Thursday 7 May 2020

Coronavirus COVID-19. A failure of medical science that has resulted in social and economic mayhem. "Save the NHS" or "Save Lives"?

Governments around the world have admitted they have no policy on the COVID-19 pandemic. They have made it clear that they have been guided by "the science" - conventional medical science. Initially this advice was trite - washing hands et al - but worrying because it demonstrated that 'medical science' had no effective treatment.

A contagious and lethal virus, combined with a lack of effective treatment, produced panic. Doctors had nothing to offer their patients. So in time 'the science' became more extreme; it moved to social distance, and the 'lock down'. Now, several weeks into the epidemic, we are beginning to learn about the personal, social and economic distress and mayhem that is being caused by this policy. The policy was given a mantra.

"Save the NHS. Save Lines"

Interesting that order - with 'saving the NHS' taking priority. Patients are, apparently, not the first consideration. Initially it is the NHS, and the medicine that dominates it, that must be saved. Otherwise our GP's and hospitals would be overwhelmed with sick patients and unable to cope. The whole system might disintegrate.

This was undoubtedly a reasonable assumption. Readers of this blog will know that every year since 1913 I have been publishing blog entitled "NHS in Crisis". It happens every year, each winter. And now there was this pandemic. The NHS could not be allowed to fail: too many people would be asking "Why?" If it had not been for the coronavirus panic this year, and the excuse and justification to spend additional £billions, the NHS would almost certainly have been in deep crisis, and those 'why' questions would be asked.

So, once again, money has been generously, but foolishly poured into a medical system that admits it has no treatment for the most serioius epidemic we have faced for over 100 years.

So the priority was to save the NHS; and then to save lives. Except, of course, that the NHS could not save lives - it had already admitted it had no treatment for coronavirus COVID-19. So if there was no treatment perhaps, instead, we could be asked to praise the staff, who were putting their lives at risk by caring for us. We all did so, and quite rightly so. The primary response to this pandemic has been led by nurses, other hospital staff, residential and home care staff, and (where lockdown has allowed) by the family. It has certainly not been led by the doctors, and their medicine.
  • So let's praise what needs to be praised - the staff and care workers, mostly on low, often minimum wages, providing sick people and families with whatever support they could, and putting themselves at risk doing so. Let's praise their courage and commitment; but not the medicine they are obliged to practice.
  • Instead, let's question the failure of those who determined that 'there is no treatment' for this virus; usually well paid and influential health 'experts' and scientists, all part of the conventional medical establishment; who have been advising our governments.
Medical scientific advice has been not only trite and crass; but wrong. It has demonstrated that conventional medical science has come a long way during the 70-100 years of its increasing influence, and now its dominance. The journey has all been done in reverse! I suggest that my mother was more knowledgeable, a better scientist ( although she would have been amused at any such suggestion) as she did know better than medical science appears to know today.
  • she, along with other parents, took me to a measles party - to ensure that I picked up the infection. Like most parents of her generation she understood the importance of a strong immune system, and the natural immunity that getting an infection gives the child.
  • perhaps she, and her generation, were lucky - there were no vaccines to promote then.
During this entire crisis there has been little mention of the importance of our immune system. The absurd term 'herd immunity' has been mentioned; but this concept has more to do with persuading us all that we must get ourselves vaccinated "to protect others" than any close relationship to natural immunity.

How much easier it would have been if our medical system had focused on our ability, as individuals, to withstand and overcome infection. There would have been no need to panic, in a desperate attempt to kill an invisible enemy that could attack, and potentially kill, everyone. One moments reflection would have told us - no epidemic throughout world history has ever come close to doing that!
  • We needed to do was to protect the vulnerable - not everyone. 
  • It was the vulnerable who needed 'social distance' and all the other protections. 
  • There was no need to lock down social life, and potentially wreck the world's economy.
  • We needed to test our immune systems; not the presence or absence of a virus.
Instead of panic, the NHS could more usefully have spent time and money teaching all of us how to support and strengthen our immune systems.
  • the food we should be eating, the vitamins and supplements we should be taking, how we should exercise, the lifestyle habits we should be avoiding.
  • the natural medical therapies that had preventative treatments, and treatments for the disease itself.
  • the use of homeopathy in Cuba, India, and elsewhere, could have been examined, and indeed offered to patients who wanted to use it for themselves. 
  • patient outcome studies could have been conducted which assessed the value of natural therapies, for future reference.
But, of course, none of this fits with the objectives of the conventional/pharmaceutical medical establishment. A crucial part of their strategy is to preserve their monopoly within the NHS, and other national health services. What if these alternative treatments did work? What if they saved life? People must never know. Much better for them to use their dominance of medical 'science', their control of the NHS, their unrestrained influence over government, and their financial control of the mainstream media, to ensure that no-one knows about these things. Otherwise they might have to admit there was an alternative to the knowledge and expertise of conventional medical science.
  • Much better to allow people to contract COVID-19,
  • better to let them die without any knowledge of effective treatment,
  • better to stop the routine treatment of cancer, kidney disease, et al, patients.
  • better to close down social life,
  • better to wreck the national economy,
  • and the economy of the world.
Medical science, and the pharmaceutical medical establishment, have failed. What has happened to medicine during the last 70-100 years may be likened to allowing 'flat earthers' to dominate and control all navigation across the world. No one would ever get anywhere.

Conventional medicine, and the financial interests that control it, has been, and is leading us in completely the wrong direction. So perhaps the most important outcome of this coronavirus COVID-19 panic will be to recognise this - and to do something about it.