Category Archives: Alternative Medicine

About the authors: Arthur L. Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty professor of bioethics and the founding head of New York University School of Medicines Division of Medical Ethics. Nicholas Agar is distinguished visiting professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Australia. Oliver Feeney is a researcher with the Institute of Ethics and History of Medicine, University of Tbingen and Centre of Bioethical Research and Analysis, National University of Ireland (Galway). Vojin Raki, full professor, is founding director of the Center for the Study of Bioethics and head of the Steering Committee of the Continental Divisions of the International Chair in Bioethics, World Medical Association Cooperating Center.

The pandemic isnt done with us yet. The emergence of the Omicron variant of the virus that causes Covid-19 has put new urgency behind national vaccination campaigns. But a look around the world at different vaccination strategies finds both hesitancy and no easy answers.

Were scholars from different parts of the globe. We surveyed national responses to the pandemic in nations we knew and which had adequate vaccine supplies. We were looking for lessons that can be learned about various efforts to rein in the pandemic using vaccination. What are the moral norms that have fueled different outcomes? Should we follow a particular set in moving forward?

Start in Australia and New Zealand. In spite of differences of political style between conservative Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and progressive New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern, both societies settled on similar approaches to the pandemic. Both aimed to get as many people vaccinated as soon as possible. But the Australian and New Zealand vaccination programs were slow to start. Australias rollout in February 2021 promptly ran into trouble because it relied on the domestically produced AstraZeneca vaccine. Stories of a rare blood-clotting condition significantly slowed uptake, requiring an awkward pivot toward mRNA vaccines. New Zealand dodged this issue by making the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine available to all from the launch of its vaccination program.

The slow start of Australasian vaccination programs can be partially attributed to over a year of internationally celebrated success at eliminating the virus by community-oriented and personal-sacrificing stay-at-home orders and social distancing. For much of the pandemic death from Covid-19 was something Australasians watched on TV. But despite temporary success the approach failed. Outbreaks of the Delta variant led to a significant acceleration of vaccination in both nations with expectations of very high rates of compliance. Ardern hopes to achieve a vaccination rate of 90% of New Zealanders. There are similar aspirations in Australia. In both nations there are concerns about lagging rates of vaccination in some populations, for example, among indigenous Australians and among Mori and Pasifika in New Zealand.

Sweden by contrast did not fight the Covid-19 pandemic with lockdowns. The idea of naturally acquiring herd immunity proved not only controversial, but a manifest failure. Nonetheless, some continue to tout the herd immunity approach, such as the small but vocal members of the Great Barrington group in the U.S.

In spite of initial vaccine hesitancy, now more than 80% of Swedes are vaccinated with one dose and well over 50% with two. Swedish epidemiologists have assessed thatbetween 52% and 82% of vaccinated Swedes is sufficient to attain herd immunity. In that light, it appears that Sweden has finally achieved the immunity it desirednot in a natural way but supplemented with mass vaccination.

Serbia differs from the three mentioned countries in two ways. First, vaccine hesitancy in Serbia is more widespread. Second, Serbia has been subjected to populist autocratic rule in various periods during the past decades. The consequences are that, in spite of a rapid major success in vaccine acquisition, years of anti-Western official media campaigns have taken their toll. These campaigns, which have included anti-medicine messages, culminated in believers in alternative medicine obtaining dominant attention in state-controlled media at the beginning of the pandemic. State-run campaigns used the pandemic for political purposes, and Covid-19 deaths and infection rates were falsified. Serbia is now among the countries with the highest infection rates per capita in the world. Several days this fall Serbia was even world No. 1. Half of the population is still vaccine-hesitant. Serbia has reached a vaccination rate of around 50% with at least one dose, with stockpiles of unused vaccines produced mostly in China, the U.S., the U.K., and Russia.

In the Republic of Ireland, by November 2021 over 90% over the age of 12 had received at least one dose. However, this number fell by about half for Central and Eastern European immigrant communities. The overwhelming majority of politicians have advocated vaccinations. Nonetheless, vaccines are not mandatory and it is unlikely that any such policy will be adopted. The Republic of Ireland has one of the lowest rates of Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy in Europe.

Nearby in Northern Ireland, which has experienced years of intercommunal conflict and division, things are different. In September, the seven-day average death rate per 100,000 people from Covid-19 was 10 times higher than the Republic of Ireland rate. One local doctor memorably attributed those differences to the presence of an anti-authoritarian, an anti-government thing, which runs through society, particularly on the [Irish] nationalist side. Thats in addition to other factors associated with lower uptake rates of vaccinations, such as social deprivation. Overall, in Northern Ireland, the levels of vaccination uptake by persons aged 12 (and above) is 85% vaccinated with a single dose.

Northern Ireland has a dual identity in politics and culture. One can also compare it with the U.K. as a whole, where the 7-day average death rate per 100,000 was half the rate in Northern Ireland. Of the four nations of the United Kingdom, as of November 2021, Northern Ireland has the lowest rates of vaccine uptake.

In the U.S., efforts have focused on state and local initiatives to increase vaccination. The federal government has authority to impose vaccination requirements for federal workers, the military, and those wishing to enter the U.S. Mandates have been used for these groups and while challenged they have been upheld insofar as they permit masking and testing as alternatives. Vaccination rates are nearly 100% in these populations. States have tried persuasion and financial incentives to boost vaccination rates. As of late-November 59.3% of the entire U.S. population was fully vaccinated. The New England states all reported rates over 70%. The poorest rates of vaccination under 45% were in Alabama, Wyoming, Idaho, and West Virginia, with many other states reporting under 55%. Opposition to government-imposed mandates at the state level has been strong, with some states attempting to prohibit mandates of any kind. Some private entities, including hospitals, airlines, banks, food delivery companies, groceries, casinos, athletic teams, and small businesses, have moved to mandates as a condition of employment with impressive success. The federal government is seeking to impose mandates on businesses in the name of worker safety, which has triggered a broad legal battle over federal authority.

In the U.S. government mandates are met with far more resistance than those imposed by private businesses. Ideological divisions tend to correlate with higher voluntary compliance in more left-leaning blue states than in conservative red states, where there seems to be more sympathy for mandates that permit religious exemptions.

What can we learn from this varied picture? Public health in general and vaccination in particular are as much about politics, values, and public trust as they are about science and facts. Isolation and natural infection both failed as policies. Distrust in authorities and government, particularly in societies that are divided or polarized, has led to innovation, including fines and compensation. But no nation has achieved easy or huge success. Worries about vaccine safety, sometimes rooted in reports of adverse events, at others in social-media misconceptions, undercut vaccine rates everywhere. In every nation there are subpopulations that either have particular distrust for the government mandates or simply lack ready access to healthcare.

Mandates may be the answer to achieving higher rates of vaccination. But if they are not rooted in convincing arguments about moral obligation and community protection, they can evoke loud opposition, further diminishing social trust.

Guest commentaries like this one are written by authors outside the Barrons and MarketWatch newsroom. They reflect the perspective and opinions of the authors. Submit commentary proposals and other feedback toideas@barrons.com.

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Countries Have Tried Mandates, Isolation, and Herd Immunity to Curb Covid - Barron's

GROWING POSITIVITY, ONE TEA LEAF AT A TIME. Brianna Vodvarka launched her tea business, Black Kettle Tea, as a way to find joy during dark times. And now, it has become a passion project. (Submitted photo)

Menomonies Brianna Vodvarka found herself in a dark place in 2017 while struggling with depression. After working on her mental health, Vodvarka embarked on a journey with a new, rather unusual, hobby as a means to form structure and healthy habits in her life: growing tea from the ground up.

What started as a passion for gardening turned into her very own business Black Kettle Tea Shoppe, a loose-leaf tea and organic product company that she runs solo.

"I've always felt like the black sheep," Vodvarka said. "Feeling like (the) black sheep, and you use a kettle for tea that's where the (business) name is from."

I've always felt like the black sheep.

Feeling like (the) black sheep, and you use a kettle for tea that's where the (business) name is from.

Brianna Vodvarka

Owner of Black tea kettle Shoppe

Black Kettle Tea offers a wide variety of organic, homegrown herb mixtures for all tea lovers to enjoy. Vodvarka said she uses traditional lavender, chamomile, and peppermint flavors, but likes to keep it minimal so the herbs can do their own thing.

I dont add flavors, she said. I let the herbs do the talking for themselves. I also try to do everything organically and like to know where all the ingredients are coming from.

Since living in Wisconsin limits the ability to grow all the ingredients needed to make the tea, Vodvarka works with organic growers in Florida to gain access to more produce.

Every month, she comes out with custom blends based on the time of year and rotates out the loose-leaf options to add more variety.

And, perhaps most unique to her business, is the ability to offer custom-made tea. If a customer is looking for a specific blend, no matter how obscure, Vodvarka works to make it happen.

"It's almost like alternative medicine, she said. There is something to help everyone.

In the past, she has made blends to help people with sleeping problems and asthma. But loose-leaf tea is just one of many products made and sold by Black Kettles Tea. Other items for sale include tea-based bath bombs and moon mist sleep mist.

According to Vodvarka, she is working on a new skincare line that will include a face wash and toning spray. However, the new skincare line isnt the only operation in the works.

"I wanted an old-fashioned tea room, she confessed. I want to open a shop that would allow people to create custom blends (themselves).

Until then, customers can buy Black Kettle Tea Shoppe products online at blackkettleteashoppe.com. Vodvarka also has loose-leaf teas available at the Broom & Crow, the Menomonie Market Food Co-Op, Silver Creek Herbals, and The Local Store.

For more information, check Black Kettle Tea on Facebook or on Instagram.

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WHAT'S THE TEA? New Local Biz Creates Organic Teas - Volume One

The advancements in molecular marker discovery, genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics in recent years have enabled researchers to develop targeted therapies against cancers. Cancer research and management is multi-disciplinary and multimodal. In addition to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy, targeted immunotherapy has also provided considerable success in the clinic. There is also scientific evidence on the impact of alternative therapies on cancer patients.

Modern Cancer Therapies and Traditional Medicine: An Integrative Approach to Combat Cancers summarizes the general aspects of cancer therapy and management. Chapters cover cancer medicine in two broad sections, the book presents comprehensive information on a diverse range of cancer treatments. The first section covers conventional molecular oncology and therapy including targeted therapies, immunotherapies, cancer signaling pathways and the use of computational techniques. The second section focuses on traditional methods of treatment including the role of nutrition, traditional medicine, Yoga and Ayurveda in cancer prevention and management.

Audience:

Students and academicians in medicine, life sciences and pharmacology.

About the editors:

Dr. Shashank K. Singh is the Principal Scientist at the Pharmacology Division at the prestigious Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM) and an associate professor at the academy of scientific and innovative research (AcSIR). He has been actively engaged in anti-cancer drug discovery from natural, synthetic and semi-synthetic sources since December 2003. He has also been involved in various CSIR (India) network programs of anti-cancer drug discovery and development, from hit to lead identification to preclinical development of Leads from Natural products. Dr. Shashank specializes in performing in vitro and in vivo anti-cancer Mechanistic studies apoptosis (Programmed cell death) using various techniques, drug Combination studies & formulation development of active molecules into novel drug delivery systems to improve PK PD profile or to enhance their bio-efficacy or Bioavailability. He has authored more than 60 high-impact publications and over 10 granted patents. Dr. Shashank is a member of several leading organizations and scientific bodies, including the International Pharmaceutical Federation, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and American Association for Cancer Research.

Dr. Reena Singh is an Assistant Professor at the School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University. She holds a Ph.D. from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, India. She has received IARDO and RACE-Bangkok Awards for Best Teacher (University Level). Her research focuses on metagenomics, microbial diversity, directed evolution, and mutagenesis for improving the catalytic activity of microbial enzymes. She is currently exploring metagenomics for novel hydrolases and the production of bioactive molecules from myxobacteria. She has published twenty papers and book chapters and is on the editorial boards of six journals. She is a member of the Indian Science Congress Association and a founding member of The Society of Biologists, Jammu and Kashmir, India.

Chirag Chopra is an Assistant Professor at the School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University. He holds a Bachelor of Technology in Industrial Biotechnology from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University and an M.S. (Research) from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. He has published fifteen papers in journals including Oncogene, Science Bulletin, f1000Research, Nutrition, Foods, International Journal of Molecular Sciences and three book chapters. He is on the editorial board of five journals. He has received IARDO and RACE Bangkok Young Scientist Awards. His research focusses on targeting key oncogenic signaling proteins and T-cell checkpoint in cancer through plant-based natural compounds. He is also working on repurposing of drugs for cancer therapy. Er. Chirag is a member of the Indian Science Congress Association and a founding member of The Society of Biologists.

Keywords:

Cancer biology, Yoga, Cancer nutrition, Ayurveda, Cancer signaling, Combinatorial Therapy, Cancer drug discovery, Cancer immunotherapy, Herbal Medicines, Traditional medicine, Cancer imaging, Cancer biomarkers, Targeted therapy, Molecular Oncology

For more information, please visit: https://bit.ly/3hFO9WB

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

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Recent cancer therapies and traditional medicine - EurekAlert

With the holiday shopping season underway folks are often hearing phrases like shop small and buy local. What about reading local?

During the fall a number of local authors published new books spanning tales of espionage and murder to medical memoirs.

Here are 18 books recently published by local Connecticut writers:

"Last Stop on the 6" by Stamford's Patricia Dunn.

With the holidays coming up, many of us might experience a bit of familial guilt or fall into old patterns with relatives we dont see very often. Stamford author Patricia Dunn explores the tangled knot of family love, guilt and secrets in her book Last Stop on the 6. Her book follows Theresa Angela Campanosi as she returns home to her familys drama ahead of her brothers wedding. The book was published Nov. 9.

In the latest installment of the "Alex Hawke series by espionage and thriller author Ted Bell, the spys plans for a relaxing cruise are interrupted when hes pulled into a case to protect democracy. The Greenwich authors hero finds himself not on the pleasure cruise he had planned, but traversing the high seas and the Amazonian jungle to save the day in Sea Hawke. The latest adventures of Alex Hawke (who James Patterson called the new James Bond) comes out Dec. 7.

Husband and wife writing duo Amber Edwards and Justin Scott published Forty Days and Forty Nights in October. The Newtown couples first book written together is a thriller that follows a domestic terrorist plot set against a flooding Mississippi.

"Better to Trust" by Weston's Heather Frimmer.

In Weston author Heather Frimmers sophomore novel she pens a family drama about a neurosurgeon hiding a pill addiction who operates on his sister-in-laws brain in Better to Trust. The novel, which was published in September, examines addictions, adultery, secrets and learning to trust.

Dirk Cussler continues his fathers series in Clive Cusslers The Devils Sea. The latest installment in the Dirk Pitt series that Cusslers father wrote was published in November. The Wallingford author penned a tale that involves political drama with the Chinese military and features the hero tacking adventure under the sea and on the Himalayan peaks.

"The Happy Accidents" by New Canaan's Jamie Beck.

When a pact to say yes to any adventure that comes their way results in a variety of consequences, three friends are forced to examine their relationships in Jamie Becks latest novel The Happy Accidents. The New Canaan author published her story of friendship and misadventure in September.

Gioia Dilibertos new novel, Coco at the Ritz, is a historical fiction account of the famous designer Coco Chanels life after she faced treason charges in the wake of World War II. The Woodbury authors story revolves around Chanels interrogation. The book will be published Dec. 7.

Norwalk author Kat Rosenfelds latest thriller No One Will Miss Her was released in October. A scandal tears through a rural town in Maine when the towns pariah ends up dead and becomes all the more tangled when a billionaires wife is connected to the case.

Danbury author Robert Tomaino published his debut western in October with his book New Madrid. In the early 1800s a solitary sheriff with a grim past has to dig into the towns secrets to uncover what happened to a missing child.

For those looking for more history than fiction, New Haven author and Yale professor Vladimir Alexandrov looks at Boris Savinkov in his new book. To Break Russias Chains: Boris Savinkov and His Wars Against the Tsar and the Bolsheviks was published in September.

Waterbury resident Larry Rifkin details his media career in his memoir "No Dead Air."

Waterbury resident Larry Rifkin explains his role in popularizing the iconic purple dinosaur Barney and bringing UConn womens basketball into the mainstream in his memoir No Dead Air. The memoir was published in September.

Fairfields Joanna Quinn wrote a middle grade novel about a pre-teen dealing with bullies and self esteem in Greta Grace. Quinn is a former middle school teacher and her book was published in September.

Wallingford author Stefania Munzi-Logus wrote a childrens book about a child with a hearing disability called Jojos Tiny Ear in October. She wrote the book about her sons microtia, a condition that results in having a small ear and a hearing disability.

New Haven's Ross Douthat wrote his medical memoir The Deep Places.

Ross Douthat chronicled his struggles with Lyme disease and his forays into alternative medicine in his October memoir The Deep Places. The New Haven authors story begins when he and his family relocate to Connecticut only for his medical problems to begin.

A lawyer thinks his life is looking up when he leaves his job to take a position at a prestigious firm only for him to quickly get ensnared in his bosss drama in After the Fact. Greenwich author Jeff Cooper spins a tale of blackmail and deceit in his latest thriller, published in November.

Stamford author Benjamin Folkinshteyn published his children's book "The Three Little Pigs and the Miracle of Chanukah" in November. The author takes the classic tale of the "Three Little Pigs" and gives it a twist by having the pigs befriend the wolf and on an adventure as they learn about Chanukah.

Colebrook author Mark Scarborough shares his thoughts on literary classics and the impact books have had on his life in his memoir Bookmarked: How the Great Works of Western Literature F*cked Up My Life. His book was published in September.

Greenwich author Jeffrey S. Stephens published his latest thriller, Fools Errand in November. The novel tells the story of a son who discovers his fathers stash of stolen money and uses it to carry out his fathers dreams while reconciling himself with his fathers secrets.

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18 new books by CT authors to read this winter - CT Insider

This article was originally published here

J Integr Med. 2021 Nov 16:S2095-4964(21)00104-7. doi: 10.1016/j.joim.2021.11.004. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Some epidemic diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have caused many physical, psychological, and social challenges, despite the existence of treatment strategies. Many people are looking for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to prevent such diseases. The present study was performed to determine how some types of CAM were being used during the COVID-19 epidemic in Iran.

METHODS: The present study had a cross-sectional descriptive correlational design. All Iranian residents above 17 years old were eligible to participate in the study. A total of 782 participants completed a demographic information questionnaire, a questionnaire about their use of CAMs and a questionnaire about their satisfaction with the CAMs they used. Web-based sampling was conducted from 20 April 2020 to 20 August 2020.

RESULTS: Of the participants, 84% used at least one type of CAM during the COVID-19 outbreak. The most used CAMs were dietary supplements (61.3%), prayer (57.9%), and herbal medicines (48.8%). The majority of the participants (50%-66%) have used CAMs to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 or to reduce anxiety caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. CAM use was associated with sex, having children, place of residence, COVID-19 status, and source of gathering information about CAM (P < 0.05). All 32 participants who had been infected with COVID-19 used at least one type of CAM for treatment or alleviation of the disease symptoms.

CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 outbreak, some types of CAM, particularly nutritional supplements, medicinal herbs, and prayer, were commonly used to prevent COVID-19 and reduce pandemic-related anxiety.

PMID:34840104 | DOI:10.1016/j.joim.2021.11.004

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Use of complementary and alternative medicine in general population during COVID-19 outbreak: A survey in Iran - DocWire News

Recommended solutions included eating less animal protein, subscription systems to control use and increased private investment

Overuse of antibiotics and underfunding development of new ones will lead to catastrophic consequences in both human and animal health, an international panel of antimicrobial resistance experts told a group of well-heeled investors this month.

Unless we act now, the alarm bells will soon turn into the death knell of modern medicine, Sally Davies, the United Kingdoms special envoy on antimicrobial resistance, said during a recent webinar.

Hosted by a collection of international health organizations, the webinar focused on what are sometimes called superbugs, which have resistance to antibiotics and other microbial treatments used to treat human and animal welfare.

The growing use of antibiotics has led to a corresponding surge in superbugs resistant to them while at the same time financing has waned in developing new products as profit margins have shrunk.

Compared to the $8 billion of profits for cancer drugs, the $100 million loss on antibiotics in 2019 means our medicine cabinets, day by day, become emptier, said Davies.

The use of antibiotics in animal food production has become a staple in the industry, helping to promote health and efficiencies for livestock.

But with more than 70 percent of antibiotics excreted by livestock ranging from chickens to cattle and put into the environment, the ability of microbial strains to develop into superbugs resistant to antibiotics has been strengthened.

Davies suggested lessening human protein-based diets, subscription systems to control use, government supports and increased private investment could solve the problem.

Davies pointed to a bill before American lawmakers called Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) as an example of how governments can stem the use of antibiotics while promoting investment.

An extraordinary problem, like (anti-microbial resistance), demands out-of-the box solutions to educate the public. They are your customers, they are your consumers, Davies told the investors, later adding, as investors, we trust you and need you.

Jo Raven, senior manager at Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return, said there has been a reduction in use of antibiotics globally, but not all countries report use of the drugs.

If we look at emerging markets including China antibiotic use is actually projected to increase in the coming years with the intensification of animal agriculture and a lack of regulation and enforcement restricting the use of antibiotics, said Raven.

Worldwide sales and marketing of antibiotics for use in growth promotion are inconsistent, even within a corporation, with regulations in developed countries limiting use for that purpose but less so in developing nations, said Raven.

If a company, for example, operates in the (European Union), then it should adopt these standards in all relevant markets, she said.

But it will take more investment to tackle the issue. Companies must limit financial losses caused by declining sales of antibiotics through alternative drugs and treatments, and by exploring different animal health markets, said Raven.

Some progress is being made but much more needs to be done given the urgency of the issue, she said.

See more here:

Investors warned about antibiotic overuse in livestock - Western Producer

Over the summer, as Covid cases started rising from their midyear lows, it became popular to blame Republicans for fueling the pandemic. The argument was that Covid had become a red-state scourge because of lower rates of mask-wearing and vaccination along with high doses of vaccine misinformation in places that went heavily for Donald Trump.

It even seemed true for a while, with states like Florida, Alabama and Louisiana suffering from a huge surge in cases. But the virus has had a way of making fools of us all.

Take Vermont, which has one of the highest vaccination rates in the nation, and where Joe Biden took 66 percent of the vote. Because of the Delta variants vigorous attack on even the relatively small number of unvaccinated Vermonters, the state has experienced one of the biggest recent Covid surges, with hospitalizations up by 24 percent in the past two weeks. In Santa Fe County, N.M., where Biden won with 76 percent and 74 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, hospitalizations are up by 40 percent.

Youll find similar trends in Hennepin County, Minn. (Biden, 70 percent), where vaccination rates are high; and in Wayne County, Mich. (Biden, 68 percent), where vaccination rates are relatively low.

Meanwhile, in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and other red states, cases have plummeted after earlier surges swept through, leaving many with immunity.

Well see how long things will stay that way, especially if (or, rather, once) the Omicron variant hits American shores. But heres a plea for when it does: Lets put an end to the partisan Covid blame games. Theyre pointless, divisive and dumb.

Consider the record of Covid score-settling thus far:

Covid is mainly a problem of the big cities! But then it became a tragedy for rural America. (And yes, this is me pleading guilty to a bad argument in the pandemics early days, when I thought population density would be the main driver of transmission.)

The lab-leak theory is racist right-wing conspiracy talk! Um, except the argument is far from settled on whether or not its true.

Andrew Cuomo is a model of crisis management! But then it turned out that the disgraced former governor was guilty of one of the worst political decisions in the early months of the pandemic, when he forced New Yorks nursing homes to take back patients who had been hospitalized with Covid, and later tried to cover up the blunder.

Ron DeSantis is a model of crisis management! The Florida governor did, in fact, do well in the early months of the crisis, when he focused state resources on protecting the elderly, only to later preside over a gigantic spike in cases.

Trump is responsible for hundreds of thousands of Covid deaths that might have been avoided if only someone else had been in the White House! But now Biden has presided over even more deaths, not that anyone should blame him for it.

Anti-vax myths are being driven by right-wing liars! But then people like Sean Hannity of Fox News and Christopher Ruddy of Newsmax urged people to get their shots, while the bulk of vaccine misinformation on social media came from characters like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Rizza Islam of the Nation of Islam and other alternative-medicine quacks of mostly unguessable political views.

Germany is a model of intelligent consensus-driven action when it comes to public health! But vaccination rates among Germans are still relatively low, mistrust of government is depressingly high, and cases are soaring.

Sweden is a model of good sense when it comes to lockdowns! Well, the Swedes, who avoided lockdowns, have fared relatively better than Spain or Britain, which locked down repeatedly. But, as Bloombergs Justin Fox points out, the Swedes also fared considerably worse than their Scandinavian neighbors, who took stricter precautions.

The list goes on. There were those on the right who predicted an end to the pandemic based on expected herd-immunity thresholds. There were those on the left who foresaw an end based on vaccination rates. Nature on the one hand viral and the other hand human embarrassed them both. If the Omicron variant is anything like the Delta one in its transmissibility, it will embarrass them again.

So here are some modest pleas coming out of this Thanksgiving season.

Lets put away our crystal balls and shake up our snow globes instead. We have about as much foresight in this crisis as a snowman in a blizzard.

Lets quit arguing that Covid is a red- or blue-state thing. Yes, Republican areas have tended to have lower vaccination rates, but disease trends have a way of switching directions for reasons none of us really understands.

Lets stop imputing bad faith or recklessness or greed to our partisan opponents. They have loved ones who are just as much at risk of infection as our own.

Lets accept that people have needs and ideas that differ from ours, whether on account of health status, livelihood or deep-seated belief. Lectures, condescension and scorn arent going to change the way they think.

I have no idea what Omicron will bring, and very slight hopes that well be able to exercise any effective form of control over it. But it shouldnt be beyond asking that we stop being beastly to others. We are all riding out the same storm.

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Opinion | Lets End the Covid Blame Games - The New York Times

New COVID variant hits US, 'omicron' strain found in California

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms the coronavirus variant omicron is present in California.

STAFF VIDEO, USA TODAY

SAN FRANCISCO It was merely a matter of time, and now it has been confirmed.

The first known case of the omicronvariant has been detected in the U.S. just days after its rapidspread in South Africaprompted worldwide concern, U.S. officials said Wednesday.

The California and San Francisco Departments of Public Healthconfirmed that a recent case of COVID-19 found on an individual in the city was caused by omicron. The person was a traveler who returned from South Africa on Nov.22 and was fully vaccinated. Genome sequencing conducted at the University of California-San Francisco confirmed the variant.

We knew that it was just a matter of time before the first case of omicron would be detected in the United States, presidential adviser Anthony Fauci said at a White House news briefing.

Dr. Grant Colfax, director of San Francisco's Department of Public Health, said at a news conference that the infected person had mild symptoms and has recovered. The individual hadthe full Moderna vaccine regimen but not the booster shot, he said.Close contacts have been notified and tested negative so far.

Much like President Joe Biden earlier this week, Colfax said the presence of omicron is a source of concern but not a reason to panic, even though he believes omicron is most likely more infectious than the delta variant.

The severity of illness omicron causes and its ability to elude vaccine-induced protection remain unknown, but Colfax said the experts he has consulted believe vaccination remains a critical element of the fight against the variant.

"So our message is the same as it was yesterday,'' he said. "To best protect against this variant, get vaccinatedfor goodness sakes if you have not been vaccinated. Get your booster if you're eligible. Continue to wear those masks inside whererequired.''

Fauci also reiterated the Biden administration's strong encouragement for unvaccinated Americans to get the shots, and for the vaccinated to receive boosters, calling both, "the solution to this problem.''

About 37% of the eligible U.S. population, including 29% of adults, are not fully vaccinated.

COVID-19 omicron variant is spreading quickly. Heres what we know.

South African scientists identified a new COVID-19 variant which has now been reported in Belgium, Botswana, Hong Kong and Israel.

Just the FAQs, USA TODAY

Asked if Americans should change their holiday plans, Fauci said those who are inoculated should feel safe not wearing a mask if gathering indoors with others who are vaccinated. But when in a public setting where the vaccination status of others is not known, Fauci said it is very prudent to wear a mask.Thats what I do, he said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recently increased surveillance at four international airports JFK in New York andNewark in New Jersey, as well as those in San Francisco and Atlanta said it has been preparing for the arrival of omicron and pointed out the delta variant remains the dominant strain in the country.

"We will continue to work diligently with other U.S. and global public health and industry partners to learn more (about omicron),'' a CDC statement said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a tweet that it should be assumed the variant has found its way elsewhere in the U.S. as well.

"Theres no reason to panic but we should remain vigilant,'' Newsom said. "That means get vaccinated. Get boosted. Wear a mask indoors.''

Experts had been warning thatthe variant was likely already in the U.S. in the days before the announcement.

Fauci applauded the Biden administration's move to restrict travel from eight African countries, including South Africa, in an effort to slow the variant's spread to the United States. The CDC and the U.S. Department of State raised their alert levels for the region, each recommending against travel.

Even with the fast reaction to news of omicron, cases have also been reported in travelers in Belgium, Israel, Hong Kong and the UK. Germany, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic also have suspected cases, among at least 20 countries to report them.

Contributing: Maureen Groppe, Christine Fernando

Also in the news:

Then-President Donald Trump tested positive for the coronavirus three days before his Sept. 29, 2020, debate with then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden, former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows writes in an upcoming book. Meadows also writes that Trump got a negative result shortly afterward.

Facebook removed 524 accounts and another 86 Instagram accounts linked to a Chinese network that promoted false COVID-19 claims purportedly made by a fictitious Swiss biologist, Reuters reported.

Ahead of President Joe Biden's announcement Thursday about his administration's "winter plan'' to confront COVID-19, health experts say they'd like to see more vaccines and booster shots administered, enhanced testing and genomic sequencing and increased access to therapeutics.

With November numbers in, several states have already reported COVID death totals for the yearmultiple times higher than in 2020. They include Oklahoma (nearly four times higher), Alaska and Kentucky (three times), and Maine, West Virginia and Hawaii 2 1/2 times).

Pfizer has submitted a request to the FDAto expand the emergency use authorization of its adult COVID-19 booster dose to include 16- and 17-year-olds.

Today's numbers:The U.S. has recorded more than 48.6 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 781,000deaths,accordingtoJohns Hopkins Universitydata. Global totals: More than 263million cases and 5.2 million deaths. More than 197 million Americansroughly 59.4% of the populationare fully vaccinated,according to theCDC.

What we're reading:Are travel bans worth it? They could slow the spread of omicron but they have repercussions, experts say.

Keep refreshing this page for the latest news. Want more?Sign up forUSA TODAY's Coronavirus Watch free newsletterto receive updates directly to your inboxandjoin ourFacebook group.

People with breakthroughcoronavirus infections remain contagious for a shorter time than the unvaccinated and are therefore less likely to transmit the virus, according to a study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study, which involved 173 NBA players, their families and staff, found that vaccinated people who got COVID-19cleared the virus from their systems on average in 5 days, compared to 7 days for the unvaccinated.

Researchers also found the different strains produce roughly the same amount of the virus, but some appear to be more effective at infecting the cells than others.

-- Elizabeth Weise

CEOs at two pharmaceutical giants whose double-shot COVID-19 vaccines are dominating the U.S. market are pitching different perspectives on the impact of the omicron variant.

Moderna CEO Stphane Bancel said current vaccines for COVID-19 will likely be less effective against the newomicron variant. Bancel told the Financial Times in an interview published Tuesday that he has spoken to scientists who told him that omicron is "not going to be good." He said it could be months before enough vaccines can be produced to crushomicron.

BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin, however, told the WallStreet Journal the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is effective against severe illness from COVID-19 and would likely continue to be effective against the omicron variant.

Our message is: Dont freak out, the plan remains the same. Speed up the administration of a third booster shot, Sahin said.

Until Wednesday, no omicron cases hadbeen detected yet in the U.S., where virtually 100% of infections are produced by the delta variant. New cases increased slightly in November,with a total of 2.55 millioncompared to 2.5 million in October, according to Johns Hopkins University data. However, the COVID-19 death tollwas down by nearly 15,000, from47,626 to32,951.

Televangelist Marcus Lamb, a vocal opponent of coronavirus vaccines who founded the conservative ChristianDaystar Television Network, has died of COVID-19, his family said. He was 64.

The networkannounced his death Tuesday on Twitter, saying Lamb "went home to be with the Lord this morning." His wife,Joni,confirmed on the network his coronavirus diagnosisandthat he had "pre-existing conditions" including diabetes. She said last week her husband was trying alternative treatments without success

One of the two largest Christian television networks in the world, Daystarbroadcast segments and published information online that featuredmisinformation about the virus, vaccines and unproven treatments for COVID-19.

In November, Lamb's son Jonathan said on the network that his father's illness was "a spiritual attack from the enemy"because of his advocacy against vaccines and support for alternate treatments.

-- Christine Fernando

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is directingairlines to hand over contact information for passengers coming from eight countries in Africa as part of the effort to combatthe newomicron coronavirus variant.The CDC'sContact information Collection Orderwent into effect Tuesday and affectspassengerswho have been in the Republic of Botswana, the Kingdom of Eswatini, the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Republic of Malawi, the Republic of Mozambique, the Republic of Namibia, the Republic of South Africa or the Republic of Zimbabwe within 14 days of departing for the U.S.

"CDC is issuing this directive to prevent the importation and spread of a communicable disease of public health importance," the CDC said in a statement to USA TODAY.

Authorities reported that new COVID-19 cases in South Africa nearly doubled in a day, from 4,373 Tuesday to 8,561 Wednesday, signaling a dramatic surge in the country where scientists first detected the omicron variant last week.

Eve Chen

Saying it was necessary to keep future generations safe, the World Health Assembly on Wednesday pledged to begin work on a pandemic treaty, an international agreement to prevent and deal with future pandemics.The Assembly is the World Health Organizations governing body. Wednesdays meeting was only the second special session in its 73-year history.

The significance of this decision cannot be overstated, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director of the WHO,at the meeting in Geneva. The agreement will provide a platform for strengthening global health security, he said. The agreement is to be presented in 2024.

That may seem like a long process, and it is, but we should not be naive in thinking that reaching a global accord on pandemics will be easy, Tedros said.

Elizabeth Weise

To combat the spread of the newomicron variant, the CDC istightening testing requirements for international travelers.Currently, air travelers to the United States who haven't recently recovered from the virus including U.S. citizens must have a negative viral testbefore boarding their flight. Fully vaccinated travelers are required to take testsno more than three days before departure.But the CDC says it is "working to modify" the global testing order to give all international air travelers just one day to take a pre-departure test.

"This strengthens already robust protocols in place for international travel,"the CDC said in a statement. The U.S. is also working to stem the spread of the virus with new travel bans oneight countriesthat went into effect Monday.

As the new omicron variant spreads across the world, advocates ofmore widespread vaccinations are having an "I told you so" moment.For a year since COVID-19 vaccines first became available, a small but vocal group haswarned about the need to protect the most vulnerablearound the world.People in richer countries will not be safe, even if fully vaccinated, until those in poorer nations which make up more than half the world's 8 billion population also have the benefit of vaccines, they've argued.

The emergence of the omicron variant has fulfilled, in a precise way, the predictions of the scientists who warned that the elevated transmission of the virus in areas with limited access to vaccine would speed its evolution," Dr. Richard Hatchett, told aspecial session of the World Health Assembly this week. Read more here.

Karen Weintraub

Officials from Rochester Regional Health and the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York state have joined a growing list ofhospitals across the U.S. and around the world warning that their facilities had reached full capacity and that emergency departments arestressed.In the Rochester area, hospital leaderssaidthey were weighing whether they could continue performing elective procedures and surgeries.Dr. Michael Apostolakos, Chief Medical Officer for Strong Memorial and Highland Hospitals, said the majority of the COVID-19 patientsrequiring hospitalization were unvaccinated.

"A significant number of people are refusing the vaccines, and our community is paying the price," Apostolakos said. "Casesare continuing to rise with no end in sight.

Sean Lahman,Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

The omicron coronavirus variant could have a moderate impact on the U.S. economy next year as it hurts consumer spending and worsens labor shortages and supply chain bottlenecks, intensifying already-high inflation, top economists say.

Its too early to pinpoint how omicron will affect economic growth because scientists are just starting to assess the toll it could take on global health. But under onelikely middle-ground scenario laid out by some top economists, the strain could be more infectious but not significantly more virulent than the delta variant. And it could lead to fewer government-imposed restrictions on businesses.

If thats the case, omicronor another similar variantwould cut economic growth next year by half a percentage point to 4.3% and lead to the creation of several hundred thousand fewer jobs, estimatesMark Zandi, chief economist of Moodys Analytics.

Paul Davidson, USA TODAY

Contributing: Mike Stucka; The Associated Press

Read the original post:

First confirmed US case of the omicron variant detected in California: COVID-19 updates - USA TODAY

DENVER (KDVR) More than a year after the state health department promised to do an immediate and thorough review of the program that allows paramedics to sedate patients with ketamine outside of a hospital setting, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environments Ketamine Investigatory Review Panel has found some people may have unnecessarily received the drug.

The panel agreed that ketamine is a safe drug if used properly and monitored closely by properly trained and qualified paramedics, according to an executive summary of the review released to the Problem Solvers. However, certain adverse events appear to have arisen primarily from the administration of ketamine and other sedatives to individuals who may not have a medical need for these medications and who could have been managed with a less assertive alternative.

Further, other societal and systemic factors at play may have allowed chemical restraints to be disproportionately applied to marginalized populations and communities of color in Colorado and across the nation, the summary states.

The state health department first announced it would review its waiver program in August 2020 after the Problem Solvers uncovered questionable cases in which the drug was used on patients involved in police situations.

However, the review panel did not convene until February, according to Dr. Eric France, the chief medical officer for CDPHE.

It has been a while since we made that announcement, and theres been this thing called COVID that kind of crept in, France said.

France said he was unable to assign any other CDPHE staff member to handle the ketamine review panel while he was also managing the health departments response to the pandemic.

I felt that this is a medical review, and as the chief medical officer, the work needed to be overseen by a physician I just didnt have anybody on staff who could take that lead and felt that I needed to be involved, France said.

The following people served on the panel:

The panel made several recommendations for improving how the medicine is used, but the state health department will continue suspending the use of the drug right now, France said.

The panel recommends that Excited Delirium Syndrome no longer be used as a condition that warrants waivers for the administration of ketamine. While making this recommendation, the panel acknowledges that in the prehospital setting, a patients agitation and disorientation can present a direct threat to the patients safety as well as to the safety of the public and first responders, the executive summary said.

The panel also made recommendations for dosing, reviewing whether there is a disproportionate use of the drug on communities of color, monitoring of a patient and training.

It was really important to me that the medical community speak to the inequitable diagnosis that is excited delirium to the bias and to the subjectivity of a diagnosis that is largely found in the pre-hospital setting that is largely found in engagement with law enforcement, and that is so incredibly subjective, said Brooks, a family medicine and addiction medicine physician who served on the panel.

That includes things like failure to respond to police commands, Brooks said. That includes things like super-human strength. All of which can be misplaced, misassessed, misplaced and disproportionately applied to people of color, and if that biased diagnosis then leads to deployment of a drug in a way that is also inequitable, I wanted to make sure that the medical community spoke to those issues.

Verduzco, an anesthesiologist on the panel, said he participated on the panel to make sure his own concerns, along with those of the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the Colorado Society of Anesthesiologists, were also heard.

I wanted to make sure (these medical concerns) were conveyed at the table when these decisions were being made, Verduzco said. He said he wanted to make sure his voice was heard as a person of color.

I too share many of the concerns that minorities have, he said. I wanted to be a part of the committee that put safeguards for the use of ketamine in a pre-hospital setting.

The Problem Solvers asked Verduzco whether he believes paramedics should be permitted to return to using ketamine in a pre-hospital setting now that the review has been completed.

I dont know whats going to happen with the use of ketamine. I was part of the panel to help create a guideline that if that were to happen, this is our recommendation, he said.

Theres a lot of work to do still to see if there is a role for ketamine moving forward, France said.

The use of ketamine became controversial following the death of Elijah McClain. In 2019, he was confronted by three Aurora police officers who used the carotid hold to subdue him, and paramedics injected with ketamine before he went into cardiac arrest and later died. His family recently settled a civil lawsuit with the City of Aurora for $15 million.

This summer, the governor signed a new law spearheaded by Reps. Leslie Herod and Yadira Caraveo, which limits how the drug can be used by paramedics in law enforcement settings.

Ketamine is a powerful drug that can have potentially fatal consequences if used improperly, Herod said. Im heartened to see CDPHEs Ketamine Review Group establish a careful process for the oversight and administration of the drug and require data collection on its disproportionate use against Black and Brown Coloradans. I am particularly supportive of their rejection of excited delirium as a basis for ketamine administration and the panels confirmation of what weve long known: that the use of excited delirium as a basis for ketamine administration is prone to racism.Im proud of the work we did in the legislature last session to end the misuse of ketamine by law enforcement, and I expect better outcomes for Coloradans based on these recommendations.

The panel of experts who worked to review ketamine also relied on data and information from a variety of medical professionals from around the country, including Dr. Brent Myers, a ketamine researcher who is triple-board certified in emergency medicine, EMS and clinical informatics.

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Ketamine review: Chemical restraints may have been disproportionately used on communities of color - FOX31 Denver

This article was originally published here

BMJ Open. 2021 Nov 26;11(11):e051647. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-051647.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Information on the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the general population is often collected by means of surveys, causing the reliability of data to rely on the memory accuracy of the respondent. The objective of this study was to examine the consistency in self-reported CAM use using data from two survey waves 4 years apart.

DESIGN: Longitudinal study.

SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Data were obtained from the Danish Health and Morbidity Surveys. A nationally representative subsample of the individuals invited in 2013 was reinvited in 2017. In all, 2297 individuals (16 years) completed the self-administered questionnaire in both waves, including questions on for example, CAM use.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The use of six different CAM therapies (acupuncture; craniosacral therapy; faith healing and/or clairvoyance; nutritional counselling; massage; osteopathy or other manipulative therapies; reflexology) was assessed by the response categories Yes, within the past 12 months, Yes, but previously than within the past 12 months and No. For each CAM therapy, an inconsistent response was defined as either the response combination (1) Yes, within the past 12 months in 2013 and No in 2017, or (2) Yes, within the past 12 months or Yes, but previously than within the past 12 months in 2013 and No in 2017.

RESULTS: The inconsistency percentages varied across CAM therapies. The highest levels of inconsistency for CAM use within the past 12 months were observed for nutritional counselling (64.9 %) and faith healing and/or clairvoyance (36.4 %). The lowest proportion of inconsistent responses was observed for acupuncture (18.3%). Overall, the same pattern was observed for lifetime CAM use.

CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the difficulty in obtaining reliable prevalence estimates on the use of CAM in the general population. Future studies should take these findings into account when interpreting similar analyses.

PMID:34836900 | DOI:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-051647

Link:

Therapy-dependent inconsistencies in self-reported use of complementary and alternative medicine in the general population: findings from a...