Showing posts with label disease. Show all posts
Showing posts with label disease. Show all posts

Friday, August 29, 2025

No Reports Related To Former President Biden's Health

 


Former President Joseph Biden was diagnosed with prostate cancer in May of 2025. The media and Democratic Party tried to ignore the significance of the former president's health. If he had remained in the 2024  presidential campaign, this could have been a serious crisis for government. When diagnosed, President Biden stated he was expected to make a full recovery. President Joseph Biden's health issues were becoming obvious during his administration. The first debate President Biden was showing signs of cognitive decline. While there is an order of succession for the office of president, a transition unexpectedly can be a cause of concern. An unhealthy head of state becomes a reflection of the healthcare system. A president who is supposed to have quality medical care was failed by White House doctors. The average US citizen fares worse in terms of fighting disease and maintaining  health. Paying for medical care still causes financial ruin and bankruptcy. The only reason this was not a bigger scandal was that the diagnosis was made when Biden was no longer in office. President Trump's mental health is subject to scrutiny, yet there was silence over President Biden's memory issues. The leaders of the US are aging and there is a need for youthful politicians. After President Obama, US heads of state have been senior citizens. Health and age should be factors in selection of a candidate for the presidency. The Democratic Party nominated twice an leader who was older and displaying signs of deteriorating health. This must change if the Democratic Party is to retake the White House in 2028. President Biden continues to remain active in public life, despite having health issues.          

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

The Link Between Alcohol Consumption And Cancer

 


Alcohol has been linked to certain health concerns. While most  know about the damages it can do to the liver, a link to cancers has been reported. The Word Health Organization stated previously there is no safe amount of alcohol consumption. There has been an increase in breast and colon cancer. The new reports suggest that high consumption of alcohol is linked to six different types of cancer. This includes liver, stomach, and esophageal cancer. The disturbing trend  is people under 50 are having higher cancer rates. Drinking  is a part of culinary culture of certain societies. The youth could be harming their health by staring a pattern of overconsumption. The new information also proves the error of previously accepted positions. Medical professionals used to assert that moderate drinking was fine. The claim even held that some alcohol could protect the heart and circulatory system. Some thought alcohol would be a way to prevent cardiovascular disease. New information demonstrates that is false. Alcohol is now reaching the status  cigarettes and cigars. No amount of smoking is safe or healthy. The data continues to show the same for alcohol consumption. This means the effects of alcoholism are more severe than once thought. Oncologists might have to examine alcohol more extensively as a means treating various cancers. The information might not stop people's drinking habits, but it provides a warning of the risk. Nutrition facts and food labeling must be updated to reflect the new health information.  

Monday, August 26, 2024

The Emergence of Mpox

 


The World Health Organization has declared mpox a health emergency. This is not a pandemic. The cases seem to be mostly in African countries. Mpox does cause concern considering the world just came out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health policy was not improved and the globe cannot handle another crisis of that magnitude. The difference with mpox is that a vaccine exists. When COVID-19 appeared there was not a vaccine for it. Mpox is classified as orthopoxvirus. The means of transmission is by animals making it zoonosis based. Monkeys and rodents are thought to be the carriers. Mpox can be spread through bodily fluids. Mpox has various symptoms. Rashes, fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, muscle aches, and respiratory difficulties are common symptoms. The outbreak was first detected in 2022. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is now fighting an epidemic. Concern could be premature. Mpox is a rare virus and would not reach the same level of the 2020 pandemic. Mpox is not a s lethal. Mpox can be fatal if  medical treatment is not given. Infections from mpox can spread throughout the body. Africa has managed an Ebola virus outbreak in 2014 and a Marburg virus epidemic in 2005. Mpox can be contained with proper public health measures. 

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

The Global Rise In Excess Deaths



The COVID-19 pandemic caused a spike in excess deaths. Even when the vaccines were made available the morality rate did not go back to pre-pandemic levels. Excess morality is a public health concern, but is not discussed. Excess morality was high in 2023. This was a time when COVID-19 vaccines were available and the World Health Organization declared the emergency over. The people who are dying from the virus are those with comorbidities and the elderly. The excess death  pattern has been seen in Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, UK, Israel,  the US, the UK, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland,   and Iceland. The  excess death are not a product of the COVID-19 virus in 2023. Some speculate that the portion of those deaths occurred due to unanticipated side effects of particular vaccines. Blood clots and myocarditis occurred in some people who were vaccinated. There is not enough data to support certain brands of the COVID-19 vaccines were responsible.  Another  probable explanation is that global healthcare systems are not equipped for a large world population. Fewer hospitals and a large population increases the likelihood of more excess deaths. Countries with aging populations should make sure that healthcare and hospitals are able to handle demographic changes. Governments refuse to do any investigation into the 2023 spike of excess deaths. The main reason is that it would show that most governments failed to produce effective public health policy. If excess deaths  do not decrease in 2024, then it is a concern governments cannot ignore. 

Friday, December 8, 2023

The Development of Proteins From The mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines

 


The mRNA vaccines have unintended side effects. What has been discovered by virologists is that the mRNA vaccines are creating proteins in cells. The report makes some concerned about the safety of using mRNA vaccines. So far, there is no indication that mRNA vaccines can produce abnormal proteins. The goal of certain pharmaceutical corporations is to apply mRNA technology beyond vaccines. Corporations should bot dictate public health policy. The reason the pandemic became such a crisis is that officials were making decisions in relation to business interests. The effects of the mRNA technology might not fully be known. The hope is that the vaccinated will not have future health conditions. The ribosomes of the body act as the builder of proteins. RNA provides instructions to ribosomes for protein production. The ribosome examine the mRNA. The codons have to provide information on the amino acid in the protein. What mRNA technology does is use an artificial version of RNA. The artificial RNA carries new directions for a specific protein in the cell. An immune response is created by means of the spike protein. The obstacle is that the artificial mRNA can be attacked by the cell. The concern about frameshifted proteins emerges. The consensus is that the frameshifted proteins are no threat. One problem is that virologists did not consider that it could be if too many vaccinations are given. Getting a booster shot for every single COVID-19  variant is not practical. If a person was previously vaccinated and had COVID-19 they would have hybrid immunity. Using mRNA technology for other treatments or therapies would not be advised until a clear understanding of  the long term effects are known. 

Saturday, March 18, 2023

Europe Has The Highest Amount of Alcohol Consumption

 


The World Health Organization earlier this year reported that there is no safe amount of alcohol consumption. This could have serious implications related to public health. Europe consumes the highest amount of alcohol in the world. The data from the WHO states that the average European consumes about 9.5 litres. The demographic analysis started at ages 15 and up. The overconsumption of alcohol can have negative health outcomes. Recently, the WHO has called attention to the link with certain cancers. The throat, mouth, esophagus, and breasts could be vulnerable to cancer due to overconsumption of alcohol. The European health report noted that total alcohol consumption decreased between 2000 and 2019. The data also revealed that men tend to drink more than women. The largest sex related gap can be seen in Spain and Portugal. The countries with the highest amount of consumption included the Czech Republic, Germany, Latvia, Moldova, Lithuania, Ireland, Spain, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, and Romania( all were measured in per capita ). The lowest age demographic for consumption was between the ages 15 to 24. The report noticed as people got older the more alcohol consumption increased. No reason was provided about this connection with age and amount of  drinking. The reason some might drink heavily is due to stress or episodes of depression. Seeing as this is being done in advanced age, it could strain  the healthcare system. The potential public health crisis will be more gradual. The only means of stopping this is updating labelling. The full lists of the potential risks should be made public. The WHO estimates 1,000,000 perished from alcohol related  health issues. The data was only from the countries of the Europe. Union. Providing knowledge to the public can be a  a preemptive measure to prevent a major  health crisis.  The WHO declaration was too slow in coming to the conclusion about amount of  safe alcohol consumption. Updating warning labels and encouraging people to reduce their drinking are useful solutions.       



Thursday, February 9, 2023

Dr. Anthony Fauci Discusses Masks (2020)

 

When the Covid-19 pandemic began Dr. Fauci asserted masks were not necessary. At the time there was not a vaccine available and masks were one option for protection. However , studies conducted in 2023 concluded masks offered a low level of protection. That does not mean they did not work. Social distancing and vaccination offered much more effective protection. When the interview was conducted in March of 2020  vaccines were not available. Dr. Anthony Fauci telling people not to wear a mask was negligent. The shortage of personal protective equipment was the government's biggest failure. The reason Fauci spread this misinformation is because healthcare workers were effected by the mask shortage. Instead ineffective public health policies were enacted. Lockdowns and zero Covid-19 policies did not stop the spread. Mask mandates did little to defeat the pandemic. If masks were not as effective as social distancing, quarantines, or basic hand washing mask mandates were not necessary. Anthony Fauci's misinformation  caused more confusion and harm during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Saturday, January 7, 2023

The FDA Approves New Drug For The Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease

 

The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. The disease causes the death of neurons in the brain, resulting in cognitive decline. Dementia is more common in the elderly and is becoming a major health concern . The Food and Drug Administration approved the a new drug lecanemab. The monoclonal antibody infusion is designed to stop the progression of those with mild cognitive decline. The development of this drugs is not much of a victory. Depending on when the disease is detected, the drug would not be effective. Late detection  would not help those who are  in the later stages of the disease. According to the data by both Biogen and Eisai it only slowed cognitive decline by 27 %. The drug also does have side effects. Some experienced bleeding in the brain and swelling. Hemorrhages and brain swelling could cause more health complications. The benefits of the medication are too limited to be useful. It appears that pharmaceutical corporations want to profit off Alzheimer's disease, rather than developing quality medication or finding a cure. Lecanemab is not the only medication for dementia developed by Biogen. Aduhelm was released in 2021. It got approval from the FDA without consulting the advisory committee. The lack of funds and research mean that more people could die from dementia. Pharmaceutical corporations have more influence over the development of treatments rather than  medical researchers. The motivation is about profit maximization, rather than biomedical research. More drugs will emerge in the coming years, but that does not mean an improvement for those with the disease. 

Saturday, April 16, 2022

The Shangahi Lockdown

 


China continues to enforce its zero Covid-19  policy. Shanghai is back in lockdown with new infection rates. This does not seem like a rational public health policy. Considering that vaccines are now available and there is more knowledge about the virus the measure would be ineffective. Lockdowns are not effective at stopping the spread of Covid-19. Vaccines, social distancing, wearing masks, and quarantines are better options. Lockdowns only caused learning loss for children, decline in mental health, increases in domestic violence, and economic difficulties. The lockdown of Shanghai is precarious, because it is a threat to food security and income of its residents. Migrant workers are caught in a difficult situation and people could face evictions. Citizens are not allowed to freely go out in public. China is not the only country to have extreme lockdown policies. EU countries have done the same. At some point, this is not about public health or safety. The lockdowns are being used to either enforce some form of control of the population. Promoting public health should not come at the price of human rights or basic freedoms. Lockdowns should not even be an option now that there are various methods of fighting Covid-19. The virus will at a certain stage become more infectious and less lethal . Mass vaccination will not cause it to disappear, but make it manageable. The economic and social damage of lockdowns will last long than the actual pandemic. A zero Covid-19 policy is not possible or useful  biomedical science policy. The only result of lockdowns are protests and general discord from the population. Future public health policy should focus on prevent as much mental and physical harm to people. Shanghai is an example of a poor method of dealing with a pandemic related outbreak of disease.  

Friday, July 30, 2021

COVID-19 Infections Increase During The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games

 


As celebrations and the Olympics are underway, there has been a spike in COVID-19 infections. Japanese citizens did protest having the games  go ahead. There were growing concerns that the 2020 Olympics would be cancelled. Japan made too much of a financial investment for the Olympics to be cancelled. Despite volunteers quitting due to safety concerns, that did not deter officials. The spike in cases has to do with athletes coming from all over the world to compete. Even with athletes vaccinated, there is a possibility of getting COVID-19. Although it is a low chance, variants are a cause for concern. The pandemic is not over, yet many are willing to ignore public health measures. Japan is in a state of emergency due to the rise of COVID-19 infections. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga claims that it was vacations and a four day holiday that resulted in the increased infections. Although no spectators are part of the games, this not entirely accurate. The more people coming to the country, the more precarious the condition of the country becomes. Japan may have to go under lockdown and other restrictions to deal with the spike in COVID-19. 

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

The New CDC Guidelines

 


The Center for Disease Control has issued new guidelines related to masks and social distancing. Those who are vaccinated will not have to wear them in certain areas and restrictions are being reduced. Stores, restaurants , and other public accommodations are easing COVID-19 restrictions rules. This announcement comes with some skepticism. The entire population has not been vaccinated and the mask requirement would apply to those who have not done so. The only way to keep track is to have people show their CDC vaccination card to get access to certain places. Telling the vaccinated to stop wearing masks is premature, considering the pandemic is not over. India is experiencing a fourth wave. Unless travel restrictions and movement is controlled another wave could occur. The disease is highly infectious and has variants that have appeared in South Africa, Brazil, and India and UK . Keeping masks on when in crowds and being vaccinated is the best form of protection against the virus. There may actually be an ulterior motive to easing restrictions, when the pandemic is  still present. The desire to open up the economy and mobilize the workforce takes precedence over public health. Such a reckless and irresponsible action demonstrates the avarice of the business elite. There remains the concern about break through transmission of the virus. A person can be vaccinated and  still get COVID-19. This appears to be the case in Seychelles. One of the most vaccinated nations saw a rise in cases. Measures must remain in place until the pandemic is over.   

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

The World Health Organization Declares Ebola outbreak in the DRC an International Emergency


The World Health Organization has declared that ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reached crisis levels. There were cases  of ebola in 2018, yet these matters were ignored. The DRC has struggled with armed rebellion and civil wars through its history, but now it faces a public health challenge. The ebola outbreaks in 2014 caused global concern and this new outbreak should not be considered any less of a threat. There comes a horrible realization with global pandemics. The developing nations are more at risk compared to developed countries. Healthcare  and proper medical facilities are a requirement to combat pandemics in the present and future. The WHO must develop a consistent plan of action to prevent major crisis. One goal for the UN should be to see the establishment of functional healthcare systems and contribute to the construction of more hospitals. The ebola virus could become as dangerous as AIDS when it was first identified. Unchecked public health will rapidly deteriorate. Many people may no seek healthcare simply because they do not have the financial means to do so. Other times there is a urban and rural divide between in terms of quality of care. Rural areas globally have limited options in terms of hospitals or medical clinics. The DRC alone does not have the resources to deal with an ebola outbreak combined with other social and political issues. It is important that the African Union become involved in the promotion of stable healthcare systems and the prevention of pandemics. As the DRC deals with this crisis it is also important that the public not panic. Doing so only creates more disorder or possible long term unrest.