#COVID-19 Link Dump: Denmark Suspends Vax Program, Religious Exemption From Vax Mandate, Vax May Prevent Recurrent Infection, Ivermectin Worthless

artist's rendition of coronavirus
Artist’s rendition of Coronavirus

Denmark suspends their vax program starting May 15. May restart in the Fall.


From Jann Bellamy at Science-Based Medicine (Federal employment rights agency inundated with thousands of COVID-related discrimination claims):

As for a worker claiming a religious exemption to an employer’s vaccine mandate, the EEOC’s guidance said that the employer must provide a reasonable accommodation “for the religious belief, practice, or observance” that prevents the worker from receiving the vaccine under Title VII, unless that accommodation poses more than a “de minimis” cost or burden.

“If, however, an employee requests a religious accommodation, and an employer has an objective basis for questioning either the religious nature or the sincerity of a particular belief, practice, or observance, the employer would be justified in requesting additional supporting information . . .”

Further complicating the issue, the EEOC advised that “religion” is not limited to established religions like Christianity, Judaism and Islam. It also includes “religious beliefs that are new, uncommon, not part of a formal church or sect, or only held by a small number of people”. As well, “nontheistic beliefs can also be religious for purposes of the Title VII exemption as long as they ‘occupy in the life of that individual’ ‘a place parallel to that filled by. . . God in traditionally religious persons’”. Thus, “the non-discrimination provisions of the statute also protect employees who do not possess religious beliefs or engage in religious practices”.


In Israel:

Among patients who had recovered from Covid-19, the receipt of at least one dose of the BNT162b2 [Pfizer] vaccine was associated with a significantly lower risk of recurrent infection.

But…

If you have a recurrent infection, wouldn’t you expect to be sick? Acute illness didn’t necessarily have anything to do with labeling someone as infected. “We compared rates of recurrent infection, as identified on ad hoc RT-qPCR testing, among patients who had received the BNT162b2 vaccine with rates among unvaccinated patients.” I found no criteria defining “ad hoc” in the Methods section. “Recurrent infection was defined as a positive RT-qPCR test for SARS-CoV-2 at least 100 days after the primary infection.” Regardless of symptoms, then. I’ve run across a number of patients with a positive PCR test yet no symptoms. Until very recently, the hospital where I work was testing everyone admitted, for any reason, for COVID-19. So if you felt fine but got bucked off your horse and suffered a hip fracture, you got tested.


From Brazil:

Treatment with ivermectin did not result in a lower incidence of medical admission to a hospital due to progression of Covid-19 or of prolonged emergency department observation among outpatients with an early diagnosis of Covid-19

The treatment dose was 400 mcg/kg daily for three days. Study subjects were allowed to have symptoms for up to seven days before starting the drug. Ivermectin proponents would say you need to start the drug much earlier than seven days in. The researchers report: “We observed no benefit with ivermectin as compared with placebo among patients who began the trial regimen within 3 days after symptom onset (relative risk, 1.14; 95% Bayesian credible interval, 0.76 to 1.74).” About have of the ~650 ivermectin recipients were started on the drug within 3 days os symptom onset.

More than 60 randomized trials of ivermectin for the treatment of Covid-19 have been registered, and findings have been reported for as many as 31 clinical trials.5 The results have been discordant, and various review groups interpret the evidence differently — some advocating for benefits of ivermectin, and others reticent to conclude a benefit.6-8 However, most trials have been small, and several have been withdrawn from publication owing to concerns about credibility.9


I’m still waiting for the experts to tell me why otherwise healthy 55-year-olds die from this disease. A genetic defect in their immune system? Inadequate exposure to coronaviruses earlier in life? Undiagnosed and untreated vitamin D deficiency? Just bad luck?

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: Obesity is a risk factor for a bad outcome from COVID-19. Let me help reduce your risk. You think COVID is done with us? Maybe. But I wouldn’t bet the farm on it. Dr Fauci had over two years to tell you to lose the excess weight, exercise, and get some sun exposure. But he never did it.

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TSA Won’t Enforce Travel Mask Mandate

face mask, young woman
She’s at little risk of COVID-19 if she’s generally healthy

…for now. You may have already heard. From Politico.com:

The administration said Monday evening that it will stop enforcing the federal mask mandate for travel — for now — after a federal judge in Florida earlier in the day struck down the CDC’s mask requirement for planes and trains, ruling that the agency overstepped its statutory authority. 

An administration official said the federal government is still determining how it will respond to the ruling…

1967 Attack on the USS Liberty in the Mediterranean: What Really Happened?

Thirty-four crew members died in this forgotten disaster.

If you have only a little interest, read this short article by Alison Weir. An excerpt:

The American Legion, founded in 1919, is the nation’s largest wartime veterans’ assistance organization. According to its mission statement, the Legion is committed to “devotion to our fellow servicemembers and veterans.”

Yet, Legion honchos are actively hostile to veterans of the USS Liberty – the most decorated ship since World War II. In fact Liberty is among the most decorated ships for a single engagement in the entire history of the U.S. Navy.

Don’t believe everything your government and the mainstream media tells you.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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The Joe Biden Diet

Will Alcohol Wreck a Ketogenic Diet?

Jameson’s in a hotel bar near Chicago

Judicious alcohol consumption is a reasonable component of many successful ketogenic diets. But the practice can also be a dangerous minefield. Anne Mullins over at DietDoctor has a great article that will steer you away from the mines. An excerpt:

Nyström notes that alcohol is actually the fourth macronutrient after protein, fats and carbohydrates, and that in many nutrition studies its intake is often overlooked. In Mediterranean countries like Greece and Italy, alcohol makes up about 10 % of caloric intake and may partially contribute to the touted benefits of the Mediterranean diet, Nyström says.

Drinking alcohol, however, may slow weight loss for some. Dr. Sarah Hallberg [R.I.P.] advises her patients who are trying to lose weight and/or reverse diabetes to have a maximum 1 glass of wine for women and 2 for men, and not every day. “If they experience any weight stall, I recommend they stop the alcohol completely,” says Hallberg.

Both Dr. Jason Fung and Dr. Ted Naiman discourage any alcohol use among patients in their care who are still trying to lose weight, reverse diabetes or heal a fatty liver (see point 5). “I find alcohol is not conducive to steady weight loss,” says Fung.

Read the whole thing to learn about the dopamine reward system, alcohol abuse and addiction, liver diseases, and hangovers. If you often drink to the point of hangovers, that’s too much alcohol!

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: The Advanced Mediterranean Diet includes a doctor-designed ketogenic diet as one option for weight loss.

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R.I.P.: Dr Sarah Hallberg, Low-Carb Hero

I was saddened to hear of the untimely death of Dr Sarah Hallberg even though I didn’t know her personally. DietDoctor has a tribute article about her in case you’re not familiar. An excerpt:

Dr. Hallberg first burst onto the low carb scene with a 2015 TED Talk: “Reversing type 2 diabetes starts with ignoring the guidelines” The video advocated using a low carb diet – eating minimally unprocessed whole foods like eggs, meat, and vegetables with butter or cheese – to improve blood sugar and reverse diabetes symptoms.

The video went viral and has now had more than 8.6 million views. As news of her passing spread, hundreds of viewers posted on the site saying how her advice had saved their lives.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Dietitian Experiments With Low-Carb Eating for Five Years: Results?

Sous vide chicken and sautéed sugar snap peas

Registered Dietitian Joy Kiddie has a blog post summarizing the results of her five-year low-carb journey.

It starts thusly:

Tomorrow is March 5th [2022] and it is five years since I began my personal health and weight recovery journey that I’ve dubbed “A Dietitian’s Journey“.  While it began in 2017, in a way it still continues today and that is the point behind this post. 

Five years ago, I was obese, had type 2 diabetes for the previous 8 years, and had developed dangerously high blood pressure. 

Recommended. You’ll find out if low-carb eating put her diabetes into remission.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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front cover of paleobetic diet

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Got a Surprise Medical Bill? Know Your Rights

From JAMA Health Forum: Law Banning Surprise Medical Bills Takes Effect

A new law that took effect on January 1 protects patients with private insurance from surprise medical bills for services received in an emergency situation or when care at a facility covered by a patient’s health insurance plan is provided by an out-of-network clinician.

The No Surprises Act, which the US Congress passed in 2020 as part of legislation to fund the federal government for fiscal year 2021 and provide stimulus relief for the COVID-19 pandemic, applies to most surprise bills for emergency care and for nonemergency services received at in-network facilities.

According to a recent issue brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation, the federal government estimates that the act will apply to approximately 10 million out-of-network surprise medical bills a year.

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: Avoid the medical-industrial complex as much as you can by exercising and avoiding obesity. Let me help.

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COVID-19 Link Dump: Ivermectin Effectiveness, Florida’s Surgeon General Defies CDC’s Child Vax Guideline

But it’s horse de-wormer!

Malaysian study says ivermectin doesn’t work in COVID-19. Patients were 50 or older and considered to be at high risk of severe disease. The dose of ivermectin was reasonable.

Dr Pierre Kory disagrees:

There are really three main problems with this study and its aftermath; 

1) Publication Bias: given my personal knowledge of a number of researchers whose profoundly positive ivermectin studies were rejected by JAMA [Journal of the American Medical Association], they, for the second time in a row, reveal a profound publication bias. It is a well-known disinformation tactic for high impact journals like JAMA to somehow only publish studies without “statistically significant benefits” for medicines that Pharma does not want to see in play (generally generic medicines), as they similarly avoid publishing studies of “harms” associated with Pharma favored products (i.e tobacco studies last century and/or vaccine studies this one). What is fascinating is that JAMA’s (“PHAMA’s”) ivermectin papers actually all report important benefits, but most importantly for JAMA, none that reach “statistical significance.” 

2) Study Conclusion: JAMA saw fit to ensure inclusion of this phrase at the end of the conclusion, “the findings do not support the use of ivermectin for treatment of mild COVID-19,” despite what could arguably be called a compellingly supportive study based on a number of important, near statistically significant reductions in secondary outcomes like death. An absurdly obvious reason why statistical significance was not reached was that, in this population of patients, like many other upcoming trials (NIH’ ACTIV-6, U Minnesota’s COVID-OUT, Oxford’s Principle trial etc) they allowed patients to enter the trial up to 7 days from first symptoms. It is well known anti-virals efficacy is strongest.. earlier. In this trial, the average time from first symptoms was 5.1 days with a confidence interval of 1.3, meaning, pretty much nobody got treatment within 3 days of symptoms. Yet, this critical feature of this trial gets ignored in the conclusion (many conclusions will include important limitations of the study’s findings, unsurprisingly, not this one).

JAMA, per their strict criteria, also consistently avoids mention in conclusion statements of large differences in massively important secondary outcomes. Best example of this behavior by JAMA was the IV Vitamin C in ARDS trial. Read the conclusion. Then read the paper, and look at Table 2 and Figure 3… you find a massive, statistically significant reduction in mortality in those treated with IV Vitamin C. Hard to find.. but it is there. If JAMA wouldn’t allow those authors to mention it in that paper’s abstract conclusion, no surprise they did it again here. 

3) the masses of doctors and media who simply propagate and disseminate that sentence and abstract without reading the actual study or reviewing the actual data while ignorant of the findings from the highest level of medical evidence.. the “meta-analyses” of ivermectin (summary analyses of all trials).


Dr Joseph Ladapo says Florida will be the first state to recommend against COVID-19 vaccines for healthy kids.


Now that Vladimir Putin has cured COVID-19, I’ll be posting less about it.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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Cataract Extraction Linked to Lower Risk of Dementia

From JAMA Network, December 2021:

Photo by Dominika Greguu0161ovu00e1 on Pexels.com


Association Between Cataract Extraction and Development of Dementia

Question  Is cataract extraction associated with reduced risk of developing dementia?

Findings  In this cohort study assessing 3038 adults 65 years of age or older with cataract enrolled in the Adult Changes in Thought study, participants who underwent cataract extraction had lower risk of developing dementia than those who did not have cataract surgery after controlling for numerous additional risks. In comparison, risk of dementia did not differ between participants who did or did not undergo glaucoma surgery, which does not restore vision.

Meaning  This study suggests that cataract extraction is associated with lower risk of developing dementia among older adults.

Importance  Visual function is important for older adults. Interventions to preserve vision, such as cataract extraction, may modify dementia risk.


Details in the abstract:

Objective  To determine whether cataract extraction is associated with reduced risk of dementia among older adults.

Design, Setting, and Participants  This prospective, longitudinal cohort study analyzed data from the Adult Changes in Thought study, an ongoing, population-based cohort of randomly selected, cognitively normal members of Kaiser Permanente Washington. Study participants were 65 years of age or older and dementia free at enrollment and were followed up biennially until incident dementia (all-cause, Alzheimer disease, or Alzheimer disease and related dementia). Only participants who had a diagnosis of cataract or glaucoma before enrollment or during follow-up were included in the analyses (ie, a total of 3038 participants). Data used in the analyses were collected from 1994 through September 30, 2018, and all data were analyzed from April 6, 2019, to September 15, 2021.

Exposures  The primary exposure of interest was cataract extraction. Data on diagnosis of cataract or glaucoma and exposure to surgery were extracted from electronic medical records. Extensive lists of dementia-related risk factors and health-related variables were obtained from study visit data and electronic medical records.

Main Outcomes and Measures  The primary outcome was dementia as defined by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition) criteria. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were conducted with the primary outcome. To address potential healthy patient bias, weighted marginal structural models incorporating the probability of surgery were used and the association of dementia with glaucoma surgery, which does not restore vision, was evaluated.

Results  In total, 3038 participants were included (mean [SD] age at first cataract diagnosis, 74.4 (6.2) years; 1800 women (59%) and 1238 men (41%); and 2752 (91%) self-reported White race). Based on 23 554 person-years of follow-up, cataract extraction was associated with significantly reduced risk (hazard ratio, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.62-0.83; P < .001) of dementia compared with participants without surgery after controlling for years of education, self-reported White race, and smoking history and stratifying by apolipoprotein E genotype, sex, and age group at cataract diagnosis. Similar results were obtained in marginal structural models after adjusting for an extensive list of potential confounders. Glaucoma surgery did not have a significant association with dementia risk (hazard ratio, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.75-1.56; P = .68). Similar results were found with the development of Alzheimer disease dementia.

Conclusions and Relevance  This cohort study found that cataract extraction was significantly associated with lower risk of dementia development. If validated in future studies, cataract surgery may have clinical relevance in older adults at risk of developing dementia.


What else reduces risk of dementia? The Mediterranean Diet!

Steve Parker, M.D.

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