#063 Dr. Roger Seheult from MedCram on COVID-19 Vaccines, Vitamin D, and Heat Hydrotherapy

Feb 26, 2021

Dr. Roger Seheult, a quadruple board-certified pulmonologist and co-creator of MedCram Videos, shares vital insights from his frontline experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. He discusses the evolution of COVID-19 treatment, emphasizing the importance of timely interventions. The conversation highlights the significant role of vitamin D, its potential as a hormone, and how it relates to COVID-19 outcomes. Seheult also explores the benefits of heat stress and sleep on immunity, providing listeners with practical health strategies to enhance their well-being.

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INSIGHT

Vitamin D and COVID-19 Association

Observational studies reveal a strong association between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 severity.
Lower vitamin D levels correlate with higher infection rates, hospital admissions, and worse outcomes.

INSIGHT

Causation of Vitamin D Importance

Mendelian randomization studies suggest a causative link between vitamin D and respiratory health.
Genetic variations associated with lower vitamin D predict higher mortality from respiratory infections.

ADVICE

Calcifediol for Acute COVID-19

For acute COVID-19, calcifediol (25-hydroxyvitamin D) might be more effective than standard vitamin D3.
Calcifediol, a prescription form, bypasses the liver's conversion step, potentially speeding up its action.

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Dr. Roger Seheult Dr. Roger Seheult is the co-creator of MedCram Videos. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, MedCram emerged as a beacon of insight, providing continuing coverage and perspectives in an environment almost defined by information scarcity. What particularly excited me about the unique opportunity of this interview is that apart from Dr. Seheult being a unique voice of public scholarship during the early days of the pandemic, he's also a quadruple board-certified pulmonologist with deep experience working on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this episode, we discuss:

(00:00) Introduction
(06:20) How MedCram Videos got started
(09:37) Using evidence to make COVID-19 treatment decisions
(12:46) The differences in treating early vs late-stage COVID-19
(14:40) How doctors would've treated COVID-19 one-hundred years ago
(18:13) Increasing ventilation reduces SARS-CoV-2 transmission
(20:28) Masks are virtually universally beneficial regardless of type
(21:32) Vitamin D and COVID-19
(22:22) Steroid chemical structure of vitamin D
(23:24) The vitamin D RDA is likely too low
(24:23) Vitamin D is more like a hormone than vitamin
(26:21) The overlap between COVID-19 and vitamin D deficiency
(30:27) How Mendelian randomization studies helped solve the vitamin D puzzle
(34:20) The gene regulatory effects of vitamin D
(35:49) Vitamin D and the ACE2/renin-angiontensin system
(42:00) Daily doses of vitamin D are more effective
(43:23) A prescription-only form of vitamin D (calcifediol) may be best for COVID-19
(47:06) Skin synthesis of vitamin D from sunlight can be unreliable
(53:43) The safest dose range for vitamin D
(01:06:15) The beneficial circadian effect of early morning sunlight
(01:07:38) Sleep deprivation impairs vital immunity
(01:12:08) Dr. Seheult's suggestions for the best sleep
(01:19:18) A Spanish flu era treatment boosts interferon by ten times
(01:22:38) Why interferon is so important for the viral response
(01:26:43) Treating the symptoms of fever during the Spanish flu harmed patients
(01:31:58) Dr. Seheult's ongoing research of hot hydrotherapy
(01:47:00) COVID-19 Vaccines

If you're interested in learning more, you can read the full show notes.

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