Welcome, Health Advocates!

In this week’s June 7, 2024 update:

• Mortality: Persistent High Excess Death Rates in Western Countries

• Vejon: Video of the week from Vejon Health

• Medications: Doctors Promoting Drugs Are Paid by Big Pharma

• Infographic: Understanding how Stress Affects the Body

• Health: Excessive healthy habits can become toxic

• News: Medical News in Brief

• Book Nook: Publications that may interest you

• Chat Vejon: Ask our AI Expert relevant medical questions

  Read time: 5 minutes

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

DISEASES, CONDITIONS, SYNDROMES

Persistent High Excess Death Rates in Western Countries Despite COVID-19 Containment and Vaccination Efforts

• Excess death rates in the West have remained high for three years since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

• Despite containment measures and vaccines, excess deaths totaled 3,098,456 across 47 countries from 2020 to 2022..

• Researchers urge governments to investigate the persistent high excess mortality and evaluate health crisis policies.

• The study highlights serious concerns about the effectiveness of pandemic responses and the need for thorough policy review.

Why is this Important: Persistently high excess death rates in Western countries despite COVID-19 containment and vaccination efforts highlight the need for thorough investigation into health crisis policies and underlying causes, raising serious concerns about the effectiveness of pandemic responses.

Vejon Video Highlight of the Week

MEDICATIONS

Doctors Promoting Drugs on Social Media Are Paid by Big Pharma

• Study finds doctors promoting drugs on social media are compensated by pharmaceutical companies.

• Payments to doctors include speaking fees, consulting fees, and other financial incentives.

• Social media endorsements by doctors can influence patient treatment decisions.

• Transparency in doctor-pharma relationships is crucial to maintain public trust in healthcare.

Why is this Important: Doctors promoting drugs on social media being paid by pharmaceutical companies highlights potential conflicts of interest, influencing patient treatment decisions and underscoring the need for transparency in healthcare relationships.

INFOGRAPHIC

HEALTH

Excessive healthy habits can become toxic, study finds.

• Excessive healthy habits like over-exercising or extremely restrictive diets can become toxic and harmful to health.

• Obsessive healthy behaviors can lead to stress, anxiety, and disordered eating patterns.

• Moderation is key - even nutritious foods and exercise should be balanced to avoid negative consequences.

• Rigid adherence to healthy habits can paradoxically result in physical and mental health issues over time.

Why is this Important: Obsessing over healthy habits can paradoxically harm physical and mental well-being, highlighting the importance of balance and moderation in pursuing a healthy lifestyle to avoid toxic consequences like stress, anxiety, and disordered eating patterns.

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COVID-19

Study suggests risk of death from COVID-19 decreases over time, but infection can still cause health problems three years later

• COVID-19 patients hospitalized within 30 days of infection have a 29% higher 3-year death risk vs. uninfected people.

• Even mild COVID-19 cases still experience new health problems related to the infection 3 years later.

• Increased death risk diminishes significantly 1 year after infection for non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients, who are the majority.

• Mild COVID-19 infections can lead to sobering long-term health consequences even 3 years later, the study found.

Why is this Important: Even mild COVID-19 infections can lead to sobering long-term health consequences three years later, underscoring the importance of preventing infection and monitoring the health of those previously infected to mitigate potential issues.

MEDICAL NEWS IN BRIEF

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

🚥 Retinal Differences Reveal Severity of Schizophrenia, Researchers Discover: Identifying retinal differences associated with schizophrenia severity offers a potential biomarker for disease progression and treatment response, which could lead to more personalized interventions, improved monitoring, and better outcomes for patients struggling with this complex mental disorder.

🚥 Mediterranean diet linked to 23% lower risk of early death in U.S. women: Identifying the biological mechanisms behind the Mediterranean diet's mortality benefits in U.S. women provides valuable insights for personalized nutrition strategies and targeted interventions to promote healthy aging and longevity.

🚥Obeldesivir: A Promising Oral Antiviral for Future Pandemic Preparedness: Obeldesivir's development as an oral antiviral is crucial for future pandemic preparedness, offering a potential treatment that can be administered at home, thus reducing the need for hospital visits and improving accessibility during outbreaks.

🚥 Study Finds Increased Risk of Epilepsy and Appendicitis in Children After COVID-19 Vaccination: Children who received COVID-19 vaccines had a 50% higher risk of epilepsy compared to unvaccinated children. Vaccinated children had a 20% higher risk of appendicitis compared to those who were unvaccinated. Risks of both epilepsy and appendicitis were highest 31-60 days after vaccination but remained elevated for months.

🚥Gene therapy trial restores hearing in both ears for deaf children: Bilateral gene therapy for inherited deafness marks a groundbreaking advance, enabling children to regain hearing, localize sounds, and develop speech. This paves the way for treating various genetic causes of hearing loss and potentially benefiting millions worldwide who suffer from disabling deafness.

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