October Health Pearls – Alcohol, Intermittent Fasting, and the Covid-Diabetes Connection
Alcohol Consumption and Gastrointestinal Cancer Risk: Drinking Frequency vs Quantity A study from Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, S. Korea, recently released in JAMA Network Open, shows drinking frequency being more important than the alcohol quantity in raising the risk of GI cancer. The 6 cancers targeted in the study were: esophagus, stomach, colorectal, liver,…
Who can have a third dose of a COVID vaccine?
I just sat in on a meeting of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting regarding an ADDITIONAL dose for moderately to severely immunocompromised patients. There was a very broad range of experts, covering the fields of pediatrics, internal medicine, infectious diseases and immunology. Here are the main takeaways: – Yesterday, 8/12/21, the…
Pregnancy during a pandemic – here’s what you should think about
At the end of March, 2020, our country entered a lockdown phase to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Life stood still, with families huddled in uncertainty of when they would reemerge into their old, normal life. Many obstetricians predicted that nine months later, there would be an explosion of births all around the United Stated. …
The Human Microbiome – part three
Welcome back! This is part 3 of our series on the human microbiome. In brief, in parts one and two, we learned about prebiotics and probiotics being fiber and fermented foods, respectively. Now we’ll go on to what postbiotics are, and assess our current knowledge base and where this may lead going forward and how…
The Human Microbiome – part two
Last week, we ended by saying that we determine the makeup of our microbiome by what we eat. We’ve been aware of the benefits of fruits and vegetables for a long time. The microbiome has been the secret helper we never knew. This is the meat of the matter, so to speak. Carnitine is found…
The Human Microbiome – part one
Be good to it so it can be good to you!  There is a huge village living inside of you. It is invisible to the naked eye, yet it plays a role in what happens to the food you eat, the medications you take, the allergens you react to, how you react to stress…
Allergy Season? The EYES Have It!
It’s Allergy Season! Spring is here! The sun is out, the days are longer, the grass is growing and the flowers are blooming. There is a sense of renewal, rebirth, hope. For some though, spring brings misery as the trees, grasses and weeds release pollen into the air and cause those pesky allergy symptoms. …
COVID-19 Vaccine and Allergic Reactions
As COVID-19 vaccinations start, we hear a great deal in the press about allergic reactions. Serious reactions to the vaccine are very rare, despite what we hear in the news, but because this is all new, serious monitoring is being performed. It is necessary to remember that the risk of becoming gravely ill from COVID-19…