#171: All Things Covid: Vitamin D, Masks and More with Chris Kresser

All Things Covid: Vitamin D, Masks and More with Chris KresserAs humans, we often fall into black and white thinking. It can be easy to let the constant waterfall of media information and social snippets wash over us without stopping to think of the full context. In this age of COVID-19, though, it’s more important than ever to pause and look at what the science really has to say.When we slip into confirmation bias and seek out answers that solidify what we already believe, we lose the ability to think critically. Now, more than ever, is the time to change that so we can overcome this pandemic. That’s exactly what Dhru and Chris Kresser talk about on this episode of The Broken Brain Podcast. Chris Kresser is a renowned expert, leading clinician, and top educator in the fields of Functional Medicine and ancestral health, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Paleo Cure. Listed among the 100 most influential people in health and fitness by Greatist.com, he was awarded “Best Inspirational Voice” and “Best Health & Wellness Website” by Paleo magazine in 2019. Chris founded the Kresser Institute in 2015 to provide the next generation of Functional Health practitioners and coaches with the skills and tools they need to turn the tide of chronic disease—and change the future of medicine. Through the Kresser Institute, Chris created and launched the ADAPT Practitioner and Health Coach Training Programs, and he and his team have trained over 2,000 health professionals around the world in his unique approach.In spring of 2020, largely in response to COVID-19, Chris decided to move on from his position of co-founder and co-director of the California Center for Functional Medicine to develop Adapt180 Health: a revolutionary new membership-based Functional Medicine practice and health transformation service.In this episode, Dhru and Chris jump into an open conversation about the most pressing COVID topics and what the latest research is showing. Starting with vitamin D, they look at some dramatic results of several studies, with the takeaway being that a majority of COVID patients have been found to have vitamin D deficiency, and those who are vitamin D deficient have higher inflammatory markers and a higher risk of death. They discuss the science behind mask wearing and why it’s a helpful piece of stopping the spread of coronavirus, but only one piece. They also talk about the latest findings of the vaccine trials and what we know, and don’t know. In this episode, we dive into: -Vitamin D levels among asymptomatic and critically ill COVID-19 patients and the correlation with inflammatory markers (12:56) -Randomized control trial of vitamin D (17:26)-Vitamin D testing and supplement recommendations (32:40) -Why masks are getting so much attention when the data is nuanced (35:28) -The research on COVID-19 and masks (46:06)-COVID-19 vaccine—what we know and what we don’t know (1:08:14) -Concerns around the safety of a vaccine when it’s developed so quickly (1:15:37) -Oxford AstraZeneca phase III vaccine trial and how it differs from Pfizer and Moderna vaccine trials (1:30:42)-Rapid at home COVID testing (1:41:01)-What you can do today to take control of your health (1:49:03) For more on Chris Kresser, be sure to follow him on Instagram @chriskresser, on Facebook @chriskresserlac, on Twitter @chriskresser, on YouTube @chriskresser, and through his website https://chriskresser.com. To learn more about his ADAPT Health Coach Training Program and his ADAPT Practitioner Training Program visit: https://kresserinstitute.com. You can also find his book, The Paleo Cure at https://paleocurebook.com/.Also mentioned in this episode:Vitamin D-www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-77093-z-https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960076020302764?via%3Dihub#bib0100 Masks-https://reason.com/2020/11/16/masks-are-a-tool-not-a-panacea/-https://pws.byu.edu/covid-19-and-masks-https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M20-6817 Vaccines-Dr. Hyman Video: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CHY-_aXHw3E/-https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4037-https://www.research.ox.ac.uk/Article/2020-11-23-oxford-university-breakthrough-on-global-covid-19-vaccine-https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32466-1/fulltext Testing-https://www.propublica.org/article/rapid-testing-is-less-accurate-than-the-government-wants-to-admit Fluoride-https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2748628 Alternative Ideas to Lock Downs That Need More Discussion-https://covidrecovery.ie/-Katz COVID Reality Check 21: Left & Right, Right & Wrong, Front & Center https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sij0TJw8vcg&feature=youtu.beFor more on Dhru Purohit, be sure to follow him on Instagram @dhrupurohit, on Facebook @dhruxpurohit, on Twitter @dhrupurohit, and on YouTube @dhrupurohit. You can also text Dhru at (302) 200-5643 or click here https://my.community.com/dhrupurohit.Interested in joining Dhru’s Broken Brain Podcast Facebook Community? Submit your request to join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2819627591487473/.This episode of Broken Brain is brought to you by Bioptimizers and Optimize. My new favorite magnesium is from a company called Bioptimizers—their Magnesium Breakthrough formula contains 7 different forms which all have different functions in the body. Right now, Bioptimizers is offering their Black Friday and Cyber Monday deal to my listeners during the entire month of November. They are offering free shipping, up to 40% off on select products and are giving away free bottles of their amazing enzyme, probiotic P30M as well as their HCL breakthrough supplement. Just go to bioptimizers.com/brain and use the code BRAIN10 to receive this amazing offer! I’m sure most of you can relate to trying to pack a lot into your day. I’m always trying to do my absolute best when it comes to balancing my career, my relationships, and finding some time for personal growth, so I really love when I can find a resource that makes any of that easier. That’s why I’m really excited about this company called Optimize, founded by Brian Johnson. His Philosophers Notes series has short summaries of more than 600 of the best books on ancient wisdom and modern science—they pull the most important Big Ideas into a 6-page PDF and 20-minute MP3 you can read or listen to on the go via the Optimize app. It’s the perfect time to check out Optimize because they’re offering Broken Brain listeners 10% off. Just go to Optimize.me/brokenbrain and enter code BROKEN to get 10% off  today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.