Dr. Chet’s Health Memos

If it’s in the health news today, I’ll be writing about it as soon as I read the research, both old and new. With my email Health Memos, you’ll know more about making lifestyle choices that will help you get and keep good health. These free, concise updates on health are emailed to subscribers twice a week. Subscribe today and get a free MP3, in English or Spanish, of Dr. Chet’s Top Ten Tips—Small Changes for a Healthier Life.

Omega3-CVD

Omega-3s and Cardiac Events

There was another study this week on omega-3 fatty acids. While the study I talked about last Thursday was small with only 21 subjects, this trial contained over 13,000 subjects from 675 hospitals and clinical centers all around the world. In this five-year study, one of the omega-3 fish oil medications was being tested to […]

FishOilSalmon

Can Omega-3s Reduce Inflammation?

Omega-3 fatty acids have been in the science news this week. In this Memo, I’ll take a look at a small study that examined the effects of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on specific markers of inflammation in 21 subjects between 50 and 75 who had elevated levels of inflammation. Researchers had subjects […]

Mask2021

Another Year of Wearing Masks?

“What do you think? Will we be wearing masks another year?” That’s the question that someone asked me at the health club. I shrugged and said “Maybe. But you know in reality, it isn’t all that bad. My grandson’s kindergarten class wears masks all day, and they seem to manage just fine.” He agreed it […]

Long-Hauler-Ideas

Ideas for Long-Hauler Recovery from COVID-19

There is currently no research on ways to recover faster if you have chronic symptoms after your initial COVID-19 infection. When this occurs, the best thing we can do is to use what we know to help restore the body as long as it does no harm. That’s the approach I used when putting this […]

Long-Hauler

The COVID-19 Long-Haulers

I’ve spent most of my time on COVID-19 talking about how to prevent getting the infection, but I haven’t talked about what happens if you get the infection and recover from it. I hope you have a mild case, and in a week or two, you’re back in business. Your body has built up antibodies, […]

Hope

Why We Need Hope

I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving and were as safe as possible. The COVID-19 seven-day average continues to stay over 150,000 cases per day. We’ll find out in a couple weeks how we did during the Thanksgiving holiday related to masking and social distancing. It’s difficult to be without family and friends, especially […]

ColdVirus

Another Path to Trained Innate Immunity

There is one more action that may give a person a way to enhance trained innate immunity short of catching COVID-19 itself, and that’s to catch a cold. Specifically, a coronavirus cold. I read a great article in the New Scientist that I’ll summarize for you. I urge those of you who want to know […]

Vaccination

How to Train Your Immune System

Here’s where we stand: healthcare workers in the Netherlands who got last year’s flu vaccine had fewer cases of COVID-19 than their unvaccinated counterparts. In addition, white blood cells treated with the flu vaccine, with or without the tuberculosis vaccine, demonstrated enhanced immune responses when exposed to the COVID-19 virus. Where does this lead? It’s […]

COVID-19-test-tube

How Vaccines Can Affect COVID-19

In vitro studies, more commonly called test-tube studies, are used when you want to see if there’s a relationship between cells and microorganisms. In the case of the researchers in the Netherlands, blood cells, vaccines, and the COVID-19 virus were used. While the laboratory techniques were complex, here’s what they found. The researchers isolated peripheral […]

FluVaccine

The Flu Shot and COVID-19

This week, I’m going to review a series of studies that outline a strategy that includes getting the current flu vaccination. The first study is an observational study. In my opinion, it’s the way research should begin: look for relationships between factors first, and then conduct experimental trials. Researchers in the Netherlands used the medical […]