CLEVELAND, Ohio (WEWS) — It’s a book so many people know and love — "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day."

For 5-year-old Zion Crenshaw, the book is a much-needed escape.

“It’s the little things that make people happy,” said mom Shawanna Crenshaw.

Her six children and foster children are all patients at MetroHealth in Cleveland, Ohio.

She brought Zion in for his wellness check and shots.

The books in the waiting room and the books handed to him by the doctor when he leaves make a big difference.

“If they’re getting a shot, they’re sitting there reading a book, it relaxes my children,” Shawanna said. “So I’m glad the books are there.”

They’re in the doctor's office because of a national nonprofit called Reach Out and Read, founded in 1989 by Dr. Robert Needleman, a physician at MetroHealth.

“He thought about, 'What if we put books in the waiting room, what would happen?' And the books disappeared,” explained Lynn Foran, executive director of Reach Out and Read Greater Cleveland.

So from there, they started including them in child wellness checks.

More than 200 doctors and nurse practitioners across nearly 40 locations in greater Cleveland are trained in early literacy by Reach Out and Read.

There are books in the waiting room, exam rooms, and stacks and stacks of books, free to grab on your way out.

Pediatrician Dr. Anna Winfield has been part of the program for decades. She said the improvements she sees are remarkable.

“Ten years ago, I would give people a book and they would say, ‘That’s the only book I have at home’ and now you give them books and they say, ‘Oh I have plenty of books’ — but they still need more!” Winfield said.

Research shows reaching kids at an early age helps with kindergarten readiness, parental engagement, and is even beneficial for maternal well-being.

Book "prescriptions" detailing specific reading material can even help parents feel more at ease.

“I think a lot of our parents who are at higher risk for low literacy get nervous about reading with their kids because they’re not confident in their own skills,” Winfield explained. “And if you show them what to do with the book and their kid, their eyes kind of light up.”

The key to Reach Out and Read’s success has been rolling the importance of literacy into well-child visits, talking about it at the same level as safe sleep and good nutrition, and partnering with doctors who are trusted by families.

“They’re the messengers,” Foran said. “And parents, as you know being a mom of young children, you look to their advice and guidance to help you support the healthy development of your child.”

Reach Out and Read targets children six months to 5 years old. It has reached more than 4.2 million children across the country

This story was originally reported by Homa Bash on news5cleveland.com.

Sleep. We all get it. But, how many of us are actually getting good sleep? Apparently, not a lot. In fact, statistics show 67% of U.K. adults suffer from disrupted sleep, whilst 48% admit they don’t get the right amount of sleep.

It can be difficult to tell when we've actually had a bad night's sleep. After all, seven hours might leave you thinking your body has got what it needs when that's not always the case. Enter: Dr Karan Raj.

The first sign to look out for that might suggest you're not sleeping well enough is "ravenous hunger," says Dr Raj. "Poor sleeping patterns mean the body releases more of the hunger hormone ghrelin and less of the hormone leptin, which makes you feel full."

Dr Raj goes on, "More hunger and less feeling full means you eat everything."

The second sign of a poor night's sleep is that "you're selfish," the expert told his 5 million TikTok followers.

"[One of] the worst affected areas for a bad night's sleep is the prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain that regulates our social behaviors," Dr Raj explained. "[This] means you're less inclined to help other people because you're awful."

And that's not all, the third sign of being aware of is constipation. Yep, toilet troubles.

"A bad night's sleep means the master clock in the brain is disrupted," Dr Raj points out. "This has a domino effect on all the other tiny little cogs of the body, including your intestines, which means irregular bowels and human plumbing issues."

Tips to get to sleep and sleep better

If you're concerned about the quality of sleep you're getting, here are a few ways to improve that.

Stick to regular sleep hours

"Going to bed when you feel tired and getting up at roughly the same time helps teach your body to sleep better," the NHS website advises, adding that you should avoid napping where possible too. RIP lunch time naps.

Create a restful environment

Dark, quiet and cool environments generally make it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Move more, sleep better

"Being active can help you sleep better," the NHS notes. "But remember to avoid vigorous activity near bedtime if it affects your sleep."

Confront sleeplessness

"If you are lying awake unable to sleep, do not force it," the NHS advises. "Get up and do something relaxing for a bit, and return to bed when you feel sleepier."

Write down your worries

"If you often lie awake worrying about tomorrow, set aside time before bed to make a list for the next day. This can help put your mind at rest," says the NHS.

Put down the pick-me-ups

Yep, that means saying farewell to your afternoon coffees.

"Caffeine and alcohol can stop you falling asleep and prevent deep sleep," the NHS stresses. "Try to cut down on alcohol and avoid caffeine close to bedtime."

This article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

OMAHA, Neb. —

A study from the spring found three in 10 health care workers had considered leaving their jobs because of the pandemic. A doctor in Omaha, Nebraska, says there is no easy cure for burnout, but wants fellow physicians to know she hears them, and their feelings are valid.

"It's a kind of tired that you don't get better from by the time you go back to work next," said Dr. Deanna Larson.

For doctors and nurses going full speed ahead, Larson says it is time to slow down and self-reflect.

"You have to take care of your mental health. You just have to," Larson said.

Larson told sister station KETV her physician's flame started to flicker years ago. But she said the pandemic has exacerbated burnout across the medical industry.

"You see these people that are really sick and things that we can't always do to help them," said Tera Kapke, a registered nurse in Fairbury, Nebraska.

A Physicians Foundation report from June of this year found 61% of physicians feel burnt out. The International Council of Nurses reports a 70% burnout rate — up 30% from pre-pandemic numbers.

"I'd work a few shifts in a row and pick up extra shifts and I'm just exhausted," Larson said.

Larson coaches doctors battling burnout. She started a podcast to make self-help more accessible.

"We normalize our stress because that's just our job," Larson said. "We're givers, that's what we do. We're givers at the expense of ourselves."

Added to a doctor's job description these days is healing a world plagued by misinformation. Doctors and nurses have become the target of online hate and harassment.

"You really just can't have empathy for anybody anymore,” Larson said. “You are literally just trying to survive, get to the next day."

Larson offered a reminder to check up on the health care workers in your life, and encourages doctors to listen for symptoms of stress in themselves.

"We need to take care of ourselves, or there's not going to be anybody else to take care of us," said Larson, whose podcast “Beat Physician Burnout” is available to stream now.

DENVER, Colo. — People rely on hospitals to help them when they need medical attention. Some of those hospitals are the very reason some of the best doctors get into the medical profession.

That is the case for Dr. Woosik Chung, who is the director of Spine Surgery at Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in Denver, Colorado.

One of the newest spaces within their facility is the smartOR. It's where Dr. Chung does all of his spinal surgeries.

He's the brains behind incorporating some of the newest technologies within this space. However, he didn’t get to where he is by accident.

“Growing up with a dad that was a surgeon and a mom that was an OR nurse, you know, you kind of take it for granted, unfortunately," Dr. Chung said.

His story starts when he was about three years old and it was a celebratory holiday in South Korea.

“I remember I was playing with my friends. I believe we were playing hide-and-seek. I remember hiding behind a tractor and I remember the engine cover was open or it wasn’t there, and there was the propeller spinning and the fan belt around that propeller. I remember I was sitting on my tricycle and I was hiding and nobody could come and find me and I got bored and I saw the propeller moving around and I thought I could stop it," Dr. Chung said.

He severed both of his hands. Both were a clean cut.

“The next thing I remember— my dad is holding me and compressing my arms and I heard my mom say, 'I found them,' and she was referring to my limbs," Dr. Chung said.

They lived right near the hospital. His father had to step in as many doctors weren't working because it was a holiday.

“Luckily, thanks to my parents, my dad and the powers that be, I healed up and I was able to start using my hands again and I think it took me a long time to understand the significance of that," Dr. Chung said.

What could have turned into a tragic story, instead, was the beginning of a remarkable career.

“I was curious about the OR, I was curious about what my dad did because I knew that he had done my hand surgery and so I think it made me want to go to his hospital more when we were living in Malawi and check out what he was doing," Dr. Chung said. “He was as busy as ever so the only times I really saw him were if I visited him at the hospital and then I’d run around with him as he was making his rounds and then I’d kind of look in as he was operating outside of the OR.”

Those times of exploration, combined with his curiosity, gave him purpose to join the medical field.

“Wow, this is pretty unique and it’s an opportunity that doesn’t come by that often and so maybe the best thing to do is to try and use my hands to help somebody else," Dr. Chung said.

That’s exactly what he does now. Day-in and day-out, using his own hands, to change others' lives at this hospital. His outcome, is not the norm. Limb reattachment is far from a guarantee.

“I would still say it’s a rarity. And I would say this only happens in unique circumstances. And I think In my case, thank goodness I was a young kid, thank goodness the injury itself is what we call a clean cut, and thank goodness my father was able to take care of me so quickly right after the injury," Dr. Chung said.

People would never know Dr. Chung's story by looking at him but knowing it, makes people appreciate him as the doctor and surgeon he is.

“Get to know your doctor. Get to know your nurse. Get to know the people that want to take care of you because we want to be able to take care of you, we want to help," Dr. Chung said. “Helping others, and do whatever you can, even if all the odds are against you, and as long as you look at that goal and you work towards it as hard as you can, well sometimes amazing things can happen.”

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

It’s estimated that by the end of this year, approximately 30% of new cancer diagnoses for women will be for breast cancer.

One in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes. But there are also nearly 4 million breast cancer survivors in the United States, which means breast cancer can be treated and managed if it’s caught early.

Dr. Lori Frederick with Oklahoma University's Health Breast Health Network said women should get yearly mammograms starting at age 40, regardless of family history.

"We know that breast cancer is most commonly not related to your family history, so that’s kind of a misconception out there," she said.

She recommended 3D mammograms whenever possible.

"It helps us identify cancer that may be hidden – with the 3D imaging," she said.

Men can also get breast cancer, although it is much rarer. The National Breast Cancer Foundation estimates about 2,700 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.

Although we are still in a pandemic, it’s important not to neglect yearly screenings. Frederick said she is seeing things pick back up.

"I think the word got out that you need to come in and get this done," she said.

It could save your life.

A Warren County doctor who responded to Ground Zero 20 years ago said the efforts to find survivors among the wreckage of the World Trade Center have helped shape his career in emergency rooms ever since.

On September 11, 2001, Dr. Randy Mariott got the call to make the trip to New York City as part of Ohio Task Force 1.

“We thought that we were heading there with significant potential of being able to rescue live victims,” he said. “That was our hope.”

For the medical director of Premier Health EMS Center of Excellence, that hope never materialized. When they got to New York City on Sept. 12, there were no survivors to find. The team instead focused on recovering remains, and Marriott attended to the health and safety of other first responders.

“That was the most difficult part,” he said. “The realization that nearly 3,000 of our fellow citizens, not to mention over 400 first responders, were still in that pile and we probably could do nothing to help them.”

His time at Ground Zero has often influenced his work as an emergency department doctor at Premier Health’s different hospitals across the area, he said.

“I think that just the preparation has played a role in my career,” Marriott said. “I’ve tried to focus on doing more with less.”

In addition to having the experience influence his career, he also said the terrorist attacks may have helped make a doctor out of his son.

“I picked him up at his middle school on the way to the hospital to get medical gear that we had to take with us,” Marriott said. “He actually helped me carry out the medical supplies that went to Ground Zero.”

The Arkansas Medical Board is investigating after a doctor said he prescribed an anti-parasitic drug "thousands" of times for treatment of COVID-19, including to inmates in an Arkansas jail.

The FDA has been warning against the use of ivermectin for treatment of COVID-19 since March. The drug is used to treat parasitic infections, primarily in livestock, and the CDC recently cautioned about an increase in reports to poison centers of severe illness caused by the drug.

Justice of the Peace Eva Madison raised the issue during a county budget hearing in Fayetteville on Tuesday, saying a county employee had told her the jail's medical provider was prescribing ivermectin to treat and prevent COVID-19.

The county employee — who doesn't work for the sheriff's department — was directed to the jail to receive a COVID-19 test, Madison told CNN. During the visit he was prescribed ivermectin, which the Arkansas Department of Health also advises not to use to treat or prevent COVID-19.

"He is very afraid of retribution from the county and so he asked me to raise this issue on his behalf," Madison said.

"Much to my surprise, he (the sheriff) defended the use. He defended the practice," Madison said. The sheriff offered to put Madison in touch with the medical provider. Screen shots of the text exchange with the sheriff provided by Madison confirm her account.

Dr. Robert Karas provides medical services to the Washington County jail. He has been the contracted provider since 2015, according to Madison.

Madison said Karas defended his use of the drug during a phone conservation and again in a subsequent television interview after the practice came to light. Karas told television station KFSM that he began last October with prescribing the drug and has subsequently given it to family members and "thousands" of others. The doctor also recorded the station's interview with his own camera and posted it online.

"Do you want us to try and fight like we're at the beaches of Normandy? Or do you want me to tell what a lot of people do and say — oh, go home and ride it out and go to the ER when your lips turn blue," Karas said.

Karas said that he started to use ivermectin in the jail population starting in November on "high-risk patients over 40." The doctor defended his practice ,saying no deaths have been reported due to COVID-19 out of the 531 cases in the jail.

CNN called the Washington County Sheriff's Office to confirm the number of COVID-19 patients treated at the jail and was referred back to Karas, since he is contracted to provide medical services. Calls to the doctor's office have not been returned.

The Arkansas Medical Board has opened an investigation into the matter, Meg Mirivel, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Health, told CNN. Due to the ongoing investigation the department was not able to comment further.

The sheriff's department declined to comment further or provide additional information about inmate care.

The Sheriff's office defended the practices to the local paper, saying all treatment is "voluntary."

"They are able to refuse any medication they're offered. Even with the vaccine, it's all voluntary," Chief Deputy Jay Cantrell told the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

"I believe it's the county and the sheriff's constitutional duty to provide the detainees adequate and appropriate medical care." Madison told CNN.

"No one — including incarcerated individuals — should be subject to medical experimentation," Holly Dickson, executive director of the ACLU of Arkansas, said in a statement, adding that the sheriff "has a responsibility to provide food, shelter and safe, appropriate care to incarcerated people."

In a CDC health advisory issued Thursday, the agency said the use of ivermectin can result in "gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Overdoses are associated with hypotension and neurologic effects such as decreased consciousness, confusion, hallucinations, seizures, coma, and death."

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — In terms of the COVID-19 vaccine, doctors are weighing in on the concept of delaying the second dose of the shot.

Dr. Bill Petri, an infectious diseases professor at the University of Virginia, has been studying the effects of COVID-19.

“We all need to be vaccinated so there's herd immunity that we can stop the pandemic,” Petri told WTKR.

He’s also keeping a close eye on the two-dose messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.

“They're almost miraculous in their ability to protect us against COVID-19,” Petri said. “What we think the second dose is doing is to further develop the antibody response and help make it long-term.”

The CDC says the Pfizer doses should be administered three weeks apart, while Moderna's should be one month apart.

However, if the recommended interval isn't possible, the agency said the second dose may be administered up to six weeks, or 42 days, after the first dose.

“Under special circumstances, it's better to delay that couple of weeks than not do it at all,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said.

Fauci said U.S. data from Moderna and Pfizer doesn't support the move of a second dose delay.

“We will go by the science, which is dictated for us, the optimal way to get the 94-95% response, which is in fact, durable for the period of time that we've been following it,” Fauci said.

Petri believes the second dose is crucial and that the shots work best within that three- or four-week time frame.

“The second dose is like the icing on the cake. That's what's going to give you the 95% and lock that in,” he said. “Moderna did their study with four weeks apart. Pfizer did it three weeks apart. We're kind of scared to vary from that because we know what works. It's kind of like, ‘Don't fix it if it's not broke.”

While there is wiggle room, Petri told WTKR that it's important to stay on schedule as best as possible for vaccination for the best protection, especially with new variants of the virus in the U.S.

“If we miss that second dose, your antibody levels are going to be a little bit lower,” Petri said. “The more that you can adhere to the schedule, the better the chances that your antibody levels are going to be high enough to protect you, even against these new variants of the coronavirus.”

This story was first reported by Zak Dahlheimer at WTKR in Norfolk, Virginia.

MASON, Ohio —

Masks are now a big debate happening in school districts across Greater Cincinnati as the new school year quickly approaches.

Some parents in Mason, and even doctors, are pushing the district to require them.

A mother we talked with said mask-wearing is a collective effort.

She said that means everyone should be wearing masks in Mason City Schools this year.

"Everyone, K-12 in the building, should be wearing masks," parent, Joy Bennett, said.

That's the standard Bennett wants to see in Mason City Schools.

Two of her children will return to the classroom soon, but she fears COVID-19 could make it rough, especially for young students who can't get a shot.

"How do we reduce excessive and prolonged quarantines? How do we keep our kids healthy and able to attend? That's why I think that masking needs to be one of our layers," Bennett said.

The mask debate prompted 108 physicians who live in the Mason School District to pen a letter urging leaders to require masks for children and staff.

"There's a lot of things that we agree upon and that is the importance of safety for our kids. We agree that the masks help us with that and that's why we're strongly recommending that to all of our families," Mason City Schools Superintendent Jonathan Cooper said.

Cooper said they are following data and science and not requiring masks now.

"We are looking at how many cases do we have? Just like we did last year. We are looking at the transmission rates around here. How quick is it passing through our community?" Cooper said.

He also said distancing, barriers, handwashing and cleaning will continue.

On the flip side, some parents have started petitions to keep masks optional.

We found one for Forest Hills Schools.

Districts including Lakota Local Schools and Hamilton City Schools are not requiring masks, leaving it up to families.

Bennett said the schools have the power.

She wants to see them take action.

"It's really uncomfortable to have to wear something on your face, but I would just ask people to consider that we are a community," Bennett said.

Mason City School officials said more than 95 percent of its staff have been vaccinated.

The superintendent also said any changes are possible with compelling data.

School is set to start in the district next Thursday.

At a special public meeting on Wednesday at 5 p.m., Cincinnati Public School board members are also expected to discuss its policy on mask-wearing in the district.

Health experts are stressing the importance of an annual mammogram, even during a pandemic, but warning that undergoing the screening too close to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine could impact what comes up on that scan.

A mammogram takes an X-ray picture of the breast to detect early signs of breast cancer.

"Regular mammograms are the best tests doctors have to find breast cancer early, sometimes up to three years before it can be felt," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“You never want to ignore anything that’s going on in your breast. If you feel a lump or have any pain then certainly come and see us,” said Dr. Kelly Cronin, the medical director and section head of breast imaging at Wake Forest Baptist Health in North Carolina.

Cronin explained that during a mammogram, the image often captures “up into the underarm area, which is where a lot of lymph nodes will live.” She said after a vaccine, like the COVID-19 vaccine, lymph nodes under the arm can become swollen, mirroring one of the early detection signs screeners look for in mammogram images.

Cronin said Wake Forest Baptist Health is encouraging women to keep coming in for the annual exam, but to ensure it is two to four weeks after receiving the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to ensure there isn’t unnecessary confusion or worry for patients and their families.

Novant Health’s Dr. David Priest said they’re suggesting patients wait four to six weeks between second doses and mammogram appointments.

“Lymph nodes tend to swell after vaccination because the immune system is responding to the vaccine,” Priest said. “To prevent confusion or false results on a mammogram, we’re recommending that women should consider scheduling their routine screening mammograms.”

Priest stressed the guidance was for regular, screening mammograms. Women with symptoms, with abnormalities or concerns, should not delay, he noted. Priest encouraged women to discuss timing with their providers.

Cronin said, at Wake Forest, mammograms are being done with COVID-19 precautions in place.

“Getting a routine, annual mammogram is so important,” Cronin said. “If you haven’t had a mammogram in over a year and you’re over 40, certainly come back in and get that scheduled. We’ll get it taken care of safely.”

Both medical systems put out the recommendations following the Society of Breast Imaging’s guidance on the matter.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Medical Board of California says it will investigate a plastic surgeon who appeared in a videoconference for his traffic violation trial while operating.

The Sacramento Bee reports Dr. Scott Green appeared Thursday for his Sacramento Superior Court trial, held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic, from an operating room.

He was dressed in surgical scrubs with a patient undergoing the procedure just out of view; the beeps of medical machinery can be heard in the background.

"Hello, Mr. Green? Hi. Are you available for trial?" a courtroom clerk asked, according to video obtained by the Sacramento Bee. "It kind of looks like you're in an operating room right now?"

"I am, sir," Green replied. "Yes, I'm in an operating room right now. Yes, I'm available for trial. Go right ahead."

Court Commissioner Gary Link refused to conduct the trial, saying he was concerned for the patient's welfare and rescheduled it for another time.

On Saturday, the Medical Board of California said it "is aware of the incident and will be looking into it, as it does with all complaints it receives," according to NBC News.

Last week's incident is just the latest odd court proceeding recorded on Zoom amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, a Texas court proceeding was thrown off-kilter when a lawyer was unable to remove a Zoom filter that made him look like a cat.

A licensed naturopathic doctor from Northern California was arrested Wednesday for running a fake COVID-19 immunization and vaccine card scheme, according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Juli A. Mazi, 41, faces one charge of wire fraud and one count of false statements related to health matters, according to the Justice Department. Prosecutors say the Napa woman tried to sell homeoprophylaxis immunization pellets and fake COVID-19 immunization cards that made it appear as though her customers received the Moderna vaccine. This is the first federal criminal fraud prosecution related to these fraudulent immunizations and vaccine record cards, according to prosecutors.

"This defendant allegedly defrauded and endangered the public by preying on fears and spreading misinformation about FDA-authorized vaccinations, while also peddling fake treatments that put people's lives at risk. Even worse, the defendant allegedly created counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards and instructed her customers to falsely mark that they had received a vaccine, allowing them to circumvent efforts to contain the spread of the disease," said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco.

"According to the complaint, instead of disseminating valid remedies and information, Juli Mazi profited from unlawfully peddling unapproved remedies, stirring up false fears, and generating fake proof of vaccinations. We will act to protect trust in the medical developments that are enabling us to emerge from the problems presented by the pandemic," said Acting US Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds.

CNN is seeking comment from Mazi.

If convicted, Mazi could face 20 years in prison for wire fraud and five years for making false statements in addition to a $250,00 fine for each charge and three years of supervised release, according to the Department of Justice.

Mazi's scheme included immunization pellets

In April, a person called the Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General hotline to make a complaint, according to the criminal complaint. Mazi sold family members homeoprophylaxis immunization pellets that contained the COVID-19 virus, which she claimed "would create an antibody response in the immune system," the complainant said. The complainant also said their family hadn't received injections for any of the three authorized COVID-19 vaccines.

The pellets order arrived with vaccination cards and instructions on the dosage and how to fill out the cards. Mazi told the family "to mark the cards to falsely state that they received the Moderna vaccine on the date that they ingested the purported COVID-19 homeoprophylaxis immunization pellets," according to the complaint.

In a recorded phone call with the complainant in June, Mazi said a remedy could be made for practically any infectious disease that exists through a process called "homeoprophylaxis," which involved introducing a tiny amount of a disease into the body to provoke immunity," according to the criminal complaint.

"So the remedy for COVID has been available since the beginning, and I've been offering that," Mazi told the complainant, according to a record of the call detailed in the criminal complaint.

She also told the caller the dosage of the remedy she offered was the same "for babies" and asked the caller if they were interested in discussing immunizations required by the state of California for school children. Mazi said she offered immunizations for school "in the form of homeoprophylaxis remedies," according to the criminal complaint. During this conversation, the caller purchased the pellets for $243, according to the complaint.

The criminal complaint details Mazi's scheme to skirt school immunization requirements with false documents. In August 2020, a school employee in Ukiah, in Mendocino County, received an immunization card for a student that listed Mazi's name as the provider. The card was "unusual because it indicated a spacing of the immunizations that did not reflect the typical dosage regimen for the FDA-approved vaccines referenced on the card," said the complaint.

One other complainant called the Health and Human Services hotline regarding the COVID-19 homeoprophylaxis immunization pellets and said she'd learned about Mazi from her significant other, according to the complaint. The significant other's roommate had taken the pellets and felt sick, describing symptoms as "gastrointestinal discomfort and an overall feeling of being unwell," according to the complaint.

Financial records show Mazi received about $221,817 in 1,242 transactions from January 2020 to May 21, 2021, according to the complaint. While a majority did not indicate the purpose of the transaction, the document states that at least 25 transactions indicated they were for COVID treatments, amounting to $7,653 while approximately 34 other transactions denote homeoprophylaxis treatment.

BALTIMORE — Months after their COVID-19 infections, patients are experiencing what’s known as 'Long COVID,' but now some are seeking treatment who never tested positive or got sick.

"My heart goes out to these patients who are just human beings trying to make sense of their symptoms," said Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, a lung doctor at Johns Hopkins.

Galiatsatos, known as Dr. G, works at the Post-Acute COVID-19 Clinic at Hopkins. Since last May, they’ve seen hundreds of patients. Most are experiencing ongoing symptoms after a battle with COVID-19, but some never knew they had COVID and have been sick for months with no answers.

"They [patients] are like, 'I didn’t feel well. It wasn’t horrible and it didn’t send me to the hospital. I just didn’t feel well. And it just felt like the bad flu or a bad cold'," said Dr. G.

They didn’t test positive for COVID either due to lack of access to testing, lack of symptoms, or a false negative result.

"Then they kind of speak to I’ve never felt the same way again," said Dr. G.

Experts don’t yet know what causes long COVID or why some people have persistent symptoms while others recover.

As the CDC investigates the full spectrum of COVID, including long-term effects, Post-Acute COVID Care Clinics are being established at medical centers across the country, bringing together multidisciplinary teams to provide a comprehensive treatment approach COVID-19 aftercare.

"The multidisciplinary approach catches what certain physicians would miss, so you get psychology, psychiatry, physical medicine, and rehabilitation," said Dr. G.

In some cases, a positive test result isn’t vital to get help, so Dr. G says be your own advocate.

"If you’re sitting there struggling with symptoms that you’re finding your health care professional is struggling to put them together, ask to investigate if this could be post-COVID-19 through some simple blood work testing," said Dr. G.

Antibody testing could show what’s been missed all along, that patients once had COVID and are now suffering from 'Long COVID.'

"It’s a breath of fresh air because it’s some understanding of why they are here and as one of my patients said, 'It’s not all in my head'," said Dr. G.

A physician referral is required for an appointment in the JH clinic. For more information about the requirements, click here.

Abby Isaacs at WMAR first reported this story.

Cancer care for older Americans is getting a makeover.

When the elderly learn they have cancer, doctors have often assumed they're too frail for treatment. Or they instead recommend harsh therapies tested only in younger patients. But there's a move afoot to change that with special age-related fitness exams.

New guidelines from cancer specialists recommend the evaluations before making treatment decisions for Americans aged 65 and up.

The exams evaluate physical and mental health and social support. They also take into account the patient's desires for life-prolonging treatment regardless of how much time might be left. The idea is to find ways to help patients tolerate treatment, not rule it out.

CHICAGO, Ill. – Shortages of ventilators and personal protective equipment mean many healthcare providers are going into battle unarmed. It’s sparked a heated debate behind closed doors about balancing efforts to save patients versus exposing doctors and nurses to the virus.

Who lives? Who dies? Who gets priority to a ventilator? All complex questions health providers are being confronted with.

“We've never had this situation before. This is unprecedented,” said Craig Klugman a professor of bioethics at DePaul University in Chicago.

Bioethicists say widespread infection, protective equipment and ventilator shortages are creating unique ethical dilemmas for healthcare workers.

“We will start to care for the person who is at risk of dying first,” explained Dr. Ricardo Gonzalez-Fisher, a surgical oncologist who teaches healthcare ethics at Metropolitan State University of Denver. “But if we have more people than resources that we have to. Try to save those that are savable.”

“The obligation for a healthcare provider to treat the patient doesn't necessarily have a limit,” said Klugman.

In Spain, some 13,000 medical workers have been infected. In Italy, more than 60 workers have died since the outbreak began.

“It's not just their life. They can assume this risk for themselves,” said Klugman. “If they don’t have the right equipment, they also have the risk of infecting other patients, other healthcare providers. Their family.”

Some health systems around the country are reportedly discussing unilateral do-not-resuscitate policies. It’s something that was debated during the Ebola outbreak in 2015.

Determining who gets treatment and who does not is something Klugman says is taken very seriously.

“We think about it very carefully and with great deliberation.”

In Italy, that meant denying some care to the elderly in favor of the young.

Klugman says in Illinois, a pandemic flu plan created a decade ago includes care procedures built around ethical frameworks and algorithms that help decide who should for example, get a ventilator.

“We have to consider things like what is our most important value. So, the value that we're considering is maximizing the number of years of life that we can save,” said Klugman.

Ultimately, a balance must be struck.

“You have to make sure that the benefit of the patient overrides the harm or the risk that you're getting in,” said Dr. Gonzalez-Fisher.

Otherwise, bioethicists say there may not be enough first responders to treat the infected.

“When you call 9-1-1 because your loved one can't breathe, there will be nobody coming. That's the worst-case scenario,” said Klugman.