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Vaccine Thoughts

Today my office got a “1 star” review from a person who isn’t even a patient.  She was upset that I do not require my staff to be vaccinated.  So, I thought I would lay it out there so that you and all my followers can understand my thought process on this whole vaccine issue.

I Support the Use of Safe Vaccines

First and foremost, let me state that I am a proponent of vaccines. I have been fully vaccinated with every other vaccine under the sun (I was in the military and we were given EVERYTHING) and was adamant about getting my flu vaccine until 2016 when I had a severe anaphylactic reaction to the influenza vaccine. 

I’m Personally Allergic to the Components of COVID-19 Vaccines and Influenza Vaccines.

Thinking this was just a hypersensitivity issue, I got my yearly flu vaccine in 2017 and my reaction of hives and inflammation were worse.  We concluded that I am allergic to the base in the vaccine polyethylene glycol (PEG) or polysorbate.  In doing a great deal of research trying to find out what it was I was reacting to, I changed my position on the need for the yearly influenza vaccine.  (It causes a 36% increase susceptibility to coronavirus infections.  You can read about that information here.)  

Polysorbate or PEG is a component of all three COVID-19 vaccines, and is a contraindication to getting the COVID-19 vaccines (listed right on the CDC website – as there is NO package insert on any of the vaccines to date), so I have been very leery of getting vaccinated with anything containing these chemicals.

I’ve Already Had COVID-19 Twice

Near the end of March 2020, I had six patients (3 couples) come off of a cruise to the Caribbean, and had symptoms that we thought were Parainfluenza virus, but later turned out to be COVID-19.  2 weeks later, I and the majority of my staff became ill with COVID-19.   I had classic symptoms of COVID-19, however, my symptoms only lasted about 3 days, many of my staff members were sick for 1-2 weeks, and my wife was sick for 3 weeks.  It was about this time that nasal swab testing became available. 

Over the last 18 months, we have treated over 400 positive COVID-19 cases outpatient.  I have an active patient population of about 8,000 patients.  Between myself and my PA, we see about 13,000 patient visits per year, so we are a busy practice.  The average age of my patients is 65 years old and the majority of these patient have insulin resistance and/or diabetes.   My concern was that we have a huge practice susceptible to severe COVID-19 infections.  However, amazingly in the first 12 months of this pandemic we only had 12 hospitalizations for COVID-19 infections and those were the patients who were not following a low carbohydrate or ketogenic diet and were not controlling their blood sugars or insulin levels.

As predicted, and like any coronavirus, yearly resurgence of the infection will re-occur.  We’ve seen about 15 new cases of COVID-19 in the office in the last four weeks which appear to correlate with the Delta Variant being seen in the hospital across the street from my office.  In the last month, we have seen a resurgence of COVID-19 infections, and five of my staff members were out of the office due to positive COVID-19 infections.  Symptoms lasted 3-14 days in my staff.   All of these patients and my staff were treated with my protocol and none have been hospitalized. 

I personally came down with a reoccurrence of the infection and had symptoms of sore throat, headache, sinus pressure, loss of taste & smell, and productive cough resolve within 72 hours following our treatment protocol.  Like the flu with over 600 variants, there are already 160+ variants of the COVID-19 virus around the world.   So, it is to be expected that we will see this yearly, much like we’ve seen the flu.

Because of my position on this particular vaccine and the influenza vaccine, many members of my church (who has heavily supported this vaccine) and the medical community have ostracized me and my family, as I’ve raised concerns and been vocal about this issue. And yet, a recent real world study in Israel of over 800,000 people demonstrates that those with natural immunity to COVID-19 have 13 times greater protection than those that are vaccinated.

I’ve Seen More Adverse Reaction to COVID-19 Vaccine Then Any Other Vaccine

In January, when the vaccine came out, I was interested in using this in our practice, but I had concerns regarding the untested delivery mechanism that this vaccine used and I was concerned that there were no clinical trials established at the time to know what to expect from this vaccine.

About 30-40% of my practice opted to get vaccinated.  And about 30% of my staff opted to get vaccinated as well.

Of great concern to me is that I have started seeing strange long-term vaccine reactions in those patients that got vaccinated:

  • I have three patient that had profound fatigue – literally could not get out of bed for 4-5 months after getting vaccinated.  Two of these patients are still experiencing these symptoms today.
  • I have two patients who had pericarditis/myocarditis from the vaccine (Now a Black Box Warning for these vaccines)
  • I have seven patients with persistent elevated D-Dimer levels 3-6 months after vaccination predisposing them to blood clots and pulmonary emboli.  Two actually had life threatening blood clots in the lungs. (Blood clots is also a Black Box Warning on these vaccines)
  • Four of these seven had colitis that persisted for 6-8 weeks that was unresponsive to antibiotic therapy.
  • And, one of these patients has symptoms of severe fatigue & tachycardia (rapid heart rate) upon standing that has yet to resolve.
  • I have two others that had spontaneous bruising over their lower extremities for 6 weeks associated with severe fatigue.

95% of the people that get vaccinated in my clinical experience seem to have no problem.   5% of patients have profound symptoms of illness as if they had a mild to moderate case of COVID-19 that can last up to 7 days.  

When I have commented about what I am seeing to my colleagues, they roll their eyes at me and blow it off.   And, behind my back, they tell others that I’m just blowing things out of proportion. Yet, the patients I have seen above are real and these symptoms have dramatically affected their lives, their families and their ability to work and provide a living for themselves.

Am I against getting vaccinated?  No, but I want people to clearly understand the risks and benefits of vaccination.  To date, there is still no package insert that is given to those receiving the vaccines, providing any warning, including the Black Box Warnings. And, the patients that have had adverse reactions have told me that they would never have considered getting vaccinated if they knew about the symptoms they were potentially going to experience.

Should I Get A Flu Shot?

Before you answer that question let me ask you a question.  Did you know that the influenza viral strain has multiple sub-types? The Influenza A viral strain that has 198 different sub-types and influenza B has just as many, meaning there are at least 400+ different strains of Influenza. Oh, did I tell you that we have recently identified Influenza C & D sub-types as well? Yes, this means that there are over 600+ sub-types of influenza.

Herd Immunity

You might be able to immunize the herd if the average age of those in the herd lived for 200 years. Anyone telling you getting your flu shot improves herd immunity doesn’t understand virology. Herd immunity goes out the window with influenza and with most mRNA viruses like coronaviruses.

In order to vaccinate the population against influenza 33%-44% of the population must have immunity to all viral types in a given year.   With COVID-19, the estimate is 60-75% must be immunized to all 170+ known strains of coronavirus.

You may have antibodies to one of those flu strains, yet what about the other 400-600 strains you might be exposed to next year? Just because you have antibodies, doesn’t mean you are immune. This applies to Influenza and it applies to coronaviruses.

The influenza vaccine (which only covers 4-5 of the 600+ influenza strains possible). Which one do you pick this year? Hence the CDC cartoon.

Does the Influenza Vaccine Reduce Risk of Hospitalizations?

Over 20 years, the percentage of seniors getting flu shots increased sharply from 15% to 65%. It stands to reason that flu deaths among the elderly should have taken a dramatic dip due to increased flu vaccination each year. And at over 40% of the population being immunized, herd immunity should have been achieved.

Instead, flu deaths among the elderly continued to climb. It was hard to believe, so researchers at the National Institutes of Health set out to do a study adjusting for all kinds of factors that could be masking the true benefits of the shots. But no matter how they crunched the numbers, they got the same disappointing result: flu shots had not reduced deaths among the elderly. It’s not what health officials hoped to find.

The two studies below demonstrate that yearly flu vaccine for those over age 65 does nothing to decrease influenza related death. These studies funded by the government in 2005 and 2006 were suppressed. Your doctor and I never heard anything about them. Yet, the CDC still says “Get your flu shot.”

mRNA Vaccines Increase Risk of Other Viruses

Last, the influenza vaccine actually increases your susceptibility to coronavirus infection. Yes, you read that correctly. A recent study by Wolff demonstrates that influenza vaccinations are not benign.  Influenza vaccine increases risk of Coronaviruses by 36%, non-influenza viruses generally by 15%, and human metapneumovirus by 59%.

And, a second study trying to confirm the findings above reveals increased risk of parainfluenza virus in adults (increased by 4.6% of vaccinated adults and only 2.6% of unvaccinated adults.

So, what is the answer? Waiting for the perfect vaccine or an antibody test is not the answer. Anyone telling you this is selling something.

Please be aware, I am NOT an anti-vaccine physician.  Vaccines are life saving.  But, it is essential that you and I understand the pros and cons of each and every vaccine we use or recommend.  I am a huge proponent of most childhood vaccines, pneumonia vaccines and the new shingles vaccine, because they work. The science confirms their effectiveness.  The science does not confirm the effectiveness of the influenza vaccines.

What should I  do?

We now know that ketogenic diets improve resistance to viral infections by enhancing T-Cell immunity. This is specifically important for influenza and coronaviruses.

The answer is protect yourself. Wash your hands, stay home when you are sick, clean and sterilize frequently touched surfaces. Keep yourself healthy and understand how to reverse hyper-insulinemia (the one factor that makes this and coronaviruses significantly more severe.)

So, wash your hands and pass the bacon!

Oh, and take your vitamins.

Coronavirus, Mask Wearing & Death – Similarities to 1918 Flu

Isn’t it interesting, back in April and May, 2020, those of us closely watching the data stated that this virus would look much like the influenza pandemic of 1918.  Look closely at the numbers of deaths in St Louis (who participated in the 1918 quarantine – red line) and Arizona, who has done much the same in our approach (in the 2nd graphic below).

The death count curves are nearly identical.   Interestingly, the numbers of those that died St Louis are almost identical to Arizona’s graph below, directly from the Arizona Department of Health Website.  We know that the rates of infection differ between the two viruses and a number of things including domicile proximity, health of the city or state, transportation methods, sanitary condition, etc. play a significant role in the infection rates.  My point is not to compare the two viruses, but to point out that the effect of quarantine did exactly what we expected it to do.

We expected the resurgence of the virus.  Let’s say that again.  We expected it.  However, the media and many health professionals that I interact with seem horrified that it occurred.

 

We predicted this pattern months ago.

I am surprised at the number of health professionals that are just beside themselves about this virus.  I recognize that, in its most severe form, this virus can be deadly.  And, so is the flu, RSV and other RNA viruses.  Do these professionals not read history?  Do they not read the actual scientific literature?  Do they not see the patterns that diet and control of hyperinsulinemia have on this virus?

Instead, these medical professionals have remained quiet, and in some cases cheered, as our government over-reach and personal liberty infringement took place.  We’ve lost our ability to travel, participate in group gatherings and church services.  Quarantine, mask wearing and social distancing has essentially done nothing for our community in the last 3 months.

Our initial reasoning for quarantine was to take the peak off of hospitalizations.  That was done.  Yet continued suppression of personal liberties has done nothing for the overall health of our society.  The second wave of infection was going to occur no matter what we did.

Instead, the media fear mongering, social distancing and force wearing of masks has lead to increased risk of suicide, overdose and drug addiction.  Estimates are as high as 150,000 deaths due to the effects of quarantine and social distancing mandates.  In fact, much of the anxiety and PTSD that is expected will not be seen until 4-6 month after the quarantine occurs.

According to a recent JAMA report, “It is possible that the 24/7 news coverage of these unprecedented events could serve as an additional stressor, especially for individuals with preexisting mental health problems.” Our routines have been completely upended and even things like wearing a mask or waiting in lines at the grocery store can make you feel tense.

Some common signs of pandemic-induced stress are:

  • Fear and worry about your own health and the health of your loved ones
  • Changes in sleep or eating patterns
  • Difficulty sleeping or concentrating
  • Worsening of chronic health problems
  • Worsening of mental health conditions
  • Increased use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs

What we know from research after the SARS outbreak is that post-traumatic stress (PTSD) is possible, especially in front line healthcare workers. In one particular study, about 10 percent of the hospital employees had had high SARS-related PTSD symptoms post-outbreak. And about half of them still had symptoms three years later. Other studies have shown that when a person’s PTSD symptoms persist for more than 6 months after an event, they are very likely to continue to persist over the long term.

A significant part of the problem in both the lay public and among health care workers is confusion about actual risk of disease, what can be done to prevent/treat the disease, and how to access treatment.  I see this confusion today in many physicians and nurses I interact with in my community.

If you are having symptoms of anxiety, stress or depression, don’t be afraid to reach out for help.  Knowledge is power.  The more you know, the less fear and anxiety you will have.

Wear your mask if you want.  Initially, when we didn’t know how invective this virus was, I was all for using any protection available.  But, since the end of April, the data has changed my mind.  Wearing a mask isn’t doing anyone any good.

Some cities and states have mandated mask wearing. I’m not telling you to break the law.  I am saying that the mask mandate has done nothing to “slow the spread” as so many people have now bought into.  Research demonstrates that homemade masks to little to stop the spread of viral infections and surgical mask that have been properly fitted and worn correctly decrease this risk of viral spread by only 2-5%.  In the most recent review of the mask wearing literature, the authors stated, “The evidence is not sufficiently strong to support widespread use of face-masks as a protective measure against COVID-19. However, there is enough evidence to support the use of face-masks for short periods of time by particularly vulnerable individuals when in transient higher risk situations.”

What is effective is washing your hands regularly with soap and water, avoiding those who are actually sick or have fevers over 101 degrees, eating a healthy diet that prevents diabetes risk and getting adequate sleep.  Those at high risk for infection can and should be vigilant about avoiding exposure.

 

 

 

Is COVID-19 Really Getting Worse?

600% Increase in COVID-19 Testing

COVID-19 testing in Arizona as of June 21, 2020 (azdhs.gov).

The media keeps stating that corona virus has “spiked” in Arizona.  What they’ve not been saying is that the frequency with which Arizona doctors and hospitals are testing went from 2500 tests per day to almost 15,000 tests per day just after the first week in May.  In fact, 17,663 tests were reported on yesterday alone.

Our testing frequency increase 600% in the last 6 weeks.  Of course we are going to see increased numbers of positive tests.  That is to be expected.  Additionally, what you are not being told is that the number of positive tests has remained consistent around 8-10% of all those tested.  We are not seeing a “spike.” We are getting a much clearer picture of the prevalence of this virus.  And, the large majority of those being tested are under 45 years old, those with the least likelihood of severe symptoms.

The Virus Can Be Lethal, But So Is Influenza and Childhood Pneumonia

Don’t get me wrong, this virus has the potential to be lethal in 1-2% of those that are infected, those who are immuno-compromised, but the majority of those getting positive tests (98-99%) will quickly recover without significant problems.  That is identical to influenza.  And you can see from the graphic below that the majority of those who have died in Arizona are those over 65 years old with significant other disease risk factors.

CDC estimates that there have been 62,000 deaths from influenza from October 2019 to April 2020.

As of this week, the CDC’s provisional death counts for COVID-19 from January to June 2020, excluding influenza, are 45,524. That’s still less than influenza numbers above.

809,000 children died in 2017 from bacterial pneumonia in 2017.  That’s 2200 children that die every day from preventable pneumonia, yet we haven’t mandated masks for this epidemic.

As you can see below, death from COVID-19 has continued to decline, despite what the media is saying.  If it were truely spiking, we would have seen a rise in COVID-19 deaths around June 6th-15th (Arizona’s Quarantine Orders ended on May 31st), giving a 7-14 day incubation period after people began working and interacting.   Yet that isn’t what the Arizona Department of Health is reporting.  The number of deaths continues to fall.

Death from coronavirus in Arizona as of June 21, 2020 (azdhs.gov)

12,285 people died in Arizona from heart disease in 2017 and 11,719 died from cancer.  We know that high carbohydrate intake combined with high fat foods is the number one risk factor for both of these diseases, yet there has been no city or state mandate on these risk factors.  And, we know that hyperinsulinemia (the underlying cause of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and most cancers) is the primary risk factor in severity of illness in COVID-19 patients.

I have yet to hear Governor Ducey or Mayor Hall issue an executive order on time spent in a bakery or proximity to Krispy Kreme.

Is Hospital Bed Space Still an Issue?

Possibly, but during our low point in hospitalization at the beginning of April in Arizona, hospitals were still at 60-70% of capacity.  As of the writing of this article, Arizona is at 85% of capacity.  This was to be expected.

Will we reach capacity over the next 2-4 weeks?  Epidemiological projections claimed that even with quarantine of the state we would max out our hospital capacity in April.  We didn’t even come close.

A Rise in COVID-19 Cases is Expected

St. Louis vs Philadelphia Quarantine vs No Quarantine – 1918 Spanish Flu Deaths

If you look at history, the only time where viral infection quarantine was incorporated into a city versus one that was not (St. Louis & Philadelphia), you will see that a rise in viral infection and death naturally occurred after removing the quarantine orders.  This is visible in the red indicator at 80-110 days in St. Louis.  Our rise in COVID-19 cases and fatalities is to be expected.

The whole point of this was to unload burden on hospital facilities, not stop the spread of infection all together, as that will never happen.  The goal of decreased hospital burden has been accomplished. 

Why All the Hype?

Your guess is as good as mine.  I have wracked my brain as to why our leaders persist in forcing the average healthy American to feel anxious, fearful and insecure over a virus that is no more problematic than the flu.

Why would mandates for mask wearing occur 6 months after the outbreak of the virus occur when death rates are falling and data shows us that many people have already had this infection without knowing it?  If you look at the cities in Arizona where mask and social distancing mandates have been enacted in the last week, you may recognize that these are the more progressive left leaning cities.  This push to change the way we live our lives seems to come from this group and is amplified by the left-leaning media.  Motive may revolve around the poll box in November.

Though you and I have felt this deeply in our homes and wallets, liberals running for office at all levels across the state and nation likely feel they have politically benefited from the outbreak of the coronavirus. The subsequent regulations on social distancing, mask wearing and business closures gave Democrat elected officials more power over individual lives and business operations than they have ever had before. Combine that with the ability to blame our current president for the economic consequences of the virus and you can see why some would salivate for another outbreak to rescue their hopes for unseating this president.

Is This A Method to Move Us to Main Streamed Contact Tracing?

A second reason for the hype could be a desire to move people to allow wide spread “contact tracing.”  This is much like facial recognition software that we see used so often in the latest spy thrillers. However, contact tracing uses the GPS in your phone to track your location, travel and your contacts.

As of last month, contact tracing software was added to Android and IOS phones.  Apple released iOS 13.5 and iPadOS 13.5 for iPhones, iPods, and iPads on May 20th. They went live alongside minor software updates for Apple TV and HomePod devices. The iOS update mainly adds new health-related features—most notably the much-discussed Exposure Notification API that was co-developed with Google to help local, regional, and national governments enact contact-tracing strategies to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.  These are not automatically turned on, but you can find them under the privacy settings of your phone.  Added without your consent, contact tracing and facial recognition cameras used individually or in coordination are arguable violations of human rights and rights to privacy.

Several Supreme Court cases have recognized a right to travel. For example, in Kent v. Dulles (1958), the court wrote, “The right to travel is a part of the ‘liberty’ of which the citizen cannot be deprived without due process of law under the Fifth Amendment. . . . Freedom of movement across frontiers in either direction, and inside frontiers as well, was a part of our heritage. . . . Freedom of movement is basic in our scheme of values.”

In addition to the right to travel, in Toomer v. Witsell (1948), the Supreme Court asserted that the act of shrimping (and, more generally, pursuing one’s livelihood) was protected by the Fourteenth Amendment’s Privileges and Immunities clause. (“Shrimping” means to fish for shrimp.)

And in the well-known case of Meyer v. Nebraska, the Supreme Court determined that constitutionally protected liberty “denotes not merely freedom from bodily restraint but also the right of the individual to contract, to engage in any of the common occupations of life, to acquire useful knowledge, to marry, establish a home and bring up children, to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience, and generally to enjoy those privileges long recognized at common law as essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men.”

There is a strong argument that the Constitution protects the freedom to move, travel, and do business. However, constitutional interests are not absolute, and argument arises that this could be limited by pressing public health interests, especially during a state of emergency.  Hence the need for cities and states to declare “state of emergency” before enacting these orders.

In order for liberty-infringing public health laws to be constitutional, they must be the least restrictive means of protecting health. With regard to the novel coronavirus, this may not be the case.

A Change of American Values

There are those on the left who have a profound dislike for what you and I see as the traditional American culture and political mores of the United States. Remember Barack Obama’s words about those who “cling to Bibles and guns,” Hillary Clinton’s labeling of Trump supporters as “deplorable,” and the recent emphasis across the nation by many to get “transformational change?”  Understand that it is not just mere reform or improvement the Democrats desire, they want a wholesale difference in the way Americans interact with each other, think and operate day-to-day.

Fear of your neighbor, because of unseen illness or skin color, makes you and I more likely to accept governmental regulation and vote for help at the ballot box.  History has demonstrated this fact for hundreds of years. When the government appears smarter than your doctor, you’re more likely to vote for single payer health care.   Think about it.