From eNewsletter 4/28/2021
DID YOU KNOW two new studies laud non-invasive complementary therapies for older persons? Music therapy should be a first line of therapy for older adults with sleep disturbances, which would reduce the need for dependence on sedatives and sleeping medication, according to a study from Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Participants who listened to “sedative music” rather than rhythmic beats displayed the highest increase in sleep quality. Sedative tunes typically have a slow tempo, between 60 and 80 beats per minute, a soft volume, and smooth melody. Horticulture therapy, a novel intervention that uses plants, horticultural activities, and the natural environment, reduces apathy and improves cognitive function for patients with dementia, new research from Aging and Mental Health suggests.
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UPDATE - COVID-19 Vaccine Information We updated this document Monday April 26th.
Virus Prevention And Treatment Vaccines will minimize COVID-19 related mortality and hospitalizations, but SARS-CoV-2 is not going away, as evidenced by its ever-mutating variants. Moreover, SARS-CoV-2 is not the only virus we fight. There are influenza (flu), norovirus (stomach flu), adenovirus (common cold), and four other coronaviruses (common cold), among others.We highly recommend continuing your immune support. For more information, refer to our Prevent and Fight Viruses 2.0 Protocol.
COVID-19 Condition Monograph For those interested in conventional and integrative treatments for COVID-19 with over 250 references, this is our COVID-19 Condition Monograph.
Post-COVID Syndrome The official diagnosis for post-COVID syndrome (PCS) are symptoms that last for 12 weeks or more. If you, a family member, friend, coworker, or neighbor is suffering from PCS, diligently following our Post-COVID Syndrome Action Plan for purchase, or free to paid members here, can bring measurable improvement.
COVID-19 UPDATE
Steve and Bonnie: A public awareness campaign about vitamin D? Unfortunately, it was not in the US. Researchers publishing in Medrxiv followed the country of Slovenia's mass media awareness campaign about vitamin D supplementation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign not only increased vitamin D usage in its population from 33% from the beginning of the pandemic to 56% mid-way through the pandemic, but the average dosage went up as well. We have to be honest, we're jealous of Slovenia!
COVID-19 Hospital Admissions, Deaths in Vaccinated Versus Unvaccinated
In older English adults, a study in Medrxiv reports emergency hospital admissions were 51.0% lower and positive COVID-19 tests were 55.2% lower for vaccinated individuals compared to unvaccinated 21 to 27 days after first vaccination. Emergency admissions were 75.6% lower and positive COVID-19 tests were 70.1% lower 35 to 41 days after first vaccination when 79% of participants had received a second dose compared to unvaccinated individuals.
At a Houston hospital, of the 225 deaths among COVID-19 hospitalizations, 97.3% were in the unvaccinated, 2.2% in the partially vaccinated, and 0.0041% in the fully vaccinated group. The authors of the Medrxiv study state mRNA vaccines were 96% effective at preventing COVID-19 related hospitalization and 98.7% effective at preventing COVID-19 related death when participants were fully vaccinated. Partial vaccination was 77% effective at preventing hospitalization and 64.2% effective at preventing death.
Israel has recorded no new daily COVID-19 deaths for the first time in 10 months, as the country has the highest vaccination rate in the world.
Closer to home, COVID-19 hospitalizations among Americans 65 and over have plunged more than 70% since the start of the year, which is especially encouraging because senior citizens have accounted for 8 out of 10 deaths from the virus.
The vaccine seems to be doing what it was meant to do...prevent severe illness and death.
Protection for Those Who Had COVID-19
For the first time, a study in Medrxiv indicates that COVID-19 infected individuals are likely to be protected from reinfection at least 12 months after symptom onset and maybe even longer. While the study focused on the small population of the Faroe Islands, results can further our understanding of natural immunity.
One Dose Produces Strong Results
In two new studies reported by the World Health Organization, 21 days after a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine, new COVID-19 infections, both symptomatic and asymptomatic, had fallen by 65%.
Vaccines and T-Cell Priming
Everyone is asking about mRNA vaccines' effect on T-cell immunity, which is seen as one of, if not, the most important category of immune cells for COVID-19 protection. Research publishing in Medrxiv found robust T cell responses to mRNA vaccination and highlighted early induction of the most important antigen-specific CD4+ T and CD8+ T cells.
The Reality of Post-COVID Syndrome
Two studies last week reveal the reality of what is going to be millions of people around the world suffering from post-COVID syndrome.
How important do US public health experts think this issue will be? The National Institutes of Health announced a $1.15 billion, four-year initiative to study the causes and prevention of long COVID.
Long-haul neurologic symptoms of COVID-19 are distinct from other neurologic conditions. Biological mechanisms behind these problems indicate inflammation and autoimmune responses, according to presented at the 2021 annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.
This is why our PCS action plan is so crucial to help those suffering.
Prediction and Model of When We Could Return to Normal
According to modeling for the state of Colorado, researchers in Medrxiv suggest if the vaccination rate in the population is not 70% or more, then return to normal behavior within the next year may newly stress the healthcare system with COVID-19 cases in unvaccinated.
In a Medscape column canvassing public health expert opinions, they agree that there is never going to be COVID zero, as it is not an eradicable disease. From here on out, COVID-19 will follow a seasonal pattern: drop in cases in the summer and a rise in winter. But they concur that if vaccination rates continue on their upward trend, severe cases and death will drop dramatically, which will allow us to achieve normalcy eight months from now.
BONNIE'S SPRING SALADS This article is reserved for NCI Well Connect Members. You can get this article by signing up here. You can get our free eNewsletter by signing up at the top of our website.
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