoms.
Why this is important: Rinsing inside your nose with salt water shortens cold symptoms by two days, prevents viral spread, and significantly reduces inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions; a major driver of drug-resistant infections. This centuries-old practice costs only pennies, requires no prescription, and works better than most over-the-counter remedies while helping to combat the growing antibiotic resistance crisis.
INFOGRAPHIC
EDUCATION
McMillan ROOT Spike Detox Protocol
You don’t have to settle for feeling anything less than your best. The McMillan ROOT Spike Detox Protocol is designed to give you a clear roadmap to better health and lasting results. Complete our survey, get the link on submission to book a Check-In meeting with Dr McMillan and start your journey back to health. Note that all meetings are scheduled in UK time.
MEDICAL NEWS IN BRIEF
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
🚥 Don’t Stress Out About Overeating During the Holidays: Holiday overindulgence won't permanently harm your health or weight. What matters more is avoiding food guilt, which can damage your relationship with eating over time. Instead, embrace the memory-forming power of shared meals: the emotional connections and traditions nourish you beyond calories, making those gatherings psychologically valuable, not shameful.
🚥 Five Everyday Habits That Could Be Harming Your Pancreas: Drinking, smoking, poor diet, inactivity, and obesity directly harm a small organ most people ignore until it fails. Since the pancreas controls both digestion and blood sugar, its deterioration can lead to diabetes, severe inflammation, and cancer. Fortunately, these risks respond to deliberate lifestyle modifications, offering genuine opportunities for prevention rather than just treatment.
🚥 Long COVID Can Take Eight Different Trajectories, Study Finds: Identifying eight distinct patterns in how long COVID develops and persists enables healthcare systems to better predict recovery timelines and allocate resources. Understanding this variability among patients opens pathways to discovering why some recover while others don't, potentially leading to targeted treatments for specific symptom trajectories. [SOURCE]
🚥 Should We Eat Dinner Earlier in Winter? Why Timing Might Matter More Than You Think: Winter's early darkness doesn't just affect mood; it shifts your metabolism too. Eating dinner earlier, when your body is still metabolically active, can improve blood sugar control, sleep quality, and energy levels. This simple timing adjustment offers a low-cost way to counter winter's metabolic drag.
🚥 Bacterium Could Be Key to Tackling Obesity Crisis: Researchers discovered that Turicibacter bacteria produce fat molecules that prevent obesity by suppressing harmful ceramides. Since low bacterial levels correlate with human obesity, this finding could enable probiotic supplements as metabolic treatments, offering new hope beyond traditional diet and exercise approaches. [SOURCE]
🚥 Medications Change Our Gut Microbiome in Predictable Ways: Researchers found that hundreds of common medications predictably reshape gut bacteria through nutrient competition, not just direct killing. This framework enables doctors to anticipate microbiome disruption and potentially design drug combinations, diets, or probiotics that preserve digestive health during treatment, transforming how medicine addresses collateral damage to our microbial partners. [SOURCE]
BOOK NOOK
Set within a child’s nose, ‘Humming Heroes’ features a family of Lymphocytes led by a wise Mother, brave Father, determined Brother, and heroic Baby, confronting invading microorganisms. The story takes an imaginative turn, when a humming melody combines with the Lymphocytes’ song to repel the invaders and restore inner harmony. |
"Disease X: Are You Prepared?" is your comprehensive guide to navigating the uncertain future of global health. Drawing from experience and the latest scientific insights, this book offers:
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