meds and therapy won’t work if you don’t have iron. It’s the most common nutrient deficiency in the world and is very common even in the developed world. Serum ferritin is a reasonable blood check though not as specific as iron studies.
I’ve had multiple referrals for supposed total treatment refractory depression that turned out to be iron deficiency. Signs of iron deficiency like pica, anxiety, shortness of breath, restless legs, low exercise tolerance had been ignored for years and not asked about.
There are some things you really really don’t want to miss as a psychiatrist. Thyroid problems, iron deficiency, B12 deficiency, hyperparathyroidism, substance abuse, covert eating disorders.
1) ibuprofen
really try to avoid taking this too much because it’s too easy to relieve the aches and pains & torch your kidneys forever but when your throat is killing you & your teeth ache this will do the trick. Stay hydrated and use no more than recommended on a full stomach
2) pseudoephedrine
Yes you have to get the real stuff behind the counter at the pharmacy and show your license. The phenylephrine otc substitute is garbage (okay in hospital IV). One time I ignored my soggy cold and I got a sinus infection and hated my life.
this article is a bizarre combination of some thoughtful reporting on functional disorders (the first case she mentions is a very classic example) and also lots of factual inaccuracies about ME/CFS and Long COVID
Some of the research on long COVID is a mess though so it’s easy to use that to throw “oh it’s in your head” at people.
It’s tough though because some people have what looks like new onset ME/CFS after COVID and some have lingering GI or autoimmune or respiratory or neurological issues and lots of overlap…I would say it’s almost impossible to study these as a single entity.
FYI got this from someone I followed, verified account who it looks like might have been hacked, retweeting only Twitter verified the first 6-7 tweets so it looks a bit legit. Link asked for Twitter password.
Relatively sophisticated for an online scam, using a verified account, making sure last tweets made it look legit, and the website it links to is clean and professional looking with no misspellings.
Coffee studies are fun because people who drink more coffee tend to smoke more, drink more alcohol, exercise less, and do all sorts of unhealthy things so the healthy user bias that plagues most dietary research is absent.
I say this as someone who does not drink coffee. 🤷🏻♀️
Since caffeine is metabolized almost entirely by cyp450 1A2 I’ve wondered if fast metabolizers who can drink more coffee have some other health advantage (cyp450 1A2 => aflatoxin for example) but caffeine and the phytochemicals in coffee could just be good for you.