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Posted in Coronavirus
Modern Unabomber?
To which Kathy Shaidle commented:
I’m in general agreement, because with very few exceptions, most “manifestos” are a contradiction in terms.
By definition, they are written to arouse outrage and action amongst the general population, but are more frequently just a record of someone talking to themselves. The Unabomber’s manifesto would never have been published if he hadn’t killed a bunch of people….
When I finish my U.S. healthcare reform white paper, I think I’ll call it a manifesto.
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Posted in Healthcare Reform, QOTD
Comments Off on Note the Trend In #COVID19 Deaths In US
Posted in Coronavirus
Probably at little risk of serious illness if she’s generally healthy
The Slave is terrified of death. He yearns to obey authority figures. The Free man loathes the face mask, tries to push back thoughts about it being a muzzle-like humiliation ritual, to have to put one on at a store. I keep a scintilla of my humanity by folding a bandana into a triangle and tying it behind my head rather than having one of those face-cupping masks, which resemble the front part of men’s briefs.
The Slave fears death because he is an atheist. The Free man is nonchalant on the concept of death, especially when he’s not entirely convinced that the health-risk is real, because knows that there is a life beyond. So he sees no reason to cling to physical security past the point where personal dignity comes into play.
Source: The face mask – PA
Posted in QOTD
Probably at little risk of serious illness if she’s generally healthy
Early on in this pandemic, there was concern that people taking ACE inhibitor drugs for hypertension would be more prone to infection from the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. From two new studies in NEJM:
In this large, population-based study, the use of ACE inhibitors and ARBs was more frequent among patients with Covid-19 than among controls because of their higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease. However, there was no evidence that ACE inhibitors or ARBs affected the risk of COVID-19.
Source: Renin–Angiotensin–Aldosterone System Blockers and the Risk of Covid-19 | NEJM
We found no substantial increase in the likelihood of a positive test for Covid-19 or in the risk of severe Covid-19 among patients who tested positive in association with five common classes of antihypertensive medications [including ACE inhibitors and ARBs].
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Posted in Coronavirus
Milk is a common source of calcium
I don’t know, and I’m not sure anybody else does.
The biggest concern about inadequate calcium consumption is that your bones will be weak and brittle, leading to fractures.
Dr Harriet Hall at Science Based Medicine reviewed a NEJM article written by Drs Willets and Ludwig on the health effects of milk.
From Dr Hall:
I was surprised to learn that the US recommendations for milk consumption were based on small, flawed studies of calcium balance. Other countries recommend lower levels of calcium intake. The US recommends 1000-1200 mg for adults, the UK 700 mg, and the World Health Organization, 500 mg. Counterintuitively, countries with high milk and calcium intake actually have the highest rates of hip fracture. Clinical trials of calcium for fracture prevention are complicated, because of confounding factors like vitamin D, phosphorous, and adult height. High calcium intake during childhood and adolescence was thought to serve as a way to “bank” calcium, but studies have not supported that hypothesis. In fact, men’s risk of hip fracture increased by 9% for every additional glass of milk consumed during adolescence.
Source: Milk and Health: The Evidence – Science-Based Medicine
Steve Parker, M.D.
Click the pic to purchase at Amazon.com. E-book versions also available at Smashwords. com.
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Posted in Osteoporosis
Naturally low-carb Caprese salad: mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, basil, extra virgin olive oil
Reducing carbohydrate content of breakfast improved weight loss on a calorie-restricted Mediterranean diet. Both diets in the study at hand were calorie restricted Mediterranean diets but only one of them restricted carbs at breakfast. Unfortunately the abstract does not mention the degree of calorie restriction nor the the AM carb restriction.
From the abstract of the study at hand:
Methods
Seventy overweight/obese individuals were randomized to two hypocaloric dietary regimens: one Mediterranean diet (Med-D) and one morning carbohydrate-restriction diet (MCR-D). Participants assigned to the MCR-D were permitted to consume a breakfast low in carbohydrate content, whereas typical Mediterranean morning meals were allowed in the Med-D group. Both diets were identical from midday on. Participants were followed over a period of 2 mo.
Results
Individuals in both groups achieved significant reductions in body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, and body fat mass. These reductions were more pronounced in the MCR-D than in the Med-D group (all P < 0.001). More participants in the MCR-D group achieved loss of 5% to 10% of body weight by the end of the first month, as well as 5% to 10% and >10% of body weight by the end of the second month (all P < 0.001). All participants achieved loss of ≥5% baseline body weight by the end of the intervention. Both groups achieved similar reductions in fasting serum glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and serum triacylglycerols as well as improvement in insulin sensitivity. Individuals in the Med-D group showed reductions in total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, whereas no such effect was observed in the MCR-D group.
Conclusions
Integration of morning carbohydrate restriction into a Mediterranean-type hypocaloric diet resulted in greater weight loss while retaining metabolic benefits in glycemia-related parameters.
Steve Parker, M.D.
Click the pic to purchase at Amazon.com. E-book versions also available at Smashwords. com.
Most to the green teas I’ve purchased are brown
Green tea consumption is linked to reduce incidence of cardiovascular disease. The meta-analysis at hand suggests that the benefits are related to reduced total and LDL cholesterol. I suspect it’s more complicated than that.
Collectively, consumption of green tea lowers LDL cholesterol and TC, but not HDL cholesterol or triglycerides in both normal weight subjects and those who were overweight/obese; however, additional well-designed studies that include more diverse populations and longer duration are warranted.
Steve Parker, M.D.
Click the pic to purchase at Amazon.com. E-book versions also available at Smashwords. com.
No rule of law here. It’s the law of the jungle.
The Chinese coronavirus fiasco, the shocking killing of George Floyd, and the riots resulting from Democrat failure have taught the American people several things. One is that a surprising and sad number of law enforcement officers are willing to follow cheesy, stupid, and unconstitutional orders. A quick tour of social media will horrify you with the damage done to that support by video of stupid cops hassling civilians for going outside or trying to attend church. The people who long backed the blue feel stabbed in the back, and LEOs are going to have to work to earn back the support they lost because a lot of their comrades sided with Democrat bullies against the people.
Similarly, we have learned that the police are not necessarily going to be there for us. From that gooey tub of cowardice in Florida who let kids be murdered while he stood with a weapon outside the school – I can’t even type those words without sputtering in rage – to the MPD [Minneapolis Police Department] running away and letting criminals burn their building, do you feel comfortable putting your lives in the hands of such government employees? The one inspirational sight during the riots was a bunch of black Americans with modern rifles defending their businesses.
Posted in Coronavirus, QOTD
Are you tired of this pic yet?
I’ve reported here before that shockingly high rates of COVID-19 deaths in elder care facilities in a few individual states. Avik Roy looked at data from multiple states:
According to an analysis that Gregg Girvan and I conducted for the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, as of May 22, in the 43 states that currently report such figures, an astounding 42% of all COVID-19 deaths have taken place in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
* * *
And 42% could be an undercount. States like New York exclude from their nursing home death tallies those who die in a hospital, even if they were originally infected in a long-term care facility. Outside of New York, more than half of all deaths from COVID-19 are of residents in long-term care facilities.
* * *
Nearly one-tenth of all New Jersey long-term care residents have died from COVID-19
As I recall, the first COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. was in a nursing home in Kirkland, Washington.
Do you ever wonder how this pandemic could have been less severe if our rulers had concentrated their public health efforts on elder care facilities and older vulnerable adults? I do.
Steve Parker, M.D.
Click the pic to purchase at Amazon.com. E-book versions also available at Smashwords. com.
Posted in Coronavirus
Click the pic to purchase at Amazon.com. E-book versions also available at Smashwords.com.
