Health & Fitness

09/11/20

Healthy diet and exercise during pregnancy could lead to healthier children

Role of protein in development of new hearing hair cells

Researchers have conducted a study that has determined the role that a critical protein plays in the development of hair cells. These hair cells are vital for hearing. Some of these cells amplify sounds that come into the ear, and others transform sound waves into electrical signals that travel to the brain.

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Gene could decrease likelihood of developing alcoholic cirrhosis

Healthy diet and exercise during pregnancy could lead to healthier children

Telomere length varies across human tissue types

A new study answers the question of whether or not blood cell telomere length is a suitable proxy for telomere length in other tissues by examining over 20 human tissue types, finding variations and correlations between different tissue types.

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Biological sex affects genes for body fat, cancer, birth weight

Biological sex has a small but ubiquitous influence on gene expression in almost every type of human tissue, reports a new study. These sex differences are observed for genes involved in many functions, including how people respond to medication, how women control blood sugar levels in pregnancy, how the immune system functions, how cancer develops and male pattern baldness. The information could be used for diagnostics, drug development and predicting outcomes.

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Drugging the undruggable: Treatment path for muscular dystrophy

Sex differences in health and disease

Phone calls create stronger bonds than text-based communications

Antibody test developed for COVID-19 that is sensitive, specific and scalable

An antibody test for the virus that causes COVID-19 is more accurate and can handle a much larger number of donor samples at lower overall cost than standard antibody tests currently in use. In the near term, the test can be used to accurately identify the best donors for convalescent plasma therapy and measure how well candidate vaccines and other therapies elicit an immune response.

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COVID-19 ventilator patients can have permanent nerve damage

Severely ill COVID-19 patients on ventilators are placed in a prone (face down) position because it's easier for them to breathe and reduces mortality. But that life-saving position can also cause permanent nerve damage in these vulnerable patients, reports a new study. Scientists believe the nerve damage is the result of reduced blood flow and inflammation. Other non-COVID-19 patients on ventilators in this position rarely experience any nerve damage.

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FABP4: Preschool-aged biomarker discovered for autism spectrum disorder

Researchers have discovered a biomarker that can detect autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in preschool-aged children. The new study found that levels of the protein FABP4 were much lower in four- to six-year-old children with ASD than they were in other typically developing children. Experiments in mice that lacked FABP4 revealed changes in neurons that resemble those found in the postmortem brains of people with ASD.

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New immunotherapy to beat cancer

Scientists have succeeded in neutralizing a molecule that blocks the immune system against cancer. The researchers discovered that this new immunotherapy increases the action of another well-known but not always effective immunotherapy, and that it makes tumor regression possible.

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Pandemic spawns 'infodemic' in scientific literature

The science community has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with such a flurry of research studies that it is hard for anyone to digest them all, underscoring a long-standing need to make scientific publication more accessible, transparent and accountable, two artificial intelligence experts assert in a data science journal.

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Gene that drives ovarian cancer identified

Stronger bones thanks to heat and microbiota

Osteoporosis is characterized by a deterioration of the bones and an increased risk of fractures. With one third of postmenopausal women affected, it is a major public health problem. A research team has observed that exposure to warmer ambient temperatures increases bone strength and prevents the loss of bone density. This phenomenon is linked to a change in the composition of gut microbiota and makes hopes for osteoporosis treatments.

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Stronger bones thanks to heat and microbiota

Osteoporosis is characterized by a deterioration of the bones and an increased risk of fractures. With one third of postmenopausal women affected, it is a major public health problem. A research team has observed that exposure to warmer ambient temperatures increases bone strength and prevents the loss of bone density. This phenomenon is linked to a change in the composition of gut microbiota and makes hopes for osteoporosis treatments.

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Stem cell research delivers new points of attack against Parkinson's disease

5 takeaways for returning to school

School districts in the United States are in a period of profound uncertainty, which will likely persist throughout the 2020–2021 school year. Many agree that remote teaching in spring 2020 was piecemeal and sub-optimal. Now, despite a stated universal commitment to full-time, in-person, high-caliber education, many states have rising rates of COVID-19, and teachers and parents share deep health concerns. Already we have witnessed a rapid and seismic transition from the beginning of this summer — in June, many schools planned to open full-time for in-person learning — to near-universal adoption of hybrid or remote teaching models. In fact, as of August 26th, 24 of the 25 largest school districts in the US will start their school year providing remote-only education.

Seeking perspective on a safe return to school

I began the summer thinking that I could contribute in some small way to fusing together basic public health and educational principles toward a safe return to school. I teach a course at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health on big public health campaigns. My daughter, an urban education scholar, lectures in my class on the value of parent-teacher collaboration. As a grandparent of three little boys ages 7, 4, and 3, and as a parent and father-in-law of two children and their spouses facing extraordinarily difficult decisions concerning school and day care, I am personally invested.

A colleague from a large social service agency shared a story of parents working in the hospitality industry. They face having to leave children, ages 6 and 8, home alone during the day trying to learn remotely. My own story — working years ago as a day care worker and unionized steelworker — affords me a sense of kinship with teachers. And during the past three months, while writing guidelines for school superintendents in Massachusetts and nationally, I’ve talked with parents of school-age children, school nurses, and superintendents navigating the raging debate over a safe return to school. The view differs depending on where you stand, but I have distilled some lessons.

Five takeaways: Steps and missteps in return to school

Sleepless nights, anxiety, and collaboration. In all of my conversations, whether it was with a school leader, a parent, a grandparent, or a school nurse, people shared the same stories of a succession of sleepless nights, coupled with the most difficult decision they have made in their personal and professional lives. Parents, in particular, speak of their anxiety, panic, exhaustion, powerlessness, and lack of support in trying to come up with a reasonable strategy for their children. At the same time, the potential for collaboration abounds. Parents and teachers are natural allies. They can jointly advocate for federal and state resources to ensure that our nation’s children can ultimately return to safe schools.

Lack of metrics. School superintendents, for whom I have come to have immense respect, have received little guidance on metrics to use as they decide to open schools now or close them later. They will need data on the number of cases in their community, trends over time, and the positive test rates for their areas and the areas closest to their districts. Parents are also looking for complete transparency as districts review community metrics to make closing or reopening decisions. There will be successful school openings and challenging ones. All interested parties need a forum to share their stories with one another.

Tutors, mentors, and collective space. Providing computers and hotspots is important to children and families who need them, although we also need to keep in mind that some families clearly have no internet access. Many families will need tutors, mentors, facilitators, and collective space to be skillfully educated in a remote setting. Low-income communities should be funded to promote and create community learning hubs that will be required for the millions of children who will not be educated in classrooms.

Masks and fabric face coverings. Mask wearing, dubbed the “interim vaccine,” must be the cornerstone of a national plan to reduce transmission in school settings and collective spaces. How can we reinforce mask wearing? For parents, teachers, and day care providers alike, the clock starts now as we vigilantly practice mask wearing before and after in-person schooling starts, then maintain this practice through the school year. School leaders, parents, and teachers can work together on crafting signage that reinforces the social norm of mask wearing in schools and on school buses, and incentivizing children for doing so.

Openness to evolving science and wisdom beyond our borders. Most importantly, we should all be humble about the limits of knowledge in the early stages of a pandemic, and expect changes as scientific understanding evolves. Initially, many experts believed that children did not get and did not transmit the virus. There was little basis to say this, as nearly every school in the US had shut down by no later than March 17th. We can look elsewhere for models, but schools in Europe started outdoors and never had more than 15 kids per class. If it were not for the surge that hit a large swath of the country in late June, we may have careened tragically toward full, in-person reopenings, with 25 children in a class and 66 children on a school bus. Recently, as schools opened in the US and abroad, we have been inundated with reports of cases diagnosed among students and teachers. However, basic public health principles of social distancing, mask wearing, and handwashing can prevail if consistently applied.

Schools cannot open safely if there are high rates of community transmission. School reopenings must take precedence over the opening of bars, indoor restaurants, and large indoor social gatherings. We all have a collective responsibility and social compact with one another to strive for a healthy and full return to school for our nation’s students and teachers.

For further discussion of return-to-school issues, listen to our “Living Better, Living Longer” podcast with Alan Geller, “Back to School: It’s Never Been More Complicated.”

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Getting the best treatment for your fibromyalgia

Imagine being in pain and having your doctor tell you it’s all in your head. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon experience for many of the six million Americans living with fibromyalgia, a chronic, painful condition.

People with fibromyalgia experience widespread pain, aches, and stiffness in muscles and joints throughout the body, as well as unusual tiredness. No one knows what causes this condition, and no apparent physical cause has been identified thus far. The most likely culprit is a brain malfunction that amplifies normal nerve responses, causing people with fibromyalgia to experience pain or other symptoms when nothing seemingly triggers them.

For those seeking relief, finding help can sometimes be a challenge. The best way to find a successful treatment strategy is to seek out a doctor who understands fibromyalgia, knows how to treat it, and can help you understand and cope with this condition. There are ways that you can improve your chances of finding the right match.

Understand your condition

The first step in this process is to arm yourself with the facts.

Fibromyalgia is a real disorder. The American College of Rheumatology has created criteria that doctors can use to diagnose it (see this link for a patient-friendly version). It is recognized by national and international health agencies, including the World Health Organization.
Fibromyalgia often coexists with mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, but it is not caused by a mental illness.
Fibromyalgia is not “in your head,” but it is related to brain activity. Differences in how the brain processes pain can be seen on functional MRI scans of people with fibromyalgia.
The FDA has approved three drugs specifically for treating fibromyalgia: pregabalin (Lyrica), duloxetine (Cymbalta), and milnacipran (Savella). These drugs are effective against nerve pain, and are used for other conditions as well.

Seek referrals to providers who understand fibromyalgia

To find the right healthcare provider, it may help to go to those who already have experience in this area. Support groups provide a natural starting point. The National Fibromyalgia Association website lists support groups in each state that can help you find these initial connections. The organization can also provide a list of “fibro friendly” doctors in your state.

You can also look to your primary care doctor to help steer you in the right direction. Many doctors will be able to recommend a specialist who can help you manage your condition.

Once you settle on a prospective provider, make sure she or he is the right fit. Ask the office staff whether the doctor frequently sees patients with fibromyalgia and treats them on an ongoing basis. Also ask what treatments the doctor typically prescribes. Find out what type of services they provide; for example, do they offer telemedicine appointments? What services will they provide remotely, and which ones will require an office visit? If the answers aren’t what you’re looking for, or the office doesn’t seem receptive to your concerns, don’t be afraid to look elsewhere.

Connect your medical team

Once you do find the right provider, make certain that she or he is willing to communicate with your other providers. Many people with fibromyalgia need multiple doctors to manage their symptoms. Seeing multiple specialists can increase the risk of medication errors or harmful interactions of drugs prescribed by different doctors. In addition, your doctors may duplicate laboratory tests or other services. This can unnecessarily increase the cost of your care.

Finding the right doctor for your needs may not always be easy, but it’s worth the extra effort to increase your chances of successfully managing your condition.

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You Don't Have to Live in Florida to Grow a Lemon Tree

They are bright yellow, the scent is refreshing and they remind you of summer. Lemons appeared millions of years ago, according to scientists writing in the journal Nature.¹ However, the lemon we know today is a hybrid grown from some of the five ancient species of citrus that originated in the Himalayas.²

Each of these varieties has its own taste and consistency. They are easily crossbred, and the resulting hybrids can continue to replicate. Citrus trees flourish in semitropical climates, and there are many that make their home in Asia.

Nearly all lemons that are sold in North America are from two varieties, Eureka or Lisbon.³ They are so much alike that they are often grown and packed together. A smaller hybrid, the Meyer lemon, was introduced to the U.S. by Frank Meyer, an agricultural explorer, in 1908.⁴

Currently, this variety is planted extensively in the U.S. in the state of Texas as well as in Australia and New Zealand. It's often grown for home use in California and Florida. Some lemon trees can produce up to 600 pounds of lemons every year and most produce fruit all year long. By growing your own trees, you'll also have access to the leaves, which can be used to make tea.⁵

Lemons: Medicinal and Delicious

Lemons are a part of the Rutaceae family, having been cultivated for their alkaloids and medicinal properties.⁶ A lemon adds acid to foods, and can brighten flavors. One common way to use a lemon is to juice it.⁷

To get the most juice from your lemon, be sure the fruit is at room temperature. Roll it on the counter with the palm of your hand and wait a couple of minutes before cutting it in half and using a juicer. But, the juice isn’t the only part of this fruit that can be used. The whole fruit is edible.

You can zest the rind to add flavor to your baking, add juice to sauces and marinades and slice the peel to be added to soups and stews. Lemons are also a nontoxic, all-natural cleaner and hand deodorizer. If you have too many on hand from harvesting your own tree or purchasing them at the store, you'll need to freeze them before they go bad.

While freezing whole lemons can cause the juice sacks to rupture, taking a few minutes to separate the juice and the rind improves your results. Juice your lemons and reserve the rind. The juice can be frozen first in ice cube trays and then popped out into freezer storage. The rinds can be sliced thinly and frozen separately on a tray before adding them to another freezer container. This prevents them from sticking together.

Lemons are high in vitamin C, low in calories and full of vitamins including calcium, iron, potassium and several of the B vitamins.⁸ Lemon peel also has a number of health benefits and can be used to produce essential lemon oil.

Health Benefits From Using Lemons

The health benefits of lemons come from using the juice or peel, not from making lemonade! While it is an acid outside the body, once eaten, it helps to alkalize your pH and counteract the acidifying effects of processed foods and sugar.⁹

The symptoms of too much acidity in your body include dry skin, sensitive teeth, digestive problems, headaches and brittle hair and nails.¹⁰ These clinical symptoms are a sign of a much deeper problem that researchers know contribute to diseases such as cancer, kidney stones, metabolic syndrome and osteoporosis.¹¹

One study found “lemon juice has protective effects on alcohol-induced liver injury in mice.”¹² It also may assist with passing gallstones.¹³ Lemon peels are known to be rich in polyphenols that contribute to digestion and insulin sensitivity.¹⁴

Rutin is a bioflavonoid found in lemons that helps vitamin C to work more efficiently.¹⁵ It also helps to reduce bleeding, treat hemorrhoids and reduce the potential for hemorrhagic stroke.^16,¹⁷

Foods rich in polyphenols may also help with weight maintenance. In an animal study, researchers demonstrated that mice that were fed a high-fat diet as well as lemon polyphenols gained much less weight than those who did not receive the treatment.¹⁸ In addition, lemons have a molecule called nobiletin.¹⁹ The findings from animal studies suggest:²⁰

“… that NOB improves adiposity, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia and insulin resistance. These effects may be elicited by regulating the expression of lipid metabolism-related and adipokine genes, and by regulating the expression of inflammatory markers and activity of the insulin signaling pathway.”

Let’s Not Forget Essential Oil From the Sunny Lemon

Lemon juice has been commonly used by people with high blood pressure to help lower it. In one study published in 2012 in the Journal of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, researchers described how they engaged 98 people in a prospective study to test the effects of lemon juice on blood pressure.²¹

After two weeks, the authors did not record any beneficial effects directly from the juice, and they worried that lemons or other citrus fruits potentially could interfere with the metabolism of prescription drugs a patient may be taking. However, data from studies using aromatherapy have shown different results.

In a study from 2010, scientists discovered that the combination of essential oils of lemon, lavender and ylang ylang used in aromatherapy “… is effective in lowering systolic blood pressure and sympathetic nervous system activity.”²²

In a second study, it was found that aromatherapy involving only lemon reduced systolic blood pressure after three or four days of intervention.²³ The researchers gathered 100 people who had an acute myocardial infarction; they either received lemon inhalation aromatherapy or they were included as part of the control group.

Those who received the aromatherapy showed reduced anxiety and demonstrated greater regulation of their heart rate. The researchers suggested using this type of aromatherapy in coronary care units.

The pleasant citrus fragrance of the oil also makes it an effective air freshener. Lemon oil can also help remove oil, grease and other stains from clothing and other surfaces.²⁴ It have demonstrated antimicrobial activity when tested against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.²⁵

Lemons Were a Luxury and Other Interesting News

In ancient Rome, lemons were a sign of wealth and privilege. This finding comes from a study by The Sonia & Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University in Israel. One discovery was that the lemon was relatively rare in ancient Rome and therefore was treated as a luxury only for the wealthy and elite.²⁶

Lemon juice is an exfoliant, yet the acidity can change the pH in your skin and make it photosensitive in the sun.²⁷ Even squeezing lemons outside on a sunny day can result in phytophotodermatitis and burns on the skin that are visible for months.

Another little-known fact is that when lemon juice has been left out in the air it can develop a distinct bitterness.²⁸ Lemons contain a compound called limonin which is produced when the lemon is squeezed, and enzymes break down the precursor limonin glucoside. The reaction takes a little time and so the bitterness develops later.

Bring Summer Into Your Home All Year-Round

With the number of benefits from eating lemons each day, you may want to be able to just grab a few from your garden. Although they love semitropical climates, even if you live in northern climates, there is a lemon tree that can bear fruit indoors when cared for properly.

The easiest of the varieties to grow indoors are Meyer lemons, which are prized for a sweeter flavor and do not suffer from citrus greening disease, which is decimating the groves of citrus trees throughout Florida. Alternatives include Lisbon lemons and Bearss limes, which also can easily be grown indoors.²⁹

Growing Meyer lemon trees is immensely rewarding as they are not only prolific producers, but the blossoms are fragrant and beautiful. They are self-pollinating, and when taken care of properly, a grafted Meyer lemon tree can produce fruit in as little as two years.³⁰ If grown from seed, it takes between 4 and 7 years before you get your first lemon.

The lemon dwarf tree can grow up to 10 feet tall. To enjoy Meyer lemons year-round you'll want to take a few simple steps to care for your tree. Christopher Satch is the head of plant education at The Sill. In an interview, he told Get Pocket:³¹

“The real key to success with lemons is giving them enough light and letting them thoroughly dry between waterings. The indoor, full direct sun will correct all their problems. As long as they are in a window that gets a few hours of direct sunlight, they will be fine.”

Your lemon tree will appreciate well-drained soil. Satch advises using potting mix and watering regularly in addition to making sure the plant gets enough light. The soil can be mixed with sand to help with drainage. Terracotta pots work best since they allow the soil to dry faster.

While the plants prefer growing outdoors, under the right conditions they will produce indoors. Plenty of light, high humidity and good air circulation encourages growth. If you plant them outside in a zone that gets weather below 50 degrees F, you need to bring them inside during Satch warns that you can expect a few leaves to drop as the tree will be getting less light and won't be able to nutritionally support as many leaves as it does outside.

He advises to water the tree and then let the soil dry completely. If a lemon tree is not getting enough water the leaves will wilt. If the leaves are turning yellow and dropping it could be that the roots have gotten too wet or the plant has not been kept warm enough.

When they're indoors it's important they get as much sunlight as possible. The more direct sunlight they get, the higher their production. South-facing windows are usually best. He recommends fertilizing once monthly, or every two weeks when the tree is producing fruit.

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More Evidence Masks Don’t Work to Prevent COVID-19

According to an August 28, 2020, article^1,² in The Telegraph, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson now “insists he does not want to see face coverings in schools.” During a question and answer session posted on Facebook, Johnson said:^3,⁴

“There's no need for it. Indeed, there's a need not to have it because obviously it's very, very difficult to teach or to learn with a face mask on.”

British deputy chief medical officer Dr. Jenny Harries stated the evidence for face masks is “not very strong in either direction,” but that advice may change in the future should scientific evidence emerge. For now, head teachers will be allowed to make their own decisions about mask adherence in school hallways and communal areas.

“Dr. Harries said that the wearing of masks in hallways and communal areas ‘can be very reassuring in those enclosed environments’ despite the lack of definitive science,” The Telegraph reports, adding:^5,⁶

“She also urged people to be ‘very kind’ to those with disabilities who were ‘struggling’ with coronavirus measures such as the wearing of face coverings. ‘Many of the actions that we have quite rightly taken to control the pandemic can be quite difficult for people with all sorts of sensory disabilities,’ she admitted.”

Sweden’s Pandemic Response to Masking

Sweden is one of the few countries where draconian pandemic responses have not been widely implemented. Throughout the pandemic, most of the country’s businesses have remained open, and people have to a large degree been allowed to go about their lives as usual, albeit with the general recommendation to social distance whenever possible.

According to an August 10, 2020, article^7,⁸ in The Times, the epidemiologist in charge of Sweden’s coronavirus pandemic response, Dr. Anders Tegnell, “has dismissed the scientific evidence for mask-wearing as ‘astonishingly weak’ and suggested that making face coverings mandatory could backfire.”

Tegnell insists the only viable solution in the long run is to trust people and give them the responsibility to make sensible decisions for themselves.

“It is a Swedish tradition that we give a lot of responsibility to individuals and influence them. So, we never saw any reason to take more drastic measures … I’m surprised that we don’t have more or better studies showing what effect masks actually have.

Countries such as Spain and Belgium have made their populations wear masks but their infection numbers have still risen. The belief that masks can solve our problem is in any case very dangerous,” Tegnell said in a recent interview with a German newspaper.^9,¹⁰

Interestingly, despite the country’s lack of lockdowns and mandatory mask requirements, infections have now “dwindled away to a negligible level” on their own.

According to The Times, as of August 10, 2020, Sweden’s total death toll for COVID-19 stood at 5,763. At the peak of the pandemic in mid-April, just under 100 daily COVID-19 related deaths were recorded. By early August, the average death toll was down to one or two per day. Positive test results are also trending downward.

Birx Ridiculously Urges Mask Wearing at Home

Meanwhile, in the U.S., the fact that the curve has been flattened and the total COVID-19 death rate has been dramatically reduced¹¹ doesn’t seem to make a difference. At the end of August, White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx urged Americans to stay vigilant, and to wear their mask whenever they’re around others, including other household members. According to CNN:¹²

“Birx urged Americans to take personal responsibility, especially if they want to help keep economies open. ‘Right now, we gain freedom through wearing our masks and socially distancing,’ she said.”

Ironically, in mid-August, during a visit to Little Rock, Arkansas, Birx gave the following statements, reported by Eldorado News-Times:¹³

“‘I’ve been so struck by the number of Americans across the country that have just had it,’ she said. ‘Mortality decreases’ have also complicated matters … ‘When people start to realize that 99 percent of us are going to be fine, it becomes more and more difficult’ to get people to comply, she said.”

What Is the Real Risk of COVID-19 at This Point?

Indeed, it now appears the mortality rate of COVID-19 may be right around or lower than that of influenza. During an August 16, 2020, lecture at The Doctors for Disaster Preparedness¹⁴ convention, Dr. Lee Merritt¹⁵ pointed out that, based on deaths per capita — which is the only way to get a true sense of the lethality of this disease — the death rate for COVID-19 is around 0.009%.

That number is based on a global total death toll of 709,000, and a global population of 7.8 billion. This also means the average person’s chance of surviving an encounter with SARS-CoV-2 is 99.991%. The U.S. area with the highest death rate, New York, has a death per capita rate of 0.17%. Merritt’s lecture with this information is featured in “How Medical Technocracy Made the Plandemic Possible.”

So, while mainstream media still claims a mortality rate below 1% is a complete hoax, Birx verified — whether on purpose or by accident — that at least 99% of the population has nothing to fear from this virus.

And remember, the total death toll is enormously falsely inflated with those that died WITH, rather than FROM, SARS-CoV-2. The reason the U.S. Centers for Disease Control hasn’t ended COVID-19’s epidemic status also appears to be because they include deaths from pneumonia and influenza in the statistics. Combined, pneumonia, influenza and COVID-19 deaths were still above the epidemic threshold, based on data through August 22.¹⁶

Meanwhile, deaths in which COVID-19 is listed on the death certificate as the sole cause of death are only 6% of the total COVID-19 death toll, according to CDC data released August 26.¹⁷ On that day, the total death toll listed was 161,392, 6% of which would be 9,683.

The remaining 94% had an average of 2.6 “additional conditions or causes” contributing to those deaths. That even includes 5,133 deaths from intentional or unintentional injuries (according to the data listed on August 26; exact numbers may have changed since then).

Evidence Shows Masks Do Not Protect Against Viral Infection

I’ve already written several articles detailing studies showing that masks cannot protect against viral infections. The reason is simple. SARS-CoV-2 has a diameter of 0.06 to 0.14 microns.¹⁸ Medical N95 masks — which are considered the most effective — can filter particles as small as 0.3 microns.¹⁹ Surgical masks, homemade masks, T-shirts and bandanas are even more porous.

Strangely, mask mandates continue to flourish despite health agencies own research showing it’s a futile measure that only provides a false sense of security:

The World Health Organization’s June 5, 2020, guidance memo²⁰ on face mask use states “there is no direct evidence (from studies on COVID- 19 and in healthy people in the community) on the effectiveness of universal masking of healthy people in the community to prevent infection with respiratory viruses, including COVID-19.”
According to a policy review paper²¹ published in the CDC’s own journal, Emerging Infectious Diseases, in May 2020: “Our systematic review found no significant effect of face masks on transmission of laboratory-confirmed influenza.”
The National Academies of Sciences in its Rapid Expert Consultation on the Effectiveness of Fabric Masks for the COVID-19 Pandemic report,²² published April 8, 2020, concluded “The evidence from … laboratory filtration studies suggest that … fabric masks may reduce the transmission of larger respiratory droplets,” but that “There is little evidence regarding the transmission of small aerosolized particulates of the size potentially exhaled by asymptomatic or presymptomatic individuals with COVID-19.”

Researchers Warn Against Cloth Masks

A study published in 2015 recently received additional commentary from the authors in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The original study²³ was titled “A Cluster Randomized Trial of Cloth Masks Compared with Medical Masks in Healthcare Workers.”

They found that health care workers wearing cloth masks had the highest rates of influenza-like illness and laboratory-confirmed respiratory virus infections, when compared to those wearing medical masks or controls (who used standard practices that included occasional medical mask wearing). Compared to controls and the medical mask group, those wearing cloth masks had a 72% higher rate of lab-confirmed viral infections. According to the authors:

“Penetration of cloth masks by particles was almost 97% and medical masks 44%. This study is the first RCT of cloth masks, and the results caution against the use of cloth masks. This is an important finding to inform occupational health and safety.

Moisture retention, reuse of cloth masks and poor filtration may result in increased risk of infection. Further research is needed to inform the widespread use of cloth masks globally. However, as a precautionary measure, cloth masks should not be recommended for HCWs [health care workers], particularly in high-risk situations …”

In a follow-up commentary dated March 30, 2020, the authors of this study address questions received during the pandemic from health care workers concerned about instructions to use cloth masks if or when medical-grade masks are unavailable. Their comment reads, in part:²⁴

“The study found that cloth mask wearers had higher rates of infection than even the standard practice control group of health workers, and the filtration provided by cloth masks was poor compared to surgical masks …

Health workers are asking us if they should wear no mask at all if cloth masks are the only option. Our research does not condone health workers working unprotected. We recommend that health workers should not work during the COVID-19 pandemic without respiratory protection as a matter of work health and safety …

There have been a number of laboratory studies looking at the effectiveness of different types of cloth materials, single versus multiple layers and about the role that filters can play. However, none have been tested in a clinical trial for efficacy.

If health workers choose to work using cloth masks, we suggest that they have at least two and cycle them, so that each one can be washed and dried after daily use. Sanitizer spray or UV disinfection boxes can be used to clean them during breaks in a single day. These are pragmatic, rather than evidence-based suggestions, given the situation.

Finally for COVID-19, wearing a mask is not enough to protect healthcare workers — use of gloves and goggles are also required as a minimum, as SARS-CoV-2 may infect not only through the respiratory route, but also through contact with contaminated surfaces and self-contamination.”

Pandemic Policies Have Achieved Little

Last but not least, a working paper²⁵ by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), written by Andrew Atkeson, Karen Kopecky and Tao Zha, suggests the draconian lockdown measures implemented in many countries, including the U.S., have achieved little in terms of stemming the death toll.

In an August 26, 2020, article, the American Institute for Economic Research presented the following four “stylized facts” from the paper:²⁶

1. “Once a region reaches 25 total COVID deaths, within a month the growth rate in deaths per day falls to approximately zero. In other words, no matter the country or state and its policies, deaths per day stop increasing within 20-30 days of passing a threshold of 25 deaths.

2. Once that happens, deaths per day either begin to fall or the trend remains flat.

3. The variability in death trends across regions has fallen sharply since the beginning of the epidemic and remains low. All states studied, all countries studied, have become more similar in their trends and have remained so.

4. Observations 1-3 suggest that the effective reproduction number, R, has hovered around one worldwide after the first 30 days of the epidemic.

The paper’s conclusion is that the data trends observed above likely indicate that nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) — such as lockdowns, closures, travel restrictions, stay-home orders, event bans, quarantines, curfews, and mask mandates — do not seem to affect virus transmission rates overall.

Why? Because those policies have varied in their timing and implementation across countries and states, but the trends in outcomes do not.”

Lockdown Measures Should End Now

Put plainly, the measures we’ve endured these past six months were largely unnecessary. One key reason for why lockdown and social distancing measures had no impact, according to the researchers, is because “human interaction does not conform to simple epidemiological models.”

In a nutshell, human social networks overlap, allowing a virus to rapidly spread for a time. Then, the virus quickly loses momentum, as people have already been exposed via other social networks and are no longer susceptible. The end result is that a form of herd immunity develops, but at a lower rate of infection than typically assumed would be necessary.

What’s more, the authors argue that even if nonpharmaceutical interventions were at one point having some positive effect, that effect no longer applies. Therefore, it would be a mistake to include estimates of NPI effectiveness when trying to forecast the potential outcomes of relaxed measures. As reported by the American Institute for Economic Research:²⁷

“This study provides strong statistical support for what so many have been observing for six months. The epidemic has a natural tendency to spread quickly at first and slow down, seemingly on its own, a point made not only here but as early as April 14 by Isaac Ben-Israel.²⁸

Meanwhile governors imagine that very specific rules for opening bars and restaurants are the key to containment. Governments have conducted an unprecedented social, economic, and political experiment in controlling whole populations’ behavior, with high economic and human cost.

The authors ask the right question: has this experiment in government-managed virus control and suppression made a difference? The startling answer they found, after examining data from around the country and the world, is that the evidence simply is not there. If we are concerned about the evidence on this global experiment, we must concede that most government authorities have likely acted in error.”

Why Are They so Persistent With Mask Recommendations?

Considering the strong scientific evidence against it, why are governments so persistent in their recommendation of mask wearing? Clearly, for many, wearing a bandana or cloth mask provides a form of psychological defense, a way to feel less fearful because it feels like you’re doing something to protect yourself and others. But it’s a false sense of security.

Masks will not prevent you from exhaling or inhaling the aerosolized virus. Cloth masks are clearly also the least preferable option if you want to reduce the spread of infection, as their ability to block larger respiratory droplets is also limited.

In particular, N95 masks with airflow valves on the front should be avoided, as the valve lets out unfiltered air, thus negating the small benefit — the reduction in respiratory droplet emissions — you might get from a mask.²⁹

But with mortality rates as low as they are, why would governments be pushing for a false sense of security? It seems completely unnecessary at this point. Remember back in March 2020 when they said we just need to slow down the rate of infection to avoid overcrowding hospitals?

How did we go from that to now having to wear masks everywhere until every trace of the virus has been eliminated, even though a vast majority remain asymptomatic and don’t even know they have the virus unless they get tested?

Overall, it’s starting to look as though mask mandates are being used as a psychological manipulation tool to encourage compliance with vaccination once a vaccine becomes available. At that point, I predict a tradeoff will be offered: Mask mandates will be dropped provided everyone gets vaccinated.

By then, many may be willing to take just about anything as long as they don’t have to wear a mask anymore. I would encourage you to read up on the many open questions relating to fast-tracked COVID-19 vaccines before making that decision. Overall, it seems the best way to avoid having to make such a devious trade is to engage in civil disobedience now, and go unmasked.

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