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.
Research Update on Probiotics for Infants
Let’s begin this week’s research review with a study on the potential long-term benefits of probiotic use in infants. Researchers in Slovenia collected data on 316 healthy-weight newborns whose parents had test-confirmed allergies. The families were divided into two groups: 115 infants were placed into a probiotic group and received probiotics every day between the […]
COVID-19: What We Don’t Know
I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “What we don’t know could kill us” and that’s truer today than at any other time. While we may argue about masks and social distancing, there’s just still too much we don’t know about the novel coronavirus. The critical factor is that because of what we don’t know, we […]
COVID-19 and Obesity
Obesity may be a contributing factor to the severity of symptoms for those who get COVID-19. The best explanation I’ve found why that may be true is in a paper in Nature Reviews Endocrinology published in April. There are several reasons in addition to the cardiovascular and endocrinological co-morbidities associated with obesity. Just a reminder, […]
COVID-19 and Blood Type
This week we’ll examine reports about comorbidities and other factors associated with the severity of the COVID-19 virus. We’ll begin with a question from a long-time reader and family member who shares DNA with Paula: her brother, Steve. Both have blood type A, which has been in the news as a factor in the severity […]
The Bottom Line on Masks
To satisfy my own curiosity, I wanted to do a run/walk to see how wearing a mask might impact my performance. This is tricky for someone with a scientific background; trying to duplicate everything with the exception of the one variable, the mask, is difficult when you’re outdoors. But the weather has been pretty stable: […]
Facts About Masks: Which Material?
If one considers the elemental purpose of a mask, it’s to provide a barrier to reduce the spread of exhaled, potentially virus-containing, droplets. Many opinions on social media cover the size of the viruses, droplets, and the fabric density of masks. I’m not going to do that because it’s the wrong argument. Instead, I’m going […]
The Facts About Masks
When I finished last week’s Friday Memo with “Wear the damn mask!” I knew it wouldn’t be the last of it. I spent the weekend reading the research about what masks could and could not do to limit our exposure to the COVID-19 virus. The primary goal of wearing a mask is to prevent you […]
COVID-19 Attacks the Whole Body
Our look at diseases associated with COVID-19 continues in this pre-4th of July memo. Let’s turn to diabetes. We know, based on prior reports, that people with type 2 diabetes as well as other comorbidities are susceptible to getting the worst symptoms of COVID-19. But now, there are also some reports that COVID-19 infections may […]
COVID-19 and the Small Intestine
With the ACE2 receptor implicated in the long-term side effects of COVID-19, let’s begin with the digestive system. The gastrointestinal distress such as cramping, pain, and diarrhea are obvious, but there are reports that some people have had to have their entire small intestine removed due to damage from the COVID-19 virus. How could that […]
ACE2 Receptors: Gateway for COVID-19
The number of cases of COVID-19 continues to rise and rise and rise. As restrictions on shopping, dining, and entertainment have been reduced, and then sometimes reinstated, the debate over which businesses should be open, social distancing, and even whether to wear a mask continues. Let me make it simple for you: wear your mask […]
