Health Skepticism: Meta Studies Show Vitamin D and Calcium DOES NOT Reduce Fall Risk and Fractures in Older Adults

One of the common supplementations suggested to older adults was vitamin D and calcium, to help stave off osteoperosis, risk of falling and fracturing one's bones from a fall. However, this has recently been proven false. 

In a meta-study of 20 different trials on both older men and women, there is no significant difference between those who took the supplement and those who did not in terms of fall risk and bone fractures. 

So save your money, if you've been told you need vitamin D and calcium, as an older adult. Talk to your doctor and dietician for something that would actually help. 

Wellness Craze: The Cult of Raw Milk and Its Dangers

A recent news item about a salmonella outbreak in 2023 that sickened WELL OVER ONE HUNDRED PEOPLE who drank "raw milk" reminded me of this wellness craze that's completely unscientific. To summarize, "Raw Farm" of Fresno California was definitively traced as a source of the salmonella outbreak that had sickened at least 165 as of February 2024, based on reports recently released to the public. The actual outbreaks happened in late 2023. 

"Raw milk" advocates make a wide variety of claims such as "more nutritious", "help with _____". However, they have NO SCIENTIFIC DATA, just unverifiable anecdotes, to back up any of those claims, only naturalistic fallacy: it's "natural" thus it must be good. Mark McAfree, CEO and founder of Organic Pastures, a raw milk producer in California, was quoted by bon appetit stating, "Raw milk is like breast milk: non-allergenic, full of good bacteria, the ultimate immune-booster..."  He claims that "thousands" of his customers have told him that they and their kids feel better, have less symptoms of _____, yet there are really no scientific studies recently on these so-called benefits, much less verified benefits. 

Even the so-called "Raw Milk Institute" can only cite a few papers sourced from Europe to justify their position, and those papers only indicate that the children studied that consumed raw milk seems to have reduced infections. Most of their updates are guidance on how to clean equipment to reduce contamination. 

If you study those research papers from Europe in detail, you'll notice a couple things: 

• They're only testing RURAL babies and toddlers, who are LESS likely to catch common childhood illnesses since they don't congregate, and this was only 1st year of life. They are NOT URBAN babies and toddlers consuming raw milk. 
• They are relying on weekly "health journals" (i.e. self-reporting)
• One criteria of healthier is lower levels of C-reactive Protein (CRP), but do we really know how much the CRP varies in babies and toddlers? 
• Nice of them to test 4 milk variations: raw milk, boiled milk, pasteurized milk, and ultra-heat-treated milk. 
• Their conclusion was mostly drawn comparing raw milk to UHT milk, NOT pasteurized milk. 
• Even they agree that "health hazards of raw milk" prevents widespread consumption
• The study was from 2014.  

These research papers basically ignored the health hazard of raw milk consumption, because that was NOT what they were studying. They were NOT trying to weigh the risks vs benefits. They ONLY said that there seem to be some benefits based on the data they collected. 

Even if we take their study at full value... 30% less infections in 1st year of life.  Out of 37306 person weeks reported, only 602 have CRP value and at least one "occurence", which I assume to be infection of some sort (RTI, rhinitis, etc.) That's 1.6%. Reduce that by 30%, and you're looking at 1.1%. 

I guess the question here is, are you willing to risk your baby's death for 30% fewer infections?  

Argh, food poisoning sucks

 Not quite sure how it happened, but I got food poisoning after getting out of the hospital on Tuesday. I suspect it's on Friday, when I was out walking about and picked up some snacks and dimsum, probably the snack, a mix of peanuts, edamame, and dried bait fish. My stomach started spasming couple hours later, threw up 2-3 times, ended up with NO food for 24 hours. Basically subsisted on candy and chocolate. What's worse somehow EVERY ache on my body came back, and since I can't keep any food down, no medicine would go down either. Tried taking Acetaminophen, came right back out an hour later. So it's double or triple the suffering. I count it as lesser blessing I didn't shat in my bed, but it was close. 

On the other hand, the edema (fluid retention) in my calf is mostly gone. There's still some around my feet and ankles, but those would go down with time, I suspect. 

It's now Sunday morning, and the symptoms from the food poisoning have mostly subsided. Got some oatmeal flavored with a bit of maple syrup. I think I'll do with half a cup for now. 

Now some fountain pen talk. 

One of the major criticisms for Chinese fountain pens is that they are very often... "homages" of western pens, or they are of very low quality with horrible tips. Part of it is they are often cheap as dirt compared to Western pens. You can often find full metal Chinese fountain pens for less than $5 on Chinese sites on Aliexpress, Temu, and so on. The cheapest fountain pens outside of China you'll find are disposable fountain pens like Pilot Varsity. Next step up you're looking at Platinum Preppy, at about $6-7, which is, of course, plastic. Basically, you're not going to find anything more "high-class" with metal body until you hit the $20-25 range, such as the Pilot Metropolitan, or Lamy AL-Star (which is very lightweight aluminum and costs $40-60 unless you shop around, and looks exactly like its cheaper cousin, the resin-based Lamy Safari, which is 30-40)

As I said, you can get a very nice full metal WEIGHTY Chinese fountain pen, directly from China, for a pittance. I bought the Hero A11 for under $5 off Temu, and it writes pretty darn well, if you ask me, even compared to the favorites like Lamy. It comes with its own piston filler, not sure if it's a converter or not, I didn't try to disassemble it yet. Just filled it with ink and started writing. 

I got a couple more pens in my next shipment from Temu, so stay tuned. One's a Jinhou "porcelain art" special, then one with what looks like a fude nib, and finally a retractable nib pen, which was apparently all the rage in China. The Jinhou is about $8, and the other are about $2 each. We shall see if they are garbage or not next week. 

Yes, still alive...

Went to the CPMC campus on Van Ness for my ECRP procedure. 

How did Uber get so expensive? I was going to book Uber, and apparently at 6AM it will cost me $43 to go 1.3 miles (!!!).  I changed to Lyft and it only cost me $20. And yes, I tipped $5. The guy came in a BMW!  Rene, you're a good egg. Could drive a little smoother, but your car's immaculate. 

Anyway, the procedure went without a hitch. Pretty much got dressed in the gown, got EKG, had a little problem getting the IV in, that the nurses decided to let the anesthesiologist do it. But I have always had difficult veins, and lack of water intake before the procedure (if I regurg during the procedure I could drown, no joke, or get water in my lung, which is not good either) means I am a little dehydrated, which added to the difficulty. I think I got like 4 holes poked in me before the nurses gave up. :D

Anyway, got to the procedure room, got the IV put in, then it's time for the procedure. Got transferred from the gurney to the table, was warned that the drugs are going in, got a couple breaths of pure O2, then it's lights out for me. And I woke up in recovery. Then... I got the "bad" news? They apparently did find a 3cm mass, and they were able to biopsy that for the lab. Then they put a stent in, so I should start feeling better. But they need a better look at that mass, so I have a CT scan to be scheduled "soon". 

Got back home with a ride from family friend, pretty much went to bed, and dozed off. 

Spent Wednesday pretty much moping at home. Dad decided to move his shitter to my room in case I needed it. :D  Let's just say my bowels before the procedure was loose enough I may have gone a couple times in my trash can, that I got so tired of it I loaded myself with Loperamide (generic Immodium AD) that I constipated for a full day, didn't go until late Wednesday night / early Thursday morning. And yes, I had gone all the way to my local pharmacy to buy some. 

Finally decided to venture outside on Thursday, but I didn't go to sleep until like 5AM, that I didn't get out until noon. Nothing quite taste right, but forced myself to eat some cheungfun, then got a haircut (I think my last one was in... January?)  

Have a doctor's appt tomorrow, my sleep doctor, not much to report there, then there's an interview next week... Not getting paid MUCH, but my resume is apparently impressive to them, probably because no one else applied. Still, it'd put some money in my bank account, which is getting down to negligible status, and my credit card's over limit. ARGH!

Separate update about other stuff in the next blog post. 

Turns out, it's NOT self-inflicted AFTER ALL...

Seems my PCP had gone pretty senile... Considering he's well over 80, it's understandable. 

Basically, he missed my jaundiced condition until I pointed it out to him. THEN he sent me to a gastroenterologist. Jaundice basically means I had turned a shade of yellow. And that, is an indication of loss of liver function. My previous self diagnosis of air fryer contamination, lactose intolerance, and my attempt to self-medicate with pre- and probiotics were just... irrelevant. 

What I do have is bile duct obstruction... basically, liver and gall secrets stuff through a tube into the intestines. If that duct is obstructed, I get bad digestion, and possibly worse. 

What's worse, I've done both a CT and MRI, and they can't figure out what's obstructing the duct, so the next step is an ECRP: a stomach scope, basically. Looks like I'll be unconscious for this one. And it's scheduled for less than 7 days. 

This problem had basically caused me to stop producing, and basically put me into a bit of depression. But hopefully, this news will get me moving again. 

So, stay tuned. 

P.S. Here's a bit of funny incident. My gastro doesn't do ECRP, so he had to refer me to someone else, and the first guy I was referred to (yes, he's on the list, literally FIRST doctor listed when you look for gastro)... is in the wrong medical group and does NOT take my insurance! Took another 48 hours for my gastro to sort it out. Nice of him. :) 

My Recent Health Struggles were... Self-Inflicted

It's been a while since I've offered an update, that's because I had been feeling sick for a WHILE, months. 

Without making it too gross, let's just say, I've gotten into a LONG bout of stomach upsets, diarrhea, that lasted months. OTC drugs didn't really help, and even prescription strength stuff barely kept it under control. Let's just say, I had to standby near the toilet quite a bit. 

And I just realized I did this to myself. 

Basically, it's caused by 2 things: my air fryer, and my lousy cleaning habits. 

I have a personal air fryer, and I used to use it a lot. Let's just say, the hot air exhaust is... oily as I tend to cook frozen chicken thigh w/ skin. It's simple, decent protein, and you can do all sorts of sauces to make it edible. 

However, I don't clean it enough. I bought one of those silicone "trays" that goes inside, and promptly forgot about cleaning the inside. And grease started to accumulate inside I didn't rinse out after each use. As I said, I had a lousy cleaning habit. 

I think there was a month or two where I ate something else, so I didn't use the air fryer for a month or two. When I opened it up again, there's a mount of MOLD that grew on the leftover grease in the silicone tray. 

I tossed the whole tray, found a backup silicone tray I had purchased, rinsed the inside of cooking basket with the hottest tap water I can get out of the faucet, and proceeded to cook two more chicken thighs, and ate at least one. 

I suspect there are mold inside the fan assembly, and I basically fed myself mold and mold spores. I don't want to look, now that I think about it. It'd explain the prolonged stomach problems. 

I'm going to toss the air fryer, of course.  Already bought the replacement. 

There is a bit of a benefit... I lost 50 pounds during the ordeal. Now I don't have to diet. 

Not sure all that suffering (even now) is worth it though... 

Florida COVIDiocy: FL Surgeon General Ladapo Wants to Unwind COVID Testing while Speaking at Podium with Sign "Early Treatment Saves Lives"

I originally thought that DeSantis' Republican anti-health lunacy is limited to himself. Seems he has found a partner in his Surgeon General, Dr. Joseph Ladapo. 

Dr. Ladapo, while standing in at a lectern with a sign "Early Treatment Saves Lives", talked about how he will "unwind the testing psychology" of the Federal government. 

❓Just how exactly will you do early treatment without early testing? ❓

Keep in mind, Florida is begging / demanding the Federal government for more monoclonal antibodies for treatment because Florida has seen DOUBLE the people hospitalized for COVID (5700 vs 2406), from the previous week, as well as more than double the number of new COVID cases (from 128K to 298K). 

What's really disturbing, however, is Ladapo's emphasis that the guidance "doesn’t restrict access to testing, but reduces the use of low-value testing and prioritizes high-value testing."

❓So who determines what's high-value and what's low-value? ❓

Then DeSantis chimed in about how younger folks should not come in and hog up all the monoclonal antibodies treatment and save them for the seniors. He said literally: 

“It’s basically cold-like symptoms for a lot of those folks. That is not something you need to be coming in and getting monoclonals for. So, let’s look at our elderly population. Let’s look at folks that are immunocompromised or maybe things like diabetes that have shown to be a real serious risk factor,”

Wait, so the young folks who probably don't need them, are hogging all the monoclonal antibodies treatments? ❓

❓Is that why DeSantis are demanding more doses from the Feds? Because he wasted them due to him ignoring Federal testing policies, vaccine mandates, and mask mandates?❓ 

But consider this: by limiting the number of tests, DeSantis can claim he has fewer positive cases. 

Wouldn't stop the hospitalization from increasing, of course. 

But "high quality testing" is a playbook out of the Great Barrington Declaration. And indeed, Ladapo is a signatory of the GBD. Keep in mind that Ladapo is a cardiovascular physician. He has no training or expertise in epidemiology, virology, or even infectious diseases. He was even at one time among the voices of HQL and IVM pimps. 

What's REALLY out of touch? Florida's Department of Health tweeted on Christmas Day that "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!"

Please keep in mind that singing requires you to breathe WITHOUT any mask on. And if you are carrying the virus (with or without symptoms) you will be spreading it far and wide, potentially infecting lots of people. 

It's been documented that even two doors that briefly opened together are enough to pass COVID, according to a New Zealand quarantine facility contact tracing. The two groups were separated across a hallway at a quarantine hotel. The two groups never came into contact with one another, except for a brief period where one side opened their door, then the other side also did. There were only a few seconds of overlap, but it was enough. 

It was clear that Florida Department of Health has turned into the Department of ANTI-Health, with "leadership" from not just one, but two death-dealers. 

Not only do they openly fight Federal attempts to fight the disease, but they also want Federal help to save the victims of their own efforts.  

And it's only going to get worse. 

3 Keys to Creativity Found

The 3 keys to creativity is actually very simple:

Educate: fill your brain with a lot of other people's ideas

Stimulate: add some stimulation to your brain, could be endorphins, stimulants, or just different environments

Delimitate: add some limits to your thinking, like remove material, limit tech level and so on.

Let the mind sit and percolate, and you may get an invention.

http://hubpages.com/hub/3-Keys-to-Creativity-Stimulate-Educate-and-Delimitate

Related articles

• Creativity vs. Productivity: How to Make Progress When Making Art (lifehack.org)
• 10 ways to get your creative juices flowing (isiria.wordpress.com)

RANT: When rumors actually maim and kill, part 1

Andrew Wakefield and wife, Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Since 1998, a bunch of paranoid parents, claiming that the MMR (mumps, measles, and rubella) vaccine may actually CAUSE autism, started an anti-vaccine movement, leading to massive drop in vaccinations for mumps, measles, and rubella. All of which were nearly eradicated in the 1980's and 1990's, that is, until this movement got started. Since then, these diseases are on the rise again. And autism rates are STILL going up for the past 10 years.

The only legitimate reason these anti-vaccine folks have that they can cite was a single paper, written by Andrew Wakefield and his group, published in February of 1998, in the British medical journal "The Lancet". So what did the paper actually say?

The paper is a study of twelve children with developmental disorders (i.e. autism). Eight of the parents claim that the symptoms started after the MMR vaccination. Studies show some sort of gastrointestinal problem in addition to the developmental problems seem to be in common among the children. However, the paper did NOT prove any sort of association between MMR vaccine and autism. What was its conclusion? Without the medical-ese, what it says is:

These kids, previously normal, now have digestive problems and autism, which seems to be triggered by something in the environment.

Absolutely NO mention of the vaccine at all was in the paper's conclusion. 

The author, Andrew Wakefield, in a press conference before publishing the paper, stated that he believe it may be prudent to use single vaccines instead of the triple-combination MMR vaccine until it can be proven that there really is no link between the MMR vaccine and autism, even though there was no evidence that single vaccines will avoid triggering autism. This is his personal opinion, and was NOT in the research paper.

Malpractice suits: who really pays at the end?

Image via Wikipedia

Did you know that in New York City, 92.2% of OB/GYN doctors have been sued for malpractice at least once? And the average is 3 times each? The effect is OB/GYN driven out of the city altogether, or just GYN, no more OB.

Another OB/GYN doctor remarked: in 1981 his medical malpractice insurance is only $8000 per year. Now it's $155000 (2009). His practice can't pay for the insurance, at about $50 per appt, so he's getting out of the business. Average malpractice insurance for non-OB/GYN doctors in NYC is $40000.

Stats show that less than 30% of the malpractice suits actually have a chance of winning. The rest are frivolous.

Anti-bacterial / germicidal: the real health threat?

Image via Wikipedia

Anti-bacterial or germicidal products are all around us. We are lead to believe that they are better than the plain-jane versions. Dish-washing liquids now comes in germicidal varieties. Even computer keyboards comes in germicidal varieties. But has it gone too far?

First, are bacteria REALLY that harmful through contact? There are deadly bacteria. Bad forms of E Coli or Botulism and such sends plenty to hospital very year. However, those are all INGESTED bacteria. What bacteria is there that are dangerous through CONTACT?

I mean, you wouldn't use those germicidal hand cleaners on your food, do you? Say a cucumber, carrot, and so on, that you'd eat raw?

The only kind that are widely known is the "flesh-eating bacteria", and even then it needs some sort of an entrance. But what are the chances of running into those for the average Joe?

Second, what about the GOOD bacteria? There are plenty of stuff that lives inside you.

Third, what are the consequences of such germicidal mania? More serious than you think.

Nature is a self-regulating mechanism. If you push it one way, eventually it will push back. What will likely happen is in the near future the common germs that these germicidal agents may develop resistance to these agents. It's the natural thing to do. So we'll have to invent something STRONGER... and the war continues.

The danger to this scenario is... if the resistant strain somehow got crossed with a virulent strain, we'd end up with a pandemic that we can't stop.

And we already have "drug resistant" forms of many diseases. Drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis already exists to most common forms of antibiotics, and the super-advanced antibiotics cost an arm and a leg. (And you thought that TB had been eradicated from the world!) The "super germs" are causing problems in Europe a lot. Many have died in hospitals from these super-germ infections.

Why do we need all this germicidal stuff when a simple hand-washing will do? After all, hospitals have done it for a hundred years to prevent infections, right?