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Supporters are part of a self-improvement sub-group where value is dispensed daily on personal growth in all aspects of life, informed by many sources. New members welcome!
Math is apparently a challenge. At least, it was for a group of academic superstars from the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (Canada), who published a much-lauded pre-print entitled "New Study Shows 1 in 1000 Develop Heart Inflammation After Covid Vaccination; Myocarditis and Other Related Heart Conditions Have Increased Death Rate Within 5 Years" on a pre-print server.
The anti-vax community went wild with the claims that 0.1% of recipients of covid vaccination developed myocarditis.
But somehow the authors' quality control was so poor that they didn't even get right the actual numbers of vaccinations given. The denominator they used was 32,379, when they should have used 845,930 doses given. This error overestimated the incidence of myocarditis by a factor of about 25, or 1 in 25,000 or so.
To avoid further ignominy, the writers retracted their paper, and issued the following statement: "In order to avoid misleading either colleagues or the general public and press, we the authors unanimously wish to withdraw this paper on the grounds of incorrect incidence data."
While I applaud their retraction, I question how an error of this magnitude could make it to a pre-print server. This highlights the rushed nature of many "studies" being published today. This rush to be the first to publish a particular finding undermines the reputation of research in the eyes of the general public, who already has demonstrated an inability to parse difficult topics and instead uses perceived inconsistencies as grounds to reject whole swaths of advice that they would rather not follow.
In other news, a judge in California turned down a student's suit asking to have natural immunity recognized as a reason to avoid mandated vaccination. The law behind this, as I understand, dates back so far that we didn't even know what antibodies were. I hope the plaintiff takes this to the Supreme Court. If you find a GoFundMe for the student, please share below.
Also, the American Medical Association is advising doctors whose patients demand Ivermectin to refer them to ongoing clinical trials. In the article ("What the FDA wants doctors to tell patients asking for ivermectin" ), we are reminded that veterinary Ivermectin might be dangerous. "The FDA has identified multiple reports of patients who tried to self-medicate with ivermectin products intended for livestock and were subsequently hospitalized."
Don't construe any commentary I make as a recommendation on my part. It has been made clear that I may not have any view but the party line on IVM, and so anything I say must be understood in those terms.
I talked today with a physician in private practice who has been prescribing the not-to-be-talked-about medications since the beginning and feels that they are effective. I, of course, must not agree.
Stay healthy!
I'm on a weekend night call schedule this weekend, which always leaves me feeling under-rested and generally icky.
But I wanted to remind you that outdoor exercise without screens is really good for your mental health.
Go outdoors, preferably into the woods.
Get in tune with those surroundings, the sights, the sounds, the smells, even the movement of air and the varying temperatures as you walk.
We were made to be outdoors.
We were definitely not made to work in cubicles.
One Degree!
What you want from your body will dictate what you need to set as goals, and the goals will determine what you'll end up having to change to attain them.
I've spoken many times about systems being better than goals, and my position has not changed.
But goals are easier to discuss and to understand, so for this week, we'll be very specific about goals.
Do you want more muscle mass?
Do you want to be stronger?
Do you want to run faster?
Do you want to gain weight?
Do you want to lose weight?
Do you want to improve general fitness?
Do you want longevity?
Do you want strong bones?
Do you want to earn a Black Belt?
Understanding the benefits and costs of each particular goal may help you decide what you want.
For example, if you want to compete in body-building competitions, you'll not be doing the same thing as if you were focused on longevity. Same with strength competitions.
But general fitness and longevity go fairly well together.
Running is great but will increase the likelihood of needing knee or hip ...
I'll make this one short and to the point.
Spring time change is hard on all of us. Having to get up an hour early doesn't make going to bed an hour earlier much easier.
Yes, it's nice to have more productive time in the evening.
But it's at the cost of forcing us out of be an hour earlier, as we all know.
Our challenge is to adjust our circadian rhythm to match the world's expectations around us.
My main strategy is supplementing with a dose of melatonin about a half hour before I need to be asleep. It helps most people fall asleep more readily.
If you need a nap during your day, take it between mid-morning and early afternoon. Limit it to 20 minutes.
Taking a longer or later nap may make it even harder to get off to sleep in time.
All of the other normal advice applies even moreso:
- Take a 20-minute walk after supper.
- No screen time for the last hour before bed.
- Listen to calm music after supper.
- Don't eat for 2 hours before bed.
- Don't have conflict-laden conversations ...
