California now the only state that’s advanced out of CDC’s ‘high’ COVID transmission category
California no longer has “high” community levels of coronavirus transmission, according to data published Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an achievement a top state health official credited to broad vaccination uptake and public compliance with restrictions such as mask-wearing. Update: California moved back into the “high” transmission level on Wednesday,…
Read MoreSan Francisco and Iceland: Success Stories for the Covid Vaccine
Both Iceland and San Francisco are seen as having had low Covid case rates and high vaccination rates. But with the Delta variant, both places had a surge this summer in cases and hospitalizations. Iceland is 77% vaccinated, San Francisco 73%, the U.S. 53%. At the height of the surge in mid-August, the Washington Post reported…
Read MoreHow Aduhelm Got FDA Approval
Quote: “This incident has shaken F.D.A. integrity quite significantly,” said Wayne Pines, a former F.D.A. senior official who has written histories about the agency. “The F.D.A. is obligated to be sure that all stones are turned over, that every avenue is pursued to make sure that this was a decision that was made on the…
Read MoreClinic Use of TAVNS: Parameters and Best Practices
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6867597/ This is a good, general overview of best practices for administering TAVNS in the clinic. I’m posting it here for reference. Badran BW, Yu AB, Adair D, et al. Laboratory Administration of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS): Technique, Targeting, and Considerations. J Vis Exp. 2019;(143):10.3791/58984. Published 2019 Jan 7. doi:10.3791/58984
Read MoreBenefits of Moderate Exercise
This is good news. Moderate exercise is easier to maintain, easier to look forward to, and less likely to lead to injury. “All exercise is good,” Dr. Burr says. But “there are nuances.” Frequent, almost-daily moderate exercise may be preferable for improving blood pressure and ongoing blood-sugar control, compared to infrequent intervals, he says, while…
Read MoreCaffeine. The Invisible Addiction by Michael Pollan. Borrowing energy, wrecking sleep
This is a fascinating article by Michael Pollan about the hidden side effects of caffeine. He goes through the history of coffee and caffeine, it’s a relatively new aspect of life. He talks about the different studies showing that caffeine improves cognitive performance, focus and concentration. But when it comes to creativity, the benefits may…
Read MoreBee venom acupuncture therapy ameliorates neuroinflammatory alterations in a pilocarpine-induced epilepticus model.
I’m drawn to these studies using Bee venom. Somehow it makes sense to me that by using bee venom you enhance the effect of acupuncture by giving a toxin that we evolved with over the millenia. There is anecdotal success using bee stings for autoimmune conditions, which, again, makes some sense to me, in that…
Read MoreNeedleless Transcutaneous Acupuncture Gives Good Results for Constipation in Animal Studies
A related article came up on my feed and I found this older article while researching. Both Electroacupuncture and transcutaneous stimulation without needles improved transit times and parasympathetic activity. I’m surprised at this, but, I suppose I shouldn’t be. I’m surprised because I do think that acupuncture needle acupuncture is a more effective treatment than…
Read MoreDeep Resilience: Immunology
This is the rough draft of this of this very special chapter on Immunology chapter for sharing v.2 1.31.22 I’m submitting it here so that I can move onto the next chapter on Inflammation. It needs more tightening, but I think with a bit of distance I will have an easier time with it. It…
Read MoreNegative affect moderates the effect of respiratory gated vagal nerve stimulation on pain severity in patients with chronic low back pain
The Journal of Pain Volume 22, Issue 5, May 2021, Page 587 Negative affect moderates the effect of respiratory gated vagal nerve stimulation on pain severity in patients with chronic low back pain Author links open overlay panelSamanthaMeintsRobertEdwardsMichaelDatkoRonaldGarciaGaelleDesbordesZevSchuman-OlivierMariseCorneliusVitalyNapadow Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is the leading cause of disability in the United States. There…
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