Of course, of course

The FDA would like to remind you that you are not a horse. Or a cow. Don’t take ivermectin to prevent Covid-19. (And yes, it really is an issue.)

Covid vaccine notes

ICYMI: The FDA has given full approval to the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. Now “it’s only experimental” is no longer an excuse. Here come the mandates….

Elsewhere: India’s government has given emergency approval to the world’s first DNA-based Covid-19 vaccine, and in fact, the first DNA vaccine for humans, period. It requires three doses, and a preliminary study shows it’s 66 percent effective against symptomatic disease.

Nuts to cholesterol

Forget that pesky exercise — here’s a tasty way to cut LDL cholesterol, courtesy of UGA’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences: Eat at least 68 grams of pecans a day.

The researchers there found it had a pretty dramatic effect on total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol — “a greater and more consistent reduction in total cholesterol and LDL compared to many other lifestyle interventions.”

Researchers saw an average drop of 5% in total cholesterol and between 6% and 9% in LDL among participants who consumed pecans.

“We had some people who actually went from having high cholesterol at the start of the study to no longer being in that category after the intervention.”

I won’t say anything if you don’t

If you’ve got patients taking muscle relaxants for low-back pain, here’s some bad news: The chances of them working were just as good as the chances of them causing side effects: low.

Aussie researchers “reviewed and carried out a detailed analysis of evidence from 31 randomised controlled trials involving over 6,500 participants.” The only evidence they found that those drugs helped was the “very low certainty” type.

That doesn’t mean don’t take them, they say, just that actual clinical trials are needed.

* We’re talking non-benzo antispasmodics

The fat hormone

Researchers at University Hospitals in Cleveland say they’ve found both the cause of, and a treatment for, mice with metabolic syndrome — and the obesity it causes, too.

It’s a hormone called asprosin that “stimulates appetite and increases blood glucose levels by acting on the hypothalamus and the liver” (although they don’t know why that’s the case). Still, it’s an obvious target. Annnnd…

“When mice were treated with monoclonal antibodies that neutralize asprosin, they ate less, lost weight, and their blood glucose levels normalized.

Brewing resentment

So all those unvaccinated people overwhelming hospitals across the South? Guess who’s gonna be paying their hospital bills? Yep, that’s right — either taxpayers (if they don’t have insurance) or insurance companies. And with the average hospital stay costing around $20,000, you know those costs will soon be reflected in premiums.

How much are we talking? A quick look at preventable hospitalizations and we’re looking at $2.3 billion … so far.

This is why you read past the headlines

Headline: “No Permanent Lung Damage Observed After COVID-19 Recovery”

Reality: The study examined the lungs of a grand total of … 11 patients.

Vitamin D updates

Getting enough vitamin D can reduce the risk of myocardial infarction, but the key is enough: A study out of the Kansas City VA found that, while having a vitamin D level of 20 ng/mL is good enough in general (for staving off death), you need more — at least 30 ng/mL — to reduce the chance of MI.

= AND =

For folks under 50, “consuming higher amounts of vitamin D may help to protect against developing colorectal cancer and pre-cancerous polyps.” What is a “higher amount”?

“We found that total vitamin D intake of 300 IU per day or more — roughly equivalent to three 8-oz. glasses of milk — was associated with an approximately 50% lower risk of developing young-onset colorectal cancer.”

Jumping the gun?

Biden administration: “We’re gonna start giving boosters after a ‘thorough review of the evidence’.”

CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices: “We don’t have a meeting planned until the end of August at the earliest.”

Biden administration: “Boosters start September 20!”

“The whole idea of following the science is that you let your science go first, and then you follow it.”

A priest, a minister, and a rabbi walk into a physiotherapist’s study….

“Could humour be the key to a healthier society?“