Health & Fitness

For a weary public longing to get back to normalcy, vaccine passports represent a tantalizing carrot, being dangled as a mechanism for freedom. By showing proof that you’ve received a COVID-19 vaccine, perhaps you can once again board an airplane and travel freely, attend a concert or enjoy a meal in your favorite restaurant, just like you used to.

Except, being required to present your “papers” in order to live your life isn’t actually freedom at all — it’s discrimination, and even a move toward technocratic fascism, one that’s setting the stage for increased surveillance and erosion of your privacy.

Nonetheless, this blatant move toward an ever-increasing surveillance state is being welcomed by many who have been led to believe the passports are necessary to protect public health and safety.

Vaccine Passports Are in Development

It’s likely only a matter of time before you’ll be asked to prove your vaccination status in order to carry on with your daily life. “The government seems to be developing vaccine passports by stealth, making sure the technology is in place for anyone who needs it,” wrote Lara Prendergast, The Spectator’s assistant editor.¹

She’s referring to the U.K. government, which has given sizable grants to a number of private companies developing such technology. This includes more than $86,000 to Logifect, which is slated to launch a vaccine passport app in March 2021, and more than $104,000 to iProov and Mvine, which are developing digital certificates that show vaccination status.

As Prendergast noted, “Your phone would most likely be your vaccination passport. Everyone’s vaccination status is already being logged centrally by the National Immunization Vaccination System using their NHS number. This information could be easily linked with an app.”²

Around the world, vaccine passports are rapidly being rolled out, including in Denmark, which will begin issuing them in February 2021. Sweden. Spain, Italy, Cyprus and Malta have also expressed positivity toward vaccine passports to revive tourism, while in the U.S., plans for vaccine IDs are under evaluation.³ International efforts are also underway.

The Commons Project and the World Economic Forum created the Common Trust Network, which developed the CommonPass app that’s intended to act as a health passport in the near future.

The app allows users to upload medical data such as a COVID-19 test result or proof of vaccination, which then generates a QR code that you will show to authorities as your health passport.⁴ The proposed common framework “for safe border reopening” around the world involves the following:⁵

1. Every nation must publish their health screening criteria for entry into the country using a standard format on a common framework
2. Each country must register trusted facilities that conduct COVID-19 lab testing for foreign travel and administer vaccines listed in the CommonPass registry
3. Each country will accept health screening status from foreign visitors through apps and services built on the CommonPass framework
4. Patient identification is to be collected at the time of sample collection and/or vaccination using an international standard
5. The CommonPass framework will be integrated into flight and hotel reservation check-in processes

Eventually, the CommonPass framework will be integrated with already existing personal health apps such as Apple Health and CommonHealth. If you want to travel, your personal health record will be evaluated and compared to a country’s entry requirements, and if you don’t meet them, you’ll be directed to an approved testing and vaccination location.

Majority Are in Favor of ‘Privacy-Encroaching Technology’

Even as mortality data show COVID-19 is hardly the deadly pandemic it’s been made out to be, fear-mongering remains in full effect — including warnings that a more infectious, mutated strain of SARS-CoV-2 is on the loose. With fear still omnipresent, acceptance of “privacy-encroaching technology” that promises an illusion of safety is high.

In the U.K., researchers from the University of Bristol conducted two large surveys about such technologies, with overwhelming positivity reported.⁶ The first measured public acceptance of location tracking through your cellphone that would allow health agencies to monitor your contact with others to target social distancing and quarantine measures.

About 70% of the respondents said they would accept such an app that they could choose to download and, surprisingly, 65% also said they would accept such an app even if it was mandated by the government and used to locate those violating lockdown orders and issue fines and arrests.⁷

A second survey evaluated acceptance of vaccine passports, with 60% stating they were in favor and only 20% stating they were strongly opposed. The study’s lead author, professor Stephan Lewandowsky, described those opposed as “surprisingly low, adding, “It’s fascinating how people seem increasingly receptive to their personal data being used to inform themselves and others about what they can and can’t do.”⁸

Prendergast put this widespread acceptance into further context for the British, who “have traditionally been deeply suspicious of the idea of an official asking for ‘papers, please’:⁹

“[This] … is why there was such a backlash against Blair’s ID cards. As one journalist at the time put it:

‘If I am ever asked to produce my ID card as evidence that I am who I say I am, when I have done nothing wrong and when I am simply ambling along and breathing God’s fresh air like any other freeborn Englishman, then I will take that card out of my wallet and physically eat it in the presence of whatever emanation of the state has demanded that I produce it.’

That journalist is now our Prime Minister. It would be an extraordinary turn of events if Boris Johnson ended up being the man who introduced an immunity identity system in Britain.”

US Universities Institute Jail-Like Restrictions

At every turn, long-standing societal norms — like college students gathering with friends in their dorm or even leaving their rooms for work and exercise — are disappearing. As of February 7, 2021, for instance, the University of Massachusetts Amherst was in a “high risk” operational mode due to a “continuing surge in COVID-19 cases.”¹⁰

The status, which was to be in place for a minimum of 14 days, made all classes remote and ordered all students, whether residing on or off campus, to self-sequester in their residences, except to get meals, attend medical appointments or undergo twice-weekly COVID testing.

Violating these orders would result in “disciplinary action,” according to a university press release, which could include removal from residence halls or suspension.¹¹ Students were also informed that, should they decide to leave campus to self-sequester at home, “it is highly unlikely we will be able to accommodate your return.”

Even within a residence hall, students were told to remain in their rooms at all times except when using a restroom on their floor. Outdoor exercise or attending to the immediate needs of a pet was allowed, but only when wearing a mask and maintaining social distancing.¹²

This wasn’t the case at UC Berkeley, however, which banned outdoor exercise in addition to extending dormitory lockdowns in February 2021. The only times students are allowed to leave their rooms during the lockdown are to obtain medical care, get required COVID tests, to use an assigned bathroom or to obtain food from an outdoor dining kiosk, after which “you are required to return immediately to your room.”¹³

Are You Clean Enough to Travel?

While many countries have suggested that the COVID-19 vaccine will not be mandated, by giving special privileges to the vaccinated, such as the ability to travel, attend social events or even enter a workplace, it essentially amounts to the same thing and insinuates a “cleaner” class of people in those who have been vaccinated.

It’s reminiscent of the early days of the pandemic, when hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes were flying off store shelves in a frenzy to clean away COVID. Now we know that transmission of COVID-19 by fomites — the term used for inanimate surfaces and objects that can transmit a pathogen — has been exaggerated.

Emanuel Goldman, a microbiology professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, suggested this in July 2020, when he stated that studies suggesting SARS-CoV-2 was easily spread via surfaces did not present real-life situation.¹⁴

“In my opinion, the chance of transmission through inanimate surfaces is very small,” he said, and while period disinfection of surfaces, especially in hospitals, was a reasonable precaution, in public settings, he noted, “this can go to extremes not justified by the data.”¹⁵ In February 2021, an editorial in Nature supported Goldman’s work, suggesting that costly and toxic disinfection efforts are misguided.

“Catching the coronavirus from surfaces is rare. The World Health Organization and national public health agencies need to clarify their advice,” the editorial reads.¹⁶ The New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority alone is spending an estimated $380 million annually on COVID-related sanitation, and when it asked the U.S. government whether they should be focusing on fomites or solely aerosols, they were told to continue their focus on fomites.¹⁷

Writing in The Atlantic, Derek Thompson describes this as a type of “hygiene theater,” in which Americans are going through the motions of dutifully cleaning and, likely, over-disinfecting surfaces when the virus spreads most efficiently through the air.¹⁸

Indeed, much of the COVID-19 pandemic response has been embroiled in theatrics, including mask mandates, for which the scientific evidence has been described as “astonishingly weak.”¹⁹ Hygiene theater, much like the theater for vaccine passports, provides an illusion of safety, not one grounded in reality.

Discussion to Ban Florida Travel for Disobedience

In the U.S., Florida announced in December 2020 that it would have no more lockdowns and no statewide mask mandates.²⁰ The act resulted in retaliation by federal government, which entertained the idea of a domestic travel ban to the state, reportedly to curb the spread of new COVID-19 variants.

In a press conference, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stated, “Any attempt to restrict by the federal government would be an attack on our state done purely for political purposes.” Sen. Marco Rubio agreed, calling the act unconstitutional: “So now that they’re considering actual restrictions on Americans inside the country, I think it is unconstitutional. I think it’s going to be challenged in court successfully.”²¹

The “technocratic fascist vision”²² of professor Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum who wrote the book on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, is moving ahead full-steam. He announced the World Economic Forum’s Great Reset Initiative in June 2020, which includes stripping all people of their privately owned assets.

Getting health passports to become a new normal has, in fact, been part of the plan all along for the Commons Project, which began developing software that tracks medical data well before the COVID-19 pandemic. “But spikes in virus cases around the world this spring accelerated its work,” The New York Times reported.²³

While the vaccine passports are starting out with the COVID-19 vaccine for international travel, it’s setting a precedent for expansion that can be extended to other vaccines and medical information, and then to domestic travel and even leaving your house, as the passports will be carried on your phone that has location-tracking abilities.

And it’s clear that when the fascists come, they’ll be wearing masks — probably two or three of them depending on their level of loyalty. For now, getting informed and sharing your knowledge is the first step to protecting your freedom.

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Exposure to light at night is a recent phenomenon that increased dramatically after the invention of electric lighting. Human bodies have not entirely adjusted to this change, and still run on a 24-hour cycle, or circadian rhythm, which includes regular cycles of light and dark.

When you’re exposed to light at night — a time when your body expects it to be dark — physiological changes occur. Inside the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of your brain, which is part of your hypothalamus, resides your master biological clock. Based on signals of light and darkness, your SCN tells your pineal gland when it's time to secrete melatonin — promoting sleep — and when to turn it off.

Exposure to light leads to advances or delays in your circadian rhythm, known as phase shifts. Typically, exposure to light early in the morning causes a phase advance, which leads to earlier waking. Light exposure at bedtime will lead to a phase delay, or later wakening.

Nighttime exposure to light inhibits the secretion of melatonin, which can cause circadian disruptions that play a role in cancer.¹ In fact, it’s previously been shown that higher exposure to outdoor light at night may increase the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer,² and emerging evidence suggests light at night may increase thyroid cancer, too.³

Light at Night Increases Thyroid Cancer Risk

It’s believed that both breast cancer and thyroid cancer “share a common hormone‐dependent etiology,” while thyroid function is also regulated by circadian rhythm. These two factors led researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health to evaluate whether exposure to light at night plays a role in the incidence of thyroid cancer.

The study followed 464,371 participants in the National Institutes of Health-American Association of Retired Persons Diet and Health Study for an average of 12.8 years.⁴ Satellite data was used to estimate nighttime light exposure, which was then linked to residential addresses, while thyroid cancer cases were followed via state cancer registries.

Adjustments were also made for other contributors to thyroid cancer risk, including sociodemographic, lifestyle and environmental factors. A positive association was found between light exposure at night and thyroid cancer risk, with those in the highest quintile of nighttime light exposure having a 55% increased risk of thyroid cancer compared to those in the lowest quintile.

“The association was primarily driven by papillary thyroid cancer and was stronger in women,” the researchers noted. “In women, the association was stronger for localized cancer, whereas in men, the association was stronger for a more advanced stage. Results were consistent across different tumor sizes.”⁵

The study is observational and therefore doesn’t prove causality, however the findings suggest additional research is warranted. Study author Qian Xiao, Ph.D. said in a news release:⁶

“[W]e don't know if higher levels of outdoor light at night lead to an elevated risk for thyroid cancer; however, given the well-established evidence supporting a role of light exposure at night and circadian disruption, we hope our study will motivate researchers to further examine the relationship between light at night and cancer, and other diseases.”

Strong Link Between Thyroid Cancer and Circadian Disruption

Thyroid cancer is the most common cancer of the endocrine system, and rates have increased significantly in the last few decades.⁷ Insulin resistance is one of the most significant, and modifiable, risk factors,⁸ but increasing attention is also being given to environmental factors like circadian clock disruption.

Your body’s 24-hour circadian clock regulates many physiological functions — endocrine rhythms among them. Writing in the journal Cancers, Italian researchers suggested that one way circadian disruption may be linked to thyroid cancer is by inducing insulin resistance:⁹

“Disruption of the circadian timing system caused by circadian misalignment such as shift work, chronic jet lag, high fat intake, inappropriate eating times, and abnormal sleep patterns could be responsible of insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus type 2, obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases and several types of cancers, including TC [thyroid cancer].

Conversely, proper coordination of circadian behavior and sleep homeostasis may improve several conditions including insulin resistance and overall metabolic fitness.

The molecular mechanisms linking circadian clock disruption and TC are still unknown but could be, at least in part, insulin resistance. Indeed, this metabolic alteration is associated with a well-known risk factor for TC i.e., hyperthyrotropinemia, which, in turn, has also been associated to sleep disturbances.”

They also pointed out a number of mechanisms that occur via circadian disruption that could contribute to thyroid disorders. Among them:¹⁰

• Alterations in the rhythmicity of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) secretion
• Disruptions to hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis function
• Modifications in genes controlling the cell cycle, apoptosis, DNA damage, inflammation and immune response

Strong changes in the expression of variants of various “clock” genes, including PER2–3, CRYs, BMAL1, REV-ERBs and RORs, have also been found on the transformation of thyroid nodules into cancer, and have even been suggested as biomarkers for use with thyroid nodules that could potentially be predictive of thyroid cancer.¹¹

Clock genes are known to control rhythms that affect physiology and behavior,¹² and may also be involved in cancer. Indeed, researchers wrote in Genome Medicine while exploring the many ties between circadian rhythms and disease, “Epidemiological studies have linked circadian disruption to increased cancer susceptibility in all key organ systems.”¹³

Light Exposure, Sleep Deprivation and Cancer

It’s more difficult to sleep well if you’re exposed to light at night, and the resulting sleep deprivation may also increase cancer risk. An association has been found between insomnia and thyroid cancer, for instance,¹⁴ with women with insomnia having a 44% increased risk of thyroid cancer compared to those without. Sleep deprivation is also linked to higher thyroid-stimulating hormone concentration, which in turn is linked to thyroid cancer.¹⁵

Further, in a study involving 1,654 adults from the Penn State Adult Cohort, those who slept less than six hours and had cardiometabolic risk factors (high blood pressure, elevated glucose or Type 2 diabetes) had an increased risk of dying from cancer, by 2.92 times.¹⁶

In relation to thyroid cancer, specifically, chronic sleep deprivation is linked to disruption of rhythmic thyroid stimulating hormone secretions, which is associated with an increased risk of thyroid cancer. Researchers continued in Cancers:¹⁷

“Furthermore, disruption of circadian rhythm has been linked to alterations in gene-related apoptosis, DNA damage, cell cycle, and stemness, and thereby to carcinogenesis … In light of this evidence, it is biologically plausible that circadian clock alterations could represent a potential risk factor of developing TC. However, so far, no epidemiologic study has been directly addressed in this relationship.”

Disrupted sleep also wreaks havoc on your metabolic health, which could indirectly increase thyroid cancer risk. Irregular sleep patterns increase the risk of metabolic syndrome by 23% for each one hour of sleep difference, such as going to bed earlier or later than usual; chronic one-hour loss increases the risk by 27%.¹⁸

Metabolic syndrome is characterized by three or more of these factors: a large waist circumference, high blood pressure, insulin resistance and/or high blood sugar, low high-density lipoproteins and high triglycerides. Since insulin resistance and related metabolic disorders are linked to thyroid cancer, this is another way that light exposure at night plays a role. Researchers noted:¹⁹

“Based on these observations, it is reasonable to expect that improving insulin resistance through synchronization of circadian rhythm or chronotherapy in conjunction with a healthy diet, physical activity and conventional anti-cancer therapies, could exert beneficial effects on prevention and treatment of TCs developed in insulin resistant patients with disrupted circadian rhythms.”

It’s likely that sleep disturbances induced by exposure to light at night may contribute to cancer via multiple mechanisms, including a suppression of immune function by disrupting circadian rhythms, reduced production of melatonin and promotion of inflammation.²⁰

Light Pollution Could Lead to Dire Health Outcomes

Chris Kresser, an acupuncturist, licensed integrative medicine clinician and co-director of the California Center for Functional Medicine, is among those who have sounded an alarm over the health risks of exposure to light at night and light pollution.

Most of your endocrine hormones, including not only thyroid hormones but also growth hormone, cortisol, leptin, melatonin and insulin, have a daily rhythm that, when disrupted, may interfere with how your body functions.

According to Kresser, the most potent regulator of your circadian rhythm is exposure to light at the proper times and intensities — and vice versa, in that light pollution is a potent disruptor of your circadian rhythm that interferes with sleep, hormones, mood, cognition and more.

“Thyroid hormones have circadian rhythms, too,” he writes. “Sleep deprivation from ill-timed light is associated with abnormal thyroid function.” In addition, he cited 11 other health consequences of light pollution, which include:

Inflammation	Immune suppression
Disruption of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which controls the stress response	Gut problems
Obesity	Diabetes
Fertility and menstrual problems	Cardiovascular disease
Depression and mood disorders	Cognition and memory deficits
Cancer

How to Reduce Light Exposure at Night

In the modern world, avoiding light exposure at night isn’t always as simple as turning off the lights. If your bedroom is affected by light pollution, be sure to use blackout shades to keep light out or wear an eye mask when you go to sleep. Remove all sources of light from your bedroom, including a digital alarm clock.

You should also swap out LED lights with incandescent bulbs, which are less efficient at suppressing melatonin, particularly in areas where you spend most of your time during the day and evening, such as your kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Leave the LEDs for areas such as hallways, closets, garage and porch, where your exposure to them is minimal.

When it gets to be late afternoon and evening, wear amber-colored glasses that block blue light, and turn off electronics — or at least be sure to wear the glasses while you’re using them. You can also install blue light-blocking software like Iris on your computer, cellphone and tablet.²¹

Part of optimizing your circadian rhythm is avoiding light at night, but the flipside is also important: if you’re in darkness all day long, your body can't appreciate the difference and will not optimize melatonin production. So, ideally, to help your circadian system reset itself for thyroid health and overall health and wellness, avoid light at night and get at least 10 to 15 minutes of light first thing in the morning as well.

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Some commercially prepared baby foods can contain as much sugar and unhealthy fats as junk food. A recent Congressional report has also found some of the largest commercially prepared baby food brands also contain significant levels of toxic heavy metals.^1,2

Commercially prepared baby food may also contain other questionable ingredients, including genetically modified soy, synthetic vitamins, inorganic minerals and excessive levels of protein. These are packed into convenient containers of baby food, which also lack the immune-boosting nutrients found in breast milk.

Although many pediatricians continue to advise parents to feed rice cereal mixed with breastmilk or formula as a baby's first meal, I believe this is irresponsible advice. Feeding carbohydrate-packed white rice³ can set babies up for a lifetime of bad eating habits and place them at risk for diabetes.⁴

During processing, the vitamins, fiber and other nutrients in white rice are stripped away, leaving carbohydrates that turn to sugar and raise insulin levels. The result of this congressional review also supports a 2019 study that found toxic metal in 95% of the baby food tested and also found the neurotoxic contaminant perchlorate.⁵

Congressional Report Finds Heavy Metals in Baby Food

The report, published in February 2021, revealed there were significant levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury found in some of the most popular commercial baby foods on grocery store shelves. The tests were requested by the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy after receiving reports there were high levels of heavy metals in baby food.⁶

Products from seven manufacturers of baby foods in the U.S. were tested. Four of the companies also provided their internal test policies and results. Some companies tested the ingredients and finished products and others tested only one or the other. However, there were three companies, including Walmart, Campbell Soup company and Sprout Organic Foods, that did not cooperate.⁷

“The Subcommittee is greatly concerned that their lack of cooperation might be obscuring the presence of even higher levels of toxic heavy metals in their baby food products than their competitors’ products.”

Campbell Soup company sells baby food under the Plum Organics baby food brand and Walmart baby food brand is Parent's Choice. Chair of the subcommittee Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., spoke with a journalist from The Washington Post after the report was released, saying:⁸

“Over the last decade advocates and scientists have brought this to the attention of the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA must set standards and regulate this industry much more closely, starting now. It’s shocking that parents are basically being completely left in the lurch by their government.”

While it may have been shocking to Krishnamoorthi, it fits with past actions from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The report discovered that one of the dangers of testing only ingredients was in some cases the finished product tested up to 93% higher in heavy metals than when just the ingredients were tested.⁹

For instance, when the levels of heavy metals in Hain Celestial Group baby foods were tested, the difference in results between testing the ingredients and the finished product may have been the result of added ingredients, such as vitamin and mineral premix.¹⁰

Testing Revealed Significant Heavy Metal Levels

Arsenic is found in soil and water, poses a significant risk to human health and is the leading substance on the priority list from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).¹¹

The Washington Post reports that only rice cereal has a maximum set for inorganic arsenic, 100 parts per billion (ppb). Yet the FDA has set “maximum allowable levels in bottled water,” which are far below the level set for baby food, at 10 ppb.¹²

Documents from Hain Celestial Group, makers of Earth's Best Organic baby food, showed many of the ingredients had arsenic levels as high as 309 ppb and at least 24 ingredients in the company’s baby food products measured higher than 100 ppb of arsenic.¹³

The second substance on the ATSDR list is lead. The Washington Post reports that to date, there is no set federal standard for lead allowed in baby food. Although some experts may believe 1 ppb is an acceptable exposure level in baby food, the American Academy of Pediatrics writes, “Lead exposure has been associated with health, learning and behavior problems, and no amount is considered safe.”¹⁴

The congressional report shows that ingredients used in Beech-Nut baby food measure as high as 886.9 ppb of lead and 483 ingredients had levels measuring over 5 ppb. Jason Jacobs, vice president of food safety, quality and innovation at Beech-Nut, commented on the results of the report, saying:¹⁵

“Beech-Nut established heavy metal testing standards 35 years ago, and we continuously review and strengthen them wherever possible. We look forward to working with the FDA, in partnership with the Baby Food Council, on science-based standards that food suppliers can implement across our industry.”

Environmental Defense Fund¹⁶ analyzed raw data from the FDA’s Total Diet study from 2014 to 2016. The analysis showed lead levels in food designed for babies and children, including teething biscuits, arrowroot cookies, carrots and sweet potatoes, were high.

They analyzed data from August 2019 and found when results for baby food were compared against samples of fruit and vegetables, baby carrots and peeled, boiled carrots had significantly lower lead levels than baby food carrot puree. In fact, 83% to 100% of samples of baby food root vegetables, crackers and cookies had detectable levels of lead.

The report¹⁷ also found high levels of cadmium and mercury in baby foods from all the companies tested and the levels tested in baby food for each of the heavy metals is “multiples higher than allowed under existing regulations for other products.” The congressional report found:¹⁸

“The test results of baby foods and their ingredients eclipse those levels: including results up to 91 times the arsenic level, up to 177 times the lead level, up to 69 times the cadmium level, and up to 5 times the mercury level.”

Does the Dose Make the Poison?

FoodNavigator-USA¹⁹ interviewed executive director of the Clean Label Project (CLP) Jackie Bowen, whose organization has been advocating for manufacturing companies to think carefully about how raw materials are sourced and what ends up on the label.

Bowen pointed out that food safety regulations in the U.S. are often focused on microbial contaminants rather than toxins. In the absence of regulatory guidance, manufacturers are left to determine what they believe is safe for release to the grocery stores.

However, as reported by The Washington Post,²⁰ even when baby foods have tested higher than the companies’ limit set for heavy metals, the products continue to be sold to the public. In answer to the question of whether the dose makes the poison, Bowen points to the responsibility and power that consumers have.²¹

“Consumers are new arbiters of truth and safety with Mom's serving as the Chief Operating Officer of their households. Over the past five years, there have been at least four consumer advocacy calls to action about heavy metals in baby food. Low level of repeat exposure to heavy metals has been linked to cancer and infertility. It is past time for brands to recognize that parents expect better.

As to the old adage that the dose is the poison, contaminants like lead are the exception that proves the rule: the Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drug Administration, the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have all independently stated there is no safe level of lead for children. In this case, the poison is the poison.”

Heavy Metals Have Long-Term Effect on Babies

Dan Fabricant, CEO and president of the Natural Products Association, once called the CLP’s statements on contaminants in protein powder "defamatory." He attempted to justify the toxic exposure, saying:²²

"Just look at the language and how they use the term 'detectable levels.' It's all made to look very scandalous and salacious. Everything suggests implicitly that there is a critical public health issue. We believe this is bad for the brands themselves and bad for the industry."

It's important to remember that any detectable level of heavy metals is concerning since they are not easily removed by the body. A paper in the British Medical Bulletin called exposure to cadmium, lead, arsenic and mercury — the heavy metals found in many baby foods — a “main threat to human health.”²³

By far the most studied of the heavy metals is lead, which has demonstrated a particular danger as a neurotoxin in children.²⁴ Scientists have been aware of this for the last 100 years and research has focused on the effects of the poison on the developing nervous system for the past 60 years. Despite this growing body of evidence and public awareness, legislation has not been effective.

One review of the literature²⁵ in emerging market countries reported on blood and urine concentrations of heavy metals. These were generally found to be higher than U.S. reference values. The analysis identified the health effects that were associated with this exposure.

They found associations between gestational age, birth weight and cognitive scores with levels of arsenic in the blood or urine. Children drinking arsenic contaminated water demonstrated skin lesions and different degrees of peripheral neuropathy.

With cadmium exposure, researchers found low birth weight, slightly decreased IQ and smaller head circumference. In the 55 articles focused on lead exposure, there were negative associations between measured blood levels and mental development, and neurological and behavioral test scores.

Other health conditions included low birth weight, stunted growth and aplastic anemia. Twelve studies were focused on mercury exposure and found lower mental and psychomotor developmental test scores as well as children ages 9 to 17 years with ataxia, dysdiadokinesis and pathological reflexes.

Consider Homemade Baby Foods When Possible

There is no denying that prepackaged baby foods are convenient when you are traveling. However, you do have options to lower the risk of exposure to heavy metals and other toxins by making baby food at home using organically grown and locally sourced fruits and vegetables. As I mentioned earlier, steer clear of rice paste cereals as they are high in arsenic and carbohydrates and low in nutrients.

When you make your own food at home, you also have greater control over what goes into the foods as you can select higher quality fruits and vegetables and steer clear of preservatives, additives and added sugar. It reduces food waste and it saves you money in the long run.

For instance, Happy Family Organics²⁶ compares the price of two to three containers of baby food against that of six pears, which can be pureed for 10 or more meals. With a vegetable peeler, steamer basket and blender or food processor you have all you need to get started making and freezing baby food.

Most pediatricians recommend exclusively breastfeeding to at least 6 months of age and introducing your baby's first spoons of solid food at around 6 months.²⁷ Making baby food at home also improves the nutrient value, since many baby food purees have a long shelf life, which may even be older than your baby.

You also can control the thickness of the puree you make at home, which helps you transition your baby from purees to solid food as they grow older. Once you finish making the food you can add it to an ice cube tray, cover it and let it freeze for at least five hours before transferring to a freezer-safe container.

Remove the food the day before and place into the refrigerator to thaw. It can also be warmed on the stovetop over medium to low heat. Just be sure to stir the food completely so there are no hot spots and test the food yourself, so you don't burn your baby's tongue.

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As of February 4, 2021, the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) had received 12,697 injury reports and 653 deaths following COVID-19 vaccination.¹

Of the cases reported between December 14, 2020, and February 4, 2021, 3.69% were life threatening and the number of deaths account for 5.14% of the total reports. The Pfizer vaccine accounted for 58% of deaths; Moderna’s accounted for 41%.

What’s more, when you look at vaccine-related deaths between January 2020 and January 2021, you find that COVID-19 vaccines account for a staggering 70% of the annual vaccine deaths, and that’s while having been available for less than two months. The first doses of Pfizer vaccine were given in mid-December 2020,² while Moderna’s vaccine rolled out during the last week of December 2020.³

While these numbers are staggering, they’re likely only a tiny fraction of the actual number of adverse events. According to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study,⁴ fewer than 1% of vaccine adverse events are ever reported to VAERS.

This is primarily because VAERS reporting is voluntary. Many don’t even know it exists, or that you don’t have to be a medical professional to file a report. This would mean that there may, in reality, be over 1 MILLION COVID vaccine injuries, since 99% typically go unreported.

Report All COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects

To address these shortcomings and monitor the public health effects of this mass vaccination campaign, the Children’s Health Defense is calling on all who have suffered a side effect from a COVID-19 vaccine to do three things:⁵

1. If you live in the U.S., file a report on VAERS
2. Report the injury on VaxxTracker.com, which is a non-governmental adverse event tracker (you can file anonymously if you like)
3. Report the injury on the CHD website

Children Are Next

Despite the clear and present dangers of these so-called vaccines, which are in actuality gene therapy, COVID-19 vaccine makers are steamrolling ahead with trials on children as young as 6 years old.

As reported⁶ by the University of Oxford, which is collaborating on a COVID-19 vaccine^7,8 with AstraZeneca, children between the ages of 6 years and 17 years and 8 months are eligible for participation at four U.K. centers. Those over the age of 16 do not even require a parent’s approval but can consent on their own. The remuneration for those putting their entire future at risk is £10 (about $14) per visit.

A total of 300 children are scheduled to participate, 240 of whom will receive the candidate vaccine while so-called controls will receive a meningitis vaccine. The lack of a true placebo is a red flag in and of itself, as using a vaccine as a “placebo” helps mask any number of common side effects, making the vaccine appear safer than it actually is.

The AstraZeneca vaccine has received authorization for use in the U.K. but not the U.S. Contrary to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines authorized for use in the U.S., the AstraZeneca vaccine delivers double-stranded DNA for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein inside a chimpanzee adenovirus.⁹

Moderna started testing its RNA-based gene therapy on American children between the ages of 12 and 17 back in December 2020,¹⁰ and the first Pfizer trials involving adolescents began in mid-October 2020.¹¹ In China, Sinovac and SinoPharm trials have been enrolling children as young as 3.¹²

Children Do Not Need This Vaccine

Considering children are at extremely low risk of severe COVID-19, and have been shown to not be a significant vector of infection,¹³ why do children even need this vaccine? Dr. Robert Frenck, lead investigator of the COVID-19 vaccine trials at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, told ABC News:¹⁴

"If you wipe out the infection in the younger children, they don't spread it to the adults, and so then, you can get a big handle on disease just by targeting the younger children and getting the infection out of that age group.”

This is a standard justification, but it’s really little more than a mind game. In essence, children are being required to play Russian roulette with their health based on the premise that it will benefit the whole, but is it really reasonable to ask the youngest among us, who are at lowest risk from the infection, to sacrifice their health to, presumably, protect the elderly?

Studies¹⁵ have shown children not only very rarely transmit the disease, either between themselves or to adults, but also, if they get the disease, they virtually never suffer any serious complications. So Frenck’s argument really flies in the face of the available data. If children don’t transmit the disease, how can you get “a big handle” on it by vaccinating them?

In reality, this argument appears to be designed to coerce parents into vaccinating their children even though the public benefit from doing so is minimal. Rather than being a true public health incentive, it seems the drive to vaccinate children is more about increasing profits. Additionally, early reports suggest that the elderly also have a tendency to die shortly after the inoculation,^16,17 which is raising suspicions and concern.

Adverse Effects May Take Years to Develop

In children, the side effects are likely to be less immediately noticeable, but may instead result in future health problems. In a Microbiology & Infectious Diseases paper,¹⁸ immunologist Dr. J. Bart Classen warns the mRNA jabs may instigate adverse events that take years to fully develop.¹⁹

“One such potential adverse event is prion based diseases caused by activation of intrinsic proteins to form prions. A wealth of knowledge has been published on a class of RNA binding proteins shown to participate in causing a number of neurological diseases including Alzheimer’s disease and ALS,” Classen writes.

Since research had not been done to ascertain whether mRNA gene therapy might trigger prion-based disease, Classen conducted that study. He writes:²⁰

“Analysis of the Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19 identified two potential risk factors for inducing prion disease is humans. The RNA sequence in the vaccine contains sequences believed to induce TDP-43 and FUS to aggregate in their prion based conformation leading to the development of common neurodegerative diseases.

In particular, it has been shown that RNA sequences GGUA, UG rich sequences, UG tandem repeats, and G Quadruplex sequences, have increased affinity to bind TDP-43 and or FUS and may cause TDP-43 or FUS to take their pathologic configurations in the cytoplasm.

In the current analysis, a total of sixteen UG tandem repeats (ΨGΨG) were identified and additional UG (ΨG) rich sequences were identified. Two GGΨA sequences were found. G Quadruplex sequences are possibly present but sophisticated computer programs are needed to verify these.

The spike protein encoded by the vaccine binds angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), an enzyme which contains zinc molecules. The binding of spike protein to ACE2 has the potential to release the zinc molecule, an ion that causes TDP-43 to assume its pathologic prion transformation.”

mRNA Vaccines Are Actually Gene Therapies

As detailed in “COVID-19 mRNA Shots Are Legally Not Vaccines,” these inoculations are more accurately described as gene therapies, and by referring to them as “vaccines,” the U.S. government is likely in violation of the 2011 U.S. Code Title 15, Section 1125,²¹ which regulates deceptive practices such as false descriptions in medical claims.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,²² a vaccine is “a product that stimulates a person’s immune system to produce immunity to a specific disease, protecting the person from that disease.” Immunity, in turn, is defined as “Protection from an infectious disease,” meaning that “If you are immune to a disease, you can be exposed to it without becoming infected.”

Neither Moderna nor Pfizer claim this to be the case for their COVID-19 “vaccines.” In fact, in their clinical trials, they specify that they do not even test for immunity.

Unlike real vaccines, which use an antigen of the disease you’re trying to prevent, the COVID-19 injections contain synthetic RNA fragments encapsulated in a nanolipid carrier compound,²³ the sole purpose of which is to lessen clinical symptoms associated with the S-1 spike protein, not the actual virus. 

They do not actually impart immunity or inhibit transmissibility of the disease. In other words, they are not designed to keep you from getting sick with SARS-CoV-2; they only are supposed to lessen your infection symptoms if or when you do get infected.^24,25 As such, these products do not meet the medical definition of a vaccine.

Not to worry, though, the Merriam-Webster dictionary recently updated its definition of “vaccine” to include mRNA technology,²⁶ just in time for fact checkers to be able to “debunk” the entirely factual claim of the difference between true vaccines and mRNA technology.

Crazy enough, scientists are already discussing the potential for switching out conventional vaccines that use live or attenuated viruses with this novel RNA technology.²⁷

Considering it’s a gene therapy that turns your cells into little “bioreactors” that spit out immune system activating proteins and have no off-switch, I don’t even want to imagine what might happen if a person were to receive several different ones.

mRNA Therapy Is a Bad Idea, Especially for Children

Aside from the possibility of prion-based diseases, reviewed above, many medical experts warn that mRNA gene therapy can trigger autoimmune problems and a wide range of inflammatory conditions. As just one example, in a recent interview, Judy Mikovits, Ph.D., explained the mechanics that make injecting RNA so hazardous:

“Normally, messenger RNA is not free in your body because it's a danger signal. The central dogma of molecular biology is that our genetic code, DNA, is transcribed, written, into the messenger RNA. That messenger RNA is translated into protein, or used in a regulatory capacity … to regulate gene expression in cells.

So, taking a synthetic messenger RNA and making it thermostable — making it not break down — [is problematic]. We have lots of enzymes (RNAses and DNAses) that degrade free RNA and DNA because those are danger signals to your immune system. They literally drive inflammatory diseases.

Now you've got PEG, PEGylated and polyethylene glycol, and a lipid nanoparticle that will allow it to enter every cell of the body and change the regulation of our own genes with this synthetic RNA, part of which actually is the message for the gene syncytin …

Syncytin is the endogenous gammaretrovirus envelope that's encoded in the human genome … We know that if syncytin is expressed aberrantly in the body, for instance in the brain, which these lipid nanoparticles will go into, then you've got multiple sclerosis. 

The expression of that gene alone enrages microglia — literally inflames and dysregulates the communication between the brain microglia — which are critical for clearing toxins and pathogens in the brain and the communication with astrocytes.

It dysregulates not only the immune system, but also the endocannabinoid system, which is the dimmer switch on inflammation. We've already seen multiple sclerosis as an adverse event in the clinical trials … We also see myalgic encephalomyelitis. Inflammation of the brain and the spinal cord …”

Indeed, many of the side effects being reported are suggestive of neurological damage. Examples include severe dyskinesia (impairment of voluntary movement), ataxia (lack of muscle control) and intermittent or chronic seizures. As explained by Mikovits, these symptoms are caused by neuroinflammation, a dysregulated innate immune response, and/or a disrupted endocannabinoid system.

Another common side effect from the vaccine we’re seeing is allergic reactions, including anaphylactic shock. A likely culprit in this is PEG (polyethylene glycol), to which Mikovitz says an estimated 70% of Americans are allergic.

COVID-19 Vaccine Is an Unnecessary Risk

Overall, with reported severe side effects and deaths climbing by the hundreds every week, it’s astonishing to think that people would voluntarily risk their children in these trials. It’s even more astonishing that public health agencies are pushing for mass inoculation of children with these experimental gene therapies, when there’s no data whatsoever to assure parents that their children’s health won’t be destroyed in years to come.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I suspect this global vaccination campaign will result in an avalanche of chronic health problems and deaths so great that any talk of mandates will have to be abandoned, or rescinded if already implemented.

So, if you care about your and your family’s health, the answer may simply be to put off getting vaccinated against COVID-19 for as long as possible and wait for the inevitable truth to come to light. 

There are several prevention strategies and treatments readily available that have been shown to be highly effective, which means the need for a vaccine in the first place is nearly moot. Among them, nebulized hydrogen peroxide with iodine, which I’ve written about in previous articles, works very well.

For a refresher, see “How Nebulized Peroxide Helps Against Respiratory Infections.” Other treatments include hydroxychloroquine with zinc, ivermectin and the iMASK and MATH+ protocols, which you can learn more about in the linked articles.

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