U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson mentioned this week that mouthwash is a method to shield from COVID-19 however the producer of Listerine and medical experts say research of the thought have not yet concluded it is a confirmed antidote.
Johnson in a city corridor occasion on Wednesday mentioned a “standard gargle” of mouthwash “has been proven to kill the coronavirus” or could scale back viral replication to assist shield from a critical surge of COVID-19 circumstances.
“Why not try all these things?” he mentioned, together with mouthwash in an inventory of options to COVID-19 vaccines and face masks, like taking dietary supplements of Vitamin D, Vitamin C and Zinc.
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In an announcement to the Journal Sentinel, Johnson mentioned he was not suggesting nutritional vitamins or mouthwash was a substitute for COVID-19 vaccines.
“I did not say that taking vitamins, using mouthwash, would be a replacement for the vaccine, should you choose to get one. There are multiple studies that say mouthwash may reduce viral load,” Johnson mentioned. “Even Dr. Fauci said, ‘I would not mind recommending, and I do it myself, taking vitamin D supplements.’ I continue to be amazed at the resistance to anything that might reduce the severity of COVID-19 symptoms.”
Johnson regularly promotes unproven remedies for COVID-19 and expresses doubt in proven ways to combat the pandemic like vaccines. In this case, Listerine mouthwash’s effect on disrupting the virus is being studied but its manufacturer and medical experts said the research has not produced the conclusion Johnson suggested to his constituents on Wednesday.
More: ‘Fundamentally dangerous’: Ron Johnson has long history of promoting views at odds with scientific research
“We are conscious of a number of ongoing, unbiased medical trials the place LISTERINE® is being assessed in sufferers with COVID-19. However, the present accessible knowledge shouldn’t be ample to assist a conclusion that the use of LISTERINE® mouthwash is useful in opposition to the COVID-19 virus,” said a statement from Johnson & Johnson shared with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
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“Our understanding of the course of COVID-19 illness transmission continues to evolve. Overall, extra analysis is required to perceive whether or not use of mouthwashes can influence viral transmission, publicity, viral entry, viral load and in the end have an effect on significant medical outcomes or have a public well being influence.”
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson is promoting mouthwash as a way to protect from COVID-19 but the manufacturer of Listerine and medical experts say studies of the idea haven’t yet concluded it’s a proven antidote.
Johnson & Johnson officials said it would “think about additional funding in lab and medical research with trusted collaborators, enjoying an necessary position in understanding the interplay between oral care and the COVID-19 virus within the mouth.”
Ben Weston, an associate professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Chief Health Policy Adviser for Milwaukee County, said mouthwash kills germs in a person’s mouth but “it doesn’t have the identical impact on the remaining of your physique.”
“The COVID-19 virus enters by means of the nasal passages and can ravage your lungs, inflicting problem respiratory. It can harm your coronary heart inflicting scarring and decreased cardiac perform. It can harm the liner of your blood vessels inflicting clotting. It can harm your kidneys, main to long run organ failure. It can harm your reproductive system, main to poor start outcomes and erectile dysfunction. The listing goes on,” Weston said. “We want to give attention to prevention that works. The COVID vaccines are secure, they’re efficient and they’re free.”
Weston said vaccines make it less likely to get infected in the first place, less likely to transmit the virus to someone else, less likely to experience serious illness after infection, and less likely to get hospitalized or die of the virus.
More: Dr. Ben Weston works ER shifts, advises policymakers and educates the public about COVID. It’s a heavy load and he thrives on it.
Ajay Sethi, associate professor of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, said no one is discouraging the use of the remedies Johnson is proposing but the public should know they are not proven to be effective in protecting against COVID-19 infection.
“Things like house cures, nutritional vitamins and dietary supplements, new diets have been marketed to and utilized by folks in our society for many years, centuries even, for all types of illnesses. No one is discouraging their use, however they don’t present tangible profit in opposition to Covid, and they aren’t an alternative to vaccination,” Sethi said.
‘Not appropriate for any virus’
Ali Mokdad, chief strategy officer of population health at the University of Washington, said Johnson’s suggestion to turn to vitamins and mouthwash “shouldn’t be acceptable for any virus.”
“Our suggestions are for people to get vaccinated (3 doses, get a booster as quickly as they’re eligible), put on a masks (good high quality masks and put on it appropriately), watch their distance, keep away from gathering, and wash palms,” Mokdad said by email.
In his comments on Wednesday, Johnson criticized the National Institutes of Health for focusing on the recommendation to get vaccinated against the virus.
Patrick Remington, a former epidemiologist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s preventive medicine residency program, said the NIH relies on proven treatments.
“Simply put, the NIH and different researchers set a excessive bar for proving {that a} remedy is efficient. Studies performed within the lab or in animals, or medical anecdotes play an necessary half within the analysis course of, and lead to hypotheses which are then examined in rigorous, managed trials,” Remington said.
“It would boggle my thoughts if we skipped this essential step, and as a substitute practiced drugs primarily based solely on hunches and greatest guesses. We want to be affected person and let the scientific course of play out, and guarantee that we first do no hurt.”
Sethi famous 200 million Americans have chosen to take the recommendation of the CDC, NIH, and quite a few medical and scientific experts to get vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19.
Contact Molly Beck at molly.beck@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @MollyBeck.
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This article initially appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ron Johnson touts mouthwash to kill COVID. Get vaccinated, experts say
