Exercising With a Mask is Safe

My daughter was trying to come to terms regarding what to do about school with our 3.5year old grandson. Her friends were applying peer pressure to send him to school citing permanent psychological and developmental damage from staying isolated at home. She signed him up for a school that does not have a vaccine mandate for teachers and staff but does require that the children wear a mask indoors and in close contact situations outside. “Don’t you know that masks are unhealthy for children. They have to breathe more carbon dioxide.” said another mom. 

Rising carbon dioxide levels produce a reaction to breathe, which is a good thing. So, I searched the literature to find something that provides evidence that masks are safe.

Matthew Kampert, D.O. and colleagues from the Cleveland Clinic performed exercise stress tests on active young men wearing no mask, wearing a N95 mask and wearing a cloth mask with a charcoal filter. Their results were published as a letter in one of JAMA’s online forums.

These men each exercised until they were exhausted in three scenarios. Without a mask they exercised for a mean duration of 591 seconds versus 548 seconds with a cloth mask and 545 seconds with an N95 mask. They all felt that breathing resistance and humidity was higher with either mask.

There were no arrhythmias nor were there ischemic EKG changes. Their conclusion, based on the small difference in time exercising, is that wearing a mask did not limit physical exercise capacity.

Thus, wearing a mask does not adversely affect your ability to exercise or participate in activities.

Some Health Issues Should Not Be Evaluated in the Office

I received a phone call from an elderly gentleman who was closer to ninety years of age than 80, was taking an aspirin and had just suffered a fall and hit his head. He did not know why or how he fell. He asked for an appointment the same day to “check me out.” 

My staff asked all the pertinent questions and immediately brought the information to me.  After reviewing it, I felt for his safety his best course of action was to immediately call 911 (or have us do it) and go to our local emergency department for evaluation. The patient takes daily aspirins to prevent a second heart attack or stroke.

The antiplatelet action of the aspirin, plus his age and the head trauma necessitate an immediate and thorough evaluation with imaging. I do not have an X Ray unit, CT Scan unit or MRI unit in my internal medicine office. If I bring this gentleman into my office, he must transport himself, wait until I have time later in the day and probably will then have to wait to be scheduled by an imaging facility for a non-contrast CT scan of the brain to make sure doesn’t have a bleed between his brain and skull or a bleed in the brain. The delay in evaluation can threaten his survival and recovery. 

The patient was quite angry at the suggestion – quoting my concierge practice contract that says we will bring you in for a visit same day for an acute condition. The non-stated content is that we will bring you in same day for a condition that is appropriate for evaluation in an office setting. The same can be said for someone calling with acute substernal chest pain which could be a heart attack or sudden inability to breathe.  Add in excessive bleeding that does not respond to compression or loss of consciousness as conditions that are best evaluated and treated in an emergency department. These are all conditions that require a call to EMS via 911 and an immediate evaluation in an Emergency Department where the equipment exists to quickly evaluate and treat these problems safely. 

The patient was worried about the wait in the ED and COVID-19 exposure. Both concerns are understandable despite little transmission of Covid recorded in ED visits or in patient hospitalizations.

This patient has emailed me twice now demanding a full refund of his membership fee due to violation of the contract. The reasoning and concern have been explained to him several times already. My concern is that his new onset short temper and grumpy demeanor are the result of the fall and head trauma which still has not been evaluated.

Patients need to know that there are times a health issue requires evaluation and treatment in an emergency department.  It has nothing to do with a contract.  It has everything to do with making the right clinical recommendation for the patient.

Concierge Medicine and the Pandemic

Twenty years ago I practiced internal medicine and geriatrics locally in a traditional medical practice. I cared for 2700 patients seen in 15-minute visits with an annual checkup being given a full 30 minutes. The majority of my patients were over 55 years old and many had already been patients for 10-20 years. The practice office revenue was enhanced by having an in house laboratory, chest x-ray machine, pulmonary function lab and flexible sigmoidoscopy colon cancer surveillance program. If patients needed more time, we allotted more time or, more likely, we just fell behind leaving patients stranded in the waiting room wondering when they would be seen. I had a robust hospital practice made easier by the fact that the hospital was a short walk across the street and most of my hospitalized patients came from being required to cover the emergency room periodically for patients requiring admission but not having a physician.

Much changed quickly in the early 1990’s as we approached the millennium. Insurers managed care programs kidnapped our younger patients by approaching employers and guaranteeing cost savings on health insurance by demanding we provide care at a 25% discount. In addition, mandatory ER call became a nightmare because insurers would only compensate contracted physicians to care for their hospital inpatients.

My very profitable chest x-ray machine became an albatross because that $28 x-ray reimbursement was now accompanied by a fee to dispose of the developing fluid by only a certified chemical disposal firm even though the EPA said there was not enough silver in the waste to require that you do anything other than dump it down the sink. The lab closed too. Congress enacted strict testing and over site rules which made the cost of doing business too expensive and not profitable. That flexible sigmoidoscopy went the way of the Model-T Ford when the medical community enlarged to accommodate board certified gastroenterologists certified to look at the entire colon under anesthesia not just the distal colon and sigmoid.

We tried to overcome increased costs and lost revenue by seeing more patients per day. We banded together as physician owned groups owning imaging centers and common labs but the Center for Medicare Services (CMS), which runs Medicare, and private insurers plus Congressional rules on conflict of interest thwarted those ideas. We attended seminars on becoming a member of an HMO and taking full risk for a patient’s health care and cost.

The message was clear, you could make a great deal of money if you put barriers in front of patients limiting access to care and especially in patient hospital care. The ethics of that model did not sit well with many. So, we started earlier, shortened each visit and worked later and harder. As time wore on, and our loyal patients aged, we realized that we needed to spend MORE TIME with them more frequently.  Not less time!

Spending less time with patients was the primary impetus which prompted my exploration of concierge medicine when I realized I was better off emotionally, ethically and morally caring well for fewer patients. Financially, seeing a smaller panel of patients who paid a membership fee generated similar income to maintaining a large panel of patients in a capitated system or fee for service seeing more people with shorter visits.

I discuss this now because I often wonder how I would be able to care for my large panel of patients today in the midst of this COVID-19 Pandemic.

For the most part I have been able to give my patients the time and availability they need to stay safe from Coronavirus and still keep up with the prevention and surveillance testing they need periodically. The 24/7 phone, email and text message access has allowed me to stay in touch with patients – something that would have been near impossible to do in a practice with 2700 adult patients.

I applaud my colleagues who continued in the traditional practice primary care setting despite the fact that most sold their practices to local hospital systems or large investment groups who placed administrators in the care decision-making process dictating time and number of daily visits, referral patterns and products used in the care of the patients.

As an independent physician, I have been able to continue to provide services and referrals that are the best in the area using doctors and equipment I would see as a patient and proudly refer my parents, my wife and children, beloved friends and family members. I am able to guide patients based on evidence and quality of measures not only what is most cost effective. I have no contract with a health system that requires me to see a certain number of patients per day, per week, per month or face a drop in salary or dismissal. I am proud and fulfilled at the end of the day because I can look in the mirror and know that I tried my best for the patients.

I additionally have the ability to say “no” to a potential new patient that I believe would not benefit from being in my practice for numerous reasons. Providing time to meet potential new patients gives both the patient and physician an opportunity to assess whether developing a professional relationship would be a good fit for both.

During the pandemic these meetings have become tele-health virtual meetings which are far more impersonal and less educational for both the potential patient and the doctor. It is still far better than having an administrator schedule a new patient, with no questions asked, on your schedule with the only criteria being can they pay the price?

Sadly, this horrible SARS 2 Coronavirus pandemic has made concierge internal medicine and family medicine more attractive than less. Having your physician available to discuss prevention, vaccines, testing methods and locations and treatments, if infected, is much easier in these membership practices than in a traditional practice where your phone calls are routed through an automated attendant phone system, reviewed by a non-physician provider and handled usually by a nurse practitioner or physician assistant with only the most serious and complicated situations reaching the physician’s desk.

I predict that more and more patients will seek concierge care in the next few years because patients are getting tired of fighting the bureaucracy and struggling to get the attention of their health care providers when they think they need it.  But don’t blame the providers.  It’s the dysfunctional, inefficient and profit driven corporate system that has created this situation.

Quadrapill for Blood Pressure Control

At the beginning of each patient visit I make it a habit to meticulously review with each patient their list of medications, supplements, vitamins, herbs etc. I compare their list with the lists on notes sent to me from consulting specialty physicians and then I access the pharmacy prescribing data base whenever it is available.

I am always amazed by how many chemicals we put into our body for the sake of maintaining health. How patients maintain accurate medication lists and administer daily medications is something I am in awe of. In the best interest of their care, I am always looking for a way to reduce the number of medications taken and to simplify the process if possible.

Clearly researchers in Australia feel the same way. They realize that to control blood pressure, most seniors are taking low doses of 2-3 medications. In previous years we physicians prescribed one medication and pushed its dosage to the limit before adding a second medication to gain control of blood pressure. We soon realized that at the higher dosages, patients experienced adverse effects and just stopped taking their blood pressure lowering medications.

In an intriguing study, Australian researchers created a poly pill consisting of one quarter of the starting dosage of four medications. Irbesartan 37.5 mg, (angiotensin receptor blocker), amlodipine 1.25 mg (a calcium channel blocker), indapamide 0.625 mg (a thiazide diuretic) and bisoprolol 2.5 mg (a beta blocker) were put into one pill. Five hundred ninety-one patients at ten medical centers participated in the study. Their average age was 59 years with a fair mix of men and women. They were randomly selected and blinded from knowing whether they were receiving the Quadrapill or increasing dosages of one pill. If BP stayed up amlodipine was added.

At the end of three months the poly pill group had lowered their BP by 6.9mm Hg more than the single pill group. At a year the figure stools at 7.7. millimeters mercury. There were no significant adverse effects in the poly pill group. The study clearly showed that taking a pill with multiple types of blood pressure medication, at low dosage, controlled blood pressure and was convenient and tolerable. That pill is now in development and should be presented to the FDA and European Union for review in the near future. It’s release to the public will certainly make taking medication simpler and more convenient.

Walnuts Lowered LDL Cholesterol in Seniors

Emilio Ros, MD, PhD led the Walnuts and Healthy Aging Study (WAHA) looking at healthy seniors in Loma Linda, California and Barcelona, Spain. He followed 636 patients who were randomly assigned to a walnut supplemented diet or walnut free diet.

Senior Citizens who ate a diet supplemented with walnuts lowered their LDL cholesterol significantly.  The walnut supplemented group exhibited a reduction of total cholesterol of 8.5 mg/dl with an LDL cholesterol reduction of 4.3 mg/dl.  Triglycerides and HDL cholesterol were not affected. In addition to lowering cholesterol, Dr. Ros said other studies showed a positive result in lowering blood pressure. 

Christie Ballantyne MD, chief of cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine, and director of cardiovascular disease prevention at Methodist DeBakey Heart Center, said nutritional studies are difficult to complete. The number of participants is usually small and the length of the study short. This study encompassed large numbers over two years in two different locales. 

Dr. Ros commented that adults are always wondering what can they eat as a healthy snack?  Walnuts can now be added to that list.

Influenza Season 2021-2022 is Approaching

The office has ordered enough influenza vaccine for all patients including 65 and older.  Let’s start the discussion by making it very clear that you can take the influenza vaccine at the same time you take the COVID-19 vaccine or booster. Several vaccine companies are actually producing a combination vaccine of COVID-19 and influenza but that product will not be available in the USA this fall.

The next issue to examine is when does influenza A generally arrive in south Florida? In most years we see very little influenza A prior to Thanksgiving . There is a smattering of influenza B primarily in the pediatric population year-round.

The disease arrives earlier north of the Mason Dixon Line but last season due to masking, lockdowns and school closures there was very little spread of the flu. It takes about two weeks to develop immunity after you receive the vaccine so if you are planning on traveling in October and November it pays to research when influenza arrives in the area you are traveling to and get vaccinated two weeks in advance of the trip.

In South Florida the influenza season peaks the last week in January and first weeks in February most years. Think Super Bowl weekend as the most infectious time.

We know that in those 65 years of age or older the protective effects begin to fade at 90 days. For this reason, we advise our senior citizen patients to take the influenza vaccine between Halloween and Thanksgiving. For patients over 65 who already took their flu shot at their pharmacy, we recommend a booster shot in late December or early January. For younger patients, the immunity lasts much longer and, if they choose to take the shot earlier, they should be protected for most of the flu season.

THE VACCINE IS ALREADY IN OUR OFFICE. We will officially start vaccinating in October. Seniors 65 and older will receive a version of the senior high dose quadrivalent vaccine. Younger patients will receive the traditional influenza vaccine. The vaccination will be recorded on Florida Shots – the official vaccination recording site of the State of Florida.

There is Nothing Mild About “Mild COVID-19”

Medical experts divide COVID-19 infections into the categories of “mild,” “moderate to severe” and “severe”. To be defined as “mild” you must have COVID-19 but have no respiratory symptoms that necessitate the use of supplemental oxygen or hospitalization. I currently have “mild” COVID-19 and I am recovering. I am observing the appropriate quarantine procedures and let me make this clear, there is nothing mild about mild Covid-19.

I became aware something was wrong a bit over a week ago. I developed a mild irritating bronchial cough with a stuffy nose. Since I have inhaled allergies for years, I wasn’t quite sure if it was a bad allergy day or something else. As I did my exercise routine everything was a bit stiffer and harder to loosen up and a bit more tiresome but nothing dramatic. My wife made our favorite dish for dinner but I just wasn’t very hungry. I ate a minimal amount. The next morning I woke up much sorer than usual. I attributed this to getting older and pushed through my workout and daily routine. By day’s end, I noticed my nose was running occasionally. I slept sparingly that night being unable to find a comfortable position with my hip hurting out of proportion to any injury.

On Monday my aches and pains were severe. By evening I was flushed and febrile. The aches and pains that occurred in my joints and muscles required some Tylenol to take off the edge. That night the chills and shakes started, the frontal headache worsened, the muscle and joint pains exacerbated and the fatigue was overwhelming. I was exhausted but I could not sleep. I vowed to get tested the next morning. I sat upright in a chair – unable to get comfortable most of the night.

When my wife woke up, we drove over to the test site and 30-minutes later I had my notification of a positive COVID antigen test. By the next day the PCR nasal swab confirmed it. The aches and pains and difficulty of initiating and completing simple movements, like walking to the toilet, were exhausting and accompanied by drenching sweats. The simple task of walking my small dogs to the front lawn to relieve themselves felt like the end of a long hard work-out.

Later in the day I was infused with monoclonal antibodies to decrease the chances of mild COVID progressing to moderate or severe COVID. The time after the infusion was probably the most painful and uncomfortable period I have gone through in years. I was wearing a sweatsuit mid-day in Florida with temperatures that felt like the 100 degree range, sipping tea and honey and still feeling cold and hot at the same time. The aches and pains actually got worse for a few hours.

After several hours, the symptoms began to subside – likely from the RegenCov monoclonal antibodies As my symptoms diminished my sense of smell and taste disappeared and have not yet returned. Wearing a mask in my own home to protect my wife and pets from COVID is clearly a necessity but an inconvenience. Isolating to a portion of the house for quarantine is also an inconvenience but a necessity.

I did not anticipate the loss of concentration which was present for several days and made doing clinical work from home with telehealth difficult. My patience was non-existent so expressing sympathy and empathy for anything or anyone was a challenge. I have lost ten pounds in a week due to no appetite, no taste or smell.

There is nothing mild about mild COVID. It is worse than a “bad flu” and, possibly the designation as “mild” is too non-descriptive to make the unvaccinated and even the vaccinated, who are looking to rejoin life with no restrictions, understand that this disease is a beast and best avoided.

Blood Test Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease

Adam Boxer, MD, PhD of the University of California San Francisco and associates published in Lancet Neurology a study which discussed their identifying two chemical biomarkers that distinguish normal patients from those with Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia. The two blood markers, phosphorylated tau 217 (p-tau217) and phosphorylated tau 181(p-tau181) showed “exquisite sensitivity and specificity” for discriminating Alzheimer disease from normal and other entities.

These biomarkers are currently only being used for research purposes and are not available to be used by doctors and patients through commercial labs yet. The researchers believe a commercially available lab test will be developed within the next few years

Walking Helps Stave Off Dementia

A paper presented at the Alzheimer’s Association 2021 International Conference by Natan Feter, PhD of Pelotas, Brazil suggested that even low levels of exercise as you age reduces your chances of developing Alzheimer’s type dementia. Their study looked at the English Longitudinal Study of Aging that included 8,270 individuals 50 years or older between the years 2002-2019. Fifty-six percent were female with a mean age of participants of 64 years. Over the 17-year course of the study, 8% of the participants developed dementia. T

They found the risk of dementia increased by 7.8% for each year increase in age. The risk of developing dementia was reduced by individuals who were physically active – more so for moderate to vigorous exercisers than for low level exercisers. Eighty-year old’s who were vigorous exercisers turned out to have a lower risk of dementia than inactive 50 -69-year-olds.

The message from the study was simple if you exercise even one time a week you reduce your risk of developing dementia. Walking certainly counts favorably. A reviewer simply said that regular walking is good for the heart and what is good for the heart is good for the head.

Why Have Guidelines, Rules & Regulations If No One Adheres to Them & There are NO Consequences?

I live and practice internal medicine and geriatrics in South Florida. We have a substantial elderly population living both independently and in senior facilities. The Sars2 Coronavirus Pandemic has been devastating to this patient population. There are many who became ill and passed away under the loneliest circumstances of in-hospital isolation. There are those who became ill and recovered but have lingering long-term effects. There are those who have avoided infection but are just beaten down by the daily monotony of staying safe, avoiding crowded public places and subsequently forsaking the company of friends and family.

The vaccine rollout in Florida was Helter Skelter and disorganized. It was every man and woman for themselves trying to obtain an appointment to be vaccinated. For the most, part the senior community managed to get the shots.

We were all grateful and buoyed as the summer of 2021 began by the news that we could venture out without masks and start resuming our pre-pandemic lives. The Delta variant and the recent surge in infectious cases, hospitalizations and now mortality put a quick and moribund end to that for most. The disparity between the message coming out of Washington and the CDC and the message delivered by our Governor and State Legislature has made decision making for individuals far more difficult than it should be. The latest conundrum is about the need for booster COVID vaccines or not.

The State of Israel, which exclusively used the Pfizer Vaccine, announced a third shot for those over 50 beginning a few weeks ago. Germany announced it would start such a program in September.

The CDC hinted at a booster program but until a NY Times article appeared on the evening of August 16^th there was no official news on the subject beyond the recommendation that immunosuppressed individuals, especially organ transplant patients and cancer patients, under therapy get a third shot. Days before this announcement my patients had begun calling me, texting me, emailing me to tell me that their friends had walked into a Walgreens Pharmacy or Publix Pharmacy, showed them their Medicare ID card and their vaccine card and had been administered a third COVID vaccine shot with no questions asked. This was substantiated by multiple other patients including one couple spending the summer in the mountains of North Carolina.

Is there one set of rules for large chain pharmacies and another set for the rest of the world? What is the point of data and evidence-based recommendations if anyone can just do what they want when they want to?

At this point I will wait to hear the CDC’s recommendations on when to take a third shot and the data they used to explain why. I am thrilled that Pfizer has shown that a third shot is safe with few adverse effects. I am also buoyed by a research paper that showed that those groups who spaced their second shot at longer than the three- or four-week recommendations had a more robust immunologic response.

When my friends call me and ask me to join them on a trip to Publix or Walgreens to get the third shot now, I will hear my late mother’s voice in my brain asking that irritating question, “If all your friends decided to jump off the Empire State Building would you jump too?”