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The CDC has reported that COVID-19 vaccines are working well, but reduced protection against mild and moderate disease over time is apparent. It is appropriate to examine trends now that our primary vaccination program has been in place for a year. While recently vaccinated members of a population have much lower rates of infection, some suffered breakthrough infections that may be associated with reduced vaccine effectiveness.

Even as the Supreme Court authorized the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to mandate vaccination of all Medicaid and Medicare employees–including those not employed by the federal government, a Texas court [1] just blocked the federal government from mandating vaccination over its own employees. That case surely will eventually reach the Supreme Court. All the while, we will grapple with the delay in vaccination – the effect of which, for the moment, is not entirely known. Perhaps, this is all about “decision-making under uncertainty?”

In an essay in the London Review of Books, David Wallace-Wells contrasted the 5.5 million annual global deaths from COVID [1] with the 7 million deaths attributed to air pollution (AP) projected by the World Health Organization [2]; he bemoaned the lack of attention being given to the latter. [1] He noted that other AP mortality estimates run as high as 8.7 million and 10 million if indoor air pollution were included. This is getting downright scary.

According to a recent paper, fatigability – how physically tired we feel after specific activities – is a reliable marker of our aging. It can also be used to identify those of us who might be moving towards an eternal nap faster than others.

The World Health Organization (WHO) adopted a dose-response function for PM2.5 that lumps outdoor ambient air quality, second-hand (passive) smoking, and indoor household air pollution. It has been used in 80 published studies of the “Global Burden of Health” (GBD). Here I take a closer look and incorporate some additional risk estimates.

The 2021 annual conference of U.S. Mayors adopted a resolution to create community “Blue Zones,” as part of the Well-Being Initiative to Combat Disease and Comorbidities. The Blue Zones program is derived from the work of Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow, who identifies regions around the world where people purportedly live extraordinarily long and happy lives.

Ah, the influencer. It’s a new job category for someone who can move markets – at least for goods – by sharing their love of them. This used to be solely the domain of celebrities, but social media has significantly changed that. So when it comes to subjects related to nutrition, the question is: are they using their influence to help or hurt?

Perhaps. A new study in Science suggests a very high prevalence of the Epstein-Barr virus in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This strong evidence may aid those suffering from MS and give us all a better sense of how endemic infections may have long-term consequences that we are slow to recognize because of the long delay between infection and symptoms.

It's been said that women will do almost anything to look good. If that’s true, they can’t even compete with some male bodybuilders who take legal drugs, illegal drugs, and down another substance you might find distasteful. Perhaps disgusting. And it doesn't even work. Unreal.

The anti-biotech group GM Watch recently touted the results of a new study as evidence that the EPA has underestimated the risk posed by the weedkiller glyphosate. It's an illustration of what goes wrong when you force data to conform to a predetermined conclusion.

Way too many people have experienced the discomfort of food-borne illness: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever. These illnesses are usually mild, but occasionally they can lead to hospitalization, even death. It may surprise you to know that fresh fruits or vegetables can be the source of these illnesses.

Even as the Secretary of Labor (who oversees OSHA) had his wings clipped by the Supreme Court regarding mandatory employee vaccination, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) was given leave to fly, or rather to mandate vaccination of all staff of programs servicing Medicare and Medicaid enrollees. The number expected to be affected: some 10 million people.

The New York Times recently published an excellent story illustrating what causes vaccine hesitancy and how to effectively combat it. Is the media finally learning that forcing shots on people doesn't work?

Reconsidering zoos, the most famous of monkeys, the symbolism of masks and a goldfish drives their aquarium.

Popular Science has joined the ranks of mainstream outlets that shill pesticide propaganda. Last week, the magazine published a story about glyphosate so atrocious that it could have been written by an activist at the Environmental Working Group.

As you enter those “golden” years, what does it cost you, in out-of-pocket costs, to be chronically ill? 66% of seniors have two or more chronic conditions; 16% have six or more. When discussing the cost of being ill financially, we are not talking about “chump change,” especially for those on a fixed income.

Could anything be more terrifying than your child being seriously ill? Children have been the last group to begin to receive vaccinations. We rightly suggest they congregate daily in schools. How at risk are they in the face of the rising cases of Omicron?

Given the proliferation of claims about the health benefits of marijuana – especially following its decriminalization – it should come as no surprise that cannabis-based chemicals are being evaluated as potential COVID therapies. Two of them, CBGA and CBDA, have been found to bind to the infamous viral spikes and inhibit the replication of COVID. Do these drugs have what it takes to make a useful drug? Read on.

Four months after President Biden announced his innovative plan to compel vaccination, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on its validity. Biden’s plan had three parts; the Fifth Circuit Court struck them all down.

Sometimes a picture or, in what follows, a video is worth so many words. Let’s consider the COVID variants; how could there possibly be so many so quickly. The answer, of course, lies in the work of Darwin.

The USDA's "bioengineered" (GMO) food label is expensive and pointless, facts widely disseminated by the science community. The media has been critical of the new labeling regulations as well, though for the wrong reasons. Here's a textbook example from NBC News.

Two newly-approved antiviral drugs against COVID are now available to those who need them. But the FDA is getting in the way with unwise and counterproductive requirements. Drs. Jeffrey Singer and Josh Bloom explain in their Op Ed in the New York Daily News.

A new study suggests that e-cigarette users, known also as vapers, may harm the respiratory health of those around them via "secondhand vaping." Before we draw any conclusions, the paper has some important limitations that restrict its relevance to the real world.

Patients and their doctors have voted with their scripts. Overwhelmingly, they are choosing Pfizer's Paxlovid and rejecting Merck's molnupiravir. So much so that when Paxlovid is unavailable (which is most of the time) many don't even bother to try the other option. Surprising?

This is another retrospective observational study, this one from England looking at the transmission of COVID-19 in both its alpha and delta variants to other adults. It helped me refine how I think about vaccines, let me share the findings and my thoughts.