While everyone focuses on a “cure all” vaccine, why hasn’t anyone focused on why some people aren't getting sick from COVID-19? The past six months have been monumental for all healthcare workers. While some were considered frontline heroes, some have had their offices closed and labeled as non-essential. There’s no denying one thing however--this Covid pandemic has placed every single person’s immune system on the frontline. Since the pandemic affected the NYC area early, my husband, a Pulmonologist/Intensivist, was thrust on to the front lines in late March. From the beginning, he and I would have nightly conversations about his patients in the ICU and the treatment protocols they were using. I was interested to discover that the majority of his sickest patients had very high levels of inflammatory markers and that some of the treatments being used focused on inhibiting one of these inflammatory markers--Interleukin-6. Interleukin-6 is also the inflammatory marker involved in
The Benefits of Intermittent and Prolonged Fasting Intermittent fasting has become the #1 dieting method and there’s a valid reason. As someone who has done intermittent fasting for over 30 years, I have found it to be the most effective method of weight management. As an obese teen, my impetus for change came the summer of my sophomore year of high school. My mom, sister and I had gone on a cruise to Bermuda. As is the protocol on these ships, the Captain’s Dance Night was one of the highlighted events. Just as the dance was starting, a stranger approached both my mom and older sister to dance, but they politely declined. He took a look at me and walked away. A few weeks later, I had my annual pediatrician appointment, which involved the dreaded “getting on a scale.” My pediatrician did not mince words. I still remember the exact words she said, as she told me I was sixty pounds overweight. I distinctly also remember her saying “ you will never be able to lose