March Newsletter
March, 2021
Welcome to the March newsletter. The goal of this newsletter is to provide information and analysis of timely topics from recent articles published in the medical literature. I hope you find this information useful and helpful in your health journey. If you have comments or questions, please let us know!

I have moved to a new format for the newsletter as my previous format is no longer supported. Please let me know what you think!

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Here in Wisconsin, our cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have continued to trend downwards. We now have 3 remarkably effective vaccines available which are all very effective against COVID-19 and all of the known variants out there. Almost 1/3 of the Wisconsin population has received a dose of vaccine so far and over 1M people have been fully vaccinated. All people over age 16 will be eligible for vaccination starting April 5th. When you have a chance to get vaccinated, I highly recommend it. Despite the doom and gloom our media and some leaders are projecting, things are looking up and there is light at the end of the tunnel. 
 
If you are feeling sick or concerned about symptoms, please call me first. We can discuss your symptoms and decide the best course of action for you, including testing.
Vitamin D and Preventable Cancer Deaths
What if an inexpensive supplement could save millions of healthcare dollars and prevent cancer deaths and suffering? What if we gave this supplement to every person over age 50? What would be the outcome? How many cancer deaths could we prevent and how many years of life could we save? This article explores all of these questions and the simplicity of the intervention may surprise you.

Depressed From Social Media
The incidence of depression is increasing. Certainly the pandemic and resultant interventions causing loss of socialization opportunities, jobs and businesses, and school closings has increased this problem. Over 90% of young adults use social media. How does use of these entities affect our mood? Does depression cause more "doomscrolling" or is the reverse true? This study was done prior to the pandemic but the conclusions are certainly applicable to our world now.

Early Risk = Late Decline
When we are young we feel like we will live forever and sometimes our lifestyles reflect that feeling. But can our early adulthood habits and decisions lead to a higher risk of dementia later? Which habits are the most important? What can we change now, regardless of age, to reduce our risk?

To Your Health...
Thank you for taking the time to read through this newsletter. We hope you have found this information useful. Feel free to pass this on to anyone you think would benefit from this newsletter.

Mark Niedfeldt, M.D.


Old-fashioned medicine with 21st Century convenience and technology