taste of joy

It wasn’t our first, but yesterday’s evening with Rodney Crowell at the City Winery in Chicago was certainly one to relish.

When the evening was over, I had a better understanding of what Rodney sings “Oh, what a beautiful world” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTsYHaOSXeY.  I didn’t write down my own setlist as I wanted to devote full attention to his performance.  And as Rodney mentions in many of his songs, we felt like we were close to learning to fly.  Looking at recent setlists on setlist.fm, it looks like he’s sticking to the same one these days.  Here’s the one from the Philadelphia City Winery last month https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/rodney-crowell/2021/city-winery-philadelphia-pa-2b8d58fe.html.  I’ll bet someone posts last night’s set list pretty soon.  If you don’t know setlist.fm, it’s a great site for many reasons.  You can click and play any song on the list.

Just a few comments on his tunes.

Yes, he wrote “Shame on the moon”.  He recorded it a year before (’81) Bob Seger did.  Don Henley of the Eagles turned Seger on to Crowell.  The song spent 23 weeks on Billboard’s charts, peaking at #2 on 2/23/83.  Rodney said he got a lot of nice checks out of it.  Here he is singing it at another City Winery a few months ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c8hUqaDjG4

He and the late great Guy Clark were friends and had a working relationship.  Not a surprise for those two outlaw Texas country/folk guys.  I was warmed to hear how my favorite song of Rodney’s – “It ain’t over yet” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFrpzPR6TLY – grew out of a series of back and forths with the dying Mr. Clark, which makes the lyrics even more poignant.  The song wasn’t released till 2017, a year after Guy died.

And one of my favorite Guy Clark songs was co-written with Mr. None Other.  Here he is doing it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhzQvBYB2IU

Rodney knows how to work with the greats.  Check out this one where he pays tribute to – and sings with – one of the greatest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdm72rTC9qw.  The bass player last night delivered a very passable impression, not that anyone else in the world has a voice like that.  The great man lived 5 more years after the song was released as a single in 1998.  He was no longer Rodney’s father in-law when they recorded the song.

I don’t want to go Zell Miller on his setlist, but yes I could go on and on.

Another joy of these concerts is the artist’ merch table.  All of Rodney’s merch was music.  So much I’d never seen, even some vinyl, which I love.  Realizing I have to carry my haul on a train, I exerted some discipline.  I think the most fun one will be his Christmas album

As the lady at the table said “it’s not an ordinary Christmas album”.  I haven’t played it yet, but looking at the back I see what she means, with songs like:

“Merry Christmas from an empty bed“

“Let’s skip Christmas this year”

  and

“When the fat guy tries the chimney on for size”

I anticipate many more tastes of joy from this wonderful singer-songwriter.  He’s only 2 years older than me, so he’ll be around for a while, I hope.  So much more to explore.

But last night, wonderful as it was, did leave me with just a tiny taste of disappointment.  He didn’t do my favorite love song of his https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEXmETu6cDw.  I’ll have to play it for Kathy this morning.

London, ’79

My classmate friend and fellow author Sandy Northrop Jones asked if I got “college credit” for the 2 months I’d spent in London as a medical student. That begged a response, which I offered:

Oh my, yes.  U of C encouraged study abroad, and my favorite cardiology attending Dr. Resnekov had connections.  He set me up with Aubrey Leatham at St.George’s Hospital while I applied as a general visiting student to the Brompton (the national chest hospital).  Before I decided on rheumatology, my two favorite specialties were cardiology and pulmonary.  It was a wonderful experience.  I learned a bunch – more and different than I would have had I just hung around Chicago for those two months – saw many interesting things, and enjoyed the bird watching.  I’ve assembled a couple of triptychs for you. 

The first shows St. George’s Hospital on the left.  The big white building dates to the early 1800s and, situated right across from Hyde Park Corner, was said to be the most expensive piece of real estate in London at the time.  The next year, St. George’s moved everything to Tooting, where the medical school had moved several years earlier and where they put me up.  Tooting is a working class neighborhood 6 miles south of Hyde Park.  I took the 11 mile train ride in each morning.  If you know your London postal codes you’ll know that Tooting (SW.17) is just a stone’s throw from Wimbledon (SW.19).  SGH became a luxury hotel.  In the middle is the Brompton.  It’s west of SGH, still near Hyde Park (great place to run) and close to Royal Albert Hall, where Kathy and I were all set to go see Eric Clapton May before last before COVID ruined everything.  I liked it better than SG, as I was exposed to a variety of attendings and a wide range of odd and interesting diseases.   Plus, the students’/trainees’ quarters were right on the hospital grounds.  On the right is a picture of the phenomenon engulfing London at the time, the NUPE strike (National Union of Public Employees).  NUPE was the union of the garbage collectors so see what happens when they go on strike.  This was an open field in Tooting where people just stacked their garbage bags against the fence.  That strike probably did more to bring Margaret Thatcher into power than anything else then.


So let’s move on to the birds. 

See here the two I caught and the one that got away.  First, see Gillian M.B.Dyson, nurse at the Brompton.  Doesn’t she look cute in that getup?  Starched white apron, pale blue dress, big ornamental belt, black stockings, black leather shoes, and of course the cap.  I always liked a nurse in a proper uniform, but those British uniforms had it all over American versions.  My friends in the UK say their nurses stopped dressing like that long ago and they go full slob now, just like their American counterparts.  That saucy redhead in the middle is Jenny Wood, visiting medical student from Adelaide Australia.  And yup, she had the personality to go with that look.  I think the only reason I could keep up with her is that I was twice her size.  Finally, there’s Dr. Deborah Baldwin.  She was one of the two registrars (sort of like a resident) attached to my service at the Brompton.  She was friendly in a British cool sort of way.  I think she presented herself to me as available if only I would do something.  I took that picture of her as she was sitting in the chair in my room at students’ quarters!  She probably got to wondering what’s wrong with this big dumb American boy.


Well, thanks for spurring me to revisit those good old times.  I was going to direct you to a story in Volume II,  but none of my medical stories “My brilliant career” made it in there!  I’ll be asking Amazon/Kindle if I can just insert them rather than make a whole new book. Here’s the story https://theviewfromharbal.com/2020/04/07/a-proud-line/, mainly about me and the British cardiologists.  One of my favorites.

from the ‘burg

I’m very fond of the little village in which I grew up: Vicksburg (pop’n 3,617).  Between what my old VHS classmates tell me and what I read in my monthly South County News (1), I pretty much keep on top of what’s happening there.  This month’s SCN featured stories of the good fortunes of two Bulldogs teams.  I thought it was news worth spreading.  I’ve assembled a list of every classmate with an e-mail address and use it to round ’em up for monthly Zoom meetings.  Yesterday, even though I had no pertinent Zoom announcement, I sent everyone on that list the following (not everyone lives in the ‘burg or reads the SCN).

“Good evening friends

No Zoom news with this one, just using my database to pass on some news of our ‘burg.  Kathy Oswalt-Forsythe, VHS English teacher and South County News editor-in-chief is nice enough to send me her paper every month.  You in the ‘burg can pick it up for free at Mar-Jos and other establishments.  The farther flung can access it at https://southcountynews.org/.  Send Ms O-F a small check, and you can get your own paper copy every month.  She’ll even put your name on the back of the paper the month your check clears.

The paper exudes all the small town charm of the old Commercial, Meredith Clark’s baby, whose other baby – the late Sue Moore – was founding editor of SCN.

This month there was some great news about 2 of our sports teams.  Our footballers would have been undefeated in the regular season were it not for those mean kids from Edwardsburg, who finished undefeated and never put up less than 50 points on an opponent after they opened the season beating Montague by a mere 38-0.  Unfortunately, our old nemesis from 16 miles south – Three Rivers – ended our playoff run by nipping us 9-7 at Canavan Field 2 days before Halloween.  That game – dubbed “Battle for the Bone II” – was projected as the most interesting game in the state that weekend (2).  We’d beaten them handily – 46-27 – during the regular season.  SCN must have gone to press before that playoff game.   The story (3) is not on line yet, but here it is:

Although this Bulldog team didn’t go far in the playoffs, there’s another team of Bulldogs that won it all.  Last month, our equestrian girls won their second state championship in 3 years (they came in 3rd last year).  As I have a 16 year-old equestrian niece in California, I started to pay attention to this team when they first won state in ’19.  They’re quite the power.  Starting as a club sport in 1999, they won district in 4 of their first five seasons after becoming a full-fledged varsity sport in 2009.  They’re cute to boot.  Here’s the story (4). 

I also like this picture of them hoisting their just-won State Championship trophy.

Finally, no tune this time. I couldn’t find a recording of our fight song.  But, hey, check this out:

Just 9 days to November 16.  Looking forward to seeing youse there.

Bob”

What more can I say than “Red and white fight! Fight!

References

1.         South County News online https://southcountynews.org/.

2.         Bernreuter H.  ‘Battle for the Bone II’ between Vicksburg, Three Rivers most intriguing game in state.  MLive.com 10/29/21 https://www.mlive.com/sports/2021/10/battle-for-the-bone-ii-between-vicksburg-three-rivers-most-intriguing-game-in-state.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mlivesports_sf&fbclid=IwAR35A8FiBLpeJKVFBZxEAAu17L17EeUEtRlURJ1w5vmaVjAIHexv7UYfGMk

3.         Smola T.  Bulldog football finishes season with 8-1 record.  South County News November 2021, p 20.

4.         Vicksburg equestrian team captures state title.  South County News November 2021, p19.

scorecards

I apologize for following the whole COVID thing like a sporting event.   There are too many players here to call winners and losers.  One site I’ve visited religiously through it all is that of Johns Hopkins.  Pretty good school, rejected me for a rheumatology fellowship.  But if you go to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center (1) you can get the straight dope on Mr. Corona.  Your best bet there is to go to “Impact of closings decisions by state”.  Set up to track all the nonsense things governors have done to “control” the outbreak, their data are pretty straight.  You can type in your state, or any other in which you are interested, and there are the curves: infections and deaths.  I’ve logged into this site almost daily, following those numbers like sports scores.

Here’s what they say about Michigan tonight (November 7th):

So, more infections.  Ooh scary

But who’s dying?  Creeping up a little, but not bad.

Nothing like the last 3 waves.  As expected, the more the virus mutates, the less lethal it becomes (much to the chagrin of the boys and girls in the Wuhan lab).

Another site has drawn my attention recently, and is worth yours.  With the ever wider application of a stab that was never rigorously tested for toxicity, it behooves someone to collect data on what happens to these people.  Like Nancy Pelosi spoke about Obamacare “We have to pass it to know what’s in it”.  What seems to be in the offing for recipients of the vaxx is an endless chain of misery (without a great deal of protection).  Having those spike proteins circulating may not be such a good thing.  VAERS is the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System put in place in 1990 to collect voluntary reports of adverse reactions after any vaccine. The outfit OpenVAERS (2) builds from the HHS data available for download at vaers.hhs.gov. As they state, this voluntary reporting system may account for only 1% of vaccine injuries.  So oh my.

So, if you’ll allow me an editorial opinion, let me quote the late great Nancy Reagan as a piece of advice about the vaxx:

On the back of the t-shirt I constructed (“I like the nucleic acids God gave me”) I added a table after Nancy’s picture

I hope you are all keeping vaxx free and healthy. Hydroxychloroquine (3) and ivermectin (4) are great ways to protect yourself against the virus-spewing vaxxed (5) among you, the bastards.

A day after I first posted this, I came across a devastating article that strongly bolsters a feeling I’ve had for a while, a grave disappointment in how my old profession has handled the pandemic and its aftermath. I haven’t mingled with docs treating patients for nearly 3 years, so I don’t know what my old chums have been doing. I’m pleased to report in my recent visit with my new primary physician, he did not try to push the jab on me, respecting my reservations. But overall, what docs have pushed has not been good (6). So many things have been crushed by this pandemic. I hope the shining jewel of American medicine doesn’t become one of them. Already, it’s a bit tarnished.

References

1.         Johns Hopkins University of Medicine. Coronavirus Resource Center.  https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/

2.         OpenVAERS https://openvaers.com/

3.         Ike B. HCQ HQ.  Posted 11/6/21 https://theviewfromharbal.com/2021/11/06/hcq-hq/

4.         Ike B. dewormer – Imovec™, Stromectol™.  Posted 9/6/21 https://theviewfromharbal.com/2021/09/07/dewormer-imovec-stromectol/

5.         Singanavagam A, Dunning J, Madon KJ et al.  Community transmission and viral load kinetics of the SARS-CoV-2 delta (B.1.6172) variant in vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals in the UK: a prospective, longitudinal, cohort study.  Lancet Infectious Diseases.  Published online October 28, 2021 https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(21)00648-4

6.         Kunstler JH.  Medicine Wants to Kill You.  The Blue State Conservative 11/9/21.  https://thebluestateconservative.com/2021/11/09/medicine-wants-to-kill-you/

internal blog links

All the links within each post are listed below the title of the post.

Michigan 84 Purdue 76 (2 OT)

hype video: https://youtube/jGWGcS9ZWPM

Bye bye bikes?. 

Skedaddle tour https://www.skedaddle.com/us/classicroad/holidays/location/Chile/869#guided. 

Gone, gone, gone. 

Lost that lovin’ feelinghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOnYY9Mw2Fg

Walkies.

AA Parks & Rec webpagehttps://www.a2gov.org/departments/Parks-Recreation

Washtenaw Cunty Parks & Rec https://www.washtenaw.org/288/Parks-Recreation

Healing Forest guide https://healingforest.org/2020/01/27/forest-bathing-guide/

Trail tails

John Prine song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEy6EuZp9IY

Sunshine blog https://theviewfromharbal.com/2020/11/23/sunshine-on-my-shoulders-kills-my-covid/

walkies blog https://theviewfromharbal.com/2020/11/25/walkies/

Washtenaw county nature areas https://www.washtenaw.org/336/Nature-Preserves

Southeaast Michigan Land Conservancy http://smlcland.org/

Superior Township parks https://superiortownship.org/departments/parks-and-recreation/

Michigan DNR (https://www2.dnr.state.mi.us/ParksandTrails/Default.aspx?filterID=57#list

Hey, Tim

Mill write-up https://issuu.com/issuuencore/docs/encore_october19

Goodbye Sue post  https://wordpress.com/post/theviewfromharbal.com/561

Billy Taylor https://www.touchdownbillytaylor.com/

Marathon Man https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xBJERznOgA

wolverines in Alaska https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wolverine.main

deathless loyalty

UM History Committee report on Yost https://pacouh.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/96/2021/05/Preliminary-Summary-Recommendation-on-Yost-Name-4-27-21.pdf

Real story of GR Ford & WWardhttp://www.washtenawwatchdogs.com/the-real-story-of-gerald-ford-wilis-ward-and-the-1934-michigan-georgia-tech-football-game.

Willis Ward protests http://mvictors.com/ebay-watch-the-willis-ward-protests-1934/

Yost vs Schembechler http://mwolverine.com/YostvsSchembechlerNoComparison.htmlYst

Yost name review https://pacouh.umich.edu/yost-name-review/

More Fielding Yost

Previous post https://theviewfromharbal.com/2021/05/29/deathless-loyalty/

Et tu, Bo?

Freep story https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/2021/06/09/michigan-football-matt-bo-schembechler-sexual-assault-1969/7627659002/

More Bo

post on Dr. Anderson’s practices https://wordpress.com/post/theviewfromharbal.com/1611

Heart of a Champion  https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Champion-Bo-Schembechler/dp/1587264951/ref=sr_1_10?crid=2ECU0YH313OT0&dchild=1&keywords=bo+schembechler&qid=1623455533&sprefix=Schembechler+%2Caps%2C191&sr=8-10

College mascots

Source https://www.ereferencedesk.com/education/mascots/

Wasn’t that a party?

post on batch e-mail https://wordpress.com/post/theviewfromharbal.com/1311

Virgin Galactic raffle https://www.omaze.com/

song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-KDSxqJ_0o

Kathy’s textbook https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/scientific-writing

Kathy’s childrens’books https://www.amazon.com/Skycat-Goes-Moon-Adventure-2012-10-13/dp/B01K15DFNM/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=%22Auntie+KC%22&qid=1626556621&sr=8-3; https://www.amazon.com/Skycat-Goes-Ann-Arbor-Adventure/dp/1981394346/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=%22Auntie+KC%22&qid=1626556961&sr=8-5

Bob’s books https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095BS8VRJ; https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Ozone-Again-Commander-counting-ebook/dp/B096KY4Z4D/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Bob+Ike&qid=1624277207&sr=8-3; https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B098LML34S/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i3; https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B098QZJMLW/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2; https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B098LY1J8X/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Bob’s YouTubes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ21BHiSlJ4; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb_Bz4SssxM; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0rYQ97fJBU; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI73MfmDYSM; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8TeHA4UL_8; https://youtu.be/O7hxT6OLfH0

Down the hole, Bo

hype video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqoJmSF235E

the team, the team, the team https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjv2iDxiGBI

Et tu, Bo?  post  https://wordpress.com/post/theviewfromharbal.com/1611

Down the hole, Bo.post  https://wordpress.com/post/theviewfromharbal.com/1915

 DPSS report https://issuu.com/michigandaily/docs/2021-10-13

Anderson as“enormous” liability for U.  https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/09/30/um-president-admits-anderson-litigation-enormous-liability-university/5881713001/

Independent investigation of Anderson.  https://regents.umich.edu/files/meetings/01-01/WH_Anderson_Report.pdf

Anderson’s draft board antics  https://www.freep.com/story/sports/university-michigan/wolverines/2020/02/28/michigan-um-doctor-robert-anderson/4897540002/

MSU rerun

MLive article https://www.mlive.com/news/2021/10/last-time-a-u-m-vs-msu-football-game-was-this-big-the-beatles-landed-in-america.html

“My beautiful wife” post https://theviewfromharbal.com/2020/11/10/my-beautiful-wife-loves-michigan/

Brandy, you’re a fine guy

“fried chicken” story https://deadspin.com/it-took-a-while-but-michigan-decides-that-fried-chicke-510612333

blog links

The posts listed here from the last 20 months all touch on sports and are featured in Musing though a Pandemic. My Year an a Half (and then some) with Mr. Corona. Volume IV. Then play on. Readers of a paper copy can use these links to directly access a post and thus the links within it.

Michigan 84 Purdue 76 (2 OT)

Jan 12, 2020 at 11:57 AM

Brady in PB

Jan 20, 2020 at 10:16 PM

Juwan and us

Feb 9, 2020 at 5:33 PM

Sonny and Jimmy

Feb 3, 2020 at 4:56 PM

Bye, bye bikes?

Mar 15, 2020 at 9:25 PM

walkies

Nov 25, 2020 at 3:59 PM

gone, gone, gone

Jul 2, 2020 at 3:56 PM

trail tales

Dec 5, 2020 at 1:46 PM

hey, Tim

Mar 15, at 4:16 PM

deathless loyalty

May 28, at 10:28 PM

more Fielding Yost

Jun 4, at 8:51 AM

et tu, Bo?

Jun 10, at 8:03 PM

more Bo

Jun 11, at 7:57 PM

football!

college mascots

Wasn’t that a party?!

lunch with Jimmy

down the hole, Bo

LTE

MSU rerun

Brandy, you’re a fine guy

5, at 2:00 PM

from the ‘burg

Nov 10, at 11:58 AM

buckeyes!

HCQ HQ

A friend read my post yesterday about the new COVID pills (1), which I led off by writing that we have safe and effective pills for COVID already, and she commented “please explain”.  I sent her a link to my ivermectin post of 2 months back (2), but then realized I’d only covered half the bases.  What about Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine: HCQ)?  I wrote a lot about HCQ in the early days of the pandemic, pleased to see that a trusted old friend was getting out there and helping others.  HCQ was a very helpful medication for a lot of the patients I treated as a rheumatologist, particularly those with rheumatoid arthritis and/or lupus.  It’s so important for the latter, once a patient’s on it they should never come off.  It’s been shown definitively that when they do, they tend to slip out of remission (3).

HCQ never got to save nearly as many of the COVID infected – from getting infected in the first place, worse disease, hospitalization, ICUs, or even death – as it could have had it been used freely.  Instead, in one of the bigger of many tragedies of how the mainstream handled COVID, use of HCQ was politicized, even demonized, as in some states it even became illegal to prescribe or dispense the drug for COVID, and more widely those who did risked censure or even loss of license.  Or is this just my fantasy – admittedly shared by many others – that HCQ was a panacea wrongfully denied to patients it might have helped?  My dive into PubMed found that the number of papers about HCQ in COVID is falling off, and their messages are a drumbeat of negativity.  Not only does HCQ not work, it can be dangerous, especially to the heart.  Of the hundreds and hundreds of patients I treated with HCQ over 35 years, only one had any heart trouble, and she had been taking too high a dose for her body weight for years.  Given the many ways that COVID can affect the heart (4), ascribing a new heart problem in a COVID infected patient to a drug they are taking for it is a risky exercise at best.  And my patients took the drug for years, compared to the days or weeks a COVID patient might.

But I write here not to save HCQ, only to explain it.  Listed below are the 11 posts touching on HCQ I made in the first 11 months of the pandemic.  In them, you will be able to see many of the origins of my enthusiasm.  My wife and I are taking ivermectin for prophylaxis now.  She needs it as she is surrounded by virus-spewing vaxxed colleagues and students hoping any 100 nm coronavirus they emit will be stopped by the 300+ nm pores in the silly masks they still are required to wear.  Should I ever test positive in my weekly spitting test, I’m asking my doc for a HCQ prescription.

Tonic?

Mar 14, 2020 at 9:40 AM

I told my high school English teacher about HCQ and she asked if she might be able to get the quinine by another route.

Plaquenil for corona

Mar 19, 2020 at 5:38 PM

A brief introduction to HCQ (with pictures) as it was just making the news as a potential treatment for COVID

How Plaquenil May Work

Mar 20, 2020 at 9:01 AM

Basic chemistry and cell biology say HCQ may drown Mr. Corona in Drano

Hands off My Plaquenil?

Mar 23, 2020 at 2:13 PM

An examination of the backlash of rheumatology patients to the use of “their” drug

Hello Plaquenil! You too, Aralen

Mar 30, 2020 at 8:48 AM

An EUA from the FDA for HCQ to treat COVID

Want a Z-Pac with that Plaquenil?

Apr 3, 2020 at 10:47 AM

Dr. Zelenko’s famous regimen

1919

Quinine (HCQ’s precursor) against the Spanish flu

Hail to the Plaquenil, Chief!

May 19, 2020 at 11:59 AM

PDJT takes it.  And look how quick he beat COVID once he caught it!

Plaquenil yay!

Jul 4, 2020 at 2:55 PM

In nearby Henry Ford Hospital, HCQ kept patients out of the hospital, out of the ICU

AMA caves on Plaquenil12

Dec 16, 2020 at 2:13 PM

They sure did, and in a very cowardly way.

how about that Plaquenil?

Jan 24, at 8:56 AM

In Hackensack, HCQ helps keep COVID patients out of the hospital

References

1.         Ike B.  A pill for COVID?  Posted 11/5/21.  https://theviewfromharbal.com/2021/11/05/a-pill-for-covid/

2.         Ike B.  dewormer – Imovec™, Stromectol™.  posted 9/7/21.  https://theviewfromharbal.com/2021/09/07/dewormer-imovec-stromectol/

3.         Canadian Hydroxychloroquine Study Group. A randomized study of the effect of withdrawing hydroxychloroquine sulfate in systemic lupus erythematosus. N Engl J Med. 1991 Jan 17;324(3):150-4. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199101173240303. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejm199101173240303

4.         Shaha KB, Manandhar DN, Cho JR, Adhikari A, K C MB. COVID-19 and the heart: what we have learnt so far. Postgrad Med J. 2021 Oct;97(1152):655-666. doi: 10.1136/postgradmedj-2020-138284. Epub 2020 Sep 17.  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344301223_COVID-19_and_the_heartwhat_we_have_learnt_so_far

a pill for COVID?

Sure, Plaquenil and ivermectin are out there, safe and cheap and pretty effective if given at the start of COVID infection.  That hasn’t kept the boys and girls at Pharma from cooking up something maybe better.  Behold PAXLOVID™ (PF-07321332; ritonavir), a swallowed drug that inhibits a SARS-CoV-2-3CL protease (protein breaking down enzyme) that Mr. Corona uses to bust up cells before it starts remaking its own RNA.  Supposedly, it was found to reduce the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% compared to placebo in non-hospitalized high-risk adults with COVID-19 (1).  In the overall study population through Day 28, no deaths were reported in patients who received PAXLOVID™ as compared to 10 deaths in patients who received placebo.  Close to 20% of the patients in the trial reported adverse effects, but so did a similar number who had received a placebo. Pfizer reassures us that “In preclinical studies, PF-07321332 did not demonstrate evidence of mutagenic DNA interactions.”

Pfizer didn’t just cook this up special for COVID.  It’s been on their shelf for years, with many trials in HIV.

Merck has  molnupiravir, a drug with a similar mechanism of action (2), which may actually have beat Pfizer to this particular finish line.  Neither has FDA approval, but fast track is of course being sought.

No word if either of the fancy new drugs will undergo head-to-head trials against hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin.  As we wait for the FDA to act, patients should be reassured that such drugs are available, provided an open minded doctor is also available.

It’s going to be pricey, but Pfizer will offer our investigational oral antiviral therapy through a tiered pricing approach based on the income level of each country to promote equity of access across the globe.  Good Pfizer is serving equity.  What is it doing about diversity and inclusion?

References

1.         NBC News.  Pfizer’s Covid antiviral pill may cut severe illness by 89 percent.  https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/pfizers-covid-antiviral-pill-may-cut-severe-illness-89-percent-rcna4593

2.         NBC News.  Merck says experimental Covid pill cuts risk of death, hospitalization by 50 percent.  https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/merck-says-experimental-covid pill-cuts-risk-death-hospitalization-50-n1280536

Brandy, you’re a fine guy

Jim Brandstatter was a passable offensive tackle when I was a student, two classes ahead of me, watching Bo’s early teams grind it out on the ground and win a lot. As part of that fearsome line, Jim’s partly responsible for that success. Jim, who’s been “Brandy” for as long as I can remember, pursued a very successful career as Michigan’s football announcer, play by play guy since Frank Beckman was fired for the fried chicken thing. Open and eternally upbeat, he handled Bo and Lloyd with aplomb, and never stops exuding his infectious enthusiasm. He’s retiring at the end of this season. When I wrote a letter to the editor of the Michigan Daily about Dr. Anderson, I showed it to my new friend Ken Magee, a retired federal agent who devotes his time to Michigan sports and looking after the veteran of the week at each Michigan home game. He said what I wrote resonated with some things Brandy had said – in public, unfortunately – and I should send him a copy. I looked him up and did just that. I’ve not heard back, but here’s what I wrote him:

Dear Jim

I write you on a serious matter.  About Bo.  But first, let me tell you how much I’ve enjoyed your coverage of Michigan Football over the decades.  Your boundless enthusiasm was always infectious.  You could even get a smile out of Lloyd on those old Michigan Replays.  I doubt Bo was hard to coach on those shows, and you always had the right words for him.

I’ve watched you perform even longer than that.  I was one of those hippies in the end zone swilling Boone’s Farm and booing Bo for playing such boring football, as all the while you, Deardorf and the rest were working your butts off to get the future Dr. Taylor his yards, winning all the way.

So count me among the furious at how Bo’s memory has been treated these past couple years, and it’s getting worse.  I wrote a letter to the Daily editor Wednesday and put it up on my blog (since I doubt I’ll ever see it in the Daily).  As a physician for over 41 years, including 36 at the U, I think something is missing from the Anderson story.  Call it medical perspective or just plain common sense.  I sent the text of my letter to my friend Ken Magee, who so ably runs the great Veteran of the week program (now officially “Community Hero of the Week”).  He recommended I send it to you, so here it is https://theviewfromharbal.com/2021/10/21/lte/.  In case the link doesn’t work, I’ve also attached the word file I used to make the post (I couldn’t do this on your web page).

I’m not looking to get this read on the air or anything like that, but thought if you appreciated it you might want it to share with some other like-minded individuals.  I’m sure you know many.

Best wishes in your retirement, and Go Blue!

Bob Ike

Per Ken, Brandy had mentioned on the Lucianne Lance’s (local radio personality) show that perhaps Dr. Anderson’s doings were just standard practice for the time. Whether this brought about his nudge toward the door may never be known. I’ve never met Jim in person, but he seems healthy and vigorous and I’ve never caught a missed beat in his broadcasting. I’d love to know what he thinks of my letter. At least he knows there’s others thinking like him out there. Probably plenty. Time we speak up.