Activity And Your Health
November 28, 2020 1:26 pm
We should be aware that being physically active is part of being healthy. Health is a combination of being physically active, having a healthy diet are all parts of the variables that contribute to our physical and mental well-being long-term.
The restrictions and the stressors caused by COVID-19 have resulted in our inability to maintain a healthy diet and be physically active. However, we must be vigilant with maintain our activity levels to combat health issues.
It is timely that the British Medical Journal has just published an entire issue regarding the significance of activity and our health as individuals and public health worldwide.
There are a few articles that are outlined here.
Ekelund et al. Reviewed published articles and correlated the activity level and mortality. They Concluded, “Higher sedentary time is associated with higher mortality in less active individuals when measured by accelerometry. About 30–40 min of MVPA per day attenuate the association between sedentary time and risk of death, which is lower than previous estimates from self-reported data.”
Zoom Group Meeting November 24, 2020
November 24, 2020 4:40 pm
Link to CDC website.
What is PCR – Polymerase Chain Reaction:
Types of Vaccines….
“The final two vaccine candidates (from Moderna and BioNTech/Fosun Pharma/Pfizer) are mRNA vaccines. What are those?
First it helps to remember that DNA is the gene and RNA gives instructions for certain proteins. So an mRNA vaccine is the instructions for the SARS-CoV2 protein. Once inside the cell, the protein is made and that triggers the immune response. Just like the vector vaccines which use viruses to deliver the protein instructions, here you are delivering the instructions alone. It’s another way of getting the protein made inside of you.
Is there any risk of getting COVID-19 or COVID-19-like side effects from these vaccines?
When people talk about side effects of a vaccine, people often believe you’re getting a weaker version of the virus and a minor version of the disease. That is not what these things do. Most vaccine side effects — which include anything from a sore arm, to feeling warm to muscle aches — are a sign of the immune response. It’s not that you get a mild form of the disease. That’s important to be clear about. People keep a very close eye because you want to make sure these vaccines are safe.”
https://labblog.uofmhealth.org/rounds/top-5-covid-19-vaccine-candidates-explained
Healthcare in US
October 04, 2020 9:44 pm
The discussion has been ongoing for years about the status of healthcare in the US. Some support universal healthcare for all; some say they are against any healthcare mandate and yet demand affordable subsidized care when needed. Then, a tiny subset of the population genuinely believes in individuals’ choice and responsibility for their healthcare and well-being.
This subject of US healthcare has been studied by non-partisan groups in and outside the US at great length. The Experts at The Commonwealth Fund published a report in July 2017 which continues to be relevant today.
Sleeve Gastrectomy in Adolescent patients
September 23, 2020 5:44 am
Sleep apnea resolved at the same rate. These early interventions can mean there may be lower long-term risk and associated conditions for these teens as they age.
A recent article was written from several adolescent weight loss surgical patients’ perspectives: This included their feelings of hope for their futures and health.
Zoom Group Meeting
September 21, 2020 7:10 am
We are excited to announce we will be having a Zoom group meeting Tuesday, September 22, 2020 at 7:00 PM PST. We hope to see you online!
Registration is required. Please follow the link to the meeting registration.
What is Corona Virus?
September 17, 2020 1:37 pm
At a highly technical level Viruses are considered non-living materials. Viruses can not replicate and reproduce by themselves. Therfore, they need to attach themselves and penetrate a living organism to allow multiplication.
Double Stranded Viruses include smallpox, Chickenpox and Herpes simplex.
Single Strand Sositive Sense Virus in varies groups include HIV, and Corona Virus. Specifically, Corona virus is a Single Strand, Enveloped Helical Virus. The classifications of the viruses are based on their shape and the mechanism of attachment to the host cell.
There are differnt classification of virusrs described.
Viruses have cuased more death in the human history than any other diseases. However with vaccination, and public health policies we have been able to eliminate certain deadly viruses.
Duodenal Switch Post-op One year
August 28, 2020 1:12 pm
Will Weight Loss Surgery Resolve All Common Co-Morbid Conditions?
August 28, 2020 1:07 pm
This is an article that I wrote for Obesity Help.
You can find the article at the following link.
Covid-19 Mutation – Please physically distance and Wear Masks
August 18, 2020 1:16 pm
Introduction:
There is evidence emerging of Covid-19 mutation. This may explain the difference between the severity and intesity of the disease presented in the those geographical locations where the disease first.
Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida have identified changes in the Spike protein. This protein is used to bind the virus to host membranes. As we now know Florida is one of the few hot spots of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This has significant implications for the long term strategy needed to control transmission and manage resurrgence.
Until there is effective vaccination or effective treatment available for everyone, prevention by wearing face mask is the most efficient form to avoid transmistion.
Prevention:
The facts are that the most consistent effective preventive measures are wearing face masks and physical distancing.
There are those who may feel invincible and think that you will 1. either not get the disease or even if you get it it will 2-not affect your health. Lets first remind ourselves that wearing a mask is more to prevent passing the virus that getting it. We should all assume that someone that we come in contact with may already have it. Would you like them to breath the virus toward you ? This then brings the second issue: We do not know what the long term health effect of the virus is for those who develop significant symptoms and those who are asymtphomatic.
The unkown:
Let’s look at other viral infections that provide either no or minimal disease condition at the time of initial exposure only to result in long term health conditions that may result in death. These include hepatitis and HIV exposures and infections. Admitedly Coronavirus is a differnt family of virus. I am not suggesting that this will behave like other family of the viruses. We just do not have enough information to know what happens to those exposed to the virus (regardless of being asymptotic or not). Could the virus become dormant and over time result in organ injury (lung) like in the case of hepatitis (liver). Or make a home in our body and have recurrent debilitating infections and symptoms as it is seen with Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) which causes chickenpox and the time of the initial infection and makes residence in our body to reappear later on as herpes zoster (shingles). Will we need a new strain of vaccine every year similar to the flu vaccine?
That is the crux. We do not know because the COVID virus is new and we do not know the long term effects.
Vitamin D and COVID 19
June 13, 2020 4:40 pm
There has been extensive discussion on the importance of Vitamin D published over the last few years in regards to bone health, immune health and Calcium physiology. The importance of vitmain D and bone structure has been discussed extensively. It is also important in the absorption of Calcium. It further plays role in immune modulation.
What is new is the possible correlation of Vitamin D and COVID 19. Recently it is been shown that low vitamin D may increase the risk of a poor outcome with Covid-19 exposure and infection.
There are different standard recommendation for the Vitamin D levels.
In our practice we aim to maintain a Vitamin D level of 0ver 60 in post weight loss surgical patients.
There are a number of theories as to how the Vitamin D deficiency may play a role in this. An emerging observation is that low Vitamin D may cause abnormal and excessive blood clot formation. Mohammad et. al. in 2019 published a study on the association of low vitamin D and “…Pathogenesis of Thrombosis”
This pathologic blood clot formation in COVID-19 patients may explain the extensive lung injury and multi system organ failure in some patient. It is also one of the reason that some COVID-19 patients have loss limbs or appendages.
Please follow all supplement recommendations based on your laboratory studies and all COVID-19 recommendations. We would recommend frequent hand washing, surface cleaning, social distancing, and wearing face masks as the most basic precautions and increase precautions based on your health status.