As reported in my April 7, 2020, article "Vitamins C and D Finally Adopted as Coronavirus Treatment," the largest hospital system in New York, Northwell Health, has been giving COVID-19 patients admitted into intensive care 1,500 milligrams of intravenous vitamin C three to four times a day in conjunction with the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin, both of which have shown promise in coronavirus treatment.1 According to Dr. Andrew G. Weber, a pulmonologist and critical-care specialist affiliated with two Northwell Health facilities on Long Island, "The patients who received vitamin C did significantly better than those who did not get vitamin C. It helps a tremendous amount, but it is not highlighted because it's not a sexy drug."2 NIAID Director Backpedals on Vitamin C and D RecommendationsCuriously, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the face of the White House coronavirus response team, is now saying life probably will not go back to normal until we have the ability to vaccinate the entire global population against COVID-19.3 I say "curiously," as just four short years ago, in a Washingtonian article,4 "How to Avoid Getting Sick When You're Around People All Day," Fauci touted vitamins C and D as being good for boosting your immune system and fighting infectious disease. Vitamin C "can enhance your body's defense against microbes," he said — a statement backed by recent research showing vitamin C supplementation lowers your risk of the common cold.5 At the time, Fauci said he was taking 1,000 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C, himself, every day. "Many people also do not get enough vitamin D, which affects a lot of body functions, so that would be helpful, too," he added. Yet, in a March 26, 2020, interview with RealClear Politics,6 he changed his tune, saying there was "no definite proof" that the vitamins work, even though some studies show they do. What changed? Why did he say vitamins C and D help boost immune function and ward off infectious disease four years ago, only to deny it now? Global Vaccine Plan in Action?Is Fauci simply promoting Bill Gates’ vaccine agenda? It's not an implausible idea, considering Fauci is on the Leadership Council board responsible for putting together Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Global Vaccine Action Plan — a collaboration between the Foundation, NIAID, UNICEF and the World Health Organization.7 As explained in a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation press release:8
It's quite feasible that one "gap" that would need to be addressed "to realize the life-saving potential of vaccines" would be the elimination of inexpensive patent-free competition such as nutritional supplements. Considering the fact that many reports from medical professionals treating COVID-19 patients are showing favorable results using old medicines and supplements such as IV vitamin C and zinc, there's absolutely no reason to announce the end of normalcy unless we vaccinate billions of people. In fact, zinc is currently looking like one of the most important remedies against COVID-19. Compelling evidence suggests the reason the antimalarial drug chloroquine appears so useful in the treatment of COVID-19 is because it acts as a zinc ionophore (zinc transporter) so it improves zinc uptake into the cell. Zinc is crucial for healthy immune function9 and a combination of zinc with a zinc ionophore was in 2010 shown to block the replication of SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV-1) in cell culture within minutes.10 Many of the symptoms of COVID-19 are also near-indistinguishable from those of zinc deficiency.11 In the featured Liberty Report video above, Dr. Ron Paul, former GOP congressman, also points out that Fauci's "doom and gloom predictions" of 2.2 million deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. alone12 have completely collapsed, "with the new official prediction coming in under the normal flu numbers for 2018." Indeed, April 8, 2020, a new model referred to as the Murray Model13 predicts COVID-19 will kill 60,000 in the U.S. by August14 — a far cry from 2.2 million! "Was it 'social distancing' that saved us?" Paul asks. "Let's look at the states and countries that did not lock down — they should have massively higher deaths. Do they?" Listen to his report to find out (hint: No. For example, South Carolina, which did not shut down its economy, had only 63 deaths as of April 9, 2020, while Colorado, which did shut down, had 193). COVID-19 Vaccine Will Bypass Safety TestingEven if a vaccine comes out in a year, which is astoundingly rapid, we will have no proof that it's safe and effective since researchers are foregoing some of the normally required safety testing in order to get a vaccine out as soon as possible.15 What if it turns into a repeat of the fast-tracked H1N1 swine flu vaccine released in Europe during the swine flu pandemic of 2009-2010? In July 2009, the U.S. National Biodefense Safety Board unanimously decided to forgo most safety and efficacy tests to get the vaccine out by September of that year.16,17 Europe also accelerated its approval process, allowing manufacturers to skip large-scale human trials18 — a decision that turned out to have tragic consequences19 for an untold number of children and teens across Europe. Over the next few years, the ASO3-adjuvanted swine flu vaccine Pandemrix (used in Europe but not in the U.S. during 2009-2010) was causally linked20 to childhood narcolepsy, which abruptly skyrocketed in several countries.21,22 Children and teens in Finland,23 the U.K.24 and Sweden25 were among the hardest hit. Further analyses discerned a rise in narcolepsy among adults who received the vaccine as well, although the link wasn't as obvious as that in children and adolescents.26 A 2019 study27 reports finding a "novel association between Pandemrix-associated narcolepsy and the noncoding RNA gene GDNF-AS1" — a gene thought to regulate the production of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor or GDNF, a protein that plays an important role in neuronal survival. They also confirmed a strong association between vaccine-induced narcolepsy and a certain haplotype, suggesting "variation in genes related to immunity and neuronal survival may interact to increase the susceptibility to Pandemrix-induced narcolepsy in certain individuals." There's Much We Still Do Not KnowThe fact that health authorities seem to have conveniently forgotten this travesty is shocking, considering it was only a decade ago. Here we are again, awaiting another fast-tracked vaccine for a virus we still don't even fully understand. For example, in recent days, some doctors have noted their patients' symptoms appear closer to altitude sickness than pneumonia.28 Their blood oxygen levels are devastatingly low, yet they're not gasping for air. Doctors in the field are also noticing that patients put on ventilators have a much higher death rate than those who are not ventilated.29,30 Yet standard of care for low blood oxygen calls for ventilation. This situation really highlights the danger of making medical assumptions. Fauci and Gates insist a vaccine is the only thing that can open the world back up for business, yet they have no evidence to back up the notion that a vaccine is the best way to protect public health. To top it off, Fauci and Gates are both talking about the possibility of rolling out a national tracking system with implantable vaccine certificates. People who are unwilling to take a gamble with a novel coronavirus vaccine may actually have their social and professional lives restricted indefinitely, should such a plan be implemented. Remember, the devastating Pandemrix vaccine was found to induce narcolepsy by affecting a noncoding RNA gene. It wasn't because it contained a toxic substance such as, say, aluminum, which, theoretically, could be chelated out. As of right now, one of the main contenders for a COVID-19 vaccine is also using an entirely novel method of manufacturing. The biotech company Moderna is using synthetic mRNA to instruct DNA to produce the same kind of proteins COVID-19 uses to gain access into our cells. The idea is that your immune system will learn to recognize and kill the real virus. What the limited human trials on this vaccine will NOT tell us is whether it might have devastating genetic effects. No one expected Pandemrix to have genetic effects. Yet it did. Vitamin D in COVID-19 TreatmentIt's scientifically indisputable that vitamin D plays an important role in human health, and findings from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)31 and a vitamin D review paper32 published in the journal Nutrients, April 2, 2020, both suggest vitamin D deficiency could have serious implications for COVID-19. As reported by Medical Xpress, April 6, 2020:33
The second paper, published in the journal Nutrients, carries the telling title, "Evidence That Vitamin D Supplementation Could Reduce Risk of Influenza and COVID-19 Infections and Death."35 As reported in the abstract:
Dark-Skinned Individuals at Greater Risk for COVID-19An opinion36 in The Wall Street Journal by psychiatrist Dr. Vatsal G. Thakkar also points out that “black Americans are dying of COVID-19 at a higher rate than whites,” and vitamin D deficiency, which weakens immune function, is far more prevalent among those with darker skin color. He writes:
Vitamin D Deficiency Contributes to ARDSThakkar’s views are also supported by research38 published in the journal Thorax, in which they show patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), resulting from severe respiratory illness such as pneumonia, by and large tend to be deficient in vitamin D, and that vitamin D deficiency contributes directly to ARDS. The study also found that, for those at risk of developing ARDS after surgery, pre-surgery vitamin D level was the only measure indicative of whether or not a patient would develop lung injury after surgery. After adjusting for confounding factors, surgical patients with vitamin D levels below 8 ng/ml (20 nmol/L) had a 4.2fold higher risk of developing ARDS than those with levels at or above 8 ng/ml. from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/04/22/anthony-fauci-niaid.aspx
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The first publicly reported case of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 was reported in Wuhan, China, December 21, 2019. According to Pro-Med International Society for Infectious Diseases,1 those first patients had clinical signs consistent with viral pneumonia. On January 21, 2020, the first confirmed case had reached the U.S. It was an individual living in Washington state who had recently visited Wuhan, China.2 The second case appeared January 24, 2020, in Illinois;3 this was also someone who had recently returned from Wuhan, the epicenter of the SARS-CoV-2. Since then, the number of infections has spread rapidly across the U.S. and the world. A rising number of patients entering the hospital with contagious flu and SARS-CoV-2 has put a strain on personal protective equipment (PPE) needed by health care providers to stop the spread within health care facilities. Nearly four months later, shortages of masks, gowns, gloves and face shields have left doctors and nurses at personal risk and at increasing levels of risk for spreading viruses to those who are not infected.4 One of the most effective face masks used to protect against airborne particles is the N95 mask. One challenge to providing PPE to health care workers has been inadequate stockpiles and N95 face masks that exceeded their shelf life. On February 28, 2020, the CDC5 announced it was necessary to test a stockpile of N95 masks manufactured between 2003 and 2013. Although preliminary results show the masks performed as expected, it seems as if they were never expected to be used. It’s also possible the stockpile had been forgotten, left to expire and not replaced with newer masks. Doctors Fired for Wearing MasksReports of doctors and nurses losing their jobs after wearing face masks in hospital hallways have been making the news. As health care workers are on the front lines of caring for highly contagious individuals, many have resorted to finding their own face mask and wearing it while at work. NPR tells the story of one traveling physician, Dr. Neilly Buckalew, who was assigned to Saint Alphonsus Regional Rehabilitation Hospital in Boise, Idaho.6 She purchased and brought her own PPE and N95 mask to work. On her first day, she was ordered to take it off. The reasons the hospital administrators gave kept changing, but she was told if she wore the mask she would have to leave. She refused and was terminated. Buckalew is among the few who are speaking publicly since, as she puts it, "A lot of people can't speak out because they're afraid, or they know that they'll be fired." The events surrounding the termination of Dr. Henry Nikicicz are told in The New York Times.7 After seeing a group of individuals in the hallway at the hospital, the anesthesiologist put on his mask to protect himself and them. However, in the following days he found his job at the University Medical Center in El Paso was at risk. After refusing to stop wearing his mask, Nikicicz was removed from the schedule and suspended without pay. As The New York Times reported, he was sent a text message from:8
As The New York Times reporter wrote, the text message was not only inaccurate but xenophobic. In a statement, the University Medical Center of El Paso said the anesthesiologist was removed for “insubordination:”9
Health Care Workers Are at Risk of Spreading Any VirusThe president-elect of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine told NPR10 she has heard multiple stories like Buckalew's from across the U.S. "We're hearing a lot of people saying that 'I'm not getting adequate PPE at my job, so I was able to buy PPE and I'm using what I buy.'" Propublica11 highlights the dangers of health care workers who are not adequately protected in the story of Dr. John Gavin, emergency room physician in Amite, Louisiana. Gavin, 69, contracted the novel coronavirus while working in the emergency room. When he was diagnosed March 12, 2020, and subsequently quarantined at home, he reported that the officials at Hood Memorial Hospital where he works had not yet changed any procedures to protect the doctors and nurses, nor their patients. At the time the ER did not have N95 respirator masks or gowns to protect the staff. Because of a staff shortage, Gavin could not call in sick in the days before his diagnosis was confirmed. He showed up for work in the emergency room and treated patients, where he believes he exposed everyone he saw. Health care workers are facing threats of disciplinary action and termination if they're found wearing masks outside of patient care areas. Megan Ranney, associate professor of emergency medicine, Brown University, told Scientific American:12
Hospital Support Personnel Without Information or ProtectionDoctors and nurses are not the only workers on the front line who are short of equipment and information. One worker spoke to Vox, but didn't want to be identified for fear of repercussions from the hospital. She works in a south Florida hospital. And part of her job is to go with the doctors on rounds to see their patients. As Vox tells her story:13
Other non-medical staff in the hospital are also at risk for contracting or passing along the virus. One working at a hospital in southern Kentucky did not want to be identified to the Vox reporter as he feared repercussions and job loss. Without adequate information about what protective measures should be taken, he asked his boss whose response was, “just wear gloves.” His responsibilities include cleaning patient rooms and laboratories that have biohazardous waste. At the time of the report he did not have access to a mask and did not have the benefit of paid sick time. He told the reporter, “All this for 11 dollars an hour. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.” National Nurses United14 published a survey of 8,200 nurses from around the country. They found just 46% had information about how to recognize and respond to possible cases and 58% of employers were screening all patients for travel and exposure history as well as fever and respiratory symptoms. However, only 55% had N95 masks and 24% had enough PPE to protect the staff. Information flow also appeared to be sparse as only 31% of the nurses knew there was a plan in place to isolate patients suspected of being infected. The lack of equipment and training within hospital facilities increases the risk health care workers and patients may be passing viruses from one to another. Not All Hospitals Have the Same PerspectiveLongtime nurse Kevin Readel spoke to a reporter from Scientific American after he was terminated for insubordination when he refused to take off a mask while inserting an IV. During a conversation with human resources he shared, “… the entire discussion we had centered around me causing hysteria by wearing a mask.”15 He spoke freely, since he has lost his job and is suing the hospital. While some hospitals appear to have a greater concern over the appearance of protecting patients and staff rather than educating patients and protecting staff, others have a different perspective. Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong mandates all health care workers always wear a mask. In a six-week survey, the hospital reported no health care worker or hospital-acquired infections.16 Some hospitals in the U.S. have also taken up this strategy. Northwell Health in New York asks all health care workers to wear masks while at the hospital. Senior vice president and chief medical officer David Battinelli said:17
Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital announced it is mandatory to wear face masks while at the facilities. On March 24, 2020, nurses at St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital in Florida were told they18 “should not be wearing masks or gowns if not taking care of an islocation [sic] patient. (No exceptions.).” Within days the hospital reversed the decision, telling a news reporter the hospital expects all staff to wear a mask while working. Multiple hospitals in Florida made a similar switch from telling staff they can’t wear masks to insisting they do. Martin Peebles, representative for the National Nurses United Union, is glad these precautions are finally being implemented:19
Pandemic Agitating Loss of Physician AutonomyAccording to The New York Times,20 some of the animosity between physicians and administration stems from another source. In the past several decades, doctors have moved from private practice to becoming hospital employees, losing the autonomy associated with independent practice. This has placed the physicians as employees to companies that sometimes place profits ahead of patients. According to Dr. Christopher Garofalo, it has created an environment that leaves physicians less empowered and more frustrated. The New York Times reports of an email from a manager at Cleveland Clinic that was sent to a group of doctors, warning them not to “go rogue” by using masks around the hospital. Garofalo is a family doctor from Massachusetts who holds leadership positions in the state and serves as a delegate to the American Medical Association. He told the New York Times:21
from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/04/22/hospitals-preventing-doctors-from-wearing-masks.aspx The U.S. has failed to effectively implement widespread testing for COVID-19, allowing rates of infection to climb and extended stay-at-home orders to persist. Other countries, such as South Korea and Singapore, responded with aggressive testing early on, minimizing further spread and suppressing transmission of the virus without widespread shutdowns. Mike Ryan, head of the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Programme, told NPR, “We've seen examples in places like Singapore and [South] Korea, where governments haven't had to shut everything down. They've been able to make tactical decisions regarding schools, tactical decisions regarding movements, and been able to move forward without some of the draconian measures."1 What happened in the U.S. to prevent COVID-19 testing may go down as one of the greatest debacles in history, triggered by bureaucratic red tape. FDA Regulatory Barriers Delayed Widespread Testing in the USIn January 2020, German scientists developed the first diagnostic test for COVID-19. In early February 2020, WHO shipped about 250,000 tests to 159 laboratories around the world.2 As noted by South Korea's foreign minister, Kang Kyung-wha, “Testing is central” to outbreak responses, as it “leads to early detection” and helps minimize spread, as those who test positive can be isolated. Rather than use the WHO test, the U.S., under the direction of the CDC and FDA, decided to create its own, as it had done with tests during past outbreaks of Ebola and Zika. CDC adviser William Schaffner, told Business Insider:3
On February 4, the U.S. FDA approved the U.S. COVID-19 test, and the CDC shipped 90 of them to state public health labs days later. According to Business Insider, “By that point, the U.S. had only confirmed about a dozen coronavirus cases, including two cases of person-to-person transmission.”4 The New York Times summed up U.S. testing failures as “the lost month” — a time between late January and early March 2020 during which widespread testing may have changed the course of the pandemic in the U.S.:5
‘Unprecedented’ Testing Glitch Causes Testing DelaysAfter the initial test rollout, an “unprecedented” problem with a test ingredient caused inconclusive results in many of the tests. While the CDC manufactured new tests, labs had to send samples to the CDC for testing, which led to delays of up to 48 hours.6 Experts, including Christian Drosten, a researcher at the German Center for Infection Research, told Business Insider that multiple tests should be developed so that there’s a backup if a problem occurs with one of the tests. According to Drosten:7
What’s more, initially, the CDC only recommended testing people with symptoms and a history of travel to China or contact with a coronavirus (lab-confirmed) patient. “That meant the country's first case involving community spread, a patient in California, went untested for multiple days at two hospitals,” Business Insider noted. It wasn’t until February 27 that the CDC testing criteria was revised to include hospitalized patients, but those with mild symptoms still did not get immediate testing. In contrast, in Hong Kong and Singapore, testing occurred swiftly not only for hospitalized patients but also people with mild symptoms or suspected cases. Tens of thousands of people who were potentially exposed to those who tested positive were then quarantined, the vast majority being healthy people who ended up not getting sick. “Tedros of the WHO refers to this as cutting off the virus at the bud — basically stopping the virus from spreading further and preventing community transmission,” according to NPR.8 In late February, the FDA began allowing laboratories certified to perform high-complexity testing to develop their own COVID-19 tests, but by March there still weren’t enough available tests to keep up with demand. During the first week of March 2020, the U.S. had conducted an estimated 18 tests per million people, while South Korea had conducted 3,692 per million. By March 20, the U.S. continued to lag behind, having tested only 313.6 people per million, compared to 6,148 per million in South Korea, 12,738 per million in the United Arab Emirates and 26,772.3 per million in Iceland.9 As more cases spread among communities, there remained strict criteria of who could receive a test. Schaffner continued in March:10
FDA’s Role in Slowing the Testing ProcessOther hurdles also stood in the way of widespread testing in the U.S. While laboratory developed tests typically do not require FDA pre-approval, the declared public health emergency triggered rules that required labs to receive an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the FDA in order to roll out tests for COVID-19. As mentioned, this meant labs weren’t allowed to develop tests until late February. The Alliance for Natural Health USA (ANH USA) reported:11
Some labs even developed at-home tests for COVID-19, but the FDA said it had not approved any at-home tests, leading companies to pause distribution and even destroy samples that had already been collected. South Korea, which has been producing 400,000 COVID-19 tests per week, has also been shipping the tests to U.S. states and private labs, but gaining FDA approval on the tests remains a significant hurdle. There are two types of tests now available in the U.S. — one, known as the polymerase chain reaction test, which uses a nasopharyngeal swab, and the other, a serological test that uses blood samples to detect COVID-19 antibodies. U.S. testing capacity has increased, but still lags behind most other developed countries. As of April 5, 2020, the U.S. had conducted 5,316.43 tests per million people, compared to 9,062.93 in South Korea and 81,228.8 per million in Iceland.12 Backlogs at laboratories are also creating bottlenecks. According to Vox, “As of April 6, Quest Diagnostics, one of the largest private testing facilities in the U.S., still had a backlog of roughly 80,000 tests as it faces more demand than it can handle. Adjusted for population, the U.S. has tested at just 74 percent the rate of South Korea — where widespread testing has been credited with containing the country’s outbreak — and is even further behind Germany, Italy and Canada.”13 According to the Alliance for Natural Health USA, in a letter to Congress calling for the FDA to stop blocking access to COVID-19 testing, it’s noted:14
Widespread Testing Needed to End Social DistancingWith much of the U.S. still under stay-at-home orders and practicing social distancing, it’s revealing that in some countries where aggressive testing was successful in helping to contain the outbreak, widespread shutdowns have not occurred. In South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore, for instance, most restaurants, shopping malls and factories have remained open. In Singapore, schools have also stayed open, with Singapore's minister of education, Ong Ye Kung, stating, “… evidence [is scarce] to show that the young are vectors or spreaders of the virus. The reverse appears to be the case, where the young get infected by adults at home."15 While the way COVID-19 spreads is still being explored, experts agree that widespread testing is needed for the U.S. to reopen its economy and get back to a sense of normalcy. Speaking with Vox, Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, a fellow in the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity program, said, “It’s one of those things that is absolutely astounding. Three and a half months into this outbreak, we’re still talking about the basic issue of we need to get testing up and going.”16 Multiple hurdles still stand in the way of COVID-19 testing, from lack of supplies like swabs and machines needed to run the tests, to labs losing revenue as fewer elective tests are being performed, yet being expected to ramp up COVID-19 tests, which have low reimbursement rates. Current COVID-19 tests may also not be sensitive enough and could lead to false negatives, while the U.S. also lacks reliable tests to check people for COVID-19 immunity.17 In order to reopen society, access to rapid testing will be necessary so any cases that pop up can be quickly identified and contained. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Vox:18
If you’d like to share a message with your senators, representative and the FDA urging them to remove barriers to COVID-19 testing, you can use ANH USA’s letter, which highlights the need for widespread testing and an FDA overhaul to protect Americans’ health and safety.19 from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/04/21/the-red-tape-of-testing-for-coronavirus.aspx While philanthropy is considered noble, some philanthropists appear to be doing far more harm than good with their donated millions. Bill Gates, who cofounded Microsoft in 1975, is perhaps one of the most dangerous philanthropists in modern history, having poured billions of dollars into global health initiatives that stand on shaky scientific and moral ground. Gates' answers to the problems of the world are consistently focused on building corporate profits through highly toxic methods, be it chemical agriculture and GMOs, or pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines.1 Rarely, if ever, do we find Gates promoting clean living or inexpensive holistic health strategies. Gates Donates Billions to Private CompaniesA March 17, 2020, article2 in The Nation titled, "Bill Gates' Charity Paradox," details "the moral hazards surrounding the Gates Foundation's $50 billion charitable enterprise, whose sprawling activities over the last two decades have been subject to remarkably little government oversight or public scrutiny." As noted in this article, Gates discovered an easy way to gain political power — "one that allows unelected billionaires to shape public policy" — namely charity. Gates has described his charity strategy as "catalytic philanthropy," one in which the "tools of capitalism" are leveraged to benefit the poor. The only problem is that the true beneficiaries of Gates' philanthropic endeavors tend to be those who are already rich beyond comprehension, including Gates' own charitable foundation. The poor, on the other hand, end up with costly solutions like patented GMO seeds and vaccines that in some instances have done far more harm than good. (For a few examples, see the following references.3,4,5) The Nation reports:6
Companies that have received large donations from the Gates Foundation include GlaxoSmithKline, Unilever, IBM, Vodafone, Scholastic Inc. and NBC Universal Media.7,8 Those Calling the Shots Stand to Gain the MostIn the video above, Spiro Skouras reviews how the global COVID-19 pandemic is being used to snatch freedom and liberty away from us, and the role Gates is playing in the process.
Gates, surely, fits the description of someone who is both calling the shots and stands to gain handsomely from the COVID-19 pandemic. How? First, by investing in the same industries he's giving charitable donations to and, second, by promoting a global public health agenda that benefits the companies he's invested in and supports. How Gates' Foundation Benefits From Its Own DonationsFor example, in 2014, a Mastercard affiliate, MasterCard Labs for Financial Inclusion, received a $19 million donation10,11 "to 'increase usage of digital financial products by poor adults' in Kenya," The Nation reports, adding:12
Indeed, those are sensible questions that need serious review. The Mastercard donation also appears to have benefited the Gates Foundation, making an investigation into Gates' "philanthropy" all the more necessary. As explained by The Nation, at the time of that donation, the Gates Foundation had "substantial financial investments in Mastercard through its holdings in Warren Buffett's investment company, Berkshire Hathaway." That's not the only questionable donation on record. The Nation found "close to $250 million in charitable grants from the Gates Foundation to companies in which the foundation holds corporate stocks and bonds." In other words, the Gates Foundation is giving money to companies that it owns stocks in and will benefit financially from. As a result, the Foundation and Gates himself continue to increase their wealth. Part of this growth in wealth also appears to be due to the tax breaks given for charitable donations. In short, it's a perfect money-shuffling scheme that limits taxes while maximizing income generation. Companies that have received donations that in turn made money for the Gates Foundation include Merck, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, Vodafone, Sanofi, Ericsson, LG, Medtronic, Teva and "numerous startups," The Nation writes, adding:
Take Action — Demand an InvestigationIf donating to for-profit companies sounds oddly illegal to you, you'd be right. Gates is a tax evader for doing so — he's simply getting away with it. The nonprofit foundation is a disguise to avoid taxes while funding the research arms of for-profit organizations that his foundation is invested in. In reality, Bill and Melinda Gates should be given federal prison sentences, and while not directly spelled out, I believe that's really the point of The Nation's article. Using nonprofit money to advance research for companies you're invested in is illegal. If you are as repulsed by the fact that Gates is getting away with this illegal behavior as much as I am, then I encourage you to contact the IRS Whistleblower Office and ask them to investigate Gates' tax evasion. You can also file a consumer complaint with the Washington State Attorney General's office. Gates' Pro-Patent Agenda Limits ReformsThat Gates philanthropic endeavors protect his own investments can also be seen in his pro-patent stance. James Love, director of the nonprofit Knowledge Ecology International pointed out to The Nation that Gates:13
Gates is a staunch and longtime defender of the drug industry, and his intent to further the pharmaceutical agenda can clearly be seen in the current COVID-19 pandemic. Gates' COVID-19 Plan — Vaccinate Global PopulationAs reported by Forbes,14 The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has committed $100 million to fight the global COVID-19 outbreak. As much as $20 million will reportedly go to agencies such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization to be used for front-line detection, containment and treatment efforts. Another $20 million is earmarked for at-risk populations in Africa and South Asia while the remaining $60 million is to be used for vaccine development, diagnostics and other treatments. Vaccines are clearly one of Gates' mainstay "solutions" to most diseases. Gates has gone on record saying the U.S. needs disease surveillance and a national tracking system15 that could involve vaccine records embedded on our bodies (such as invisible ink quantum dot tattoos described in a Science Translational Medicine paper.16,17) In fact, he's stated that life will not go back to normal until we have the ability to vaccinate the entire global population against COVID-19. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has echoed this exact sentiment as well, as if they're reading the same cue card. It would not surprise me if they were, seeing how the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation collaborates with both the NIAID and WHO "to increase coordination across the international vaccine community and create a Global Vaccine Action Plan."18 Fauci is on Gate's Leadership Council board charged with developing this vaccine action plan, as is WHO's former director general Dr. Margaret Chan. As explained in a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation press release:
Gates influence over global health policies has been criticized for years, yet nothing has been done to limit it. If anything, his power has only grown, and warnings that his corporate interests may undermine public health policy now appears to have come true. As reported by Politico in 2017:19
Vaccinate or Become a Social Outcast?According to statements made by Gates, societal and financial normalcy may never return to those who refuse vaccination, as the digital vaccination certificate Gates is pushing for might ultimately be required to go about your day-to-day life and business. An April 4, 2020, article by OffGuardian comments on Gates' March 24, 2020, interview with Chris Anderson, the curator of TED (which runs TED Talks) above:20
Again, vaccine producers stand to make enormous amounts of money from any given pandemic, and the Gates Foundation is both funding and making investment profits from vaccine makers. Is it any wonder then that Gates is trying to indoctrinate people into thinking there are no other answers? When asked by Anderson about the economic ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gates says:
As noted by OffGuardian, Gates' statement:21
Gates Explains Economic ShutdownAt 33:45 in the interview, Gates goes on to reveal what appears to be a stunning insider's insight into the current economic shutdown:
In other words, if we are to believe Gates, we're sacrificing the financial stability and sanity of hundreds of millions of Americans in order to prevent the infection rate from hitting 1% of the population. Keep in mind, the death rate for COVID-19 now appears to be on par with seasonal influenza, according to Fauci,22 so the vast majority of those infected end up recovering after mild illness, and have antibodies that should provide them with long-lasting immunity. Clearly, if you want to make money from a vaccine, you don't want people to develop immunity naturally, and this is precisely what Gates is admitting to. As noted by OffGuardian:23
Gates Leads Medical Tyranny AgendaThe short video above summarizes some of the points I've touched on in this article so far and reviews how the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation influences public health policy at the very highest levels through a vast web of personal and organizational interconnections. Gates has a history of "predicting" global pandemics with vast numbers of deaths,24 and with his call for a tracking system to keep tabs on infected/noninfected and vaccinated/unvaccinated individuals, he's ensuring an unimaginably profitable future for the vaccine makers he supports and makes money from via his Foundation investments. In an April 9, 2020, Children's Health Defense article,25 Robert F. Kennedy Jr. further details Gates' vaccine agenda. As noted by Kennedy:
The vaccination ID enterprise Kennedy mentions refers to a program called ID2020, launched in 2019, which is designed to "leverage immunization as an opportunity to establish digital identity."27 This digital identity system is said to carry "far-reaching implications for individuals' access to services and livelihoods," so to think that Gates' call for implantable COVID-19 vaccine certificates would be limited to that alone would likely be a grave mistake. It's not so far-fetched to imagine a future in which your vaccine certificate simply replaces personal identifications such as your driver's license, state ID card, Social Security card and passport. Wall Street Journal Wants Us to Pity GatesAs people are starting to see the truth, Gates’ social media accounts have been flooded with criticism, resulting in The Wall Street Journal publishing an article28 trying to raise pity for him, saying he’s being attacked by “social media mobs.” April 17, 2020, Zero Hedge commented on the PR campaign to protect Gates:29
Far from being a force for good, Gates appears to have chosen to use his wealth and intellect to further a distasteful social control plan to benefit his own nefarious agendas, and people all over the world are finally starting to see his true colors. from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/04/21/bill-gates-political-power.aspx 1 More than 99% of fatalities from COVID-19 in Italy occurred among people who had:
2 Which of the following is the largest funder of the World Health Organization?
3 Which of the following types of drugs have been shown effective against COVID-19?
4 The Secure 5G and Beyond Act (S. 893) and the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act (S. 1822) will accelerate the rollout of a potentially dangerous technology that exposes Americans to:
5 Growing your own garden improves your health:
6 Which of the following describes the field of systems biology?
7 Which of the following supplements may be helpful for the prevention of COVID-19 and other viral infections?
from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/04/20/week-126-health-quiz.aspx Alcohol has been accepted as part of nearly all societies for ages. When many people think of socializing and entertainment, it's often with a drink in hand. While most are familiar with excessive alcohol use and alcoholism, it's not usually considered a dangerous drug. But nothing could be further from the truth. In the U.S., approximately 88,000 people die each year from alcohol-related causes.1 As of this writing, that is far more than flu or COVID-19. Underage drinking may interfere with normal brain development and can contribute to risk-taking behaviors that may result in injury, sexual assault and death. Alcohol is addictive and it’s a known cytotoxic agent. Chronic, excessive alcohol consumption is known to cause neuronal dysfunction and brain damage.2 Studies also confirm that drinking small amounts of alcohol, such as 1 gram, is enough to accelerate brain aging.3 According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 86.3% of adults ages 18 and over answered a survey reporting they had consumed alcohol during their lifetime. Another 70% had alcohol in the past year and 53.3% had a drink in the last month. In addition, it was noted that according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA):4,5
The rate and amount of alcohol consumption has led to the proliferation of a hangover remedies industry aimed at assisting those who over-imbibe. The unpleasant symptoms of a hangover can include excessive thirst and dry mouth, headaches and muscle aches, nausea and vomiting, and an increased sensitivity to light and sound.6 More severe symptoms occur with heavy drinking and may indicate alcohol poisoning. This is a life-threatening emergency and may be accompanied by confusion, seizures, low body temperature and slow or irregular breathing. Early Work Shows Hangover Supplement Protects the BrainOne popular supplement designed to help reduce the effects of hangovers was the result of a 2012 landmark study7 in which scientists studied the active ingredient in the fruit of the Japanese Raisin Tree (Hovenia dulcis). Researcher Jing Liang, Ph.D., discovered dihydromyricetin (DHM) helped reduce hangover symptoms and appeared to protect the liver. Liang was also interested in studying the effects it might have on the brain, including neurodegenerative diseases and aging. She theorized that just as DHM stops alcohol from affecting gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain, it might also help restore functionality. Liang joined the University of Southern California (USC) School of Pharmacy in 2014.8 During her research she identified a receptor pathway that may be a target for DHM in the treatment of Alzheimer's. Daryl Davies from the same school shared that Liang has anecdotal evidence that DHM is effective against Parkinson's disease. The team is also addressing a known limitation to studies involving traditional Chinese medicines, Davies explains:9
Recent Results Show Pathway DHM Uses Protects LiverThe most recent study10 built on the knowledge that DHM has liver protective properties. Researchers sought to understand the mechanism of action that appeared to ease hangover headaches, knowing that DHM increases the metabolism of alcohol. Liang found that “it activates a cascade of mechanisms that erase alcohol from the body very quickly.”11 The researchers say that when it comes to helping those with alcohol use disorders, there’s no known effective therapeutic agent that doesn’t come without major side effects. Their hope was to help those affected by diseases linked to alcohol consumption, which the World Health Organization12 estimates accounts for 5.1% of disease worldwide. The researchers gave alcohol to 36 mice every day for two months.13 The doses were gradually increased until each mouse was consuming 30% of their total food from ethanol. The researchers then evaluated their livers for markers of stress. Liang explained that as alcohol circulates throughout the body it affects the brain but is primarily metabolized in the liver. High levels of alcohol consumption over long periods of time are believed to cause significant liver damage. Davies, another researcher on the study, continued:14
The liver analysis revealed that the mice that consumed DHM demonstrated15 “reduced liver steatosis, liver triglycerides, and liver injury markers.” In a press release, the researchers wrote that the data also showed the intervention:16
These findings may help with finding ways to prevent liver damage and potentially extend the life of those with alcohol use disorder. The researchers also hypothesize DHM may be able to extend liver function as an individual is waiting for a transplant and that it may help those who have received a transplant by improving their liver performance. How Alcohol Damages the Liver and BrainAlcohol has a significant impact on the entire body. While drinking, your body is forced to metabolize alcohol immediately as it doesn't have a way to store it like proteins, carbohydrates and fats.17 It is the liver's job to convert vitamins, nutrients and other substances into compounds the body can use. Alcohol is not different. It takes about one hour to metabolize one alcoholic drink.18 However, the time frame extends with each subsequent drink. When the body reaches the maximum amount it can metabolize, the alcohol is left to circulate in the bloodstream, which affects the heart and brain. Chronic use will destroy liver cells, resulting in scarring and cirrhosis of the liver. This can also lead to alcoholic hepatitis and liver cancer. The progression usually begins with fatty liver disease leading to alcoholic hepatitis and then cirrhosis. Common symptoms of liver damage include loss of appetite, abdominal tenderness and fatigue and weakness.19 In the USC study,20 researchers evaluated 17,308 human brain scans from people between 45.2 years and 80.7 years. They were interested in RBA, which is a measure of an individual's brain age in relationship to their peers.21 Using the data from this study, drinking 12 ounces of beer daily, or almost daily, would increase the relative brain age by 0.28 years or 102.2 days. The researchers wrote:22
Even Moderate Drinking Has Negative EffectsWhile the USC study team evaluated the effects of daily alcohol intake, even smaller amounts have a negative effect on your health. In one study23 from Seoul National University College of Medicine, researchers evaluated 414 middle-aged and older adults who were free from dementia and did not have an alcohol-related disorder. They found that those who drank a moderate amount over the course of decades had a reduction in beta amyloid deposits in their brain compared to those who did not drink. The reduction in amyloid deposits were only found in those who had been drinking for decades and not those who started drinking moderately more recently. However, the authors only looked at beta amyloid deposits and not whether the individuals had a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease. They also did not measure any other changes in the brain or other organs. While these limited study findings were positive, I do not recommend chronic drinking, regardless of the amount. Even within guidelines, drinking tends to cause far more harm than good. For more information see “Can Moderate Drinking Decrease Alzheimer's Brain Proteins?” Are We Minimizing the Risk of Alcohol?Despite the high number of people who die from alcohol-related deaths every year, an increased risk of breast cancer,24 violence and relative brain aging, you don't have to look far to find reports that alcohol may be healthful and moderate drinkers live longer lives. In 2015, Anheuser-Busch launched its Global Smart Drinking Goals Campaign and debuted the Ab Inbev Foundation. The company, who endeared themselves to Americans using their famous team of giant Clydesdale horses, says that “The Foundation works through a collaborative model, with our staff, the City Pilot Steering Committees, and our partners.”25 A commentary in the British Journal The Lancet26 proposes the foundation has no different intent and no less hypocrisy than the Philip Morris International Foundation for a Smoke-Free World. In other words, a company divided against itself will not stand. One arm of the company cannot realistically propose that people drink less while the advertising department woos customers with young Clydesdales and puppies. The Lancet says the Ab Inbev Foundation openly demonstrates unabashed conflicts of interest:27
Discover more about the deception, partnerships and conflicts of interest that led to most of society accepting alcohol in their daily lives in my previous article, “Why We Minimize Risks of Alcohol.” from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/04/20/can-dihydromyricetin-protect-your-liver-and-brain.aspx Remarkably, prominent physicians have been paraded in the media saying it's impossible to strengthen your immune system to beat the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It’s hard to understand this kind of ignorance still pervades the conventional medical system — and that they can get away with criticizing people who offer proof to the contrary. Your immune system is your first line of defense against all disease, especially infectious disease, and there are many different ways to boost your immune system and improve its function. One nutrient that plays a very important role in your immune system’s ability to ward off viral infections is zinc. In the MedCram video above, Dr. Roger Seheult reviews compelling evidence suggesting the reason the antimalarial drug chloroquine appears so useful in the treatment of COVID-19 is in fact because it improves zinc uptake into the cell. (Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) uses the same pathway as chloroquine, but has a safer side effect profile.1) While the antimalarial drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine act as a zinc ionophore (zinc transport molecule) in that they facilitate zinc absorption in your body, other natural compounds can have the same effect. Zinc Binding Compounds Boost Immune SystemZinc may be a vastly underrated player in the COVID-19 pandemic. It is vital for healthy immune function2 and a combination of zinc with a zinc ionophore (zinc transport molecule) was in 2010 shown to inhibit SARS coronavirus in vitro. In cell culture, it also blocked viral replication within minutes.3 In an April 6, 2020, article,4 consumer advocate, investigator and author Bill Sardi highlighted this decade-old evidence, suggesting conventional medicine could have prevented quite a few COVID-19 cases had everyone put into practice what was already known about zinc and zinc ionophores. Sardi writes:5
COVID-19 and Zinc Deficiency Share Many SymptomsAs noted by Sardi, a majority of the symptoms of COVID-19 — 18 symptoms in all — are near-indistinguishable from those of zinc deficiency.7 Symptoms shared by both include but are not limited to:8
“This calamity could have been avoided without the aid of public health agencies,” Sardi writes, adding:9
Facilitating Zinc Entry Into Cells Is a Crucial ComponentImportantly, zinc alone is not capable of fully stopping viral replication, Sardi notes. The reason for this is because zinc is largely insoluble and cannot easily enter through the fatty wall of your cells. Getting all the way into the cell is crucial, as this is where the viral replication occurs.
Other Natural Zinc Transporters — Quercetin and EGCGThe good news is drugs like chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine probably would not be necessary either (except for perhaps the most serious cases), as other natural compounds can do the same job. A comparative study11 published in 2014 looked at two zinc ionophores: quercetin and epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG found in green tea), noting many of the biological actions of these compounds may in fact be related to their ability to increase cellular zinc uptake. As explained by the authors:
Quercetin is also a potent antiviral in its own right, and both quercetin and epigallocatechin gallate also have the added advantage of inhibiting the 3CL protease12 — an enzyme used by SARS coronaviruses to infect healthy cells.13 As explained in a 2020 paper in Nature, 3CL protease “is essential for processing the polyproteins that are translated from the viral RNA.” And, according to another 2020 study,14 the ability of quercetin, epigallocatechin gallate and certain other flavonoids to inhibit SARS coronaviruses “is presumed to be directly linked to suppress the activity of SARS-CoV 3CLpro in some cases.” ‘Poor Man’s Coronavirus Defense’In closing, Sardi proposes imitating Zelenko’s COVID-19 protocol using natural remedies if you have symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection and cannot obtain a prescription for chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine and a Z-Pak:
Should zinc turn out to be in short supply, consider eating more zinc-rich foods.15 Examples include hemp, sesame and pumpkin seeds, cacao powder, cheddar cheese, and seafood such as oysters, Alaskan crab, shrimp and mussels. Zinc + Niacin + Selenium Is a Winning ComboThe addition of niacin and selenium appears to be good advice, considering both play a role in the absorption and bioavailability of zinc in the body. For example, a study16 published in 1991 demonstrated that when young women were on a vitamin B6-deficient diet, their serum zinc declined, suggesting B6 deficiency affected zinc metabolism such that “absorbed zinc was not available for utilization.” A more in-depth exploration and explanation of both niacin and selenium’s relationship to zinc is provided in the 2008 paper, “Zinc, Metallothioneins and Longevity: Interrelationships With Niacin and Selenium”:17
from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/04/20/zinc-dosage-for-immune-system.aspx In this interview, Mario Novo, doctor of physical therapy, discusses the many health benefits of blood flow restriction (BFR) training. It’s a phenomenally easy way to take control of your health, especially if you’re elderly. I don’t know of any intervention that will improve your health as dramatically. BFR training was developed by Dr. Yoshiaki Sato in Japan over 50 years ago. In Japan, BFR training is known as KAATSU, which translates into “additional pressure.” It’s a perfectly descriptive name, as the KAATSU device consists of inflatable bands that provide additional pressure on your limbs. Sato is now 73 years old and in fantastic shape for any age. He’s a really strong testament to the fact that it works. But it’s not just for strength building. Metabolically, BFR will radically improve your health and decrease your risk for sarcopenia and most other age-related diseases. BFR in Physical Therapy and Limb SalvageBFR didn’t arrive in the U.S. until 2010. In the years since, it’s become increasingly popular, not only among fitness experts but also among physical therapists such as Novo. Novo is also the owner of the Lifters Clinic,1 which specializes in strength and conditioning.
Owen’s experimentation with patients at CFI confirmed BFR training helped inhibit scar tissue formation and salvage more muscle. Aside from boosting strength, BFR also helped reduce pain associated with arthritis and nerve injuries. BFR for Post-Fracture RecoveryAround 2012 or 2013, BFR was adopted by the National Football League (NFL), where it was applied for post-anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, reconstruction and repair. A couple of years after that, BFR’s benefits for bone breaks also became more widely appreciated.
BFR Is Now a Standard Rehab ModalityIn 2018, the American Physical Therapy Association approved BFR as an indication for rehab, making it part of physical therapists’ scope of practice. So, it’s not an alternative medicine or an alternative modality. It’s indicated for knee pain, for example, including knee pain associated with osteoarthritis (OA). It’s also a tool used to address osteopenia, sarcopenia, high blood pressure and diabetes. It may also be useful in the treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-stroke. Unfortunately, it still does not have a reimbursable current procedural terminology (CPT) code (a medical code used for billing), but eventually, there will be. How BFR Affects Your PhysiologyThere are two primary types of muscle fibers: Type 1, the slow, endurance-type fibers; and Type 2, the fast-twitch fibers, which are primarily anaerobic and use glucose, not oxygen. Type 2 fibers are larger than Type 1 and tend to kick in when the oxygen supply runs out and the Type 1 fibers are exhausted. The activation of Type 2 fibers generates lactate as a metabolic byproduct. The lactate builds up because the BFR bands don’t allow the lactate to diffuse systemically. This buildup of lactate provides many of the metabolic benefits of BFR. With age, or when you’re injured, exercising intensely enough to maintain health can be a challenge. This is where BFR shines, as the light load required doesn’t overstrain you, while still providing benefits you’d normally only see with heavier exercise loads. Novo explains:
Benefits of Lactic AcidAs mentioned, BFR significantly increases lactic acid, which can cross the blood-brain barrier. Once you release the bands, the lactate travels in your blood to your brain, where a monocarboxylate transporter shuttles it into your brain to use it for fuel.2,3 It also increases brain derived neurotropic factor (BDNF),4 a brain growth factor that contributes to neuroplasticity and enhances cognitive performance.5,6 BFR also downregulates a hormone called myostatin, which is a negative regulator of muscle growth and mass.7,8,9 In other words, when your myostatin levels are high you cannot grow muscle. This is important because the elderly have levels twice as high as the young.10 In the past, lactate was traditionally viewed as a metabolic waste product, but today it is understood that lactate is an important molecule that is responsible for many metabolic processes and results in many structural adaptations. It is even referred to as a pseudo-hormone.11 The lactate that your Type 2 muscle fibers generate during BFR actually down-regulates the production of myostatin and helps improve skeletal muscle loss. Amazingly, BFR can decrease your myostatin levels by 45%,12,13 which has been shown to increase muscle protein synthesis.14,15,16 Novo explains:
KAATSU Versus Other BFR DevicesOne of the greatest areas of controversy when it comes to BFR centers around the equipment used. KAATSU uses a special inflatable cuff device that can provide pulsed and continuous pressure. When KAATSU was initially introduced into the U.S. in 2010, the device had a price tag of $16,000. Most physical therapists could not afford it so they used surgical tourniquets that already had FDA approval for surgery to substitute for KAATSU. Novo uses these wider tourniquet-type bands or devices. KAATSU uses thinner inflatable elastic bands, so they stretch as you exercise. As a result, your blood flow, including your venous return, is not completely obstructed. The Delfi surgical tourniquet system Novo uses, which involves a static, nonelastic, wider band, is controversial in that it causes a near-complete obstruction of blood flow. KAATSU leaders are quite opposed to it for this reason. One major concern is that the wider bands may increase the risk of blood clots. Another is that it could potentially create a hypertensive crisis in susceptible individuals. The KAATSU bands, because they’re elastic, doesn’t seem to cause that. Novo addresses these objections, saying:
To be clear, it’s important to not use a regular tourniquet, such as what you’d find in an emergency room, for BFR. Applied hard enough, the lack of elasticity could make it very dangerous, potentially causing a blood clot or nerve damage. “Elastic BFR cuffs are safe to use. Tourniquets, austere tourniquets, that’s not at all to be used with this. Don’t apply it to yourself. Don’t apply it to anybody if you’re training them,” Novo warns. BFR for Cardiac RehabAnother magnificent benefit of BFR is its ability to promote the growth of new capillaries, thus improving your microcirculation, which is important for cardiovascular, heart and brain health. Your microcirculation tends to diminish with age, and BFR can go a long way toward maintaining healthy circulation. In Japan, BFR is actually used for cardiac rehab, and in the U.S., Novo says there are some cases in which it’s been used to rehab after a heart attack. Like your brain, your heart can also use lactate as a form of fuel during ischemia or reperfusion injury. Novo explains:
Sample Protocol for Strength BuildingWhile BFR is certainly ideal for the elderly, even competitive athletes stand to gain from it. According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), you need to use a weight that is 70% to 85% of your one rep max (1RM) if you want to build muscle and strength. With BFR, you’re using only 20% to 40% of your 1RM.
Now, if you’re elderly, it would be wise for you to revise this 80-20 rule to something like 60-40, where BFR makes up at least 40% of your fitness routine. The reason for this is because as you get older, your microcirculation diminishes. By the time you’re in your 80s, you’re bound to have a fairly significant decrease is your w. For the elderly, having BFR make up just 20% of your exercise is likely to be too little, as conventional strength training has not been shown to increase microcirculation. My BFR RecommendationsAfter careful review, it is clear to me that the KAATSU equipment is the best BFR equipment on the market, as it is the only one that allows you to do cycling or automatically cycling pressure on for 30 seconds and off for five seconds. You can review my comprehensive review on BFR from January 3, 2020. The equipment used to be $16,000 when first introduced in the U.S. and even last year when I purchased mine it was $2,300. However, the new Cycle 2.0, which is the one I use every day, is now only $899. >>>>> Click Here <<<<< More InformationNovo teaches formal courses on BFR around the country. At present, all live workshops are done through Novo’s company, The BFR Pros, which offers workshops for both performance and rehab. You can find more information about each class and register on theBFRpros.com.
from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/04/19/mario-novo-blood-flow-restriction.aspx In this interview, recorded April 7, 2020, Dr. Andrew Saul, editor-in-chief of the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, brings us new updates and insights into the COVID-19 pandemic. Since our March 17, 2020, interview, which focused on the use of vitamin C, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, made the prediction that SARS-Cov-2 would kill anywhere from 100,000 to 240,000 Americans,1 which is still far less than the original prediction of 2.2 million.2 However, even that prediction has since been revised downward. April 8, 2020, a new model referred to as the Murray Model3 predicts COVID-19 will kill 60,000 in the U.S. by August.4 There's no doubt in my mind that there will be more deaths from the financial collapse than there will be from the actual infection. So, it's a sad state of affairs. As noted by Saul:
Google, Facebook Censor Real DataUnfortunately, if you're still using Google or social media platforms like Facebook, you're unlikely to locate sensible information about how to protect yourself from COVID-19. I believe suppressing access to the truth — the information you need to upregulate your innate immune system — is part of the plan to control the discussion about treatment options. Clearly, Fauci is promoting a pharmaceutical agenda when he says there's nothing anyone can do until there's a vaccine or antiviral drug available. Saul provides the following real-world example:
The good news is Chang is presenting his evidence before the National Institutes of Health. "I've seen his PowerPoint," Saul says. "He's going to run down why vitamin C is an antiviral, and how it can be used, and what doctors are doing." >>>>> Click Here <<<<< Aside from Mao, Dr. Zhiyong Peng, chief physician at Zhongnan Hospital, who is doing a major COVID-19 trial in Wuhan City, China, has stated that intravenous vitamin C is successful. "The number of new cases of COVID in China is very low, it's gone way down, almost to the vanishing point," Saul says. "Yet this information, somehow, is not on the news. And this is the very thing America and the rest of the world so needs to know now." Immune-Boosting Supplementation RegimenSome New York hospitals are using vitamin C, though. A Northwell Health spokesperson has reportedly confirmed that vitamin C treatment is being "widely used" against coronavirus within the 23-hospital system. According to Dr. Andrew G. Weber, a pulmonologist and critical-care specialist affiliated with two Northwell Health facilities on Long Island, vitamin C is being used in conjunction with the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin, which have also shown promise in coronavirus treatment.5 Saul notes:
Zinc With HydroxychloroquineSome doctors are promoting the use of the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) combined with azithromycin (Z-Pak) for seriously ill COVID-19 patients. Apparently, many are seeing good results, although not universally. According to Newsweek, some Swedish hospitals have stopped using chloroquine due to severe side effects in some patients.6 That said, it appears one of the reason quinine drugs work is because it allows zinc to enter the cells. Saul comments on the use of hydroxychloroquine saying:
Since the drug is now being rationed to those who need it most, you'd be wise to take zinc preventively. Your body only needs a small amount of it, and knows exactly what to do with it. Your immune system, for example, requires it to function. The elderly, who tend to eat less and eat less wholesomely, have a greater need for zinc supplementation.
Ventilators May Do More Harm Than GoodIn recent days, we're seeing more and more reports of doctors saying the use of ventilators may be misguided.7 According to Business Insider,8 80% of COVID-19 patients in New York City who are placed on ventilators die, causing some doctors to question their use. As reported by STAT News:9
Some doctors have noted their patients' symptoms have more in common with altitude sickness than pneumonia.10 This situation highlights the problems inherent with strategic standard of care. We thought we had a serious ventilator shortage and industries such as the auto industry redirected their manufacturing capacity to making ventilators. In the final analysis, it may turn out that ventilators are inappropriate for a majority of patients. A far better alternative may actually be hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Hydrogen Peroxide TherapySaul, along with Dr. Thomas Levy, recommend nebulized hydrogen peroxide therapy. Similarly, Dr. Robert Rowen has published a commentary11 about the use of ozone therapy against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Both of these treatment alternatives are inexpensive and safe, and could be administered at home. One point I want to stress after looking more deeply into this is that you may want to be careful about using regular 3% hydrogen peroxide, as they use proprietary stabilizers. By law, they're not required to disclose those chemicals. So, ideally, you'd want to use food grade hydrogen peroxide and carefully dilute it to a 3% concentration. What to Do if You're Feeling Under the WeatherSo, to recap, what can you do if you're suddenly feeling under the weather and suspect a viral infection? Saul recommends taking vitamin C to bowel tolerance.
For acute infection, you may need to increase your dosage somewhat beyond bowel tolerance. Keep in mind that taking it more frequently, such as every half-hour, will allow you to take more before you hit bowel tolerance. Other alternatives include taking a liposomal vitamin C or getting an IV infusion of vitamin C. Liposomal vitamin C can achieve intracellular levels very similar to IV vitamin C at a fraction of the cost and inconvenience. B Vitamins (Thiamine)Thiamine (vitamin B1) is also important, and works synergistically with vitamin C. Any infection increases your body's need for thiamine. You can read more about this in "Vitamin B1 Is Vital to Protect Against Infectious Disease." The recommended daily allowance for thiamine is well below 2 mg. For acute illness or short-term prevention, Saul suggests taking 50 mg to 100 mg of thiamine per day, ideally in divided doses.
Melatonin for COVID-19Another strategy that appears useful against both bacterial and viral infections is hormone melatonin. I review this in greater depth in "Melatonin for Sepsis." Saul comments:
Nitric Oxide Helps Inhibit Viral ReplicationAnother strategy worth mentioning is nitric oxide, which appears to inhibit viral replication. To boost nitric oxide, you could use precursors such as arginine or citrulline, but exercise and near-infrared radiation (such as a near-infrared sauna) will also do the trick.
from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/04/19/vitamin-c-dosage-for-viral-infection.aspx Today, we continue to provide you information about the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of this recording, April 6, 2020, there are more than 1.4 million cases worldwide and 370,000 confirmed cases in the U.S., with New York City being one of the hotspots.1,2 Here, I interview Shiva Ayyadurai, who has a Ph.D. in systems biology from MIT. What Is Systems Biology?His academic background gives Ayyadurai a slightly different perspective on this outbreak, as it focuses on the foundational causes of disease rather than the conventional medical paradigm that tends to focus on pharmaceutical remedies. Ayyadurai explains:
The Cytosol PlatformThe project Ayyadurai took on for his Ph.D. thesis was to mathematically model the whole human cell. His work led to the creation of a platform called CytoSolve “cyto” standing for “cell.” This approach is different from biology, computer science and chemistry.
COVID-19 — Health and Economic PerspectivesAs noted by Ayyadurai, the COVID-19 pandemic is not only highlighting our immune health but also our economic health. We're seeing the integration of medical policy and economic policy.
Similarly, Ayyadurai notes, the economic collapse is “a result of precisely engineered governmental policies,” even though those policies, superficially, appear to be in the public’s best interest. Is COVID-19 a Real Pandemic?COVID-19 meets the technical definition of a pandemic, and the World Health Organization did declare it a pandemic. However, the death toll is nowhere near that of earlier serious pandemics that would legitimately justify the extraordinary measures being deployed by the U.S. government. The Spanish flu in 1918 infected 500 million people worldwide, killing between 20 million and 50 million. The bubonic plague also killed 50 million people, wiping out a shocking 60% of the European population. This is typically what people think of when they hear the word “pandemic.” COVID-19 presently affects a tiny fraction of the global population — about 1.4 million cases out of a global population of 7.78 billion3 — and even with a death toll of 81,000 worldwide,4 COVID-19 has had a miniscule impact, having killed a mere 0.00001% of the population. Don’t get me wrong. Any death is tragic. But any given individual’s risk of dying from the epidemics of diabetes, heart disease or cancer, for example, is greater than their risk of dying from COVID-19. Why is death from lifestyle-induced disease and environmental toxicity more preferable and acceptable than death from an infectious disease? Dying from a preventable medical mistake is also a greater risk, as that kills up to 440,000 Americans every year. Where’s the panic about that? Isn’t the idea that conventional medicine kills 440,000 people a year terrifying?! 1 in 5 elderly patients are also injured by medical care. Where are the calls to protect our aging loved ones from this threat? Were health policies more aligned with truth, we wouldn’t have these chronic disease epidemics and far fewer people would die from preventable medical mistakes. More people would lead healthy lives were they properly informed about what’s harmful and what’s healthy. Similarly, when it comes to COVID-19, there are simple strategies with which we can address this infection that does not require collapsing the global economy, creating unheard of unemployment and isolating everyone from human contact for weeks on end. You can find many articles detailing such strategies on my Coronavirus Resource Page. As noted by Ayyadurai, systems biology tells us that one size does not fit all. “We need to move to the right medicine for the right person at the right time,” he says. But this knowledge has not been applied in this pandemic. Instead, everyone is being treated as though they’re high risk for severe infection and death and therefore need to take identical precautions. So, what’s really going on here?
The Power, Profit and Control AgendaLike Ayyadurai, I believe the fearmongering is being used to suppress dissent, to crash the economy and to issue medical mandates. “If you look broadly, there were massive uprisings, antiestablishment uprisings [in different countries]. Well, they're all gone now. We don't even hear anything about them,” Ayyadurai says. He also believes this fearmongering and social isolation mandates will be used as a way to acclimatize people to accept state wants or what a few people deem is good for everyone. “That, I think, is the milieu being set up,” he says. “That's being teed up.” Indeed, it simply doesn’t add up when you look at mortality rates.
Interestingly, this epidemic is taking place just a few months after Google began censoring holistic health news. So, people searching for sound nutritional strategies can no longer find them. Instead, they’re directed to Big Pharma-backed sites promoting conventional medicine. The censorship isn’t even about squashing nonscientific views anymore. Educated health professionals are being banned left and right simply for posting peer-reviewed studies showing nutraceuticals work, or that drugs or vaccines don’t work — including Ayyadurai himself, who got kicked off Twitter the day this interview was recorded over a vitamin D post.
Postal Service Could Be Used to Protect Free CommunicationsTo summarize, the three-pronged agenda is: Power, profit and control. To counteract that three-pronged threat, we need academic freedom and the freedom to discourse and debate. From that freedom, we get truth, and from truth, we’re able to understand health, not only physical health but also in the broadest sense the health of our systems, our infrastructure and environment. With health, we gain the strength to fight for even more freedoms.
Decentralization Is the Name of the GameAyyadurai discusses many additional issues and goes far deeper than I can summarize here, so please, listen to the interview in its entirety. He has many fascinating insights, ideas and solutions. For example, about 50 minutes in, he discusses how federally funded research systems can be improved to ensure scientific integrity and prevent scientific fraud. “We need to take power away from the academics,” he says, “and one way to do that is to force decentralization. That's a common theme here.” He also analyzes the health care model, and discusses how health care, as a system, can be improved while simultaneously being made far less expensive.
from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/04/18/coronavirus-economic-impact.aspx |
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