The Exhaustion of Fighting With Doctors for a Diagnosis
June 1, 2017
By Lisa Prins
This is a tough topic for me. But the tough ones are always the ones most worth sharing, aren’t they? The ones that can show us we aren’t alone. So, I will delve in as best I can.
As far as I’m concerned, I have been emotionally scarred and physically scarred by the medical system. Don’t get me wrong, there are great, amazing doctors and nurses, and wow…I am so thankful for that! They make it so I don’t give up. So I didn’t give up. They make this fight a little bit easier.
I feel that many of us who are legitimately sick and have been chronically ill for a long time can recall multiple experiences of when they were treated with disrespect, mocked, brushed off, openly insulted, called a drug-seeker or any other number of inappropriate things. Yet, somehow, this is acceptable in the medical field. (See link for article)
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**Comment**
A real problem for sure and one that most Lyme/MSIDS patients experience. I know patients who have what I term, “White-coat fear,” a type of PTSD from being abused by medical professionals.
This is why I typically advise patients who suspect tick-borne illness to bypass mainstream medicine altogether. These folks are woefully uneducated and will more likely tell you to make an appointment with a shrink than to consider TBI’s. For some reason these “professionals” are fine with telling you “it’s all in your head,” rather than even considering you may be infected with things that can invade every organ in your body, or even just admitting they don’t know the first thing about it.
Even IF they are willing to test you, current CDC 2-tiered testing misses a majority of cases. There are few doctors in mainstream medicine who will treat you without a positive test. Then, even IF you somehow manage to test positive, they will essentially treat you with the CDC’s antiquated and unscientific Lyme guidelines – or 21 days of doxycycline, which research has proven repeatedly to be inadequate. This treatment also completely ignores coinfections which are often present and require different medications.
You know the saying…..“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” Yet this is exactly what ‘authorities’ and mainstream medicine have done and we are all supposed to be fine with it.
You will save yourself time, money, effort, and mental anguish by getting to a Lyme-literate doctor asap. Time is of the essence. Everyone admits that early detection and treatment is imperative.
Reminder: IF you have the EM rash, you HAVE Lyme disease.Period. No testing required. IF you do not have the EM rash, you could still be infected. If you test negative – you could still be infected. (Very much like the abysmal testing for COVID-19)
In my opinion, your local support group is the best place to find these LLMD’s. Patients in these groups have first-hand experience with costs, approach, and other helpful details. Finding a doctor is only step 1 in a very lengthy journey, but it’s an important step. It’s also not uncommon to see numerous doctors on this journey. You can access support groups in each state by scrolling down the website and looking on the right. It’s under “Lyme Resources.” Click on “Find a Lyme Support Group.”
The best word of advice: NEVER, EVER QUIT. It’s your health – fight for it.
By H. Ealy, M. McEvoy, M. Sava, S. Gupta, D. Chong, E. Braham, C. Fieberg, D. White, P. Anderson
Key Findings For Data Through July 5th
Increases in new cases in Texas, Arizona, Florida & California demonstrate a clear correlation with significant increases in PCR testing, but the percentage of these new cases that require hospitalization, or result in a fatality, are far lower than what occurred in NY & NJ.
Texas, Arizona, Florida & California do not statistically qualify as ‘new epicenters’ and additional executive orders, including a 2nd ‘Stay At Home’ order and major alterations to traditional in-person education, is not statistically justified particularly in light of Probability of Recovery.
Fatalities Per Week have decreased nationally, each week, for the 10thconsecutive week according to data published by each of the 56 US State & Territory Health Departments.
At least, 1,045,888 Americans have been confirmed as recovered according to data published by each of the 56 US State & Territory Health Departments.
Far too frequently, the American people are underinformed by members of the mainstream media (MSM) and the Center For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) …
Abstract
As of July 5th 2020, more than 1 Million Americans have been confirmed as recovered according to data compiled from each of the 56 US State & Territory Health Departments (USSTHD). This is undoubtedly good news and provides a source of hope for our beleaguered society.
While every recovery is to be celebrated, we also respect the physical demands recovery has placed upon many Americans and honor that the process of recovery is not without its own unique challenges or potential for long-term adverse health impacts. What we share in our collective work is a data-focused perspective and is never meant to marginalize the experiences of anyone adversely impacted by an infection.
The purpose of this statistical research paper is to provide the reader with a fresh and unique perspective regarding the SARS-CoV-2 virus, commonly referred to as the COVID-19 infection. One of the great concerns we have as authors and professionals is the skewed methodology of data reporting, leading to ambiguity in what the correct course of action regarding public health policy should be moving forward.
Far too frequently, the American people are underinformed by members of the mainstream media (MSM) and the Center For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) as to (1) the total number of cases, (2) the number of daily new cases, (3) the total number of fatalities, and (4) the number of daily new fatalities.1 Each of these categories are important statistics to be aware of, particularly in April when we knew much less than we know now.
However, when cases and fatalities are the only data consistently shared, many Americans are left to conclude that the current situation only continues to worsen as cases and fatalities inevitably increase. These attempts at mental conditioning can and do create objective justifications in listening audiences. Objective justifications for fear of the unknown can, in turn, support the extension of restrictions upon our Constitutionally protected freedoms, and in doing so, be responsible for creating unintentional collateral damage throughout our society.
The urgent need for more thorough and balanced statistical reporting is of the utmost importance in order to foster more productive, less argumentative, conversations.
The CDC has not begun reporting Recovery Data supplied by 46 of 51 US State & Territory Health Departments.
Curiously, what we are not frequently seeing side by side the aforementioned data categories are (1) the total number of people tested, (2) the number of new negative tests per day, (3) the total number of recoveries, and (4) the number of new recoveries vs new fatalities per day. These equally important statistical categories add balance and value to all discussions on this topic if we are to be pragmatic in our thinking, decision making, and future policy formation.
Our data projections suggest, with weekly new fatalities declining for the 10thconsecutive week according to the CDC, and in relationship to significant increases in new recoveries each day, the United States is now projected to have over 2.7 Million recoveries. Additionally, of those 2.7 Million anticipated recoveries, over 2.45 Million will not require hospitalization. This projected statistical data is extremely important for providing Americans a more balanced perspective that incorporates positive information with concerning information. It is unclear why few MSM outlets and the CDC are not readily reporting this data.
The CDC has not begun reporting Recovery Data supplied by 46 of 51 USSTHDs.
In this follow up research paper, we will discuss the positive signs of recovery for the US as well as some of the most recent problems with the data being published at the USSTHD level.
Following a June 13th CDC guideline update for PCR testing in hospitals, we have seen an uncharacteristic increase in new cases. This increase in new cases has not yet lead to an increase in hospitalizations similar to what was reported by the New York & New Jersey health departments in April.2
Moreover, the new guidelines only serve to further complicate the situation and impede accurate data analysis in our professional opinions.
More recently the MSM, CDC, Dr. Fauci, and even several Governors have placed a greater importance on the new cases per day statistic despite new fatalities declining for the 10th consecutive week.
Do Texas, Arizona, Florida & California Compare To New York & New Jersey As Potential Epicenters?
Prior to April 2020, Americans were warned several times by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) group from Washington University, and the CDC of a coming storm of fatalities due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that could be as high as 2.2 Million or range between 100,000 to 1.7 Million.3,4,5,6,7,8,9
This set the expectations that the basis for determining the severity of this unknown infection and its impact upon the United States would be in the published fatality data.
However, more recently the MSM, CDC, Dr. Fauci, and even several Governors have placed a greater importance on the new cases per day statistic despite new fatalities declining for the 10th consecutive week.
There is some objective rationale for public health concerns escalating due to increases in new cases, IF there is an equal percentage rise in new hospitalizations and/or fatalities similar to what was reported in New York & New Jersey in April during the height of the initial wave of infections.
However, we have not seen rises in hospitalizations or fatalities similar to what was reported in New York & New Jersey at the beginning of the crisis, in any of the 4 states being closely watched due to rises in new cases over a comparative 3-week period. In New York & New Jersey, the 3-week period that initiated there designation as the epicenter for COVID-19 was Mar 21st to Apr 10th. The comparable 3-week period for Texas, Arizona, Florida & California is Jun 15th to Jul 5th. The increase in new cases is likely due to a higher volume of testing, improved overall reporting, and a slightly truer ratios of case reports to hospitalizations than were available in the earlier part of the pandemic for New York and New Jersey.
This graphic demonstrates a significant increase in testing from Jun 15th to Jul 5th for TX, FL, and CA as compared to a similar 3-week time period from Mar 21st to Apr 10th in NY/NJ. It also reveals, the relative percent disparity in new cases in the latter time period despite the significant increase in testing as this crisis has progressed. The percentage of positive tests in NY/NJ (44.3%) is considerably higher than the percentage of positive tests in TX (12.0%), AZ (20.1%), Florida (11.8%), and California (5.9%).
In summary, as new cases rise in TX, AZ, FL, and CA, similar to what happened previously in NY/NJ, the percentage of people testing positive is significantly less than what occurred in NY/NJ during the epicenter-level rise in that region. This is primary statistical evidence that what is occurring in TX, AZ, FL, and CA is not an epicenter-level rise. (See Table 1 For A Summary of Data)
This graphic demonstrates a sizeable discrepancy in percentage of new cases requiring hospitalization between NY/NJ (20.7%) and Texas (5.5%), Arizona (2.8%), Florida (3.2%), and California (2.3%).
It also demonstrates the sizeable discrepancy in percentage of new cases resulting in fatal outcomes between NY/NJ (4.6%) and Texas (0.6%), Arizona (1.0%), Florida (0.7%), and California (1.1%).
While many of the fatalities in NY/NJ. during this and later periods, have been reportedly due to the COVID-19 ravaging senior assisted living centers and nursing homes, this data may suggest that procedures for protecting our most vulnerable in these environments has improved immensely.
If the statistical volume and correlation data for cases, hospitalizations, and fatalities in NY/NJ establish the criteria for defining an epicenter, then by this definition Texas, Arizona, Florida, and California do not currently qualify as epicenters. This is further statistical evidence that what is occurring in TX, AZ, FL, and CA is not an epicenter-level rise. (See Table 1 For A Summary of Data)
Therefore, a rise in new cases alone, without comparable rises in new hospitalizations and/or fatalities, does not justify cases becoming the new benchmark for justifying epicenter-level executive orders or increased social anxiety.
Recovery vs Fatality Data
This data reveals that Americans are now almost 9 times more likely to recover than pass away due to COVID-19 and the gap between recoveries and fatalities continues to grow each day. (See Table 2 For A Summary of Data By State)
As you can see, recoveries are significantly outpacing fatalities every day and the distance between the two continues to grow so much that it makes graphical visualization for comparison very challenging. The spikes in recoveries you see, typically occur when a new health department begins reporting recoveries for the first time as happened on June 21st.
As of July 5th, while fatality data is being reported by every USSTHD, recovery data is being reported by only 46 of the 51 USSTHDs. California, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, & Washington State are the only USSTHDs currently not reporting recovery data.
Published recovery data is most commonly comprised of patients who have been discharged from the hospital following a lab confirmed hospitalization whereby the patient has had 2 consecutive negative PCR molecular tests at least 24 hours apart.2
However, many states have begun confirming Americans, who have tested positive, as recovered cases, if the person testing positive was asked to quarantine and in a specific time frame did not require hospitalization or additional medical attention. This time range is 14 days from the date of the positive test for most states and up to 30 days in a small number of states. This is a critical data point as “recovered cases” are not simply those who are released from hospitals but also the much larger group who never needed hospital care.
Table 2 – Summary Of Confirmed Cases, Recoveries & Fatalities By State
Conclusion
This statistical research paper provides objective, data-driven results that demonstrate the United States is well into recovery despite the increase in new cases, which are more likely due to significant increases in testing (and potentially CDC hospital testing guidelines updated June 13th).
This data suggests that any further executive orders based exclusively on increases in new cases, including a 2nd quarantine period and either delaying the new school year or enforcing virtual classrooms, are likely to be statistically unjustified with respect to NY/NY defining the statistical criteria for what constitutes an epicenter.
A time is at hand when the national conversation must shift away from fears over new cases and refocus on addressing the very real economic, mental health, physical health, emotional health and social collateral damage created by the prolonged intrusion of executive orders upon our Constitutional freedoms.
It is important to remember that Americans were implored, and ordered in most states, to stay home in order to flatten the curve of infective spread and minimize the impact of this infection upon our healthcare systems.
Americans complied willingly with the implicit understanding that this course of action would be relatively brief and not extended without significant and verifiable data justification.
At no point did Americans agree in unison that we would not be able to register official public comment in order to voice our unique concerns and perspectives during the first time period of executive orders. Nor did we agree that allowing small business owners to reopen their businesses would be postponed by additional executive orders without emergency legislative sessions.
And we certainly didn’t agree to reopening houses of worship, schools and entertainment venues in multiple phases, with these key components for social health being placed last.
We didn’t agree that the criteria for approving a return to ‘life as we knew it’ would be based on anything other than healthcare impact or fatalities…yet now there is a seeming call to move away from hospitalizations and fatalities in favor of new cases for determining policy.
Americans did our part, and now it’s time for the MSM, CDC, and Governors of each state to do their part and facilitate a path forward that honors the spirit of the Constitution, reengages the economy, and reestablishes the social networks, so essential for a healthy and thriving republic.
We urge the MSM and CDC to begin reporting total tests per day alongside new cases, new recoveries per day alongside new fatalities, and in doing so, provide a more balanced perspective to a society that depends upon them for trusted information.
We urge all Governors to prioritize places of worship and in-person education for all citizens and to begin adding qualified Naturopathic Doctors and Holistic Nutritionists to their appointed health department teams and advisors, so Americans can receive peer-reviewed nutritional recommendations alongside recommendations for hygiene, masks and social distancing.
If we can figure out a way to test over 34 Million Americans in a 3 month window, then we can figure out a way to implement logical improvements in how this crisis is being reported and how we respond medically to this unexpected adversity.
Mahalo.
Updated Probability of Recovery, Age Demographic & Testing Data
Probability of Recovery continues to improve for all age demographics from our initial June 21st research article.
Data Limitations
As we covered in the Data Limitations section of our previous article, ‘Are Children Really Recovering 99.9584% of the Time From COVID-19,’ from the very beginning the CDC supported the counting of every case and fatality as COVID-19 caused, even without a confirmatory lab test. A case or fatality can be legitimately counted as a COVID-19 case or fatality from any of the following:10
“A. Narrative: Description of criteria to determine how a case should be classified. A1. Clinical Criteria At least two of the following symptoms: fever (measured or subjective), chills, rigors, myalgia, headache, sore throat, new olfactory and taste disorder(s) OR At least one of the following symptoms: cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathingOR Severe respiratory illness with at least one of the following: Clinical or radiographic evidence of pneumonia, or Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) AND No alternative more likely diagnosis.”
The CDC classifies these types of cases and fatalities as ‘Probable’.
As of July 5th, there are currently 47,174 Probable Cases & 9,431 Probable Fatalities. The concern is that Probable Cases & Fatalities continue to grow daily despite massive testing that has seen at least 36,853,943 lab tests performed and every USSTHD having the ability to list a case as ‘Pending’, if a lab test has been performed but has yet to result.
On July 5th there were 47,174 Probable Cases, but only 2,205 Pending lab tests.
Additionally, we are concerned that the rise in new cases coincides with the CDC’s June 13th updated testing guidelines.
Funding & Conflict of Interest Statement
This statistical research paper has been developed, composed and published without any funding and thanks in part to a strictly, 100% volunteer community effort made by a diverse array of qualified professionals who care deeply about children and the health of every American. The authors of this paper confirm no conflicts of interest, financial, political or otherwise.
Steckler, A., & McLeroy, K. R. (2008). The importance of external validity. American journal of public health, 98(1), 9–10. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2007.126847
Matthay, E. C., & Glymour, M. M. (2020). A Graphical Catalog of Threats to Validity: Linking Social Science with Epidemiology. Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.), 31(3), 376–384. https://doi.org/10.1097/EDE.0000000000001161
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Lyme, and Not the Fruit: The Battle of the Tick and How I’m Not Letting It Win
By Peyton N. Leonard, author, composer, actress
Kindle Edition
Lyme sucks! Many struggle with ways to handle it – understandably. Lyme is the fifth most common disease in the U.S. and the only treatment is antibiotics, which don’t always kick it in the butt. Many suffer from chronic pain, fatigue, and downright hopelessness. I certainly would know, but God, my family, and the different techniques I’ve learned have all helped me to persevere. I hope this book will encourage you to do the same.
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**Comment**
Great summer read that you can get for FREE by signing up for a Kindle Unlimited 30 day trial (which will automatically renew for $9.00/mo) OR only pay $2.99 for the Kindle price.
Mayla Hsu, Ph.D., Director of Science and Research for GLA joined Ranger Ready Founder and CEO, Chris L. Fuentes, to give helpful tips on how the whole family can safely enjoy the outdoors.
Dr. Hsu & Fuentes addressed common misconceptions regarding ticks and Lyme disease.
“Your backyard is probably the most likely place to be bitten by a tick or bring a tick into your house,” said Fuentes.
I appreciated the video on how to apply repellent. Wearing a tucked in undershirt is smart (albeit hot!) as well as long white socks, tucking pants into the socks. Make sure to also spray shoes. I make everyone strip clothing off in garage, and then put all clothing into dryer on high for 20 min. Then, take a shower when coming indoors. You will need to apply permethrin onto clothing the day before use so there is plenty of time to dry. Spray ALL clothing, hats, socks, pants, shirts, etc. Picaradin is for your skin that you apply before you head outside. You need both types of repellents.
When talking about ticks – she states, “you can squash it.”Please, do not touch the tick if you squash it as you could potentially become infected this way. Many recommend testing the tick.Some states will do this free for residents. Unfortunately, Wisconsin does NOT do this.
More on Ranger Ready: https://rangerready.com They state their product lasts for 12 hours against ticks and mosquitoes. (I have no affiliation with this company)
The controversy over hydroxychloroquine is perhaps one of the most perplexing and frustrating. Doctors and health experts around the world have spoken out both for and against the use of the drug, some reporting spectacular benefits while others warn of mortal dangers
In an international poll of 6,227 doctors in 30 countries, 37% rated the antimalaria drug hydroxychloroquine as “the most effective therapy” for COVID-19. In Spain, where the drug was used by 72% of doctors, it was rated “the most effective therapy” by 75% of them
French microbiologist and infectious disease expert Didier Raoult reported a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin administered immediately upon diagnosis led to recovery and “virological cure” — nondetection of SARS-CoV-2 in nasal swabs — in 91.7% of patients
Dr. Vladimir Zelenko has found treating COVID-19 patients who had confirmed positive test results “as early as possible after symptom onset” with zinc, low dose hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin lowered mortality fivefold
Zinc appears to be key. If given early, zinc along with a zinc ionophore such as hydroxychloroquine or quercetin should, at least theoretically, help lower the viral load and prevent the immune system from becoming overloaded
There’s no shortage of controversies surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, but the controversy over hydroxychloroquine is perhaps one of the most perplexing and frustrating. Doctors and health experts around the world have spoken out both for and against the use of the drug, some reporting spectacular benefits1 while others warn of mortal dangers.2
Game-Changer or Deadly Treatment?
In one international poll3 of 6,227 doctors in 30 countries, 37% rated the antimalaria drug hydroxychloroquine as “the most effective therapy” for COVID-19. The poll was done by Sermo, the world’s largest health care data collection company and social platform for physicians.
In Spain, where the drug was used by 72% of doctors, it was rated “the most effective therapy” by 75% of them. The typical dose used by a majority of doctors was 400 milligrams per day.
French science-prize winning microbiologist and infectious disease expert Didier Raoult, founder and director of the research hospital Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection,4reported5,6 that a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, administered immediately upon diagnosis, led to recovery and “virological cure” — nondetection of SARS-CoV-27 in nasal swabs — in 91.7% of patients.
According to Raoult, the drug combination “avoids worsening and clears virus persistence and contagiosness in most cases.” No cardiac toxicity was observed using a dose of 200 mg three times a day for 10 days, along with 500 mg of azithromycin on Day 1 followed by 250 mg daily for the next four days. The risk of cardiac toxicity was ameliorated by carefully screening patients and performing serial EKGs.
As reported by The Highwire (see video above), July 2, 2020, Raoult is quoted as saying failure to prescribe hydroxychloroquine to a COVID-19 patient “should be grounds for malpractice.” Meanwhile, University of Oxford investigators claim the drug is useless and shouldn’t be prescribed at all in hospitalized patients.8
An interesting website tracking hydroxychloroquine trials is c19study.com.9 It lists more than 40 studies and meta-analyses showing positive results of the drug, compared to nine that have reached a negative conclusion.
The Zelenko Regimen
Dr. Vladimir Zelenko, a primary care physician in Monroe, New York, has also reported excellent results using the drug. He told radio host Sean Hannity he’d had a near-100% success rate using hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin and zinc sulfate for five days. “I’ve seen remarkable results; it really prevents progression of disease, and patients get better,” he told Hannity.
In the video above, Del Bigtree interviews Zelenko about the criticism levied against him for promoting use of the drug. According to Zelenko, hydroxychloroquine deniers “are guilty of mass murder.”
He points out hydroxychloroquine has been used for decades and is safe even for pregnant and nursing women, so he felt very comfortable prescribing it off-label. He prescribed 200 mg of hydroxychloroquine twice a day, 500 mg of azithromycin once a day and 220 mg of zinc once a day, for five days.
The treatment was initiated within the first five days of clinical symptoms of COVID-19, based on “clinical suspicion” of SARS-CoV-2 infection (not lab confirmed testing, as test results took three days and viral load typically explodes by Day 6).
June 30, 2020, Zelenko and two co-authors published a study,10 currently in preprint, which found treating COVID-19 patients who had confirmed positive test results “as early as possible after symptom onset” with zinc, low-dose hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin “was associated with significantly less hospitalizations and five times less all-cause deaths.”
As noted by Zelenko in Bigtree’s interview, the real virus killer in this combination is actually the zinc. The hydroxychloroquine merely acts as a zinc transporter, allowing it to get into the cell. The antibiotic, meanwhile, helps prevent secondary infections.
Concerted Coordinated Effort to Inhibit Use of Effective Drug?
According to Dr. Meryl Nass, the wildly divergent views on hydroxychloroquine appear to have little to do with its safety and effectiveness against COVID-19, and more to do with a concerted and coordinated effort to prevent its use. In the video11 above, Chris Martensen Ph.D., also reviews the “profound lack of integrity” we’re currently seeing when it comes to hydroxychloroquine.
Indeed, there are several reasons for why certain individuals and companies might not want an inexpensive generic drug to work against this pandemic illness. (A 14-day supply costs just $2 to manufacture12 and can retail for as little as $20.13)
One of the most obvious reasons is because it might eliminate the need for a vaccine or other antiviral medication currently under development.14 Hundreds of millions of dollars have already been invested, and vaccine makers are hoping for a payday in the billions if not trillions of dollars. In a June 27, 2020, blog post, Nass points out:15
“It is remarkable that a series of events taking place over the past three months produced a unified message about hydroxychloroquine, and produced similar policies about the drug in the U.S., Canada, Australia, NZ and western Europe.16
The message is that generic, inexpensive hydroxychloroquine is dangerous and should not be used to treat a potentially fatal disease, COVID-19, for which there are no (other) reliable treatments.
Hydroxychloroquine has been used safely for 65 years in many millions of patients. And so the message was crafted that the drug is safe for its other uses, but dangerous when used for COVID-19. It doesn’t make sense, but it seems to have worked. Were these acts carefully orchestrated? You decide.
Might these events have been planned to keep the pandemic going? To sell expensive drugs and vaccines to a captive population? Could these acts result in prolonged economic and social hardship, eventually transferring wealth from the middle class to the very rich?”
The fight over hydroxychloroquine may also have political underpinnings. As noted by investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson in a May 18, 2020, Full Measure report, “never before has a discussion about choices of medicine been so laced with political overtones.”
Trials Undermine Safety and Efficacy by Using Toxic Doses
Nass’ article17 lists what has occurred with regard to hydroxychloroquine so far, the intention being to keep it as a living document that will be added to as time goes on.
Nass says she wrote it in such a way that it might be read as a “to do list … to be carried out by those who pull the strings,” with the intention of suppressing use of the drug. At the time of this writing, Nass’ list18 contains 27 bullet point entries. I highly recommend reading through it, as I will only highlight a select few here.
Several items on Nass’ list detail the various ways in which safe and effective use of the drug were undermined, which allowed for a false narrative of danger to be crafted.
For example, Nass points out that three large, randomized multicenter clinical trials all used excessive dosages known to be toxic.19 These include the following. She also discusses these trials in other in-depth articles:20,21,22
• The U.K. Recovery Trial23,24,25 — Funded in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust and the U.K. government through Oxford University,26 this study randomly assigned patients to usual care or to one of five primary drug treatments: lopinavir-ritonavir; a corticosteroid (low-dose dexamethasone); hydroxychloroquine; tociizumab; or azithromycin. They also used convalescent plasma.
Patients received 2,400 mg of hydroxychloroquine during the first 24 hours — three to six times higher than the daily dosage recommended27 followed by 400 mg every 12 hours for nine more day for a cumulative dose of 9,200 mg over 10 days. The trial ended its hydroxychloroquine arm on June 4, reporting “no benefit.”
• The Solidarity Trial28 — Launched by the World Health Organization and funded by 43 countries and 203,000 individuals and organizations,29 this trial also compares standard of care against four drug options, including hydroxychloroquine, among patients in 35 countries.
Strangely, the WHO does not specify the daily dosage used in the trial. However, the registration of the Canadian30 and Norwegian31 portions of the trial lists a dosage of 2,000 mg on the first day, and a cumulative dose of 8,800 mg over 10 days. This is only 400 mg less than the U.K.32 Recovery Trial’s toxic dose.
The hydroxychloroquine arm was halted May 25,33 following the publication of the Surgisphere study34 in The Lancet. June 3, after tremendous controversy had been raised over the veracity of the study, and a day before the study was retracted for using fabricated data,35,36 (and this despite having undergone peer-review), the hydroxychloroquine arm was restarted.37
June 17, 2020, the hydroxychloroquine arm was stopped again, this time “based on evidence from the Solidarity trial, U.K.’s Recovery trial and a Cochrane review of other evidence on hydroxychloroquine.”38
• The REMAP-CAP Trial (Randomized, Embedded, Multifactorial Adaptive Platform Trial for Community-Acquired Pneumonia)39 — Here, patients either received nothing, a combination of lopinavir and ritonavir, or hydroxychloroquine alone or in combination with lopinavir and ritonavir.
REMAP used the same toxic dose as the Recovery Trial but for six days instead of 10. What’s more, only critically ill hospitalized patients were included in this trial. Nass addresses other concerns as well in her June 19 blog40 about this study.
Is Lifesaving Medicine Withheld to Ensure Profits?
What possessed the study designers and investigators of these three huge clinical trials to use such exaggerated dosages? Hydroxychloroquine has been on the market for 65 years and both toxic and the effective dosages for a variety of ailments are well documented. Doctors who have reported excellent treatment results in the field stayed within the recommended hydroxychloroquine dosages.
Were they trying to purposely sabotage these trials using dosages known to be toxic? Doctors have also reported that best results are observed when the drug is administered early, while symptoms are still mild or moderate, yet in these trials the drug was not given until it was too late.
A July 1, 2020, retrospective analysis41,42,43 of 2,541 patients in the Henry Ford Hospital System in Detroit, Michigan, found use of hydroxychloroquine alone cut mortality by more than half, from 26.4% to 13.5%. (Hydroxychloroquine in combination with azithromycin had a mortality rate of 20.1%, and azithromycin alone had a mortality rate of 22.4%.)
More than 90% of the patients had received the drug or drugs within 48 hours of admission into the hospital. No adverse heart-related events were observed among those given hydroxychloroquine.
All three trials above that used toxic hydroxychloroquine doses — Recovery, Solidarity and REMAP — also failed to include zinc, which appears to be a key factor. As noted by Zelenko above, the hydroxychloroquine is really only used to drive the zinc in to the cells. Nass observes:44
“The conclusions to be drawn are frightening:
WHO and other national health agencies, universities and charities have conducted large clinical trials that were designed so hydroxychloroquine would fail to show benefit in the treatment of Covid-19, perhaps to advantage much more expensive competitors and vaccines in development.
In so doing, these agencies and charities have de facto conspired to increase the number of deaths in these trials.
In so doing, they have conspired to deprive billions of people from potentially benefiting from a safe and inexpensive drug, when used properly, during a major pandemic. This might contribute to prolongation of the pandemic, massive economic losses and many increased cases and deaths.”
Facets That Need To Be Discussed
Aside from that, there are two additional facets of what’s going on that are not yet being discussed:
1. What we’re seeing happen right now is that patients are being turned into guinea pigs en masse. As of June 16, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stated the only way a patient should receive hydroxychloroquine is by enlisting in a clinical trial.45
Similarly, in the U.K., treating physicians have been asked to enroll all hospitalized COVID-19 patients into the Recovery and REMAP trials. As of July 9, 2020, Recovery had enrolled more than 12,000 subjects.46
What this means is that thousands of patients are having their treatment selected via randomization by computer rather than by their own doctors’ choice of treatment. The U.K., by the way, has one of the highest COVID-19 death rates in Europe already.47 By removing physician and patient choice of treatment, the death toll might end up being far worse than it needs to be.
Importantly, will this trend continue post-COVID? Now that doctors are being groomed to accept having their patients treated by randomization rather than with the treatment any given doctor believes to be best, will they sign up their future non-COVID patients as subjects just as easily?
2. Secondly, three recent papers48,49,50 argue that the excessive doses of hydroxychloroquine used in the Recovery Trial were not actually toxic. This creates a serious contradiction that has yet to be addressed. As noted by Nass in an email to me:
“For argument’s sake, say they are right, and even high doses are safe. Well then, why are the FDA, European Medicines Agency, pharmacy boards, governors, etc. restricting this drug that is so safe you can even overdose it and be fine?
Either the drug is so toxic at normal doses that it can’t be used for a life-threatening illness, or it is perfectly safe at extremely high doses. You can’t have it both ways.“
Zinc Is a Crucial Key
In conclusion, let us circle back to where we started — with the reports of treatment success. A study51 posted on the prepublication server medRxiv, May 8, 2020, compared outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients treated with either hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin alone, or Zelenko’s triplet regimen of hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin and zinc.
While the addition of zinc sulfate had no impact on the length of hospitalization, ICU duration or duration of ventilation, univariate analysis showed it was associated with other positive effects:
Increased hospital discharge frequency
Decreased the need for ventilation
Decreased ICU admission rates
Decreased the rate of transfer to hospice for non-ICU patients
Decreased mortality
As noted by the authors:52
“After adjusting for the time at which zinc sulfate was added to our protocol, an increased frequency of being discharged home (OR 1.53 …) reduction in mortality or transfer to hospice remained significant (OR 0.449 …). This study provides the first in vivo evidence that zinc sulfate in combination with hydroxychloroquine may play a role in therapeutic management for COVID-19.”
In short, to maximize effectiveness, you need zinc. As explained in “Is Quercetin a Safer Alternative to Hydroxychloroquine?” hydroxychloroquine acts as a zinc ionophore,53,54 meaning it shuttles zinc into your cells, and zinc appears to be a “magic ingredient” required to prevent viral replication.55
If given early, zinc along with a zinc ionophore should, at least theoretically, help lower the viral load and prevent the immune system from becoming overloaded. As noted in the preprint paper, “Does Zinc Supplementation Enhance the Clinical Efficacy of Chloroquine / Hydroxychloroquine to Win Todays Battle Against COVID-19?” published April 8, 2020:56
“Besides direct antiviral effects, CQ/HCQ [chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine] specifically target extracellular zinc to intracellular lysosomes where it interferes with RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity and coronavirus replication.
As zinc deficiency frequently occurs in elderly patients and in those with cardiovascular disease, chronic pulmonary disease, or diabetes, we hypothesize that CQ/HCQ plus zinc supplementation may be more effective in reducing COVID-19 morbidity and mortality than CQ or HCQ in monotherapy. Therefore, CQ/HCQ in combination with zinc should be considered as additional study arm for COVID-19 clinical trials.”
So far, no major clinical trial has bothered to follow this rather commonsense advice. Unfortunately, due to the corruption and politicization of science on this matter, it’s hard to offer any clear recommendations. In the end, it probably comes down to who you trust.
Quercetin — An All-Natural Safe Home Alternative
That said, if you suspect you’ve contracted COVID-19, it probably wouldn’t hurt to give a version of Zelenko’s regimen a try, at the first sign of symptoms. As explained in “Is Quercetin a Safer Alternative to Hydroxychloroquine?” quercetin is also an ionophore and has the same mechanism of action as hydroxychloroquine — it improves zinc uptake by your cells.
Personally, I’m taking quercetin and zinc at bedtime as a prophylactic each day. The reason it’s best to take them in the evening, several hours after your last meal, and before the long fast of sleeping, is because quercetin is also a senolytic (i.e., it selectively kills senescent or old, damaged cells) that is activated by fasting. So, why not maximize the timing and use of quercetin?
Zelenko points out that the debate on HCQ is an ideological one on whether you trust real-world clinical data or only data derived from a lab. This is exactly what we face with Lyme/MSIDS. We have doctors who have successfully treated patients yet mainstream medicine sniffs at this because their clinical success hasn’t been replicated in a lab setting.
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/06/06/fraudulent-hcq-covid-19-study-in-lancet-exposed/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/06/24/influence-of-conflicts-of-interest-on-public-positions-in-the-covid-19-era-the-case-of-gilead-sciences/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/06/16/aaps-sues-fda-for-irrational-interference-of-access-to-life-saving-hydroxychloroquine/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/05/11/podcast-evidence-supporting-hcq-azithromycin-for-covid-19/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/06/09/hcq-breakthrough-icmr-finds-its-effective-in-preventing-coronavirus-expands-its-use/
Remdesivir (BTW: studies have only shown it to reduce days in hospitalization from 15 days to 10 days) https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/07/02/remdesivir-for-covid-19-not-backed-by-results/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/07/15/covid-19-drug-remdesivir-could-cost-up-to-3120-per-patient-maker-says/
Zelenko points out that the debate on HCQ is an ideological one on whether you trust real-world clinical data or only data derived from a lab. This is exactly what we face with Lyme/MSIDS. We have doctors who have successfully treated patients yet mainstream medicine sniffs at this because their clinical success hasn’t been replicated in a lab setting.