December is the month of Joy and Celebration

I will take a break from the educational goal of our monthly blogs and will reflect on some important medical news that happened in 2022. In this issue, I want to give recommendations for everyone to spend a wonderful Holiday Season and enjoy precious moments with family and loved ones.

2022 finally gave us a little bit of freedom after 2 years of confinement due to the Covid pandemic. There was a general relief when the mask mandate was lifted a few months ago. Covid cases decreased substantially and those of us who got sick, in most cases, had a mild form of the disease or got helped by the prescription of Paxlovid. An important observation from our experience with this medication: “take it early before the viral load is too high” and you will not have the risk of rebound effect that some patients described after a few days. And even if this rebound happens it seems that long-term Covid symptoms are very rare among those who took Paxlovid. Let’s hope that 2023 will continue giving us hope that the virus is getting less virulent as time passes and that the new variants will never cause the dramatic public health situation that we all lived in 2020. 

We, however, need to stay vigilant this winter as the nasty Covid virus has not finished surprising us and now the seasonal flu activity is elevated all over the country. Two different types of Influenzae strains have so far been predominantly identified among the cases- H1N1 and H3N2-. These two lineages of the virus have been included in the preparation of the 2022/2023 flu vaccines.  We therefore expect that these vaccines will offer some protection, even partially, against the viruses. 

Among many good things that happened this past year is the great number of patients who went on our weight loss program and were successful during their journey.  So many have lost 5–20- even up to 50 lbs on our program. With the combination of good lifestyle modifications, a boost on the metabolism, and support of satiety with our new injectable peptides, many who had not been able to lose weight before suddenly were able to adhere to the program and reached their goals after a few weeks or months. We want to congratulate all of you who have done so well and were so excited with their results each time they would get on our In-Body scale during the treatment. We were excited too! 

And do not worry our VitaLifeMD team will be here in 2023 to assure that you continue keeping the good work.  

And this helps me transition to the topic that I wanted to develop here. I recently was interviewed by Molly Sims in her podcast “Lipstick on the Rim.” Molly asked me an interesting question: what is “an ideal patient?” After thinking for a minute, I did not hesitate to say: “a happy patient.” Why? Because if patients are happy that means that I have probably been successful at helping them feel better and they can see some improvement in their condition. We might not have reached our goals of optimal health yet, but we are on the right path towards it, and we are working well together as partners. 

There is another reason for my answer as it probably comes from my eternal quest for happiness in life–my life, the life of my family, and the life of whoever connects with me.  It might be partly genetic (see here) or the result of having been a physician for so many years and having realized that life is too short to miss all the little moments that can bring joy and enthusiasm to our daily routine. When I see a big smile on my patient’s faces sitting in front of me in my office all excited to hear the news that their blood pressure is in range now, their cholesterol went down, their weight is down, they are no longer considered diabetic or that more serious issues of their health have been improved or resolved… these are the moments that make my day and give me all the rewards I need as a physician. This always reminds me of the motto of my University at Loma Linda “To Make Man Whole” and of my mission to offer the best care I can to my patients. 

I have also noted all along my career that positive thinking and enthusiasm are very contagious, in a good way. So many times have I smiled or even laughed with my patients during consults! Humor and laughter have proven to have health benefits. I try to communicate my personal happiness, hope, and/or excitement to my patients, especially when I see good results, as I know that even unconsciously, they will be influenced in a positive therapeutic way when they leave my office. 

All this is real. Studies show that having a positive mood and happiness correlates with a decrease in illnesses such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and mental conditions. People with happiness can fight cancer better and survive longer. People with happiness behave healthier than others and control their weight better.  Moreover, people with happiness tend to avoid risky behaviors. And finally, people with happiness experience a longer lifespan.   

After this long enumeration of all the benefits linked to happiness…

The VitaLife team and I wish all of you a wonderful and joyous Holiday Season and a Happy and Healthy 2023! 

With much love to you all,

Dr. Dominique Fradin-Read