Howard G. Smith, MD, AM
PENTA Medical Network
617-488-9699
If the top menu is not working correctly on your phone's or tablet's mobile browser, touch the tab at the middle of the bottom to reveal an alternative menu, a one-touch phone button, and a one-touch email button.
HealthNews RoundUp - 3rd Week of November 2021
=========================
==========================
REPORTS
==========================
How Effective Is A CoVid Booster?
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/CwlSvBXaXiE
A third dose of the Pfizer CoVid vaccine reduces the risk of a severe CoVid infection by 92%, a hospitalization for CoVid by 93%, and a CoVid-related death by 81%. These conclusions come from a massive study by Israel’s Clalit Institute in collaboration with the Harvard Medical School.
The researchers studied nearly 1.5 million persons from the end of July through late September, 2021 when Delta was the predominant version of CoVid in Israel. Half the group received the 3rd dose of Pfizer as a booster and the other half of matched controls only received the 2 dose initial vaccination.
The benefits of receiving a 3rd booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine began to appear as early as 7 days after vaccine and peaked at 49 days after the jab. This was true for protection against a breakthrough infection, hospitalization, and death.
The movement to offer CoVid vaccine boosters began in Europe as vaccine-induced CoVid immunity began waning 6 months following vaccination. If its been 6 months or more since you completed your CoVid vaccination with Pfizer or Moderna or 2 months or more since your J&J shot, get your booster now to protect yourself, your loved ones, and all of us.
https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736%2821%2902249-2.pdf
#CoVid #pfizer #moderna #JandJ #booster #vaccine
CoVid, pfizer, moderna, JandJ, booster, vaccine
Coffee During Pregnancy Is Beneficial
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/9EJG_JyIAIs
Drinking a 6 ounce cup of coffee during the first trimester will not increase a woman’s risk of gestational diabetes and drinking that same amount during the second trimester actually seems protective lowering the risk of diabetes by 47%. University of Pennsylvania and NIH epidemiologists just published these conclusions following their study of 2529 women.
In addition to studying the effect of caffeinated beverages on gestational diabetes, the investigators found that consuming these drinks created no increased risk for developing either gestational hypertension or preelampsia. Caffeine did not significantly change levels of blood sugar while it seemed to lower total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL while modestly raising HDL.
Remember though, these effects were seen in women moderating their caffeine intake by only consuming one cup of coffee or the equivalent each day.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2785784
#pregnancy #womenshealth #caffeine #coffee #diabetes #cholesterol
pregnancy, womenshealth, caffeine, coffee, diabetes, cholesterol
Concerns About Vaccinating Young Children Against CoVid
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/JQ1tBKpexVk
Now that the Pfizer CoVid vaccine has been approved for kids 5 through 12 years and you have to decide whether to vaccinate your child, consider 3 issues: safety, necessity to maintain your child’s health, and the necessity to maintain your family’s and community’s health. Excellent thoughts on these issues come from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Vaccine Education Center.
Safety Issues
-
Myocarditis: This heart tissue inflammation has rarely occurred in teens and young adults receiving mRNA vaccines. Only 5 of 100,000 males 16 to 29 years developed it compared with 59 of 100,000 after a CoVid infection. For females, those numbers are only 1 in 100,000 for the vaccine versus 39 in 100,000 for the infection.
-
Fertility: For females, vaccination often temporarily creates menstrual irregularity but seems to have no impact on fertility. Antibodies to CoVid either from vaccination or infection do not affect fertility, and millions of vaccinated women, even very young women, have become pregnant.
For males: vaccination does not alter sperm count or sperm motility. A CoVid infection, though, does reduce sperm count temporarily. -
Long-term effects: the genetic material in mRNA vaccines remains in the body for days to a few weeks at most, and it cannot change human DNA in the eggs or sperm.
Benefits for your Child:
Children DO get severe CoVid. Thousands have landed in hospitals and ICUs, and more than 650 have died. As more adults became vaccinated, the infection rates for kids have risen significantly from 3% at the pandemic’s start to more than 25% now. Vaccination with cut that rate back down.
Most worrisome is long CoVid with lingering symptoms of fatigue, headache, insomnia, trouble concentrating, pain, and cough. Then too, more than 5,000 children have been diagnosed with multi system inflammatory disease in children or MIS-C. The vaccine will reduce if not prevent these two complications.
Benefits for your Family:
Children infected with CoVid are very often asymptomatic, and they may silently spread the virus to parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches, and other children who immunity may be suboptimal due to illness or age. A recent study showed that 1 in 500 American kids has lost a parent or grandparent to CoVid. The vaccine will stop that silent and often deadly spread of disease.
The bottom line: The health and the way of life of all Americans are at risk from this continuing pandemic until all of us are vaccinated and have optimal immunity against CoVid. Do get your kid…. and yourself vaccinated.
#children #covid #vaccine #safety #fertility #longcovid
children, CoVid, vaccine, safety, fertility, longcovid
Disordered Sleeping A Risk For Severe CoVid
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/kuvLDJsuntA
Those with sleep disorders including breath-holding apnea and low blood oxygen concentrations or hypoxemia have a 31% higher risk of severe CoVid infections with hospitalization and death. Sleep researchers at the Cleveland Clinic conducted a case-control study of 5402 patients in its large vertically integrated health system with 1935 testing positive for CoVid.
Those with CoVid were more likely to have more than 15 apnea events per hour and have sustained periods of blood oxygen levels below 90%. Those with the most severe sleep apnea and hypoxemia had the worst clinical outcomes as they fought against CoVid for their lives. Those with hypoxemia between 1.8% and 12.8% of their time asleep had a 42% greater risk of death compared with those with low blood oxygen less than 1.8% of their time asleep.
Those with a sleep apnea history should be certain to keep their CoVid vaccinations current and their immunity optimal.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2785921
#CoVid #sleep #apnea #hypoxemia
CoVid, sleep, apnea, hypoxemia
Side Effects After The Third CoVid Vaccine Dose Versus the Second
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/MXWJrM0Zwwo
The risk of severe adverse events after the THIRD dose of either Moderna or Pfizer mRNA vaccines is comparable to those following the SECOND dose, and that risk is low in the 0.2 to 0.4% range. Investigators at the Mayo Clinic and the Cambridge, MA Nference company studied 9,095 persons who received 3 doses of Moderna vaccine and 38,094 persons who received 3 doses of Pfizer vaccine comparing their reactions after their third shot to those after their second one.
These charts show that the most common adverse events were only somewhat more common after the 3rd compared with the 2nd shot. The exception was in the incidence of swollen glands, usually in the arm pit nodes that drain the vaccination site in the upper arm. In general, adverse events were more common after the 3rd shot of Moderna vaccine compared with the Pfizer.
Side effects triggering an emergency department visit were greater for the 3rd than the 2nd shot but not significantly greater. ER visits after the Moderna were not significantly more frequent than after the Pfizer. Looking at the big picture: 99.2 to 99.6% of those getting the 3rd shot required no medical care after it.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.11.05.21265961v1.full.pdf+html
#CoVid #vaccine #pfizer #moderna #mRNA #sideeffects
CoVid, vaccine, pfizer, moderna, mRNA, sideeffects
Parents Intention To Vaccinate Their Kids
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/RxnLlRARmBw
After Pfizer announced a kids CoVid vaccine for children 5-11 years of age, 57% of parents, on average, reported that they intend to vaccinate their children. Let’s see which parents will and why.
Israeli investigators conducted an online survey of 1,012 parents of children 5 through 11 years of age living in that country. Of the 57% who will vaccinate, 27% will do so immediately, 26% will in 1 to 3 months, 17% will in 4 to 12 months, and 7% would wait more than a year. 23% will not vaccinate.
The reasons for delaying vaccination were: safety concerns in 64%, side effects fears in 60%, fear the the trials were carried out too quickly in 56%, a feeling that there is little need for vaccination in 33%, and the mistaken impression that there is low vaccine effectiveness in 25%.
More men than women would vaccinate, 63 vs 52%, more of those over 40 than under, 64 vs 49%, more of those with advanced degrees than without would vaccinate, 60 vs 53%, those with higher than average income vs lower, 67 vs 52%, those whose older kids received the vaccine vs not, 77 vs 46%, and parents who themselves were vaccinated vs not, 61 vs 15%.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.11.05.21265900v1.full.pdf
#CoVid #children #vaccine
CoVid, children, vaccine
CoVid Can Infect The Inner Ear
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/ZJlHdKNwpVU
Covid19 can now be added to the family of virus capable of infecting and damaging inner ear cells that provide our hearing and sense of balance. Investigators at MIT and Harvard’s Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary now report this finding that may explain why some CoVid patients report hearing loss, ringing in their ears or tinnitus, and balance problems.
The investigators studied cellular models of the inner ear and, in limited cases, actual human inner ear tissues obtained from patients undergoing surgery for other reasons including cancer. The cellular inner ear models were initially developed to study viruses known to cause deafness including cytomegalovirus mumps virus, and hepatitis virus. To create these models, stem cells were derived from skin cells and stimulated to differentiate into typical inner ear cells including hair cells, nerve cells, and supporting cells.
Studies show that inner ear cells including the all-important hair cells and nerve-insulating Schwann cells possess the ACE2 receptor proteins that permit CoVid infection. A clinical study of 10 CoVid patients with ear-related symptoms found that all had mild to profound hearing losses, 9 had tinnitus, and 6 had dizziness.
The prospect of hearing loss and dizziness are yet 2 more reasons to avoid getting CoVid and you know how you do that….. vaccination, masking, and ventilation.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s43856-021-00044-w
#CoVid #deafness #vertigo #tinnitus #ear
CoVid, deafness, vertigo, tinnitus, ear
CoVid Immunity Following Infection Vs. Vaccination
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/zFl5YnLr4mA
Vaccination with one of the mRNA CoVid vaccines, Moderna or Pfizer, is 5 times more protective against a subsequent CoVid infection compared with a natural CoVid infection. So says the CDC after its VISION Network reviewed data from 201,000 CoVid hospitalizations in 9 different states and found 7,000 persons to analyze in depth. They compared the risk of testing positive for CoVid for those who had a documented CoVid infection 3 to 6 months before to those who completed a course of mRNA vaccination 3 to 6 months before. All infections and vaccinations were documented by verified electronic health records.
The data analysis shows that the previously infected but unvaccinated persons were 5.5 times more likely to again test positive for CoVid compared with fully vaccinated persons who never had a previous CoVid infection. Comparing the two vaccines, the risk of reinfection for the unvaccinated was 7.3 times higher than for those receiving the Moderna vaccine compared with 5.1 times higher for those receiving the Pfizer. Thus, the Moderna vaccine appeared about 30% more effective than the Pfizer. The protective effect of vaccination versus infection trended even higher for older persons though the differences were not statistically significant.
The bottom line: get vaccinated and maintain good immunity through boosting. If infected in the past, still get vaccinated.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7044e1.htm?s_cid=mm7044e1_w
#CoVid #infection #vaccination #moderna #pfizer
CoVid, infection, vaccination, moderna, pfizer
==========================
CPSC Recalls
==========================
Recalls on Hanna Anderson Baby Ruffle Rompers and Baby Long Sleeve Wiggle Sets
Vid: https://youtu.be/HHniO3PeycQ
The CPSC and Hanna Anderson are recalling Hanna Anderson Baby Ruffle Rompers and Baby Long Sleeve Wiggle Sets. The snaps on these garments may detach and create a choking hazard for infants, toddlers, and young children. About 3200 of the ruffle rompers and 4400 of the wiggle sets were sold in the US and 10 of each garments were sold in Canada online at hannaanderson.com. Immediately stop the use of these garments and contact Hanna Anderson Customer Card by phone at 1-800-222-0544 or via email at help@hannaandersson.com in order to arrange for a refund the receipt of a postage-paid label in order to return the garments.
https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2022/Hanna-Andersson-Recalls-Baby-Ruffle-Rompers-Due-to-Choking-Hazard
#hannaanderson #romper #wiggleset #snaps #choking #recall
hannaanderson, romper, wiggleset #snaps #choking #recall
VidaXL Steel Pool Ladders Have Been Recalled
Vid: https://youtu.be/hVmwTIl3MlQ
The CPSC and VidaXL have recalled VidaXL Steel Pool Ladders. The steps of these ladders may loosen and detaching creating falls and drowning hazards for those climbing. About 3200 of these ladders were sold online at vidaxl.com. All pool owners and users should stop using these ladders immediately. Ladder owners should contact VidaXL by phone at 1-888-854-0905 or via email at recall@vidaxl.com in order to arrange a refund.
#vidaXL #poolladder #steps #falls #drowning #recall
vidaXL, poolladder, steps, falls, drowning, recall
Recalled Are Lambeth Outdoor Metal Torches
Vid: https://youtu.be/NB2v63W6wUA
The CPSC and RH recall Lambeth Outdoor Metal Torches. Flammable torch fuel may leak from the top of the torch canister due to a defective lid leading to fires and burns. About 1200 of these torches have been sold nationwide at RH Galleries and Outlets and online at rh.com. Immediately stop using these torches and contact RH by phone at 1-833-424-1125 or vial email at recall@rh.com to receive a prepaid shipping label and packaging for return of the defective torch lid and processing of a refund or credit.
https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2022/RH-Recalls-Outdoor-Torches-Due-to-Fire-Hazard-Recall-Alert
#rh #torch #lid #fire #burns #recall
rh, torch, lid, fire, burns, recall
==========================
FDA Recalls
==========================
Salma Natural Curry Powder Is Recalled
Vid: https://youtu.be/3QbCxcjhgSA
The FDA and the Spice ’n More Corporation are recalling Salma Natural Curry Powder, lot #H092021 with a Best Buy date of 12/20/2021. This product contains undeclared peanuts. Anyone with a peanut allergy ingesting this curry powder could develop a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction. If you bought this curry powder, return it to the place of purchase for a refund. If you have a question contact Spice ’n More Corporation by phone at 1-718-417-0746 or via email at mail@spice-n-more.com.
#spicenmore #salma #currypowder #peanuts #allergy #recall
spicenmore, salma, currypowder, peanuts, allergy, recall
More Whole Yellow, White, and Red Onions On Recall
Vid: https://youtu.be/hNL4XWKBC50
The FDA, Alsum Farms & Produce Inc., and Potandon have recalled Whole Yellow, White, and Red Onions sold as Alsum and Green Giant Fresh. This produce is contaminated with salmonella that may cause serious and life-threatening gastrointestinal and systemic infections especially in the very young, elders, and those with immunosuppression. The affected onions come from Keeler Family Farms and are labeled “Products of Mexico.” Do not consume these onions or use them as ingredients. Return them to the place of purchase for a refund or dispose of them. For more information about Alsum products call 1-800-236-5127 ext. 6703 and about Green Giant call Potandon at 1-800-637-8084.
#onions #greengiant #salmonella #infection #recall
onions, greengiant, salmonella, infection, recall
Recall on Salmon Lox
Vid: https://youtu.be/pjvGqsCXnG0
The FDA and the Oregon Lox Company are recalling salmon lox branded as Aqua Nova, North Coast, and Tony’s. These products are contaminated with listeria monocytogenes that can trigger severe or life-threatening infections in the young, elders, an in those with weakened immune systems. The affected lox was sold in Alaska, California, Oregon, and Washington State. Don’t consume these products but return them to the place of purchase for a refund. For additional information call Oregon Lox at 1-800-233-1850.
#salmon #lox #listeria #infection #recall
salmon, lox, listeria, infection, recall
Natural Delight Collection Dried Apricots Are On Recall
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/HWAql8CEd8E
The FDA and ILG International Trading Inc. have recalled Natural Delight Collection Dried Apricots with a Best Buy Date of 3/30/2022. This product contains undeclared sulfites. Those allergic to sulfite could develop serious or life-threatening reactions if they ingest this product. Do not consume these apricots but return the package to the place of purchase for a full refund. If you have questions about this recall call ILG Trading at 1-917-723-5436.
#naturaldelight #apricots #sulfite #allergy #recall
naturaldelight, apricots, sulfite, allergy, recall
Recall On Dietary Supplements
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/i_aqcuJQpi4
The FDA and Nutracap Holdings LLC are recalling variously branded dietary supplements due to undeclared milk, The brands include: AIOS Synergy, Alpha, Alpha Mind Labs, Apex Nutrition, Ariel, Battleborn Nutrition, Better, Black Magic, BlakeFit, Boba Origin, Cashmere Care, Chemix, Cognito Naturals, Creed Wellness, DH Nutra, DHG NutraZone, DRVN Nutraceutical, Dynamic Muscle, Enduring Atlas, Evolved Gym, Fit Farm, Genius Plus, Global Link, Gold Coast, Greater Her, Health Naturals, Hi-T Level, Hot Pink, Huge Nutrition, Human Performance, Human Project, Liquid Luck, Live Oak Nutrition, Live Simple, Macro Supps, Mass Nutraceuticals, MB Nutrition, Mind Functions, Muscle Rage, Muscles and Mascara, Myoblox, New Alpha Nutrition, OTAK Innovations, Ouro, Panda Supps, Premier Dynamic, Raw Nutrition, Reinvent, Revive MD, Richard Boy, Soul Nutrition, Tailor Made, TM Nutrition, Unlocked Supplements, UXO Supplements Vaxxen Labs, Vyce World, and Wycked Naturals. These products were sold in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas. If you have a milk allergy, do not ingest these supplements. Return them to the place of purchase for a full refund or destroy the product. For additional information, call Nutracap by phone at 1-866-943-5154.
#nutracap #supplements #milk #allergy #recall
nutracap, supplements, milk, allergy, recall
Ellenos Mango Greek Yogurt Is Recalled
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/oQtCh55ybvg
The FDA and Real Greek Yogurt are recalling Ellenos Mango Greek Yogurt. This product contains undeclared egg. Those with an egg allergy could develop a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction should they ingested this yogurt. It turns out that Mango yogurt cups were mistakenly filled with pumpkin yogurt. This product was sold in Oregon and Washington state. If you have this yogurt, do not consume it if you have an egg allergy. For more information contact Elleos by phone at 1-206-535-7562.
#ellenos #yogurt #egg #allergy #recall
ellenos, yogurt, egg, allergy, recall
X