The Medical News Report

#129

 October, 2022

Samuel J. LaMonte, M.D., FACS

www.themedicalnewsreport.com

If you are already getting my reports monthly, you are subscribed! My mailing list has grown enormously, thanks to the interest in my reports over the past 12 years. The subscription is free, there are no ads, and I don’t sell your name, etc. to anyone, like business, and some hospitals do. This is my ministry, and my way of giving back for 30 years of a fabulous private practice. Just email me at samlamonte@gmail.com, and I will add you to my confidential list. I will confirm you are on the list when you request it. Put me on your contact list to prevent me from being blocked. Share with your friends and family. Thank you, Dr. Sam 

Subjects for October, 2022:

1. Terrorism as we honor those who fell on 9/11

2. Global warming—many experts are on the other side; more on socialism/Marxism

3. COVID updates—fall booster, management of pandemic??, booster value

4.New genetic tests a game changer for 50 genetic diseases

5. Epidurals before spine surgery increase infections after surgery; Radiofrequency ablation

6. Head injuries in sports; CTE-chronic traumatic encephalopathy

IMPORTANT REMINDER!!!! PLEASE READ!!!

  I remind you that any medical information provided in these reports is just that…information only!! Not medical advice!! I am not your doctor, and decisions about your health require consultation with your trusted personal physicians and consultants.

  The information I provide you is to empower you with knowledge, and I have repeatedly asked you to be the team leader for your OWN healthcare concerns.  You should never act on anything you read in these reports. I have encouraged you to seek the advice of your physicians regarding health issues. Feel free to share this information with family and friends, but remind them about this being informational only. You must be proactive in our current medical environment.

  Don’t settle for a visit to your doctor without them giving you complete information about your illness, the options for treat

ment, care instructions, possible side effects to look for, and plans for follow up. Be sure the prescriptions you take are accurate (pharmacies make mistakes) and always take your meds as prescribed. The more you know, the better your care will be, because your doctor will sense you are informed and expect more out of them. Always write down your questions before going for a visit.

Thank you, Dr. Sam

Personal Comments about the storm in Florida and our country!!

  As we come out of this devastating hurricane, it required resilience and perseverance to withstand the days anticipating the storm and then the days of the storm.

  We were blessed not to be hit as badly (Bradenton) as we could have, but it has reminded me of how strong our country can be and can come together when there is a crisis. Our governor is the best!

  If we can work together during a hurricane, why not when the future of our country is at stake? Does it have to be a crisis that is facing us at this very moment, so why  not realize the coming storm for our nation created by the policies of the radical left are going to cause more damage than 10 hurricanes? We can still work together!!

  It is time the readers realize we are facing not just damage to our house, or our cars, and property from a storm, but a storm of socialization/Marxism that will destroy everything we worked for all our lives to be in the best country in the world.

  We can be a team, and even with controversy and differences of opinion, we were not totally divided in the past. And now we are!!!! Can we ever recover?? YES, if Democrats with proper study can put those radical leftist back in their place, and prevent our country from going bankrupt, with unbelievable spending, loss of why we became a country, and selling out to those who eventually want a communist society. Voting is a right, but it is a responsibility!!

  You may not agree, and as long as we have a democracy and a constitution, you have that right. But that is not what we will have if climate change spending, student loan forgiveness, unnecessary COVID expenditures, allowing crime to take over our country, allowing millions of illegals to cross our borders continues, with over 300 deaths per day from fentanyl when 300 deaths from COVID previously  shut our country down. Just study that point!!

  When President Biden was asked about being prepared for a hurricane, his answer was to get vaccinated!! Are you kidding me!!!

  At the same time, VP Harris was mis-stating that North Korea was our ally, instead of South Korea. I am very sad that our leaders are so disconnected to our country. Please understand, this makes me so sad, and as a Democrat, it must be devastating to some of you that your party is run (?) by people this incompetent!!

  Please read my report regarding those experts that totally disagree with human control of global warming, the need to become so weak with policy decisions that China is licking their chops over our stupidity and naivete’, and they are positioning themselves to destroy us with our own people assisting. 

  Please vote for a country that will continue to be a shining example of greatness, as we are likely to lose that possiblilty forever. We are in a crisis right now, and we must address it with your vote.

  Thank you for reading my thoughts, and I look forward to getting past this devastating Ian, as it travels now to South Carolina and even Northeast Georgia and refocus on our future. God bless all those suffering from such a disaster.  Dr. Sam  

1. Terriorism and remembering and honoring those who perished on 9/11

As we watched once again from the horror of the 9/11 terriorist attack and have solid proof that 12 Saudi Arabian leaders financed and sent killers to the U.S. to begin the destruction of America, there has been no action regarding their responsibilities for a day that will never be forgotten.

  3000 Americans perished, 180 at the Pentagon, and a commercial liner in Pennsylvania, full of patriots, died bringing down that plane that was headed to the White House. We pray for them including their families and friends. Donate to the cause!!

  We are weaker than ever now, when one would think that we would be stronger, while those responsible are still alive and haven’t even been tried in our courts yet.

  We have lost our way, and we need to remember our resolve after 9/11, and with the current administration, having caused serious mismanagement in Benghazi (9/11 is the anniversary of that disaster), the withdrawal of Afghanistan, and the southern border which has allowed 120 countries to come over our border.

  We have captured 80 known terriorists so far on that border (can you imaginb the number we have missed). We are allowing the Cartels to run our border and been responsible for over 110,000 young people die from fentanyl laced drugs (the #1 cause of death for those 18-45).

  The administration is still working diligently to negotiate with Iran, thinking they can delay their nuclear buildup. OMG!

  They have mandated vaccines in the military, causing over 40,000 soldiers to be discharged in active military and the National Guard, when we have a virus that gives that group a cold when infected.

  How much mismanagement do we stand for when the Dems are promoting socialism/Marxism, wokeness, cancel culture, racism, climate change tactics, loss of intellect in our school children and still mandating masks in many states, when our president says the pandemic is over??

  Patriotism is at an all time low in our country, when we must realize another 9/11 is coming!!! 78 illegals on our terrorists list have been apprehended at the southern border just this year (how many were in the 800,000 gotaways?).

   Where has the pride in our country gone?……the push toward socialism and the woke tactics creating cynicism in our country.

Who thinks our country is the greatest?

  A Gallop poll found only 37% of Democrats think the U.S. is the greatest country in the world, while 47% independents, and Republicans 69% say so.

  Of course, there are many issues in this country that need to be improved, but since Biden took over, our country has seen enormous negativity with the pandemic, the southern border crisis, gross mismanagement of the Afghanistan withdrawal, the drug crisis and deaths from fentanyl, the inflation creating mega spending by the White House, and shutting down the oil pipelines and fracking.

  We need to clean up a lot of messes, and can do it best as a united country, but it won’t happen with the current environment we live in and this administration. We can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!

  Biden continues to spread $billion throughout the world trying to buy approval, when our debt escalates.

  I was very disappointed with his UN speech. He spent more time on climate change than uniting the UN, and getting other countries to provide more money for their functions, as little as they appear to be.

   When refugees work to become legal Americans, they learn about our heritage and our love of country. We have 7000 illegals who could care less about our country coming over the border every day. And Martha’s Vineyard couldn’t even handle 50 of them! Pathetic!

Honor our country!

  We must teach our children about all the great progress we have made in this country, even with many negative historical events that occurred, and we always must be proud of our military personnel and their dedication to keep us safe. History always teaches us to be better…donlt destroy it!

  Today schools are not educating them about our history, and it has influenced our recruitment for the military, which is down 23%, when 1/3 of eligible Americans can’t even qualify to be enlisted, because of their weight, their intellect, drug history, and lack of desire to protect our country.

  We have so many mixed messages coming from a disabled president at a time when we need to be strong, united and stop demonstrating weakness to the world. China, Russia, and many other countries are taking advantage of the world because of our weakness.

  The reduction of God and religion in our country is another serious issue, and as you should know is another  factor in promoting secularism, which goes on every day.

  We can get our country back with YOUR vote in NOVEMBER.

  God bless all those who sacrificed their lives in any way to assist those in need and all who were killed on 9/11. Also God bless our military and first responders, and ALWAYS, GOD BLESS AMERICA!

2. Global Warming—many experts are on the other side-continuing the discussion on Socialism/Marxism in our country; Crime, and more

  Last month, I spent a great deal of time defining the climate change concept as a major factor in promoting socialism/Marxism in our country, as defined in Mark Levin’s book (American Marxism).

  If you don’t believe we are in big trouble with the extensive movement toward socialism/Marxism, you didn’t read last month’s report. The latest trillion dollar maneuver is the Inflation Lowering Act (really known as the Climate Change Act).

  We are in a crucial time, and the radical leftists that have most of the power in the Democratic Party, have been very successful in working the system and convinced even the president he has to follow with them.

  Our president is told what to say and do, no doubt. He is more than a lame duck!! I am convinced he is not medically competent to run our country, and that is sad to have to admit.

  Inflation is the #1 issue on American’s minds, when they see their weekly household bills have increased by over 30% on the average. IT IS THE ECONOMY STUPID!

  WAKE UP CONSERVATIVES AND INDEPENDENTS!! IGNORE THE POLLS, AND GET OUT AND VOTE!!

THIS NOVEMBER ELECTION WILL BE THE MOST IMPORTANT VOTE OF YOUR LIFE!!

  As I read a book on the aggressive attempts by China (The 100 year Marathon by Michael Pillsbury) to take over our country and the world, do people realize the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is backing Biden’s attempt to make our country the same as theirs by creating a central government here that will be more easily manipulated and  controlled by China.

  We must resist this attempt to make climate change the issue when the real concern must be keeping our country from losing our Supreme Court, our constitution, reducing inflation without recession (already happening), and maintaining our capitalistic society.

  Let us hear about global warming from some experts that do not believe humans have little capability of changing it.

A. Are humans responsible for global warming?

  If a person researches climate change on the internet, it will be pretty convincing that humans are the culprit for greenhouse gases that are warming our planet, MOSTLY FAKE NEWS!

   Below are reports from several experts that don’t believe the concept of global warming is caused by humans. You be the judge.

  Global climate change is a known fact, and since the beginning of time, fluctuations of climate, temperature change, etc., have been a fundamental known entity.

  Are humans responsible for it? NO! Are humans making it worse? BARELY!  

  According to Emeritus Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Melbourne, Ian Plimer, climate change catastrophism is the biggest scientific fraud that has ever occurred. It is mostly political ideology dressed up as science.

  Also, according to Professor Plimer, “ cheap energy is fundamental for employment, living in a modern world, and for bringing the Third World out of poverty”. China and India know this!!

  Activists have captured our American education system spewing environmental, political, and economic ideologies that are untrue. There has been little financing to dispel the inaccuracies of climate change, only the need for it, to accomplish a socialistic society necessary to finance it.

 “Global warming is not science, as research is based on a preordained condition, and huge bodies of evidence are ignored and only the analytical procedures are treated as evidence”, according to Plimer.

  Alternative energy sources such as wind and solar are environmentally disastrous. They cause loss of ecosystems, destruction of wildlife, sterilization of land, inordinate costs that may not be retrieved during the life of the system, emitting huge amounts of CO2 during construction, they are inefficient in most places, and they need backup of coal burning electricity generating plants (so do charging stations!).

  What happens when we have to evacuate a part of our country (i.e. Florida) in electric cars and need to recharge our cars every few hundred miles, as we would be spending hours and hours trying to get out of harms way??

  Patrick J. Michaels, Research Professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia, past president of the American Association of State Climatologists, and chair of  Applied Climatology of the American Meteorological Society, contends that climate models are failing, and feels that there is no way to test the science, and declares it is pseudoscience. Climate change is untestable, according to Michaels.

  Global warming is used as a term to misuse and confuse the public, according to Dr. Richard S. Linden, atmospheric physicist, and former professor of meteorology at MIT.

  Robert M. Carter, Emeritus Fellow and Science Advisor for the Climate Science Coalition writes, “it needs to be recognized that the theoretical hazard of human-caused global warming is but one small part of a much wider climate hazard, and all scientists agree that dangerous weather and climate events will always occur by Mother Nature. The world will never control these events and governments are often inadequately prepared to contend with them. Can we control hurricanes, forest fires, flooding rivers, and tornados with unbrideled weather?

  He also states that no credible scientist can predict the weather over time. We need to be prepared to handle as much of these events as possible, financing prudent and cost effective policies for preparedness. Global warming and cooling can only be controlled by human means in small measure. Ever heard of the Farmers Almanac?

  The Marguerita Declaration on Climate change used in communistic countries and also proposed as a resolution by Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, is nothing but a ludicrous Marxist bill, but points directly to the need for a central government to control every aspect of our lives, ridding America of our freedoms, our capitalist society, and creation of a Third World Country, as pointed out by Mark Levin in his NY Time best selling book I have cited throughout this report.

  The estimate to initiate just some of these aspects of the climate change is enormous. To rid the country of measurable amounts of greenhouse gases will cost $11 trillion over 10 years to upgrade every home and industrial building, as just one cost in this impossible feat (and socialized medicine alone will cost $1.4 trillion a year according to Senator Bernie Sanders.)Add another $trillion for student loan forgiveness.

  Each year, according to Milton Ezrati, Forbes magazine, estimated some of the above costs. He stated that this proposal will increase the federal budget by over one half and require a tax rate of over 70%.

 The American Forum, headed by former Congressional Budget Office Director, Douglas Holtz-Eakin concludes that the Green New Deal may cost up to $93 trillion over 10 years.

  Greenhouse gases are necessary to warm the planet to an average 59 degrees and keeps life on earth, well, and livable. However, greenhouse gases caused primarily by agriculture must be controlled as much as possible within reason, without destroying our food sources and country.

  Can we do better? YES. Should we address the fossil fuel and the agricultural contribution to increasing CO2 that traps warm air? YES. Using this issue to promote socialism/Marxism is certainly not the way to accomplish it.

  The radical leftists are using it as a tool to promote a socialist/Marxist country, which will destroy America. Europe is currently in trouble financially trying to promote climate change.

  No doubt, we must do a better job to control the environmental issues challenging our planet, over decades, but it must be accomplished with a bipartisan agreement on how to do it, without destroying our country in the process. Are we naïve enough to think our actions will influence the world’s decisions? How will the U.S. get cooperation from the biggest polluters on the planet (China, India)?…. not a chance, especially when China is in the process of becoming the world’s #1 economy and taking over our country’s resources.

These are excerpts from Mark Levin’s book, “American Marxism”.

  Where are we buying batteries, wind mills, infrastructure for electronics, i-phones and computers?? China! Where is our medicine being purchased? China!! Where is fentanyl manufactured? China. Wake up!! We are falling right into the hands of the Chinese Communist Party with the Green New Deal. And we will pay!!!

  The Republican Congressmen are  not being given proposals for votes by Pelosi and company until the night before they are to vote. This is the type of atrocious maneuvers the Democrats are pulling on us.

Comment on the Woke Academic Medical Institutions and organizations

  I am not surprised with the woke medical journals that I am reading today are promoting publication of so many articles with opinions and comments about how health is being negatively impacted by our climate. Diversity is also being promoted regularly. True, it has been an issue for decades, but now it fills our pages in the journals trying to divide doctors just as the other academicians are doing in our universities. 

  I am very disappointed with the AMA, Internal Medicine journals, the CDC, FDA, major medical centers and universities, all who have gone woke and are promoting a socialized healthcare system. 

  The biased academic medical community, and the radical leftist activist they support, is making my job more difficult than ever to scan these medical journal articles as I try so very hard to provide my readers with the best medical information available.

  In 10 years, I have never seen such a drop in the quality of medical research in so many areas of medicine. This will  greatly impact our healthcare in the future, as we face socialized medicine and a socialistic/Marxist country.

  Another issue just arose, as the CDC recommended no masking, even in hospitals, unless the rates were high in that county. Many major hospitals refuse to follow these guidelines and continue to mandate masks for staff, patients, and visitors. Once again, politics raises its ugly head, when leaders of major hospitals are as woke as anyone and make their own rules to suit them.

B. A look at the current use of energy and consequences for promoting renewable energy

  Prager University website is an excellent resource regarding most political issues, but has a great video on the myths regarding the costs of renewable energy.

  Here are a few of the highlights:

1. 84% of the energy for the planet is from fossil fuel.

2. 97% of transportation comes from oil.

3. $5 trillion has been spent trying to promote renewable energy the past 5 years. Too bad that much wasn’t spent on dispelling the concerns.

4. 100% of mining for rare minerals to produce batteries for electric cars, computers, and phones, is occurring outside the U.S., thanks to obstructing regulations and denial of permits in the U.S. by the Biden adminstration, when China builds all these batteries. That includes copper, nickel, neodymium, cobalt, lithium, graphite, etc., much of which is also mined in Afghanistan.

5. It takes 250% more energy to run a hospital than any other business.

6. The cloud uses 10X more energy than 10,000 electric cars.

  These are just some of the issues not disclosed by the promoters of renewable energy. It also make you wonder what Biden is talking to President Xi Jinping about, when we are quite aware that the CCP is the experts of the world in lying, cheating, stealing secrets, and not following the rules of the organizations they belong. Let that sink in!!

www.prageru.com

 C. Crime is skyrocketing—it is part of the scheme to restructure the U.S.

  Just ask your self…..if fentanyl is killing 300 people (mostly young people) a day, when 300 people were dying per day from COVID, the current administration closed down our economy, so why is the death of Americans which is caused by the Cartels, who have taken over our southern border in many areas, not be just as serious and deserve front page emphasis and action from our government?  Come on America make the right changes!

  Who is going to fight crime? The socialists want to take our guns to control us, so we can’t fight back. Can you imagine where the crime rate would go?? You can’t take the criminal’s guns away!

  The crime has increased nationwide by 30%, and yet the administration speaks few words about this horrible crisis. It is in Europe too, as China continues to devastate the world with its toxic narcotics (fentanyl), and you better be careful about your children’s Halloween candy.

  We are being invaded, really not just by the Cartels, but China, who is slowly taking over the world, and you can mark my word!

  Defunding the police was promoted by activist groups to weaken our police force assisted by the radical left, and have been quite successful. Look at Chicago with the strictest gun laws in the country, and more gun related crimes and death than anywhere (New Orleans is now the gun death capital per capita).

  Does anyone think guns from crooks are going to confiscated? Look at the streets of California, Chicago, and New York, who won’t even keep the criminals in jail?

  School shootings have created a host of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) in kids, because they don’t have proper armed protection and better crisis plans. It takes a year for those elementary children to recover from one incident.

  Think about parts of the cities with gunshots and crime running rampant!! Many of these children develop PTSD—post-traumatic development not just a disorder, according to Dr. Garbarino, in an article in NEJM, September 29, 2022, characterized by poor self esteem, interpersonal distrust, feelings of shame, and dependency, with what he calls a “war-zone mentality”.

  63% of school children in certain Chicago communities have witnessed a shooting, according to a study by Sampson. This leads to street gang formation, perpetrating gun violence. This occurs with loss of their own identity and loss of self esteem. Most of these neighborhoods have no father living with them. Posting internet based media before they shoot people is common, and with their ramped up anger and sadness, use gun violence as an answer. We need community police in those neigborhoods helping these kids. Access to guns is another issue that fuels this rage.

  For those reading this report from Georgia and North Carolina, you may not know that Asheville, a very liberal city, has lost 100 policemen since 2020, and the crime has spiked 30% over the past 2 years. Downtown is now not safe at night according to the Asheville newspaper.

  This means no city is safe in our country now that defunding and miserable reform attempts of police have created a mass exodus of police, and recruiting is dismal. Loss of respect for the law and the police force has created a rise in crime like we have not seen in decades. Liberal mayors aren’t dealing with this crisis.

  Call 911 and see what happens, when you experience a crime or need immediate help.

  Why are the Cartels running the southern borders not legally called terrorists? Why is fentanyl not considered a weapon of mass destruction when the amounts coming over our southern border are enough to kill every Americans? What happens to the 140,000 unaccompanied children who have been brought over the border by Cartels, raping and abusing as many as 80% of the girls? This administration has turned their back on crime. How can Democrats stand for this??

   How many cities are being destroyed by illegals, especially on our southern border, when 50 illegals in Martha’s Vineyard was declared a state of emergency, and the national guard was called in to remove them to a near by military base, especially since Massachusetts is a sanctuary state? NYC and Chicago officials are going nuts with a few thousand illegals being shipped to them, when 7000 a day are crossing our border, and 2 million have come since Jan.1, with 1 million getaways, and 67 people on our terrorist list have been apprehended this year. ICE doesn’t have enough agents to deal with them and all who are suspected.

  A Black kills a Black, and it doesn’t even make the news, but if a white police officer kills a Black criminal….it is a revolution allowing BLM and ANTIFA to take over our cities.  BLM and other antipolice organizations pick and choose who they protest against. The current administration supports these groups. A perfect control factor for socialism and the radical leftists who want to restructure our country.

  The BLM organization must be condemned when they pick and choose who is not following the law and who is protested. We need to take back our federal justice system, and fire those judges and D.A.s who have begun cashless bail, minimal sentencing, freeing prisoners from incarceration. Because of their leniency, imprisonment is no longer a deterrent to crime.

  Where is the concept of fear regarding the repercussions from doing wrong?? GONE! Every store in Portland has had to hire an armed policeman to prevent overt theft in their stores….and that was experienced by a friend of mine just this month.

  As long as we have anti-police protests, preposterous police reform, defunding and reducing salaries of police and demonstrations, the lawlessness on our streets will continue. Crimes in the home are now the responsibility of the homeowners.

  We must have law and order, and it starts with respect and adequate pay for officers, properly sentencing these criminals and keeping the repeat offenders off the streets. THIS IS A HEALTHCARE ISSUE! Recruting has diminished considerably. Who would want to be a cop in many of the lawless cities (and states) of our country.

  The radical leftists have successfully ruined the morale and effectivenss of many police forces especially in bigger cities. The motivation to do their job has plummeted, just as it has with the border patrol officers. Now, those who wanted to defund the police and create “reform”, are begging for police protection.

  The lens that police have to work under has created hesitation, reluctance, and lack of ability to be as effective as they could.

  The shortage of police is making a huge difference including a shortage of border patrol agents, as the White House orders those agents to unlock the fences in Texas, letting thousands a day of illegals in our country.

  Allowing these millions of illegals in our country is a strategy of this administration, as they even ignore their own Congressmen on many issues.

  Workers in businesses have been told not to interfere with crooks stealing items….OMG!

  D. Feeding America and Health; Other inflation crises

  Federal programs are feeding more than 100 million Americans. Since 1983, the number of Americans depending on federal aid has increased from 66 to 160 million people.

  Total dependency on the government has skyrocketed from 66 to 115 million Americans during that same period of “relative”  prosperity. We are moving from a federal aid to a federal dependency society, which is just what the socialist movement wants.

  There is an interesting correlation brought to my attention from an article by James Bovard in the February issue of the Austrian. He said that the more people that depend on the government, the less people will notice governmental abuse, and ABUSE WILL SKYROCKET! That is what we are facing in our country with the current administration. And that includes our healthcare, and that is a perfect way to buy votes. Democratic leaders at all levels are lying about crime and all that is happening with their abuse of the system and neglect of crises needing immediate attention.

  And as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues, Biden thinks he has a scapegoat for his total ineptitude managing our country, including the food shortages that are beginning, the prices skyrocketing, etc.

  He wrongly blames the oil companies for raising gas prices, when 60% of all gas stations are privately owned, and everyone should know that supply and demand determine gas prices. And Biden has depleted our oil reserves by half.

  Do not buy into the lies the administration is putting out, because our problems are the mismanagement of the pandemic, and shutting down the oil and coal industries that are mandatory to provide transportation for food and products, not to mention growing our own food. By the way, Biden said the pandemic is over on “60 minute” on September 19, while keeping mandates for vaccination active.

  The gas prices are dropping back from lower demand because of the high prices, and we now have depletion of our national reserves by almost half to keep prices lower. What happens when we need that reserve for hurricanes, floods, and other weather issues?

  Biden just sent millions of barrels of oil to Europe and China when we are being ripped at the gas pump!!  Biden stated that the refineries were overloaded!! Really!! China has Biden in his pocket!!

  While the Fed is taking all the heat to reduce inflation, the administration has distanced itself from Powell, since they are on a marathon of tax and spend! Get ready for a serious recession. The Fed just increased the interest rates again.

  Lying has become an art form for this administration, and if you get your news on CNN, MSNBC, local major news channels and most social media, they are feeding you just what the administration wants….lies and diversion tactics away from inflation!

YOU CAN’T SPEND OUT OF INFLATION, AND STAGFLATION (RECESSION WITH CONTINUING INFLATION) WILL BE THE WORST OUTCOME, according to many financial experts.

  WHO IS REALLY RUNNING OUR COUNTRY TODAY?? I THINK MANY OF YOU KNOW!! The Radical Left!!!

E. Abortion remains a big election issue, but not the main one….inflation is!

  There must be some clarification about what Republicans are going to do if they win……make abortion restrictions federal!! NO!!  Very few want any federal involvement.

  Inflation, grocery costs, gasoline costs, the cost of clothing, and many other everyday issues will decide this election, even though I have great respect for the abortion issue.  

  Most Republicans support the Supreme Court’s ruling….the states make the decisions, not the feds.

  Oral drugs for abortion will not be outlawed, another talking point by abortion supporters.

  The Supreme Court has determined that abortion is not a federal matter….it is a state decision.

  No question abortion will mobilize votes on both sides, as it is a top 4 issue in the election. It is not sensible to equate abortion with an economy struggling.

  The states must decide what they want to allow, so talk with your elected officials, and that means the voters make the final decisions. And as we all know, there are plenty of blue states, so abortion will be available in many states, like it or not.

  We all know that socialism promotes and is run by a central or federal government with no states rights, so consider that when voting too.  Voicing your true opinion when you vote is your constitutional right, while you have it!!

  I have said many times, the issue of abortion is religious for many and the rest feel the decision should be between the doctor and the patient, with state restrictions imposed. More Americans feel the same than not. Many are somewhat ok with limiting abortion to the first 15 weeks, including those who have been raped, endure incest, or have a major health problem.

  Who in their right mind wants to allow abortion up until the time of delivery? You know the answer!! Those who support life must mobilize as much as the liberals to get people to vote.

  I respect everyone’s decision, but I certainly don’t have to agree with them, and neither do you!! Voicing your opinion with your elected officials is your decision.

  Remember, in the face of the abortion issue, 78% agree that inflation is the most important issue facing the country. Remember that when you vote.

3.  COVID updates

CDC continues to provide guidance to the country, which still confuses

    Last month, I provided you with the latest CDC guidance, but there is little doubt, they have had to adjust it so many times, they lost some of their crediblity. If I put the algorithm the CDC published in the medical literature for physicians, you would faint, as it is so comprehensive and unrealistic to follow, you might understand why the academicians have just about ruined medicine. So look at the above diagram and be satisfied.

 For unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals

  One of the latest CDC guidelines comes for people who have been exposed and know it. They no longer need to quarantine, but should wear a high quality mask for 10 days, and get tested at day 5. If positive, they should isolate for 5 more days, while they are the most likely to be infectious.

  For people who have had a fever and symptoms, after 24 hours of no fever and improving symptoms, they should wear a mask for 10 more days including at home. If infected, on day 6, they may test, and after 2 consecutive negative tests 48 hours apart, they can discontinue wearing a mask. Moderate to severe symptoms requires 10 days of isolation. (How many people are going to follow these guidelines??).

Also testing asymptomatic people is no longer recommended.  

  I have said many times, the CDC is all about prevention, and they were forced into a proactive status they were unprepared to make when this pandemic hit.

  We need a new organization to proactively attack future biological crises, and it should be in the U.S. department of Defense, since most may be terriorist attacks of some nature.

JAMA Network, September 13, 2022

  With the next infectious pandemic, the White House and their federal organizations (NIH, CDC, and FDA) should include the private physicians in their management from the beginning, as they were left out of it with this pandemic.

  Experts have had various opinions about the need for continued COVID boosters for the healthy, and it has created uncertainty on what should be done. The personal physician is still the best source of practical common sense management of each individual’s case.

  As much as I respected Dr. Anthony Fauci early on, I have lost all respect for him, as he became more of TV man and politician than as a physician who should be following the science. (he also made $5 million dollars somehow in the last 2 years). Also, his involvement with the NIH’s financing the gain of function research on the bat coronavirus in Wuhan, China Virology Labs, and lied to Congress, I will not condone anything for him but retirement (which he is doing at the end of 2022). The medical academicians have “sainted” him in the medical journals…all socialists.

Has the fall Omicron bivalent vaccine booster been adequately tested for safety and efficacy?

  A recent publication worth reading in NEJM compared the original COVID vaccine with the fall Omicron BA.4/5 variant vaccine, which also contains the original vaccine as well (hence called bivalent).

  The research was performed by Moderna pharmaceuticals with assistance from Duke University, but is a legitimate article. However, it studied the BA.1 variant, not the BA.4/5 variant, and are making clinical assumptions that their findings would apply to all BA.variants. They do not know how this vaccine will fare until studies have been performed on BA.4/5 WHICH DOES NOT EXIST.

  That said, the Omicron BA.4/5 variant vaccine now available did raise the neutralizing antibodies for the original viral strains (alpha, beta, gamma, delta), and the Omicron BA.1 better than the original vaccine at 28 days after the dose.

   They stated that even if a person was vaccinated with the original vaccine, this new vaccine booster will increase immunity for those people against the older strains and the BA.1 variant, hopefully which will correlate with BA.4/5 variants. The new vaccine contains original vaccine and the new BA.4/5 vaccine. There are still no human studies with data from this new booster and the virus, only guinea pig studies by the manufacturers.

  The new variant booster is meant for those fully vaccinated, but if not fully vaccinated, the immunity is not as high, as one would expect. The immunogenicity is lasting longer than 6 months. If previously infected early on, there was still higher antibodies with the new booster. Of course, that depends on how long ago a person was infected. If recently infected, their immunity was better than any vaccine dose. So it seems that one would not want to get the new vaccine if infected in the past 6 months. It won’t increase immunity.

  The cross-reactivity with all Omicron variants is the goal of the new variant booster, but still not proven yet, so that has to be taken into consideration when deciding to take the variant booster. We have had to have faith in the vaccines we have always taken, so that needs to be put in the equation.

NEJM, September 16, 2022

When should you get the new booster?

  The experts are divided into 3 groups. Get it now, get it in the next couple of months, or wait until later in the winter and 2-3 weeks before holiday gatherings which will impact the risk of contracting this virus.

  If you are at higher risk, most recommend get the booster now! If you are healthy but have family you live with that have risks, get it by the end of October. If healthy and under 60, don’t get it, and if your job requires large groups, get boosted soon. Again, discuss with your physician, not from this report.

Biden says “the pandemic is over” on 60 minutes

  President Biden told the host of 60 minutes that the pandemic is over. How about the 300 deaths per day still ongoing? How about the 20% of those who were infected and have long COVID syndrome?

 He also said he was going to reduce the federal deficit by $69 billion when his administration has been responsible for a $5 trillion dollar increase in the federal deficit, the inflation, and supports bringing in 7000 illegals every day untested, while still mandating vaccines for federal employees, military, and the VA.

  Every time Biden gets on TV, the White House has had to clean up Biden’s remarks immediately, after he answered the question, “Will the U.S. military protect Taiwan with men and women, if China invades Taiwan. A one word answer was “YES”, and he has said it several other times too, even though The White House once again had to scramble to clarify and change his comments, stating their ambiguous stance on our position against China. This week he called on a recently deceased female House of Representatives, forgetting she had died. He didn’t even know where he was when he started to walk off the stage after his UN speech.

  How many more mistakes does he need to make before he is permanently sent home? He still has the power to declare war!!!

  OMG!

What about the flu shot?

   Get it soon, if you are going to get it, especially if you have kids or work in a group or group settings. Get the kids vaccinated with the flu shot now. If you can believe the CDC, this flu season will be worse, since we have not been exposed with the protective measures of COVID. Of course, they are assuming we have completely given up those measures…..which most smart people have not.

  If you get symptoms of flu or COVID, get tested for both!

  What about getting both shots at the same time? Talk to your doctor, but the FDA says it is ok to receive both.

  With all this information, it is still a person and their doctor’s decision…not from your friends, or a pharmacist. I am not your physician, and readers should never act on  healthcare issues because of my reports. This is just information transfer to you from me. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR.

What about Paxlovid prescription if symptoms from COVID occur?

  If symptomatic with the infection and over 60, get the oral prescription Paxlovid, which can be obtained from a pharmacy or clinic. Younger people do not need to take the medicine unless they have risk factors.

Length of immunity after the vaccine

  The latest information from the JAMA Network on September 15, 2022, states that durability of the original booster is 5 months, so that is why you should wait to get another booster for 5-6 months.

Criticism of the management of the pandemic

  The CDC has been under the gun since COVID came to the U.S., and with interference, inaction, and not being prepared, our country did a poor job of managing this pandemic, and that goes for both administrations, as they were unprepared because the previous administrations were woefully neglectful since Bush and Obama.

  The WHO (World Health Organization) has stated that globally our management is totally inadequate because the agencies responsible were not equipped to handle the massive pandemic, and a new agency should be developed to address these crises. The WHO, by the way, lied about the coronavirus being found in China.

  Can you imagine the cost of creating a functional global agency, and the politics that would contaminate such a move? Clearly our country needs to consider this concept but for the U.S. with cooperation and collaboration with other countries as the CDC does. The CDC needs revamp considerably and be an independent agency, free of political contamination.

  Did they do the best they could, given what was known? Probably!! But politics became the “big fly in the ointment” thanks to a severely divided country since Obama.

  When a country is in an emergency, quick decisions have to be made, with the best minds available. Were they the best minds?? Probably! But, armchair quarterbacking is very easy, and honesty is the best policy.

   Just think if China had been honest about the outbreak. We could have been ahead of the pandemic to some extent. We were attacked by a Chinese virus, and it has caused millions of lives because of their incompetence and possibly their choice. Remember, Dr. Fauci criticized Trump for stopping flights from China!!

  Soon, I will report more on the future of our country from a standpoint of medical terrorism, because that is what we faced with this pandemic, and we will face it again.

Long term COVID cases seeking blood filtering techniques (also reported under the COVID article)

  Long term COVID patients have become frustrated with little help for their prolonged symptoms, and people in the UK and U.S. are seeking plasmaphoresis procedures, similar to those who have it performed for autoimmune diseases. There has been a paucity of treatments so far. Research is ongoing to treat and reverse long COVID.

  The blood is removed, the proteins removed from the plasma, and the rest of the plasma is reinfused back into the patients.

  The procedure is performed for acute cases as well. There are certain cases that are emergency use authorized in the U.S.

  I have yet to find a reliable report on its effectiveness, but technically, it makes sense, and there must be some who get better, or it would not be utilized.

  Articles continue to report higher and higher numbers of long COVID syndrome, which has impacted the workforce. This chronic form of COVID will be around for a long time.

  A Chinese study of 1800 patients who were hospitalized reported that 20% had prolonged symptoms, many for as long as 1-2 years. This study was a 2 year follow up.

  The good news is most of their symptoms resolved over 1-2 years. When reporting symptoms from patients, one can receive a huge amount of bias in answers, but it is of value to know that these patients did have prolonged symptoms but resolved over time.

  I can imagine that patients and doctors have been frustrated not being able to resolve these symptoms* quicker.

*symptoms include fatigue, headache, muscle ache, chest tightness, anxiety, and shortness of breath.

JAMA Network, September 15, 2022  

Omicron specific fall booster—current status

  The data continues to question the value of a variant specific vaccine over the original vaccine. Of course, the feds are warning that we will have a fall surge, just to continue to provide the media enough ammunition to instill fear in the public to interfere in any way with the November midterm elections. Only 37% have received the original 2 doses plus one booster. I predict about the same for the new booster, but people over 65 will be the ones that make up that group, so more tha 80% of older people will probably get the new vaccine.

  There is little doubt that there will be superimposition of the flu this winter, but taking the COVID vaccine won’t help the flu, so I would suggest getting the flu shot ASAP even if one does not decide to get the COVID vaccine.

  It is still wise to get the vaccine if it has been over a year since receiving the last dose of COVID, because there is no doubt that the immune levels in our bodies are decreasing. On the other hand, if a person got infected in the last few months, it was probably from a BA.4/5 Omicron variant, and the immunity is good for several months, if not better than the vaccine, and the new vaccine will not make immunity better.

  This begs the question of an annual booster similar to the flu. Plan on the administration making it mandatory for those they can rule.

  Paul Offit, Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, and top expert in public health,  maintains that boosters are not necessary for healthy younger individuals because the original vaccine with one booster will continue to provide T-cell responses for potentially years, and no one but high risk individuals, those with immunocompromised bodies, and those over 70 need to worry about getting boosters, according to Offit.

  He and others are perplexed that the original boosters are not still offered by the feds, as there are still millions of doses available, that we have already paid for, and the new booster is costing us more in taxes.

Medpage, August 31, 2022

  As the White House with their fear mongering, is asking for $47 billion for more emergency use authorization  dollars for COVID, and the White House continues to bilk our country of more funds to push more toward socialism. This will destroy the middle class, with an all out promotion of climate change and ignoring all the issues I have covered extensively over the past 3 months. This is dire! Vote!!

4. New genetic test is a game changer for more than 50 genetic disorders hard to diagnose early

  A new genetic test that can provide an early diagnosis for more than 50 hard to diagnose many of the genetic neurological and neuromuscular disorders including Huntington’s disease, fragile X syndrome, muscular dystrophies, myoclonic epilepsies, and cerebellar ataxias.

These disorders have long chain DNA genetic changes requiring sequencing of their amino acids just like diagnosing viral illness variants.

  The study published in Science Advances, shows the test is quite accurate and will cost about $100 compared to the thousands it currently costs.

  The major advantage of diagnosing these disorders early is preventing the complications of these diseases from and heart side effects to injuries from weakness or disability.

  Many of these disorders are passed through families.

  This is a blood test and will be commercially available within 2-5 years. This is called nanopore technology.

5. Epidurals before spine surgery increases risk of infection after surgery; radiofrequency ablation

The risk of postoperative spinal surgery infection is doubled if epidurals are performed less than 3 months prior to surgery, and are even more likely within 1 month.

  Pain specialists need to mention this to their patients should they decide to see a surgeon and not mention their epidural timing.

  Apparently, it is not common practice to wait 3 months after an epidural before spine surgery as it is in joint surgery where no cortisone should be injected for at least 3 months. In fact, the pain management doctor may not even know their patient has chosen surgery, according to Mayo Clinic Specialist,  Dr. Wm. Hooten.

  The epidural space is on the outside of the dura mater, the main lining protecting the spinal fluid and the spinal cord. As the nerves traverse the dura to move outside the spinal column, drugs can reduce inflammation locally, and depending on the extent of pathology, can be very effective for several months for pain relief. Note the layers on the drawing.

  The epidural space is the red color space just outside the dura (white), and the spinal cord is in yellow.

  Long acting corticosteroids are injected in most epidurals to relieve inflammation and swelling on compressed spinal nerves. The action of these steroids is immunosupression, and this can increase risk of infection postop. 

  The half life of triamcinolone (a form of cortisone) is 253 hours. That means half of the dose is gone in approximately 1 month.

  Beyond 3 months, there is no increase risk of infection. This information must be known widely for primary care, pain management, and spinal surgeons. This is a risk benefit discussion based on the urgency of an elective procedure.

  Radiofrequency ablation

  This procedure is a more aggressive procedure, which is reserved for those who are not a good candidate for surgery (or failure), or who have had poor results with epidurals. It is used by some specially trained pain management doctors (usually certified in the procedure).

  The image can look similar to epidurals, with electric current sent to the nerve(s) to reduce the oversignaling of a nerve that may have been pinched or not responding to other less aggressive measures.

Medscape Medical News, March 30, 2022

6. Head injuries in sports and their consequences-children and adults; CTE-chronic traumatic encephalopathy

There have been many studies that have been written regarding the consequences of playing a contact sport such as football.

  Although, kids may suffer concussions and orthopedic injuries very early in life, sports equipment (helmets) has been greatly improved for them and for all ages, and rules regarding the use the head to head helmet hitting (targeting) has reduced injuries at all ages.

  There are still significant head injuries, concussions, etc. that have statistically (3X) increased the risk of many neurodegenerative diseases in these players later in life including CET (chronic traumatic head injuries), Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, ALS (4X), and other cognitive and neuropsychiatric difficulties.

Head injury evaluation

  Concussion causes an immediate change in alertness and awareness, and any person with a significant head injury deserves the head injury protocol, known by every coach and doctors. There is no discernable brain injury in concussion, however, if there is a bruise on the brain from injury, it is called contusion, which would require an MRI or CT scan to make that diagnosis. A seizure would imply more than a concussion.

  Anyone who has any symptoms after a head injury must not be allowed to return to activities until a doctor clears them.

  Mild head injury may cause headache, sensitivity to light, irritability, confusion, memory difficulty, lightheadedness, dizziness, nausea, sleep disruption, ringing in the ears, fatigue, and loss of taste. Anyone who is knocked unconscious has a moderate to severe head injury, and the above symptoms may be worse. After a thorough evaluation, only then can the decision be made as to the clinical diagnosis.

  Head injury is worked up with basic blood tests, MRI, CT scan, EEG, as determined by the emergency doctor.

  Rest, observation, keeping the person awake, hospitalization for neurological observation, and tests required based on the condition of the patient is required in all cases.

 Repeated head injury; Study on Notre Dame football players

  Repeated head injury causes a degenerative disorder that shrinks certain parts of the brain over time, that can cause symptoms over time.

  A recent publication cited self reported medical problems in a medical survey from 447 Notre Dame* players when they reached ages 59-75 (who played 1964-80), who were seniors on the roster from 1964-1980. * Notre Dame school was not involved in the study.

  The players interviewed were 5X more likely report a cognitive impairment disorder later in life. They reported 2 1/2 X more headaches and were 4X more likely to die of brain cancer or other nervous system disorders (Parkinson’s disease, and ALS). This is the first study to compare the same number of participants who did not play football with these football players requesting the same health conditions in the survey.

  The number of psychiatric disorders was similar in both groups. However, the mortality rate of these participants had a better rate, because of their activity levels during life.

Brain Autopsy

  In 2017, 111 former NFL players donated their brains for pathological analysis, and all but one had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a fatal chronic degenerative brain disease that can cause dementia. This diagnosis must be made at autopsy with direct evaluation of brain tissue.

  A similar study in 55 college players found that all but 5 had CTE. Lawsuits have been filed and settled against the NCAA. The NFL settled a class action lawsuit for $765 million on head injury litigation brought by more than 4500 players.

  CTE=chronic traumatic encephalopathy

As one can see in comparing late stage disease, there is enlargement of the ventricles in the brain that make cerebrospinal fluid and a smaller hippocampus, a very small area in the midbrain responsible for memory. The brain shrinks from degeneration of cerebral tissue.

  There is no way to confirm the diagnosis of CTE while the patient is alive, only a high clinical suspicion.

  An autopsy is required showing the reduction in the size of the brain, which can be present in any form of dementia and aging.

  Imaging studies including MRI or CT scans will likely not show any abnormalities, as early signs  are usually not present.

  Research is ongoing using PET scans to detect elevated levels of tau in Alzheimer’s disease, which can be elevated in CET, but is in a different place in the brain (middle temporal lobe), according to Boston University, who has been involved in head injury research extensively.

Stages of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy)

  The Mayo clinic describes 2 stages

a) first (earlier) stage CTE in the 20s and 30s with personality changes (and perhaps PTSD), headache, impulsivity, depression, anxiety, and aggression. Suicide may be contemplated.

b) second stage CTE may occur when the person reaches their 60s with confusion, memory loss, and dementia. Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders must be ruled out, as these disorders can be caused by head trauma too.

  This can also be a disorder developed by soldiers (explosive injuries) or anyone who has had repeated traumatic brain injury. Prize fighters and hockey players would fit this category, and anyone with a potential contact sport, which can be any sport.

  The Mayo Clinic stated that there are some studies that have found no direct relationship of CET with repeated head injuries.  

Numbers of athletes

   In 2020, there were 73,133 on rosters in the NCAA compared to 1536 in the NFL. More than 800,000 have played college football since 1960, and currently 600,000 are over 60. And yet, CET is very rare. Why one player develops chronic symptoms and another does not, is unknown at his time.

  This study found no difference in player position and later health issues.

  Some studies have been performed on college and NFL players, and they have been found to suffer from sleep apnea due to increased weight gain, rapid eye-movement sleep behavior disorder*, cardiovascular disease, especially atrial fibrillation, and opioid use in addition to the neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders.

*rapid eye movement disorder=this disease involves abnormally increased amounts of REM sleep which causes recurrent dream enactment behavior and confirmed wih a sleep study in a certified sleep lab. 70% will develop Parkinson’s disease or  dementia within 12 years of diagnosis. I refer you to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for an extensive report on this rare disease.

  However, those who have been diagnosed with RHI (repeated head injury) did have higher mortality rates than the average male. In one former college football player study, there was a smaller hippocampal volume, which is a specific area of the brain responsible for learning and memory, as mentioned above. These patients may also form higher levels of tau protein buildup around blood vessels (found at autopsy), the same protein found in high levels in Alzheimer’s disease, (but in different parts of the brain) which is present at a higher rate as is in Parkinson’s disease, and ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).

  The extremely high prevalence of ALS 206/100,000 population overshadows the 5/100,000 in the general population (8.4 fold risk). There is also a higher brain cancer risk in these particular football players than the general population in this study, but repeated head injuries have yet to be directly linked with brain cancers.

  It is not all bad news. The life expectancy of the average athlete exceeds the average male life, possibly because of more physical exercise and less smoking. However, if the player is diagnosed with repeated head injuries (RHI) as mentioned above, their mortality is higher than the general population.

  College football has the highest rate of injuries 39.9/1000 competition athletic exposures. College players continue to experience 600 head injuries per season.   

  Shortening the number of preseason games has not reduced the number of head injuries.

  Continued research on rule adjustments, better equipment, etc. is necessary to lower the number of head injuries and subsequent health related disorders. The fact that the game demands hitting other players will never change the head injury issue, only perhaps reduce it.

JAMA Network, April 20, 2022

The Mayo Clinic, Boston University research studies

This ends the October report.

Remember to Vote!!!

GOD BLESS ALL THOSE AFFECTED BY HURRICANE IAN

November, 2022 will include:

1. More on COVID

2. Erectile Dysfunction and all techniques that may work

3. Date Rape Drugs

4. OB/Gyn Series—Part 6—Pre-eclampsia, death rates in pregnancy, Rh factor disease in pregnancy

5. Reflux and Barrett’s esophagus

6. Blood and its products

Stay healthy and well, and pray for our country!!  VOTE!  Dr. Sam