February 19, 2023, National Chocolate Mint Day! View as Webpage

Chocolate Mint Day – February 19 National Day – Fun Facts and Recipes

Get your sweet tooth ready, February 19 is celebrated each year as National Chocolate Mint Day. It is the day for both chocolate and mint lovers to indulge in their favorite treats all day long!

There is a saying that everything goes better with chocolate. Add in some mint and you have an even greater taste. Many holidays feature chocolate in some fashion, so it’s no surprise that chocolate mint has its own national day.

The chocolate component in chocolate mint can be milk chocolate, regular dark chocolate, or white chocolate. Because of this, mint chocolate has no one particular flavor.

No matter the brand of chocolate mint you choose, mint and chocolate deliver a burst of refreshing peppermint, spearmint, or crème de menthe combined with the smooth, rich taste of chocolate is a wonderfully unique pairing.

Read more here. . . .

Your Weekly COVID-19 Updates

Paradise Valley Medical Clinic,

Douglas M. Lakin, M.D.

Kaitlin A. Kraemer, M.S., PA-C

9977 N 90th Street, Suite 180, Scottsdale, AZ 85258

480.614.5800 (phone), 480.614.6322 (Fax)

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ATTN PATIENTS:

Dr. Lakin is using FaceTime ,

WhatsApp and Zoom to connect with you

for a 'Telehealth' visit. You can connect using your iPad, iPhone, Android phone, a laptop, or a PC with a camera.

Please watch these videos so you can be prepared and know how to connect with Dr. Lakin for a 'Telehealth' visit.

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FROM THE DOC

February 19, 2023

THE CROWDS ARE GONE….BUT THE VIRUS REMAINS AROUND……IT’S NOT FINISHED WITH US.

CONSIDER WEARING A GOOD MASK (KN95 OR N95) SELECTIVELY AT BUSY INDOOR LOCATIONS TO STAY HEALTHY. IF GOOD VENTILATION, OPEN SPACES….NO NEED TO MASK AS A GENERAL RULE.

CONTINUE TO LIVE YOUR LIFE AND GO OUT AND ABOUT AS YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE…… AND YOU SHOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE DOING SO.

IF YOU HAVE HAD 5 COVID SHOTS….THERE ARE NO ADDITIONAL SHOTS AT THIS TIME AND YOU CANNOT GET ANOTHER VACCINE AT THIS TIME. WE AWAIT WORD ON PLAN FOR ANY ADDITIONAL VACCINATIONS. WE ANTICIPATE COVID VACCINATIONS WILL BE EITHER ONCE OR TWICE A YEAR

FLU IS ON THE DECLINE AND LEAVING THE VALLEY. RSV IS LOWER…

COVID REMAINS STABLE IN ARIZONA AT MODERATE LEVELS. COVID IS SLOWLY DROPPING ACROSS THE USA.

IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO GET ANOTHER COVID BOOSTER. DATA CONTINUES TO SUPPORT IT’S USE AND BENEFITS.

FLU IS WANING. IT IS LATE FOR FLU SHOTS…. YOU CAN GET IF YOU WANT, BUT FLU SEASON IS RESOLVING.

COVID REMAINS FAIRLY COMMON....…. OUR PATIENTS ARE DOING WELL.

HOW TO MANAGE AT THIS TIME FOR GATHERINGS:

PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE COMFORTABLE GETTING TOGETHER AND THEY SHOULD GET TOGETHER.

TO REDUCE RISK....HERE ARE SOME IDEAS TO CONSIDER:

GET YOUR COVID BOOSTER …TOO LATE FOR THE FLU SHOT.

DO NOT ATTEND GATHERINGS IF YOU ARE NOT FEELING WELL. ASK OTHERS NOT TO ATTEND IF THEY ARE NOT FEELING WELL.

KEEP AIR MOVING IN GATHERING AREAS. VENTILATION...BY NATURAL MEANS OUTDOORS OR WITH FANS, CAN BE HELPFUL.

CONSIDER HAVING GUESTS DO COVID TESTING PRIOR TO GETTING TOGETHER. THIS IS NOT PERFECT, BUT IT CAN REDUCE RISK SOMEWHAT. IT’S WORTH CONSIDERING.

WEARING A HIGH-QUALITY MASK AT GATHERINGS IS GOOD IF YOU ARE TRAVELING AND WISH TO AVOID INFECTION FOR THE HOLIDAYS. IT IS IMPERATIVE FOR THOSE WITH TRULY REDUCED IMMUNITY...THOSE RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY, THOSE WITH SEVERE LUNG DISEASE, AND THOSE RECOVERING FROM RECENT HOSPITALIZATION.

**Read Dr. Lakin's Full February 19th,

Comments. . . CLICK HERE

TOP PODCAST DONE WEEKLY

BY DR. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM

(UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA)

He is a world-renowned epidemiologist who was credited with first elucidating TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME in the 1980’s.

He provides comprehensive and understandable/actionable ideas related to COVID.

Dr. Osterholm Update: COVID-19

February 9, 2023

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/episode-124-taking-long-covid-seriously

(Same episode as last week's.... New Podcast next week!)

"Taking Long COVID Seriously"

In "Taking Long COVID Seriously," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. and around the world, review the evidence on long COVID, and provide some perspective on avian influenza, H5N1.

According to Dr. Osterholm……

5 VACCINATIONS IS THE MAXIMUM AT THIS TIME. I ANTICIPATE THEY WILL RECOMMEND EITHER ONCE A YEAR OR TWICE A YEAR VACCINATIONS BUT WE ARE WAITING TO HEAR.
GOOD VENTILATION IN ROOMS/HOME/BUSINESSES IS A GREAT WAY TO PREVENT TRANSMISSION
VACCINE, VACCINE, VACCINE…THIS IS OUR PROTECTION. ALL VACCINES ARE EFFECTIVE AND WITH TIME WE ARE SEEING THAT THE J&J VACCINE IS PICKING UP STEAM AND GIVES SOLID LONG-TERM PROTECTION.
BOOST, BOOST, BOOST…THIS WILL BE NECESSARY TO PREVENT RECURRING SURGE AND TO RAISE ANTIBODY LEVELS IN THOSE ALREADY SET WITH THE PRIMARY COVID VACCINE SERIES.
ANTIGEN TESTING IS USEFUL, BUT OF LIMITED VALUE. DON’T DEPEND ON THIS TEST IF YOU HAVE CLASSIC COVID SYMPTOMS.
MASKS OF THE KN95 AND N95 VARIETY CAN BE HELPFUL. CLOTH MASKS AND SURGICAL MASKS ARE CURRENTLY NOT AS EFFECTIVE WITH DELTA VARIANT
THE THREE/FOUR/FIVE VACCINE REGIMEN IS PARTICULARLY EFFECTIVE AGAINST SERIOUS ILLNESS AND HOSPITALIZATION. DEATHS AMONG THE VACCINATED ARE MASSIVELY REDUCED.
GET YOUR BOOSTERS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

Know that unvaccinated remain a source of potential infection. Avoiding unvaccinated persons will reduce your risk of COVID.

After you received your COVID vaccinations, please let us know!

We would like to document this information into your chart.

BUT FIRST.......

PLEASE COMPLETE THE INFORMATION ON THE CARD BEFORE YOU SEND IT TO US!

What we need:

Your name
Date vaccination received
Brand name
Lot number if available
Which dose you have received

**Email your COVID vaccine completed info HERE

COVID-19 Infection Offers Strong Protection Against Reinfection For About 10 Month,

Study Finds

For at least 10 months after a Covid-19 infection, your immune system can provide good protection against symptomatic illness the next time around, a new study found, and the risk of severe illness is even lower.

The researchers, from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation Covid-19 Forecasting Team, said their study is the largest review yet of available data on the subject. The study, published Thursday in The Lancet, is a meta-analysis that looks at 65 studies from 19 countries.

Risk Of Developing Diabetes After COVID-19 Continued In Omicron Period, Study Says. . .

People who’ve had Covid-19 have a higher risk of developing diabetes, and that link seems to have persisted into the Omicron era, a new study finds.

Mounting evidence suggests Covid-19 infections are tied to a new diagnosis of diabetes, though it’s not clear whether this relationship is a coincidence or cause-and-effect.

For their study, published Tuesday in JAMA Network Open, researchers at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles studied the medical records of more than 23,000 adults who’d had Covid-19 at least once.

How It's Made: Chocolate Mints

Chocolate is one of society's most popular desserts, while mint does everything from add flavor to freshen breath. Here's how the two are combined.

Stay Safe!