Sunday, August 30, 2026

How long does natural immunity last with COVID-19?

This came up in a recent conversation.  Back in 2020, at least one person was saying 6 months.  I'm at an age where I can get a booster every 6 months.

At the moment, just a simple cold has made me feel very bad.

It seems to me that natural immunity would last longer with repeated exposure.   Doctors and hospital workers seem to be immune for long periods of time.


Natural immunity to COVID-19 typically lasts about 3 to 6 months against reinfection, though protection drops faster against newer variants. 

UCLA Health

Duration of Protection
Against reinfection: Measurable antibody levels and protection against catching a mild or moderate infection start to fade after 3 to 6 months. Newer variants can bypass natural defenses more easily. 

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Against severe disease: Protection against severe illness, hospitalization, and death lasts much longer—often remaining strong for 10 months or more. 

National Institutes of Health (NIH) | (.gov)

Factors That Affect Immunity
Variant changes: Mutations in the virus make it easier for reinfection to happen over time.
Severity of illness: People who had a severe COVID-19 infection sometimes build higher initial antibody levels than those with mild or asymptomatic cases. 

BASS Medical Group

Hybrid Immunity
Getting vaccinated after recovering from a COVID-19 infection creates hybrid immunity. This combination provides a stronger, broader, and longer-lasting defense against current and future variants than natural infection alone. Health experts often suggest waiting 3 to 4 months after a natural infection before getting a booster shot.

Do THIS After a Bad Night of Sleep

Saturday, August 29, 2026

Is Cottage Cheese Good for You? - Consumer Reports

https://www.consumerreports.org/health/nutrition-healthy-eating/is-cottage-cheese-good-for-you-a1956443640/

I've eaten cottage cheese since childhood. I don't even think of it as cheese because the texture is so different. However, large-curd cottage cheese has a texture I don't like, so I stick with small curd.

Cottage cheese is not one of my favorite foods because it is bland. Salt improves the flavor, and it becomes more interesting when you add fruit. I rarely buy it, though.

Most cheeses have flavors that don't appeal to me. However, I do like cheddar cheese. American cheese is essentially cheddar that has been highly diluted with other ingredients, such as oil. I think American cheese is only suitable for sandwiches.

I saw that one pizzeria said they put cheddar on their pizza. That's unusual, since mozzarella is the normal choice. I would like to try that.

Some pizzas are better without cheese. The cheese can hide the flavors of the other toppings. I've noticed that some places put the cheese over the toppings, while a few put the toppings over the cheese. I think the latter makes the pizza more flavorful.

Friday, August 28, 2026

Lindsay Clancy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_the_Clancy_children

Conservative talk radio thinks that she should be found guilty.

One lady called into the Clay and Buck show and said that they don't understand psychosis. She said that she had wanted to kill her children, but got medical help and now takes antipsychotic medication. The lady said that she is afraid to stop taking her medication.

I find it easy to believe that people can go crazy. I already have that opinion about a few people. It appears that mental illness is fairly common.

I think that for a woman to kill her children is a crazy act by definition. There might be a few rare psychopaths who don't care and think that they can get away with the crime, but I doubt that they would try to kill themselves afterward. However, even psychopathy is a form of mental illness, although it is not the kind of crazy delusion where they don't know what they are doing.

Trying to kill oneself by simply jumping out of a second-story window is illogical, if not crazy, or it could be a carefully planned manipulation.

Monday, August 24, 2026

Is this trans thought experiment just wrong?


@john2001plus
16 hours ago (edited)
A person's feelings about their body do not make a man a woman or a woman a man, nor is it possible to make the switch.  A trans person will never be able to produce children. The changes are cosmetic only and don't change the fundamental reality of a person's biology.  It seems to me that people are sold a lie about gender affirming care.

From what I read, some people do benefit psychologically from surgery.  However, this is a serious operation that does irreversible damage to the body, with potential complications.  Maybe psychological care would be more appropriate?

Some of us didn't exactly win the genetics lottery. We have to deal with the reality of our bodies instead of some fantasy.  Surgery only becomes needed when it is medically necessary.

Sunday, August 16, 2026

YouTube Shorts are going to change

I don't really like YouTube shorts for a few reasons.  

1. The videos repeat over and over.
2. I can't easily add shorts to a playlist.  They used to allow this, but they stopped.  It might still work on the iPhone YouTube app.  

In a web browser, I found a workaround, by changing the address to look like this: 

3.  Shorts are designed to get people addicted by getting them to scroll all day long.

Monday, August 10, 2026

Watch This Before You Take Fish Oil (Protect Your Heart)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpzX3NQzmio

I don't have a vested interest in this.  I found the video convincing enough to order the following...


The brand recommended in the video I could not easily find.  It appears to be available in Europe.

I figure that trying this once isn't going to hurt anything.


Just as interesting is the following video about how to "easily" lose visceral fat.


Recently, I have taken an interest in "resistant starches" because he talks about them in multiple videos.  Something as simple as chips and salsa has resistant starches in the chips and lycopene in the salsa. Also, refrigerating bread or rice for a day will make it more resistant. 
 
I used to eat salads, but I have been more nervous about lettuce lately.  I have substituted chips and salsa.  I find it very filling, which would make sense because it is high in fiber.


P.S. Someone in my life is trying to convince me to go on a GLP-1.  I'm looking into it.  I want to wait till January.  Medicare Part D will pay for it until the end of 2027.

Friday, July 31, 2026

Why Fauci's Pardon Won't Protect Him From This


@john2001plus
Rand Paul is using Fauci as a punching bag, trying to implicate Fauci for the pandemic, implying that it was created in a lab, to which Fauci provided a modest amount of funding to catalog bat viruses.  However, none of this is supported by evidence, so this is just a witch hunt.

Many conservative commentators that I like regularly make statements about the pandemic that aren't supported by research.  The truth is that masks and the vaccines slowed the spread of the disease.  I have read the studies.  The truth is that the vaccines reduced overall mortality at all ages.

Fauci deserves at least some credit for dealing with a major crisis under difficult circumstances.  Instead, people want to condemn him over actions they find questionable.  It is easy to second-guess people when you are not the one facing tremendous responsibility.

Scientists Regrow Teeth Using Human Saliva