lewrockwell--2020-12-24--I Had Covid for 17 Days. Here’s What It Was Like

A lot of folks are out there saying that COVID is a myth , that viruses don ’ t exist ( wth ? )
, or that the whole pandemic has been a scam .
While I strongly disagree with the lockdowns and restrictions on our ability to make a living , there truly is a pretty bad virus out there .
And I know this from personal experience .
I had Covid and I wouldn ’ t wish it on my worst enemy .
It was brutal and I had what would be considered a “ moderate ” case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be used as medical advice or political fodder .
This isn ’ t a treatise about a magical cure being kept secret by Big Pharma nor is it about the Deep State , some villain who cooked up a bioweapon , or any other theory du jour .
My medical and treatment choices may be different than yours .
I ’ m simply relating my experiences .
This virus hits people very differently .
If you were fortunate enough to have a mild case , don ’ t disregard your next door @ @ @ @ @ @ @ damage .
Some people are asymptomatic , some have minor symptoms , some are moderately ill , and some die .
This is definitely not “ just the flu ” for many people .
I never had a case of influenza that took me down like this , particularly not for this length of time .
I don ’ t think that there is a “ typical ” case of Covid because there are so many variables .
The only thing notable about the week before I began to have symptoms was an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been mentioned in any of the literature that I ’ ve read but anecdotally , several other people I spoke with who had a case lasting a few weeks agreed that they ’ d never had a thirst quite like it .
I generally drink 4 liters of water per day .
I was up to 6 liters a day ( that ’ s a gallon and a half of water ! )
as well as electrolyte beverages and still I felt parched .
I was waking up in the middle of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It was a little weird but I didn ’ t think too much of the sudden dehydration .
First of all , to answer the inevitable question , I have no idea how I got Covid .
I work from home .
I have been following the local rules and staying on my property aside from trips to the grocery store .
I haven ’ t been to any gatherings , I wear a mask as required by regulations in the city where I ’ m staying , and I wash my hands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as risk factors go , I have mild asthma , the cough variant kind , where instead of wheezing I sound like I ’ m dying of bronchitis .
I ’ m pretty fit and active and walk 3-5 hilly miles most days , rain or shine , so my lung capacity is good and I don ’ t get winded going up hills or stairs , generally speaking .
I ’ m 51 and could probably stand to lose about 20 pounds but I have no health issues for which I require @ @ @ @ @ @ @ food , get plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables , and limit caffeine to one ( okay two ) cups of coffee per day .
Day 1 : On Monday , the 7th , I started feeling kind of “ off ” for lack of a better word .
I was tired – very , very tired – and I went to bed ridiculously early , at 7 o ’ clock because I just couldn ’ t keep my eyes open .
Day 2 : When I woke up on Tuesday , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it off as the flu or a cold .
I figured a day with chicken soup , peppermint tea , and a nip of Jack Daniels for a stubborn cough would have me right as rain in no time .
At that point , my symptoms were a dry cough , body aches , a very mild sore throat , and an all-encompassing fatigue .
Later in the day , I got so cold that no amount of blankets and heat could warm me up .
I was running a high ( for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the night .
RediMind - Clinically- ... Buy New $ 39.95 ( $ 1.33 / Count ) What it was like to have Covid Days 3-5 : Over the next three days , chills and fever were almost constant .
My joints and muscles hurt .
Getting up to go to the bathroom felt like an expedition up a mountain .
I was tired and winded .
I had very little appetite and even less of an inclination to cook food so I existed mostly on peanut butter and crackers and leftover @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so cold that I shivered violently when I got out from under my bed piled high with blankets .
I had super-weird dreams .
My cough worsened , my head hurt , and my throat was still mildly sore .
I drank lots of water and electrolyte beverages .
My thirst remained unquenchable regardless of how much I drank .
I took vitamins ( C , D3 ) and took Zinc supplements .
These are my regular supplements but I doubled that .
Days 6-9 : The line to get a test at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with people who were coughing up a lung .
There was no way I ’ d be able to stand in that line for an hour , as sick as I felt .
Besides , I figured if I didn ’ t have Covid , I ’ d get it standing in the line so I opted not to be tested .
This part made me think of the worst case of the flu I ever had , except intensified by about four times .
It was terrible .
I usually let a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I felt so awful that I gave in and began treating symptoms .
My normal temp is in the 96s and my temperature throughout these days stayed between 101-103 .
I staggered ibuprofen and acetaminophen , and I also used a mild muscle relaxant and my Ventilyn inhaler .
The meds didn ’ t get rid of my fever but reduced the chills to a tolerable level .
I slept almost around the clock , waking up for a couple of hours here and there to check on website stuff .
Fortunately , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things running for us .
One day blurred into the next and I considered going to the doctor again , but couldn ’ t muster the energy .
I felt like if I just got a little more sleep I ’ d be okay .
My cough was getting far worse and now my ribs and abdominal muscles hurt .
It was a deep painful cough that caused me to clutch my chest every single time inhaled deeply .
Day 10 : I woke up feeling slightly better .
My fever had finally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feeling chilled to the bone .
My cough , however , was even worse than before and I recognized the wheezing sound that meant I was headed for a bout of pneumonia .
I ’ ve got mild asthma and quite often upper respiratory issues end up with pneumonia for me so I know the signs .
I upped the vitamin C and hoped for the best .
The UberAtlas - Dual G ... Buy New $ 24.50 Day 11 : I hadn ’ t been drinking coffee , just peppermint tea and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delicious cup of coffee now that I was feeling better .
Unfortunately , the Keurig at the rental where I ’ m staying seemed to be putting out tinted water .
I was bummed that the coffee was bad but I just refilled my water bottle and went on with my morning .
My cough was horrible .
I decided that I ’ d put it off for as long as was safe and that I was going to need a steroid inhaler to heal my lungs .
I planned to visit the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ morning work on the website .
I made myself some toast with peanut butter to eat before I left because there ’ s nothing worse than going to the doctor hungry and grouchy .
I was texting with my friend while eating and thought , “ This tastes awful .
Why is my toast so bland and sweet ?
Ohhhhhhhhhh…….
” I had lost my sense of taste .
I could pick up slightly sweet or slightly salty flavors but that ’ s it .
Eating only sweet or salty styrofoam is probably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went to the doctor and was diagnosed with Covid and pneumonia , just as I had expected .
My blood oxygen saturation level was 92 .
She prescribed an aggressive regimen and scheduled appointments for the next 4 days to give me injections and check my vitals .
There are more details on the treatment below .
Plot Twist : Did I mention I ’ m in Mexico right now ?
I went to the walk-in clinic recommended by local friends .
Since it was midday , during the week , there was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I basically had the waiting room all to myself .
I typed out my saga in Google Translate and pasted the Spanish version into a document in case I got a doctor who didn ’ t speak English .
I speak some Spanish but not nearly enough to convey all this stuff .
The doctor spoke a little bit of English , which , when combined with my small amount of Spanish and our respective Google Translate apps , got us through the question and answer segment of the appointment .
She was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I was very satisfied with the care I received .
She was concerned that my pulse oximeter reading was low and instructed me on what to look for with my oxygen levels .
She confirmed that I did indeed have both Covid and pneumonia and wrote prescriptions for the treatment of both .
The protocol was : SNAPTAIN SP650 1080P D ... Best Price : $ 75.04 Buy New $ 89.99 • 4-8 grams per day of Vitamin C I received my first injection of antibiotics and steroids there at the clinic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Day 11 , I started perspiring heavily after having begun treatment earlier in the day .
Kind of gross but I ’ m all about the TMI : I was sweating so much it looked like I ’ d been caught in a rainstorm .
At the same time , I was cold and shivering , so I had to stay bundled up .
My temperature was up and down constantly .
Sometime around 2 am I fell into an exhausted sleep .
Day 12 : I woke up on Day 12 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upset .
I was expecting this because corticosteroids always affect me this way .
I took some ibuprofen and an Immodium to manage the side effects because they were well worthwhile .
My deep , uncontrollable cough was far less frequent , and no longer as brutally painful .
As I wrote before , I ’ m very prone to pneumonia because of my asthma , and I ’ ve probably had it more than 30 times in my life .
I ’ ve never responded to treatment as quickly as this , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that I was receiving steroids and antibiotics by injection instead of orally .
My ability to taste was beginning to return – I ’ d say I was about halfway back to normal .
My internal thermostat was still wonky – one minute I was hot and the next I was cold , but at this point , I ’ d had no fever for 36 hours .
I still had the heavy brain fog that makes tasks go a lot more slowly and the possibility of multitasking was completely out of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slow mental feeling I had been fighting through .
I felt like I had much more energy but that was until I tried to do a few things .
It didn ’ t take long before my legs were wobbling , my hands were shaking , and I was feeling tired but not as thoroughly exhausted as before .
I took a little nap then got up to go to my doctor ’ s appointment feeling more clear-headed .
The appointment went extremely well .
My blood oxygen saturation level was up to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ given my condition the day before .
I was deemed no longer contagious and given my second injection of antibiotics and steroids .
The doctor asked me if I exercised a lot and I told him that I walked a few miles most days in the hilly area where I lived .
I was told that my quick rebound in lung capacity was likely related to my good cardiovascular fitness .
Day 13 : I always have difficulty sleeping when taking steroid medications so I slept in a bit on day 13 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ headache again and a bit less energy than the day before .
Today ’ s doctor ’ s appointment also went well with another 99 % reading .
Today was the last steroid injection , thank goodness .
I just had two more injections of antibiotics to go .
My neighbor was beginning to show some symptoms so I stopped and picked up the vitamins that were recommended for me to give to him .
When I got back from my appointment I took my dogs on their first walk in almost two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quick pop-out-to-pee excursion .
I was maybe a bit overly ambitious even though the total walk was less than half a mile .
We went to the dog park where they could run around and I could sit .
Walking back to the condo is uphill and I got pretty winded .
I got back and took a puff off my inhaler and sat down to rest for a bit but it didn ’ t help .
It turned into a bit of an asthma attack that lasted for about an hour .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ my chest three hours later and there was a wheeze to my cough .
It appears that recovery from this is not linear and there ’ ll be some good days and bad days .
While it ’ s something I ’ ve heard others report , it ’ s discouraging .
I was able to finally get some dishes and a load of laundry done , and I called it an early evening .
Day 14 : My improvement had ground to a halt .
The wheeze never left and got a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the doctor ’ s office for my checkup the next morning , they made me stay because my oxygen level was at 89 % .
I was given a medication to control bronchial spasms and a stronger inhaler .
After a couple of hours , my levels were back up and I was allowed to leave .
Nobody really thinks about the oxygen saturation in their blood until they don ’ t have enough of it .
Day 14 was terrible .
I was so tired that walking to the bathroom and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trip up Mt .
Everest .
My oxygen levels were up and down all day , at one point dropping as low as 83 % .
My cognition was fuzzy and I felt terribly depressed .
The depression or change in mental status isn ’ t something that I ’ ve seen a lot written about in the mainstream media .
But think about how much oxygen your brain uses to function and then cut off some of the supply .
Science Daily reports that coronavirus infections can cause delirium and Medscape suggests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could be indicators of the virus attacking the patient ’ s central nervous system .
Some of the causes of mood swings during Covid could be biological and related to the illness itself , but there ’ s also another factor .
People treat you very differently when you have this illness .
The media-propelled fear justifying the lockdowns are every bit as infectious as the virus .
You ’ re like a pariah .
A leper .
People you know wouldn ’ t even consider coming near you .
I have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the door for me , but aside from that , people locally who have done work for me in the past are hesitant to pick up my groceries or handle small errands .
Even some people who are long-distance friends who I talk to online on a daily basis completely disappeared .
Some of them were so adamant that Covid is a “ scamdemic ” they didn ’ t want to hear about my experience .
I didn ’ t expect emotional fallout from having Covid , but it was present , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and on .
Two weeks feels like a really long time to be sick .
I didn ’ t have the energy to make food so I just ate some fruit that was in the refrigerator , followed by saltines .
I drank water , took my drugs , and went to bed early to sleep it off .
Day 15 : My oxygen levels were finally stabilizing a little bit .
Today was to have been my last visit to the doctor but they asked me to return one more day because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The constant feeling of shortness of breath was still present , but the bronchial spasms had subsided .
Johns Hopkins reports that Covid can seriously damage the lungs of survivors .
This damage can be reversed with diligent effort and in severe cases , respiratory therapy may be required .
I began to take my dogs on short walks today .
Normally we move briskly , we run around at the park , we hike down to the water , and we climb back up .
I am definitely not able to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unless I want another repeat of the recent asthma attack .
So we began today taking short , slow walks .
The dogs are overjoyed to be out of the condo , and frankly , so am I .
We managed to walk 1.28 miles over a period of 3 walks today .
It took forever because unless I want to be gasping for air , I had to move slowly , taking a moment to rest on the inclines .
It felt so strange and so unlike me to walk at this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like I was walking with someone ’ s elderly grandmother , but it was me – I was the “ elderly ” person .
But it seems the important thing is the movement .
Day 16 : On Day 16 the line at the clinic was long again , and I opted not to wait for a recheck .
I felt better able to catch my breath and less tired , although I still needed a nap in the middle of the day .
Miles walked : 1.5 .
I walked slowly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ My cough was far less frequent and not as deep when I did cough .
I still didn ’ t really have my appetite back .
I could taste food but it didn ’ t really taste good or flavorful .
Day 17 : I finally woke up feeling almost normal .
I awoke at 6:30 , my usual time , without an alarm clock .
I took the dogs out , grabbed some coffee , and got a bit of work done before my appointment .
I got into the doctor earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He looked at me and said , “ You are feeling much better , I can see it.
” All my stats checked out normally and I was released from Covid and pneumonia care .
I am not under any kind of quarantine because of how long it had been since my symptoms began and since I ’ d run a fever .
I have no other follow-up visits scheduled unless I run into complications .
While I no longer have Covid , the doctor said that it will take a while before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before I became sick .
He warned that post-Covid can be dangerous because I would be susceptible to other upper respiratory infections during this healing stage and to keep up with the high dose Vitamin C , D , and Zinc .
I was to continue walking but not push myself to the point of getting winded for a couple of weeks to give my lungs more time to heal .
My sense of taste has not fully returned .
I still have to take a bronchodilator for another week , as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the US twice a day for the next 3 weeks .
My treatment in Mexico – complete with 7 doctor ’ s visits , prescription medications , and supplements – cost well under $ 300 .
Because I happened to be here when I got sick , I don ’ t have to come up with thousands of dollars or become buried in debt to pay for my healthcare .
I was fortunate .
Despite all the talk about how Covid medical care and testing are covered by the government in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facing enormous bills because it ’ s just not working out that way .
People are getting bills they shouldn ’ t be getting and not being told the charges are covered .
Others are discovering that not everything they were told would be covered , is .
I think that as awful as this illness is , there are other concerns that are falling through the cracks while all attention is focused on this one ailment .
As a nation , our economy is suffering , our mental health is suffering , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we lock ourselves away from others at the behest of the government and as care for other conditions remains nearly impossible to access .
There are a million opinions on this virus , the treatment thereof , the medical system , government restrictions , and other Covid-related minutae .
I sincerely believe we as individuals should have choices about the medical treatment we do or do not receive and how we choose to protect ourselves .
We should have both the right and responsibility to make these decisions .
Reprinted with permission from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Daisy Luther

A lot of folks are out there saying that COVID is a myth, that viruses don’t exist (wth?), or that the whole pandemic has been a scam. While I strongly disagree with the lockdowns and restrictions on our ability to make a living, there truly is a pretty bad virus out there. And I know this from personal experience.
I had Covid and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. It was brutal and I had what would be considered a “moderate” case. This article isn’t meant to be used as medical advice or political fodder. This isn’t a treatise about a magical cure being kept secret by Big Pharma nor is it about the Deep State, some villain who cooked up a bioweapon, or any other theory du jour. My medical and treatment choices may be different than yours. I’m simply relating my experiences.
This virus hits people very differently. If you were fortunate enough to have a mild case, don’t disregard your next door neighbor who ends up with permanent organ damage. Some people are asymptomatic, some have minor symptoms, some are moderately ill, and some die. This is definitely not “just the flu” for many people. I never had a case of influenza that took me down like this, particularly not for this length of time.
I don’t think that there is a “typical” case of Covid because there are so many variables.
The only thing notable about the week before I began to have symptoms was an insatiable thirst. This hasn’t been mentioned in any of the literature that I’ve read but anecdotally, several other people I spoke with who had a case lasting a few weeks agreed that they’d never had a thirst quite like it.
I generally drink 4 liters of water per day. I was up to 6 liters a day (that’s a gallon and a half of water!) as well as electrolyte beverages and still I felt parched. I was waking up in the middle of the night and guzzling a water bottle. It was a little weird but I didn’t think too much of the sudden dehydration.
How it started
First of all, to answer the inevitable question, I have no idea how I got Covid. I work from home. I have been following the local rules and staying on my property aside from trips to the grocery store. I haven’t been to any gatherings, I wear a mask as required by regulations in the city where I’m staying, and I wash my hands at the appropriate times.
As far as risk factors go, I have mild asthma, the cough variant kind, where instead of wheezing I sound like I’m dying of bronchitis. I’m pretty fit and active and walk 3-5 hilly miles most days, rain or shine, so my lung capacity is good and I don’t get winded going up hills or stairs, generally speaking. I’m 51 and could probably stand to lose about 20 pounds but I have no health issues for which I require regular medication. I rarely eat processed food, get plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, and limit caffeine to one (okay two) cups of coffee per day.
Day 1: On Monday, the 7th, I started feeling kind of “off” for lack of a better word. I was tired – very, very tired – and I went to bed ridiculously early, at 7 o’clock because I just couldn’t keep my eyes open.
Day 2: When I woke up on Tuesday, I realized that I was sick and brushed it off as the flu or a cold. I figured a day with chicken soup, peppermint tea, and a nip of Jack Daniels for a stubborn cough would have me right as rain in no time. At that point, my symptoms were a dry cough, body aches, a very mild sore throat, and an all-encompassing fatigue. Later in the day, I got so cold that no amount of blankets and heat could warm me up. I was running a high (for me) fever that kept going up during the night. RediMind - Natural Cog... Buy New $39.95 ($1.33 / Count) (as of 12:32 UTC - Details)
What it was like to have Covid
Days 3-5: Over the next three days, chills and fever were almost constant. My joints and muscles hurt. Getting up to go to the bathroom felt like an expedition up a mountain. I was tired and winded. I had very little appetite and even less of an inclination to cook food so I existed mostly on peanut butter and crackers and leftover soup. I was absolutely exhausted and so cold that I shivered violently when I got out from under my bed piled high with blankets. I had super-weird dreams. My cough worsened, my head hurt, and my throat was still mildly sore.
I drank lots of water and electrolyte beverages. My thirst remained unquenchable regardless of how much I drank. I took vitamins (C, D3) and took Zinc supplements. These are my regular supplements but I doubled that.
Days 6-9: The line to get a test at the local clinic was long and filled with people who were coughing up a lung. There was no way I’d be able to stand in that line for an hour, as sick as I felt. Besides, I figured if I didn’t have Covid, I’d get it standing in the line so I opted not to be tested.
This part made me think of the worst case of the flu I ever had, except intensified by about four times. It was terrible.
I usually let a fever run its course but by Saturday I felt so awful that I gave in and began treating symptoms. My normal temp is in the 96s and my temperature throughout these days stayed between 101-103. I staggered ibuprofen and acetaminophen, and I also used a mild muscle relaxant and my Ventilyn inhaler. The meds didn’t get rid of my fever but reduced the chills to a tolerable level. I slept almost around the clock, waking up for a couple of hours here and there to check on website stuff. Fortunately, I have a wonderful team who kept things running for us. One day blurred into the next and I considered going to the doctor again, but couldn’t muster the energy. I felt like if I just got a little more sleep I’d be okay.
My cough was getting far worse and now my ribs and abdominal muscles hurt. It was a deep painful cough that caused me to clutch my chest every single time inhaled deeply.
Day 10: I woke up feeling slightly better. My fever had finally completely broken and I was no longer feeling chilled to the bone. My cough, however, was even worse than before and I recognized the wheezing sound that meant I was headed for a bout of pneumonia. I’ve got mild asthma and quite often upper respiratory issues end up with pneumonia for me so I know the signs. I upped the vitamin C and hoped for the best. The UberAtlas Dual Gam... Best Price: $16.99 Buy New $19.99 (as of 09:30 UTC - Details)
Day 11: I hadn’t been drinking coffee, just peppermint tea and I was really looking forward to a delicious cup of coffee now that I was feeling better. Unfortunately, the Keurig at the rental where I’m staying seemed to be putting out tinted water. I was bummed that the coffee was bad but I just refilled my water bottle and went on with my morning.
My cough was horrible. I decided that I’d put it off for as long as was safe and that I was going to need a steroid inhaler to heal my lungs. I planned to visit the doctor as soon as I finished my morning work on the website. I made myself some toast with peanut butter to eat before I left because there’s nothing worse than going to the doctor hungry and grouchy. I was texting with my friend while eating and thought, “This tastes awful. Why is my toast so bland and sweet? Ohhhhhhhhhh…….”
I had lost my sense of taste. I could pick up slightly sweet or slightly salty flavors but that’s it. Eating only sweet or salty styrofoam is probably the most effective diet ever.
My doctor’s appointments and treatment
I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with Covid and pneumonia, just as I had expected. My blood oxygen saturation level was 92. She prescribed an aggressive regimen and scheduled appointments for the next 4 days to give me injections and check my vitals. There are more details on the treatment below.
Plot Twist: Did I mention I’m in Mexico right now?
I went to the walk-in clinic recommended by local friends. Since it was midday, during the week, there was just one patient ahead of me. I basically had the waiting room all to myself. I typed out my saga in Google Translate and pasted the Spanish version into a document in case I got a doctor who didn’t speak English. I speak some Spanish but not nearly enough to convey all this stuff.
The doctor spoke a little bit of English, which, when combined with my small amount of Spanish and our respective Google Translate apps, got us through the question and answer segment of the appointment. She was extremely thorough in her exam, and I was very satisfied with the care I received. She was concerned that my pulse oximeter reading was low and instructed me on what to look for with my oxygen levels.
She confirmed that I did indeed have both Covid and pneumonia and wrote prescriptions for the treatment of both.
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5 days of Ceftriaxone (Brand Name: Rocephin) injections (antibiotic)
3 days of Dexamethasone injections (corticosteroids)
4-8 grams per day of Vitamin C
Salmeterol inhaler
Loratadine and ambroxol cough syrup (a combined antihistamine and expectorant)
I received my first injection of antibiotics and steroids there at the clinic.
Day 11 continued: On the night of Day 11, I started perspiring heavily after having begun treatment earlier in the day. Kind of gross but I’m all about the TMI: I was sweating so much it looked like I’d been caught in a rainstorm. At the same time, I was cold and shivering, so I had to stay bundled up. My temperature was up and down constantly. Sometime around 2 am I fell into an exhausted sleep.
Day 12: I woke up on Day 12 with a pounding headache and some intestinal upset. I was expecting this because corticosteroids always affect me this way. I took some ibuprofen and an Immodium to manage the side effects because they were well worthwhile. My deep, uncontrollable cough was far less frequent, and no longer as brutally painful. As I wrote before, I’m very prone to pneumonia because of my asthma, and I’ve probably had it more than 30 times in my life. I’ve never responded to treatment as quickly as this, ever. I think the difference is that I was receiving steroids and antibiotics by injection instead of orally.
My ability to taste was beginning to return – I’d say I was about halfway back to normal. My internal thermostat was still wonky – one minute I was hot and the next I was cold, but at this point, I’d had no fever for 36 hours. I still had the heavy brain fog that makes tasks go a lot more slowly and the possibility of multitasking was completely out of the question. I hated the hazy, slow mental feeling I had been fighting through.
I felt like I had much more energy but that was until I tried to do a few things. It didn’t take long before my legs were wobbling, my hands were shaking, and I was feeling tired but not as thoroughly exhausted as before. I took a little nap then got up to go to my doctor’s appointment feeling more clear-headed.
The appointment went extremely well. My blood oxygen saturation level was up to 99% which thoroughly shocked the doctor given my condition the day before. I was deemed no longer contagious and given my second injection of antibiotics and steroids. The doctor asked me if I exercised a lot and I told him that I walked a few miles most days in the hilly area where I lived. I was told that my quick rebound in lung capacity was likely related to my good cardiovascular fitness.
Day 13: I always have difficulty sleeping when taking steroid medications so I slept in a bit on day 13. I woke up with that lovely corticosteroid headache again and a bit less energy than the day before. Today’s doctor’s appointment also went well with another 99% reading. Today was the last steroid injection, thank goodness. I just had two more injections of antibiotics to go.
My neighbor was beginning to show some symptoms so I stopped and picked up the vitamins that were recommended for me to give to him.
When I got back from my appointment I took my dogs on their first walk in almost two weeks that wasn’t just a quick pop-out-to-pee excursion. I was maybe a bit overly ambitious even though the total walk was less than half a mile. We went to the dog park where they could run around and I could sit. Walking back to the condo is uphill and I got pretty winded.
I got back and took a puff off my inhaler and sat down to rest for a bit but it didn’t help. It turned into a bit of an asthma attack that lasted for about an hour. I could still feel the heaviness in my chest three hours later and there was a wheeze to my cough.
It appears that recovery from this is not linear and there’ll be some good days and bad days. While it’s something I’ve heard others report, it’s discouraging.
I was able to finally get some dishes and a load of laundry done, and I called it an early evening.
Day 14: My improvement had ground to a halt.
The wheeze never left and got a whole lot worse. When I got to the doctor’s office for my checkup the next morning, they made me stay because my oxygen level was at 89%. I was given a medication to control bronchial spasms and a stronger inhaler. After a couple of hours, my levels were back up and I was allowed to leave.
Nobody really thinks about the oxygen saturation in their blood until they don’t have enough of it. Day 14 was terrible. I was so tired that walking to the bathroom and back to the couch felt like a trip up Mt. Everest. My oxygen levels were up and down all day, at one point dropping as low as 83%. My cognition was fuzzy and I felt terribly depressed.
The depression or change in mental status isn’t something that I’ve seen a lot written about in the mainstream media. But think about how much oxygen your brain uses to function and then cut off some of the supply. Science Daily reports that coronavirus infections can cause delirium and Medscape suggests that depression and anxiety in Covid patients could be indicators of the virus attacking the patient’s central nervous system.
Some of the causes of mood swings during Covid could be biological and related to the illness itself, but there’s also another factor.
People treat you very differently when you have this illness. The media-propelled fear justifying the lockdowns are every bit as infectious as the virus. You’re like a pariah. A leper. People you know wouldn’t even consider coming near you. I have a kindly neighbor who has dropped off supplies at the door for me, but aside from that, people locally who have done work for me in the past are hesitant to pick up my groceries or handle small errands.
Even some people who are long-distance friends who I talk to online on a daily basis completely disappeared. Some of them were so adamant that Covid is a “scamdemic” they didn’t want to hear about my experience. I didn’t expect emotional fallout from having Covid, but it was present, particularly as it seemed to go on and on. Two weeks feels like a really long time to be sick.
I didn’t have the energy to make food so I just ate some fruit that was in the refrigerator, followed by saltines. I drank water, took my drugs, and went to bed early to sleep it off.
Day 15: My oxygen levels were finally stabilizing a little bit. Today was to have been my last visit to the doctor but they asked me to return one more day because of the new medications for my lungs. The constant feeling of shortness of breath was still present, but the bronchial spasms had subsided.
Johns Hopkins reports that Covid can seriously damage the lungs of survivors.
COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, can cause lung complications such as pneumonia and, in the most severe cases, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS. Sepsis, another possible complication of COVID-19, can also cause lasting harm to the lungs and other organs. (source)
This damage can be reversed with diligent effort and in severe cases, respiratory therapy may be required.
After a serious case of COVID-19, a patient’s lungs can recover, but not overnight. “Recovery from lung damage takes time,” Galiatsatos says. “There’s the initial injury to the lungs, followed by scarring. Over time, the tissue heals, but it can take three months to a year or more for a person’s lung function to return to pre-COVID-19 levels.” He notes that doctors and patients alike should be prepared for continuing treatment and therapy. “Once the pandemic is over, there will be a group of patients with new health needs: the survivors. Doctors, respiratory therapists and other health care providers will need to help these patients recover their lung function as much as possible.” (source)
I began to take my dogs on short walks today. Normally we move briskly, we run around at the park, we hike down to the water, and we climb back up. I am definitely not able to do that at this point, not unless I want another repeat of the recent asthma attack. So we began today taking short, slow walks. The dogs are overjoyed to be out of the condo, and frankly, so am I.
We managed to walk 1.28 miles over a period of 3 walks today. It took forever because unless I want to be gasping for air, I had to move slowly, taking a moment to rest on the inclines.
It felt so strange and so unlike me to walk at this snail’s pace. I felt like I was walking with someone’s elderly grandmother, but it was me – I was the “elderly” person. But it seems the important thing is the movement.
Doctors don’t yet know how long it will take patients to regain their pre-Covid strength and endurance. In the case of acute respiratory distress syndrome or ARDS, which has been caused by other viruses and has similarities to Covid-19, full recovery can take over a year, but there are no such statistics for Covid yet.
However, the earlier patients start their rehabilitation, the faster they begin to bounce back, which may be another reason for doctors to take them off ventilators sooner, Ms. Al Chikhanie said. That may be possible, especially as scientists understand how to manage the acute infection phase better. (source)
Day 16: On Day 16 the line at the clinic was long again, and I opted not to wait for a recheck. I felt better able to catch my breath and less tired, although I still needed a nap in the middle of the day. Miles walked: 1.5. I walked slowly, trying not to get overly winded.
My cough was far less frequent and not as deep when I did cough. I still didn’t really have my appetite back. I could taste food but it didn’t really taste good or flavorful.
Day 17: I finally woke up feeling almost normal. I awoke at 6:30, my usual time, without an alarm clock. I took the dogs out, grabbed some coffee, and got a bit of work done before my appointment.
I got into the doctor earlier and was the first patient in. He looked at me and said, “You are feeling much better, I can see it.”
All my stats checked out normally and I was released from Covid and pneumonia care. I am not under any kind of quarantine because of how long it had been since my symptoms began and since I’d run a fever. I have no other follow-up visits scheduled unless I run into complications.
While I no longer have Covid, the doctor said that it will take a while before my lung capacity is where it was before I became sick. He warned that post-Covid can be dangerous because I would be susceptible to other upper respiratory infections during this healing stage and to keep up with the high dose Vitamin C, D, and Zinc. I was to continue walking but not push myself to the point of getting winded for a couple of weeks to give my lungs more time to heal. My sense of taste has not fully returned.
I still have to take a bronchodilator for another week, as well as an inhaler that compares to Symbicort in the US twice a day for the next 3 weeks.
Opinions
My treatment in Mexico – complete with 7 doctor’s visits, prescription medications, and supplements – cost well under $300. Because I happened to be here when I got sick, I don’t have to come up with thousands of dollars or become buried in debt to pay for my healthcare. I was fortunate. Despite all the talk about how Covid medical care and testing are covered by the government in the United States, many people are still facing enormous bills because it’s just not working out that way. People are getting bills they shouldn’t be getting and not being told the charges are covered. Others are discovering that not everything they were told would be covered, is.
I think that as awful as this illness is, there are other concerns that are falling through the cracks while all attention is focused on this one ailment. As a nation, our economy is suffering, our mental health is suffering, and our physical health is deteriorating as we lock ourselves away from others at the behest of the government and as care for other conditions remains nearly impossible to access.
There are a million opinions on this virus, the treatment thereof, the medical system, government restrictions, and other Covid-related minutae. I sincerely believe we as individuals should have choices about the medical treatment we do or do not receive and how we choose to protect ourselves. We should have both the right and responsibility to make these decisions.
Reprinted with permission from The Organic Prepper.
The Best of Daisy Luther


lewrockwell--2020-12-24--Will You Eat Cultured Meat Grown From Human Cells?

According to the World Economic Forum — the private , technocratic group leading the global economic “ reset ” agenda — lab-grown , cultured meat is a more sustainable alternative to conventional livestock .
As noted on its website:1 Fake Meat Is a Catastrophe for Your Metabolic Health Excess omega-6 fat in the form of linoleic acid ( LA ) is one of the most significant contributors to metabolic dysfunction .
It is literally a metabolic poison that , in my opinion , is the primary contributor to the epidemic in chronic disease we have seen in the past 150 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this topic , I ’ m currently writing a new book with Chris Knobbe about this that will be out next year .
Dimension - A 3D Fast- ... Buy New $ 36.72 Our LA consumption 150 years ago was between 2 and 3 grams per day .
Today it is 10 to 20 times higher .
This leads to severe mitochondrial dysfunction , insulin resistance , decreased NAD+ levels , obesity and a radical decrease in your ability to generate cellular energy .
It is obvious that fake meat requires basic substrates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ food .
The genetic engineering is primarily done to reproduce the flavor and texture composition of real meat .
What this process fails to do on steroids is reproduce the healthy fatty acid composition of real meat .
Why ?
Because they are using canola and safflower as the primary source of fats for their products .
The safflower oil used in Beyond Meats is nearly 80 % LA .
The canola oil used in the Impossible Burger is only 21 % LA , so it should be better but both are extraordinarily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be exponentially better served by selecting real meat that is organic and humanely raised .
This is because the LA content of beef and bison is extraordinarily low and , in my view , one of the primary reasons they are so healthy for you .
This is largely because excess LA is extraordinarily susceptible to oxidation and causes very dangerous oxidation by products called OXLAMs ( oxidative linoleic acid metabolites ) that devastate your DNA , proteins , mitochondria and cellular membranes .
A half-pound serving of organic grass fed beef @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of LA ( 500 mg ) .
Compare this to a serving of an Impossible Burger or Beyond Meat burger , which have 10 to 20 times the amount of LA.3 So not only is fake meat failing all the measures discussed in the rest of this article but it is also adding to the catastrophic metabolic deterioration of your health caused by other processed and ultraprocessed foods .
I recently interviewed Tucker Goodrich about the dangers of LA , so for more information , refer back to that interview .
Over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of start-up companies have joined the brave new world movement to replace real meat with ultraprocessed imitation meats “ grown ” through a variety of means .
Razer Basilisk X Hyper ... Best Price : $ 35.19 Buy New $ 39.99 Among them are the Israeli company Aleph Farms , which in mid-2019 introduced the first lab-grown steak,4 the Singaporean company Shiok Meats , which specializes in lab-grown shrimp,5 and Beyond Meat , which produces imitation beef , pork and chicken in its Chinese facilities .
Then there ’ s the Impossible Burger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) soy , which is now available in burger chains,6 restaurants,7 grocers8 and Target stores9 across the U.S .
Despite claims of sustainability , a careful review of its 2019 Impact Report10 and other data11,12,13 reveals this soy-based “ meat ” actually causes greater environmental harm than organic grass fed beef production , which has net negative emissions after all relevant factors are taken into account.14 A Carbon Footprint Evaluation report15 for White Oak Pastures — an organic , grass fed livestock operation — shows that when you include enteric emissions , manure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carbon , miscellaneous farm activities , slaughter and transport , the total net carbon emissions from this type of beef production has a negative 3.5 kilos of carbon emissions per kilo of fresh meat .
This makes this integrated , holistic system six times more carbon efficient than the average CAFO ( confined animal feeding operation ) production model.16 The same can not be said for GE soy .
Data also show GE soybean and corn farms are a primary source of water17 and air pollution,18 and are primary destroyers of grasslands and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activity required for the optimal sequestering of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into our rangelands and pasturelands , while GE soy production is associated with resistant super weeds21 and super pests and uncontrollable cross contamination .
Taken together , these data prove that if sustainability and environmental protection are in fact priorities , then regenerative farming practices that incorporate grazing herds are the way to go , not fake meat and junk food manufacturing .
Fake Meat Is Another Effort to Control Food Supply Considering everything we know , why won ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ biodynamic farming proven to have a beneficial impact on the environment , climate and human health ?
It seems like doing so would be a no-brainer .
Lightning Reaction Rel ... Best Price : $ 33.24 Buy New $ 34.99 The answer , unfortunately , is that it ’ s not really about doing what ’ s best for the planet or its inhabitants .
It ’ s about wealth and power building .
In short , the rise of fake meat is yet another attempt at controlling the global food supply through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been genetically altered and patented .
Once living animals are eliminated and replaced with patented plant-derived alternatives — just like tradable heirloom and conventional seeds were replaced with patented seeds you have to pay for each season — private companies will effectively control the food supply in its entirety , and they will be the ones profiting from it rather than farmers .
By controlling the food supply , private corporations will ultimately have the ability to control countries and entire populations .
If we allow this trend to continue , biotech companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the equation .
Looking down the road , it ’ s easy to see that patented foods actually threaten food security .
They don ’ t strengthen it at all .
Environmentalist and anti-GMO activist Vandana Shiva , Ph.D. , is an outspoken critic22 of the industrial food movement and the GE food takeover specifically , highlighting the many social and environmental problems a patented food system creates .
As noted by Shiva in a June 18 , 2019 , article,23 “ Biodiversity-intensive and poison-free agriculture … produces more nutrition per acre @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the path to ‘ Zero Hunger ’ … ” She also points out that while industrial agriculture uses 75 % of available farmland , it produces just 30 % of the food we actually eat .
Indeed , when it comes to nutrition and health , there ’ s absolutely no reason to believe any of these imitation meats will be better — or even equal — to real meat .
Any food that isn ’ t directly from the vine , ground , bush , tree , body of water or an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the amount of change the food undergoes , processing may be minimal or significant .
A hallmark of ultraprocessed foods is their long ingredient lists .
Products at the far end of the “ significantly altered ” spectrum have been robustly linked to obesity,25 ill health and early death in a number of studies.26,27,28,29,30 For example , in one study,31,32,33,34 which included 104,980 participants followed for an average of five years , each 10 % increase in ultraprocessed food intake raised the cancer rate by 12 % , which worked out to nine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year .
The risk of breast cancer specifically went up by 11 % for every 10 % increase in ultraprocessed food .
While sugar and unhealthy fats ( vegetable oils ) are key staple ingredients suspected of causing these effects , there ’ s every reason to believe fake meat has a similar impact as I referenced in the section above .
If you click on the link to the reference I quoted , you can see all the unhealthy ingredients that are loaded into it .
All of these factors place fake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Now , in a move reminiscent of something straight out of the dystopian film “ Soylent Green , ” scientists are even working on meat grown from human cells harvested from the inside of your cheek.35,36 The inventors of this grisly product — presented as “ art , ” for the time being — are Andrew Pelling , a scientist and founder of the biotech company Spiderwort , Grace Knight , an industrial designer , and Orkan Telhan , an artist .
As reported by Tech Times , November 22 , 2020:37 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commercially available , but one wonders what possessed someone to even think this might be a viable idea .
Would you eat a lump of meat made from your own body ?
Critics have raised questions about whether this would be considered cannibalism .
Defenders of the concept claim it ’ s not , since it ’ s grown from your own cells.39 However , if this concept ever does become commercially available , what ’ s to prevent you from growing meat using other people ’ s cells ?
Is it only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of someone other than yourself ?
These tricky debates aside , the ick factor alone will likely prevent this concept from taking off .
Tech Times points out that this particular concept also isn ’ t nearly as animal-friendly as people might think , as the human cells are grown in fetal bovine serum — blood extracted from unborn calf fetuses.40 An alternative might be to use expired human blood from blood banks.41 In her 2019 article,42 Shiva discussed the progressive attempts at industrializing the global food system with more fake foods and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inevitably follows : When you look at the whole ecological cycle — of which grazing herds are a crucial part — you can clearly see how industrial agriculture and fake meat manufacturing are key drivers of progressive destruction , yet this destructive cycle is defended in the name of affordable food and the need to feed a growing population .
While we certainly need to maximize food production in affordable ways , what ’ s being proposed is incredibly short-sighted as it shifts all food production into laboratories and factories that produce patented @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reach the population at large .
One also has to wonder whether humans will be able to live long productive lives eating an all-fake diet .
Think about it .
Grain production is already dominated by patented GE grains .
Add to that imitation “ milk ” and “ egg ” products and imitation beef , poultry and seafood and what real food do you have left ?
Fruits and vegetables , basically , but even these foods will eventually become fair game for reengineering and patenting .
It ’ s a dangerous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security and global health .
For years , I have advocated for an organic ( or better yet biodynamic ) diet to optimize your health , avoid common health problems , help regenerate the environment and normalize climate .
Choosing organic foods reduces your exposure to pesticides , herbicides , GE ingredients , synthetic food additives and nano ingredients , many of which do not appear on the food label .
In addition to protecting the environment and rebuilding soil , buying organic also supports animal welfare and promotes biodiversity of plants and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ substitutes as the lesser of two evils when compared to the concentrated animal feeding operations currently dominating the market , altering the natural order of the lifecycle is not the answer .
Analyses on regenerative agriculture have demonstrated holistic herd management as having a positive impact on the environment and producing healthy meat and dairy products .
Ultimately , fake food contributes to the rising number of people who suffer from diet-related health conditions such as diabetes , heart disease and obesity .
For health reasons , ecological reasons and your future , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for real beef raised using regenerative farming practices .
When you do shop for meat , look for a local organic farmer or Demeter ( biodynamic ) and American Grassfed Association ( AGA ) certified meats .
These accreditations designate foods produced under high-quality , sustainable and environmentally sound practices .
The Best of Joseph Mercola

According to the World Economic Forum — the private, technocratic group leading the global economic “reset” agenda — lab-grown, cultured meat is a more sustainable alternative to conventional livestock. As noted on its website:1
“As the world looks to reset its economy, along with food systems, in a cleaner way post-pandemic, one more sustainable solution coming to fruition is cultured meat … Cultured meat takes much less time to grow, uses fewer of the planet’s resources, and no animals are slaughtered.”
Fake Meat Is a Catastrophe for Your Metabolic Health
Excess omega-6 fat in the form of linoleic acid (LA) is one of the most significant contributors to metabolic dysfunction. It is literally a metabolic poison that, in my opinion, is the primary contributor to the epidemic in chronic disease we have seen in the past 150 years. I am so passionate about this topic, I’m currently writing a new book with Chris Knobbe about this that will be out next year. Dimension - A 3D Fast-... Buy New $26.24 (as of 12:32 UTC - Details)
Our LA consumption 150 years ago was between 2 and 3 grams per day. Today it is 10 to 20 times higher. This leads to severe mitochondrial dysfunction, insulin resistance, decreased NAD+ levels, obesity and a radical decrease in your ability to generate cellular energy.
It is obvious that fake meat requires basic substrates or building blocks to create the actual food. The genetic engineering is primarily done to reproduce the flavor and texture composition of real meat. What this process fails to do on steroids is reproduce the healthy fatty acid composition of real meat. Why?
Because they are using canola and safflower as the primary source of fats for their products. The safflower oil used in Beyond Meats is nearly 80% LA. The canola oil used in the Impossible Burger is only 21% LA, so it should be better but both are extraordinarily loaded with unhealthy levels of LA.2
You would be exponentially better served by selecting real meat that is organic and humanely raised. This is because the LA content of beef and bison is extraordinarily low and, in my view, one of the primary reasons they are so healthy for you.
This is largely because excess LA is extraordinarily susceptible to oxidation and causes very dangerous oxidation by products called OXLAMs (oxidative linoleic acid metabolites) that devastate your DNA, proteins, mitochondria and cellular membranes.
A half-pound serving of organic grass fed beef will provide less than HALF a gram of LA (500 mg). Compare this to a serving of an Impossible Burger or Beyond Meat burger, which have 10 to 20 times the amount of LA.3
So not only is fake meat failing all the measures discussed in the rest of this article but it is also adding to the catastrophic metabolic deterioration of your health caused by other processed and ultraprocessed foods. I recently interviewed Tucker Goodrich about the dangers of LA, so for more information, refer back to that interview.
Fake Meat Industry Offers No Real Solutions
Over the past several years, a growing number of start-up companies have joined the brave new world movement to replace real meat with ultraprocessed imitation meats “grown” through a variety of means. Razer Basilisk X Hyper... Best Price: $42.00 Buy New $36.99 (as of 12:47 UTC - Details)
Among them are the Israeli company Aleph Farms, which in mid-2019 introduced the first lab-grown steak,4 the Singaporean company Shiok Meats, which specializes in lab-grown shrimp,5 and Beyond Meat, which produces imitation beef, pork and chicken in its Chinese facilities.
Then there’s the Impossible Burger, made with genetically engineered (GE) soy, which is now available in burger chains,6 restaurants,7 grocers8 and Target stores9 across the U.S.
Despite claims of sustainability, a careful review of its 2019 Impact Report10 and other data11,12,13 reveals this soy-based “meat” actually causes greater environmental harm than organic grass fed beef production, which has net negative emissions after all relevant factors are taken into account.14
A Carbon Footprint Evaluation report15 for White Oak Pastures — an organic, grass fed livestock operation — shows that when you include enteric emissions, manure emissions, soil carbon capture, vegetation carbon, miscellaneous farm activities, slaughter and transport, the total net carbon emissions from this type of beef production has a negative 3.5 kilos of carbon emissions per kilo of fresh meat.
This makes this integrated, holistic system six times more carbon efficient than the average CAFO (confined animal feeding operation) production model.16 The same cannot be said for GE soy. Data also show GE soybean and corn farms are a primary source of water17 and air pollution,18 and are primary destroyers of grasslands and forests.19,20
Regenerative grazing is actually a key activity required for the optimal sequestering of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into our rangelands and pasturelands, while GE soy production is associated with resistant super weeds21 and super pests and uncontrollable cross contamination.
Taken together, these data prove that if sustainability and environmental protection are in fact priorities, then regenerative farming practices that incorporate grazing herds are the way to go, not fake meat and junk food manufacturing.
Fake Meat Is Another Effort to Control Food Supply
Considering everything we know, why won’t our leaders support organic, regenerative, biodynamic farming proven to have a beneficial impact on the environment, climate and human health? It seems like doing so would be a no-brainer. Lightning Reaction Rel... Buy New $39.99 (as of 10:02 UTC - Details)
The answer, unfortunately, is that it’s not really about doing what’s best for the planet or its inhabitants. It’s about wealth and power building. In short, the rise of fake meat is yet another attempt at controlling the global food supply through patents, just like staple grains have been genetically altered and patented.
Once living animals are eliminated and replaced with patented plant-derived alternatives — just like tradable heirloom and conventional seeds were replaced with patented seeds you have to pay for each season — private companies will effectively control the food supply in its entirety, and they will be the ones profiting from it rather than farmers.
By controlling the food supply, private corporations will ultimately have the ability to control countries and entire populations. If we allow this trend to continue, biotech companies will eventually push farmers and ranchers out of the equation.
Looking down the road, it’s easy to see that patented foods actually threaten food security. They don’t strengthen it at all.
Environmentalist and anti-GMO activist Vandana Shiva, Ph.D., is an outspoken critic22 of the industrial food movement and the GE food takeover specifically, highlighting the many social and environmental problems a patented food system creates.
As noted by Shiva in a June 18, 2019, article,23 “Biodiversity-intensive and poison-free agriculture … produces more nutrition per acre while rejuvenating the planet. It shows the path to ‘Zero Hunger’ …” She also points out that while industrial agriculture uses 75% of available farmland, it produces just 30% of the food we actually eat.
“Meanwhile, small, biodiverse farms using 25% of the land provide 70% of the food,” she writes.24 “At this rate, if the share of industrial agriculture and industrial food in our diet is increased to 45%, we will have a dead planet. One with no life and no food.
The mad rush for Fake Food and Fake Meat, ignorant of the diversity of our foods and food cultures, and the role of biodiversity in maintaining our health, is a recipe for accelerating the destruction of the planet and our health.”
Fake Meat Is Ultraprocessed Food
Indeed, when it comes to nutrition and health, there’s absolutely no reason to believe any of these imitation meats will be better — or even equal — to real meat.
Products at the far end of the “significantly altered” spectrum have been robustly linked to obesity, ill health and early death. Hasbro Hearing Things ... Hasbro Check Amazon for Pricing.
Any food that isn’t directly from the vine, ground, bush, tree, body of water or an animal is considered processed. Depending on the amount of change the food undergoes, processing may be minimal or significant. A hallmark of ultraprocessed foods is their long ingredient lists.
Products at the far end of the “significantly altered” spectrum have been robustly linked to obesity,25 ill health and early death in a number of studies.26,27,28,29,30
For example, in one study,31,32,33,34 which included 104,980 participants followed for an average of five years, each 10% increase in ultraprocessed food intake raised the cancer rate by 12%, which worked out to nine additional cancer cases per 10,000 people per year. The risk of breast cancer specifically went up by 11% for every 10% increase in ultraprocessed food.
While sugar and unhealthy fats (vegetable oils) are key staple ingredients suspected of causing these effects, there’s every reason to believe fake meat has a similar impact as I referenced in the section above. If you click on the link to the reference I quoted, you can see all the unhealthy ingredients that are loaded into it. All of these factors place fake meat squarely in the higher-risk ultraprocessed category.
Enter Human Cell-Based Meat
Now, in a move reminiscent of something straight out of the dystopian film “Soylent Green,” scientists are even working on meat grown from human cells harvested from the inside of your cheek.35,36
The inventors of this grisly product — presented as “art,” for the time being — are Andrew Pelling, a scientist and founder of the biotech company Spiderwort, Grace Knight, an industrial designer, and Orkan Telhan, an artist. As reported by Tech Times, November 22, 2020:37
“A new ‘DIY meal kit’ that can be used to grow steaks that are made mostly from human cells was just recently nominated by the London-based Design Museum as the ‘design of the year.’38
Called ‘Ouroboros Steak,’ this is named right after the circular symbol of a snake known for eating itself tail-first. This hypothetical kit would later on come with everything that one person would need in order to use their own cells to grow miniature human meat steaks …”
The human-cell steak kits are not yet commercially available, but one wonders what possessed someone to even think this might be a viable idea. Would you eat a lump of meat made from your own body? Critics have raised questions about whether this would be considered cannibalism. Defenders of the concept claim it’s not, since it’s grown from your own cells.39
However, if this concept ever does become commercially available, what’s to prevent you from growing meat using other people’s cells? Is it only cannibalism if you eat the cloned meat of someone other than yourself? These tricky debates aside, the ick factor alone will likely prevent this concept from taking off.
Tech Times points out that this particular concept also isn’t nearly as animal-friendly as people might think, as the human cells are grown in fetal bovine serum — blood extracted from unborn calf fetuses.40 An alternative might be to use expired human blood from blood banks.41
Real Food = Life
In her 2019 article,42 Shiva discussed the progressive attempts at industrializing the global food system with more fake foods and fake meats, and the destruction that inevitably follows:
“Food is not a commodity, it is not ‘stuff’ put together mechanically and artificially in labs and factories. Food is life. Food holds the contributions of all beings that make the food web, and it holds the potential of maintaining and regenerating the web of life.
Food also holds the potential for health and disease, depending on how it was grown and processed … As an ancient Upanishad reminds us ‘Everything is food, everything is something else’s food’ Hippocrates said ‘Let food be thy medicine.’ In Ayurveda, India’s ancient science of life, food is called ‘sarvausadha’ the medicine that cures all disease.
Industrial food systems have reduced food to a commodity, to ‘stuff’ that can then be constituted in the lab. In the process both the planet’s health and our health has been nearly destroyed.
75% of the planetary destruction of soil, water, biodiversity, and 50% of greenhouse gas emissions come from industrial agriculture, which also contributes to 75% of food related chronic diseases.”
When you look at the whole ecological cycle — of which grazing herds are a crucial part — you can clearly see how industrial agriculture and fake meat manufacturing are key drivers of progressive destruction, yet this destructive cycle is defended in the name of affordable food and the need to feed a growing population.
While we certainly need to maximize food production in affordable ways, what’s being proposed is incredibly short-sighted as it shifts all food production into laboratories and factories that produce patented foods, the profits of which never reach the population at large.
One also has to wonder whether humans will be able to live long productive lives eating an all-fake diet. Think about it. Grain production is already dominated by patented GE grains. Add to that imitation “milk” and “egg” products and imitation beef, poultry and seafood and what real food do you have left?
Fruits and vegetables, basically, but even these foods will eventually become fair game for reengineering and patenting. It’s a dangerous trend that poses tremendous risks to food security and global health.
Choose Organic, Biodynamic and/or Grass Fed
For years, I have advocated for an organic (or better yet biodynamic) diet to optimize your health, avoid common health problems, help regenerate the environment and normalize climate. Choosing organic foods reduces your exposure to pesticides, herbicides, GE ingredients, synthetic food additives and nano ingredients, many of which do not appear on the food label.
In addition to protecting the environment and rebuilding soil, buying organic also supports animal welfare and promotes biodiversity of plants and wildlife. Although many see lab-created meat substitutes as the lesser of two evils when compared to the concentrated animal feeding operations currently dominating the market, altering the natural order of the lifecycle is not the answer.
Analyses on regenerative agriculture have demonstrated holistic herd management as having a positive impact on the environment and producing healthy meat and dairy products.
Ultimately, fake food contributes to the rising number of people who suffer from diet-related health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity. For health reasons, ecological reasons and your future, I recommend skipping meat alternatives and opting for real beef raised using regenerative farming practices.
When you do shop for meat, look for a local organic farmer or Demeter (biodynamic) and American Grassfed Association (AGA) certified meats. These accreditations designate foods produced under high-quality, sustainable and environmentally sound practices.
Sources and References
The Best of Dr. Joseph Mercola


Resisting Jesus

Subtracting Christianity : Essays on American Culture and Society — As always in our time , Christmas is provoking dissent from people who don ’ t want Christian symbols on public property or Christmas carols sung in public schools .
Many Christians find this annoying and churlish .
Some even feel that Christianity is being persecuted .
The columnist Michelle Malkin writes , “ We are under attack by Secularist Grinches Gone Wild.
” Pat Buchanan goes so far as to speak of “ hate crimes ” against Christians .
I disagree .
In some parts of the world , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are being persecuted , even murdered .
But what is going on in America ’ s symbolic opposition to Christianity is something different .
Miracles Lewis , C. S. Best Price : $ 1.95 Buy New $ 7.00 Sometimes I think the anti-Christian forces take Christ more seriously than most nominal Christians do .
The Western world , including many of those who consider themselves Christians , has turned Christmas into a bland holiday of mere niceness .
If you don ’ t get into the spirit , you ’ re likely to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reaction to Christ is to reject him .
He said so .
In fact , when he was taken to the Temple as an infant , St. Simeon prophesied that he would be a center of contention .
Later he predicted his own death and told his followers they must expect persecution too .
His bitterest enemies weren ’ t atheists ; they were the most religious men of his age , the Pharisees , who considered his claims blasphemous — as , by their lights , they were .
Nice ?
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He performed miracles of love and mercy , but he also warned of eternal damnation , attacked and insulted the Pharisees , and could rebuke even people who adored him in words that can only make us cringe .
To many , he was a threat .
He still is .
We honor him more by acknowledging his explosive presence than by making him a mere symbol of nice manners .
At every step of his ministry , he made enemies and brought his crucifixion closer .
People weren ’ t crucified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : 10 Wo ... Jakes , T. D. Best Price : $ 17.33 Buy New $ 16.78 Some people think you can take Christ ’ s “ teachings ” and ignore his miracles as if they were fables .
But this is to confuse the Sermon on the Mount with the Democratic Party platform .
Chief among his teachings was his claim to be God ’ s son : “ I and the Father are one.
” “ Nobody comes to the Father except through me.
” His teachings are inseparable from his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves are miraculous .
Nobody had ever made such claims before , enraging pious Pharisees and baffling his pious disciples at the same time .
After feeding thousands with the miraculous loaves and fishes , he announced that he himself was “ the bread of life.
” Unless you ate his flesh and drank his blood , he warned , you have no life in you .
This amazing teaching was too much .
It cost him many of his disciples on the spot .
He didn ’ t try to coax them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speaking figuratively , because he wasn ’ t .
He was foretelling the Last Supper .
At virtually every step of his ministry , Christ accompanied his words with miracles .
And the remarkable thing is that his enemies disputed the words rather than the miracles .
Of the wonders he performed , there was no doubt ; they attracted , and were witnessed by , large crowds .
It was their meaning that was controversial .
The blind saw , the deaf heard , cripples walked , lepers were healed .
Where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these things ?
From God or the devil ?
He used them to certify his power to forgive sins , the claim his critics — enemies , rather — first found outrageous .
His claims still reverberate .
The Gospels attest the total coherence of his mission , the perfect harmony between his words and his deeds , even the careful order of his progressive self-disclosure .
His modern enemies , many of them professed Christians , don ’ t try to disprove the miracles ; they simply assume he never performed them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he never spoke many of the words the Gospels record him as saying .
The Power of Your Subc ... Murphy , Joseph Best Price : $ 3.00 Buy New $ 4.25 This skeptical attack floors me .
The poet Tennyson remarked that Christ ’ s greatest miracle was his personality .
Could anyone else — the four simple authors of the Gospels , for example — have made him up , and put such resonant words in his mouth ?
“ Heaven and earth will pass away , but my words will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another claim that seems to be holding up pretty well .
Such a strong , indeed unique , personality could only meet strong — and unique — resistance .
This is why Christians shouldn ’ t resent the natural resistance of those who refuse to celebrate his birth .
In their way , those people are his witnesses too .
This article , which was published originally by Griffin Internet Syndicate on December 23 , 2004 , is one of 117 essays in the anthology of Sobran ’ s columns titled Subtracting Christianity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( FGF Books , 2015 ) .
The Best of Joseph Sobran

Subtracting Christianity: Essays on American Culture and Society — As always in our time, Christmas is provoking dissent from people who don’t want Christian symbols on public property or Christmas carols sung in public schools.
Many Christians find this annoying and churlish. Some even feel that Christianity is being persecuted.
The columnist Michelle Malkin writes, “We are under attack by Secularist Grinches Gone Wild.” Pat Buchanan goes so far as to speak of “hate crimes” against Christians.
I disagree. In some parts of the world, from Sudan to China, Christians really are being persecuted, even murdered. But what is going on in America’s symbolic opposition to Christianity is something different.
Miracles Lewis, C. S. Best Price: $0.95 Buy New $6.08 (as of 09:14 UTC - Details) Sometimes I think the anti-Christian forces take Christ more seriously than most nominal Christians do. The Western world, including many of those who consider themselves Christians, has turned Christmas into a bland holiday of mere niceness. If you don’t get into the spirit, you’re likely to be called a Scrooge.
The natural reaction to Christ is to reject him. He said so. In fact, when he was taken to the Temple as an infant, St. Simeon prophesied that he would be a center of contention. Later he predicted his own death and told his followers they must expect persecution too.
His bitterest enemies weren’t atheists; they were the most religious men of his age, the Pharisees, who considered his claims blasphemous — as, by their lights, they were.
Nice? That’s hardly the word for Jesus. He performed miracles of love and mercy, but he also warned of eternal damnation, attacked and insulted the Pharisees, and could rebuke even people who adored him in words that can only make us cringe.
To many, he was a threat. He still is. We honor him more by acknowledging his explosive presence than by making him a mere symbol of nice manners. At every step of his ministry, he made enemies and brought his crucifixion closer. People weren’t crucified for being nice.
The negative witnesses
When Women Pray: 10 Wo... Jakes, T. D. Best Price: $1.49 Buy New $11.99 (as of 09:47 UTC - Details) Some people think you can take Christ’s “teachings” and ignore his miracles as if they were fables. But this is to confuse the Sermon on the Mount with the Democratic Party platform. Chief among his teachings was his claim to be God’s son: “I and the Father are one.” “Nobody comes to the Father except through me.”
His teachings are inseparable from his miracles; in fact, his teachings themselves are miraculous. Nobody had ever made such claims before, enraging pious Pharisees and baffling his pious disciples at the same time. After feeding thousands with the miraculous loaves and fishes, he announced that he himself was “the bread of life.” Unless you ate his flesh and drank his blood, he warned, you have no life in you.
This amazing teaching was too much. It cost him many of his disciples on the spot. He didn’t try to coax them back by explaining that he was only speaking figuratively, because he wasn’t. He was foretelling the Last Supper.
At virtually every step of his ministry, Christ accompanied his words with miracles. And the remarkable thing is that his enemies disputed the words rather than the miracles. Of the wonders he performed, there was no doubt; they attracted, and were witnessed by, large crowds. It was their meaning that was controversial.
The blind saw, the deaf heard, cripples walked, lepers were healed. Where did he get the power to do these things? From God or the devil? He used them to certify his power to forgive sins, the claim his critics — enemies, rather — first found outrageous.
His claims still reverberate. The Gospels attest the total coherence of his mission, the perfect harmony between his words and his deeds, even the careful order of his progressive self-disclosure. His modern enemies, many of them professed Christians, don’t try to disprove the miracles; they simply assume he never performed them. And now some of them assume he never spoke many of the words the Gospels record him as saying. The Power of Your Subc... Murphy, Joseph Check Amazon for Pricing.
This skeptical attack floors me. The poet Tennyson remarked that Christ’s greatest miracle was his personality. Could anyone else — the four simple authors of the Gospels, for example — have made him up, and put such resonant words in his mouth? “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” That’s another claim that seems to be holding up pretty well.
Such a strong, indeed unique, personality could only meet strong — and unique — resistance. This is why Christians shouldn’t resent the natural resistance of those who refuse to celebrate his birth. In their way, those people are his witnesses too.
###
This article, which was published originally by Griffin Internet Syndicate on December 23, 2004, is one of 117 essays in the anthology of Sobran’s columns titled Subtracting Christianity: Essays on American Culture and Society (FGF Books, 2015).
The Best of Joseph Sobran