MCLEAN, Va., & BEDFORD, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A new MITRE-Harris Poll Survey on Patient Experience finds 52 percent of individuals in the United States feel their symptoms are “ignored, dismissed, or not believed” when seeking medical treatment. That number rises to 6-in-10 within the Hispanic community.

“And these categories are, of course, intersectional. There’s no question there is work to do to better serve all populations at the point-of-care.”

The polling also revealed that more than half of Blacks and Hispanics feel the “healthcare provider is biased against me based on their attitude, words, or actions,” contributing to a 4-in-10 average across all demographics. Fifty percent (50%) of respondents also reported “a healthcare provider assuming something about me without asking me.”

Additionally, the results indicate that several groups are all much more likely to experience bias, doubt, or language barriers when seeking treatment. These include individuals identifying as a person with a disability or having a chronic health condition, those responsible for managing access to healthcare for a family member or friend, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

“These findings confirm unacceptable disparities in patient experience along racial and ethnic lines, for the LGBTQ+ community, and for those who are managing chronic health conditions or navigating the world with disabilities,” said Juliette Forstenzer Espinosa, senior Medicare, Medicaid, and Affordable Care Act Marketplace strategist, MITRE. “And these categories are, of course, intersectional. There’s no question there is work to do to better serve all populations at the point-of-care.”

Rob Jekielek, managing director, The Harris Poll, said, “With the evolution of online patient portals and digital support tools, we have seen stronger usage among those who need to navigate the system the most—individuals with a chronic illness or disability and those who manage the healthcare needs of others. However, this has not translated to substantially lower frustration with the healthcare system, including understanding of coverage and claims. Confusion and uncertainty are even higher among the majority of Americans who use the system sporadically, or only when specific needs arise.”

Additional key findings from the MITRE-Harris Poll Survey include:

• When consumers have a concern or question about a bill, they struggle with whom to call.
  Fifty-four percent (54%) of insured individuals in the United States say they don’t know whom to contact if they have an issue with a bill or claim. Individuals self-identifying as disabled or dealing with chronic illness, caregivers, Hispanics, and younger generations are more likely to say they do know whom to contact if they have issues.
• Prevalence of unexpected medical bills decreases slightly.
  Forty-three percent (43%) of insured Americans report receiving an unexpected bill because their insurance did not cover as much as expected – a decrease from a 2021 MITRE-Harris Poll Survey when 47 percent reported a billing surprise.
• Patients are overwhelmingly using portals.
  Nearly 9-in-10 insured individuals use online patient portals more often for test results (70%), appointments (64%), and medical records (63%) than for other applications, such as finding a healthcare provider (58%), reviewing insurance benefits (54%), managing prescriptions (54%), or filing a health insurance claim (37%). Insured Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) groups are more likely than white individuals to use patient portals to find a healthcare provider or file a claim.
• Patients seeking some specialists may wait two months or more for a visit.
  While most Americans can schedule an imaging appointment or a visit with their primary care provider or general practitioner in less than two weeks, 1-in-5 say it can take two months or more to meet with specialized professionals such as mental health providers, specialty physicians, dentists, or optometrists.

Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States, September 27-29, 2022, among 2,047 adults (ages 18 and over) by The Harris Poll on behalf of MITRE via the Harris On Demand omnibus product.

Editor’s Notes:

• Survey findings and commentary slide presentation is available by request to media@mitre.org.
• Health Insurance Marketplace open enrollment runs from November 1, 2022 to January 15, 2023.

About The Harris Poll

The Harris Poll is one of the longest-running surveys in the U.S. tracking public opinion, motivations, and social sentiment since 1963, and is now part of Harris Insights & Analytics, a global consulting and market research firm that delivers social intelligence for transformational times. We work with clients in three primary areas: building twenty-first-century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. Our mission is to provide insights and guidance to help leaders make the best decisions possible. To learn more, please visit www.theharrispoll.com.

About MITRE

MITRE’s mission-driven teams are dedicated to solving problems for a safer world. Through our public-private partnerships and federally funded R&D centers, we work across government and in partnership with industry to tackle challenges to the safety, stability, and well-being of our nation. Learn more at mitre.org.

©2022 MITRE #22-4132 12-15-2022

Contacts

Media
Mike Murphy, external communications principal, MITRE media@mitre.org.

The post MITRE-Harris Poll Survey Finds Half of Patients in the US Feel Ignored or Doubted When Seeking Medical Treatment appeared first on Medika Life.

Almost three billion people now use messaging apps, which will also rise. Much of this lucrative marketing information is in selling products or services, not simply messaging among friends. How much of the information related to healthcare transferred over our cells and our computers is accurate? And should we be skeptical of all of it?

Less than a decade ago, when the Internet was still in its explosive growth stage, any patient who went into a physician’s office and asked about material found on the Internet might not have received a warm welcome. The response while looking askance would have been something like, “Oh, you consulted Dr. Internet or Dr. Wikipedia?”

In my experience, there was little to no room for consideration of such health information, even from reputable sources. Were the physicians fearful of losing status or concerned about faulty healthcare facts? Perhaps it was a little of both.

Concerns regarding misinformation of health information on the Internet are being raised in the professional literature. Studies are beginning to investigate how professionals intend to correct health misinformation on social media by using various methods such as private and public conversations and private and public rebuttals using social media. If the media is the message, to quasi-quote Marshall McLuhan, that’s where the message must reside.

And the quantity of health misinformation may be shocking to some. The prevalence of health misinformation was the highest on Twitter and on issues related to smoking products and drugs. However, misinformation on major public health issues, such as vaccines and diseases, was also high.

One of the significant obstacles to countering this health misinformation is the enormous quantity of material that must be assessed and the methods to correct it. Should we depend on healthcare watchdogs that have this one task as their mission, or should all consumers be active in the pursuit of truth? But what is truth to one is abhorrent to another whose beliefs do not meet our standards. This, then, is where one of our most significant duties lies; correcting misinformation.

The World Health Information, when considering misinformation on Covid-19 and vaccines, recognized the enormity and seriousness of the problem. A double-edged sword faces all healthcare. As WHO indicated…technology and social media are being used on a massive scale to keep people safe, informed, productive, and connected. At the same time, the technology we rely on to keep connected and informed is enabling and amplifying an infodemic that continues to undermine the global response and jeopardizes measures to control the pandemic. But social media is also aimed at ALL health and healthcare activities and products and isn’t limited to vaccines.

We are faced with a situation that requires governments, healthcare organizations, politicians, and psychologists to enlist all their resources to provide health information correctly. But when we have social media activities creating an environment of fear and disbelief, how do we handle it?

If we attempt to stifle the voices, we are seen as against the free dissemination of information and free speech or backward thinking. Stepping up with correct information can also be seen by non-believers as a campaign of disinformation in the service of individual corporate and political goals around control and profit.

The United Nations in 2020 did begin an effort toward providing health information in a disinformation war. A grassroots initiative was established and they stated its aim as follows: The initiative is calling on people around the world to sign up to become “information volunteers” to share trusted content to keep their families and communities safe and connected. Described as digital-first responders, the volunteers will receive a daily feed of verified content optimized for social sharing with simple, compelling messaging that either directly counters misinformation or fills an information void.

How many of us are aware of this effort two years into this project, and is it mainly directed toward third-world nations? I hadn’t seen any media on it. I was unaware of the group action called Purpose and its collaboration with major corporations. Not solely an effort against healthcare misinformation, the group’s efforts are comprehensive in scope and work toward creating safe, healthy environments for all worldwide.

We must learn to evaluate healthcare information and not swallow it whole as anyone presents. You have resources at your disposal, and you need to use them. When you hear something about an illness, medication, or procedure, search for information on healthcare and use multiple sources.

When you read about research, what questions should you ask? How about who funded it, how many patients were involved, and what did it do regarding what they set out to research?

Confining your efforts to one source (and Wikipedia is not THE source) is insufficient. You have an obligation to your health and that of those in your immediate group and your country to ensure information is being adequately verified.

How many of you know that, at one time, cocaine was in cigarettes and soda and considered an excellent medication for sore throats and one way to escape from the clutches of morphine addiction? Freud, physicians, and even a Pope used cocaine for their ills or anxiety. Freud did write about his adventures with cocaine. If he had only had access to more information and less ego, perhaps Emma would not have almost died from his nasal surgery for her masturbation.

Questioning is a good thing. Keep that thought in mind whenever you’re confronted with a healthcare situation.

The post Is Social Media to Be Trusted for Health Information? appeared first on Medika Life.

As of this writing, total USA confirmed monkeypox/orthopoxvirus cases: 4,907. Globally there are 21,148. But the virus has an incredible ability to spread quickly. And it is NOT benign.

According to a World Health Organization report from 22 July, only five deaths had been reported worldwide, all in Africa.

The WHO last Saturday declared the rapidly spreading outbreak a global health emergency, its highest level of alert.

I received a tweet in my Twitter feed yesterday that indicated someone’s mother had symptoms of monkeypox in the United States. Family members took her to an emergency room where she was denied testing.

They said she wasn’t gay so there was no need to test her. This is a blatant example of medical incompetence and must be treated as such immediately. In my opinion, all licensed personnel connected with this incident need to be reported to their licensing boards for action.

Experts in virology have stated that they’ve never seen an outbreak like this before, so it is an unknown and potentially a serious global health issue. Unfortunately, the virus has been attributed to gay men, Africans and people of color, which is patently false. Anyone living in a household where someone has contracted monkeypox is at risk and they will experience the stigma.

What Are the Symptoms?

Symptoms of monkeypox include fever, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over. The onset of symptoms from the time of exposure may range from 5 to 21 days and the duration of symptoms is 2 to 4 weeks.

Although there may be mild symptoms, which may occur without the illness being known, the classic presentation is fever and muscle pains with swollen glands. Cases may be severe in children, pregnant women, or persons with immune system deficiency.

Many people infected with monkeypox virus have a mild, self-limiting disease course in the absence of specific therapy. However, the prognosis for monkeypox depends on multiple factors, such as previous vaccination status, initial health status, concurrent illnesses, and comorbidities among others…Currently there is no treatment approved specifically for monkeypox virus infections.

In 2018, the F.D.A. approved a drug to treat smallpox called tecovirimat, or TPOXX, based on data from animal studies. There are only limited data on its use in people.

How Is It Transmitted?

Monkeypox spreads in different ways. The virus can spread from person-to-person through: direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, or body fluids
respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact, or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling, or sex, touching items
(such as clothing or linens) that previously touched the infectious rash or body fluids. Pregnant people can spread the virus to their fetus through the placenta.

It’s also possible for people to get monkeypox from infected animals, either by being scratched or bitten by the animal, by preparing or eating meat, or by using products from an infected animal.

Myths About Monkeypox

Physicians are not exempt from being poorly informed about monkeypox and this lack of appropriate, accurate information is not in the best interest of the patients and the nation. What are the myths that physicians need to stop believing?

One myth is that monkeypox is a new virus and it isn’t. The first case of monkeypox was documented in 1958 in monkeys in research facilities and in 1978 it was seen in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The second myth is that monkeypox is a sexually transmitted infection and as can be seen from the information above, it can be contracted in a number of different ways, including contaminated bedsheets and clothing. Even holding hands or hugging can spread monkeypox.

The third myth is that monkeypox affects only gay and bisexual men, which is false. Anyone whether heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual can catch monkeypox.

The fourth myth is that monkeypox is the next COVID-19. It does not attack the respiratory system, although respiratory droplets from an infected person can spread it.

The fifth myth is that monkeypox only affects people in African countries and, as shown here, it has spread around the world.

The last myth is that we don’t need to worry about monkeypox. Remember, this is a virus, and viruses mutate, and the longer a virus is in any population, it has the opportunity to change, become more contagious, or become deadly.

The only way to prevent the spread of monkeypox or other viral illnesses is through vaccination whenever one is available.

Fear brought on by lack of accurate information is the engine driving strong attention to this virus and causing undue stigma and danger (both physical and mental) to individuals. This is not a new gay plague or anything of the sort. It is a virus that jumped from animals to humans, and now it will infect any host in the area where it exists.

The post Fear of Monkeypox Isn’t Irrational, It Makes Good Sense appeared first on Medika Life.

I am sick and tired of the pandemic. Many others share the sentiment based on several high-profile recent news stories, albeit for different reasons. Neil Young has recently had his music pulled from Spotify, given the platform’s refusal to screen its content for COVID-19 misinformation effectively. Meanwhile, truckers in Canada have protested what is becoming a nationwide vaccine mandate by trekking across Canada in a convoy while blockading a border crossing and Ottawa, the Canadian capital.

What we all need is for the pandemic to end. Progress has been made in understanding the pandemic, the virus, and how to treat the disease, speaking as a physician and medical researcher. However, relying solely on the medicine is not enough when considering a resolution, as we can all appreciate as we feel the fallout from a COVID-heavy winter despite a vaccine being available for the past year.

I have become more involved in understanding why we are still here in recent weeks. On attending conferences oriented on pandemic-related global health inequity while keeping up with research and international news, it is evident that we are stuck because of global deficiencies in working together. While many can attest to this emotionally, whether perhaps feeling heartfelt frustration against anti-vaxxers or feeling like one’s concerns about vaccines are not being heard or effectively addressed, the issue involves multiple systems.

While many Western countries have made pledges of helping developing nations fight the pandemic by offering vaccines, the reality is that not enough of these doses have made their way to where they are needed. If we take a quick look at Our World in Data, the difference in vaccination rates among African nations and places like Canada is striking.

While this is likely partly due to supply and shipping issues, some are due to inefficiency. At a conference I attended, one of the physicians discussed how Canada delivered several million doses to Africa very close to their expiration date. While African countries have effective vaccine rollout programs, few of these doses could reach arms because of the short deadline.

Naturally, we cannot blame governments and be done with it. Individuals have responsibility for the situation as well. Individuals who knowingly spread COVID-19 misinformation, regardless of the reason, are responsible for a significant proportion of the suffering and death of this pandemic. Individuals who seek to challenge misinformation, such as myself, who disrespectfully address or ignore reasonable safety concerns also hold some responsibility. While some arguments posed by opponents of the COVID-19 vaccines or pandemic measures are not based on reality, it is valid for your average neighbour to want to be sure they are not going to have an anaphylactic reaction when they get the shot. Calling individuals with valid concerns names would certainly not make me want to consider another person’s viewpoints. Insults are generally not appropriate and do not accomplish much, regardless.

Back to the headlines, was Neil Young right? I argue that he was because the only adequate response to adversity, whether hate or a platform’s unwillingness to challenge harmful rhetoric because of its financial profit, is to stand up and hold parties accountable for action and inaction.

This being said, there is a right and a wrong way to challenge what we identify as needing to be improved. In honour of Black History month, we could all take a lesson from the late Martin Luther King Jr. in that “we must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

The world may feel more divided than ever, but it does not have to be that way. Every one of us has the ability to shine light into our dealings with others. It may not be received well by all. It does not make it any less valuable.

The post Was Neil Young Right? Fighting COVID-19 Misinformation Two Years In appeared first on Medika Life.

Like an annoying foot fungus that just refuses to die, these quacks, armchair experts, so-called health gurus, and, yes, even doctors (interject a sad sigh at this point) have continued to issue dire warnings about the end of humanity.

We aren’t going to all perish from Covid of course (they will all tell you it actually doesn’t exist) but from the vaccines and evil Orwellian plots hatched by mad scientists and power-hungry politicians hell-bent on re-ordering the world. It is mass genocide or at best genetic re-engineering of the species, according to their siren song.

Clearly pissed that their Netflix subscriptions have lapsed, these individuals have taken it on themselves to weave their own tales of fantasy and fiction. Each new ‘series’ has its own plotline, villains, and heroes, and of course, is set in their version of a dystopian world. The same place most of us currently consider home.

The pitfall of calling tomorrow

If you’re trying to establish yourself as a seer of the future, you’re best suited to picking your predictions for a time that postdates your demise. The turn of the century, remember the impending global meltdown, and 2012 with those pesky Mayans and their calenders, just two classics that spring to mind.

Unless you’re onto a sure thing, outliving your predictions generally tends to be awkward and it’s been no different for our intrepid group of Covid naysayers and end-of-world scriptwriters. One by one, their predictions have come to naught. Nada. Nothing. Their predictions have exposed them for the true fraudsters and charlatans they really are.

Hindsight really is a bitch and in this instance, a highly effective antifungal. Rember the foot fungus analogy?

So just how have these con artists been proven wanting by the passage of time? We investigated a few of our older friends that we fact-checked months ago. It’s interesting to note how in many instances the original claims (ain’t digital history a bitch) made by many of these individuals have been subtly refined over time to accommodate for that annoying little thing called being horribly wrong.

Geert Van Den Bossche

You can read our original article on Van den Bossche here. In a simplified nutshell, Van Den Bossche’s pitch was based on selling us his version of a vaccine (the grift) after convincing us that mainstream vaccines (the competition) were going to cause a mutated virus that would end humanity. So, nearly a year later, or eighteen months on, in the case of trial candidates, where are we?

Aside from racking up an impressive amount of internet traffic from gullible and trusting souls seeking an explanation for their pandemic-induced misery, Van Den Bossche’s theory has so far proven completely unfounded. Despite having half the human population (that’s how many are now vaccinated) as incubators, Van Den Bosch’s killer virus appears to have gone golfing.

Perhaps he’d be better placed if he joined it.

Reiner Fuellmich

The punchline to possibly the worst legal joke ever constructed, Fuellmich propelled himself into popular conspiracy culture in early 2021. His rise was meteoric and his fanbase legion. We called bullshit early and have paid the price ever since, receiving literally thousands of comments and emails wishing us well (not really).

Fuellmich wanted, and we assume still does until the next best thing comes along, to sue the world for the SARS-CoV2 virus, claiming it didn’t really exist, Covid, according to Fuellmich wasn’t dangerous and lockdowns and mask had somehow managed to elevate themselves from effective countermeasures against a viral pandemic to crimes against humanity.

Not even the unfortunate Geneva Convention could escape Fuellmichs manic ambitions as he invoked ludicrously inappropriate responses to what he claimed were atrocities against humanity. You can see, of course, how people would lap this stuff up and why he’s developed such a devout following. People want a scapegoat to pin their misery on and who better than the large faceless behemoth we call modern society and all its appendages.

Eight months later and our intrepid attorney has made zero forward progress, mired as he is in the conspiracy circuit, his followers proving that the worshippers really do define the cult. Associate yourself with the chaff and the swine will feed.

Time has already eroded this deluded German’s fairytale and the lasting legacy of Fuellmich will undoubtedly be as the world’s most audacious and ambitious legal fraudster of all time. He really has raised the bar (pun intended).

America’s Frontline Doctors

I’ve included these grifters as a simple example of training wheels. They are by no means in the class of Fuellmich or Van Den Bossche, as their motives and narrative are simplistic and as transparent as daylight, but it doesn’t make them any less dangerous and as doctors, sworn to uphold the best interest of their patients, their actions are reprehensible.

Essentially, the group is a collection of morally bankrupt doctors who have clubbed together to fleece the public during the pandemic by selling them unproven treatments.

They aren’t alone and there are other similar groups that operate, but this group is perhaps most prominent on social media, thanks to its more than dubious membership, which includes the January 6 revolutionary, Dr. Simone Gold, currently under FBI investigation.

Their claims are simplistic – Buy Hydroxychloroquine or Ivermectin from us online. It works to cure Covid and the government and the media don’t want you to know about it. They have partnered with an equally unethical pharmaceutical supplier called Ravkoo Pharmacy and the two parties grift their merry way through the pandemic, fleecing gullible and vulnerable patients online.

Sadly, many bought into their lies, but time has exposed just how dodgy their business model is, false claims aside. You can read the reviews here from dissatisfied customers who lose their money and never receive anything.

In terms of their actual claims about these drugs treating Covid we now know beyond a reasonable doubt, they don’t help. Here’s the latest on Ivermectin and how we’ve been fooled into thinking the drug has benefits against Covid.

How have vaccine fairy tales faired?

Elon Musk is advertising for vaccinated astronauts with cellphones to man his Mars mission. Apparently, the vaccines boost reception.

Complete nonsense of course, but believed by many. People have, over the course of the pandemic proven themselves more than capable of believing in pretty much anything, no matter how ‘out there’ it sounds, and much of what floats about in the conspiracy ecosphere really is ‘out there’. Way out. The fact that much of this nonsense has been amplified by seemingly sane medical professionals doesn’t help.

In no particular order, here are some of the insane theories that have proven to be completely unfounded over time. Keep in mind we’ve just vaccinated half the world’s population.

• the vaccines will magnetize your body (this actually sounds useful)
• the vaccines contain trackers that allow the government to monitor your movement
• The vaccines interact with 5G cell towers
• We are all going to turn into genetically modified lizards
• The vaccine will render all women sterile (arguably not a bad thing if you consider the stupidity above)

My most recent favorite comes from a doctor, Ben Marble, whose license to practice was revoked in one state in 2012 and he has now resumed his less than illustrious career in Florida (where else).

Where to start. Aside from the fact Twitter clearly isn’t policing anti-vax posts aggressively enough, a simple observation. “All Americans” would, I assume include almost every race-based classification of humanity that exists on the planet. Ergo, everyone will die. It’s this kind of stupidity that almost beggars belief. Who would set about wiping out the entire human species? Doesnt really leave you with anyone to exploit, does it?

Does Marble think the virus does a nationality check first, weighs its intended victim, and then checks for skin color? Do you hear that knocking at the door doctor? It’s the men with the white coats and they’ve got a cozy, padded 3 x 3 waiting just for you.

Not one, in other words, NONE of the ridiculous claims made over the vaccines have come to fruition, despite them being administered in billions, and yet, people still choose to believe they pose a risk to us. People still choose to believe the virus does not pose a threat.

I’ll leave you with a very succinct line I saw recently on a Twitter profile.

𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗’𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘…

Apparently, hindsight is equally useless.

The post Calling Tomorrow. Has Time Proven Covid Quacks and Conspiracy Theorists Right or Wrong? appeared first on Medika Life.

If you don’t have your hand raised at this point, you need to get out more. The incidence of the aforementioned individual is high, so much so that we’ve coined a collective term for them, CovIdiots. Not only is the term disingenuous, but it is also very misleading. Intelligence is not prophylaxis for gullibility, in fact, quite the opposite.

Buy the lie

Bernie Madoff would be the first to tell you that intelligent people are often the easiest to convince of something, for a number of reasons.

Vanity, a tendency to trust, and a mistaken belief in their own abilities to filter truth from bullshit, leave intelligent people wide open for exploitative individuals. Financial cons are most often exacted on wealthy, well-educated individuals who are always, with hindsight, blamed for not having known better.

Lower intellect is usually linked to lower-income and nothing ferments distrust like poverty. Grow up knowing the whole world is out to screw you and you are, by default, suspicious of everything. Poor individuals are more susceptible to the “establishment or world-order” types of conspiracy misinformation.

Surely not the doctors too?

Doctors are just regular people that have spent an insane amount of time studying up how the body works. That’s regular doctors. Specialists and surgeons require double the amount of studying. Very very specific studying, particular to their chosen specialty, as the field of medicine is huge.

Take virology, epidemiology, and pharmacology. Three very distinct branches of medicine and ones which the average doctor will only glance at for a few weeks during their training. Their knowledge of these topics, broadly speaking, is only marginally better than that of the general public.

The published word

Presented with a preprint for a large clinical trial on Ivermectin, published in a scientific journal, most doctors would take the information contained in the trial at face value. Doctors are not forensic data analysts and are therefore unable to properly validate the data provided without considerable time and effort. They rely on experts (peers) to do the fact-checking for them.

This dependence is riddled with problems, mostly stemming from a lack of peer review, Open Access models, and the predatory pay to publish platforms preferred by many publications. Often little or no review is applied to published papers and a stringent code of ethics applicable to preprints is largely ignored.

Simply put, much of what is published today within the scientific community, can not be taken at face value.

If the scientific publication industry was akin to a cancer patient, doctors would be urgently calling for chemo to attempt to save an almost terminal case.

Many doctors, along with broad swathes of the public, do not recognize this trend, are not aware of it, or simply turn a blind eye.

The fire and smoke logic trap

Can’t have a fire starting without a little smoke and in pandemic central 2021, that smoke represents misinformation. Our world is filled with it. This flawed logic is mistakenly applied to justify the ‘genuineness’ of claims made relating to vaccines and so-called Covid treatments.

The truth is there can be smoke without the presence of fire, particularly when that smoke has been intentionally created to suggest the presence of non-existent flames. In fact, con artists are all too aware of this human flaw we use to justify something and use it against us with spectacular success.

Let’s say, by way of example that a toothpaste manufacturer wanted to clear a large stock of an older brand of toothpaste from its catalog. An article, not so innocently released to a large gossip rag with an established social media presence would suggest the brand was out of stock in stores across the US. An unnamed company official would intonate that people were mistakenly using it to combat the SARS-CoV2 virus.

You can see the Twitter stream now, can’t you? Betty Blogger from Saskatchewan would be first up.

Our family has been using this toothpaste for years. None of us have caught Covid yet and it’s all over town. Now we know why.

A few days later, as the story spreads across social media, the company would release an official media statement, categorically denying their toothpaste has any effect on the virus. The rest is marketing history.

Think before you point that finger

You might not have fallen for the misinformation in the pandemic sphere. In this case, you’re vaccinated, you still wear your mask in public spaces and you respect your health and the safety of others. Well done, give yourself a pat on the back as you’re one of the lucky ones.

CovIdiots, and I do actually despise that term, haven’t been that fortunate.

There may be areas of your life that don’t relate to the virus, where you too, are guilty of being a XyzIdiot. There are very few of us that don’t harbor beliefs or thoughts based on misinformation. These don’t have to be virus-related but can apply to any part of your life and you may have bought the lie, hook, line, and sinker. Want a great place to start looking, think politics.

CovIdiots don’t deserve your ridicule or you’re holier than thou condescension. There, but for the grace of God, goes you. It has nothing to do with brain capacity or the lack thereof, being gullible or not. It is simply a question of buying into a story based on our politics, trust, education, and life experience.

Pretty certain we all do that, each day.

The post You Don’t Need to be an Idiot to be a CovIdiot appeared first on Medika Life.

In particular, organizations like America’s Frontline Doctors (AFLDS), known for spreading their unscientific rhetoric attacking both treatments for Covid and questioning the efficacy of Covid vaccines. Their unproven ‘Covid treatments’, focusing on Hydroxychloroquine, Ivermectin, and other drugs have undoubtedly led to people dying from Covid.

That’s all about to change as long overdue legislation is being rolled out across the medical industry. Legislation that is focused on holding medical professionals accountable for their views. It’s never been okay to offer advice that jeopardizes the lives of patients you’ve taken an oath to protect.

New legislation now means that medical boards can respond in a meaningful way to complaints, even stripping these questionable practitioners of their licenses to practice. It’s long overdue and the industry as a whole will welcome the steps taken to protect the public against misinformation.

The process however relies on the public being made aware of their rights and their recourse to filing complaints against practitioners who do not honor medicine’s primary directive.

primum non nocere — first do no harm

Equally important to this process is making the public aware of scientific evidence-based medical opinion that is both trustworthy and easily accessed. Part of this process involves educating patients against potential risks and AFLDS poses a potentially life-threatening risk to the patients it claims to help.

To be clear, there are no approved “treatments’ for Covid aside from the vaccines which massively reduce the risk of developing life-threatening Covid. To place your trust in any ‘treatment regimes’ is to place your life at risk.

Who is AFLDS?

Essentially set up by a group of doctors, including Dr. Stella Immanuelle and Simone Gold, who can only be described as quacks, the group rose to prominence in mid-2020, feeding off the fear of the Covid pandemic to “sell” their Covid treatments to trusting and unsuspecting members of the public.

Their founder, Dr. Simone Gold, who is currently under investigation for her role in the January 6 insurrection in the Capitol, where she was captured on film, is outspoken and controversial. She frequents popular conspiracy channels and has been instrumental in spreading false and misleading information about Covid vaccines.

To understand why this group of medical professionals would want to create distrust in the public mind, you need to understand how they profit from the disinformation they spread. AFLDS is nothing more than a glorified multi-channel direct selling scheme. The fact that their patients’ lives may be forfeit has not given them pause.

Patients are offered an online consultation for $90 and can then request prescriptions, for amongst others, Hydroxychloroquine, Ivermectin, and whatever other concoction of vitamins and drugs are available. These prescriptions are then filled by online pharmacies like Ravkoo, which partners with AFLDS to enable this ‘pill mill’.

Aside from the dangers posed to patients who follow AFLDS’s ‘Covid treatment regime’, AFLDS’ sales practices simply enable the irresponsible and unjustified prescription of many drugs that lead to addiction and pharmaceutical abuse.

AFLDS’ marketing campaign appeals to the conservative right-wing elements who have bought into the conspiracy theories surround both covid and the vaccines. It is the same group of unvaccinated people now stricken with the Delta variant, who currently occupy over 95% of the bed space in hospitals.

AFLDS has been selling them snake oil rather than vaccines. Many of these patients will die as a result.

Medika Life receives daily feedback from patients about the articles we’ve run on this group, many confirming the illegitimacy of AFLDS. The comment below is taken from a recent article we published highlighting AFLDS’ practices.

Quacks! I booked & paid for a doctor consultation on 08/03/2021. THEY NEVER CALLED ME, billed me $90.00 & have not returned my multiple emails to them. THEY ARE A SCAM!

Aside from the financial losses suffered by many of their patients, the health risk they pose to the general public is where the real concern lies. The welcome change in legislation will now ensure AFLDS’ future is short-lived and that participating professionals are sanctioned to the full extent of the law.

If you need to report a medical professional in your area, you need to contact the particular State licensing authority where the doctor involved practices. The link below will provide you with contact details for your particular state and you can also check the current status of the doctor you are reporting.

Most medical boards post validated complaints publically to allow other patients to respond. Boards will also make note of doctors under investigation. You can use the following link to check a doctor’s credentials and ensure you are reporting them to the correct medical board.

The post America’s Frontline Doctors Face Long Overdue Medical and Legal Censure appeared first on Medika Life.

This week the US House of Representatives passed a bill giving veterans access to no-cost contraception through the Department of Veterans Affairs. The legislation passed with bipartisan support 245–181.

This bill intends to give Veterans access to birth control like all other Americans who have enjoyed free access to family planning services since the 2008 Affordable Care Act.

Green spoke on the House floor in opposition to the legislation. The speech is filled with incorrect statements and misinformation. No one is surprised anymore by Green’s nonsensical rants. She has mocked victims of the Parkland shooting and blamed California wildfires on Jewish space lasers.

Green even compared wearing a mask to prevent the spread of a respiratory virus during a pandemic to the Holocaust stating, “We can look back in a time in history where people were told to wear a gold star, and they were definitely treated like second-class citizens, so much so that they were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany.”

Representative Green’s statements about Plan B and emergency contraception are simply incorrect and ill-informed. Here is what she said.

Green states, “contraception stops a woman from becoming pregnant. The Plan B pill kills a baby in the womb once a woman is already pregnant.” This statement is entirely false.

Plan B is the brand name of one form of emergency contraception. Emergency birth control prevents pregnancy and is not an abortion medication.

RU486 (Mifepristone) is a medication used to induce abortion. Abortion medication terminates a pregnancy and is not a form of emergency contraception.

Plan B and RU486 are not the same medication. One has nothing to do with the other.

Emergency contraception (EC) contains progesterone, a hormone produced naturally by the ovaries. It is often called “the morning after” pill. Common brands, such as Plan B, are available over the counter without a prescription.

Emergency contraception is formulated with a high dose of progesterone. This hormonal blast disrupts, delays, or prevents ovulation. When people take Plan B within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse, it reduces the risk of pregnancy by 70–80%. If a woman is already pregnant and takes Plan B, then nothing happens.

Emergency contraception is called Plan B and not Plan A for a reason. It reduces the risk of pregnancy and does not cause an abortion.

Here is a chart outlining the hormonal changes that occur during a menstrual cycle. The hormones must follow this particular pattern for the ovary to release an egg successfully.

Plan B emergency contraception sends a shock to the system through a high level of progesterone to disrupt or delay ovulation.

The high dose of progesterone in Plan B also thickens the cervical mucus creating a toxic environment for sperm. 

Plan B will not terminate an already established pregnancy. Plan B progesterone does not cause abortion.

Emergency contraception decreases the risk of pregnancy by inhibiting ovulation. If a person is already pregnant and conception has occurred, then Plan B will do nothing. It is too late for emergency contraception.

Taking emergency contraception after one is already pregnant will only add more progesterone to support the developing fetus.

Progesterone can be helpful in certain high-risk pregnancies. Obstetrician gynecologists and infertility doctors often give extra Progesterone to help prevent miscarriages.

Marjorie Taylor Green also stated, “Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act is not contraception, it’s providing with taxpayer dollars the ability for women to have an abortion.”

Once again, Taylor is wrong. Birth control methods do not work by causing abortions. In addition, Federal law bars the use of Medicaid funds for abortions through the Hyde Amendment.

Green got one thing right when she stated, “Words matter and their meanings need to be exactly clear.” 

I agree. I wish Green had paid attention in her junior high health class and learned the basics about human reproduction and contraception. 

The post Marjorie Taylor Green Needs a Primer on How Birth Control Works appeared first on Medika Life.

Others do recognize the existence and the seriousness of Covid-19 but spread misinformation, blatant anti-science concepts, and some frankly conspiratorial theories about the virus’ origin, treatment, and why the vaccines are dangerous, at best. 

Here are just a few minor and, in a few cases, hilarious examples of misinformation followed by surveys of conspiracy theories and then the more serious and concerning anti-science and conspiracy concepts.

Breathing in steam or saltwater will kill the virus in your nose. Smelling sesame seeds cures COVID-19. Sea lettuce prevents COVID-19. Holding your breath for ten seconds is a good test to see if you are sick with COVID-19. One of the best stories is that Russian President Vladimir Putin released 500 lions onto the streets of Moscow to keep people indoors. Fortunately or unfortunately, none of these are true or correct.

Misinformation during a serious event is common, and conspiracy theories arise during times of stress. A few surveys are illustrative.

Investigators at the University of Basel in Switzerland surveyed 1,684 participants in July 2020 regarding conspiracy theories. The surveyors gave a list of presumed Covid-19 conspiracy theories such as “Big Pharma created coronavirus to profit from the vaccines.” Ten percent agreed strongly with at least one of the presented theories. Another twenty percent agreed sightly or moderately with at least one theory; seventy percent agreed with none. 

“Most popular were statements suggesting that the virus was man-made, or that the official explanation of the cause of the virus was questionable.” [The concept that the virus might have been released by accident from the Wuhan Virology Institute, once debunked by many scientists and the media, is being reconsidered intensively by the U.S. government as a legitimate possibility.] The ten percent tended to be younger, were more stressed, had more extreme political views, and had a lower educational level.

A Pew Research Foundation survey in June 2020 found that five percent of Americans believed then that the pandemic was created intentionally by powerful people, and another 20% believed this was likely true. Of those with a high school or less education, 48% thought it was definitely or probably true compared to 24% of college graduates and 18% with a graduate degree. Republicans were more likely to ascribe to this theory than Democrats, as were Blacks compared to whites and Hispanics.

A Cornell University study of media misinformation in late September 2020 examined the results from an analysis gleaned from 38 million English language Covid-19 articles between Jan1 and May 26, 2020. 1.1 million news articles (nearly 3% of all Covid-19 articles) “disseminated, amplified or repeated misinformation.” Only 16% indicated any evidence of “fact-checking” suggesting that “the majority of misinformation is conveyed by the media without question or correction.” The five most prevalent topics were “miracle cures,” “deep state,” a Democratic party hoax, the Wuhan laboratory as the source of an intentional bio-weapon thesis, and related to Bill Gates, such as implanting a chip with a vaccine shot.

Why do these beliefs develop? When big problems are leading to prolonged stress, we need big explanations. The concept that the pandemic originated from bats or the wet markets in Wuhan City, China is not psychologically satisfying. It is much more satisfying to believe that a person, a group, or a country created it with an underlying nefarious purpose — the “deep state.” [This, of course, is a different belief than that the virus was accidentally released.]

Over the summer and fall, friends asked me to look at two lengthy videos they had received, wondering if the information therein was accurate. Each was a talk given by an apparently respected physician. Each was an excellent presenter, seemed reasonable and expert, and both were very effective at sowing doubt about accepted science. 

One commented early in her presentation that Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the NIH Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was “not an infectious disease doctor.” “He is an immunologist.” She also said that she fell asleep at a lecture he gave when she was an intern. Each of these was meant to undermine Dr. Fauci’s credibility. 

Dr. Fauci, however, is very well trained in infectious diseases and has been involved with them his entire career. Yes, his research uses immunologic techniques, but these are focused on understanding infectious diseases. As to her falling asleep, she was a surgical intern, and the lecture occurred early in the morning. 

My supposition — she was tired from being up much of the night, and probably a talk about infectious disease immunology was not of perceived great relevance to this particular surgical intern.

She suggested that the name of the virus was inappropriate. She said to call it “the Wuhan virus” or the “China virus.” She compared these names to “German” measles, “Middle East Respiratory-distress Syndrome” (MERS), and “Lyme” disease. Without saying it directly, she was implying that the virus was released from the laboratory.

 She did not say that most infections, e.g., polio, pneumococcal pneumonia, meningococcal meningitis, etc., do not use a place name for identification. The actual name assigned by the World Health Organization to this virus is Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-related CoronaVirus-2 or SARS-CoV-2. The disease name, COVID-19, is from the words Corona Virus Infectious Disease 2019. 

For those who believe that China or a laboratory in China released the virus intentionally, it is understandable that they would like to see the terms “Wuhan virus” or “China virus” used.

Another claim was that masks do little to protect the acquisition of the virus. She presented apparently solid scientific evidence that masks do not entirely prevent the passage of viruses. It is undoubtedly true that masks are not perfect and that some, such as the N95 masks, are better than a simple mask of sheeting. 

Nevertheless, masks are the best method to prevent airborne spread, especially when both parties wear them. But the clear implication of her explanation was that masks are not effective and therefore not necessary.

Certainly not limited to these two speakers is the belief that hydroxychloroquine is safe and effective for treating Covid-19. There was a lot of initial enthusiasm for this drug due to a French study that showed a reduction in the concentration of virus in nasal swabs of infected patients when treated with hydroxychloroquine, with or without azithromycin, for five days. 

Hydroxychloroquine is inexpensive, is generally safe, and has been widely used for decades, so it was promptly hailed as a potentially beneficial drug to use for COVID-19, including by President Trump. 

The FDA gave emergency use authorization in March 2020. There were, however, no clinical trials at the time that had proven for or against its efficacy. Nevertheless, many physicians and some infectious disease associations recommended hydroxychloroquine at least until further information became available. 

Soon an article was published in the Lancet, a highly regarded medical journal based in the United Kingdom and authored by well-respected academic physicians. It reported data collected by an analytics firm from 96,032 patient records from 700 hospitals over six continents. The report stated that, based on this review, hydroxychloroquine was not only ineffective but was dangerous. This information shot across the world in no time. 

Not appreciated then, yet noted in retrospect, the analytic firm that conducted the analysis was relatively small with few employees, had a non-existent track record, and would not let the authors or anyone else view the underlying data. Yet, it had somehow obtained presumably reliable patient-level data when regulators in most countries prohibit access to such protected healthcare information. 

The authors who had used this material were roundly criticized for inadequate attention to these basics. They were contrite, and the paper was withdrawn. Unfortunately, mainly based on this article, the World Health Organization and others had already stopped ongoing scientific trials of hydroxychloroquine.

Despite the back and forth, eventually, multiple clinical trials were completed, some looking at treating hospitalized patients, some looking at treating patients who had very early symptoms, and some looking at preventing disease in high-risk populations. None showed much if any value and the FDA has rescinded its emergency use authorization. Nevertheless, some still claim its effectiveness.

Another drug, ivermectin, has been suggested by many as effective and safe for preventing or treating Covid-19. Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic drug that has been highly effective in treating river blindness in Africa and a diarrheal disease caused by strongyloidiasis. It is cheap, it is effective, and it is generally safe. It has been used for decades, and the World Health Organization classifies it as one of the twenty essential medications. So why consider it in COVID-19? Because in cell culture, it reduced virus counts by 99+%. But in clinical use, there has been minimal information. 

The most intriguing observation comes from India. Amid a rapid increase in infections, hospitalizations, and deaths across the country in April and early May 2021, yet with only a few percentage of individuals yet vaccinated, ivermectin was made generally available by the government to all at no cost. How many took it is unknown, but temporally the case counts began to fall precipitously. Whether this drop was related to the widespread use of ivermectin is unknown.

This presumed impact of ivermectin contrasts with a randomized clinical trial comparing placebo to ivermectin to treat mild Covid-19 (See graphic above.). Those who received ivermectin had resolution of symptoms, on average, by day ten compared to day 12 for placebo, not a statistically significant difference. 

The jury on ivermectin is still out, but the true believers have offered the India observations as solid evidence that ivermectin is effective. The Indian Health Ministry, as of June 7, 2021, has, however, reversed its recommendation for using ivermectin. I think the final answer is still pending.

Let us move on to vaccination. One of the frequent anti-vaxxer claims is that the mRNA vaccines are unsafe. Why? Because “it will mess with my DNA” or “it is used as a chip for tracking me.” In actual fact, the messenger RNA does not get into the cell nucleus where the DNA resides, so it is not possible for it to interfere with or to change a person’s DNA. And the concept of a chip is just, well, interesting. Since the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is an active vaccine advocate and study funder, some conflate this with Microsoft and from there to an embedded chip. 

Despite the science to the contrary, many do not trust it or the scientists. They feel, and present powerfully, that the mRNA vaccines are unsafe. The lead image of this article is of a person holding a sign which says, “this is a planned global power grab — the mRNA vaccine will kill millions more than CVI.” 

Individuals like this will not accept the carefully developed science as reviewed on this CDC link entitled “Science Brief: COVID-19 Vaccines and Vaccination.”

Many concerns have been raised for women of childbearing age. Are the vaccines safe during pregnancy? Can they cause infertility? The large, prospective randomized clinical trials from which the FDA decided to authorize them for emergency use did not include pregnant women. This is standard practice until a drug or vaccine is determined to be safe in the general population. 

However, it is also essential to be aware that pregnant women are at substantially higher risk for severe COVID-19, namely hospitalization, intensive care, or even death. In an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine on April 21, 2021, the CDC reports there have been no added risks reported to those pregnant individuals vaccinated since the new vaccines from Pfizer/BTN and Moderna became available. The Centers for Disease Control now recommends that pregnant women should be vaccinated.

Vaccines will likely be available for children as young as 2 years of age by September or soon thereafter. This will raise substantial anxiety among parents, especially mothers, who will be bombarded with anti-vax propaganda. Parents only want the best for their children but with the knowledge that kids usually do not get seriously infected and since the vaccines are new and testing will have only recently been completed, it is no wonder that anxiety will be high for many.

One of the more vocal anti-vaxxers, anti-masking, advocates for hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin is Dr. Simone Gold, an emergency medicine physician in the Los Angeles area. She started an organization called “America’s Frontline Doctors.” She gave a talk in Washington, D.C., which was videotaped and quickly went “viral.” Pun intended. Among her claims are that vaccines can produce infertility in normal women. That totally misrepresents facts. There is no evidence that vaccines can cause infertility, but it is out there, and many people are concerned as a result. 

Another one of her claims is that the vaccines are “experimental.” This is an interesting statement given that they were authorized by the FDA only after considerable data analysis, publishing the data on their website, a review by an outside group of experts, and then given emergency use authorization. She also said that since the FDA is collecting adverse event data that if you get vaccinated, then you are “participating in an experiment and don’t even realize it.” She is implying there must be some concern or why bother to collect this information. It is unfortunate because the FDA collects adverse event data on every vaccine and every drug continuously into the future. This data collection continually proves itself very useful. 

For example, this surveillance methodology, both by European regulators and the FDA, quickly detected the unusual blood clotting disorder with reduced platelet counts was detected with the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. These blood clots are very rare, but they are real and serious. As a result of their recognition, appropriate warnings have be given. 

Another example often touted as a reason not to be vaccinated is the later development of Bell’s Palsy or temporary paralysis of one of the facial muscles after vaccination. However, when evaluated over time in vast numbers of those who had been and those who had not been vaccinated, Bell’s Palsy does rarely occur, but no more frequently in the vaccinated than in the general population.

In Dr. Gold’s video, she gave recommendations for the vaccines and for therapy. She indicated that vaccines should be “prohibited” for those between the ages of 20–50. They should “probably be prohibited” for those between the ages of 50–70. For those over the age of 70, it would probably be better to take hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin. For nursing home residents, it should be a case-by-case decision. She firmly espoused the use of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin. It is of interest that on January 6, 2021 videos of the United States Capitol insurrection showed Dr. Simone inside with a megaphone. She has since been arrested by the FBI and indicted by the Justice Department.

So-called “influencers” on social media with their large followings are sometimes the most effective purveyors of misinformation. A recent article on Medium by Mathew Remski discussed what he calls “Reverse Contagion Anxiety.” He writes that social media influencers are “turning the vaccine into a virus” and claiming that the vaccine sheds a virus or something that can harm others nearby.

What happens when these misrepresentations and misinformation create enough concern? Perhaps the most glaring is the possibility of losing one’s job if vaccinated! The Centner Academy in Miami which teaches grades K through eight is warning its teachers not to be vaccinated. In an article in Science magazine, April 26, 2021, “Florida private school threatens jobs of teachers who seek COVID-19 vaccines.” A letter was written by Leila Centner, co-founder of the academy, which was sent to teachers. “It is our policy, to the extent possible, not to employ anyone who has taken the experimental COVID-19 injection until further information is known…It is in the best interest of the children to protect them from the unknown implications of being in close proximity for the day with a teacher who has very recently taken the COVID-19 injection.” (My italics).

Ms. Centner wrote the following to explain the academy’s decision. “Tens of thousands of women all over the world have recently been reporting adverse reproductive issues simply from being in close proximity with those who have received any one of the COVID-19 injections, for example, irregular menses, bleeding, miscarriages, post-menopausal hemorrhaging, and amenorrhea (complete loss of menstruation).”

This is a telling example of what can happen when the anti-vaxxers create enough concern to sway otherwise intelligent people that the vaccines are unsafe. The National Institutes of Health has stated that “there is no evidence that individuals vaccinated for COVID-19 can transmit the viruses to others or that vaccination of one person can have negative health effects on others.” The CDC has a detailed review entitled “Myths and Facts Regarding Covid-19 Vaccines,” but unfortunately, this and the NIH statement will not be enough to convince those genuinely concerned. The Centner Academy has not altered its vaccine approach.

What is needed? These types of misinformation, anti-science theories, and conspiracy theories have become extremely common at a time of great crisis, stress, and frustration for everyone. In that setting, people can be led into thinking that at least some of this misinformation is valid. 

What we all need is to learn to think critically using tools such as careful analysis, open-mindedness, and problem-solving. Schools need to teach critical thinking at all levels, and the media needs to utilize it in reporting and support it. 

Another key is for reporters and their editors to insist upon primary data before accepting some statement as fact. All too often, when a claim is made, the reference is to a speech or an article that in turn is based on someone else’s paper or statement, etc. but following it back leads nowhere. 

As readers, listeners, or viewers of the media, we need to be able to assume the reporter did his or her job of finding the actual primary source and its credibility. Unfortunately, that is commonly not the case.

The post COVID-19 Misinformation, Anti-Science, and Conspiracies Theories appeared first on Medika Life.

The actual truth of their “frontline” engagement with Covid is a far cry from what they’d have you believe, most never having come remotely close to a Covid patient. Smoke, mirrors, and misdirection.

No good scam is replete without the monetization of the con and as time passes Americas Frontline Doctors (AFLDS) seem to have found the niche they’ve been looking for. Welcome to the “New Republics” medical branch. AFD will provide reasonably priced consultations and loosely regulated access to medication for all the extremists, QAnon members, and Republican radicals out there.

All from the comfort of your telehealth consultation.

This screenshot below, taken from the comments on a Children’s Health Defense article, the website run by anti-vaxxer, Robert F. Kennedy, Jnr, 

So there you have it. Simple quick, easy access to medicines that could potentially prove fatal (HCQ) to you. Just hop online and pay your $90. 

In case you’re wondering why people are still so concerned about contracting the SARS-CoV2 virus in a largely vaccinated American public, the answer is simple. This group and its advocates refuse to vaccinate themselves or their children.

For the unvaccinated, Covid still poses a huge risk and many of these individuals will end up in ICU facilities across the country over the next few months, placing yet further demands on America’s depleted public health resources. There is also no conclusive evidence to suggest hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin are effective prophylaxis or treatments for Covid-19, so the AFLDS is potentially exposing thousands of Americans to real harm.

Actions you’d be hard-pressed to explain away as being supportive of the Hippocratic oath.

Buy the Lie

On the surface, AFLDS sells a hugely believable front, supported in no small part by their abundance of medical degrees and qualifications. Any layman looking at the site can be easily forgiven for being sucked into the con. The AFLDS’s main mouthpiece is none other than January 6 insurrection debutante, Dr. Simone Gold, currently awaiting trial for her part in storming the Capitol.

Now whilst most Americans would immediately do a double-take on this news, for the New Republicans, hell-bent on destroying America’s democracy, Gold’s presence in AFLDS serves more as a recommendation than a discouragement. Anti-vaccine propaganda (AFDLDS are anti-vaccine) litters their site and in their latest publicity stunt, they have turned to the courts to create more media furor.

On the 20th of May 2021, they filed a petition in the US District Court of Alabama, requesting a temporary injunction on covid vaccines being administered to children. Gold’s name is noticeably absent from the list of plaintiffs, for obvious reasons.

AMERICA’S FRONTLINE DOCTORS, ETC.; and DR. SCOTT JENSEN, MD, Individually; and ELLEN MILLER, Individually and as Guardian of 3 Minor Siblings; and JODY SOBCZAK, Individually and as Father of 2 Minor Children; and DEBORAH SOBCZAK, Individually and as Mother of 2 Minor Children; and LYLE BLOOM, Individually and as Father of 2 Minor Children; and, JULIE BLOOM, Individually and as Mother of 2 Minor Children; and ANDREA MCFARLANE, RN Individually and as Mother of 4 Minor Children; and JENNIFER GREENSLADE, Individually and as Mother of 2 Minor Children; and ….

In their claim, they state the following. Sections in parenthesis added by the author;

the injections (Covid Vaccines) are dangerous biological agents that have the potential to cause substantially greater harm than the COVID-19 disease itself, and numerous laws have been broken in the process of granting these EUAs and pushing these injections on the American people.

Like many other radical, conspiracy-based groups AFLDS has turned to alternate closed social media groups like Telegram to avoid censure on more traditional platforms.

And they’re not sitting about idly either. Gold and her entourage of Covid Vaccine doubters have taken their carnival show on the road, exploiting every Republican-based organization they can reach on their meandering path across the US.

The irony of a group of doctors running about across America bad-mouthing another group of doctors, and then expecting people to believe them because, well, “they’re doctors” cannot be lost on many.

If you’re in the market for accurate and evidence-based health advice we strongly recommend avoiding the AFLDS. If you come across one of their many shill’s advertising their services online, ignore them. Should you happen to see one of the shows advertised, save yourself some time and sanity. Go and watch a movie instead. It’s also fiction, but it isn’t going to harm your health.

That step too far

By associating with QAnon, radical elements, and anti-vaccine campaigners these doctors lend legitimacy to the causes they seek to exploit for financial gain. To many Americans, the goal of a “New Republic” isn’t merely a pipe dream but something they want to see realized.

A new regressive version of America, filled with racism, sexism, outdated religious doctrine, and free of reason and the rule of law. AFLDS would like to offer its services to this vision of America. All you need to access healthcare is your $90 and an internet connection. If they get their way, there’s going to be an awfully long hold before that telehealth call is connected.

They are playing a dangerous game and one that time itself will unravel as all their wild allegations about vaccine experimentation fall by the wayside. The concern now is how many innocent patients they lead astray in the interim, how many people have their health compromised by a group of individuals who swore an oath to protect them.

If you have a need to report any of the doctors engaged with AFLDS you can make use of the links provided below. We recommend lodging complaints with individual state boards where the doctors are licensed to practice.

The post America’s Frontline Doctors Want to Become the New Republic’s NIH appeared first on Medika Life.