The Infectious Myth

Infectious Myth – Edmond McNack and his Awful AIDS Drug Experience – 09.29.15

March 25, 1998 changed Edmond McNack’s life. It wasn’t that there was anything special that this sheriff’s deputy was transporting. It wasn’t that when she bit him she actually harmed him. But the fear of HIV transmission was so great that he was immediately put on a 12 week course of PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis). And these toxic AIDS drugs destroyed his health in the ten weeks that he persisted and changed the course of his life.

David talks with Edmond in this Episode 72, about how quickly the AIDS drugs caused serious health problems, problems that continue today. Another astonishing aspect of this case is that, in a bizarre ruling, the Missouri Labor and Industrial Relations Commission denied him compensation, because a doctor stated that although the drugs he’d been given could easily cause his symptoms in an HIV-positive person, there was no information on their effect on HIV-negative people. Even though HIV obviously played no role in the side effects.

Despite this Edmond McNack has always maintained a positive attitude, and is happy to share his story, to give other people, possibly faced with a similar situation, pause to think.

You can email Edmond atedmondmcnack@yahoo.com or phone him at +1-816-325-0587

Infectious Myth – Chris Exley on Aluminium Toxicity – 09.22.15

David talks with Dr. Chris Exley about the toxicity of Aluminum (or Aluminium, as the British call it). This professor of Bioinorganic Chemistry at Keele University in the UK has been studying this metal for his entire scientific career.

Aluminum is a major component of the planet’s crust (along with Silicon and Oxygen) but the modern world has liberated it into forms that can be biologically absorbed either unintentionally (e.g. as a side effect of manufacturing) or intentionally (e.g. because it stops powders from clumping).

Aluminum toxicity has long term chronic health effects that are not fully quantified, but appear to relate to lethargy and also to low sperm counts. Exley, and other researchers in this area, are frustrated because it is almost possible to get government or industry funding. He believes that nobody wants to know the answer because aluminum is so commonly and intentionally used in products such as pharmaceutical drugs, anti-perspirants and cosmetics and also found in tobacco smoke and baby formula. It is even found in breast milk but at levels much lower than in formula.

One of the most controversial uses is in vaccines. This usage is proof that aluminum can be biologically active because it is used to enhance the immune reaction, although nobody knows exactly how. This exposure is often dismissed in an idiotic fashion by noting that babies consume more aluminum even in breastmilk, let alone formula, than is injected in their standard baby vaccines. The problem with this logic is that only a tiny percentage of oral aluminum is absorbed into the bloodstream versus 100% of whatever is injected.

On a more positive note, Dr. Exley notes that drinking mineral water with high silicon (or silica) levels and sweating are good ways to excrete a lot of aluminum. So get out there and exercise, have a sauna afterwards, and rehydrate with a liter of mineral water.

You can learn more about Chris Exley and his work on Aluminum at: http://www.keele.ac.uk/lifesci/people/chrisexley/

A recorded lecture can be views at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKfbkeQyw84 

Infectious Myth – John Dowe on Mefloquine and the Military – 09.15.15

In episode 70 David talks to former soldier John Dowe whether the drug Mefloquine (see Episode 67’s interview with Dr. Remington Nevin) could have played a role in the so-called Somalia Affair. In 1993, the same year as the Battle of Mogadishu and Black Hawk Down, soldiers from the elite Canadian Airborne Regiment were also in a restless and violent part of Somalia. Frustrated with locals sneaking in to steal and sabotage, someone ordered them to start “roughing up” anyone they caught. One group of soldiers interpreted this as setting up a trap. When the searchlight was suddenly turned on the soldiers literally blew one Somali into pieces, and severely injured another. In a second incident, a Somali was captured and beaten to death by two other soldiers.

When photos were released, a public inquiry and criminal investigation were launched, resulting in one soldier trying to commit suicide, one being sentenced to five years, and several others disciplined. The head of the military was forced to resign due to the scandal, and his successor. The Minister of Defence also resigned. Most significantly of all the entire Canadian Airborne Regiment was disbanded.

John Dowe, like many others, has noticed severe personality changes after taking the weekly malaria drug Mefloquine, and he believes that this, along with other factors such as stress, alcohol, boredom and poor leadership, allowed this scandal to occur. In fact, when he walked into the bunker where the Somali was being beaten to death, one of the soldiers doing the beating came up to him and said that “This is not who I am, John”.

John became an activist only in 2014, when he discovered that this drug is still in use by Canadian and other militaries. He is part of a small group of Canadians trying to raise awareness, in cooperation with similar groups around the world.

Although there is no website yet, John can be reached via Email at johndowe49@gmail.com, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=636190328 and Twitter: @johndowe49.

For more information on the Somalia affair, please see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia_Affair

Infectious Myth – Adam Lankford on Guns – 09.01.15

In Episode 69 David interviews professor Adam Lankford who recently published research, at an American Sociological Society conference, showing that the strongest factor that he studied that correlates with the number of mass shootings in a country is the rate of civilian gun ownership. David and Adam talk about whether mass shootings are important, as they represent only a small fraction of total gun deaths, and what some of the characteristics of gun shooters are, compared to other murderers, and how they differ between the US and other countries.

Some of the surprising statistics is that mass shooters are almost all male, whereas a small but significant fraction of other gun murders are by women. Mass shooters in the US on average kill fewer people, perhaps because of faster and more effective police response. Mass shooters outside the US are more likely to target military facilities, whereas American mass shooters are more likely to target civilian areas, such as schools, shopping malls and movie theaters. Mass shooters do tend to be loners, and they often focus their feelings of despair on a specific group, but this targeting does not appear to be the main reason for their violence.

Professor Adam Lankford’s website is: http://adamlankford.com

Infectious Myth – Sinead McCarthy on Undisturbed Birth – 08.04.15

In episode 68 David talks with Sinead McCarthy about undisturbed or unassisted birth, in which a woman, and her partner, take full responsibility for the birth, without even a doula or midwife. They talk about the medicalization and institutionalization of pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding, and how birth is a natural process that can be reclaimed by mothers.

Sinead recommends the writings of Sarah Buckley, MD, author of “Gentle Birth. Gentle Mothering” (http://sarahbuckley.com) and of Michel Odent, MD, a male surgeon who pioneered a much more natural and humane approach to birth (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Odent). She also recommends the website of two midwives who opted out of licensing to gain more freedom:http://www.indiebirth.com

Sinead’s own website is: http://sacredmaternity.com

Infectious Myth – Dr. Remington Nevin on dangers of the malaria drug Mefloquine – 07.28.15

In episode 67 David interviews Dr. Remington Nevin about the controversial anti-malarial drug mefloquine that for decades was given to soldiers in the US and other militaries because of its ability to kill the malaria parasite, despite knowledge of its toxicity.

Mefloquine is a member of the Quinoline family of drugs, several of which have psychiatric side effects, but Mefloquine became the drug most widely used, until quite recently. This is despite the experience of side effects like nightmares, psychotic outbursts, hallucinations, depersonalization and amnesia.

After discussing the history of the drug’s development, and the type of side effects experienced, David and Dr. Nevin discuss several disturbing possibilities, including that some psychotic episodes such as the massacre by Sgt. Bales of 16 Afghans could have been triggered by the drug. Some people believe that the use of high doses of mefloquine was not a public health measure, but was used to ‘soften up’ prisoners at Guantanamo prior to their torture there. The use of chloroquine drugs like mefloquine in the MK-Ultra CIA drug experiments is discussed. Perhaps most disturbingly of all, there is speculation, based on knowledge of the CIA program, that mefloquine side effects were seen as ‘performance enhancing’, making US soldiers less empathetic, more aggressive and more trigger happy, and worth the severe effects in a minority of soldiers. Dr. Nevin also discusses evidence that mefloquine was never even terribly effective against malaria, and that older drugs, without the toxicity, are actually more effective.

All in all, the interview is explosive.

Alice Dreger on Academic Suppression in Sexuality Studies and Anthropology - 07.21.15

In Episode 66 David interviews Alice Dreger who is a Professor of Clinical Medical Humanities and Bioethics at Northwestern’ University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, author of “Hermaphrodites and the Medical Invention of Sex” and the 2015 book, “Galileo’s Middle Finger” which discusses sexual ambiguities and academic suppression, which sometimes are strongly related.

 

Any discussion of sexuality makes people uncomfortable, and this can start at birth for the parents and doctor of a child born with ambiguous sexual anatomy. Dreger aligned with those who think the child should grow up and make decisions over surgery (unless it’s truly medically necessary at birth) but surgeons see it differently. Things heated up for Dreger when this led her to defend Professor J. Michael Bailey who had written a popular book containing the idea that while some transsexuals appear to be born that way, as boys who act like girls, for example, others are men who find themselves turned on sexually by thinking about being a woman (autogynephilia). Some academics and transsexuals find it offensive that someone would deny that this is innate and oppose this idea. But when the fight broke out Dreger discovered that the ends were justifying the means, and the means were not pretty, even dragging Bailey’s children into the mess. And then the same people dragged Dreger through the mud as well.

 

Dreger describes other similar situations to David. One that is particularly concerning is the use of the steroid dexamethasone to try to prevent the development of intersexuality in female fetuses, despite the fact that the safety and effectiveness is unproven and, at best, it could help 1 out of 8 fetuses (and you can’t tell at the time you’re giving the drug).

 

David comments that one of the interesting features of the book is that it describes liberal academics behaving in horribly unethical and dishonorable ways, while most liberals think that those are the tactics of their enemies, such as anti-abortion activists and morality crusaders. Also, most of the situations do not involve a lot of money. Just status and a desire to be seen as having the right answer seem to be enough to unleash some of the worst aspects of humanity, short of violence.

 

To find out more about “Galileo’s Middle Finger”, and Professor Dreger’s other work, go to her website: http://alicedreger.com

The 1954 Polio Field Trial - 07.14.15

In episode 65 our host David Crowe interviews someone who has recently extensively studied the polio field trial report…from 1957. Yes, from 1957. The flaws in the trial are still important today.

The man being interviewed is none other than David Crowe, who surprises the host by going so far back into medical history, questioning what is seen by the rest of the world as a slam dunk success for modern medicine. That the polio vaccine was safe and effective, that it eliminated the US 1950s era epidemic, and that it eventually led to polio being virtually eliminated around the world. Nice story, except that it is very far from the truth.

Christina Hildebrand on Mandatory Vaccination - 07.07.15

In episode 64 Christina Hildebrand of “A Voice for Choice” talks with David about the recently approved California mandatory vaccination legislation known as SB-277. She explains how she first became concerned about vaccines while doing research as a new mother, the influence of money on politics, the problems with vaccinating for normally mild diseases like measles, and how the legislation will effect children currently in school, or those who will be changing schools. Similar legislation is pending in other states, so this information is of interest to anyone fearing that exemptions from vaccination will be removed.

The website for “A Voice for Choice” is: http://avoiceforchoice.org

Infectious Myth - Guns - 06.23.15

David Crowe takes aim at guns in Episode 63, particularly gun culture and the death toll from guns, in the United States and elsewhere. Motivated by the Charleston gun massacre, David investigates facts and figures behind gun deaths, and examines the evidence that lax gun laws and widespread ownership of guns increases deaths from guns.

 

Useful information used by David in the preparation of this episode:

·      List of gun death rates in various countries – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-related_death_rate

·      Indications that the United States is a more violent country – http://kieranhealy.org/blog/archives/2012/07/20/america-is-a-violent-country/

·       Mass shootings in the USA – http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/12/14/nine-facts-about-guns-and-mass-shootings-in-the-united-states/

·       Relation of gun access and gun death rate – http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/hicrc/firearms-research/guns-and-death/

·      Factors associated with gun deaths – http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/01/the-geography-of-gun-deaths/69354/

·      Effects of repeal of Missouri handgun licensing law – http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/johns-hopkins-center-for-gun-policy-and-research/_pdfs/effects-of-missouris-repeal-of-its-handgun-purchaser-licensing-law-on-homicides.pdf

·      Effect of Connecticut licensing law – http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2015/06/12/gun-killings-fell-by-40-percent-after-connecticut-passed-this-law/

·      Problems with the “More Guns, Less Crime” studies – http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2003/10/double-barreled-double-standards

·      Use of the AR-15 for home defense – http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2015/5/26/the-ar-for-home-defense-one-experts-opinion

·      Firearm Justifiable Homicides and Non-Fatal Self-Defense Gun Use. VPC. 2015 Jun – http://vpc.org/press/1506self.htm .

·      Do Israel and Switzerland have high gun ownership and low gun deaths? – http://davidcrowe.ca/SciHealthEnv/papers/10604-Guns-Israel-Switzerland.pdf

CORRECTION: David reported that 8 people were killed in the church shooting in Charleston. The total killed was 9: State Sen. Clementa Pinckney, the pastor of Emanuel African Methodist Church; Cynthia Hurd; Tywanza Sanders; Sharonda Singleton; Myra Thompson; Ethel Lance; Susie Jackson; the Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr. and DePayne Doctor.