Do face masks protect people from infections?
Q: I was skeptical of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s initial recommendation not to wear masks. They claimed that even if you did wear one, it would not protect you but might protect those around you if you were shedding the virus.
Those statements never made sense to me. If masks don’t protect the wearer from infection, why do medical personnel wear them in the presence of those who are ill?
We visited St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital a few years ago. The little children who had been stricken with cancer but were well enough to play were riding tricycles and running up and down the halls. All of them were wearing masks.
I’m pretty sure it wasn’t so the rest of us would be safe from the kids’ infections. It was so the children, whose immune systems were compromised because of their chemo treatments, would be protected from illnesses that visitors might bring into the facility.
To me, that is proof that masks work to protect the wearer as well as those around him/her. Maskwearing should be mandatory until the COVID-19 epidemic has run its course.
A: We certainly agree that masks make sense when there is a respiratory infection raging. In countries such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China, people have long worn face masks during flu season, both in self-interest and as a civic duty. There, wearing a mask tells people you behave responsibly.
Of course, hand-washing and maintaining physical distance are also important. Until we have effective drug treatments or vaccines against COVID-19, we should use these tools to stay as safe as possible.
Q: Your column explaining why standard thyroid treatment doesn’t always work was enlightening. The standard approach sure didn’t work for me.
I asked my doctor to switch me from levothyroxine to natural thyroid (Armour or Nature-Throid, etc.), but she refused. So, I changed doctors, choosing one who would prescribe natural thyroid.
Six months later, all the knots in my back were gone, I had no more muscle pain, and I was back to my lifelong weight (down to 130 pounds from 165 pounds). I felt like my old self. My wit was back, and I no longer felt stupid or foggy. Why is it so hard for doctors to recognize that sometimes people need more than just T4? Not all of us can convert it to T3.
A: In the mid- to late-20th century, doctors adopted levothyroxine (synthetic T4) as the sole treatment for hypothyroidism. It wasn’t until the 21st century that research showed some people are less efficient in converting T4 to the active form of thyroid hormone, triiodothyronine or T3. There are genetic differences that explain this.
As a result, some doctors are starting to rethink whether it makes sense in some cases to prescribe desiccated thyroid gland (Annals of Internal Medicine, Jan. 5, 2016). Drugs such as Armour Thyroid or NatureThroid contain T3 as well as T4. Many people report feeling better on such a product.
You can learn lots more about this topic as well as about interpreting thyroid test results in our eGuide to Thyroid Hormones. It is available in the Health eGuides section at PeoplesPharmacy.com.
Q: After diagnosing my arthritis, my doctor prescribed meloxicam. During the three years I took it, my blood pressure went from 120/80 to 190/144. Unfortunately, he wasn’t monitoring it.
When I found I had such high blood pressure, I got off the meloxicam and was put on lisinopril. Six months later, my BP is stable at 130/ 86. I do want it lower, so the fight is still on. Please monitor your blood pressure while you are on meloxicam.
A: Great advice to anyone taking an NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug). That includes OTC pain relievers like ibuprofen and naproxen as well as prescription arthritis drugs like celecoxib, diclofenac or meloxicam.