Recent COVID news; treatments for joint pain

Q: What’s going on with COVID-19 these days? Half of the news sounds good, half bad. — Gene W., Annapolis, Maryland

A: The past two years have been a tutorial in how science evolves and how “doing the best we can, until we learn more” can cause a lot of confusion. Fortunately, we know a whole lot more now about COVID-19 than we did even a year ago.

Fact 1: Vaccinations and boosters work. Looking at information on 192,000 people from January 2021 to April 2022, researchers found that monthly Covid19-associated hospitalizations were 3.5 to 17.7 times higher in unvaccinated people than vaccinated people (with or without boosters). From January to April 2022, when the Omicron variant was the major troublemaker, hospitalization rates were 10.5 times higher in unvaccinated people and 2.5 times higher in vaccinated persons with no booster, than in vaccinated and boosted folks.

Fact 2: Asymptomatic COVID-19 may be common. A small study (210 participants) in JAMA Open Network found that 56% of people who tested positive for COVID-19 during the winter Omicron surge didn’t know they had the virus. That’s why if you have the sniffles or a sore throat you should be tested. You can easily spread the virus unknowingly.

Fact 3: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says long COVID-19 affects 20% of those infected. A study in The Lancet looked at almost 1.3 million health records and found that even two years after infection, folks are at increased risk for dementia, psychotic disorders and epilepsy or seizures. Another study found that 329 days after infection, 57% of folks with no history of heart disease who got mild COVID-19 ended up with inflammation-related heart problems.

Fact 4: There’s good news: Israeli researchers found that two antibodies isolated from the immune system of recovered COVID19 patients are effective in neutralizing the Omicron strain 92% and 84% of the time and the Delta strain, 90% and 97%. If long COVID-19 becomes less of an issue, this antibody may make repeated booster vaccinations unnecessary.

Q: My doctor suggested oral steroids and prescription pain relievers

for my joint pain. I would like to try to manage it without medications. Any suggestions? — Arnie R., Richmond, Virginia

A: Joint pain and arthritis are an epidemic. The University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging shows that 70% of people over age 50 experience joint pain at least occasionally. Nearly half of those with arthritis symptoms said they have pain every day. The enormous incidence is because of the obesity epidemic and the increase in chronic inflammation that plagues people because of lousy nutrition, diabetes, stress and a disrupted gut biome.

As for treatment: The poll found that many folks take over-the-counter remedies such as ibuprofen, naproxen sodium or aspirin; 26% say they take supplements, like glucosamine or chondroitin, and around 11% use cannabidiol (from marijuana), while 9% use marijuana itself.

When it comes to prescription meds, about 18% use non-opioid, prescription-only pain relievers, 19% get steroid joint injections, 14% take oral steroids, 14% take opioids, and — for rheumatoid arthritis — 4% take disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. What does this stew of home remedies and medications do? According to the researchers conducting the poll, there are serious risks from these treatment choices — especially if used long-term and combined with other medications.

So, what can you do to reduce your use of medication? The American College of Rheumatology’s latest guidelines for treating osteoarthritis are focused non-medical remedies: weight loss; exercise; tai chi; yoga; braces, splints and kinesiotaping; acupuncture or acupressure; cognitive behavioral therapy and applying heat, cold or topical pain relievers on aching joints. I like anti-inflammatory avocado and soybean unsaponifiables. Check out the research on ASUS at Greatagereboot.com. Talk to your doctor about trying these approaches. Ask for a reference to a nutritionist and an exercise physiologist, as well as for recommendations for topical remedies and supportive appliances.

Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. His next book is “The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow.” Do you have a topic Dr. Mike should cover in a future column? If so, please email questions@ Greatagereboot.com.