From eNewsletter 7/21/2021
DID YOU KNOW that recent data laud the benefits of weighted blankets for better sleep, insomnia, and better daytime functioning? A recent study in Journal of Clinical Sleep found over a 12-month period, 92% of all participants responded, and 78% went into remission, for insomnia. Overall sleep maintenance improved in the majority of participants. Scientists believe that the deep pressure from weighted blankets increases oxytocin. Oxytocin promotes relaxation, a sense of security, and sleep. If you are interested in purchasing one, participants in the study used a 17.6 lb. metal chain blanket. If too heavy, they received a 13.2 lb. blanket instead.
Announcements
Food Intolerance Test Blood Draw Update Next available Saturday blood draw date for the Biotrition food intolerance test is September 18th.
Text Us To better serve your needs, we now have the ability to accept text messages. Simply type in (847) 498-3422 and text away!
UPDATE - COVID-19 Vaccine Information We updated this document Monday, July 19th.
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.
In Today's Issue...
Well Connect Feature: Recipes du Jour*
COVID-19 Update
July 20% OFF Sale Items
Chiro Corner
Pure Genomics 2.0
Blog Briefs
Well Connect Member Benefits
*Paid Member Access Only
COVID-19 UPDATE
Steve and Bonnie: SARS-CoV-2 delta variant and other infectious pathogens are circulating en masse. Who hasn't heard a friend, neighbor, or family member complain of a cold, respiratory infection (especially in young children), or breakthrough COVID-19 infection recently?
This should not come as a surprise, as we told you this would happen once society fully reopened. If you let your guard down and stopped supporting your immune system, get back to your immune protocol immediately, even if fully vaccinated.
The SARS-CoV-2 delta variant is especially concerning for unvaccinated individuals, because it is more contagious and virulent than previous mutations. It also seems to be causing more breakthrough infections than expected in fully vaccinated persons. Given that the purpose of administering the vaccine was to limit severe illness and death, it is still doing that quite well. Recent real-world data from Israel specifically about the delta variant shows the Pfizer vaccine as 64% effective for preventing infection, and 94% effective for preventing hospitalization.
Masks for Young Children
A small, yet very important study published in JAMA Pediatrics was completely ignored by the media.
While only 20 girls and 25 boys (average age of 10) participated in the study, the researchers aimed to assess whether nose and mouth covering increases carbon dioxide in inhaled air. Not surprisingly, the researchers found the amount of inhaled carbon dioxide unacceptable, especially in the youngest children.
The authors suggest that long-term, consistent use of masks may lead to impairments attributable to hypercapnia, a condition of abnormally elevated carbon dioxide levels in the blood.
The authors ask that decision-makers weigh the hard evidence produced by these experimental measurements accordingly, which suggest that children should not be forced to wear face masks.
Thanks goodness the CDC recently set new guidelines not requiring children to wear masks for the upcoming school, but some states such as California are not following these guidelines, and are requiring children to still wear masks in school.
Genetics and COVID-19
A study in Nature pinpointed 13 human genes that are associated with COVID-19 infection outcomes. Of significance to us was ABO, the gene that has to do with blood type. This corroborates other research showing that blood type O persons are 9-12% less likely to get COVID-19 than blood type A persons.
Vaccine Adverse Event Data
Here is the most recent data from Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) from 12/14/2020 - 7/12/2021:
Percentage out of 300 million doses administered:
Total adverse events - .0015%
Serious injury events - .00014%
Death events - .00003%
Given the fact that VAERS complaints may be vastly underreported, even adding tens of thousands of complaints to this tally still shows overwhelming safety of the vaccines for the total population.
Andrographis
One of the main recommendations from our COVID-19 Monograph for the "infection phase" is the root herb, andrographis. We're delighted to see its efficacy in a recent randomized controlled human study from Medrxiv. Andrographis significantly reduced the number of sick days and none of the subjects taking andrographis developed pneumonia compared to those taking placebo.
Malnourished Hospital Patients
A study in Nutrients should convince you that it is in your best interests to stay out of the hospital at all costs if you have COVID-19. Thirty days after discharge, 28.6% of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 were still malnourished. Alternatively, with early nutritional management, most patients hospitalized for COVID-19 improved nutritional parameters after discharge. These findings emphasize the importance of optimal nutritional care in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
Unforeseen Vaccine Benefit?
A new study from Medrxiv presents the first known evidence that COVID-19 vaccines are fundamentally restricting the evolutionary and antigenic escape pathways accessible to SARS-CoV-2. The authors suggest that societal benefit of mass vaccination may consequently go far beyond the widely reported mitigation of SARS-CoV-2 infection risk and amelioration of community transmission, to include stemming of rampant viral evolution.
Low Testosterone and COVID-19 Risk
A study presented at the European Association of Urology Congress found that hypogonadism (clinical low testosterone) present at hospital admission for COVID-19 was independently associated with poorer outcomes in men.