by: daniel pearce, d.o., facoi, aahivms
COVID SECTION
LOSS OF BRAIN TISSUE
Comparing brain scans in people who had Covid with scans before it found loss of brain tissue in the smell and taste areas. Sometimes other nerves can compensate but sometimes not. There are smelling exercises you can do to possibly help you get your smell and taste back.
MEDICAID EXPAINDING FROM PANDEMIC
Many states have seen a surge in Medicaid (MediCal) enrollments since the pandemic. This is from a federal mandate that a person can’t be cut off during the Pandemic and many lost their insurances through job loss from the Pandemic—so more coming into MCal and less leaving. Surprisingly, the patients are not complaining about poor access with the huge numbers of patients since the telemedicine and video visits are now paid for—but will this go away?
COUNTY OR YOUR CLINIC IS PREFERRED FOR COVID VACCINES?
People preferred their clinics. It is probably a matter of trust and familiarity. You know the people and trust them at your clinic. They know you. You might not know each other well but you certainly don’t know the staff at the fairgrounds. In addition, there is so much less paperwork or computer screen work to register you, etc. at your clinic since you are already registered there.
COVID CAME FROM THE WUHAN LAB?
There are irregularities and missing pieces in this story. A letter signed by many big science names to stop looking at the lab was led by a person who got grants to perform research there and he was the only US scientist allowed to go to Wuhan to investigate if there was a connection—so, a conflict of interest. Data logs are missing in a “fire.” 4 workers became ill with flu, Covid, or something else a couple of months before the outbreak and only 1 survived. They were previously collecting virus samples in a deep bat cave. The virus originated in a city that has the country’s Virus lab. The science community has not seen evidence connecting the lab to the outbreaks, but they are not allowed to see all the data. I agree a thorough investigation is needed to prevent future outbreaks.
TEEN SUICIDES UP FROM COVID?
The number of suicides in teens was up in the Summer by 22%, Winter by 39% of 2020, especially in girls. Reach out to teens to make sure they are OK. Their lives are tough enough without Covid.
OTHER MEDICAL NEWS
FDA APPROVES DRUG AGAINST THEIR OWN COMMITTEE’S ADVICE.
Aducanumab for Alzheimer’s Disease was approved by the FDA even though the committee selected by the FDA to advise on this did not recommend approval.
Three members of the advisory committee resigned, and watchdog groups are calling for firing the FDA commissioner. The studies showed that it did not work. A study is supposed to set their goals and then set up the methods to prove the goal. The company went back into the data to check a different goal, it may have been helpful but that method of evaluation was not set up to prove that. The committee wanted further studies to be performed.
RABIES IN IMPORTED DOGS
The CDC has stopped importation of dogs and puppies from 113 countries since rabies has been found in some of them. The vaccination programs in these countries have been lax since Covid. People didn’t want to go out and vaccinate their dogs.
INTERNS HAVE MORE PTSD
A survey of 1100 physician interns found more than half had been exposed to trauma and the prevalence of PTSD was 10% whereas the general population, 3.6%. The training does expose you to surgical and emergency specialties and we see the after affects of violence due to cars, weapons, rape, police brutality, suicide, and more. Providers have a high rate of burnout.
AMA ACKNOWLEDGES RACISIM IN EDCATION
The American Medical Association has found that in their association, in medical education, in training, and in research that there is a setup that favors white males and puts barriers in front of those who do not fit this category. I heard a podcast by one of their editors that said there was no systemic racism in medicine. This podcast caused an uproar and that editor was terminated and the chief editor supervising him was terminated also.
SUDDEN HIV CARDIAC DEATHS NOT ALWAYS DUE TO THE ROUTINE CAUSES.
Sudden death is commonly due to having a heart attack with a bad heart rhythm so the heart can’t pump well. Of course, this occurs in HIV patients too, about twice as often, but other causes in HIV patients are not as common, e.g. unsuspected drug overdoses and fibrosis—replacing normal heart with scar tissue. The fibrosis is probably due to chronic inflammation, even with undetectable viral loads in these HIV patients. This is why we say an HIV patient who lives a healthy lifestyle will live a little less longer than if they didn’t have HIV.
Keep those questions coming and be safe!
dpearce@western.edu
Daniel Pearce, D.O., FACOI, AAHIVMS
Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Loma Linda University School of Medicine Adjunct Professor of Internal Medicine and HIV, Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine and Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine HIV, Hepatitis B,C, Transgender, Suboxone Specialist, Borrego Health (Riverside, San Bernardino, San Jacinto) Member, Coachella Valley Clinical Research Initiative
REFERENCES: Medscape®