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Raccoon in the Mulberry Tree
I was not sure what exactly I saw this between 6:30 and 7:00 this morning shaking the mulberry tree branches in our backyard. It seemed too big to be a squirrel and I dismissed the thought, telling myself that it was most likely the usual squirrel getting its mulberry breakfast. Just prior to this incident,…
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What Do the Personal Brain Specialists Recommend?
Dr. George Dawson’s post “The Freak Show” reminded me of how coarse and cruel we can be to each other, even when we’re not aware of it. Maybe I should say especially when we’re not aware of it. Dr. Dawson emphasizes the importance of the empathic approach. In the same way, Dr. Moffic in the…
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Selected Highlights of CDC ACIP Meeting on Covid-19 Vaccines
Today I’m highlighting a few items of interest to older adults from the summary slide set on Covid-19 vaccines presented on June 23, 2023 at the CDC ACIP meeting last week. Information for other age groups are included in the slide set. Covid-19 continues to be a major health threat for the population, especially older…
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Covid-19 Variants in the News
Sena alerted me to a CBS news item with the headline “CDC tracking new Covid variant EU.1.1.” The story seemed a bit misleading because the FDA just announced approval of vaccines for XBB.1.5. beginning in the fall. I checked the CDC Data Tracker for variants and noticed XBB.1.5 is still the most common Covid-19 subvariant…
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Thoughts on the Passing of Dr. Russell Noyes Jr.
I recently found the obituary of my mentor, Dr. Russell Noyes, Jr. MD. He died on June 21, 2023. This is the first time I’ve ever said that he was my mentor. I probably just didn’t realize it until I found out he passed. Dr. Noyes was my teacher during the time I was learning…
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Brief Remarks on CDC ACIP Vaccines Meeting This Week
My impressions of the first couple of days of the CDC ACIP meeting on vaccines will be brief. My wife and I were interested in learning more about the new Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine. It sounds like the vaccine was upvoted with only a few no votes. Most committee members thought the vaccine was…
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Sena Gives Me a Haircut
Sena gave me a haircut the other day. She’s been cutting my hair almost 30 years. She bought a new barber cape recently which has snaps instead of Velcro to hold it around my neck. I still have Velcro tennis shoes, though. The first time Sena cut my hair she left a bald patch on…
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CDC ACIP Meeting Today on Vaccines
The ACIP meeting on several vaccines begins today and runs through Friday, 8:00 a.m-5:30 p.m. on the 21st-22nd and 8:00 a.m.-12:40 p.m. on the 23rd, ET. The committee will discuss vaccines for Respiratory Syncytial Virus in adults, Polio, and Influenza vaccines on the 21st. There will be a vote for each. They will discuss vaccines…
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Four Seasonal Vaccines for Older Adults?
There are a number of seasonal vaccines recommended for older adults in the U.S. They include vaccines for influenza, pneumonia, and the newest one is Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). I noticed that during the recent FDA meeting to decide on approval of another vaccine for the XBB variant of Covid-19, many experts objected to the…
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Why Is It So Hard to Be A Human?
I wish I could have made the title of this post “Why It’s So Hard to Be a Human.” But that would mean I know why it’s so hard to be a human. The reason this comes up is because of a song I heard last Friday night on the Big Mo Blues Show on…
Go Retire Psychiatrist 