Welcome to Dr. Paz’s Newsletter #6

 

This newsletter will focus on timely topics that can have a direct impact on your health. If you are interested in sending a question, you can send it to drpaz@drpaz.com.  Please remember,  your questions should be of general medical interest and should not include any patient-specific information since this is not a HIPAA compliant email.

As most of you know, I am now officially retired from active practice. However, I plan on becoming much more active with this newsletter. I hope to publish it about every 2-3 weeks with topics that are both timely and relevant to your own health. Please feel free to email with any comments, questions and suggestions.   

Facts and Opinion regarding Covid-19

 

My recent bout of Omicron. I received the Covid-19 vaccine, made by Pfizer, approximately 1 year ago.  Over the Christmas holiday, my son came to visit from San Francisco.  Unfortunately, he brought Covid-19 with him, most likely from the airport.  About 3 days after he arrived I developed a nonproductive cough, low-grade fever, and fatigue.  Symptoms were relatively mild. 

 

I started on the following protocol:

 

  • VITAMIN C 500 mg 3 times daily for 1 week
  • VITAMIN D 10,000 units daily for 3 days and then decreased back to my usual dose
  • Zinc gluconate 100 mg daily for 3 days and then 50 mg for a week
  • ASPIRIN 162 mg daily (this is 2-81 mg tablets) for 14 days  
  • Hydrogen Peroxide gargle  3 times daily in the form of Colgate Peroxyl mouth rinse

 

My symptoms resolved within about 3 days of starting this regimen, with the exception of a mild dry cough that persisted for another 4-5 days.  While only anecdotal, I do think there is some science behind a protocol similar to this. Just an FYI

 

More on masks.  The Federal government is now saying what doctors have been telling patients for two years now: That cloth masks are poorly effective, if at all, and only surgical masks, N95 and KN95 masks provide some degree of protection.  They do a better job of protecting those around you compared to the user.  However, there is a caveat.  According to the CDC, as much as 60% of all KN95 masks do not meet the standards established for these masks and may be poorly effective. (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/types-of-masks.html) This is especially true for masks that come from China.  With that said, I find it interesting that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi issued  Chinese-made KN95 masks to each member of the House of Representatives.  The picture below is of the mask issued, courtesy of Representative Bryan Steil, Wisconsin.

 

The best reason to wear a mask! Welch researchers found that masking up may make men look more attractive to the opposite sex and that some kinds of masks do a better job of this than others.  The researchers showed 43 women pictures of men's faces.  They were asked to rate attractiveness of the guys without a mask, with a cloth mask, a blue medical mask, or as they held a plain black book over the area a mask would cover.  Men with blue surgical masks were rated the most attractive.  These findings were published on January 10 in Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications.

 

Did you get your free Covid tests from the government? They may not be accurate.  If you ordered your Covid tests from the government through the mail and they happen to sit on your porch in the freezing temperatures for any length of time, they may not be accurate.  Anything that can freeze the liquid inside the test will cause a false negative reading.  Meaning the test will say you do not have Covid, even if you do.  If your tests were sitting outside for any significant length of time they probably should be discarded. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2022/02/04/cold-temperatures-could-affect-home-covid-test/6650634001/

 

Putting your risk of death in perspective. As I have stated many times, I believe that all high-risk people should be immunized against Covid-19. In these groups, it clearly reduces the risk of hospitalization and death. With that said, I think it is important to keep our actual risk in perspective. An article published by the Mackinaw Center for Public Policy does a nice job of just that.(https://www.mackinac.org/for-most-people-coronavirus-presents-similar-risks-as-car-accidents). If you are under the age of 55, your risk of dying from Covid is about the same as dying in a car crash (0.012% vs. .009%). If you are under 45 your risk of dying in a car crash is actually twice that of Covid.

More Health News

More benefits of olive oil.  A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that people who consumed more than 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil per day have been found to have a lower risk of dying from heart disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease and respiratory diseases.  People who consumed the most olive oil were found to have a 19% lower risk of cardiovascular death, 17% lower risk of cancer death and 29% lower risk of neurodegenerative disease. https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2021.10.041

 

Dr Paz Comments: While the benefits of olive oil are quite clear, the brand and type of olive oil definitely makes a difference.  Extra-virgin olive oil contains the highest amount of polyphenols and oleic acid which are most likely responsible for the health benefits.  Many olive oils may be labeled as "extra virgin", but  may not actually be so.  This is especially true for olive oils that are obtained from multiple sources.  If you look at the list of ingredients and the olive oil lists multiple source countries, it is most likely of poor quality. This is a typical signal that the company may have been shopping around for the cheapest source.  I would strongly urge you to get olive oils that are 100% sourced from California.  These are regulated quite carefully and you can be guaranteed of a high quality extra-virgin source.  My personal favorite brand is from California Olive  Ranch–100% California Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This is also a Top Rated olive oil by Consumer Labs.

 

Fish Oil and Dementia. New research has confirmed another benefit of omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil.  A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reviewed fish oil supplementation in over 200,000 participants aged 60-73 years of age.  It showed a significant reduction in dementia of all types in the fish oil supplemented participants.  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0261561422000048

 

Ready to buy that EV? Maybe you should wait. EV’s, or Electric Vehicles are predicted to be 50% of the automobile market by the year 2040. While devoid of carbon monoxide or other pollutants, high-tech electric cars are instead emitting a gasless pollutant: Electro-Magnetic Field radiation, or EMF radiation.  While they may be better for the environment, are they better for human health? 

 

An  acronym you will be hearing a lot over the next few decades is ELF. ELF stands for Extremely Low Frequency radiation—the  invisible areas of energy that are produced by electricity. This  is the type of EMF emitted by Electric Vehicles. These have long been suspected to be carcinogenic or cancer causing. In 2002, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a component of the World Health Organization, appointed an expert Working Group to review all available evidence on static and extremely low frequency(ELF) electric and magnetic fields. The Working Group classified ELF-EMFs as “possibly carcinogenic to humans,” based on limited evidence from human studies in relation to childhood leukemia. (https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/radiation/electromagnetic-fields-fact-sheet )

 

There may be other symptoms related to chronic exposure of ELF/EMF including:

  • headache
  • tremor
  • dizziness
  • memory loss
  • loss of concentration
  • sleep disturbance

 

 In essence, when you drive in an electric vehicle you are sitting on a large electromagnetic.  While the passenger compartment is shielded from the battery, some exposure is inevitable. ELF’s are also emitted by all the other electronics in the car, such as the video screen. The question then becomes, how much is too much exposure?  This remains unclear.  The organization that sets  the standards for exposure, the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) , is sponsored and funded by companies that make vehicles and components for the EV industry,  raising issues of conflict of interest. (https://ncrponline.org/related-organizations/corporate-sponsors/). The FCC and other government agencies rely on the NCRP to set its emission standards. (https://www.fcc.gov/general/radio-frequency-safety-0)

For my part, I would like to see more independent, long-term research on acceptable (if any) levels of ELF radiation in cars. I would be especially concerned regarding anyone who spends significant time in their EV, such as truck drivers. For now, I’ll stick with the devil I know, and keep driving my gas-powered car.

The opinions expressed in this newsletter are mine and mine alone.  They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of hospital systems or other entities I may be affiliated with. 

Topics for upcoming newsletters: 

 

Newsletter #7 will be a clinical focus on weight loss. I will discuss intermittent fasting and time-restricted eating as a way to decrease weight and improve health.

IT’S JUST MY OPINION. The opinions in my newsletter are based on my interpretation of the literature and my personal experience from tens of thousands of medical visits over the last 37 years. 

  

TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR. The information I share in this newsletter is meant for general medical information purposes and is not specific to your medical care. Before you initiate any therapy you should discuss it with your doctor.  If your doctor is not open to discussing nutritional therapies, maybe it is time to find a new doctor….. 

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