As humans, we often fall into black and white thinking. It can be easy to let the constant waterfall of media information and social snippets wash over us without stopping to think of the full context. In this age of COVID-19, though, it’s more important than ever to pause and look at what the science really has to say.
When we slip into confirmation bias and seek out answers that solidify what we already believe, we lose the ability to think critically. Now, more than ever, is the time to change that so we can overcome this pandemic. That’s exactly what Dhru and Chris Kresser talk about on this episode of The Broken Brain Podcast.
Chris Kresser is the CEO of Kresser Institute for Functional & Evolutionary Medicine, the co-director of the California Center for Functional Medicine, the creator of ChrisKresser.com, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Paleo Cure.
In this episode, Dhru and Chris have an open conversation about the most pressing COVID topics and what the latest research is showing. They look at some dramatic results of several studies on vitamin D, with the takeaway being that a majority of COVID patients have been found to have vitamin D deficiency, and those who are vitamin D deficient have higher inflammatory markers and a higher risk of death. They discuss the science behind mask wearing and why it’s a helpful piece of stopping the spread of coronavirus, but only one piece. They also talk about the latest findings of the vaccine trials and what we know, and don’t know.
In this episode, we dive into:
– Vitamin D levels among asymptomatic and critically ill COVID-19 patients and the correlation with inflammatory markers (12:56)
– Randomized control trial of vitamin D (17:26)
– Vitamin D testing and supplement recommendations (32:40)
– Why masks are getting so much attention when the data is nuanced (35:28)
– The research on COVID-19 and masks (46:06)
– COVID-19 vaccine—what we know and what we don’t know (1:08:14)
– Concerns around the safety of a vaccine when it’s developed so quickly (1:15:37)
– Oxford AstraZeneca phase III vaccine trial and how it differs from Pfizer and Moderna vaccine trials (1:30:42)
– Rapid at home COVID testing (1:41:01)
– What you can do today to take control of your health (1:49:03)
For more on Chris Kresser, be sure to follow him on Instagram @chriskresser, on Facebook @chriskresserlac, on Twitter @chriskresser, on YouTube @chriskresser, and through his website To learn more about his ADAPT Health Coach Training Program and his ADAPT Practitioner Training Program visit: You can also find his book, The Paleo Cure at
Also mentioned in this episode:
Vitamin D
-www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-77093-z
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Masks
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Vaccines
-Dr. Hyman Video:
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Testing
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Fluoride
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Alternative Ideas to Lock Downs That Need More Discussion
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-Katz COVID Reality Check 21: Left & Right, Right & Wrong, Front & Center
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