Antiviral chewing gum to reduce influenza and herpes simplex virus transmission

I am not sure why all the replies are indicating you are anti-science or anti-vax.

It is annoying to be told something from your doctor, internalize it, have your doctor suggest flu and covid vaccine for years but never HPV, and then be told on HackerNews "you should have the HPV" and now I am supposed to tell my doctor I can do his job better than him because I read something on the internet even though most doctors specifically grimace when you do that?

I think their Epic Health computer system that needs me to confirm my date of birth every 6 weeks can find some time to suggest the HPV vaccine if it is so damn medically necessary.

> I think their Epic Health computer system that needs me to confirm my date of birth every 6 weeks can find some time to suggest the HPV vaccine if it is so damn medically necessary.

You're assuming that the purpose of the EHR (Epic) is to implement public health recommendations or to establish minimum standards of care. That's a reasonable assumption for someone who doesn't work in the field, but unfortunately it's incorrect: neither of those are top-level goals for EHRs.

What are? Let me make a cynical guess:

1. Reducing costs by hiring fewer people.

2. Increasing profits by decreasing care.

Did I nail it or what?

The one computer system that has all my lab results, knows every doctor I have ever visited and has every summary of every medical visit I have had in the last 5 years doesn't want to use the data it is storing to suggest a follow-up?

That sounds like a quid pro quo with some trigger shy lawyers. I can't possibly imagine the long game for Epic is to never use that. It is a shame people are dying of HPV caused cancers because Epic can't use the data it has. Sad. Probably why American medical outcomes are so poor.

In the United States, you are in trouble if you don’t advocate for your own health.

Becoming a doctor in America requires studying 1 semester of statistics which can have been satisfied by a passing score on an AP statistics exam in high school, years before entering practices. The only thing you know about an MD is they got a C or better in biology and organic chemistry at some point, then tolerated years of abuse to get admitted to the guild. There is really no reason at all to believe that a typical MD knows how to interpret medical literature better or even as well as you can.

You should also get vaccinated for shingles if you can. If you are under 50, you will have to twist an arm. https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2025/03/shingles-vacc...

Shingles is also incredibly painful.

I find about 1/3 of doctors are dipshits and utterly shocked that someone would read a scientific paper, or learn about their own conditions or diseases. Half of the doctors are overjoyed when they come across a patient like me.

Shingles vaccine may reduce the risk of dementia | 90 Seconds w/ Lisa Kim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unnePZUqi1o

You're on the right track with money, but that's not exactly how I'd describe the goals. My impression is the primary goals are getting things coded and billed properly and thoroughly, and getting things documented in a way that minimizes legal liability.

While I had above average health care in my time Canada, I don't think this advice is limited to the USA.

Correct, though I thought Epic had a stronger foothold in the US than Canada. The CDC is a US government organization.