vevster
Well-Known Member
If you have a weak immune system. They should rename this thread.
The Covid-19 Thread: News, Preparation Tips, Etc
- Thread starter Black Ambrosia
- Start date
I cannot believe this but that last tweak I made when I stopped my regimen for testing? It’s a go! I’m really in awe, because I don’t even have little day to day memory issues anymore. I know where the keys were left last, smallest details aren‘t even lost anymore. Hubby was looking for something and on two separate occasions, I could tell him exactly where each item was placed. That’s a big deal in my fridge and my utility closet since certain people mess with my organization of things constantly. I think this was the biggest clue when I said the gut health must be in order for it to work. You get memory issues with Sjogren’s and even those have improved. Not sure how long this will hold up, but I’m going to stick with it for now. Still no brain fog, either.
Everything Zen
Well-Known Member
I will say that even though I had asthma and bronchitis as a kid I believe I weakened my immune system in my early 30’s with a few years of practicing detoxes/cleanses and unhealthy fasting in an attempt to manage my weight which led to being susceptible to annual bouts of acute bronchitis.
vevster
Well-Known Member
You can build it back up. I haven’t been sick in a while knock
wood.
PatDM'T
Well-Known Member
I believe so too.You can build it back up. I haven’t been sick in a while knock
Food sensitivities
can weaken your
immunity because
your body stays
in constant inflammation
if something is not
agreeing with you,
making your body
not strong enough
to withstand viral or
bad bacterial infection.
Then of course
herbals and vitamin/
mineral supplements help.
Hope everyone is doing well. My beautiful big brother is currently having his second foot amputated. Stroke and two very mild heart attacks after the vaccine that were detected later. Diabetic, but was completely controlled via diet and exercise. We know we have bad genes so we live accordingly. Since Covid and sepsis, his blood sugar will not stabilize and vascular issues are ongoing. Medical negligence led to him losing one toe and they let his entire other foot nearly rot off while barely giving decent care for the original foot they damaged after his stroke. I almost passed out at the picture because your feet are usually side by side, so how did they miss a whole foot going bad? He’s good; I’m good. Please stay vigilant.
Since last summer we do not require staff to have the COVID or flu shots. It was the administrators decision. The rest of the campus still require vaccines and tried to bully my administrator into keeping the vaccine clause. He refused to budge.
I was surprised because he is such a pushover. Anyway we have had loads of job applicants because of this. I found out from them that two of the firmer hospitals I worked for are locked in lawsuits with staff the fired fir not taking the vaccines. One fired 700+ staff and one fired 1500+ staff. I do not know how the hell they coped during Covid.
We did not lose any staff from our department. My boss allowed staff to hold out for as long as possible. The last two staff got the vaccine a month before it was not required. They were so annoyed lol.
My boss does not believe in the vaccine but took it because he had no choice and supported staff as much as he could under the circumstances. Because of his stance I think more people took the vaccine compared to if he had forced them against their will. He was supportive without going against the rules. Though he did have them hold off taking the vaccine much longer than other departments. They just went ahead and fired people right away.
We were discussing why we thought the rest of our campus and other hospitals is still sticking to the vaccine clause when the government no longer requires it. We think that it is due to the lawsuits and the fact that removing the clause now would work against the hospitals defence in the lawsuits.
I was surprised because he is such a pushover. Anyway we have had loads of job applicants because of this. I found out from them that two of the firmer hospitals I worked for are locked in lawsuits with staff the fired fir not taking the vaccines. One fired 700+ staff and one fired 1500+ staff. I do not know how the hell they coped during Covid.
We did not lose any staff from our department. My boss allowed staff to hold out for as long as possible. The last two staff got the vaccine a month before it was not required. They were so annoyed lol.
My boss does not believe in the vaccine but took it because he had no choice and supported staff as much as he could under the circumstances. Because of his stance I think more people took the vaccine compared to if he had forced them against their will. He was supportive without going against the rules. Though he did have them hold off taking the vaccine much longer than other departments. They just went ahead and fired people right away.
We were discussing why we thought the rest of our campus and other hospitals is still sticking to the vaccine clause when the government no longer requires it. We think that it is due to the lawsuits and the fact that removing the clause now would work against the hospitals defence in the lawsuits.
Just got off the a 5am call with big bro (none of us sleep) and literally just said to him that one of his antibiotics could be causing a condition he has that is also listed as a side effect to the vaccine in this article. Talk about timing. 
(vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia)
Sun, April 28, 2024 at 2:00 PM EDT·7 min read
1.5k
Jamie Scott was left with a permanent brain injury after having a haemorrhage the day after the Covid vaccine - Andrew Fox
AstraZeneca has admitted for the first time in court documents that its Covid vaccine can cause a rare side effect, in an apparent about-turn that could pave the way for a multi-million pound legal payout.
The pharmaceutical giant is being sued in a class action over claims that its vaccine, developed with the University of Oxford, caused death and serious injury in dozens of cases.
Lawyers argue the vaccine produced a side-effect which has had a devastating effect on a small number of families8.
The first case was lodged last year by Jamie Scott, a father of two, who was left with a permanent brain injury after developing a blood clot and a bleed on the brain that has prevented him from working after he received the vaccine in April 2021. The hospital called his wife three times to tell her that her husband was going to die.
AstraZeneca is contesting the claims but has accepted, in a legal document submitted to the High Court in February, that its Covid vaccine “can, in very rare cases, cause TTS”.
TTS – which stands for Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome – causes people to have blood clots and a low blood platelet count.
Fifty-one cases have been lodged in the High Court, with victims and grieving relatives seeking damages estimated to be worth up to £100 million.
AstraZeneca’s admission – made in a legal defence to Mr Scott’s High Court claim – follows intense legal wrangling. It could lead to payouts if the drug firm accepts that the vaccine was the cause of serious illness and death in specific legal cases. The Government has pledged to underwrite AstraZeneca’s legal bills.
A 2021 view inside Oxford Biomedica, where the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine was produced - John Lawrence
In a letter of response sent in May 2023, AstraZeneca told lawyers for Mr Scott that “we do not accept that TTS is caused by the vaccine at a generic level”.
But in the legal document submitted to the High Court in February, AstraZeneca said: “It is admitted that the AZ vaccine can, in very rare cases, cause TTS. The causal mechanism is not known.
“Further, TTS can also occur in the absence of the AZ vaccine (or any vaccine). Causation in any individual case will be a matter for expert evidence.”
Lawyers argue that the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is “defective” and that its efficacy has been “vastly overstated” – claims AstraZeneca strongly denies.
Scientists first identified a link between the vaccine and a new illness called vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT) as early as March 2021, shortly after the Covid-19 vaccine rollout began.
Lawyers for the claimants argue that VITT is a subset of TTS, although AstraZeneca does not appear to recognise the term.
The Government has indemnified AstraZeneca against any legal action but has so far refused to intervene.
Kate Scott, Mr Scott’s wife, told the Telegraph: “The medical world has acknowledged for a long time that VITT was caused by the vaccine. It’s only AstraZeneca who have questioned whether Jamie’s condition was caused by the jab.
“It’s taken three years for this admission to come. It’s progress, but we would like to see more from them and the Government. It’s time for things to move more quickly.
“I hope their admission means we will be able to sort this out sooner rather than later. We need an apology, fair compensation for our family and other families who have been affected. We have the truth on our side, and we are not going to give up.”
“In that context, regrettably it seems that AZ, the Government and their lawyers are more keen to play strategic games and run up legal fees than to engage seriously with the devastating impact that their AZ vaccine has had upon our clients’ lives.”
In a statement AstraZeneca said: “Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems. Patient safety is our highest priority, and regulatory authorities have clear and stringent standards to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines.
“From the body of evidence in clinical trials and real-world data, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has continuously been shown to have an acceptable safety profile and regulators around the world consistently state that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side effects.”
The company is pointing out that product information relating to the vaccine was updated in April 2021, with the approval of the UK regulator, to include “the possibility that the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is capable, in very rare cases, of being a trigger for” TTS.
The company does not recognise claims it has performed an about-turn in acknowledging that the vaccine can cause TTS in court documents.
Independent studies show the AstraZeneca vaccine was incredibly effective in tackling the pandemic, saving more than six million lives globally in the first year of the rollout.
The World Health Organisation has said the vaccine was “safe and effective for all individuals aged 18 and above” and the adverse effect that has prompted the legal action was “very rare”.
The vaccine – heralded at its launch by Boris Johnson as a “triumph for British science” – is no longer used in the UK.
Boris Johnson praised the vaccine as a 'triumph for British science' - PAUL ELLIS/AFP
In the months after the rollout, the potentially serious side effect of the jab was identified by scientists. It was then recommended that under-40s be offered an alternative jab because the risk of the AstraZeneca vaccine outweighed the harm posed by Covid.
Lawyers representing families suing the drugs company argue that the vaccine was not as safe as individuals were entitled to expect. They are suing the firm, based in Cambridge, under the Consumer Protection Act 1987.
Mr Scott’s lawyers have argued that he suffered “personal injuries and consequential losses arising out of his sustaining vaccine induced immune thrombosis with thrombocytopenia (VITT) as a result of his vaccination on 23 April 2021, with the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccination”.
Official figures from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) show at least 81 deaths in the UK are suspected to have been linked to the adverse reaction that caused clotting in people who also had low blood platelets.
In total, almost one in five people who suffered from the condition died as a result, according to the MHRA’s figures.
The Government runs its own vaccine compensation scheme but alleged victims claim the one-off payment of £120,000 is inadequate.
Figures obtained under a Freedom of Information request show that out of 163 payouts made by the Government by February this year, at least 158 went to recipients of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme gives compensation to those injured by vaccines or to bereaved next of kin. Fewer than five people under the scheme received vaccines other than AstraZeneca.
AstraZeneca has previously argued in court papers that claims against the company are “confused” and “wrong in law”. In the defence filing, AstraZeneca said the benefit/risk profile of the vaccine was, and remains, positive.
AstraZeneca is the second largest publicly listed company in the UK, with a market capitalisation of more than £170 billion. Its chief executive, Sir Pascal Soriot, is the highest-paid boss among FTSE 100 companies, with earnings close to £19 million.
(vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia)
AstraZeneca admits for first time in court documents its Covid vaccine can cause rare side effect
Investigations teamSun, April 28, 2024 at 2:00 PM EDT·7 min read
1.5k
Jamie Scott was left with a permanent brain injury after having a haemorrhage the day after the Covid vaccine - Andrew Fox
AstraZeneca has admitted for the first time in court documents that its Covid vaccine can cause a rare side effect, in an apparent about-turn that could pave the way for a multi-million pound legal payout.
The pharmaceutical giant is being sued in a class action over claims that its vaccine, developed with the University of Oxford, caused death and serious injury in dozens of cases.
Lawyers argue the vaccine produced a side-effect which has had a devastating effect on a small number of families8.
The first case was lodged last year by Jamie Scott, a father of two, who was left with a permanent brain injury after developing a blood clot and a bleed on the brain that has prevented him from working after he received the vaccine in April 2021. The hospital called his wife three times to tell her that her husband was going to die.
AstraZeneca is contesting the claims but has accepted, in a legal document submitted to the High Court in February, that its Covid vaccine “can, in very rare cases, cause TTS”.
TTS – which stands for Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome – causes people to have blood clots and a low blood platelet count.
Fifty-one cases have been lodged in the High Court, with victims and grieving relatives seeking damages estimated to be worth up to £100 million.
AstraZeneca’s admission – made in a legal defence to Mr Scott’s High Court claim – follows intense legal wrangling. It could lead to payouts if the drug firm accepts that the vaccine was the cause of serious illness and death in specific legal cases. The Government has pledged to underwrite AstraZeneca’s legal bills.
A 2021 view inside Oxford Biomedica, where the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine was produced - John Lawrence
In a letter of response sent in May 2023, AstraZeneca told lawyers for Mr Scott that “we do not accept that TTS is caused by the vaccine at a generic level”.
But in the legal document submitted to the High Court in February, AstraZeneca said: “It is admitted that the AZ vaccine can, in very rare cases, cause TTS. The causal mechanism is not known.
“Further, TTS can also occur in the absence of the AZ vaccine (or any vaccine). Causation in any individual case will be a matter for expert evidence.”
Lawyers argue that the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is “defective” and that its efficacy has been “vastly overstated” – claims AstraZeneca strongly denies.
Scientists first identified a link between the vaccine and a new illness called vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT) as early as March 2021, shortly after the Covid-19 vaccine rollout began.
Lawyers for the claimants argue that VITT is a subset of TTS, although AstraZeneca does not appear to recognise the term.
The Government has indemnified AstraZeneca against any legal action but has so far refused to intervene.
Kate Scott, Mr Scott’s wife, told the Telegraph: “The medical world has acknowledged for a long time that VITT was caused by the vaccine. It’s only AstraZeneca who have questioned whether Jamie’s condition was caused by the jab.
“It’s taken three years for this admission to come. It’s progress, but we would like to see more from them and the Government. It’s time for things to move more quickly.
“I hope their admission means we will be able to sort this out sooner rather than later. We need an apology, fair compensation for our family and other families who have been affected. We have the truth on our side, and we are not going to give up.”
‘Patient safety is our highest priority’
Sarah Moore, a partner at law firm Leigh Day, who is bringing the legal claims, said: “It has taken AstraZeneca a year to formally admit that their vaccine can cause the devastating blood clots, when this fact has been widely accepted by the clinical community since the end of 2021.“In that context, regrettably it seems that AZ, the Government and their lawyers are more keen to play strategic games and run up legal fees than to engage seriously with the devastating impact that their AZ vaccine has had upon our clients’ lives.”
In a statement AstraZeneca said: “Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems. Patient safety is our highest priority, and regulatory authorities have clear and stringent standards to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines.
“From the body of evidence in clinical trials and real-world data, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has continuously been shown to have an acceptable safety profile and regulators around the world consistently state that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side effects.”
The company is pointing out that product information relating to the vaccine was updated in April 2021, with the approval of the UK regulator, to include “the possibility that the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is capable, in very rare cases, of being a trigger for” TTS.
The company does not recognise claims it has performed an about-turn in acknowledging that the vaccine can cause TTS in court documents.
Independent studies show the AstraZeneca vaccine was incredibly effective in tackling the pandemic, saving more than six million lives globally in the first year of the rollout.
The World Health Organisation has said the vaccine was “safe and effective for all individuals aged 18 and above” and the adverse effect that has prompted the legal action was “very rare”.
The vaccine – heralded at its launch by Boris Johnson as a “triumph for British science” – is no longer used in the UK.
Boris Johnson praised the vaccine as a 'triumph for British science' - PAUL ELLIS/AFP
In the months after the rollout, the potentially serious side effect of the jab was identified by scientists. It was then recommended that under-40s be offered an alternative jab because the risk of the AstraZeneca vaccine outweighed the harm posed by Covid.
Lawyers representing families suing the drugs company argue that the vaccine was not as safe as individuals were entitled to expect. They are suing the firm, based in Cambridge, under the Consumer Protection Act 1987.
Mr Scott’s lawyers have argued that he suffered “personal injuries and consequential losses arising out of his sustaining vaccine induced immune thrombosis with thrombocytopenia (VITT) as a result of his vaccination on 23 April 2021, with the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccination”.
Official figures from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) show at least 81 deaths in the UK are suspected to have been linked to the adverse reaction that caused clotting in people who also had low blood platelets.
In total, almost one in five people who suffered from the condition died as a result, according to the MHRA’s figures.
The Government runs its own vaccine compensation scheme but alleged victims claim the one-off payment of £120,000 is inadequate.
Figures obtained under a Freedom of Information request show that out of 163 payouts made by the Government by February this year, at least 158 went to recipients of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme gives compensation to those injured by vaccines or to bereaved next of kin. Fewer than five people under the scheme received vaccines other than AstraZeneca.
AstraZeneca has previously argued in court papers that claims against the company are “confused” and “wrong in law”. In the defence filing, AstraZeneca said the benefit/risk profile of the vaccine was, and remains, positive.
AstraZeneca is the second largest publicly listed company in the UK, with a market capitalisation of more than £170 billion. Its chief executive, Sir Pascal Soriot, is the highest-paid boss among FTSE 100 companies, with earnings close to £19 million.
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Hmm, there is a connection between hypermobility and autism which is part of how I found ours, and then the connection to autoimmune galaxy, but not all autistics were affected as badly as we were, if at all. I’m going to put money on that genetic mutation I found in our mitochondrial DNA since they do know long haulers are due to Covid screwing up mitochondrial DNA. Ours was already bad so…Please remember, I’m just a sick lady who loves medical mysteries. If I say something wrong or stupid, correct away. I’m all about learning. And believe it or not, I’m still quite fascinated. Yup, I’m weird. But I’d rather be fascinated than terrified so again, I’m good. 
Evolving78
Well-Known Member
Do I still need to keep these expired Covid tests the government sent out? I don’t like clutter…
Everything Zen
Well-Known Member
^^^^ They’re not necessarily expired. They have updated stability data depending on the manufacturer and lot number.
www.fda.gov
At-Home OTC COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests
Expiration dates and more about authorized at-home OTC COVID-19 diagnostic tests information.
Evolving78
Well-Known Member
Thank you, because I don’t keep anything around that is not serving a purpose.^^^^ They’re not necessarily expired. They have updated stability data depending on the manufacturer and lot number.
At-Home OTC COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests
Expiration dates and more about authorized at-home OTC COVID-19 diagnostic tests information.
Brutal efficiency. I love it. Did I ever tell you how utterly impressive I find you to be? Thank you.
Evolving78
Well-Known Member
I appreciate that and I’m digging how you move too!
I am not sure why the forum will not allow me to paste the entire article. I will provide the link. I have learned so much about ADHD s8nce this. More info since my diagnosis ages ago. Sad irony that people associate it with young kids, mostly boys, and it’s hitting older folks like this. It’s ok; I am certain that all will work out.
www.dailymail.co.uk
Happy Monday,
I had a long previous post here talking about how EVERYTHING neurological is cutting up in my house. I already said sensory issues are off the charts and that my attention span became like Dory’s from Nemo. I erased it because I like this better. I found it right after I posted. I do think I told y’all that we also received another ADHD diagnosis. So we are technically 3 and a possible now, shout out to Spades. What did I erase? The fact that my one known for sure ADHD one had a reaction to her meds for it and heart issues and PVCs since. She refuses to touch meds again because she feels it’s connected since it happened after the vax and she was fine on them before. 3 ER visits, 4 cardiac workups with 2 separate holster monitor phases. One for a month. My oldest had a bad reaction to a new allergy med this week. That’s new for her; also her lupus med just refuses to get up to therapeutic levels. I discovered that my month long of no flares was because I had cut out Boost. I know it’s junk but my gastro was concerned about my weight and had me mainlining it. I ran out and I take breaks from meds and things like that anyway. Why did my hives, psoriasis, itchy scalp, and all of the autoimmune histamine symptoms crash back within 5 minutes? I took a Benadryl just in case it intended to kill me with returning with such a bang.
It appears we are becoming allergic to things at a record pace. Oldest started her allergy testing. 30 found allergies and we haven’t even gotten to foods and things, yet. I start mine on Thursday. I think I may put the whole crew through because it may be a better idea to get a baseline of what is actually happening and then watch how things develop from there. That’s how I know my oldest is progressing faster than “normal“. I’m guessing the same mechanism causing accelerated brain aging is also effecting organs the same way; which is how anutoimmune illnesses affects organs. And aim wondering if something about the virus and vaccine is wiping away immunity like measles does. The infection I had is lingering and I have had it knocked out by antibiotics over and over again since 22. And the antibiotic itself was brutal on me, as never before. We still don’t know enough.
But intriguing new figures suggest this is far from the case.
According to a new analysis by healthcare data firm FAIR Health, diagnoses of mental health conditions like anxiety and depression have soared in older Americans, reaching a prevalence higher than ever before.
ADHD diagnoses in the over 65s has surged 70 percent since 2019
An analysis from healthcare data firm FAIR Health found that the amount of mental health diagnoses in older people jumped over 57 percent from 2019 to 2023.
Happy Monday,
I had a long previous post here talking about how EVERYTHING neurological is cutting up in my house. I already said sensory issues are off the charts and that my attention span became like Dory’s from Nemo. I erased it because I like this better. I found it right after I posted. I do think I told y’all that we also received another ADHD diagnosis. So we are technically 3 and a possible now, shout out to Spades. What did I erase? The fact that my one known for sure ADHD one had a reaction to her meds for it and heart issues and PVCs since. She refuses to touch meds again because she feels it’s connected since it happened after the vax and she was fine on them before. 3 ER visits, 4 cardiac workups with 2 separate holster monitor phases. One for a month. My oldest had a bad reaction to a new allergy med this week. That’s new for her; also her lupus med just refuses to get up to therapeutic levels. I discovered that my month long of no flares was because I had cut out Boost. I know it’s junk but my gastro was concerned about my weight and had me mainlining it. I ran out and I take breaks from meds and things like that anyway. Why did my hives, psoriasis, itchy scalp, and all of the autoimmune histamine symptoms crash back within 5 minutes? I took a Benadryl just in case it intended to kill me with returning with such a bang.
It appears we are becoming allergic to things at a record pace. Oldest started her allergy testing. 30 found allergies and we haven’t even gotten to foods and things, yet. I start mine on Thursday. I think I may put the whole crew through because it may be a better idea to get a baseline of what is actually happening and then watch how things develop from there. That’s how I know my oldest is progressing faster than “normal“. I’m guessing the same mechanism causing accelerated brain aging is also effecting organs the same way; which is how anutoimmune illnesses affects organs. And aim wondering if something about the virus and vaccine is wiping away immunity like measles does. The infection I had is lingering and I have had it knocked out by antibiotics over and over again since 22. And the antibiotic itself was brutal on me, as never before. We still don’t know enough.
ADHD diagnoses surge by 70 percent in elderly Americans, intriguing new data shows
- An analysis looked at increases in mental health diagnoses from 2019 to 2023
- Americans over 65 saw the biggest jump due to expanded telehealth access
- READ MORE: How therapy has turned a generation of Americans into 'victims'
But intriguing new figures suggest this is far from the case.
According to a new analysis by healthcare data firm FAIR Health, diagnoses of mental health conditions like anxiety and depression have soared in older Americans, reaching a prevalence higher than ever before.
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Evolving78
Well-Known Member
Thank you, kindly.
We are actually managing quite well despite it all. I don’t like adversity, but I LOVE kicking adversity’s butt. And my brain usually finds a way to enjoy it as I go. I don’t typically have anxiety once I understand why something is happening. Once I understand “the monster” or the target, it’s, “Let’s gooooooooo!”This was a more detailed and quite vulnerable post that got too long so I cut it out and condensed my answer because I’m trying to stop making y’all read my novels while you’re at work or life. I tried to paste it in my journal. But I do want to say to you that my brain is always categorizing people according to how they read in my mind. If I capitalize it, it means they demonstrate those qualities I noticed and admire to a superlative degree. @Theresamonet is the “Oracle”, @PatDM'T is the “Teacher”, you have become, “The Sherpa”. A guide. Very honorable distinction in my mind.
All I can say is that I am not mad at the vaccine. Finding this out was like finding the key to life for me. If I had left the first post, that would make more sense, but I’m sooooo good and the girls are thriving. They are KILLING it at work. They started hanging out on weekends with friends again and have a huge concert road trip planned. We’re in Beast Mode. Married Life feels like a honeymoon. I have zero complaints. I keep this updated to hopefully help anybody else who lands here. A guide.
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I’m pasting this one in. It’s doing exactly what I thought. Mitochondrial dysfunction involved we already knew, but it’s living in our guts which tracks with me saying I believed gut health was a huge part of getting my cognitive function better and it really is. My brother and his surgical amputations happened while sick with Covid and they tried to vaccinate him again while that was happening. He’s had a vein bypass fail. This is great info.
Recent studies have suggested that long COVID may be caused by a prolonged, subclinical infection leading to the establishment of a viral reservoir, potentially in the gut, 23 that can modulate host immune responses and contribute to persistent cognitive symptoms.24-26
Surgery in such patients could result in unintentional spread of the SARS-CoV-2 viral reservoir to distal tissues such as the lung, where infection can cause severe damage.27 Autoantibody responses directed against central nervous system antigens, including myelin and G-protein-coupled receptors, also are detectable in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid and strongly correlate with abnormal cognitive status in long COVID patients.28 Surgery in patients with already elevated autoantibody levels may induce further autoimmunity due to tissue damage leading to epitope spreading.29
Finally, defects in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and lipid catabolism have been linked with cognitive and noncognitive symptoms of long COVID,30,31 and surgery in long COVID patients with mitochondrial dysfunction may prolong the recovery phase. Further studies are needed to determine if the prevalence of these various biomarkers is reflective of underlying disease processes or of preexisting long COVID both before and after surgery.
Mitigating the Impact of Long COVID on Surgery Though cognitive symptoms caused by long COVID may be difficult to diagnose, there are strategies to help surgeons identify biomarkers of import. For example, clinical diagnostic testing can be used to identify long COVID patients who may have a persistent infection. In addition to testing for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the nasopharynx, it may be important to test for viral RNA or protein present in stool samples from long COVID patients before elective surgery, as the gut may be a cryptic viral reservoir.
One possible intervention for patients suspected of having a persistent infection may be to administer nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) as preoperative prophylaxis to help clear infection. There is some evidence that nirmatrelvir/ritonavir may help alleviate long COVID symptoms as well,26 and it is currently being tested as a treatment for long COVID in clinical trials.32
Another option for surgeons when confronted with patients at risk for postoperative delirium who also may have long COVID is to refer them to a long COVID clinic for evaluation. Not only can their baseline cognitive status be determined, but further testing—if needed—can be suggested during this evaluation. There are multiple long COVID clinics that are associated with large academic medical centers as well as community hospitals located throughout the US.33 Many offer televisits for patients who are not local. Long COVID clinics offer consultation across multiple specialties of internal medicine, and therefore, could be used to assess the status of long COVID patients with both cognitive and noncognitive symptoms. These are just two examples of how surgeons might consider modifying their care plans for patients with long COVID who also are at risk for postoperative delirium. Much work remains to be done before the root causes of long COVID-related cognitive dysfunction can be determined and effective treatments developed.
Given that the number of adults with long COVID who are experiencing prolonged though often subtle and nuanced cognitive changes, is growing and that surgical intervention can adversely affect long-term cognition, it remains unknown how this syndrome will affect the health outcomes of surgical patients.
Recent studies have suggested that long COVID may be caused by a prolonged, subclinical infection leading to the establishment of a viral reservoir, potentially in the gut, 23 that can modulate host immune responses and contribute to persistent cognitive symptoms.24-26
Surgery in such patients could result in unintentional spread of the SARS-CoV-2 viral reservoir to distal tissues such as the lung, where infection can cause severe damage.27 Autoantibody responses directed against central nervous system antigens, including myelin and G-protein-coupled receptors, also are detectable in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid and strongly correlate with abnormal cognitive status in long COVID patients.28 Surgery in patients with already elevated autoantibody levels may induce further autoimmunity due to tissue damage leading to epitope spreading.29
Finally, defects in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and lipid catabolism have been linked with cognitive and noncognitive symptoms of long COVID,30,31 and surgery in long COVID patients with mitochondrial dysfunction may prolong the recovery phase. Further studies are needed to determine if the prevalence of these various biomarkers is reflective of underlying disease processes or of preexisting long COVID both before and after surgery.
Mitigating the Impact of Long COVID on Surgery Though cognitive symptoms caused by long COVID may be difficult to diagnose, there are strategies to help surgeons identify biomarkers of import. For example, clinical diagnostic testing can be used to identify long COVID patients who may have a persistent infection. In addition to testing for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the nasopharynx, it may be important to test for viral RNA or protein present in stool samples from long COVID patients before elective surgery, as the gut may be a cryptic viral reservoir.
One possible intervention for patients suspected of having a persistent infection may be to administer nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) as preoperative prophylaxis to help clear infection. There is some evidence that nirmatrelvir/ritonavir may help alleviate long COVID symptoms as well,26 and it is currently being tested as a treatment for long COVID in clinical trials.32
Another option for surgeons when confronted with patients at risk for postoperative delirium who also may have long COVID is to refer them to a long COVID clinic for evaluation. Not only can their baseline cognitive status be determined, but further testing—if needed—can be suggested during this evaluation. There are multiple long COVID clinics that are associated with large academic medical centers as well as community hospitals located throughout the US.33 Many offer televisits for patients who are not local. Long COVID clinics offer consultation across multiple specialties of internal medicine, and therefore, could be used to assess the status of long COVID patients with both cognitive and noncognitive symptoms. These are just two examples of how surgeons might consider modifying their care plans for patients with long COVID who also are at risk for postoperative delirium. Much work remains to be done before the root causes of long COVID-related cognitive dysfunction can be determined and effective treatments developed.
Given that the number of adults with long COVID who are experiencing prolonged though often subtle and nuanced cognitive changes, is growing and that surgical intervention can adversely affect long-term cognition, it remains unknown how this syndrome will affect the health outcomes of surgical patients.
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Just got rid of 3 couches, 1 treadmill, and 1 childhood large 2 piece desk. Ballet bar has a great location coming now. Hubby called a crew without telling me.
I’m just going to say we must be mentally connected. And yes, I still have enough furniture and another treadmill. Don’t ask about how many machines are in my laundry room. 
Very necessary purge. Donated 6 large garbage bags of clothes last purge. I’m going back in! I would put the JLo hex shoes in there, but I dont want nobody to get hurt. Thank you
Someone may find this helpful. This is pretty much what I do with the added supplements to fight inflammation. I am telling y’all that my memory has improved so much that I am shocked that it actually happened. Not searching for words, remember the most insignificant details about things. Names of D list celebs I hadn’t seen in over a decade just now. I haven’t said “I don’t remember” which was daily in a minute. Oh, and the article mentions B vitamins. I did that, too. I forgot and didn’t realize it was pulling that much weight. However, I did notice that my treatment resistant depression faded away with the brain fog. It’s been about a year for no depression.
PUBLISHED: 07:02 EDT, 8 May 2024 | UPDATED: 07:19 EDT, 8 May 2024
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/...worth-dementia-gene-disease-bay.html#comments
It is more than 20 years since I discovered in my 50s that I have a copy of the gene, ApoE4, that has been linked to a raised risk of Alzheimer's.
It's the same gene that the actor Chris Hemsworth carries, although he has two copies, one from each of his parents – he learned this in 2022 after having tests for a documentary series he was making about longevity.
Now comes news of a major study that has found that almost everyone who has two copies of this gene goes on to develop early signs of Alzheimer's. Researchers at the Sant Pau Research Institute in Barcelona looked at data from 10,000 people and 3,000 brain donors and found that the majority of those with two copies showed signs of Alzheimer's by the time they reached the age of 55. The researchers estimate that around 2 per cent of people have this gene profile.
+3
View gallery
My ApoE4 gene was identified when I was writing about the gene tests that were then just becoming publicly available and decided to take one. It was an alarming discovery, since not only do I have no family history of Alzheimer's, but back then there was nothing to be done about it. For a while, common moments such as forgetting why I was peering into a cupboard felt like a sinister warning.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/...rgeries-misdiagnosis.html?ico=related-replace
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...essages-make-furious.html?ico=related-replace
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...olocaust-andrew-neil.html?ico=related-replace
But I quickly persuaded myself that any brain malfunction wouldn't begin for years. Anyway, a cure might come along at any time and as a health journalist I could keep up with the latest research.
Yet for years there was little to be hopeful about – the few drugs that were available didn't make a difference to the disease progression.
Small bits of cutting-edge research I came across here and there convinced me to try various lifestyle approaches (more on the specifics later), but the expectation has long been that once you're heading into the medical territory that is Alzheimer's, you need heavyweight pharmaceuticals.
But the cheering, and very surprising, news is that nutritional and lifestyle advice, with some additions and tweaks, is the very latest thing in Alzheimer's prevention, with several UK charities and academic centres – including Imperial College London, Exeter University and Alzheimer's Research UK – now actively investigating this.
What's driving this dramatic U-turn is the failure of the drug industry to come up with effective and safe products. Even the newer 'wonder' drugs such as donanemab and lecanemab, which can delay the worsening of the disease by around a third in patients, can have serious side-effects – around a quarter of those who take them suffer bleeding or swelling in the brain, and some patients have experienced brain shrinkage.
These drugs work by clearing the brain of amyloid plaques, the sticky protein deposits thought to cause symptoms by disrupting communication between brain cells.
The problems with the latest drugs are detailed in a new book by leading neurologist Professor Karl Herrup. In 'How not to study a disease: The story of Alzheimer's' he writes: 'In our rush to find a cure we have gone down a blind alley. For decades we have focused more on salesmanship than scholarship. The amyloid cascade hypothesis has become a steamroller, intent on crushing any alternative models.'
One problem is that having the plaque doesn't necessarily mean you will have Alzheimer's and not having it doesn't mean you won't.
As Professor Herrup points out, 'we need to rebalance this [amyloid] hypothesis about the cause of Alzheimer's' to include 'other worthy ideas about its nature, such as those indicated by the links with diabetes and blood vessel damage and the insights gained from approaches involving diet, nutrition, and lifestyle'.
What's so radical about the nutritional and lifestyle approach is that it doesn't target a single cause but aims to improve the health of many of the body's systems – such as metabolism (how energy is used), the immune system and the vast colony of bacteria and other microbes (the microbiome) in your gut, that have a two-way connection with the brain. Keeping them all healthy can do the same for the brain.
And it means we can all take steps to protect ourselves, which is what I've tried to do.
I spoke to Tommy Wood, an assistant professor of neuroscience and paediatrics at the University of Washington, who is a principle investigator for the research charity, the Food for the Brain Foundation, which is looking at dementia amongst other brain disorders.
He told me: 'I first came across the idea of multiple approaches to health and fitness when I worked with athletes as a performance consultant. Many of the systems that affected their cognitive and physical abilities were the same as the ones we concentrate on at the charity with much older people.'
Robert Lustig, who is professor emeritus and an international expert on metabolism, based at the University of California San Francisco, explains why both blood sugar levels and insulin need to be kept at a low level to protect the brain.
+3
View gallery
+3
View gallery
Insulin's job is to help the body use blood sugar (glucose) as fuel. Professor Lustig, who is also advising the Food for the Brain Foundation, says high levels of glucose – from a high carb diet – lead to higher levels of insulin. 'Fairly soon, however, your system stops responding to insulin – known as insulin resistance – which is bad news because insulin delivers the glucose needed for energy in the brain and muscles.'
This is the kind of information that convinced me over the years to make changes to my diet. The standard advice to have plenty of carbs and pick the low-fat option was reversed, and I started following a ketogenic diet that involves eating much more fat – mostly saturated – and is very low in carbs.
The fat gets turned into small packets of energy, known as ketones, that can power brain cells.
I also started stepping up gym visits from a couple of times a week to three or four. Exercise improves blood circulation which is needed to clear waste products from the brain.
I started paying attention to my microbiome, the colony of microbes that lives in the gut. This involved eating more fibrous vegetables, as well as making and drinking kefir, a fermented drink that delivers probiotics to the gut, every day.
And I started taking B vitamins.
A decade after my gene was spotted, a randomised trial at Oxford University, run by professor emeritus David Smith, showed that B vitamins were essential for clearing a toxic compound called homocysteine from blood.
Homocysteine comes from the breakdown of proteins, and can damage cells. High levels are often found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.
In the Oxford study, which involved more than 200 people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) – where memory and clear thinking are impaired – half were given a daily high dose of a B vitamin, the rest a placebo. A proportion of each group had a brain scan at the beginning and end of the two-year trial.
The results, published in the journal PLOS One in September 2010, were impressive: those in the vitamin group not only had reduced homocysteine levels but brain shrinkage – the sign of brain cell death – was half that of those in the placebo group.
Rather than being welcomed, however, the trial set off a long-running academic battle. Alzheimer's charities, including one that contributed funding, ignored it.
Another study which found no benefit from B vitamins was published four years later, but it didn't convince me. While the participants in the Oxford trial had MCI, those in the later trials did not. So I kept taking the tablets.
One senior academic who has picked up on this research is Professor Peter Garrard, a specialist in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, at St George's Hospital in London.
When his mother Sheila started losing words and describing things in roundabout ways at the age of 78, he put her on a daily dose of high-strength B vitamins.
'It was very encouraging that, despite having had a brain scan that showed significant cell damage, she didn't get any worse and then gradually started doing a lot better,' says Professor Garrard. Sheila died at the age of 89. 'We'll never know how long she would have lived without the vitamins, but it must have made a difference that she stayed very fit and active.'
Professor Garrard told me that he'd been impressed by the B vitamin research done at Oxford and regarded claims that the vitamins had no benefit inaccurate. 'I check all my patient's homocysteine levels and give them B vitamins if they are over the healthy level,' he says.
Evidence for the benefit of B vitamins continued to mount, including in 2020, a review published by Professor Jin-Tai Yu from Fudan University in Shanghai, China's leading Alzheimer's prevention expert. Published in the Journal of Neurology,
Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, this analysed the results of 153 randomised trials and concluded that: 'Homocysteine-lowering treatment seems the most promising intervention for Alzheimer's disease prevention. ' (The homocysteine-lowering treatment reviewed involved using folic acid (B9), vitamin B12 and vitamin B6).
As for me, I'm sanguine about the latest research about the ApoE4 gene: I'm currently feeling fit and well, thanks to a programme that seems a sensible way to stave off physical decline in general, and neurological decline in particular.
Chris HemsworthAlzheimer's Disease
I found out I had a copy of the Chris Hemsworth dementia gene 20 years ago. This is what I've done ever since to keep the disease at bay - and what you should do too...
By JEROME BURNEPUBLISHED: 07:02 EDT, 8 May 2024 | UPDATED: 07:19 EDT, 8 May 2024
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/...worth-dementia-gene-disease-bay.html#comments
It is more than 20 years since I discovered in my 50s that I have a copy of the gene, ApoE4, that has been linked to a raised risk of Alzheimer's.
It's the same gene that the actor Chris Hemsworth carries, although he has two copies, one from each of his parents – he learned this in 2022 after having tests for a documentary series he was making about longevity.
Now comes news of a major study that has found that almost everyone who has two copies of this gene goes on to develop early signs of Alzheimer's. Researchers at the Sant Pau Research Institute in Barcelona looked at data from 10,000 people and 3,000 brain donors and found that the majority of those with two copies showed signs of Alzheimer's by the time they reached the age of 55. The researchers estimate that around 2 per cent of people have this gene profile.
+3
View gallery
My ApoE4 gene was identified when I was writing about the gene tests that were then just becoming publicly available and decided to take one. It was an alarming discovery, since not only do I have no family history of Alzheimer's, but back then there was nothing to be done about it. For a while, common moments such as forgetting why I was peering into a cupboard felt like a sinister warning.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/...rgeries-misdiagnosis.html?ico=related-replace
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...essages-make-furious.html?ico=related-replace
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...olocaust-andrew-neil.html?ico=related-replace
But I quickly persuaded myself that any brain malfunction wouldn't begin for years. Anyway, a cure might come along at any time and as a health journalist I could keep up with the latest research.
Yet for years there was little to be hopeful about – the few drugs that were available didn't make a difference to the disease progression.
Small bits of cutting-edge research I came across here and there convinced me to try various lifestyle approaches (more on the specifics later), but the expectation has long been that once you're heading into the medical territory that is Alzheimer's, you need heavyweight pharmaceuticals.
But the cheering, and very surprising, news is that nutritional and lifestyle advice, with some additions and tweaks, is the very latest thing in Alzheimer's prevention, with several UK charities and academic centres – including Imperial College London, Exeter University and Alzheimer's Research UK – now actively investigating this.
READ MORE: 'It's not just Pru forgetting things. Sometimes you wake up to the fact you've got a grandchild you'd forgotten you have': A deeply moving interview with Timothy West and Prunella Scales as they battle her worsening dementia
What's driving this dramatic U-turn is the failure of the drug industry to come up with effective and safe products. Even the newer 'wonder' drugs such as donanemab and lecanemab, which can delay the worsening of the disease by around a third in patients, can have serious side-effects – around a quarter of those who take them suffer bleeding or swelling in the brain, and some patients have experienced brain shrinkage.
These drugs work by clearing the brain of amyloid plaques, the sticky protein deposits thought to cause symptoms by disrupting communication between brain cells.
The problems with the latest drugs are detailed in a new book by leading neurologist Professor Karl Herrup. In 'How not to study a disease: The story of Alzheimer's' he writes: 'In our rush to find a cure we have gone down a blind alley. For decades we have focused more on salesmanship than scholarship. The amyloid cascade hypothesis has become a steamroller, intent on crushing any alternative models.'
One problem is that having the plaque doesn't necessarily mean you will have Alzheimer's and not having it doesn't mean you won't.
As Professor Herrup points out, 'we need to rebalance this [amyloid] hypothesis about the cause of Alzheimer's' to include 'other worthy ideas about its nature, such as those indicated by the links with diabetes and blood vessel damage and the insights gained from approaches involving diet, nutrition, and lifestyle'.
What's so radical about the nutritional and lifestyle approach is that it doesn't target a single cause but aims to improve the health of many of the body's systems – such as metabolism (how energy is used), the immune system and the vast colony of bacteria and other microbes (the microbiome) in your gut, that have a two-way connection with the brain. Keeping them all healthy can do the same for the brain.
And it means we can all take steps to protect ourselves, which is what I've tried to do.
I spoke to Tommy Wood, an assistant professor of neuroscience and paediatrics at the University of Washington, who is a principle investigator for the research charity, the Food for the Brain Foundation, which is looking at dementia amongst other brain disorders.
He told me: 'I first came across the idea of multiple approaches to health and fitness when I worked with athletes as a performance consultant. Many of the systems that affected their cognitive and physical abilities were the same as the ones we concentrate on at the charity with much older people.'
Robert Lustig, who is professor emeritus and an international expert on metabolism, based at the University of California San Francisco, explains why both blood sugar levels and insulin need to be kept at a low level to protect the brain.
+3
View gallery
+3
View gallery
Insulin's job is to help the body use blood sugar (glucose) as fuel. Professor Lustig, who is also advising the Food for the Brain Foundation, says high levels of glucose – from a high carb diet – lead to higher levels of insulin. 'Fairly soon, however, your system stops responding to insulin – known as insulin resistance – which is bad news because insulin delivers the glucose needed for energy in the brain and muscles.'
This is the kind of information that convinced me over the years to make changes to my diet. The standard advice to have plenty of carbs and pick the low-fat option was reversed, and I started following a ketogenic diet that involves eating much more fat – mostly saturated – and is very low in carbs.
The fat gets turned into small packets of energy, known as ketones, that can power brain cells.
I also started stepping up gym visits from a couple of times a week to three or four. Exercise improves blood circulation which is needed to clear waste products from the brain.
I started paying attention to my microbiome, the colony of microbes that lives in the gut. This involved eating more fibrous vegetables, as well as making and drinking kefir, a fermented drink that delivers probiotics to the gut, every day.
And I started taking B vitamins.
A decade after my gene was spotted, a randomised trial at Oxford University, run by professor emeritus David Smith, showed that B vitamins were essential for clearing a toxic compound called homocysteine from blood.
Homocysteine comes from the breakdown of proteins, and can damage cells. High levels are often found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.
In the Oxford study, which involved more than 200 people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) – where memory and clear thinking are impaired – half were given a daily high dose of a B vitamin, the rest a placebo. A proportion of each group had a brain scan at the beginning and end of the two-year trial.
The results, published in the journal PLOS One in September 2010, were impressive: those in the vitamin group not only had reduced homocysteine levels but brain shrinkage – the sign of brain cell death – was half that of those in the placebo group.
Rather than being welcomed, however, the trial set off a long-running academic battle. Alzheimer's charities, including one that contributed funding, ignored it.
Another study which found no benefit from B vitamins was published four years later, but it didn't convince me. While the participants in the Oxford trial had MCI, those in the later trials did not. So I kept taking the tablets.
One senior academic who has picked up on this research is Professor Peter Garrard, a specialist in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, at St George's Hospital in London.
When his mother Sheila started losing words and describing things in roundabout ways at the age of 78, he put her on a daily dose of high-strength B vitamins.
'It was very encouraging that, despite having had a brain scan that showed significant cell damage, she didn't get any worse and then gradually started doing a lot better,' says Professor Garrard. Sheila died at the age of 89. 'We'll never know how long she would have lived without the vitamins, but it must have made a difference that she stayed very fit and active.'
Professor Garrard told me that he'd been impressed by the B vitamin research done at Oxford and regarded claims that the vitamins had no benefit inaccurate. 'I check all my patient's homocysteine levels and give them B vitamins if they are over the healthy level,' he says.
Evidence for the benefit of B vitamins continued to mount, including in 2020, a review published by Professor Jin-Tai Yu from Fudan University in Shanghai, China's leading Alzheimer's prevention expert. Published in the Journal of Neurology,
Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, this analysed the results of 153 randomised trials and concluded that: 'Homocysteine-lowering treatment seems the most promising intervention for Alzheimer's disease prevention. ' (The homocysteine-lowering treatment reviewed involved using folic acid (B9), vitamin B12 and vitamin B6).
As for me, I'm sanguine about the latest research about the ApoE4 gene: I'm currently feeling fit and well, thanks to a programme that seems a sensible way to stave off physical decline in general, and neurological decline in particular.
Chris HemsworthAlzheimer's Disease
Black Ambrosia
Well-Known Member
Thanks for sharing! I just recently started taking an iron supplement with folate, B12, and B6. Any idea how folate compares to folic acid?
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