We must face the fact that COVID happens, but we must also realize that we can change how it happens to us. As was emphasized by many early in the pandemic, this virus was destined to become endemic along with the flu and other common viruses. Eradication of most viral diseases is a pipe dream…
While none of us like to hear the newest, a-bit-longer-than-four letter curse word, COVID, research into the pathophysiology or mechanisms of acute and chronic COVID illness has helped us understand Lyme disease better. Clinical experience in adult and pediatric functional medicine clinics confirms that both of these debilitating diseases work through common inflammatory pathways. In…
As we determine the best course of treatment for a patient’s condition, we must weigh the pros against the cons and make a balanced decision. While a surgeon may be forced to choose cutting off a leg to save a life, there are usually other options to avoid unwanted adverse effects. With the pandemic beginning…
COVID 19 infections from SARS-CoV2 have been the gift that keeps on giving in so many ways such that we never know when it is over. Many government and public health officials prophesied an end to the pandemic with a two-week isolation, but that was obviously a pipe dream. Many medical professionals hoped that with…
New challenges can bring out new uses for old drugs. In the fight against the world’s most famous virus, we know of many old drugs and old supplements that have been tested to prevent and/or treat COVID-19. The newer therapies with big price tags often get more media attention, but many old drugs have offered…
While my friends would already know that any Disney park would be the last place I would want to visit, thousands of visitors in one Disney park had their dreams (or for some, their nightmares) come true recently. With nearby positive COVID cases, Chinese government officials locked down Shanghai Disney park until they could show…
We all ask what COVID does, but ‘What does COVID not do?’ might be the better question as we work to understand not only the symptoms of COVID and Long COVID, but more importantly the mechanisms by which this virus and others cause such long-term harm. Interestingly, this mounting push for understanding exactly how viruses…
COVID 19 has clearly left its marks on both individuals and society as a whole, and researchers have found another example of the profound immunological impact of this viral infection in reviewing the medical records of numerous children: COVID increases the rates of type I diabetes in infected children. This should not shock those who…
We live in a paradoxical age, a time when information is more available to the average person than ever before in history, yet the truth seems more elusive than ever. Multiple factors play a role in creating this volatile and anxiety provoking situation. Together these factors challenge even the most diligent of truth seekers, while…
A study of the history of warfare emphasizes that an army’s supply lines are often the difference between victory and defeat. Our immune system’s battle for our health, though enacted at a microscopic level, likewise depends on supply lines. The recent pandemic, by highlighting the effects of nutrients like vitamin D on the outcomes of…