The_Enginerd Member

The official WHO release is out. Limited evidence of carcinogenicity and safe limits of 40 mg/kg of intake, which amounts to over 10 cans a day for the average adult. https://www.who.int/news/item/14-07-2023-aspartame-hazard-and-risk-assessment-results-released…

To add to the list from others, ethanol and any alcoholic drinks are all Class 1. I don't see many giving up their wine and beer over that. I'm not particularly worried about my one drink/week habit.

Sounds like there is a large gulf between the nuance of the WHO classification and reporting and consumer understanding of what this mean. If nothing else, it's poor science communication by the WHO. Reading some of the articles, it sounds like the primary concern is not that aspartame is actually harmful, especially in…

3+ years later, and the emergency declaration officially ends today in the US. Didn't realize it or think much of it until I got this notification on my phone tonight. The mask requirement for medical facilities, one of the few lingering precautions, was dropped several months back.

My girlfriend saw her ENT and he didn't mention that. She took a total of four at home tests from two different brands. Her ENT said it was likely a flu but did not give her a flu test, but I thought a flue was more unlikely given the high effectiveness of the flu shot this season. We did not seek out a PCR test because it…

I have not caught COVID yet to my knowledge. I know I was exposed to a coworker at one point, but never came up positive. I have had four shots total of the Pfizer (2 initial, 1 booster, 1 bivalent booster). My girlfriend and I (and many, MANY friends and coworkers) caught something that I can only assume was a bad…

The other problem I see with him is cherry picking of data and studies when he really should know better. Recommendations from reliable sources consider the entire body of evidence and merits, strengths, and limitations of each study. Those posters in the back just scream conspiracy theorist. I half expect to see him on…

I would not expect Pfizer would fund a study because that's not their wheelhouse, and like you said, they don't have any financial incentive to do so. However, there is an entire world out there, and many countries with public healthcare systems that would LOVE to have a cheap, effective, already available treatment.…

When the mask requirement went away, I've been continuing to wear a high quality (KF94) mask on flights. Right after the mask mandate on airlines was lifted, I was on a flight where the three children across the aisle sounded like they had a bad cold and were coughing all over the place without even bothering to cover…

At the start of the pandemic when we started working from home almost exclusively, my partner was living across the country and it was just me and my pets at home. Our computers did not have webcams so no video calls. No one saw me unless I went to the store or out for a run. I still got up every morning, took a shower,…

The more contagious but less virulent was believed to be the case with Omicron over previous variants and this info is found on reliable medical sites (e.g. CDC, Yale Medical). A recent large study in the US, however, found that not to be the case after factoring for immunity and medical risk factors. It's still a preprint…

Studies and discussion by experts in the field (e.g. TWIV) indicate that the Moderna was holding up the best of the three options we have in the US (Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J). The also seems to be evidence that a Moderna booster after the two dose Pfizer is offering higher protection than a third Pfizer. Although possibly…

On the flip side, companies are using remote work and WFH to attract and retain talent. It is seen as a benefit by many employees, attracts and allows for a wider pool of candidates, and saves money on office space and potentially salary. Hybrid or remote work makes sense for some jobs. We have returned to the office, but…

The CDC currently has my county and all surrounding areas in the Low category. The cases were low and continuing to drop rapidly here when the mask mandate was lifted, and cases has continued to drop. Masking seems to average around 50% right now the several times I've gone to the grocery store this week. I kept wearing a…

I'm keeping my cupboards fuller than I did before this started and am more proactive on restocking items before I run out, especially for items that are STILL showing up intermittently. I'm also maintaining more personal space than before. I never did curbside grocery shopping. I buy a significant amount of fresh produce…

The mask mandate ended in my area of Southern CA a week ago. Most people were still wearing them that first week, but the rates have dropped rather quickly. I went to the grocery store this morning and mask usage was in the 10-20% range after being near 90% a couple weeks back. Almost every employee was no longer wearing…

He is speaking outside his realm of expertise and/or there is something misconstrued in the meaning being passed second hand here. Medical experts on the whole, and experts in infectious disease and disease transmission disagree. An early release of the latest study posted to the CDC website found respirator style masks…

In CA, asymptomatic COVID positive nurses are now continuing to work in hospitals due to staffing shortages. At my work, over 1/4 of all of our cases since the start of the pandemic have been within the last several weeks. Although folks are faring well without being hospitalized or ending up in the ICU, It's beginning to…

Quite a few friends and family had a nasty cold that lasted the better part of a week, tested negative. Symptoms did sound worse than many of the break through cases. Also quite a few that did have their Christmas plans sidelined due to popping positive for COVID.

He in my area (Southern CA) at home tests were all sold out. My sister was able to test her family when they had that nasty cold that many have been getting, but she has access to them from work as a nurse at a long term care facility.

Same here. If you want to make that personal choice, than own up to the costs and responsibility of that choice. Pay extra for your health insurance or have any COVID-19 related costs not covered by insurance. Instead of someone dying from something treatable like appendicitis due to lack of available health care…

A couple months back when my cat had an emergency issue I called about 10 vets before I finally found a place about an hour away. Her regular vet has been working 12 plus hours a day for months.

That seems to be the case. I had my own mixed feelings about getting a booster for the same reason but forgoing protection for myself won't get that same shot into the arm of an unvaccinated person. https://amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/620901/

Second case of Omicron variant identified in the US from community transmission, verifying it was already in the US before it was first identified. Travel bans are pointless at this juncture, it just punishes the country that identified it first. Got my booster over a week ago. No walk in appointments available in my area,…

Omicron is already in the US. Assumed it was already, but now we know. https://www.statnews.com/2021/12/01/first-case-omicron-coronavirus-variant-identified-united-states/

I was hoping TWIV would have something on it, but today's release did not include discussion of the new variant as far as I can tell. Likely too little info or lead time since WHO just held their emergency meeting yesterday. STAT had a good summary on the known/unknown regarding the new Omicron and what it could mean.…

Something looks a bit off with that graphic as CA is well below that threshold in both the most recent daily data and the moving 7 day average. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#cases_casesper100klast7days There are other states with low vaccination rates and little to no restrictions that are also seeing higher…

The total tax burden ($ per capita or as a % of income) is generally high in CA, we are around #8 to #10 nationally, but I wouldn't call it out as the primary cause of the high costs of living. The biggest pain point is the housing costs. In my area, a two bedroom apartment is $2500 and up and the median housing cost is…

Israel is no where near 90% fully vaccinated. Approximately 78% of those 12+ are vaccinated which is pretty good, but with such a young population, only 58% of the total population is vaccinated. That is far from herd immunity. The vaccinated are also getting sick at a far lower rate than the unvaccinated.…

There is a Long Distance Runners Group on MFP, but it has been very dead since March 2020 when live races were cancelled. https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/94-long-distance-runners I have been through several periods where I was unable to run due to injury or illness and my typical mileage is similarly high. At…