Dr S S Rawat's Blog

IL-6 Inhibitors for treatment of severe Covid19  Hyper-inflammation and blood clotting are classic complications as Covid19 progresses in hospitalized patients. Strategies to reduce this include blood thinners, steroids, JAK-STAT inhibitor Baricitnib and IL-6 inhibitor Tocilizumab among others.  A recently published clinical trial from UK demonstrated reduced mortality in severe Covid19 in patients given Interleukin-6 inhibiting monoclonal antibody Tocilizumab. 353 patients were assigned to Tocilizumab group and 402 to control / placebo in this prospective Randomized Controlled Trial. Mortality in Tocilizumab group was 28 % ( 98 / 353 ) while mortality in placebo group was 35.2% ( 142 / 402 ). This was a statistically significant finding which brings 'Toci' back in the limelight in hospital management of severe Covid19.  https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.07.21249390v1 Covid-19 Treatment by JAK-STAT Inhibition Olumiant / Baricitinib is a Janus Kinase (JAK ...

 In this blog we will discuss differences between four licenced Covid19 vaccines including Pros and Cons of each type.   Bharat Biotech :  -Inactivated whole virus vaccine: two doses 4 weeks apart Pros: -Generally considered a safe vaccine platform -Time tested and established platform used for various other existing vaccines such as Polio. -Attacks whole virus including Spike protein, nucleocapsid protein etc. In theory, may tackle variants better due to this property. -Safety data from phase 1 and 2 trials matches other vaccine candidates  -Uses strain of virus prevelant in India and phase 3 trial enrolled over 25,000 candidates in India -Stored at normal fridge temperature -Large production and distribution facilities -Affordable price approx $ 4 per dose Cons: -Efficacy can be affected adversely by the extent to which viral proteins are denatured during process of inactivation and data is not available at this time -Inactivated vaccines are typically mildly immun...

Ayurveda derived supplements, dietary & lifestyle modifications to boost immunity during illness In this blog I discuss naturally occurring subtances with immune boosting properties. Supplements do not go through a FDA approval process like medication do, hence while there may be a scientific hypothesis suggesting how they may help, gold standard scientific evidence ( randomised controlled trials ) is not available.  It's important to stress that supplements are ‘supplementary'. This means that they must not replace any kind of vaccination, testing, assessment or treatment of any given viral illness. Just like lifestyle interventions such as exercising, maintaining ideal weight, sleeping well, reducing stress, consuming an anti-inflammatory and balanced diet, they should all be considered as an extra 'add on'…not as a ‘treatment' or 'cure'.     While these are available without prescription and are generally safe, one must check with the pharmacist / al...