Author Howard Weiner

I was also hidden away from home for six days following my prostate biopsy ( here ). But there was a three-day period starting Tuesday, March 3 rd , when I foraged in public: Albertsons and Costco. Three days of freedom before the self-imposed lockdown started on Friday, March 6 th . Why Did I Self-Quarantine? The results of my biopsy weren’t available until March 13 th . Until then, I believed I had prostate cancer. If you’re 70 and have an underlying health issue, like cancer, you’re advised ( here  and  here ) to withdraw from life. Don’t go on long trips. Avoid air travel. Have your groceries and meals delivered. Since my biopsy results were negative, I’m only at risk due to my age. Who says going to the gym three to seven days a week for 53 years doesn’t produce benefits? Our Planned Trip to Princeville in Kuai, HI We were supposed to travel by air from Las Vegas to Lihue on Kauai this past Saturday, March 21 st . United recently revised its travel policy...

Like most men of a certain age, my bi-annual physical/wellness encounter with my primary care physician includes a PSA blood draw. In 2015, I was 65 and my PSA test score was 6 when the normal range for a man of that age is 0 to 4.5. The digital rectal exam (DRE) was negative. Two years later, my PSA score rose to 9 which was twice as high as the top end of the normal range. Again, the DRE was negative. My primary care physician suggested a prostate biopsy. At the time, a typical transrectal prostate biopsy was administered in a medical office with a urologist administering a local anesthetic and light sedative. Discussions and reports of this procedure describe discomfort with uneven reports on experienced pain levels. The biopsy site is directed through a sonogram that guides the urologist’s procedure. There are limitations to this approach ( here ). First, the sonogram has to show a promising biopsy site on the prostate. Second, there can be some post procedure rectal b...

“This is no worse than the flu. All of this nonsense about social distancing and self-quarantine is just that: nonsense.” I’m reading and hearing this a lot. And from very educated people no less. We have what’s known as “Herd Immunity” for influenza  but not COVID 19 . Even though the strains of the flu prevalent each year may differ, survivors have antibodies from prior years which can limit the severity of the flu. No one in the U.S. has any immunity for COVID 19  this year . Next year will be a different matter. Influenza vaccine was first successfully trial tested in 1938. Before that date there was no vaccine. Before 1938, there were no anti-viral medications a physician could subscribe to lessen the flu’s effects and possibly shorten the length of the illness. There was, however, Vicks Croup and Pneumonia Salve from the 1890’s. In 1919, Vicks added their Vaporub. And, finally, in 1931, Vicks added their cough drops. So, if you were brought low by the flu in...

We have entered a state of self-quarantine ( here  and  here ). Are we overreacting? During World War I, President Woodrow Wilson ordered the transport of soldiers infected with the Spanish Flu ( here ,  here , and  here ) to Europe in support of this nation’s wartime efforts. Transport at the time was by close quarters troop ships which took the better part of a week to cross the Atlantic. Later, infected troops were ordered back to the U.S.—Kansas, in particular—where the soldiers were stationed. In September 1918, the city of Philadelphia hosted a parade to celebrate the forthcoming end of WW I. It was reported 200,000 attended the parade, and within a week, over 45,000 Philadelphians were reportedly ill. Over 12,000 citizens of Philadelphia died of their illness. Contemporary analysis suggests the Spanish Flu had its origins in northern China and spread to western Europe. How? WW I allies employed the services of 140,000 Chinese laborers to perform m...