Today’s Interview with : Dr. Sucharit Bhakdi (Soo-charit Bock-dee)
Want to Kick the Common Cold Faster? Think Zinc
Western Sydney University (Australia), December 27, 2021 An international team of researchers from more than five universities found that zinc shortened the duration of the common cold by about two days, and that taking zinc preventively reduced the likelihood of getting a cold by 28%. Previous findings had suggested a zinc deficiency was linked to a higher incidence of getting sick—but a new meta-analysis found that zinc helped people without deficiencies fend off rhinovirus infections. Zinc is your best weapon of defense against viral respiratory tract infections, such as the common cold. You can make a lengthy list of specific benefits from zinc because it is a cofactor for over 300 enzymes, but it is most famous for these immune system benefits. To fight common colds, zinc needs to disassociate into free zinc ions so that it can block cell adhesion molecules. However not all forms of zinc are equally adept at accomplishing this task.
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Tomatoes may combat the damaging effects of radiation
University of Manchester, December 24, 2021
A team of researchers have discovered that lycopene—the red pigment in tomatoes—is extremely successful at guarding against the harmful effects of radiation. Dr Ruth Edge from The University of Manchester, together with her colleagues Professor George Truscott from Keele University and Professors Fritz Boehm & Christian Witt from Berlin, undertook a study of lycopene (one of the carotenoids – plant pigments found in many fruits and vegetables) and its effectiveness at protecting against radiation at the University of Manchester’s Dalton Cumbrian Facility, part of the Dalton Nuclear Institute.
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Doesn’t an excessive intake of simple sugar affect higher brain function?
Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, December 27, 2021 There has been a remarkable increase in intake of simple sugar (sucrose, isomerized sugar (corn syrup) from beverages and diets in modern society. The intake of simple sugars in adolescents, in whom mental disorders frequently occur, is higher than any other generations. Moreover, patients with mental disorders consume approximately 2-fold more sugar than age-matched healthy individuals, and patients with schizophrenia who consume more sucrose exhibit more severe symptoms. Despite accumulating evidence, it is still unproven that excessive sugar intake contributes to the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders among susceptible individuals. Doesn’t an excessive intake of simple sugar affect higher brain function? Researchers have attempted to elucidate this causal relationship.
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Sugar Hampers Gut Bacteria Linked to Leanness
Yale University, December 26, 2021 Sugar can silence a key protein required for colonization by a gut bacterium associated with lean and health individuals. Until recently, scientists believed that sugar absorbed into the intestine and never reached the gut. However, recent studies have shown sugar can travel to the colon, where the microbiota resides. Groisman and colleagues studied the effects of a high sucrose/glucose diet in mice on one of those beneficial bacteria, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, a species associated with the ability to process healthy foods such as vegetables. They found that both fructose and glucose, which together form sucrose, block the production of a key protein called Roc, which is required for colonization of this beneficial bacterium in the gut.
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CBD reduces glioblastoma’s size, supportive environment in experimental model
Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, December 23, 2021 Inhaled CBD shrinks the size of the highly aggressive, lethal brain tumor glioblastoma in an animal model by reducing the essential support of its microenvironment, researchers report. Researchers at DCG and the Medical College of Georgia say that the inhaler approach not only helped ensure the compound found in cannabis reached the brain, but that the method of delivery could, much like asthma inhalers, eventually be easily used by patients. “It’s probably one of the most aggressive cancers period. We are in desperate need of research and more treatments,” the neurosurgeon and study coauthor says. “What we have right now is not working very well,” he says.
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High antioxidant fruits top list for lung protection
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, December 27 2021. The European Respiratory Journal published the results of a study that found protective effects for tomatoes and other high antioxidant fruits against the decline in lung function that can occur during aging. “In the present study, we sought to investigate whether a higher intake of dietary sources of antioxidants in middle-aged European adults could attenuate ageing-related lung function decline over 10 years,” explained lead researcher Vanessa Garcia-Larsen of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and her associates.
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UPCOMING GUESTS
FOR COMMENTARY HOUR: Dr. Jessica Rose is an immunologist and molecular biologist who has specialized in computational biology and the bio-mechanisms behind pathogenic infections. Her research and publications include investigating hepatitis B, cytomegalovirus, HIV, and anthrax. Dr. Rose is a graduate of the University of Newfoundland and Labrador, and received her doctorate from Bar Illan University in Israel. Dr Rose has now written and co-authored several important papers analyzing the data of Covid-19 vaccine injuries and deaths reported in the Centers for Disease Control’s Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System or VAERS. She also has a paper pending publication co-authored with Dr. Peter McCullough who will be guest on the program on Friday. Jessica is also a surfing instructor and Israel’s national champion for women’s long-board surfing.
FOR A NOON BROADCAST: Dr. Sucharit Bhakdi is an American born physician trained in Germany and has been in the medical field now for five decades. He received his medical degree from the University of Bonn and did his post-doctoral work at the prestigious Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics before becoming an associate professor at the Institute of Medical Microbiology at Gressen University. Later he was appointed as the chair of Medical Microbiology at the University of Mainz. Dr. Bhakdi has published over 300 articles in the fields of immunology, bacteriology and virology and has received numerous awards including the Order of Merit of Rhineland. His book, co-written with his biologist wife Dr. Karina Reiss — “Corona False Alarm?: Facts and Figures,” — which has been written for the layperson to understand the pandemic clearly — became a national best seller in Germany and later rapidly receiving international attention.
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Putting the fox in charge of the DoD hen house
The administration just nominated an industry insider to head the Pentagon’s troubled acquisitions department Project on Government Oversight, December 23, 2021 The Pentagon currently has 85 major acquisition programs in various stages of the acquisition process. This portfolio of weapons is a mix of new programs and upgraded versions of existing ones. In 2022 alone, the American people will pay approximately $246 billion to research, develop, test, and acquire everything from aircraft carriers to handheld radios. Most of these programs are behind schedule and far over budget. In a June 2020 report, the Government Accountability Office found that the Pentagon’s weapons programs are on average 54% more expensive and more than 2 years late. The person with the power of the pen at the end of the acquisition process — the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment — should understand the process and the defense industry, but it is crucial that they also have a demonstrated track record of independence. Unfortunately, the next Pentagon acquisition official will likely not be the independent actor the warfighters and the American people deserve. Rather than choosing a nominee with a history of independence, the Biden administration recently nominated a consummate defense industry insider to be the Pentagon’s acquisition head. William LaPlante has a long history that shows he is inextricably linked with the defense industry and has actively worked to further its interests. LaPlante previously served as the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology, and logistics during President Barack Obama’s second term. During LaPlante’s tenure, he shepherded high-profile programs like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus aerial tanker as they struggled through their troubled development phases. Even as evidence mounted that both programs were failing to live up to performance expectations and were still years away from being completed, LaPlante unfailingly sung their praises in public. “Boeing and the flight team are actually doing a good job right now, they are getting more flight hours in a week than we expected, which is what you would hope,” LaPlante said during his final Pentagon briefing before returning to the private sector in 2015. “I feel pretty good about KC-46.” Even as evidence mounted that both programs were failing to live up to performance expectations and were still years away from being completed, LaPlante unfailingly sung their praises in public. LaPlante’s links to the defense industry run deep. Outside of his government work, he has spent the bulk of his career in the research community for firms with large government and military contracts.
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Pfizer antiviral pills may be risky with other medications
One of the two drugs in the antiviral cocktail could cause serious interactions with widely used prescriptions, including statins, blood thinners and some antidepressants.
NBC NEWS. Dec. 27, 2021 As the omicron surge pummels a pandemic-weary nation, the first antiviral pills for Covid-19 promise desperately needed protection for people at risk of severe disease. However, many people prescribed Pfizer’s or Merck’s new medications will require careful monitoring by doctors and pharmacists, and the antivirals may not be safe for everyone, experts caution. The Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer’s Paxlovid for mild to moderate Covid in people as young as 12 who have underlying conditions that raise the risk of hospitalization and death from the coronavirus, such as heart disease or diabetes. However, one of the two drugs in the antiviral cocktail could cause severe or life-threatening interactions with widely used medications, including statins, blood thinners and some antidepressants. And the FDA does not recommend Paxlovid for people with severe kidney or liver disease. Because of experts’ concerns about the potential side effects of Merck’s molnupiravir, the FDA has restricted its use to adults and only in scenarios in which other authorized treatments, including monoclonal antibodies, are inaccessible or are not “clinically appropriate.” The Paxlovid cocktail consists of two tablets of the antiviral nirmatrelvir and one tablet of ritonavir, a drug that has long been used as what is known as a boosting agent in HIV regimens. Ritonavir suppresses a key liver enzyme called CYP3A, which metabolizes many medications, including nirmatrelvir. In the case of Paxlovid treatment, ritonavir slows the body’s breakdown of the active antiviral and helps it remain at a therapeutic level for longer. The drugs that pose interaction risks are widely prescribed to people at the greatest risk from Covid because of other health conditions. The medications include, but are not limited to: blood thinners; anti-seizure medications; drugs for irregular heart rhythms, high blood pressure and high cholesterol; antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications; immunosuppressants; steroids (including inhalers); HIV treatments; and erectile dysfunction medications.
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Delicensing Doctors for ‘Harmful Misinformation’
By Jane M. Orient, M.D. Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, December 17, 2021 In addition to being subjected to various forms of censorship, for the first time in living memory American doctors are getting threat letters from licensure boards warning them against distributing “harmful misinformation.” Medical boards in 12 states have disciplined doctors because of this allegation. While it is claimed that there’s an epidemic of misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic, the warnings don’t spell out what that means. “Harmful misinformation” appears to mean anything that contradicts or asks questions or raises doubt about the dogma that “vaccines are safe and effective,” or suggests a treatment not endorsed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and their corporate sponsors. One source of the allegedly “harmful misinformation” is a database created and maintained by the CDC, the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Anybody can enter a suspected vaccine adverse reaction, and the public can access it. So, “it can be abused by people trying to sow fear,” write Shayla Love and Anna Merlan in VICE News. One person filed a fraudulent report, promptly removed, claiming that an influenza vaccination had turned him into the “Incredible Hulk.” Adverse reports to VAERS are many times higher for COVID-19 vaccines than for all other vaccines combined since the database was established in 1988. Also viewed as “misinformation” is the opinion of physicians and researchers that hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, and other “repurposed” drugs are beneficial in COVID-19, as shown in more than 1,000 studies. Reports of dying patients who recovered when hospitals were legally forced to step aside and allow off-protocol treatment are ignored. The safe option for doctors is to promote the jab or keep silent, and not to suggest anything different from what Anthony Fauci approves. By silencing doctors who are ethical professionals, one opens the gates for the reckless charlatans.
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Austria Hiring People to “Hunt Down Vaccine Refusers”
InfoWars.com 21 December 2021 The Austrian government is hiring people to “hunt down vaccine refusers,” according to a report published by Blick. The city of Linz, which is home to 200,000 inhabitants, has a relatively low vaccination rate of 63 per cent. In response, “Linz now wants to hire people who are supposed to hunt down vaccine refusers,” reports Swiss news outlet Blick. The role of the inspectors will be to check on “whether those who do not get vaccinated really pay for it.” The vaccine refusenik hunters will receive a wage of 2774 euros, which will be paid 14 times a year, making an annual income of 38,863 euros. As we previously highlighted, the unvaccinated in Austria could find themselves imprisoned for a year under a new administrative law that would force them to pay for their own internment. Austrians who don’t get vaccinated by February face fines of up to €7,200 ($8,000) for non-compliance, and those who refuse to pay would also face a 12 month jail sentence.
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Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary Says “Idiot Anti-Vaxxers” Should Be Banned From Social Life
The COVID World, December 21st, 2021 In a message that could have come straight out of Nazi Germany, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has said that anyone who remains unvaccinated should be completely cut off from hospitals, planes, public transport, and the ability to get food at supermarkets. He added that governments should place increasing restrictions on the unvaccinated – including making vaccination mandatory for air travel. O’Leary told the Telegraph: “I have no difficulty saying to people, you can fly, but you have to be vaccinated. We fully respect your right to be not vaccinated if you are one of the lunatic fringes who believe this is some government, big pharma conspiracy. But if you are not vaccinated, you can’t go to the supermarket, you can’t go to the pharmacy. You shouldn’t be allowed into hospital if you’re not vaccinated” “If you tell someone under 30 years of age that they cannot get into a pub they’d get vaccinated pretty damn quickly. But governments should place increasing restrictions (on the unvaccinated) while recognizing the rights of everybody. If you want to be unvaccinated, that’s fine, but we should increasingly not allow those to go to work, to travel on the Underground, to fly etc.” These kinds of comments are par the course for O’Leary, who is described on Wikipedia as arrogant and prone to making comments which he later contradicts. He has been extravagantly outspoken in his public statements, sometimes resorting to personal attacks and foul language.
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U.S. Hospitals Pushed to Financial Ruin as Nurses Quit During Pandemic
Lauren Coleman-Lochner – BLOOMBERG, December 21, 2021 The U.S. health-care profession is suffering its own Great Resignation, pushing more hospitals into financial distress just as a winter surge of the coronavirus hits. Across the country, hospitals are buckling under the strain of nursing shortfalls and the spiraling cost of hiring replacements. The shortages are most acute at hospitals that rely on government funding to treat poorer patients, since they have fewer resources to compete against the rising cost of keeping staff. “This is like survival stakes,” said Steven Shill, head of the health-care practice at advisory firm BDO USA. Winners are “whoever’s highest on the food chain and who has the biggest checkbook.” The staffing companies — agencies that provide nurses and other staff on a temporary basis — are “really, really, really gouging hospitals.” “This is the worst nursing shortage that I have witnessed in my career,” Maureen May, a 30-year veteran of the pediatric ICU and the president of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, a union, said in an interview. Insurers are trying to move patients out of hospitals more quickly due to the staffing shortages and have offered the home-care company premiums to do so, according to an emailed statement from Executive Chairman Rod Windley. The pain spreads beyond nurses. A report by human-resources firm Mercer this year estimated a shortfall of 3.2 million lower-wage workers, such as nursing assistants and home health aides, by 2026. Employers will also need to hire more than 1.1 million registered nurses in that period, Mercer said. Two-thirds of nurses surveyed by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses said their experiences during the pandemic have prompted them to consider leaving the field. And 21% of those polled in a study for the American Nurses Foundation said they planned to resign within the next six months. Another 29% said they might.