Dr. Merchant’s grandfather, Crede H. Calhoun, had malaria as a young man, which he acquired working in the Canal Zone and on the Panama Canal. Treatment with chloroquine cured his malaria, but left him hearing impaired. The governor of NY announced clinical trials using the combination of chloroquine and Zithromax, for covid-19 patients, to treat the patients and prevent secondary bacterial pneumonia. We wonder if pyrimethamine (Daraprim), a drug which also treats malaria, has a good safety profile, and…..
Years ago, Hantavirus struck NM, a/k/a Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome or Hantavirus hemorrhagic fever, which was transmitted by inhaling urine droplets from rodents. Hantavirus began with flu-like symptoms, and could rapidly progress to life-threatening breathing difficulty or acute renal failure. We wondered why the vast majority of victims were born after 1972? Some viruses can be related, i.e. in the same family of viruses, and prior infection or vaccination against one virus may be partially protective against another. Hantavirus is…..
Daraprim (pyrimethamine) was developed by a Nobel Prize winning American scientist, Gertrude Elion (1918-1999); and treats blood borne parasitic infections, such as malaria and toxoplasmosis. WHO reports Daraprim is one of the safest and most effective medicines that is needed in any health system. In clinical trials, Daraprim has been shown effective in treating HIV (HIV patients susceptible to toxoplasmosis), retinochoroiditis (retinal inflammation), and ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease); and may slow the progression of Tay-Sachs disease, a “syndrome” in which…..
We are on the precipice of so many things. The coronavirus pandemic could spur innovation and lead to the discovery of the root causes of many chronic diseases, through development of new diagnostic tools and routine availability of better diagnostic tools, in patient care and research. It could lead to new medications and vaccines for other viral illnesses; and a better understanding of the role of immortal bacteria, bacterial pneumonia, and underlying co-infections, in chronic disease and acute viral illness……
Scientists have discovered an early cousin to chlamydia, living 2 miles beneath the surface of the Arctic Ocean, and several feet below the sea floor sediment. Subjected to intense pressure and largely deprived of oxygen, the microbes grew in abundance and even seem to dominate certain patches of the sea floor. Chlamydia has been found in 1,000 year old sludge, and signs of chronic disease caused by chlamydia have been found in ancient remains. Dr. Brian Balin and his team…..
Refractive surgery has been promoted as a path to happiness and freedom from glasses and contact lenses—it is not. The 20/happy method of evaluating success is not a scientific method to evaluate the success of eye surgeries or vision correction. Approximately 20% of refractive surgery patients have complaints immediately or in the short term; 50% are back in glasses within five years, and at that time correcting vision can be more difficult due to an irregular cornea; and most people…..
The FDA failed to define “reportable complications” from refractive surgery, when approving the devices used; thus, surgeons do not know what complications to report. The number of reported complications may be 1/100th of the total complications, which is the typical rate of reporting complications for all medical devices. Even when reported, the manufacturer often blames the doctor or patient rather than the device, hides problems in their “complaint files”, and fails to pass the report on to the FDA. …..
Isolating ourselves when acutely ill prevents community spread—and also protects us from acquiring a second acute illness during the course of the acute illness. More than one illness can spread in a community at the same time, such as chlamydia, influenza, whooping cough, RSV, etc. Acquiring two acute illnesses at the same time, i.e. combination of bacterial, viral, and/or parasitic diseases, increases the risk of developing a more serious acute illness and of developing chronic disease. When a person…..
We hope the coronavirus outbreak will lead to important changes, such as: People regain appreciation for the need to wash hands frequently and not touch the face People return to the practice of staying home when sick, to avoid infecting others and to limit community spread People and science gain a greater appreciation for the dangers arising from transmission of animal pathogens to people People and science recognize the danger of cross species transmission of pathogens, which can allow the…..
The average thickness of the central cornea is approximately 550 microns (mcns), slightly more than 1/2 a millimeter. (A credit card is 700 mcns thick.) The center of the cornea is the thinnest point, with increasing thickness toward the periphery. Corneas which are too thin or too thick, or have an unusual shape, may be an indication of a corneal thinning disease. Rigid contact wear can thin the cornea, and toric contact lenses for astigmatism can cause thinning inferiorly, as…..