Health & Fitness

This delicious and nutritious sesame-crusted mushroom poke bowl is a perfect plant based meal for an easy WFH lunch.

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F45 sport nutritionist Kim Bowman, shares how to hit your goal weight when you've reached a weight-loss plateau. 

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In a September 2020 interview with Axios on HBO, Melinda Gates said "It may be time for a reckoning" with social media's role in spreading disinformation. According to Axios:¹

"Bill and Melinda Gates … [have] seen firsthand the impact of disinformation, as they've become targets of conspiracy theories amplified and spread via social media … [Melinda] Gates … said society may need to start holding social media companies to account for their role in helping such disinformation spread."

It's ironic, to say the least, considering the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funds and influences mainstream media companies, which in turn write whatever the Gates desire, be it truthful or not, without disclosing their conflict of interest.

Through its grants to the Leo Burnett Company, an ad agency owned by Publicis, the Gates Foundation is also financially linked to NewsGuard and HealthGuard, as both of these "fact-checking" sites are funded by Publicis. As such, Gates already has the power to pull strings and censor content they don't like.

Gates Foundation Funds Scientific Disinformation

The Gates Foundation also has a history of funding disreputable and flawed to the point of being fraudulent science. What they call "disinformation" and "conspiracy theories" are to a large extent merely information exposing the Gates Foundation's own disinformation campaigns.

Case in point: The Gates Foundation funds the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis to the tune of millions of dollars per year. The MRC Centre is the leading body advising world governments and the World Health Organization about infectious disease outbreaks.

Neil Ferguson, a professor of mathematical biology at Imperial College London and co-founder of the MRC Centre, has produced a string of pandemic predictions that have turned out to be spectacularly incorrect:^2,3

Science for Hire

Ferguson's predictions have been so far off the mark, fellow academics have started referring to him as "The Master of Disaster."¹⁴ Jan Schnitzer, a vascular biology expert and former scientific director of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in San Diego is quoted¹⁵ saying Ferguson "dances on the edge of being a publicity-seeking charlatan."

You'd think that with this kind of abysmal track record, funding would have dried up long before COVID-19 hit. But no. This is precisely the kind of convenient disinformation and gross overestimation of risk that Gates needs and relies on to drive his own vaccine and tech agendas forward.   

Gates also has close links to Dr. Anthony Fauci, a key member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, so it's hard to imagine Fauci has not been given a few talking points here and there to help shepherd the masses.

Fauci was a member of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Global Grand Challenges scientific board¹⁶ (described as a "family of initiatives fostering innovation to solve key global health and development problems"¹⁷) from 2003 until 2010, at which time he joined the Leadership Council of the Gates Foundation's Decade of Vaccines Collaboration.¹⁸

In 2012, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, of which Fauci has been the director since 1984, also began forging close ties with GAVI, The Vaccine Alliance.¹⁹ The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation founded GAVI in 1999 and has permanent seats on its board of directors.²⁰

Gates' War on Life

In a September 2020 article,²¹ environmental activist Vandana Shiva reviews Gates' global agenda and "war on life," highlighting the March 2015 TED Talk²² he gave in which he showed an image of a coronavirus. This, he said, was what "the greatest catastrophe of our time would look like," Shiva writes, adding:

"When the coronavirus pandemic swept over the earth like a tsunami five years later, he revived the war language, describing the pandemic as 'a world war' … In fact, the pandemic is not a war. The pandemic is a consequence of war. A war against life ...

The health emergency of the coronavirus is inseparable from the health emergency of extinction, the health emergency of biodiversity loss … [T]hese emergencies are rooted in an economic model based on the illusion of limitless growth and limitless greed, which violate planetary boundaries, and destroy the integrity of ecosystems and individual species

According to the International Labour Organization,²³ '1.6 billion informal economy workers (representing the most vulnerable in the labor market), out of a worldwide total of 2 billion and a global workforce of 3.3 billion, have suffered massive damage to their capacity to earn a living. This is due to lockdown measures and/or because they work in the hardest-hit sectors.'

According to the World Food Programme,²⁴ a quarter of a billion additional people will be pushed to hunger and 300,000 could die every day ... Killing cannot be a prescription for saving lives.

Health is about life and living systems. There is no 'life' in the paradigm of health that Bill Gates and his ilk are promoting and imposing on the entire world. Gates has created global alliances to impose top-down analysis and prescriptions for health problems.

He gives money to define the problems, and then he uses his influence and money to impose the solutions. And in the process, he gets richer. His 'funding' results in an erasure of democracy and biodiversity, of nature and culture. His ‘philanthropy’ is not just philanthrocapitalism. It is philanthroimperialism.

The coronavirus pandemic and lockdown have revealed even more clearly how we are being reduced to objects to be controlled, with our bodies and minds as the new colonies to be invaded … The extended coronavirus lockdown has been a lab experiment for a future without humanity."

Cryptocurrency System Based on Human Body Activity

Shiva goes on to review a patent granted to Microsoft the last week of March 2020, for a cryptocurrency system based on human body activity. Everything from brain activity and body fluid flows to organ activity and various muscle movements is to be used to mine for cryptocurrency in this system.

Coincidentally, the number on this patent is 060606. Remove the zeros and you end up with the ill-fated number "666," which also happens to show up in the monstrously unconstitutional U.S. surveillance bill H.R. 6666.

"The patent is an intellectual property claim over our bodies and minds," Shiva writes.²⁵ "In colonialism, colonizers assign themselves the right to take the land and resources of indigenous people, extinguish their cultures and sovereignty, and in extreme cases exterminate them.

Patent WO 060606 is a declaration by Microsoft that our bodies and minds are its new colonies. We are mines of 'raw material' — the data extracted from our bodies.

Rather than sovereign, spiritual, conscious, intelligent beings making decisions and choices with wisdom and ethical values about the impacts of our actions on the natural and social world of which we are a part, and to which we are inextricably related, we are 'users.' A 'user' is a consumer without choice in the digital empire."

Ultimately, Gates vision, Shiva says, includes the colonization of our children's minds and bodies "before they even have the opportunity to understand what freedom and sovereignty look and feel like." To this end, Gates is working on reinventing education.

"The dystopia is one where children never return to schools, do not have a chance to play, do not have friends. It is a world without society, without relationships, without love and friendship," she writes.

Indeed, the COVID-19 lockdowns and social distancing rules have repeatedly been referred to as "the new normal." If the technocrats get their way, there will essentially be three kinds of people in the world: The uber-rich top echelon to whom rules don't apply, digital slaves, and disposables — people who have no value in this new digital empire. If this doesn't sound like the life we want to live, we must, as Shiva proposes, resist. And we must start now.

"We can seed another future, deepen our democracies, reclaim our commons, regenerate the earth as living members of a One Earth Family, rich in our diversity and freedom, one in our unity and interconnectedness. It is a healthier future. It is one we must fight for. It is one we must claim," Shiva writes.

Are We in a Deadly Dilemma?

We now face what, for some, is a choice between two evils: Living with SARS-CoV-2, or continue hiding from it. I say "for some," because others have accepted the data showing that COVID-19, in terms of lethality, is no worse than influenza, poses an exceptionally low risk for people under the age of 40 and virtually no risk at all to young adults and children.

The WHO has published data showing the overall infection mortality rate COVID-19 is about 0.6%,²⁶ and according to CDC data²⁷ released August 26, 2020, only 6% of the total COVID-19-related deaths in the U.S. had COVID-19 listed as the sole cause of death on the death certificate.

A September 2, 2020 study²⁸ found the overall noninstitutionalized infection fatality ratio was a mere 0.26%. Among those under the age of 40, the infection fatality ratio is 0.01%, while those over 60 have an infection fatality ratio of 1.71%.

The estimated infection fatality rate for seasonal influenza is 0.8%,²⁹ so this shows the only people for whom SARS-CoV-2 infection is more dangerous than influenza is those over the age of 60. Everyone else has a lower risk of dying from COVID-19 than they have of dying from the flu.

White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx also confirmed a lower than typically reported mortality rate when she, in mid-August 2020, stated that it "becomes more and more difficult" to get people to comply with mask rules "when people start to realize that 99% of us are going to be fine."³⁰

In her August 16, 2020, Doctor for Disaster Preparedness³¹ lecture, Dr. Lee Merritt points out that based on deaths per capita, the death rate for COVID-19, worldwide, is a minuscule 0.009% (709,000 people have died from or with COVID-19 around the world, and the global population is 7.8 billion). So, the average person's chance of surviving this disease is 99.991%.

Live Life or Hide Until You Die

Under normal circumstances, these data would convince just about everyone that COVID-19 is not a significant threat. Certainly, not sufficient to meekly relinquish our most basic human rights. Unfortunately, months of hardcore fear-mongering and censorship, largely spearheaded by Gates and the WHO, which Gates is the largest funder of, has led to a situation where people fear COVID-19 more than just about everything else.

It is with that mindset that some people find themselves having to make a choice to either live with the threat of COVID-19, or continue hiding from it, which means ceasing to live indefinitely. As noted in an "open letter to world leaders" published on Secret-Retreats.com, the path of hiding:³²

"… has but one outcome, to condemn entire populations to misery, poverty, hunger, economic ruin and physical death. There is no hope in this path. COVID is here to stay. We will probably never have an effective vaccine (viruses by their very nature constantly mutate) and so there is no hope of a safe exit from this strategy …

The endgame of this strategy of closing a country, is the total destruction of that country's economy, immense damage to the health and welfare of society, and plunging that country's future into darkness."

Meanwhile, the other path, the path of accepting the risks associated with life, COVID-19 included:

"… offers a path where there is hope for the future. Where life can go on as normal for the vast majority. It is a path where the rewards will far outweigh the cost … [It] has become clear that for the vast majority of people COVID presents no real risk of harm or even symptomatic illness.

But is it possible to live without risk? Clearly not. A life without risk is impossible. Is it possible to escape death? No. It is the very condition of living; life is terminal for us all. And death comes to us in 1000s of forms, not simply COVID. We cannot hide from death. How many people have died through hiding in fear from a perceived threat from COVID?

How many people are dying daily as a direct result of COVID policies through limited access to hospitals, health screening not happening, cancer treatments not happening in a timely manner, economic ruin driving people to make poor life choices and turning to alcohol, drugs or suicide as the solution to the problems dealt to them by COVID policies? …

What do we gain from these lockdowns, border closure policies? Between a certain death and a hypothetical risk, isn't it better to choose the risk? The risk of living life. Why do you, our world leaders, continue to choose to keep us all locked within this eel trap of your own making?

Why don't you make what is clearly, and backed by the science … the only sensible choice, of learning to live with COVID and allowing us to get back to living LIFE? …

Let's dare to live with risk, as humans have done successfully since the dawn of time. We are at risk of jeopardizing the vast majority in the name of possibly protecting the few people who are at risk of serious illness or death from COVID.

And it is only 'possibly protecting' as even with these policies in place the risk of infection is still there and always will be. COVID is here now, and it is going nowhere, it is time we learned to LIVE with it."

Bill and Melinda Gates' fight against "disinformation" is really a fight against facts showing that the technocratic takeover is not an inevitable outcome of a global pandemic, but rather the result of a long-term well-planned effort.

If you haven't taken steps to extricate yourself from their digital grasp as of yet, now's the time to do it. For tips and guidance, see "Harvard Professor Exposes Surveillance Capitalism."

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EcoHealth Alliance, a corporate-funded nonprofit organization that seeks to uncover novel viruses in the environment, has been working in China for decades, trapping bats and looking for previously unknown coronaviruses that could lead to a global pandemic.¹

This may come as a surprise to many, but even more surprising is the fact that the research was carried out via a grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).²

While the grant was initially supposed to continue through 2024, it was cut off in April 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic gained steam, and U.S. intelligence agencies started to look into whether the coronavirus that started it all escaped from a biological laboratory in Wuhan, China.³

EcoHealth Alliance collaborated with the Wuhan Institute of Virology for years, collecting coronavirus samples from bats and investigating whether they could jump to humans,⁴ and the NIH told the nonprofit that the project “no longer fit with NIH goals and priorities.”⁵

In August 2020, however, the NIH pivoted, granting a new $7.5 million grant to EcoHealth Alliance — part of an $82 million award being split among 11 research teams looking into the origins of viruses and how they infect people. The controversial move means that EcoHealth Alliance’s work will continue, this time targeting Southeast Asia instead of China.⁶

EcoHealth Alliance’s Controversial Gain-of-Function Research

Gain-of-function (GOF) research refers to studies that have the potential to enhance the ability of pathogens to cause disease, including enhancing either their pathogenicity or transmissibility.⁷ Such research is by its very nature controversial, since there are clear risks should the information be misused or the pathogens escape (or are maliciously released).

Further, Jonathan Latham, Ph.D., a molecular biologist and virologist and Allison Wilson, Ph.D., a geneticist, believe gain-of-function research performed at the Wuhan Institute of Virology played "an essential causative role in the pandemic."⁸ Peter Daszak, EcoHealth Alliance president, however, said that the funding cut to their China bat research project would pose a threat to the U.S. public health.

"Once this pandemic is over, we know of hundreds of other coronaviruses that we've found evidence of in China that are waiting to emerge," Daszak said in an interview with NPR. "We are now going to be unable to know about the risk of that, which puts us completely at risk of the next pandemic."⁹

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which is part of the NIH, has also long backed dangerous GOF coronavirus research, including that conducted by EcoHealth Alliance. According to Newsweek:¹⁰

"Just last year [2019], the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases [NIAID], the organization led by Dr. Fauci, funded scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and other institutions for work on gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses.

In 2019, with the backing of NIAID, the National Institutes of Health committed $3.7 million over six years for research that included some gain-of-function work. The program followed another $3.7 million, 5-year project for collecting and studying bat coronaviruses, which ended in 2019, bringing the total to $7.4 million.

Many scientists have criticized gain of function research, which involves manipulating viruses in the lab to explore their potential for infecting humans, because it creates a risk of starting a pandemic from accidental release."

Daszak to Lead COVID-19 Task Force

Outrageously, Daszak has also been appointed to lead a task force examining whether COVID-19 may have leaked from a lab, as part of the Lancet Covid-19 Commission, which is looking into a variety of issues surrounding the pandemic and offering practical solutions.¹¹ Part of the commission’s goal is to investigate the origins of COVID-19 and avert future zoonotic pandemics.

While Daszak said he would head the investigation with an open mind, critics such as Filippa Lentzos, an expert on biological threats at King’s College London, wrote on Twitter, “Goodness. I can't imagine a lead investigator with more vested interests!”^12,13

Not only has Daszak been widely criticized for spreading misinformation surrounding the origins of COVID-19 previously, but his longtime collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which has been identified as the most probable source of a laboratory leak, is a glaring conflict of interest. If it’s found that COVID-19 did, in fact, leak from a lab, the work of Daszak’s EcoHealth Alliance could come under fire, and future funding could be put in jeopardy.

As reported in GM Watch, “… if more scientists fail to speak out against his appointment as the Lancet Commission’s lead investigator, it will reflect the success of a censorship strategy that has not just allowed Daszak to evade serious scrutiny but to be put in charge of investigating himself and his associates.”¹⁴

Hundreds of Scientists Called for End of GOF Research in 2014

In 2014, a series of accidents at laboratories led to more than 300 scientists to launch a petition calling for an end to gain-of-function research.¹⁵ The U.S. issued a temporary pause as a result¹⁶ but, according to Ronnie Cummins, co-founder of the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) and Alexis Baden-Mayer, OCA’s political director:

“Exemptions to this ‘pause,’ eventually reviewed by a secret government panel, were nonetheless allowed to go forward. The ban was lifted in 2017. Yet between 2014 and 2016, the NIH and Fauci-led NIAID continued funding gain-of-function research overseas at the Wuhan lab, via Daszak’s EcoHealth Alliance.

Not surprisingly both Fauci and Daszak have been staunch defenders of the official Chinese government story that the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) ‘naturally’ evolved from bats and/or other host species to infect humans.”

In the NPR interview, Daszak said he really doesn’t understand the rationale behind the funding cut from NIH,¹⁷ as they were only researching how coronaviruses may spread from bats to people. But as Cummins and Baden-Mayer explained in my interview with them (linked above):

“Daszak and his collaborators at the Wuhan Institute of Virology¹⁸ weren’t just studying how coronavirus spread from bats to humans, they were actually making coronavirus capable of spreading from bats to humans. They were the first to create¹⁹ a bat coronavirus capable of directly infecting humans (rather than first needing to evolve in an intermediate animal host).

EcoHealth Alliance has since funded additional gain-of-function research that Daszak has championed — without acknowledging his connection.”

Bat Virus Made Capable of Infecting Human Airway Cells

In 2015, the University of North Carolina collaborated with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, performing gain-of-function research in which bat viruses were manipulated to create a chimeric virus capable of binding to human upper airway cells. That particular virus was called SHC014-MA15.²⁰

EcoHealth Alliance had funded the research with a U.S. grant,²¹ but this wasn’t mentioned by Nature, which quoted Daszak as saying the findings “move this virus from a candidate emerging pathogen to a clear and present danger.”²² Cummins and Baden-Mayer pointed out the irony of this statement:

“Daszak’s statement is odd, as it seems obvious that it was the research itself that made the virus a clear and present danger, and that couldn’t be what he meant.

… Even the creators of the coronavirus-SARS chimaera questioned the wisdom of tinkering with viruses to make them more dangerous to humans. As Nature reported, in their paper the study authors conceded that funders may think twice about allowing such experiments in the future.”²³

In my previously linked article, they added:

“‘Scientific review panels may deem similar studies building chimeric viruses based on circulating strains too risky to pursue,’ they write, adding that discussion is needed as to ‘whether these types of chimeric virus studies warrant further investigation versus the inherent risks involved.’”

NIH Conditions for Restoring Prior Grant Go Unmet

EcoHealth Alliance’s new grant is distinct from the previous grant that funded the Chinese bat research. The new grant is intended to fund the creation of the Centers for Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases, or CREID, a network of centers focusing on different geographical regions.

EcoHealth Alliance will be conducting research on coronaviruses and other pathogens that may emerge from bats, rodents and primates in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia.²⁴ As for their earlier grant, the NIH notified EcoHealth Alliance that they may restore its funding for the Chinese research if they meet certain conditions, including the following:²⁵

• Obtain a sample of the SARS-COV-2 virus that the Wuhan lab used to determine its genetic sequence
• Have independent scientists examine the Wuhan lab to determine if it had possession of SARS-COV-2 prior to December 2019
• Determine the whereabouts of a Wuhan lab scientist whose photo was mysteriously removed from its website

According to NPR, “The scientist has been the focus of internet conspiracy theories suggesting she was in fact ‘patient zero’ for the coronavirus. The Wuhan Institute of Virology has previously said that the scientist in question was a graduate student who had finished her master's degree and moved on to other work.”²⁶

EcoHealth Alliance has not met the conditions for the funding to be restored, with Daszak calling them “preposterous” and telling NPR, "I'm not trained as a private detective. It's not really my job to do that."²⁷ The conditions do seem unusual, particularly for a U.S. government agency to be requesting of a nonprofit organization — unless, perhaps, they believe the organization knows something they don’t.

NIH Investigation Reveals Rampant Undisclosed Ties to China

The U.S. NIH is investigating 189 scientists from 87 institutions for undisclosed ties to foreign institutions, with 54 being fired or forced to resign as a result.²⁸

Among them, 93% received undisclosed support from China, and many had active NIH grants while accepting foreign grants that were not disclosed. About 75% of those being investigated had received active NIH grants, and close to half had at least two of them. In all, 285 active grants totaling $164 million were counted among those being investigated.

Such ties are rampant, and 133, or 70%, of the researchers being investigated did not disclose to the NIH that they had received foreign grants. More than half (54%) also did not disclose their participation in a foreign talent program, while 9% hid ties to a foreign company and 4% did not disclose a foreign patent.^29,30

The investigation is part of larger efforts to limit threats to the U.S. economy and national security, as cutting-edge technologies and other information at the forefront of new industries that is being supported by federally funded research could be flowing into the wrong hands.

A broader investigation is also ongoing, with NIH highlighting 399 scientists “of possible concern,” 121 of which the Federal Bureau of Investigation is also investigating.

According to Dr. Michael Lauer, NIH’s deputy director for extramural research, after the NIH looked into the scientists “of possible concern,” 63% of the investigations came back positive, revealing the true scope of the underhanded dealings.³¹

Meanwhile, Fauci, who also supported GOF research on bird flu viruses 10 years ago,³² continues to support EcoHealth Alliance and their research into novel diseases, noting in a statement about the latest grants, “The CREID network will enable early warnings of emerging diseases wherever they occur, which will be critical to rapid responses.”³³

In reality, should further GOF research be allowed to continue, it’s possible that it could “seed” another pandemic.³⁴ Admittedly, it’s quite a coincidence that the very viruses undergoing gain-of-function research turned out to be the ones causing pandemics.

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Introducing high doses of gluten from four months of age into infants' diets could prevent them from developing celiac disease, a study has found, though researchers say further studies are needed before being applied in practice.

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Introducing high doses of gluten from four months of age into infants' diets could prevent them from developing celiac disease, a study has found, though researchers say further studies are needed before being applied in practice.

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A study of patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 suggests that the disease might deteriorate men's testosterone levels. The study found that as men's testosterone level at baseline decreases, the probability for them to be in the intensive care unit (ICU) significantly increases.

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Travel bans will delay the peak of infection with days, while social distancing has a much stronger impact, amounting in up to 4 weeks delay, scientists report.

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Testing self-collected saliva samples could offer an easy and effective mass testing approach for detecting asymptomatic COVID-19.

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According to a new U.S. poll, COVID-19 may not influence parents' beliefs about the flu vaccine, with just one third believing it's more important for children to get vaccinated this year, while one in three parents don't plan to vaccinate children against the flu.

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Millions of people turn to their mobile devices when seeking medical advice. They're able to share their symptoms and receive potential diagnoses through chatbot-based symptom-checker (CSC) apps. But how do these apps compare to a trip to the doctor's office? Not well, according to a new study.

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Shannon transformed her life and lost over 40kg by adopting a few simple diet, exercise and lifestyle habits. Here she shares all her secrets.

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These everyday habits could be the reason for your current (and future) digestive unrest.

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Navigating through life requires balancing emotion and reason, a feat accomplished by the brain region 'area 32' of the anterior cingulate cortex. The area maintains emotional equilibrium by relaying information between cognitive and emotional brain regions, according to new research.

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Experiencing multiple stressors triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic -- such as unemployment -- and COVID-19-related media consumption are directly linked to rising acute stress and depressive symptoms across the United States, according to a new study.

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Your thyroid, a tiny, butterfly-shaped gland located in front of your windpipe (trachea) and below your voice box (larynx) can have a profound impact on your health and well-being. Throughout life, your thyroid is constantly producing hormones that influence your metabolism. These hormones affect your mood, energy, body temperature, weight, heart, and more.

A brief overview of hypothyroidism

Your thyroid produces two kinds of thyroid hormones: T4, or thyroxine, and T3, or triiodothyronine. These hormones influence every cell, tissue, and organ in your body, from your muscles, bones, and skin to your digestive tract, brain, and heart, by controlling how fast and efficiently cells convert nutrients into energy — a chemical activity known as metabolism.

The thyroid gland is under the influence of the pituitary gland. No larger than a pea and located at the base of the brain, the pituitary gland controls your thyroid’s production of thyroid hormone by releasing thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH).

TSH levels in your bloodstream rise or fall depending on whether there is enough thyroid hormone made to meet your body’s needs. Higher levels of TSH prompt the thyroid to produce more thyroid hormone, while lower levels signal the thyroid to produce less.

Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid fails to produce enough thyroid hormone to meet the body’s needs, thereby slowing metabolism. In someone with overt hypothyroidism, thyroid hormone levels are below normal and TSH levels are well above the normal range.

What is mild hypothyroidism?

Subclinical, or mild, hypothyroidism doesn’t meet the standard definition of hypothyroidism. In mild hypothyroidism, you may or may not have symptoms and your levels of T4 and T3 are normal, but your TSH levels are slightly elevated. Mild hypothyroidism is diagnosed by a blood test.

More than 10 million adults in the US have hypothyroidism, the vast majority of which is subclinical.

What are the risks of leaving mild hypothyroidism untreated?

Whether or not to treat mild hypothyroidism is a subject that has been studied and debated for years. What worries doctors most about mild hypothyroidism is the potential link between untreated mild hypothyroidism and coronary artery disease. Results of research on whether subclinical thyroid disease causes heart problems have been conflicting. The condition has been associated with heart and blood vessel abnormalities, and studies indicate that treating mild hypothyroidism can improve various markers of heart structure and function.

However, a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association may give doctors pause. The researchers studied people with mild hypothyroidism who had also had a heart attack. They treated one group of these patients for their mild hypothyroidism, and left the condition untreated in the other group. The study showed that those treated for mild hypothyroidism did not have better heart function than those who were not treated.

What are the downsides of treating mild hypothyroidism?

When mild hypothyroidism is treated, levothyroxine (T4) is the treatment of choice.

A 2017 trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that treating people ages 65 and older for mild hypothyroidism doesn’t have much of a benefit. The authors found no real differences in symptoms between participants who received levothyroxine and those who got a placebo. The authors say many older adults revert to normal thyroid function on their own, without treatment. A follow-up study recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine analyzed data from patients enrolled in the 2017 NEJM study, and determined that even those with the greatest number of symptoms did not benefit.

In addition to the possibility that the treatment may not offer any benefit, there are other reasons for caution. Overtreatment — prescribing thyroid medication to someone with subclinical disease who may not need treatment, or giving excessive thyroid medication — comes with serious risks, particularly thyrotoxicosis, the presence of too much thyroid hormone in the body. This happens frequently; estimates suggest 20% or more of those treated with thyroid hormone experience thyrotoxicosis. Long-term complications of even mild thyrotoxicosis can include heart problems and bone loss.

Considering the risks and benefits of treatment

If you are weighing the pros and cons of treatment for hypothyroidism, discuss the following questions with your doctor:

• How might I benefit from treatment? Could it treat my symptoms? Prevent heart disease? Help me conceive?
• What are the risks of treatment?
• How will we know if treatment is working, and how long will it take to determine this?
• For how long will I need to continue treatment?

The post Treating mild hypothyroidism: Benefits still uncertain appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

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When Jason Potts fell from his ladder, fracturing his shoulder, spine and ribs, he didn’t expect his Apple Watch to save his life.

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Early results of an experimental vaping study have shown significant lung injury from e-cigarette devices with nickel-chromium alloy heating elements.

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Long after a COVID-19 vaccination is developed and years after the coronavirus death toll is tallied, the impact on mental health will linger, continuing to inflict damage if not addressed, according to new research.

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A type of anti-bacterial T cells, so-called MAIT cells, are strongly activated in people with moderate to severe COVID-19 disease, according to a new study.

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A global initiative will supply two rapid antigen tests to low and middle income countries, which take between 15 and 30 minutes to produce results, with one even already receiving emergency approval from the WHO.

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Researchers confirm that about 14% of all cases of cerebral palsy, a disabling brain disorder for which there are no cures, may be linked to a patient's genes and suggest that many of those genes control how brain circuits become wired during early development. The results led to recommended changes in the treatment of at least three patients, highlighting the importance of understanding the role genes play in the disorder.

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Researchers reported that genetic testing is cost-effective and beneficial for newly diagnosed patients with metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), a rare type of cancer.

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Evolution leaves its traces -- in particular -- in genomes. Researchers used '2-n-way' software to determine the relationships between species or individuals and compare any genome of and for anyone.

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Every region has its place in the brain. However, it has been unclear why brain regions are located where they are. Now, scientists have defined two main axes along which brain regions are genetically organized, stretching from posterior to anterior and inferior to superior in the brain. These axes are mainly shaped by genes and evolution.

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New findings about body fat help explain the differing health risks men and women face - and set the stage for better, more targeted treatments.

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To fight cancer more effectively, a researcher probes its inner workings for metabolic weaknesses.

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Cocaine addiction is a chronic disorder with a high rate of relapse for which no effective treatment is currently available. Scientists recently demonstrated that two gene mutations involved in the conformation of nicotinic receptors in the brain appear to play a role in various aspects of cocaine addiction.

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Researchers demonstrated a proof-of-concept stem cell treatment in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease. They found that neurons derived from stem cells can integrate well into the correct regions of the brain, connect with native neurons and restore motor functions.

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An analysis conducted in 45,000 adults mainly of European ancestry associated 160 genes with brain shrinkage seen on MRI.

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Researchers have demonstrated the utility of artificial intelligence (AI) in identifying and categorizing neural degeneration in the model organism C. elegans. The tool uses deep learning, a form of AI, and should facilitate and expedite research into neural degeneration.

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A new study shows extraneous images draw attention from text, reducing comprehension in beginning readers.

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A new study finds any alcohol use during pregnancy, even low levels, is associated with subtle, yet significant behavioural and psychological effects in children including anxiety, depression and poor attention.

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If you're wondering how the Bonds Bloody Comfy Period Undies compare to pads, tampons, or even to other brands like Thinx, look no further - we've answered every question you've got.

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Oregano (Origanum vulgare) is usually associated with Italian cooking, but it's believed to have originated in Greece. It’s closely related to marjoram (Origanum majorana) and the two have often been confused.¹

A variety of oregano from Mexico (Lippia graveolens) was used for decades before being brought to America. It didn’t make an appearance in American cookbooks until after World War II. The herb that originates from the Mediterranean and from Mexico are slightly different.

The Mexican herb has a stronger flavor, while the Mediterranean leaf is smaller, lighter in color and has a milder flavor. When choosing which to include in your cooking, the Mexico variety works well with spicy flavors and the Mediterranean complements Italian and Greek dishes.

Origanum vulgare is a perennial plant that grows up to 3 feet high and 2 feet wide.² It blooms between July and October with pinkish purple or white flowers. Oregano enjoys full sun and is a low-maintenance plant that attracts butterflies. It’s also resistant to drought and erosion.

The herb is rich in phenols, which are natural phytochemicals that have beneficial antioxidant effects. The two most abundant are thymol and carvacrol.³ Oregano has been used in traditional remedies as a relaxant, pain reliever and antibacterial agent. It also offers immune system support.⁴

Oregano Oil Effective Against Norovirus

Around the world, norovirus triggers nearly 20% of all cases of gastroenteritis leading to diarrhea and vomiting.⁵ In the U.S. it's the leading cause in people of all ages.⁶ Outbreaks usually happen from November to April; in years when there is a new strain, it can boost the numbers by 50%.

Symptoms of norovirus infection include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhea. Some people may also experience fever, body aches and headache.⁷ Symptoms develop from 12 to 48 hours after being exposed and most people are well from one to three days after the symptoms appear.

Each year there are 900 people who die from norovirus, with 109,000 hospitalizations and up to 21 million cases. Many of the outbreaks occur in crowded locations such as nursing homes and schools.⁸ Despite the impact on health and the economy, no drugs are currently available for its prevention or treatment.

In addition to this, many aspects of the virus are not known since it is difficult to culture human norovirus and there is no small animal model. Noroviruses have been identified in mice, cattle and pigs and of these the murine norovirus found in mice replicates in cell culture and small animals. For this reason, it is the strain of norovirus studied in the lab.

Researchers have found that carvacrol, one of the primary components of oregano oil, is effective against murine norovirus. In one study, scientists used cell cultures and a side-by-side experiment with a cell binding assay and transmission electron microscopy.

Viral infectivity dropped within 15 minutes of exposure to both oregano oil and carvacol, but using carvacrol alone was far more effective. The researchers concluded carvacrol could:⁹

“… inactivate [murine norovirus] within 1 hour of exposure by acting directly on the viral capsid and subsequently the RNA. This study provides novel findings on the antiviral properties of oregano oil and carvacrol against MNV and demonstrates the potential of carvacrol as a natural food and surface (fomite) sanitizer to control human norovirus.”

Oregano oil and carvacrol are active against other bacterial agents found in the kitchen which can lead to food poisoning. In another study, researchers found that oregano essential oil could remove young and mature Staphylococcus aureus biofilms on stainless steel.¹⁰

Oregano Oil Active Against Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth

Small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is the term used to describe an abnormal rise in overall bacterial population of the small intestine.¹¹ It can happen when surgery, disease or medications slow the intestinal tract, which creates a breeding ground for bacteria. This can negatively impact immune health since your gut microbiome regulates your immune homeostasis.¹²

Some of the health issues that can cause motility problems in the gastrointestinal tract include scleroderma, lupus and diabetes.¹³ The use of antispasm medications, the long-term use of proton pump inhibitors and the frequent use of antibiotics and narcotic medications all have been linked to SIBO.

Excess bacteria can cause weight loss, malnutrition and diarrhea. The primary treatment options used by Johns Hopkins Medicine are the antibiotic rifaximin (Xifaxan), and in some cases a combination of rifaximin and neomycin.

The condition has been studied in those who have disease affecting the intestines, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In one review of the literature, researchers identified 50 studies and found that more than 38% of people with IBS were positive for SIBO.¹⁴ The prevalence varied according to the type of test used for diagnosis and the risk rose for women, people of older age and those who had diarrhea with IBS.

In another study researchers gathered data from 104 people who tested positive for SIBO. Participants completed a study intervention and subsequent testing.¹⁵

They were offered a daily regimen of rifaximin or herbal therapy for 4 weeks. The researchers used a combination of herbs to provide broad coverage. Oil of oregano was one of those chosen because it’s well-documented that it “directly kills or strongly inhibits the growth of intestinal microbes. Oil of oregano has other beneficial properties such as inducing apoptosis in human colon cancer caco2 cells.”¹⁶

At the end of the study, each person underwent a lactulose breath test (LBT) to check for the presence of SIBO. Of the patients who received herbal therapy, 46% had a negative follow-up compared to 34% of those using the rifaximin. There were 31.8% who did not respond to rifaximin and were offered herbal rescue therapy. Of those, 57.1% had a negative LBT after completing the treatment. The researchers concluded:¹⁷

“Herbal therapies are at least as effective as rifaximin for resolution of SIBO by LBT. Herbals also appear to be as effective as triple antibiotic therapy for SIBO rescue therapy for rifaximin non-responders. Further, prospective studies are needed to validate these findings and explore additional alternative therapies in patients with refractory SIBO.”

Oil May Help Reduce Antibacterial Resistance

Antibiotic resistance is a threat to human health. Infections caused by antibiotic resistant pathogens are sometimes impossible to treat. Health experts have been warning for decades that the overuse of antibiotics in humans and agriculture would usher in a potential explosion of death from pathogens that were once easily treated.

The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance was requested by the U.K. prime minister in 2014. The data suggested that drug resistant infections cause the loss of 50,000 lives each year in Europe and the U.S.¹⁸ Globally, that number is at least 700,000.

However, another estimate suggests the number in the U.S. is far higher, at about 162,000 each year.¹⁹ In addition, experts predict the global number may rise to 10 million people each year by 2050.²⁰ This is 2 million more than are expected to die from cancer that year.

Essential oils, such as oregano oil, may help reduce antibiotic resistance. In one study, researchers evaluated the effectiveness of frankincense, lavender, lemon, thyme, oregano and myrtle essential oils against common pathogenic bacteria,²¹ including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus.

These bacteria are responsible for several types of infections including gastrointestinal and dermal ailments. The researchers used aqueous and micellar extracts to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentrations (MBC). The oils with the most activity against the bacteria were oregano oil, lemon, lavender and thyme.

Oregano oil had 64 times lower MICs and MBCs than ethylic alcohol. The bacteria that were most susceptible to it included methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Oregano and lavender aqueous extracts were active against K. Pneumoniae. The researchers concluded:²²

“The present results may suggest some formulas of colloid or micelle suspensions of whole essential oils such as oregano, thyme or lemon oil, that may help in antimicrobial fight. Aqueous extracts of oregano or thyme oil with good antibacterial activity could also be used in selected cases.”

Take Care When Choosing Your Oregano Oil

When purchasing oregano oil, take care to purchase from a trusted manufacturer because some sell adulterated oils. As I’ve written before, some oil may be made from products which do not provide the same health benefits.

Oregano oil should be diluted in water or used with a carrier oil. My top choices are olive oil, coconut oil or jojoba. Test it on a small area of your skin when using it topically to be sure you don't have a reaction. The pure oil can be a moderate skin irritant and it irritates your mucous membranes as well, which is why it must be diluted before use. Don’t use it on sores or cuts.

Clinical herbalist Michelle Lynde writes that the ideal ratio when diluting it for topical use is one part oregano oil to three parts carrier oil. A few drops of essential oil can also be added to a vaporizer or diffuser to help relieve the symptoms of allergies, sinusitis, chronic bronchitis and coughs.²³

However, diluted oil should be avoided in women who are pregnant or nursing, and it should not be given to babies or children. People who have high blood pressure or a heart condition should also avoid using oregano oil. When taken internally, the taste can be strong. The diluted oil can be mixed with juice or honey or added to pizza sauce.

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Evidence showing vitamin D lowers your risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospitalization, severe complications and death continues to mount. Most recently, a September 17, 2020, paper¹ in PLOS ONE found people with lower vitamin D levels in their blood had a significantly higher risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2.

Higher Vitamin D Lowers Risk of Positive SARS-CoV-2 Test

The lead researcher in this study was Dr. Michael Hollick, who is widely recognized as one of the leading vitamin D experts in the world. I have interviewed him twice in the past. He and his team used retrospective observational analysis of SARS-CoV-2 tests to determine whether vitamin D blood levels impacted positivity rates.

Based on vitamin D results from the preceding 12 months and SARS-CoV-2 test data from mid-March through mid-June 2020 from 191,779 patients from 50 U.S. states, people with a vitamin D level of at least 55 ng/mL (138 nmol/L) had a 47% lower SARS-CoV-2 positivity rate compared to those with a level below 20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L).² As noted by the authors:

“The SARS-CoV-2 positivity rate was 9.3% and the mean seasonally adjusted 25(OH)D was 31.7 [ng/mL]. The SARS-CoV-2 positivity rate was higher in the 39,190 patients with ‘deficient’ 25(OH)D values (<20 ng/mL) (12.5% …) than in the 27,870 patients with ‘adequate’ values (30–34 ng/mL) (8.1% …) and the 12,321 patients with values ≥55 ng/mL (5.9% …) …³

The risk of SARS-CoV-2 positivity continued to decline until the serum levels reached 55 ng/mL. This finding is not surprising, given the established inverse relationship between risk of respiratory viral pathogens, including influenza, and 25(OH)D levels.⁴

SARS-CoV-2 positivity is strongly and inversely associated with circulating 25(OH)D levels, a relationship that persists across latitudes, races/ethnicities, both sexes, and age ranges. Our findings provide impetus to explore the role of vitamin D supplementation in reducing the risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease.”⁵

The graph below, obtained from GrassrootsHealth,⁶ shows how the rate of positive SARS-CoV-2 results declines as vitamin D levels go up. Again, as you increase your vitamin D level from 20 ng/mL to 55 ng/mL, your risk of having a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result decreases by 47%.

Even after adjustment for gender, age, ethnicity and latitude, the risk of having a positive test result was 43% lower among those with a vitamin D level of 55 ng/mL compared to those with a level of 20 ng/mL. I understand that the COVID-19 test may be worthless and counterproductive with its false positives, but it is the only metric we currently have to assess interventions.

Vitamin D Lowers Infection and Hospitalization Rates

That higher vitamin D levels lower the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection (i.e., getting a positive test result) was also confirmed in an Israeli population-based study^7,8 published in July 2020. This paper examined data from 7,807people tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection between February 1 and April 30 of 2020 who also had vitamin D test data available.

Here, those with a vitamin D level above 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L) had a 59% lower risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 compared to those with a vitamin D level between 20 ng/mL and 29 ng/mL (50 to 74 nmol/L), and a 58% lower risk compared to those with a vitamin D level below 20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L). The graph below, from a GrassrootsHealth report,⁹ illustrates the findings.

Vitamin D Lowers Hospital and ICU Admissions

Seeing how higher vitamin D levels lowers your risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the first place, it’s no surprise then that other data show higher vitamin D also lowers hospital and intensive care admissions.

The Israeli analysis¹⁰ above, for example, found that among individuals who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection, those who had a vitamin D level below 30 ng/mL also had a 1.95 times (crude odds ratio) to 2.09 times (odds ratio after adjustment for demographics and psychiatric and somatic disorders) higher risk of being hospitalized for COVID-19.

In other words, having a vitamin D level below 30 ng/mL about doubled the risk of being hospitalized with COVID-19. Vitamin D, when administered to hospitalized patients, can also lower their risk of needing intensive care.

This was demonstrated by Spanish researchers in a small randomized clinical study^11,12,13,14 published online August 29, 2020. They found hospitalized COVID-19 patients who were given supplemental calcifediol (a vitamin D3 analog also known as 25-hydroxycholecalciferol or 25-hydroxyvitamin D) in addition to standard of care — which included the use of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin — had significantly lower intensive care unit admissions.

Patients in the vitamin D arm received 532 micrograms of calcifediol on the day of admission (equivalent to 106,400 IUs of vitamin D¹⁵) followed by 266 mcg on Days 3 and 7 (equivalent to 53,200 IUs¹⁶). After that, they received 266 mcg once a week until discharge, ICU admission or death.

Of those receiving calcifediol, only 2% required ICU admission, compared to 50% of those who did not get calcifediol. None of those given vitamin D supplementation died, whereas 7.6% in the standard care group perished.

Vitamin D Lowers COVID-19 Mortality

Other studies have also confirmed that higher vitamin D levels lowers your risk of complications and death from COVID-19. Among them is an August 2020 study^17,18 published in the journal Nutrients, which found patients who had a vitamin D level below 12 ng/mL (30 nmol/L) had a 6.12 times higher risk of severe disease requiring invasive mechanical ventilation, and a 14.7 times higher risk of death compared to those with a vitamin D level above 12 ng/mL.

An Iranian study^19,20 published online in mid-July 2020 also found that patients with vitamin D levels above 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L) had better clinical outcomes and a far lower risk of death. Among COVID-19 patients over the age of 40 who had vitamin D levels below 30 ng/mL, 20% died, compared to 9.7% of those with levels at or above 30 ng/mL. Among those with a vitamin D level of at least 40 ng/mL, only 6.3% died.

Low Vitamin D Is a Risk Factor for Respiratory Failure

Yet another study, published in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation in August 2020, found vitamin D deficiency was a common factor among hospitalized patients in Italy who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 related respiratory failure.

As reported by GrassrootsHealth:²¹

“Vitamin D levels were measured for each patient and were defined as insufficient (20-29 ng/ml or 50-74 nmol/L), moderately deficient (10-19 ng/ml (25-49 nmol/L), and severely deficient (<10 ng/ml or <25 nmol/L). A normal vitamin D level was defined as 30 ng/ml (75 nmol/L) or higher.

81% of the patients with acute respiratory failure due to COVID-19 had vitamin D levels below 30 ng/ml (75 nmol/L); and 24% had severe vitamin D deficiency (≤10 ng/ml or ≤25 nmol/L).

When looking at mortality rates after 10 days of hospitalization, it was found that those with severe vitamin D deficiency had a 50% probability of death, compared to 5% among those with a vitamin D level greater than 10 ng/ml (25 nmol/L).

This is a 10 times higher risk of death among patients with severe vitamin D deficiency compared to patients with vitamin D levels >10 ng/ml (>25 nmol/L) at 10 days of hospitalization."

According to the study authors:

“Altogether, these considerations support the recommendation that people at risk of influenza and/or COVID-19 consider vitamin D supplementation to raise their 25(OH)D concentrations above 40-60 ng/mL, and that treatment of patients infected with influenza and/or COVID-19 includes higher vitamin D doses.”

How and Why Vitamin D Lowers COVID-19 Risks

In “Bradykinin Hypothesis Explains COVID-19 Complexities,” I reviewed how vitamin D lowers your risk of COVID-19 complications and death by inhibiting both cytokine²² and bradykinin storms.²³ Vitamin D also:

Lowers viral replication24

Boosts your overall immune function by modulating both innate and adaptive immune responses

Reduces respiratory distress25

Improves overall lung function

Helps produce surfactants in your lungs that aid in fluid clearance26

Lowers your risk of comorbidities associated with poor COVID-19 prognosis, including obesity,27 Type 2 diabetes,28 high blood pressure29 and heart disease30

All of these factors make it an important component of COVID-19 prevention and treatment. As temperatures and humidity levels drop — two factors that influence the viability of SARS-CoV-2 in air and on surfaces — it’s quite likely we’ll see a reemergence as we move into fall and winter.

My #StopCOVIDCold campaign seeks to raise awareness about the importance of vitamin D optimization to prevent a resurgence of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths. The two reports, which you can download free of charge on the #StopCOVIDCold website, provide in-depth information about the biological mechanics behind vitamin D’s protective effects.

Now, as the northern hemisphere heads into autumn, is the ideal time to check your vitamin D level and start taking action to raise it if you’re below 40 ng/mL (100 nmol/L). Experts recommend a vitamin D level between 40 and 60 ng/ml (100 to 150 nmol/L). An easy and cost-effective way of measuring your vitamin D level is to order GrassrootsHealth’s vitamin D testing kit.

Once you know your current vitamin D level, use the GrassrootsHealth vitamin D calculator³¹ to determine how much vitamin D you might need to reach your target level.

To optimize vitamin D absorption and utilization, be sure to take your vitamin D with vitamin K2 and magnesium. As explained in “Magnesium and K2 Optimize Your Vitamin D Supplementation,” taking magnesium and vitamin K2 can lower your oral vitamin D requirement by as much as 244%.

Lastly, remember to retest in three to four months to make sure you’ve reached your target level. If you have, then you know you’re taking the correct dosage. If you’re still low (or have reached a level above 80 ng/mL), you’ll need to adjust your dosage accordingly and retest again in another three to four months.

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