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Articles by Keith Crawford
HIV and The Gut Microbiome: Prebiotics and Probiotics
In the previous article, I introduced the microbiome. To review, recall that our bodies are essentially a reservoir of billions, even trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms (viruses, fungi, parasites). They are essential to our health. Disease occurs when harmful organisms invade our bodies (e.g., influenza, malaria, hepatitis C, Staphylococcus). The microbiome refers to the diversity of microorganisms associated with a specific organ at a specific time.
Are HIV Infections Exploding Among Black Women?
Let's be honest. While we all know using protection is the best way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), sometimes it's easier said than done. Things happen. There's the heat of the moment. Alcohol may be involved. Circumstances and settings may not be ideal. Even when we know unprotected sex is risky, we still take the dive. That won't happen to me , we might tell ourselves. It'll be fine, we trust each other , and we might rationalize. Other times, it's simply a matter of misunderstanding.
Weight a Minute! The Importance of Healthy Weight for People with HIV
Weight a minute! We need to talk about this: The importance of maintaining a healthy weight in People Living with HIV Disease (part of a series of articles) In 1998, President Bill Clinton appointed Dr. David Satcher, a distinguished physician and military admiral, as the Surgeon General of the United States. He was the second African-American (after Dr. Louis Sullivan) to serve as the highest ranking physician in public health; an esteemed cabinet position.
Do You Know Your HIV/AIDS Status?
Have you had your Flu shot this year? What was your last total cholesterol and LDL level ? Have you had your scheduled mammogram to screen for Breast cancer? Have you had a colonoscopy or Cologuard to screen for colon cancer? What was your last PSA (prostate specific antigen) in your Prostate cancer screen? What was your last fasting blood glucose level or HBA1c in a diabetes screen? Hopefully, everyone has had these tests and vaccinations appropriate for their age and gender.
Fighting COVID-19 with an Immunocompromising Condition
Even though it may seem like it, the COVID pandemic is not over. The Omicron variant has more mutations than any of the earlier variants making it more successful at evading our immune system and the protection of vaccines. In spite of this serious challenge, vaccines still offer a degree of protection, especially from hospitalization and death. The newer "bivalent vaccine" actually combines a component derived from the Omicron variant and the original vaccine developed two years ago.
COVID-19 Vaccinations and Immunocompromised Individuals
About two years ago, the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines became available, which initially seemed to be some of the most effective vaccines ever developed. But soon afterward we begin to see breakthrough infections; people contracting COVID even though they had been vaccinated. We learned that Sars-CoV-2 virus was like Harry Houdini; an expert escape artist, but from our immune system. New variants were evolving containing mutations that enabled the virus to escape the protection conferred by vaccines.
The Drug Lenacapravir was just Approved!
There have been a handful of individuals who have been completely cured of HIV and I have reported on some of them in articles on blackdoctor.org. A larger number of individuals have been able to keep the virus completely suppressed (undetectable) without the use of medication (functional cure). While there is a large investment in research to find a cure for HIV, we may still be a long way off. So, for now, people living with HIV must take treatment for the remainder of their lives.
The First Injectable Long-acting Product for HIV Prevention Finally Approved!
Home / Health Conditions / HIV/AIDS / The First Injectable Long-acting Product for HIV Prevention Finally Approved! The world of HIV Prevention scored a major victory to end the year and it’s hard not to suspect that Santa Claus may have had a role in delivering this gift; well, maybe not Santa but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should get credit. Injectable Cabotegravir, a product named Apretude was approved for HIV prevention (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis or PrEP) on December 20th.
A Somber Anniversary of Cause for Celebration? Forty Years Since The First Reports of AIDS in the US.
Home / Health Conditions / HIV/AIDS / A Somber Anniversary of Cause for Celebration? Forty Years Since The First Reports of AIDS in the US. On June 5, 1981, the issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly report (MMWR) had a peculiar article. But before we get to that, I should mention that MMWR, published by the US Center for Disease Control, is the premier publication for public health issues in the US and the gold standard for such reporting in the world.
Keith Crawford letter: Hypocrisy continues on school names
Congratulations to the ones that had their names approved to name schools. However, the hypocrisy continues since Jefferson. Bowie and Austin were either slave owners or promoted slavery. It is definitely not a win/win situation. The simplest thing to have done was to drop the first names and remove all paintings and other items related to the Confederate generals and kept their last names.
Breaking News: Long-Acting Drug Protects Women From HIV-Infection
Currently in the US, there are two drugs approved for prevention of HIV or PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis). Truvada (a combination of tenofovir and FTC) is approved for women and men and Descovy (a combination of tenofovir alafenamide and FTC) is approved for men. In most parts of the world, only Truvada is available which is a pill taken daily.
HIV and The Gut Microbiome: Prebiotics and Probiotics
by By Dr. Keith Crawford, BDO HIV/AIDS Expert In the previous article, I introduced the microbiome. To review, recall that our bodies are essentially a reservoir of billions, even trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms (viruses, fungi, parasites). They are essential to helping us stay healthy. Disease occurs when harmful organisms invade our bodies (e.g. influenza, malaria, hepatitis C, Staphylococcus).
A Glimmer of Hope Against COVID-19? LY-Cov555 Appears to Boost the Immune Response Against SARS-Cov-2
In a press release issued on September 16, 2020, pharmaceutical company Ely Lilly and Co. announced some encouraging preliminary results from an ongoing clinical trial of their antibody for treatment of COVID-19 disease. Is this the news we've been waiting so long to hear? Well...maybe. So, let's talk about antibodies. What are they? Antibodies are specialized proteins that are a major arm of our immune defense system.
#CoverReveal | Dead Moon by Keith Crawford #DeadMoon #lovebookstours @keithcrawford77 @lovebooksgroup
#CoverReveal | Dead Moon by Keith Crawford #DeadMoon #lovebookstours @keithcrawford77 @lovebooksgroup Posted on 12/08/2020 Hello, Sunshines, I have the huge pleasure to be apart of this exciting cover reveal for; Dead Moon by Keith Crawford. This cover is certainly eye-catching and the back blurb sounds so intriguing, go on and take a peek…. Dead Moon by Keith Crawford Humanity will be extinguished in less than seven days.
BlackDoctor.org - Where Wellness & Culture Connect
The 23 rd International AIDS Conference, originally scheduled for San Francisco/Oakland in late July was held virtually in early July 2020 (Yuck! I'm getting sick of virtual conferences!). Among the very interesting scientific and medical developments presented was the case of a possible cure coming out of Federal University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, presented by Diaz and colleagues.
New Long-acting HIV Drug Shows Promising Results in Early Clinical Trials
New Long-acting HIV Drug Shows Promising Results in Early Clinical Trials Report from the 27th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) 2020 Join the conversation and share this story
Businessman Frank Baker Pays Off Tuition of Spellman College Graduates
(Photo credit: Siris.com) College graduations in 2020 are unlike any other. From walking across virtual stages and Zoom graduation parties, the graduating class of 2020 will probably remember their final months of school like no one else. Now, graduates are going into the real world with worries about the job market, this pandemic and so much more. But the ladies in the graduating class of the HBCU Spellman College have one less thing to worry about: their tuition.
Review: Biswas D, "You Beneath Your Skin."
Biswas, Damyanti, You Beneath Your Skin, Fiction, (Indie: 2019) Link :Amazon, Goodreads. Price £2.99 at time of review Anjali strives to be the perfect professional psychiatrist and the perfect single-mother to her autistic teenaged son. Her lover, married Police Commissioner Jatin, is in danger of losing his promotion due to political scandal.
Dad Builds a Stage In His Driveway to Celebrate Daughter's Graduation
(Photo credit: Instagram) The year 2020 is a year like no other. If you would’ve told me that we would be “sheltering at home” because of a mysterious virus, I would’ve told you to stop lying. But here we are–and nearly everything has changed, including graduations.
How to Write a Good Book Review
Reading is an essential part of being a writer. Reviewing a book (or play, or poem) can not only add to the pleasure of reading, but for a writer is an essential way to reflect on what did and did not work in the text (and then steal what worked). I have two ulterior motives for writing this article. First, I would really appreciate more reviews for my novel Vile. If this post inspires you to write a sentence or two it would help me out. Go on. Click the link. I promise it won’t bite.
Say Goodbye To Boneless Chicken as Coronavirus Crisis Hits Chicken Industry
There’s a crisis brewing in the chicken industry. Sussex County, Delaware, a town that leads the country in the most chickens sold for food in the U.S. has had new positive cases of COVID-19 in their employees. This new development reflects cities and towns across the country where meatpacking plants and the communities surrounding them have been a hub for COVID-19 transmission.
If There Were A Vaccine To Protect Against COVID-19, Would You Get It? (Part 1) - BlackDoctor
If There Were A Vaccine To Protect Against COVID-19, Would You Get It? (Part 1) By now, it has become abundantly clear that black people have suffered disproportionate mortality due to COVID-19. For example, in Chicago, while blacks made up 42% of cases, they were 56% of the deaths in a recent analysis.
Rethinking Food Safety During the COVID-19 Pandemic
You’ve heard a lot about COVID-19—aka coronavirus, and who is at risk of severe illness from the virus. But it might surprise you to know that the same people who are at risk for severe illness from COVID-19, are also at risk for severe illness from food poisoning. Foodborne illness or food poisoning can affect anyone who eats food contaminated by bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins, or other substances.
Dealing with COVID-19 and These Comorbidities: Asthma, Diabetes and Heart Disease
Dealing with COVID-19 and These Comorbidities: Asthma, Diabetes and Heart Disease About 80% of COVID-19 patients have mild symptoms which can be managed at home, however, patients older than 60 and those with preexisting medical conditions are at a higher risk of severe disease and death. These medical conditions include chronic respiratory disease such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease. If you are in one of these vulnerable groups, you need to take extra precautions to avoid getting sick.
Woman Recovers from COVID-19 right before Her 100th Birthday!
A Georgia woman was discharged from the hospital after beating coronavirus right before her birthday. But this wasn’t just another ordinary birthday, it’s about to be her 100th birthday! That’s right, according to the hospital system, Maude Burke is the oldest COVID-19 patient to be discharged from Phoebe Putney Health System in Albany, Georgia. In the video below, the hospital staff applauds Burke as she was wheeled out of the hospital.
Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine: Is there any basis to the hype with COVID-19?
Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine: Is there any basis to the hype with COVID-19? Since my last article discussing experimental treatments for COVID-19, we have results from a clinical trial conducted in China on the effectiveness of Kaletra (published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine). Unfortunately, the study didn’t show any benefit from the drugs.
Can HIV Infection Provide Clues to Curing COVID-19 (SARS-2 coronavirus infection)?
Can HIV Infection Provide Clues to Curing COVID-19 (SARS-2 coronavirus infection)? Since the first article I wrote addressing the coronavirus epidemic a couple of weeks ago (posted February 26, 2020 Coronavirus section of Health Conditions), some things have changed and some things have not. What has changed is the number of cases in the US and sadly, the number of deaths. They have increased dramatically! That will continue to be the case for some time. There’s still a lot we just don’t know.
Coronavirus Alert: Am I At Risk?
By now, everyone who doesn’t live in a cave has heard about the new coronavirus epidemic, with increasing numbers of infections and also increasing numbers of deaths. While there is a need to be concerned, at this point in time, most people infected recover from the infections and some folk are even free of any symptoms. So what are coronaviruses, how dangerous are they, who is at risk and how do we protect ourselves? Unfortunately, what we don’t know is far greater than what we do.
Do You Know Your HIV/AIDS Status?
Do You Know Your HIV/AIDS Status? Have you had your Flu shot this year? What was your last total cholesterol and LDL level ? Have you had your scheduled mammogram to screen for Breast cancer? Have you had a colonoscopy or Cologuard to screen for colon cancer? What was your last PSA (prostate specific antigen) in your Prostate cancer screen? What was your last fasting blood glucose level or HBA1c in a diabetes screen?
New Strain Of HIV Discovered. Should We Be concerned?
New Strain Of HIV Discovered. Should We Be concerned? Many viruses and bacteria that cause disease have different strains or genetic varieties. Right now, we are in flu season. We get flu vaccinations each year because the main strain responsible for the flu changes every year and we must develop a new vaccine. The Human papilloma virus which causes genital warts, cervical and anal cancers, and head and neck cancers has over 100 strains referred to as genotypes.
Ending The HIV Epidemic In The US: A View For The Trenches
Ending The HIV Epidemic In The US: A View For The Trenches In an article posted on June 10, 2019, I described a public health initiative supported by several major Health agencies here in the U.S. to dramatically reduce the number of new HIV cases. These agencies, like the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and others have devised a master plan for combatting the HIV epidemic.
How Low Can We Go? A Clinical Trial Gives Hope For New HIV Drug Options
How Low Can We Go? A Clinical Trial Gives Hope For New HIV Drug Options As most of you are aware, the treatment of HIV requires multiple drugs. Since the mid-nineties, the rule has been to use three drugs to control HIV, but sometimes that wasn’t possible if the patient was resistant to drugs or had serious side-effects of drug-interactions. In late 2017, the US approved the first two-drug combination, Juluca (dolutegravir + rilpivirine).
Medical Racism And Its Impact On Health Outcomes
Medical Racism And Its Impact On Health Outcomes Some recent events have prompted us to change focus slightly. In early February 2019, it was revealed that the Democratic Governor of Virginia Ralph Northam, a board-certified physician, had posted inflammatory racist content on his yearbook page from Eastern Virginia School of Medicine. It pictured a white person in “Blackface” standing next to a person in a Klu Klux Klan robe and hood.
New HIV Drugs In The Pipeline!
New HIV Drugs In The Pipeline! This is the third article in a series of updates on research coming out of the prestigious Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) held in early March 2018. In the first article, I reported the case of what appears to be a real patient cured of HIV infection. In the second article, I reported on a series of studies related to improving HIV disease therapy, highlighting some adverse effects of treatment and possible ways to improve treatments.
Improving The Lives Of HIV Patients
Improving The Lives Of HIV Patients The Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections held in early March in Seattle, Washington, featured over a thousand scientific research presentations primarily focused on HIV, but also TB, hepatitis and other infections. Some of them were very high impact, like the news of the HIV patient who is possibly cured.
Medication Adherence: The Achille’s Heel of U=U
One of the highlights of 2018 that I wrote about last year was the additional research that enforced the important principle that HIV-infected individuals do not infect other individuals when they are suppressed on medication. The rallying cry is “U=U”, that is “Undetectable equals Untransmissible”. If a person is suppressed on HIV medicine, that means the virus is not detectable in their blood (undetectable). A person who is undetectable does not transmit or spread HIV infection to another person.
Nike Didn't Just Drop Sneakers at the Super Bowl. It AirDropped Them
Advertising's all about experience now ... and nothing says "experience" like local artists and free stuff. For its "Dreams Are Made Here" activation around Super Bowl LIII, Nike Football had a special surprise for visitors to its "Studio of Dreams" space in Atlanta.
Why We Haven’t Cured HIV Infection: A Major Hurdle To Overcome
A little more than twenty years ago, two developments occurred around the same time that tremendously advanced our ability to treat and manage HIV infection. First, we finally had powerful combinations of drugs that could suppress the HIV virus, primarily a class known as the protease inhibitors (drugs like Viracept, Kaletra, Reyataz and Prezista).
A New Project Wants to Collect the First Chapters of Copywriters' Unfinished Novels
Untold numbers of advertising copywriters have unfinished novels in the bottom drawer of their desks—or more likely, in a folder on their desktop that makes them wince slightly whenever they glance at it during the workday. But now, the beginnings of your would-be masterpiece could become part of a different masterpiece—a book that collects the first chapters of unfinished copywriter novels everywhere—if a project by Miami Ad School and Grey Canada gets off the ground.
This Board Game Is Based on the Rough Life of Runners at Edit Houses
Lower-level jobs in the advertising business can often be pretty thankless. But why not try to have some fun along the way? Two creatives at PS260 in New York recently gameified the experience of "runners" at the video editing company—junior staffers who juggle lots of logistical tasks in the hopes of becoming assistant editors.
Why I Quit My Creative Job at Nike to Travel the World With My Family
This list was part of our preparation for a once-in-a-lifetime family trip that we took several years ago. Inspired by David Cohen's book One Year Off, my wife Debi and I took our two young boys on a year-long trip around the world. Cohen's book makes a very compelling case for why people should take such a trip. He argues that a lot of people wait to travel long distances for long periods of time until they are older and retired, when time and money are in abundance.
The 22nd International AIDS Conference: What You Need To Know
The International AIDS Conference is a huge conference that is unique in that it brings together scientists, clinicians, public health professionals, health policy experts, treatment advocates and, importantly affected individuals from all across the globe. It was held in Amsterdam, Netherlands during the last week of July 2018.
PrEP: The Latest HIV Prevention Strategy
HIV drugs have long been used to prevent new infections in HIV-negative individuals. Like what you’re reading? Then LIKE us on Facebook! Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is one strategy that involves the use of HIV drugs to prevent infection AFTER the person is exposed to the virus. In this case, the HIV medicines must be administered very soon after the exposure.
What Are The Medication-Based Treatment Options For Opioid Addiction
Yesterday morning, I was seeing patients with a colleague of mine, a physician and medical director of a large clinic providing medical care to residents of an impoverished section of Washington DC. Four patients came in being managed for hepatitis C infection and one of these patients was also HIV-infected. The good news is that the patients who had been treated for hep C infection had been cured with their medicines.
Major Health Epidemic Spells Double-Trouble for HIV-Infected Individuals
While we have been discussing the microbiome, we have a golden opportunity to show how it can influence the development of other types of diseases and in this article, the focus will be the liver. I want to discuss a major health problem in the US called Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, usually abbreviated NAFLD. To understand what NAFLD is and how it develops, we need to first understand what the liver actually does. There’s a reason it’s the largest internal organ.
HIV and The Gut Microbiome: Prebiotics and Probiotics
In the previous article, I introduced the microbiome. To review, recall that our bodies are essentially a reservoir of billions, even trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms (viruses, fungi, parasites). They are essential to helping us stay healthy. Disease occurs when harmful organisms invade our bodies (e.g. influenza, malaria, hepatitis C, Staphylococcus). The microbiome refers to the diversity of microorganisms associated with a specific organ at a specific time.
I want the protection from PrEP but I hate taking pills!! (part 3 of 3)
In the two previous articles, we introduced PrEP as a strategy to protect individuals from getting infected with HIV. Pre-exposure prophylaxis refers to taking a combination of HIV medicines prior to a possible exposure (e.g. before sex, injecting recreational drugs) to protect an uninfected person from the virus. When PrEP first came out a few years ago, I thought it could be effective in helping control the HIV epidemic, but I had concerns.
Just Say “No” to HIV: Strategies for Preventing the Infection (part 2 of 3)
I frequently travel to Africa and Latin America. In tropical climates, I am at risk of getting infected by the malaria parasite spread by mosquitoes. Malaria is a deadly disease, so to protect myself, I take medicines used as prophylaxis or prevention. Taking the prophylaxis keeps medicine in my blood to kill any malaria parasites I get exposed to. This is the same idea behind Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV disease, abbreviated PrEP.
Just Say “No” to HIV: Strategies for Preventing the Infection (part 1 of 3)
Let’s start a discussion about HIV prevention using this real-life case. D. M. is a 27 yo African-American woman who was diagnosed with HIV 5-years ago. Her 3-year old son was born HIV negative. She is currently virally suppressed on a regimen of Triumeq. She married 3 months ago. Her husband has spoken to her doctor about starting PreP. After screening tests were done, he has come into the office to start the regimen.
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