Archives for November 2020

Hello again everyone:  Hope that your Thanksgiving holiday was restful and that you were able to connect with family in a safe way. I am sure that next year will be much more ‘normal’. And as you are all aware, it is our comorbidities that massively increase our risk for infections of all types, including SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, these comorbidities also up the risk for severity, developing long-hauler symptoms, as well as death. Comorbidities are defined as the simultaneous presence of two chronic diseases or conditions. So, is there anything we can easily do that can significantly increase our health and reduce the severity of any comorbid conditions we might have? As it turns out, we know that one of the greatest comorbidities is the constellation of symptoms and disorders related to dysregulation of insulin, and this includes:

• Being overweight, especially carrying ... Read more

Hello everyone: Some good news this week about the potential for vaccines becoming available soon. While there are still a lot of unanswered questions about these vaccines and possible caveats, it often happens that when people hear of the positive vaccine news, many may let their guard down. This type of reaction seems normal, that is, it has been reported in the medical and psychologic literature before as it relates to situations like we are currently in. In reality, this is absolutely NOT the time to let your guard down. We will continue to need to focus on preventive and protective measures even if the vaccine arrived tomorrow. This is due to the nature of multiple factors:

• It may take more than a year to get enough vaccine
• It can take months to know how well the vaccine works.
• Current studies are on healthy volunteers, we do not know how ... Read more

Hello everyone:  As this year progresses, the uncertainty, stress, economic burdens, election politics, civil unrest, social distancing, masks, lockdowns and all of the aspects of the pandemic have all added up to make 2020 a remarkably challenging year. In order to reduce this pervasive feeling of disaster all around us, there are steps we can take to at least reduce our risks related to Covid-19 illness. If you are wondering why the U.S. is breaking all world records for infections and death, then you should know that it is no secret that it is the comorbidities that are killing the most people who get Sars-CoV2 infection. Here is what the author of a recent research paper on Covid-19 mortality said: “We have the most comorbid country, probably, in the world, in the most contemporary time in the world. We have the most obese, the most comorbid, the most hospitalized, the most ... Read more

Hello friends: “We take care of the future best by taking care of the present now.” Jon Kabat-Zinn  Because this pandemic continues to spread, and because we are all still at risk, it absolutely remains critically important that we take steps now to reduce our risk. As you all know, the major risk factor for how seriously ill you become from Sars-CoV-2 is related to your current health status. If you have one or more co-morbidities then your risk of serious illness, even death, as well as long-term organ, neurologic or systemic damage becomes significantly greater. Managing your risk factors could conceivably save your life. In reviewing the current literature, it becomes clear and evident that diet-related health factors are responsible for over 90% of all Covid-19 related mortality. As noted in a previous blog: “With COVID-19, we have not just been fighting a communicable ... Read more