“From A to Z, Supplements Fail for COVID-19” (MedPage Today, February 12, 2021)

[This] narrative won’t die.

Last week, an article in the Wall Street Journal disclosed the financial windfall obtained by executives at BigPharma firms that are rolling out various COVID vaccines . . .

Now, I don’t begrudge the vaccine developers . . .

[But] is it balanced and equitable for supplements to be relegated to the trash heap? Does it serve the public interest to campaign against their use?

Researchers at the University of Surrey have found that non-invasive skin swab samples may be enough to detect COVID-19.

In a paper published by Lancet E Clinical Medicine, chemists from Surrey teamed up with Frimley NHS Trust and the Universities of Manchester and Leicester to collect sebum samples from 67 hospitalised patients - 30 who had tested positive for COVID-19 and 37 who had tested negative. The samples were collected by gently swabbing a skin area rich in sebum . . .

Risks shoot up when virus particles accumulate in buildings, but it’s not clear how best to improve ventilation.

When Lidia Morawska leaves home, she takes with her a slick, shoe-sized device . . . [H]er carbon dioxide monitor reads just above 400 parts per million (p.p.m.) [while outside].

Even in a seemingly spacious, high-ceilinged restaurant, the number sometimes shoots up as high as 2,000 p.p.m. — a sign that the room has poor ventilation and could pose a risk for COVID-19 infection.

Study reveals details of how coronavirus infects heart; models of tissue damage may help develop potential therapies

COVID-19 has been associated with heart problems, including reduced ability to pump blood and abnormal heart rhythms. But it’s been an open question whether these problems are caused by the virus infecting the heart, or an inflammatory response to viral infection elsewhere in the body.

A new study from Washington University School of Medicine . . .

Covid-19 long-haulers is a term used to refer to individuals for whom COVID-19 is far more than a passing infection. . . . It’s estimated that anywhere from 50% to a whopping 80% of COVID patients are still struggling with lingering symptoms 3 or more months after their initial onset . . .

While more research is needed to fully understand the exact underlying mechanism of how COVID-19 provokes these long-term effects, we do have an idea of how and why some individuals end up with these residual effects.

Infection with high-risk strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which have been linked to cancer, might increase the risk of heart and blood vessel or cardiovascular disease, especially among women with obesity or other cardiovascular risk factors, according to new research in Circulation Research, an American Heart Association journal.

Researchers found that patients with dementia were at a significantly increased risk for COVID-19—and the risk was higher still for African Americans with dementia.

Reviewing electronic health records of 61.9 million adults in the United States, researchers found the risk of contracting COVID-19 was twice as high for patients with dementia than for those without it—while among those with dementia, African Americans had close to three times the risk . . .

SARS-CoV-2 antibodies transferred across the placenta in 87% of pregnant women who had COVID-19 at some point, suggesting that newborns of seropositive mothers may have some protection against the novel coronavirus at birth, according to a study today in JAMA Pediatrics. However, a second, unpublished study suggests that the maternal-infant antibody transfer is lower than expected.

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and colleagues have identified genetic factors that increase the risk for developing pneumonia and its severe, life-threatening consequences.

Their findings, published recently in the American Journal of Human Genetics, may aid efforts to identify patients with COVID-19 at greatest risk for pneumonia, and enable earlier interventions to prevent severe illness and death.

Scientists at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine have discovered a new variant of SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The new variant carries a mutation identical to the U.K. strain, but it likely arose in a virus strain already present in the United States. The researchers also report the evolution of another U.S. strain that acquired three other gene mutations not previously seen together in SARS-CoV2.

As I cut a slice of lemon for my tea one morning last March, I found that I could not detect the familiar zing of citrus. Nor, it turned out, could I taste the peach jam on my toast. . . . [L]ater that day I saw a newspaper article about the loss of smell and taste in patients with COVID-19, and I realized that I’d likely caught the virus. [M]onths after testing negative for COVID, my senses of both smell and taste are still not fully recovered.

In this, I know, I’m hardly alone.

Why declining antibodies don't spell disaster for long-lasting immunity

New data suggest that nearly all COVID-19 survivors have the immune cells necessary to fight re-infection.

The findings, based on analyses of blood samples from 188 COVID-19 patients, suggest that responses to the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, from all major players in the "adaptive" immune system, which learns to fight specific pathogens, can last for at least eight months . . .

Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have found elevated levels of a biomarker related to blood vessel damage in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection, even if the children had minimal or no symptoms of COVID-19. They also found that a high proportion of children with SARS-CoV-2 infection met clinical and diagnostic criteria for thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). TMA is a syndrome . . .

Monash University's Professor Kit Fairley, Director of the Melbourne Sexual Health Clinic in Australia, has presented data in Canada that indicates that a significant, and previously unrecognised, route of transmission of the bacterial infection is kissing, which [may explain why] the rates of infection are so high globally.

More than half of people who recover from COVID-19 still report fatigue 10 weeks later, regardless of the seriousness of their initial infection, an observational study published Nov 9 in PLOS One has found.

Led by researchers at Trinity College Dublin, the study involved taking blood samples from and administering the Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFQ-11) assessment to 128 patients visiting an outpatient post-coronavirus care clinic at St. James's Hospital in Dublin.

Bronchitis is one of the top 10 conditions for which people seek medical care. . . . Although many physicians treat bronchitis with antibiotics, a majority of cases are caused by viruses and antibiotics are completely ineffective. Try using some safe and natural remedies. They can help to reduce swelling in the bronchial tubes and relieve your sometimes painful cough.

A walk through the woods. Playing with your cat. Getting a spider bite. These things might all seem unrelated, but they have one important thing in common – they can all potentially expose you to a sneaky and possibly dangerous bacteria known as Bartonella Henselae.

This stealthy intruder can be dangerous and is notoriously hard to treat. Today we’re going to dive into exactly what Bartonella is. And most importantly we’re going to cover practical . . .

Besides regular hand washing—which can reduce your chances of getting the flu by 50 percent according to the CDC—here are some other things you can do to keep your immune system optimal during cold and flu season:

Take a probiotic. As much as 70 percent of the immune system is in the gut – the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). Keeping your gastrointestinal tract inoculated . . .

Young children are unlikely to spread the virus — but older kids are more at risk, say researchers.

Data gathered worldwide are increasingly suggesting that schools are not hot spots for coronavirus infections. Despite fears, COVID-19 infections did not surge when schools and day-care centres reopened after pandemic lockdowns eased.

However, research also shows that children can catch the virus and shed viral particles, and older children are more likely than very young kids to pass it on . . .

Patients with Covid-19 have the highest levels of virus in the first five days and show no evidence of the live virus, which can cause infections, in the body nine days after symptoms begin, according to the most comprehensive study of the virus to date, led by the University of St Andrews.

The first systematic review of the three human coronaviruses showed that those infected with Covid-19 are most likely to be highly infectious . . .

In this podcast, Dr. Mary Hyman, MD, and Dr. Elizabeth Boham, MD, discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly focusing on effective natural approaches that individuals can employ to fortify the body’s immune system to make them more resilient to the disease and to drastically improve the chances of a full recovery if the coronavirus is contracted. Moreover, the doctors examine various holistic therapies that individuals can implement to overcome post-COVID syndrome.

Over 800,000 Americans suffer from chronic Lyme disease and experience associated symptoms such as malaise, neurological disorders, cardiac complications, and arthritis. Lyme disease is often treated with antibiotics, however 10-20% of Lyme patients develop posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). A study published in the American Society for Microbiology .

US mobile data suggests restaurants, gyms and cafes can be covid hotspots — and reveals strategies for limiting spread.

In cities worldwide, coronavirus outbreaks have been linked to restaurants, cafes and gyms. Now, a new model using mobile-phone data to map people’s movements suggests that these venues could account for most COVID-19 infections in US cities.

The model, published in Nature today, also reveals how reducing occupancy in venues can significantly . . .

Lyme disease, an acute bacterial infection that often develops into a chronic condition, is a burgeoning epidemic. In this video, learn from a true Lyme Warrior’s first-hand experience coping with and conquering this relentless illness.

Why proposals to largely let the virus run its course — embraced by Donald Trump’s administration and others — could bring “untold death and suffering”.

In May, the Brazilian city of Manaus was devastated by a large outbreak of COVID-19. Hospitals were overwhelmed and the city was digging new grave sites in the surrounding forest. But by August, something had shifted. Despite relaxing social-distancing requirements in early June, the city of 2 million people had reduced its number of excess deaths . . .

Two new US studies have identified an elevated risk of preterm birth and severe COVID-19 illness in pregnant women, while a systematic review and meta-analysis of maternal and neonatal outcomes found that the novel coronavirus doesn't seem to significantly influence pregnancy.

Implications for Workplace Reopenings and 2020 Election

A Dartmouth-Gallup study finds that women are more concerned about COVID-19 than men, a difference that transcends party lines. This female perspective towards the pandemic may be overlooked due to the underrepresentation of women in the workplace that is compounded by an underrepresentation in politics, creating what the researchers refer to as a representational "double whammy" effect.

Being previously infected with coronaviruses that cause the “common cold” may decrease the severity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infections, according to results of a new study. Led by researchers at Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine, the study also demonstrates that the immunity built up from previous non-SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infections does not prevent individuals from getting COVID-19.

Rapid antigen tests are designed to tell in a few minutes whether someone is infectious. Will they be game changers?

The United States leads the world in COVID-19 deaths but lags behind many countries — both large and small — in testing capacity. That could soon change.

At the end of August, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency-use approval to a new credit-card-sized testing device for the coronavirus that costs US$5, gives results in 15 minutes . . .

Over the past several months I have been writing and broadcasting about the potential role of vitamin D as it relates to COVID-19.

By and large, effectiveness of any intervention is looked at in terms of either prevention of a problem or its actual treatment. And while there is a fairly robust body of literature accumulating that clearly shows higher risk for the disease as well as worse outcome associated with low levels of vitamin D . . .