The Politics of Proof

I am asked, almost daily, whether or not I will be rolling up my sleeve for the vaccine when it becomes available to me. You know the one. 

Usually, I begin my response with a sigh.

Then I say, “You first”.

I’m in no hurry.

On the one hand, I get it. Over the past year, we all have  been “worried sick” about what this virus might do to us and to our loved ones.  We are weary of the restrictive lifestyle imposed by this pandemic.  The stress. The fear.  The uncertainty.

We just want “it” to be over!  We long for a return to a life of health, safety and normalcy.

Conventional thought among the medical profession, media, government officials, and the public at large is that no effective ways currently exist to stop the SARS-COV-2 virus except by healthy hygiene practices (hand-washing), wearing masks, social distancing—and now, vaccines.

Personally, I find the potential “unknowns” associated with the new technology of this vaccine (its long-term effects, for example), and its limitations (its ineffectiveness against new mutated strains of the virus) a cause for concern.

Conventional thought is that there is no other option.

But is that true?

Nutritional therapy, while not widely appreciated by the medical profession, not only is another option—it is safe, effective, inexpensive, and readily available to all.   A huge body of knowledge exists about the immune system’s nutritional needs, and a variety of epidemiological studies has shown adequate nutrition to effectively prevent viral infection—including the very one that is on everybody’s minds these days.

• Evidence pointing to the anti-viral properties of several essential nutrients—including vitamin D, vitamin C, and minerals magnesium, zinc, and selenium— has existed for decades. 

• It has been found that a majority of hospitalized COVID-19 individuals have deficiencies in one or more of these nutrients.

• To make matters worse, it is also known that severe pneumonia (as in COVID-19) further depletes many of the body’s essential nutrients.

• Finally, it has been shown in recent medical trials that the administration of vitamin C and vitamin D in huge but appropriate doses (well above the recommended dietary allowance) can effectively treat and prevent severe pneumonia and death.

If the skeptical side of you is waiting for backing by randomized control trials (RCT), don’t hold your breath.

Here’s why:

1. A large RCT involving many thousands of people is very expensive
2. Vitamins and minerals cannot be patented

These factors combined means that the evidence you are waiting for will likely never appear since no large corporations who could afford to conduct the trial stand to profit from the results.  Yet, what is found to be true in small cohorts of patients, though lacking in “evidence” (by large randomized controlled trials), remains true nonetheless.  

Sigh. 

References

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2. Klenner, FR. (1951) Massive doses of vitamin C and the virus diseases. J South Med and Surg, 113:101-107. https://www.seanet.com/~alexs/ascorbate/195x/klenner-fr-southern_med_surg-1951-v103-n4-p101.htm
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