Health & WellnessS


Health

Shigella: An antibiotic-resistant bacteria is rising among Philly's homeless population

homeless man
© Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain
Shigella, an increasingly hard to treat bacterial infection, is on the rise in Philadelphia, especially among people who are experiencing homelessness or use opioids.

Eighty cases were reported to city health officials last year in October and November combined, according to an advisory issued last month by the Philadelphia Department of Health. They included 12 children who were infected.

In comparison, fewer than 10 cases were reported per month from January through September 2023.

Syringe

Measles: The first panic narrative of 2024?

Are twin measles outbreaks on both sides of the Atlantic laying the groundwork for a new vaccine push?
Measles Outbreak
© Off-Guardian
Measles outbreaks hit the headlines in the both the US and UK this week.

The UK is allegedly in the middle of a serious measles outbreak centred on Birmingham. The BBC reports:
Birmingham Children's Hospital has been inundated with the highest number in decades of youngsters with measles
The West Midlands has reportedly seen as many as 167 measles cases in total, the BBC claiming "low vaccination rate has been attributed to the rise." (pretty sure they mean "the rise has been attributed to the low vaccination rate" but you never go to the BBC for accuracy.)

167 cases may not seem like a lot, but it towers over Philadelphia's "outbreak", where 8 WHOLE ENTIRE PEOPLE have tested positive for measles, according to NBC:
At least eight people have been diagnosed with measles in an outbreak that started last month in the Philadelphia area. The most recent two cases were confirmed on Monday.
Just like the BBC, NBC is quick off the mark when it comes to assigning blame:
"None of the people in Philadelphia who've been diagnosed [ever] got a measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine".
The NB and BBC reports were published just hours apart, about two different "outbreaks" in two different countries, yet both hit the exact same talking points.

Syringe

Covid vaccines cause 'Autism' in lab rats, study finds

autistic mice
A friend, Ashmedai, highlighted a fascinating animal study, which found that giving pregnant rats the Pfizer Covid vaccine induced 'autism-like' traits in the male pups born after such vaccination.

The placebo-controlled study was published in Neurochemical Research.
springer link
The researchers set out to evaluate the effects of Covid vaccination on rats during pregnancy to see the effect on the offspring:
This study aimed to investigate the gene expression of WNT, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, specific cytokines, m-TOR expression, neuropathology, and autism-related neurobehavioral outcomes in a rat model. Pregnant rats received the COVID-19 mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine during gestation. Subsequent evaluations on male and female offspring included autism-like behaviors, neuronal counts and motor performance.

Comment: Considering that the vaccination was recommended for pregnant women (AND children), one wonders whether it was the greed of pharmaceutical companies that lead to a calculable risk THEY were prepared to take (without informed consent, of course), or an ice-cold calculation to bring the population a little closer to the 'Klaus Schwab dream' of a compliant, asocial automaton populace. The jury's still out on that one.

See also:


Clipboard

Judge orders CDC to release 7.8 million text-based responses submitted to V-safe

VSAFE
© CDC
Yesterday, American attorney Aaron Siri announced that a judge had ordered the US Centre for Disease Control ("CDC") to release additional text-based information collected by the V-safe online application. The information pertains to 7.8 million records submitted by more than 10 million V-safe users, typically detailing injuries after being injected with a covid "vaccine."

V-safe is a smartphone-based tool that uses text messaging and web surveys to provide personalised health check-ins after receiving a covid injection. The after-vaccination health checker app was developed and implemented to monitor covid-19 "vaccine" safety and as an active surveillance supplement to existing CDC vaccine safety monitoring programs. It was launched on 13 December 2020, the day before covid injections were first made available to the American public.

V-safe has been used by the CDC to monitor covid-19, monkeypox or mpox, and now respiratory syncytial virus ("RSV") vaccines.

Comment: See also: ICAN obtains court order demanding CDC release secret COVID vaccine adverse events data obtained in 'V-Safe' program


Display

Early exposure to screens may alter children's sensory reactions

Televisión vs la Tierra1
© Desconocido
Social interaction may mitigate effects, according to a new study.

It's probably of little surprise that exposure to digital media can affect emotional processing. However, new research reveals it may also shape how children experience sensations.

A new study links heavy media use starting as young as age 1 with atypical sensory processing down the road. That means how kids take in stimuli through their sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch can reflect deficits or hypersensitivities.

What Is Sensory Processing?

Sensory processing allows seamless communication between brain and body. Our senses take in information — the colors of a flag, the buzz of a bee, the feel of a soft blanket, the smell of a flower, the sweetness of chocolate — and shuttle it to the brain for interpretation ("That's the American flag!" "Avoid the bee!" "I'm cozy." "That's a pretty flower." "I'm satisfied.")

Water

One litre of bottled water contains 250,000 invisible plastic particles

microplastics
© Getty Images/iStockphotoMicroplastics have been found deep inside the ocean and mixed with sand. This close-up side shot of hands shows microplastic waste contaminated with the seaside sand.
Most of these are nanoparticles which have the potential to penetrate human cells and gain entry into bloodstream and major organs.

A new study found people are consuming a quarter million of tiny invisible pieces of plastic with every litre of bottled water - 10-100 times more than previously estimated.

One litre of water in a plastic bottle was found to contain an average of 240,000 particles, research published on Monday showed. Most of these are nanoparticles which have the potential to penetrate human cells and gain entry into the bloodstream and major organs.

Comment: It can be disheartening to realize the extent to which the modern environment is toxic to life. The best we can do is to minimize exposure to known toxic sources (plastic bottled drinks, in this case) and keep our bodies in the best possible condition to keep on top of unavoidable exposure.

See also:


Arrow Up

Social media use linked to inflammation levels, study finds

social media
In a newly published study from the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, researchers have uncovered a surprising connection: Individuals with higher levels of inflammation, as evidenced by a marker known as C-reactive protein, tend to use social media more frequently.

Historically, inflammation has been linked to numerous health conditions, ranging from heart disease to rheumatoid arthritis. On a psychological level, prior research has suggested that systemic inflammation might influence behavior — particularly social affiliations, which makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint. When our ancestors faced infections, they might have been compelled to seek out social connections to increase their chances of survival. However, in today's digitized world, social media platforms serve as a significant outlet for these affiliations.

For researchers David Lee, Tao Jiang, Jennifer Crocker, and Baldwin Way the relationship between inflammation and our modern-day social interactions held more to unpack. Drawing on recent evidence, the present research posited that higher inflammation levels might be associated with increased social media usage. This is based on the theory that inflammation can enhance motivations to seek out social connections — in a modern context, this is done namely through platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

To investigate this theory, the researchers conducted three studies with a combined total of 524 undergraduate students from three different Canadian universities. These students provided blood samples to measure C-reactive protein levels, an established indicator of systemic inflammation. They also filled out questionnaires about their social media habits, capturing details such as the frequency, type, and duration of their usage. This approach allowed the scientists to gauge if there was a direct link between inflammation markers and online social behavior.

Health

I reversed my type 2 diabetes. Here's how I did it

novolog
© Carlos Osorio/AP‘I am not a worrier by nature, but I suddenly had the dreaded sensation that my life was about to be shortened. In reality, my education about the dysfunctional state of American diet and nutrition was just beginning.’
Modern medicine makes it seem as if drugs are the only way to deal with diabetes. But what if diet can be a solution?

One gray Sunday in the middle of the Covid lockdown, I received an unwelcome call from my family doctor. Until then, for virtually my entire life, I had managed to stay out of a doctor's office, except for routine checkups. My luck had run out.

"I am sorry to disturb you on a weekend," she said. "But your tests just came back and your blood sugar levels are alarming. I am pretty sure you have diabetes."

During the lockdown, I experienced symptoms I now understand to be warning signs for type 2 diabetes, the disease - along with its precursor pre-diabetes - that, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, afflicts nearly half of all adult Americans. I was always thirsty, and had taken to drinking pitchers of sweet apple cider. I was urinating more than usual, and my urine had an orange hue. When my doctor gave me a blood test, she found my A1C, a measurement of blood sugar over a three-month period, was 11.8%, a level commonly known as "through the roof". Anything over 5.7% is considered pre-diabetic. Above, 6.4%, you're diabetic.

Comment: See also:


Health

Aspirin inhibits metastatic cancer spread, reducing mortality by 21 percent: Study

aspirin
© Freepik
Additionally, a comprehensive review indicated that patients who take aspirin have a relatively lower risk of developing various types of cancer.

Aspirin is a long-established and widely used medication with a rich history. In addition to its well-known uses for pain relief and its anti-inflammatory and anticoagulant properties, a recent study indicates that cancer patients who take low-dose aspirin daily experience a 21 percent reduction in mortality. Furthermore, there is evidence of aspirin's role in preventing cancer metastasis.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of global mortality. In 2020 alone, there were approximately 19.3 million new cancer cases worldwide and nearly 10 million deaths. According to statistics, 1 in 6 reported deaths are attributed to cancer. The most common types of cancer include breast, lung, colorectal, prostate, and stomach.

Comment: See also:


Pills

Paxlovid does not reduce risk of Long COVID, potentially linked to rebound symptoms: Study

paxlovid
© Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters/Illustration
Researchers found little difference in outcomes between Paxlovid users and nonusers. They also found 1 in 5 users experienced rebound symptoms.

Paxlovid, an antiviral medication prescribed to treat symptoms associated with COVID-19, does not reduce the risk of developing long COVID in vaccinated people recovering at home.

The report comes from a new study published in the Journal of Medical Virology on Thursday. Conducted by a team of researchers from the University of California-San Francisco, the study also found that more people are experiencing rebounds of their COVID symptoms after taking Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir-ritonavir) than previously reported.

Comment: In other words, you may be worse off taking Paxlovid than you would be just suffering through Covid, letting your body develop natural immunity and relying on your native immune function to take care of the disease. Not at all surprising.

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