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Saturday, July 27, 2024
Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence | The White House
Monday, July 22, 2024
We Now Have Proof the COVID Vaccines Damage Cognition – Vigilant News Network
The COVID-19 vaccines excel at causing damage to cognition, and many of us have noticed both subtle and over-cognitive impairment following vaccination that relatively few people know how to address.
• For a long time, the hypothesis that the vaccines impaired cognition was “anecdotal” because it was based on individuals observing it in their peer group or patients.
• Recently large datasets emerged which show this phenomenon is very real and that the severe injuries we’ve seen from the vaccines (e.g., sudden death) are only the tip of the iceberg.
•In this article we will review the proof vaccines are doing this and explore the mechanisms that allow it to happen so we can better understand how to treat it.
When the COVID-19 vaccines were brought to market, due to their design I expected them to have safety issues, and I expected over the long term, a variety of chronic issues would be linked to them. This was because there were a variety of reasons to suspect they would cause autoimmune disorders, fertility issues, and cancers—but for some reason (as shown by the Pfizer EMA leaks), the vaccines had been exempted from being appropriately tested for any of these issues prior to being given to humans.
Since all new drugs are required to receive that testing, I interpreted it to be a tacit admission it was known major issues would emerge in these areas, and that a decision was made that it was better to just not officially test any of them so there would be no data to show Pfizer “knew” the problems would develop and hence could claim plausible deniability. Sadly, since the time the vaccines entered the market, those three issues (especially autoimmunity) have become some of the most common severe events associated with the vaccines.
At the start of the vaccine rollout, there were four red flags to me:
• The early advertising campaigns for the vaccines mentioned that you would feel awful when you got the vaccine, but that was fine and a sign the vaccine was working. Even with vaccines that had a very high rate of adverse events (e.g., the HPV vaccine), I had never seen this messaging before. This signified it was likely the adverse event rate with the spike protein vaccines would be much higher than normal.
• Many of my colleagues who got the vaccine (since they were healthcare workers they were able to get it first) posted on social media about just how awful they felt after getting the vaccine. This was also something I had never seen with a previous vaccine. After some digging, I noticed those with the worse vaccine reactions typically had already had COVID and had their reaction was to the second shot rather than the first, signifying that some type of increased sensitization was occurring from repeated exposures to the spike protein. Likewise, the published clinical trial about Pfizer’s vaccine also showed adverse reactions were dramatically higher with the second rather than first shot.
• Once the vaccine became available to the general public, I immediately had patients start showing up with vaccine reactions, many of whom stated they received their flu shot each year and never had experienced something similar with a previous vaccination. One of the most concerning things were the pre-exacerbation of autoimmune diseases (e.g., spots in their body they previously would occasionally have arthritis in all felt like they were on fire). After I started looking into this I realized people were seeing between a 15-25% rate of new autoimmune disorders or exacerbations of existing autoimmune disorders developing after the vaccine a massive increase I had never seen any previous vaccine cause.
Note: this was demonstrated by a February 2022 Israeli survey which showed 3% of vaccine recipients experienced a new autoimmune disorder and that 15% experienced an exacerbation of a pre-existing one, a rheumatologic database published in the BMJ that found 4.4% of recipients experienced an exacerbation of a pre-existing autoimmune disease, and a survey by a private physician of 566 patients which found vaccination spiked their inflammatory markers, causing their five year risk of a heart attack to go from 11% to 25%.
• About a month after the vaccines were available to the public, I started having friends and patients share that they’d known someone who had unexpectedly died suddenly after receiving the vaccine (typically from a heart attack, stroke, or a sudden aggressive case of COVID-19).
This was also extremely concerning to me, because reactions to a toxin typically distribute on a bell curve, with the severe ones being much rarer than the moderate ones. This meant that if that many severe reactions were occurring, what I could already see was only the tip of the iceberg and far, far less obvious reactions were going to be happening, to the point it was likely many people I knew would end up experiencing complications from the vaccine.
A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety for Kids
Many studies reveal how the internet affects the mental health of children.
The impact of the internet on the mental health of children is a complex and nuanced issue. Here are some key ways the internet can affect children's mental health:
There are some positive as well as negative impacts.
Positive impacts:
Access to information and educational resources can support learning and development. Opportunities for social connection and community building can reduce isolation. Exposure to diverse perspectives and ideas that can broaden horizons. Outlets for self-expression and creativity.
Negative impacts:
Excessive screen time and internet use can disrupt sleep, physical activity, and face-to-face social interaction. Exposure to cyberbullying, trolling, and other harmful online behaviors can contribute to anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. Access to inappropriate or disturbing content that may be psychologically distressing. Social comparison and feelings of inadequacy from seeing idealized content on social media. Addiction-forming behaviors from excessive internet and social media use. The degree of impact often depends on factors like the child's age, maturity, mental health, and parental mediation and guidance. While the Internet provides many benefits, it's important for parents and caregivers to monitor and moderate children's online activities to mitigate potential mental health risks. A balanced approach that promotes healthy online and offline activities is generally recommended.
Teaching kids about Internet safety
In today's world, the pace of change is rapid, and parents cannot keep up. On the other hand, our children thrive on new technology and social media.
If you want to learn more about technology, the internet, and computers I recommend this website
Stay sane and keep those little ones safe. Courtesy of Nicole You may reach her at nicole@onlinesafetymasters.com
ref:
Title: "The Impact of Digital Technology on Children's Well-Being"Authors: Przybylski, A. K., & Weinstein, N.Journal: Pediatrics, 140(Supplement 2), S86-S91. Publication Date: 2017
Title: "The Impact of Social Media Use on Children's and Adolescents' Mental Health" Authors: Hollis, C., Livingstone, S., & Sonuga-Barke, E.Journal: The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 4(5), 337-343. Publication Date: 2020 Key Findings:
Authors: Hale, L., & Guan, S.Journal: Child Development, 86(1), 45-63.Publication Date: 2015 Key Findings:
Title: "The Impact of Excessive Internet and Smartphone Use on Mental Health: A Systematic Review" Authors: Király, O., Potenza, M. N., Stein, D. J., King, D. L., Hodgins, D. C., Saunders, J. B., ... & Demetrovics, Z.Journal: Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 9(4), 1031-1064. 2020Publication Date:
If you want to read more about this issue.
https://zentrointernet.com/a-parents-guide-to-internet-safety-for-kids/
Thursday, July 18, 2024
Is Everything Health Care? The Overblown Social Determinants of Health | Manhattan Institute
In November 2023, the Biden White House released the 53-page U.S. Playbook to Address Social Determinants of Health and declared: “Improving health and well-being across America requires addressing the social circumstances and related environmental hazards and exposures that improve health outcomes.” It accepted the Department of Health and Human Services’ definition of SDOH as “the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.”[1]
These claims are based on some stark facts. Low-income Americans have higher rates of disability, anxiety, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other chronic conditions, and they are more subject to obesity, substance abuse, physical strain, and environmental pollutants.[4] From 2001 to 2014, the life expectancy of the richest 1% of Americans averaged 15 years longer than that of the poorest 1%.[5] Furthermore, poorer social classes have worse health outcomes even when they receive the same access to medical care.
Possible sources of SDOH influence
Neighborhoods
Air and water quality
Hazards (lead paint, vermin, mold, dust, infectious disease)
Service availability (schools, transportation, medical care, employment)
Education
Knowledge of healthy behaviors
Employment opportunities (conditions, compensation)
Economic
Personal income and wealth
Workplace safety (injuries, chemical exposure, repetitive strain)
Work pressures (stress, sleep, social support, financial anxiety)
Social relations
Social harmony (crime, violence, anxiety, social trust)
Racial disadvantages (discrimination, prejudice, animosities)
Community ties (social status, social networks)
Cultural pressures (substance use, illegal activity, diet, exercise)
Feedback cycle between ill-health and poverty
In addition, low-income areas are often healthcare deserts, where there are no providers, or pharmacies, and poor transportation.
Thursday, July 11, 2024
Friday, July 5, 2024
Alzheimer's: AI tool may help predict risk with almost 80% accuracy
Dementia directly affects more than
- Researchers at Boston University say they have designed an artificial intelligence tool that can predict with nearly 80% accuracy whether someone is at risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease based on their speech patterns.
- The ability to identify potential cognitive decline early has significant potential for mitigating the progression of Alzheimer’s, experts say.
- However, the sample size used was small, and experts caution that such a tool is not meant to be leaned on as an exclusive method.
INTRODUCTION
Identification of individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who are at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) is crucial for early intervention and selection of clinical trials.
METHODS
We applied natural language processing techniques along with machine learning methods to develop a method for automated prediction of progression to AD within 6 years using speech. The study design was evaluated on the neuropsychological test interviews of n = 166 participants from the Framingham Heart Study, comprising 90 progressive MCI and 76 stable MCI cases.
RESULTS
Our best models, which used features generated from speech data, age, sex, and education level, achieved an accuracy of 78.5% and a sensitivity of 81.1% to predict MCI-to-AD progression within 6 years.
DISCUSSION
The proposed method offers a fully automated procedure, providing an opportunity to develop an inexpensive, broadly accessible, and easy-to-administer screening tool for MCI-to-AD progression prediction, facilitating the development of remote assessment.
Highlights
- Voice recordings from neuropsychological exams coupled with basic demographics can lead to strong predictive models of progression to dementia from mild cognitive impairment.
- The study leveraged AI methods for speech recognition and processed the resulting text using language models.
- The developed AI-powered pipeline can lead to a fully automated assessment that could enable remote and cost-effective screening and prognosis for Alzheimer's disease.
MMP-9 is associated with Alzheimer's. MMP can be found in CSF (and/or plasma, Ca clear, colorless fluid that surrounds and protects the brain and spinal cord of vertebrates. I. t's Several lines of evidence indicate that there may be an inflammatory component to the pathology of AD. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) remodel the pericellular environment by regulating the cleavage of extracellular matrix proteins, cell surface components, neurotransmitter receptors, and growth factors. The confused abilities of several MMPs to degrade amyloid precursor protein (APP) lead to aggregation of Aβ, as well as the increased expression of MMPs in postmortem brain tissue of AD patients, indicating that MMPs play an important role in the pathogenesis of AD. Their activities are determined through the induction of transcription by inflammatory mediators, through posttranslational modification by free radicals or cytokines and through inhibitory proteins such as tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) [1].
roduced by ependymal cells in the brain's ventricles and flows through the subarachnoid spaces of the cranium and spine. CSF has several important functions, including:
Thursday, July 4, 2024
Monday, July 1, 2024
In a Very Important Ruling a Judge strikes down parts of HIPPA
With the advent of Digital Health Information and Electronic Health Records, Congress passed the Health Information Portability and Privacy Act (HIPPA) all members of the health information niche must realize the importance of patient privacy. Each entity signs an agreement that includes the restrictions on health data. This applies to insurance companies, pharmacies, and any entity which has access to the electronic health care record. Interoperability allows all institutions which need patient health data. This may be provided in a proprietary exchange, such as EPIC, or a disparate data set from other multiple vendors. In order to be certified for interoperability each vendor must be audited by an interoperability certification company
In a nutshell, the ruling decided that hospitals can leak patient data to Meta, TikTok, and other third parties via adtech-installed patient portals, and HHS does not have the authority to enforce HIPAA via the bulletin banning surveillance trackers in December 2022.
This decision has far-reaching implications, especially for patients who rely on robust safeguards for their health information, or who have concerns about patient safety/privacy. The case originated from a wave of federal and state class action lawsuits for leaking data from hospital patient portals. As we navigate this new landscape, it’s crucial to understand what this means for patient privacy and what actions we can take to ensure our voices are heard.
Introduction
- The Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information ("Privacy Rule") establishes, for the first time, a set of national standards for the protection of certain health information. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ("HHS") issued the Privacy Rule to implement the requirement of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA").1 The Privacy Rule standards address the use and disclosure of individuals' health information—called "protected health information" by organizations subject to the Privacy Rule — called "covered entities," as well as standards for individuals' privacy rights to understand and control how their health information is used. Within HHS, the Office for Civil Rights ("OCR") has responsibility for implementing and enforcing the Privacy Rule with respect to voluntary compliance activities and civil money penalties.
A major goal of the Privacy Rule is to assure that individuals' health information is properly protected while allowing the flow of health information needed to provide and promote high quality health care and to protect the public's health and well being. The Rule strikes a balance that permits important uses of information, while protecting the privacy of people who seek care and healing. Given that the health care marketplace is diverse, the Rule is designed to be flexible and comprehensive to cover the variety of uses and disclosures that need to be addressed.
Who is Covered by the Privacy Rule
The Privacy Rule, as well as all the Administrative Simplification rules, apply to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and to any health care provider who transmits health information in electronic form in connection with transactions for which the Secretary of HHS has adopted standards under HIPAA (the "covered entities"). For help in determining whether you are covered, use CMS's decision tool.
Health Plans. Individual and group plans that provide or pay the cost of medical care are covered entities.4 Health plans include health, dental, vision, and prescription drug insurers, health maintenance organizations ("HMOs"), Medicare, Medicaid, Medicare+Choice and Medicare supplement insurers, and long-term care insurers (excluding nursing home fixed-indemnity policies). Health plans also include employer-sponsored group health plans, government and church-sponsored health plans, and multi-employer health plans. There are exceptions—a group health plan with less than 50 participants that is administered solely by the employer that established and maintains the plan is not a covered entity. Two types of government-funded programs are not health plans: (1) those whose principal purpose is not providing or paying the cost of health care, such as the food stamps program; and (2) those programs whose principal activity is directly providing health care, such as a community health center,5 or the making of grants to fund the direct provision of health care. Certain types of insurance entities are also not health plans, including entities providing only workers' compensation, automobile insurance, and property and casualty insurance. If an insurance entity has separable lines of business, one of which is a health plan, the HIPAA regulations apply to the entity with respect to the health plan line of business.
Health Care Providers. Every health care provider, regardless of size, who electronically transmits health information in connection with certain transactions, is a covered entity. These transactions include claims, benefit eligibility inquiries, referral authorization requests, or other transactions for which HHS has established standards under the HIPAA Transactions Rule.6 Using electronic technology, such as email, does not mean a health care provider is a covered entity; the transmission must be in connection with a standard transaction. The Privacy Rule covers a health care provider whether it electronically transmits these transactions directly or uses a billing service or other third party to do so on its behalf. Health care providers include all "providers of services" (e.g., institutional providers such as hospitals) and "providers of medical or health services" (e.g., non-institutional providers such as physicians, dentists and other practitioners) as defined by Medicare, and any other person or organization that furnishes, bills, or is paid for health care.
Health Care Clearinghouses. Health care clearinghouses are entities that process nonstandard information they receive from another entity into a standard (i.e., standard format or data content), or vice versa.7 In most instances, health care clearinghouses will receive individually identifiable health information only when they are providing these processing services to a health plan or health care provider as a business associate. In such instances, only certain provisions of the Privacy Rule are applicable to the health care clearinghouse's uses and disclosures of protected health information.8 Health care clearinghouses include billing services, repricing companies, community health management information systems, and value-added networks and switches if these entities perform clearinghouse functions.
Business Associates
Business Associate Defined. In general, a business associate is a person or organization, other than a member of a covered entity's workforce, that performs certain functions or activities on behalf of, or provides certain services to, a covered entity that involve the use or disclosure of individually identifiable health information. Business associate functions or activities on behalf of a covered entity include claims processing, data analysis, utilization review, and billing.9 Business associate services to a covered entity are limited to legal, actuarial, accounting, consulting, data aggregation, management, administrative, accreditation, or financial services. However, persons or organizations are not considered business associates if their functions or services do not involve the use or disclosure of protected health information, and where any access to protected health information by such persons would be incidental, if at all. A covered entity can be the business associate of another covered entity.
Business Associate Contract. When a covered entity uses a contractor or other non-workforce member to perform "business associate" services or activities, the Rule requires that the covered entity include certain protections for the information in a business associate agreement (in certain circumstances governmental entities may use alternative means to achieve the same protections). In the business associate contract, a covered entity must impose specified written safeguards on the individually identifiable health information used or disclosed by its business associates.10 Moreover, a covered entity may not contractually authorize its business associate to make any use or disclosure of protected health information that would violate the Rule. Covered entities that had an existing written contract or agreement with business associates prior to October 15, 2002, which was not renewed or modified prior to April 14, 2003, were permitted to continue to operate under that contract until they renewed the contract or April 14, 2004, whichever was first.11 See additional guidance on Business Associates and sample business associate contract language.
This is why we should all be thinking about prevention.
Here’s the bad news/good news.
Eating sugar and refined carbs can cause pre-dementia and dementia. But cutting out the sugar and refined carbs and adding lots of fat can prevent, and even reverse, pre-dementia and early dementia. Sugar causes pre-diabetes and diabetes, which often leads to significant memory loss.
Chronic stress takes a toll on your body and brain. Stress shrinks the hippocampus, the memory center of the brain. So, find your pause button daily and make time for stress relief. Relaxation isn’t a luxury if you want to prevent or reverse dementia. Whether that involves deep breathing, meditation, or yoga, find something that helps you calm down.
Lack of sleep can cause impaired brain function, leading to CRAFT syndrome, which stands for “can’t remember a _____ thing.” Studies show poor sleep becomes a risk factor for cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. Aim for at least 8 hours of quality sleep every night.
We now know that physical activity can prevent and even slow down the progression of cognitive decline and brain diseases like dementia. Even a 30-minute walk can help. You might want to incorporate high-intensity interval training or weight lifting if you're already more active.