Health and Vitality Naturals

The talk of the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine in treatment of COVID-19 is often advocated for by those physicians who use it in combination with Zinc (a common nutritional supplement). Many studies, including a recent report by Horbym and Landray (2020), however have indicated that hydroxychloroquine has not been shown to be effective in treatment of COVID-19. The question then is, on what grounds are those claiming hydroxychloroquine being effective in treatment of coronavirus infection emanating from? Advocates of effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine claim that evidence is obtained from their practical clinical practices. They use hydroxychloroquine in combination with zinc and have witnessed a hands on life-saving experience, attributing treatment success to hydroxychloroquine. However, are these assertions true? Apparently yes - a combination of hydroxychloroquine and zinc is believed to be effective in treating COVID-19, but of the two entities, the main player in the tr...

Effects of the coronavirus infection are variably uneven around the globe. Messaging on intervention measures is also featuring in two distinct dimensions, one (inclined towards the biomedical model)represented by countries such as the USA, the UK, Brazil, etc. is centred on long term plans for the search for therapeutic drugs and vaccines against COVID-19. The second dimension is aligned to alternative or integrative health intervention approaches, represented largely by counties in the Asian region including China, advocate for inclusion of natural health healing modalities (use of foods, nutritional supplements, herbs, etc.). The challenge is: are the so called health experts and/or policy makers still guided by science-based evidence on their advisory messaging and if so, where is the science and where is the evidence to help the world contain the scourge of COVID-19 pandemic? Here are a few highlights of emerging findings of some recent studies, in support or dismissing c...

I have consistently questioned the scientific basis of adopting several of the current intervention measures against the coronavirus pandemic, of which wearing face masks is one of them. It is strikingly surprising to note that the call for wearing face masks by policy maker advisers, especially from regions where cases are on the surge, is getting louder and making it mandatory in some public places. All this is done in the name of "following the science".  However, some other health science professionals are convinced that ordinary face masks are unlikely to be effective in preventing transmission of the virus from person to person, arguing the virus particle can pass through these ordinary face masks. They argue that only N95 masks used as personal protective equipment (PPEs) in specialized, specific health care facilities are known to prevent transmission of respiratory system infectious microbes including viruses by about 95%. Otherwise use of ordinary face masks me...

The widely used current intervention approaches against COVID-19 which include lock-downs, social distancing, face masks, etc. are a serious source of inconveniences on routine day to day life activities, other disruptions, and are a significant source of stress and therefore should not be accepted as the “new normal.” In any case, the establishment of these current intervention measures raises a lot of doubt on their scientific basis, and therefore their usefulness, as more emerging knowledge on this pandemic, such as that from Ioannidis (2020) and Kupherschmidt (2020),  point out to the fact that, there are some inadequacies on the currently available data as well as deep-seated obscurities in the philosophical worldviews and assumptions from which the these current intervention measures might have been conceived. The framers of these current intervention measures did not seem to have considered the host (humans) as active living entities in the pathogen-host interactions, w...

Where are  recommended intervention measures against COVID-19 coming from and are they science-based? Are they helpful at all, or maybe aren’t they actually an added burden to the problem? To get a better understanding of where I am coming from regarding these concerns of the current extremely unnatural, inconvenient and often distressful intervention measures against COVID-19, I present here a disturbing account of my encounter with one of such intervention measures, and highlight the importance of advocating for more naturally oriented intervention approaches. First enjoy watching this 2 minute video showing wild animals in their classic natural habitat. It was this other day when I went to top up gas in my car at a nearby service station. For an in-store prepaid gas-pump arrangement, I offered a $20.00 bill to the store attendant, which I placed on the counter, of course through a small window of a plastic glass sheet separating the two of us. To my surprise, the the st...

Dr. Rath Health Foundation    published a press release on May 29, 2020 indicating that, “ A study of nearly 100,000 coronavirus patients has shown no benefit from the antiviral drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, and even an increased likelihood of dying in hospita l.” ( https://www.dr-rath-foundation.org/2020/05/study-of-100000-coronavirus-patients-shows-no-benefit-from-treatment-with-hydroxychloroquine/ ). Here are some of the side effects associated with the use of hydroxychloroquine: Most common  - Rash, hair discoloration, irritable bowl syndrome, stomach cramps, dizziness, muscle pain. Nerve pain and loss of appetite. Central Nervous System(CNS)  - irritability, nervousness, emotional changes, convulsions and unsteadiness. Eyes  - Sensitivity to light, vision changes and eye muscle weakness Gastrointestinal System - Stomach/abdominal pain, severe nausea/vomiting Skin  - Easy bleeding/bruising and itching In the first place, wh...

In some countries experts have recommended mandatory wearing of face masks in public as a measure to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. It seems a noble idea, but in situations where the intervention is evidently an inconvenience to normal life activities and body functions (eating, breathing, talking, etc.), we have to ask ourselves intriguing questions. Has the intervention been evaluated for effectiveness and potential risks and is the public well informed about the issues/concerns in question? These concerns have been raised and clarified by some researchers in a response to a publication on proposed use of masks as an intervention measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19, published in the the BMJ, which can be obtained at: https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1435/rr-40 . The judgement is yours. Food for thought! Let’s help each other to fight COVID-19 responsibly Comments welcome.