My mom used to do this for herself. She was so thrilled when she'd open a forgotten present for herself. We also bought her things but probably missed the mark a bit. To make it easy on my husband and kids, I put together a list that tells them what I like, how much it costs and where to get it. It's "My Favorite Things" list. To make it even easier, I created a board on Pinterest so they'd have easy access. It works, I'm happy, they're happy, and that is all that matters to us. 😄

One of my friends is not at all into food. She doesn't think it's worth spending any more money than necessary on food when she can instead spend it on clothes or jewelry. She's definitely more into fashion than food. I am just the opposite although I do like nice clothing, too. Just not as much as food. 😄

After the pandemic began when little was known about the virus, I made my own liposomal vitamin C mixture. It's pretty easy. Takes about a day because you have to mix it every two hours or so in a blender until it gets good and gloppy. It's basically ascorbic acid, lecithin, distilled water and vodka. 🙂 However, a gram or so 2 or 3 times per day of regular old vitamin C should be okay. China is giving patients high doses of IV C. We won't do that here in the US. I don't know why. It has been shown to help prevent cytokine storm in two studies, one done using adults, the other with children.

Pfizer's vaccine might be able to handle similar temps. That's what I've read but it's not known for sure. Fingers crossed. I completely understand what you're saying about Moderna and agree. This is not the time to be money grubbers. And, IMO, vaccines should be free for anyone who wants one. It's really in the best interest of the economy and is, of course, morally the right thing to do. It is very exciting that a vaccine has been developed using this newish technology and that it works against a coronavirus. That's great news. I do think if AZ is even 70-85%, it should still bode well. Hoping it will be even better, though. I heard they are supposed to reveal their data in a journal soon but I'm not sure. Have you heard anymore about the in-home Covid test? Is it Abbott's BinaxNow test? I haven't had much time to check and am wondering how good it is. Anyone know?

Huzzah! Pfizer/BioNTech just reached their Phase 3 endpoints. Considering how rampant Covid is now, it’s not all that surprising. (If anyone is wondering, they will continue to gather and analyze data for quite awhile.) Efficacy in adults over 65 was 94%. That is fantastic! https://investors.pfizer.com/investor-news/press-release-details/2020/Pfizer-and-BioNTech-Conclude-Phase-3-Study-of-COVID-19-Vaccine-Candidate-Meeting-All-Primary-Efficacy-Endpoints/default.aspx PFIZER AND BIONTECH CONCLUDE PHASE 3 STUDY OF COVID-19 VACCINE CANDIDATE, MEETING ALL PRIMARY EFFICACY ENDPOINTS November 18, 2020 Primary efficacy analysis demonstrates BNT162b2 to be 95% effective against COVID-19 beginning 28 days after the first dose;170 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were evaluated, with 162 observed in the placebo group versus 8 in the vaccine group Efficacy was consistent across age, gender, race and ethnicity demographics; observed efficacy in adults over 65 years of age was over 94% Safety data milestone required by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) has been achieved Data demonstrate vaccine was well tolerated across all populations with over 43,000 participants enrolled; no serious safety concerns observed; the only Grade 3 adverse event greater than 2% in frequency was fatigue at 3.8% and headache at 2.0% Companies plan to submit within days to the FDA for EUA and share data with other regulatory agencies around the globe The companies expect to produce globally up to 50 million vaccine doses in 2020 and up to 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021 Pfizer is confident in its vast experience, expertise and existing cold-chain infrastructure to distribute the vaccine around the world

The long haulers who have had success with this notice their brain fog, sleepiness, fatigue, etc. abate or go away completely within a couple of days, especially after taking the nicotinic acid. You might have trouble finding 50 gram supplements but 100 mg seems to not cause problems. Some people have been dividing their supplements to get the smaller dose. Get a quercetin supplement that also has bromelain; however, if you have either a history of ulcers or are allergic to pineapple, take only quercetin. I take the Now brand of both, just one capsule. Selenium, no more than 200 mcg. Zinc, around 50 mg.

The thinking is that Covid is causing NAD+ depletion. NAD stands for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. NAD+ is a form of NAD. Here’s an explanation of what it is and what it does: https://www.jillcarnahan.com/2020/11/11/what-is-nad-and-why-is-it-important/ This article discusses NAD+ depletion in more depth and what you can do to build it back up. https://nkalex.medium.com/the-team-of-front-line-doctors-and-biohackers-who-seem-to-have-solved-long-covid-5f9852f1101d Simply, their theory is that COVID19 causes NAD+ depletion. Some people with vitamin deficiencies, existing NAD+ depletion or genetic deficiets in energy metabolism have long term NAD+ dysfunction. The body tries to make up for low NAD+ by feeding in tryptophan, which is the precursor for serotonin, causing low serotonin. Mast cells are activated locally to release serotonin instead, leading to histamine release and mast cell activation issues. Neurological effects are due to low serotonin and NAD+, which also effects the microbiome and general homoeostasis. Energy disruptions are specific to high metabolically active tissues such as the heart and brain. This is further complexed with disruption of the gut-immune axis, mobilization of bacteria, secondary infections - both bacterial and reactivation of dormant neurotrophic viruses. Reactivation of dormant Epstein-Bar virus can open the door to bacterial infections and it is known to trigger the creation of complex and unrelated auto-antibodies, leading to downstream issues. The group treating this mechanism utilizes: Nicotinic acid (most important and not nicotinamide or other forms) Vitamin C Vitamin D Zinc Selenium Quercetin Are you taking any of the above supplements? The nicotinic acid corrects the NAD+ deficiency, so you might want to give that a try (50 mg of nicotinic acid) as well as the others if you’re not taking them.

Probably, even taking into account anti-vaxxers and those who want to wait. More accurate quick testing will help. The anti-virals will help, too. Some are looking pretty dam* good.

Developing and testing psilocybin for depression is in the works. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/compass-raises-80m-to-take-magic-mushroom-drug-toward-phase-3 https://www.fiercepharma.com/drug-delivery/intelgenx-inks-double-deals-to-develop-oral-film-psychedelics

We have this one made by IQ Air. It’s very quiet and can filter out very small particles. Filters also don't need to be changed often. https://www.amazon.com/IQAir-HealthPro-Medical-Grade-HyperHEPA-Allergies/dp/B087JYMK7Q/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=iqair&qid=1605381940&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyMzdSWVBBMElSQlFJJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzIwNDI5M01OVzhRWlhBM0FHNCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDg0OTI2MVpZWERLN05JTFBSRSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU= They also make a smaller unit.

We have it, too. So much nicer to bypass the long lines and not have to remove shoes.

Pfizer's vaccine is more than 90% effective. Operation Warp Speed was hoping for at least 50%. No serious safety concerns reported. Most health problems occur within two months of vaccines hence the two month wait. They will continue monitoring both efficacy and safety. Pfizer enrolled 43,538 people. 38,955 have received their second vaccination. 46% diverse backgrounds. Pfizer has set up 150 clinical trials to test their vaccine in six countries, including the US, which is testing it in 39 states. Initially, they were going to end the interim analysis when 32 events (Covid cases) occurred. They ended up having 94 events so almost three times as much data to analyze. Pfizer is planning to submit their Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to the FDA next week, the third week of November. the Data and Safety Monitoring Board analyzes data as well. They are secret in order to prevent vaccine developers from lobbying. https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-announce-vaccine-candidate-against https://www.pfizer.com/news/hot-topics/albert_bourla_discusses_covid_19_vaccine_efficacy_results

You would need a device made by a trustworthy company if you were to try it. You would also need to know what wavelength is suggested. Many of the devices on the market are too weak and/or do not deliver the correct wavelength. Some of the FDA approved devices are not worth buying because the FDA has been known to approve devices that won’t harm but also won’t help. If you buy a device, use what is used in research. It’s not likely you’d see immediate improvement. I am trialing a device on my ears to see if it will help improve my hearing and plan to use it for as long as six months. Michael Hamblin at Harvard has done a lot of research in photobiomodulation. It affects mitochondria. Your daughter’s problem is not her mitochondria but her anatomy. In that case balloon sinuplasty might be a better choice. Ask her ENT and if you do go that route, find someone who has done a lot of them.

Dp

I use a Joovv red and near infrared light device on my skin and own a laser light as well. I do not use either for sinus but do use them to improve hearing and retinas. What device are you thinking of using? Vielight? Balloon sinuplasty might be another option.

An article about the mink variant: https://www.statnews.com/2020/11/05/spread-of-mutated-coronavirus-in-danish-mink-hits-all-the-scary-buttons-but-fears-may-be-overblown/ Francois Balloux’s response to the media coverage: https://mobile.twitter.com/BallouxFrancois/status/1324085761449304067 Denmark has been wanting to close all mink farms for awhile now, well before Covid. The date that was set to do this was either 2021 or 2024. I don't recall. This was a good reason to do so. I imagine TWiV will discuss the variant soon.

Yes, that's a good idea. They are using minks in some studies already. This would be a good opportunity as well, I would think.

Human recombinant soluble ACE2 has been found to work in a severe case of Covid. Granted, they will have to try this on more patients but it looks promising. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(20)30418-5/fulltext An article from April that explains in layman's terms how hrsACE2 works: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200402144526.htm The Covid virus needs to bind to a specific protein on the host's cell in order to enter the cell and replicate. That protein is called ACE2 and it acts as the "door" that the virus uses to get into the cell. Scientists developed a therapy using other "doors" not connected to a cell that the Covid virus will attach to. Because those doors are not attached to a cell, the virus is not able to replicate and spread as easily. Pretty cool.

Oh my. Hoping surgery went well for Ri. As if this year hasn't been hard enough.

Derek Lowe discusses the variant found in minks. Posters in the comment section address many of the concerns. https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2020/11/05/dont-make-mine-mink Denmark is culling and closing down to reduce spread and the possibility of a second wave. They don't want more cases. From what I've read elsewhere, the vaccines will be effective against this variant. Iirc, Denmark will use AstraZeneca. Maybe some others as well.

Your symptoms do sound suspiciously like Covid. If you're interested, some of the blood centers will test for Covid antibodies for free. It’s likely you would still have them. Glad you all came out of whatever you had okay. I've definitely been exposed but haven't had any symptoms.

He sure is handsome. Glad he's eating again and I hope he'll be bouncing back soon.

We had three dogs and numerous indoor/outdoor cats when I was a kid. Everyone got along just fine, even newborn kittens. In fact, our Siberian Husky would move the kittens back to their cozy box upstairs if they happened to stumble down the stairs. He would put them in his mouth. Mama cat was fine with it. Amazingly.

I'm not sure what they're prescribing but if anyone has gout, they might be in a good position if the dosage is similar! My husband's cousin in Lombardy, for instance, has gout and takes Colchicine. LOL Now if we can just get an accurate, rapid, cheap diagnostic test...

I posted it on the big thread, too. 🙂