Michael Carlston, MD

This study compared proper conventional drug treatments for chronic migraines to acupuncture. Acupuncture was better, because it was as effective as the pharmaceuticals but with fewer adverse effects. https://www.frontiersin.org//10.3389/fneur.2020.570335/full

I am delighted to FINALLY see this happening. Simple home testing, like vaccinations, masks, distancing, HEPA + UV air filtration and taking care of yourself in every way, is a key to unlocking a post pandemic life.

Benzene was among the first carcinogenic chemicals identified. It is also a liver loxin. From Bloomberg re hand sanitizers sold during COVID: The dangerous fallout from sanitizer demand... Hand sanitizers exploded in popularity a year ago as people rushed to protect themselves from coronavirus germs, making room for lesser-known brands to jump into the market. But sometimes when newcomers help fill a supply gap, standards droop. Online pharmacy Valisure, which tests the products it sells for impurities, analyzed 260 hand sanitizer bottles from 168 brands and found 17% contained detectable levels of the known carcinogen benzene. Twenty-one bottles from 15 different brands contained benzene levels over two parts per million, which is a temporary limit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowed for liquid hand sanitizers to try to keep supply on shelves even as mainstays like Purell and Suave sold out. Valisure found those big-name brands were safe. Artnaturals, which has more than 10,000 reviews on Amazon.com for various versions of its 8-ounce and 1-gallon hand sanitizer containers, had the highest benzene levels at 16 parts per million in one of the bottles Valisure tested. Another cleanser among the top offenders was a Baby Yoda-themed bottle from Best Brands Consumer Products. Benzene is a serious carcinogen. The World Health Organization’s cancer research arm ranks it among the most dangerous cancer-causing chemicals, on par with asbestos. It has been found to cause leukemia in workers in manufacturing industries. The chemical is also used to purify ethanol, the grain alcohol used to make hand sanitizers. Once bottles of hand sanitizer hit store shelves, the benzene is supposed to have been distilled away or at least to very low levels. Valisure asked the FDA to recall hand sanitizers that have high levels of benzene. The regulator has focused on getting a large number of hand sanitizers that contain another contaminant, a poisonous alcohol called methanol, off the market. The FDA encourages retailers to remove products from stores shelves and online marketplaces if quality issues arise, said Jeremy Kahn, a spokesman. The agency reminds manufacturers, distributors, re-packagers and importers they are responsible for the quality of their products and urges manufacturers to test their ingredients to ensure they meet specifications and are free from harmful contamination, he said in an email. Sidney Wolfe, founder of the government watchdog Public Citizen, said there’s no reason hand sanitizer with any detectable benzene levels should be allowed for sale. Most of these don’t have any detectable levels, Wolfe said of Valisure’s analysis. If it is possible to have hand sanitizers that don’t have any detectable levels, it is inexcusable that the FDA doesn’t ban any hand sanitizer that contains any detectable level.Anna Edney

I hope this book generates attention to a rapidly growing and serious problem. The sperm count of the average American male is now at a level I was taught was infertile. That is one of many examples proving that, like climate change, man made chemicals in the environment are not a future concer. We are already in the midst of it.

For a LONG time there has been evidence that NSAIDs (ibuprofen, ADVIL etc) are harmful. From the first dose they damage the heart. They stress kidneys badly and cause high blood pressure. Because they do relieve pain, most want to ignore evidence that NSAID drugs impair soft tissue healing. This latest study shows that using NSAIDs accelerates osteoarthritis. That is correct. Taking NSAID drugs for joint pain leads to long term joint damage visible on X-ray. https://academic.oup.com//10./rheumatology/keab059/6121327

I was just watching a press conference with President Trump. He said that the COVID vaccine is much more effective than masks. PLEASE do not belive this! First:... Masks have been proven to markedly reduce spread of the virus - roughly 80% for most decent masks, like the cloth ones I use outside the office. Medical ones like N95 perform even better and their effectiveness is multiplied when more and more people use them. Second: At this point COVID vaccines have ZERO effectiveness because NONE are available. It is not hard to be more effective than 0. Masks are infinitely better than 0. The latest hope is that a COVID vaccine will be available to the general public by next summer. There are many problems even with that. The FDA says they will approve a COVID vaccine if it is 50% effective. That will not reduce community spread much. If herd immunity exists, it is certainly significantly higher than 50%. To get 50% of the population immune from a 50% effective vaccine, 100% of the population would have to be vaccinated. No one thinks that will happen. How long will vaccine immunity last? No one knows and no one can know until we have used one long enough to learn when it stops working. It has to START working first of course. What about adverse effects? The official view is that 90% of adverse effects from vaccinations appear within 2 months. That means 3 months if the regimen is two doses one month apart. Also, I think this concept that 90% of adverse effects appear within two months is very dubious. That is because long term effects, especially if they are uncommon, are extremely difficult to identify. For example we now know that a two week course of certain antibiotics markedly increases an individual’s risk of dying from a heart attack FOR FIFTEEN YEARS. Maybe longer even but we have only studied that for 15 years. It took those 15 years to recognize this connection. Of course the serious risks of infection COVID-19 must be considered. A vaccine might be vital to getting our lives back. However saying that a nonexistent vaccine is more effective than immediately available, underutilized, inexpensive prevention is dangerously wrong. PLEASE WEAR A MASK

It looks like young children get COVID from the adults in their homes and the same is true of childcare workers. They are very unlikely to spread infections to each other. In other words children in daycare are unlikely to infect other children or adult daycare workers and daycare workers are unlikely to infect each other or the children under their care. Time to reopen childcare and schools more aggressively.

Refined grains cause heart attacks. Remember that just because something is organic, it isn’t automatically good for you. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m4948

This is HUGE if confirmed. Looks to be the first evidence that vaccination, at leaat with the AZ one, will help achieve herd immunity. That has been assumed by writers who don’t know better and even many health professionals where I got my first vaccine. Almost every note on the wall answering Why I am getting this vaccine, said something about for others. This is the first evidence that a COVID vaccine WILL do that. I am immensely happy to see this and equally hope that other vaccines will do the same! That means that you have another reason to consider getting vaccinated. Getting vaccinated is likely to keep others from getting sick, not just you.

It looks like omega-3 levels might be a very important factor in surviving COVID. Add that to vitamin D and maybe melatonin. https://www.plefa.com/article/S0952-3278(21)00013-2/fulltext

Another study shows that coffee prevents prostate cancer, especially aggressive prostate cancer. It is most likely the polyphenols - coffee is very rich source of polyphenols. Polyphenols reduce the risk of many cancers, heart disease and other illnesses. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/2/e038902