At the time of writing this, I am trying out the nicotine theory for the first time. In my early stages of long COVID, roughly a year ago, I tested nicotine based on a few circulating theories suggesting that smokers were less likely to catch COVID-19. This seemed to ring true within my own circle of family and friends, particularly for my in-laws who are heavy smokers and remarkably never contracted COVID-19, unlike the rest of our family.I believed in the potential of the nicotine theory and began using nicotine sprays, distributing about five sprays per day, each delivering 1mg of nicotine. The underpinning theory behind this method suggests that a steady supply of nicotine in the blood may prevent COVID spike proteins from binding to acetylcholine receptors. This meant that my 1mg dosage was likely insufficient despite it boosting my energy levels due to nicotine's stimulating effect on dopamine production.Unfortunately, the benefits were short-lived and were often followed by crashes. As a result, I stopped using it due to the lack of significant improvement. But the thought of the potential benefits of nicotine remained.My observations, though anecdotal, did suggest a correlation between the heaviness of smoking and the effectiveness against COVID-19. I noticed variations even between my in-laws who had different smoking habits - my father-in-law, a heavier smoker, never suffered anything beyond sniffles, whereas my mother-in-law experienced brief bouts of COVID-19 before quickly recovering.Currently, I am revisiting the nicotine theory. A few months ago, I bought nicotine patches but didn't use them due to the remarkable results I was getting from dry fasting. However, the idea of using nicotine was somewhat intimidating, primarily due to our societal perspective on smoking's detrimental effects on health. But perhaps nicotine itself might not be as bad as we presume, and could potentially serve as a weapon against another harmful agent - COVID-19.I decided to go ahead with the nicotine test after seeing numerous anecdotal reports on Twitter, which created a flurry of support for the theory. Of course, the effectiveness varied among individuals, which is to be expected considering our unique physiologies. But there was a prevailing trend suggesting that those with less COVID-related damage or shorter long-COVID experiences seemed to gain more noticeable benefits.According to the theory, nicotine dislodges the virus or proteins from the receptor sites, which may cause a resurgence of symptoms as they circulate in the blood. The hope is that the body's antibodies can then destroy these viral agents. But this strategy is not without its challenges - people with severely compromised immune systems might struggle to clear the virus efficiently.This is where dry fasting, or fasting in general, can be an asset. It's surprising how many people with autoimmune issues shy away from extended fasting despite numerous anecdotal and research-backed benefits. Fasting is one of the few activities that trigger potent autophagy, allowing your body to heal and rejuvenate. Stem cells, especially, can help regenerate damaged organs and the immune system, which is crucial for the nicotine theory to work.I started with a 21mg nicotine patch, which can conveniently be torn in half for a dosage of approximately 10.5mg each. If you want a smaller dose, you can fold it to about 5.25mg. Since starting this, I've felt an increase in energy and uplifted mood.