Get the First Series of Shots! (Conversation About Vaccines - Part #1)

2019 Novel Coronavirus (CoVID-19): Part XVII
2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV (first named); COVID-2019 (later named disease); SARS-CoV-2 (final name of the virus causing COVID-2019), COVID-2019 Pandemic:

December 29, 2020 update Part 17  (Vaccines - Part #1)
Paul Herscu ND, MPH
Herscu Laboratory

Get the First Series of Shots! 

I receive numerous emails and telephone calls daily, from colleagues, family members, other physicians, policymakers and schools, from across the globe, asking me what my personal position is around the topic of COVID-19 and SARSCoV-2 vaccinations. With this update, I intend to answer these questions in broad and specific ways. I would like to describe the variables to consider, so we all have a fuller, nuanced understanding to contextualize this point of view. At the end, I hope you will see why and how I believe that vaccine in this very instance, at this specific time is important for everyone to have. In the future, I hope we develop better solutions, since this one is imperfect at best, but for the first cycle for the first year, a vaccine is the best way forward. I will keep this short, and mostly touch on a few of the most important variables. Please consider reading this post in its entirety.

Amy says I lost a decade of my life this year. As this virus began early this year, most of you know the tireless work we embarked upon, and then when the virus came into full swing, we wound up working with, well, countless patients with this virus. The work is nonstop. Initially, most of the work was trying to change the course of where we were going. But that was not to be. Here, I want to describe how that intersects with the current question of vaccinating for SARS-CoV-2, why we worked so broadly and tirelessly then to create a different path forward.

Often, people want a quick answer. And when I give them the quick answer, they seem disappointed, or confused, or are left feeling surprised and unsure. One very important group is integrative medicine providers (NDs, DCs, acupuncturists, DOs, and integrative MDs etc.) Many are looking for their role at this time in regard to the topic of vaccination. Please consider this discussion in the most general way. What I mean is that the issues mentioned here are universal to every epidemic/pandemic. Please don't simply apply this understanding to the current pandemic, but consider these basic tenets that ring true regardless of epidemic or pandemic illness. In other words, learn these issues once, and you will be able to apply this at any other time in the future. This framework is universal with regard to understanding epidemics and pandemics. 

That said, the topic of vaccinations in general has been polarized in our society, and in the midst of this pandemic, that polarization is evident and growing. Within this polarized landscape we are finding up to 50% of adults considering not seeking the vaccine, a public health disaster by any definition.

Air purification from September, 2020 –April, 2021: Germs and Smoke

Germs and Smoke

October 28, 2020 update Part 16

Paul Herscu ND, MPH

Herscu Laboratory

Air purification from September, 2020 –April, 2021: Germs and Smoke

 

This is a follow-up to the post on this topic from September, but an urgent one for two reasons. First, there are fires raging in the west of the United States leading to smoke entering homes irritating the respiratory tract of many people. And as importantly we are in the midst of a second wave of viral activity which has not come close yet to peaking. I am not focusing here on mounting virus activity or on changing morbidity/mortality rates, but suffice to say, the second wave has arrived, on schedule, as we predicted earlier this year.

 

The overall topic of this post is mitigation. Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where the water we drink, the food we eat, or the air we take in is less than optimal and if possible we need to mitigate or modify our exposures so the possibly harmful impacts are minimized. I would like to focus on air quality today and how both smoke and viruses impact air quality.

 

Over the past many decades, I have been impressed by public health infrastructure and work accomplished in the USA and abroad developing processes that help many people and communities, those with means and those without. It is impressive to examine the ability for governments to intersect with NGOs and stakeholders in an ever-evolving partnership to offer health and safety quickly and efficiently. 

 

And there are areas where we could do better and occasionally there are quick, easy, inexpensive do-it-yourself solutions for a challenging issue.

 

I describe here one such idea, born from current need: an economical, home-made, Box Fan - Air Filter System.

Fire and Smoke

Fire and Smoke

September 21, 2020 update Part 15

Paul Herscu ND, MPH

Herscu Laboratory

 

I have, over the past many decades, been incredibly impressed by the public health infrastructure and work accomplished in the USA and abroad. In general, developing processes that help the many, those with means and those without means equally. And in general, it is impressive to examine the ability for governments to intersect with NGOs and stakeholders in an ever-evolving partnership to offer health and safety quickly and efficiently. 

 

That said there are at times gaps in this process. And often those gaps fall in what for lack of a better term I might fit within the ‘here is a quick and easy and inexpensive do-it-yourself solution’ for whatever the issue at hand might be. 

 

I bring this up as I received an email from a patient in California describing how bad the smoke is from the fires burning all around her city. And even though she does not go outside, it is in the apartment, and is irritating her eyes, nose and throat. She has tried several solutions in her space but the problem persists. And also, since she lives in a garden apartment, it costs too much to develop a central air solution for the owner, and even if he would want to, everyone who can do that work is already too busy and would be placed on a waiting list. But the problem exists right now. What to do? 

 

I would like to describe a very simple solution that almost everyone could do and afford. I think there may be a few public health authorities that might mention this but in fact this has not been generalized and most people do not know this. So, if you do know someone in that area pass this along. 

2019 Novel Coronavirus (CoVID-19): Part XIV

 

2019 Novel Coronavirus (CoVID-19): Part XIV 

2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV (first named); COVID-2019 (later named disease); SARS-CoV-2 (final name of the virus causing COVID-2019), COVID-2019 Pandemic:

 

September 3, 2020 update Part 14

Paul Herscu ND, MPH

Herscu Laboratory

This is the fourteenth piece of writing on the current epidemic. Please read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6,  Part 7, Part 8, Part 9 , Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, and Part 13 for context and also, please read my other writing on this site for a larger context on the overall topic of public health and epidemics.

One element at a time: Induction, or where should they focus

 

Back during the SARS epidemic, and then the Ebolavirus epidemic, I spoke a great deal on the topic of public health modeling. Specifically, and you can hear this on tapes of the day, I mentioned that, medically speaking, we are in the new era of germs. Every few months or years there will be a new germ discovered that is lethal to human or animals or crops. And that basically, as a species, we need to develop a better way to think about germs. Instead of thinking of germs as deadly and how they need to be eradicated, a better way may be to learn to adapt towards them and encourage the bug to adapt to become less virulent. But the bottom line is that we will discover more germs, the science is there for that capacity. And if we are not thinking of it in the right way, we are going to go insane worrying about all the germs constantly surrounding us. Enough said here for now.

 

One of the main points I made is that everyone, every single person, from about middle school onward, is able to greatly understand the underlying issues if you can present them with the science of epidemiology, of public health. More or less, everyone arrives at the same position then, and can make informed decisions. The problem is that these basic public health concepts are not taught to most of us. Many of you have attended lectures where I have presented the basics in a few hours talk. What I want to do here, now, is review that material, one important piece at a time. Yes, they apply to this particular epidemic, but if you understand the basic concept it will help you into the future and with any potential epidemic. Let’s start.

2019 Novel Coronavirus (CoVID-19): Part XIII

2019 Novel Coronavirus (CoVID-19): Part XIII 

2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV (first named); COVID-2019 (later named disease); SARS-CoV-2 (final name of the virus causing COVID-2019), COVID-2019 Pandemic:

September 1, 2020 update Part 13

Paul Herscu ND, MPH

Herscu Laboratory

This is the thirteenth piece of writing on the current epidemic. Please read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6,  Part 7, Part 8, Part 9 , Part 10, Part 11, and Part 12 for context and also, please read my other writing on this site for a larger context on the overall topic of public health and epidemics.

 Eight months!

 

It has been, as one might count for the USA, roughly 8 months since SARS-CoV-2 virus causing COVID-19 has struck the world, and as I mentioned in the first of these blogs in January, February, and March, that it was probably earlier, but that is another story for another time! I wanted to catch us up to where we are, within the context of the past, as a way to help us gauge where we are going. As usual, I think understanding the underlying issues should make us be less lost when hearing or reading the bombarding news. I have conducted dozens of interviews, webinars, conferences on this topic, but since it has been a while writing here, please indulge me going into each of these matters, in brief. It should help! I will delve into them in the next updates, which will be posted soon. 

 

The Virus 

There are many things one could say. The main points I want to highlight are:

1.     The first point I made when this began is that we have to think of this virus as different than other viruses we have experienced. This is not one that is going to come and go by itself, rather, it is the ‘birth’ of a new virus that is going to be with us, with ups and downs, but be with our species for the time being. And the point I made is that for many of us, except for those dealing with AIDS) we have not really experienced this concept of a new disease as an epidemic. We really have not. 

2.     As discussed early on, while the virus mutates, like all viruses, the part that is most lethal to humans seems, unfortunately to date, resistant to change. 

3.     With these two points in mind, I urged us to consider that this is not something that we can wait out and it will not just go away but rather, we need to be proactive. There are essentially a few essential levers to pull here, as described earlier: 

a.     Vaccinations to make people either not catch the virus or not have it be so problematic (This is being worked on intensively)

b.    Develop nondrug therapies to make people either not catch the virus or not have severe symptomatology.

c.     Change the virus to make it less problematic (To my knowledge this is not being worked on. If it is, the likely place would be at military facilities)

d.     Wait until it evolves or we evolve, a coevolution so that it is less problematic to us (This does not seem practical)

e.     Develop drug therapies that can treat the unwell person (This is being worked on intensively)

f.      Develop nondrug therapies that can treat the unwell person

 

The main point here is that it is an unavoidable problem we have to come to decisions on how to address. This really has not changed. I know this had gotten politicized, early on, and it seems as though people are digging their heels in, as to how they would think about this virus. But the reality on the ground is still the same. I will come back to B and F above below. Onward. 

2019 Novel Coronavirus (CoVID-19): Part XII

2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV (first named); COVID-2019 (later named disease); SARS-CoV-2 (final name of the virus causing COVID-2019), COVID-2019 Pandemic:

April 12, 2020 update Part 12

Paul Herscu ND, MPH

Herscu Laboratory

This is the twelfth piece of writing on the current epidemic. Please read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6,  Part 7, Part 8, Part 9 , Part 10 and Part 11 for context and also, please read my other writing on this site for a larger context on the overall topic of public health and epidemics.

It has been a very long road, my friends, these past three and a half months. A lot has happened, and really, it has been a confusing period of time for many of us. In this Update, I focus on our natural medicine efforts over these months, on why I have urged us all to take these actions and then share my thoughts and hypothesis on why some people fall severely ill.

My main focus over the three and a half months has been, and will remain, on keeping people out of the hospital. I explain why below. Our first goal has been to keep people from developing the illness to start with. However if they do develop COVID-19, the goal has been to keep it the mildest version possible. Towards that end, the two main tools we use are natural therapies, mentioned in Update 7 and homeopathy described in Update 8. The idea is to have people react/adapt to the virus, move through the illness without becoming severely ill, and then move on with their lives. And if we do our job well, and the stars align, that is how it plays out. 

One of our main tools is to use homeopathy, as it helps people respond early to the virus and have only subclinical or minor manifestations of the illness. We have now treated 170+ folks that have tested positive for COVID-19. The people we put on this supplementation plan and were able to receive an individualized homeopathic remedy too have done well enough. No one has been admitted into the hospital yet (touch wood). This for me is a main, most important point. We need our patients to stay out of the hospital when possible. Partly that is to save personnel and resources for those already severely ill with COVID-19 and/or other unrelated complaints. Simply, I use the hospital admission as a proxy for how well or poorly things are going. 

To be clear. Obviously, if a person’s health deteriorates to serious condition, there is no better place to be than the hospital. If we can keep the person healthy enough to not end up in the hospital, we can avoid several unknowns. As a result, the main focus for Amy and I remains helping with prevention and keeping the disease in those who have it in its mildest form possible.

COVID-19 Thoughts and Recommendations: April 1, 2020

Dear family, friends, patients and colleagues,

We continue to hear from many of you wanting guidance at this time. Paul is publishing his ongoing work tracking the pandemic and sharing his public health and science thoughts. If you want to receive those as written, you can sign up here.

The bottom line is: the virus is ubiquitous, so it’s ever important to try to prevent exposure as much as possible by observing physical distancing, keeping your children and teens close and following all public health directives. Wear a mask and gloves when in a public. Wash your hands when you arrive home, and know that good old soap and water may be better for all of us in the long run.

It has become increasingly clear than many of us have become asymptomatic carriers and we may be inadvertently putting all sorts of people at risk without intending to. So! Please do not become paranoid, but put effort into being careful just as you would want others to do for you.

And we also know that when and if you fall ill, the better shape you are in beforehand, the better. Most people will have only a mild form of this illness, but working to build a resilient immune system now, will serve you well should you become exposed or do become sick.

In order to create the most resilient immune system possible, here are my recommendations for you and yours. Please know that for those with underlying or chronic disease, or who have compromised immunity (for whatever reason), or have an autoimmune disease, I would want to work with you individually as not all these recommendations apply. If you’re not sure, please schedule a time to “come in.” We are seeing patients via telemedicine and have had the chance to work with people from all over the globe. Linda, at our “front desk,” can help you schedule (860.763.1225).

Here we go, with regard to prevention: