Chronic pain epidemic, Inflammation blocking backfires, Fetal tissue industry, Feel good fail, Thankful Thursday, Plane landing miracle, Leslie Manookian, Health Freedom Defense Fund, Federal travel mask mandate, Fauci political posturing, Sea squirts, Doors on Mars and MORE!

May 12th, 2022 3-5PM ET

Thursday on The Robert Scott Bell Show:

Chronic pain: The ‘unbearable’ condition affecting one in four Relentless. Unbearable. Overwhelming. These are just some of the words used by the thousands of people who have revealed their battle with long-term, persistent pain. An exclusive survey of over 4,000 adults aged 16-75 for BBC News, carried out by research company Ipsos, suggests that a quarter of people in the UK are living with chronic pain – an often hidden and misunderstood condition. And pain specialists warn the health service is not set up to deal with such complex conditions. They say the treatments on offer are decades behind the science, leaving millions of patients without the support they need to manage their pain. Chronic pain – defined as pain that lasts longer than three months – can drastically change people’s lives. It can be caused by a physical problem – such as a slipped disc, but can also occur with no clear cause – known as primary pain. It destroys careers, breaks up relationships, steals independence and denies people the futures they had imagined. Jen Proudler says chronic pain has left her grieving for “the person she was”. It started four years ago with sporadic back pain, which she managed with the help of hot baths and paracetamol. Now she relies on opioid patches, anti-inflammatories, nerve pain medications and beta-blockers just to get through the day.

Discovery reveals blocking inflammation may lead to chronic pain Using anti-inflammatory drugs and steroids to relieve pain could increase the chances of developing chronic pain, according to researchers from McGill University and colleagues in Italy. Their research puts into question conventional practices used to alleviate pain. Normal recovery from a painful injury involves inflammation and blocking that inflammation with drugs could lead to harder-to-treat pain. “For many decades it’s been standard medical practice to treat pain with anti-inflammatory drugs. But we found that this short-term fix could lead to longer-term problems,” says Jeffrey Mogil, a Professor in the Department of Psychology at McGill University and E. P. Taylor Chair in Pain Studies. The difference between people who get better and don’t In the study published in Science Translational Medicine, the researchers examined the mechanisms of pain in both humans and mice. They found that neutrophils—a type of white blood cell that helps the body fight infection—play a key role in resolving pain. “In analyzing the genes of people suffering from lower back pain, we observed active changes in genes over time in people whose pain went away. Changes in the blood cells and their activity seemed to be the most important factor, especially in cells called neutrophils,” says Luda Diatchenko a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, and Canada Excellence Research Chair in Human Pain Genetics.

How much is the fetal tissue industry driving the abortion debate? According to many polls, Americans remain firmly divided on the questions surrounding abortion. Is abortion a Constitutional right? Or a matter left up to the states? Should abortion be outlawed entirely? Only after a certain point? Or not at all? There’s another question that’s been raised in the past, but is seemingly not discussed as much today. Those in media and politics who advocate for abortion (or as few of restrictions as possible) often use similar language and tactics as pharmaceutical industry interests used during Covid and related vaccine-related issues. So how much of the current abortion discussion is driven by the pharmaceutical industry and others — such as government research institutions — who have a commercial interest in purchasing and/or using aborted fetuses and fetal tissue? The fetal tissue industry and alleged abuses were examined in an investigative report by ABC News 20/20 and Chris Wallace in 2000. That story is not easily found online today, but you can read a news release about the report at the end of this post.

Half a life? Adults only feel good 47% of the time, poll reveal Feeling good is becoming an increasingly rare commodity these days, according to a new survey. In a poll of 2,000 people in the United Kingdom, it turns out adults truly feel good — both mentally and physically — less than half of the time (47%). One in four respondents say they deal with anxiety at least once per week, and 40 percent battle muscle aches on most days. On an especially depressing note, just under six in 10 (57%) say they rarely feel “on top of their game” physically. Another 61 percent have simply accepted that aches and pains are part of their daily life. The poll, put together by MyVybe, also asked respondents why they think they’re in such bad shape. The top answers included not exercising enough, a poor diet, and “not having enough hours in a day.” “It is hard to be 100 per cent at all times and there will be things that bring us down. Especially as we get older, aches and strains and sniffles seem to seek us out more easily than when we were younger,” says a MyVybe spokesperson in a statement. “However, that may also be a case of looking at the past through rose-tinted glasses as many youngsters also report similar issues. There are so many different ways we need to look after ourselves – both mentally and physically – that it can be a full-time job just staying on top of it.”

Thankful Thursday

Passenger With No Flying Experience Lands Plane After Pilot Becomes Incapacitated A man with no flying experience landed a plane at Palm Beach International Airport on Tuesday when the pilot became incapacitated. The FAA said the incident began around noon when the pilot “told his two passengers he wasn’t feeling well. He fell against the controls, putting the aircraft into a nosedive and sharp turn.” A passenger grabbed the controls, pulled the plane out of the nosedive and radioed air traffic control. “I’ve got a serious situation here, my pilot has gone incoherent,” the passenger can be heard saying to air traffic control. “I have no idea how to fly the airplane.” Air traffic controller Robert Morgan was actually on his lunch break but was called in because he’s a flight instructor as well as an air traffic controller. “I rush over there and I walk in and the room is really busy … and they’re like, ‘Hey, this pilot’s incapacitated. The passengers are flying the plane. They have no flying experience,” Morgan told CNN.

Hour 2 – Special Guest – Leslie Manookian

Leslie Manookian, MBA, M.L.C. Hom is president and founder of Health Freedom Defense Fund. She is a former successful Wall Street business executive. Her career in finance took her from New York to London with Goldman Sachs. She later became Director of Alliance Capital in London running their European Growth Portfolio Management and Research businesses.

Leslie is also an award-winning documentary filmmaker. In 2011 she released The Greater Good to rave reviews and awards; a documentary she wrote and produced, which explores the debate surrounding vaccines. This impactful film brings increased awareness to this issue and the importance of health freedom.

Protecting Americans medical and health freedoms inspired Leslie to found Health Freedom Defense Fund. After observing the trampling of our constitutionally protected, inalienable rights for the past two decades, she was filled with trepidation as 2020 unfolded, aware of various pieces of legislation in place which would facilitate further erosion of the rights of Americans. HFDF was the result.

Leslie’s and HFDF’s mission rests on the foundational principle that bodily autonomy is the most sacred and precious of human rights and must be fervently guarded. Leslie and HFDF endeavor each and every day to instill that notion in the public consciousness and codify it in law.

Health Freedom Defense Fund Wins Lawsuit Against Federal Travel Mask Mandate Calling it a “victory for basic American liberty and the rule of law,” the Health Freedom Defense Fund today won a federal lawsuit challenging the federal government’s Travel Mask Mandate. The decision, by a U.S. District Court judge in Florida, invalidated the order by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requiring that masks be worn on airplanes, trains, buses and other travel conveyances and in transportation hubs. “Without any public comment, or serious scientific justification, CDC bureaucrats imposed a sweeping Travel Mask Mandate applying to every American over the age of two,” said HFDF President Leslie Manookian.  “There are laws that set boundaries for federal agencies to protect individual freedom and the Court clearly found that CDC exceeded those limits.  Unelected officials cannot do whatever they like to our personal freedoms just because they claim good motives and a desirable goal.” The lawsuit was brought by HFDF and two individual Florida residents, specifically alleging that the CDC exceeded its statutory authority and failed to abide by the federal Administrative Procedure Act. In her 59-page opinion, Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida detailed how the CDC circumvented the requirements requiring public comment, and how the agency failed to justify the Mask Mandate under the specific language of federal law governing health emergencies. “The Mandate exceeded the CDC’s statutory authority, improperly involved the good cause exception to notice and comment rulemaking and failed to adequately explain its decisions,” Judge Mizell wrote.

Fauci’s Latest Political Posturing to Preserve Power Leslie Manookian, Founder and President of the Health Freedom Defense Fund issued the following statement on Dr. Anthony Fauci’s series of contrasting statements on COVID-19, including that the U.S. is “exiting the pandemic phase”:  What a difference a case makes. Following our win in the travel mask mandate case, the government has been in search of a rationale to preserve the illegal emergency powers it invented during pandemic panic. In recent days, Dr. Fauci has engaged in one pandemic pivot after another, from saying that restrictions could return to announcing that the U.S. is ‘exiting the pandemic phase’ to saying a day later that the pandemic is not over. This inconsistent political posturing has little to do with credible public health guidance and is all about a strategy to ensure that the bureaucracy can make ‘emergency’ powers permanent. In fact, after the ruling, Dr. Fauci stated, ‘The principle of a court overruling a public health judgement by a qualified organization…is disturbing in the precedent it might send.’ But Judge Mizelle ruled CDC never had statutory authority for the mandate in the first place, a point Dr. Fauci seems to have missed. A court finding that the CDC had zero legal authority to compel us to wear masks while traveling was a body blow to the massive federal expansion of power over Americans’ daily lives. As we watch to see if, when, and how the Justice Department will prosecute its appeal of the court’s ruling vacating the mask mandate there is a clear dividing line. We say that the government cannot do what it wants, when it wants, and to whom it wants, even under the guise of public health and pandemic policy. The government believes it has those powers over our lives and is desperately seeking a path to preserve them, at the expense of our bedrock freedoms.

Eating sea squirts reverses signs of cognitive decline and aging Adding sea squirts to your diet could help reverse the signs of aging in your body and the brain, a new study reveals. A team from China and the United States found that supplements containing sea squirts — or ascidians — dramatically improved the cognitive health of mice. It even reversed the graying of their fur! Ascidians are part of an invertebrate family called Ascidiacea. They’re marine animals that often look like potato-shaped tubes which often live in reefs, pier pilings, rocks, or even a ship’s hull. As a food, people can eat these organisms either raw or cooked. They’re a regular ingredient in both Korean and Japanese cuisine. What makes them increasingly important for scientists is the fact that they contain substances called plasmalogens. These are naturally occurring substances which are vital to our bodily processes, including in the heart, brain, and immune system. However, as people age, the number of plasmalogens in the body decreases. Researchers say having fewer plasmalogens is a characteristic doctors see in several different neurodegenerative conditions, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Study authors examined the possible benefits of eating sea squirts by adding plasmalogens to the diets of older mice. Results show the supplements improved both the learning abilities and physical appearance of the aging mice. It’s the first time scientists have shown the positive effect of plasmalogens on the aging brain.

Doorway on Mars? Photo by NASA rover reveals mysterious sighting Is there a doorway on Mars? That’s the question being asked by conspiracists online after NASA released a new picture taken by NASA Curiosity rover. Snapped by the explorer’s Mast Camera (Mastcam) on Sol 3466 (May 7), the grainy image appears to show a cleanly-cut hole in a rockface. There has been no official NASA explanation of the sighting, but that hasn’t stop debate online about just what it shows. One social media user described the scene as “a formation on Mars which appears to be a portal and a wall nearby that looks artificial,” while another concluded “swear to God, there’s at least 5 Martians camouflaged in there.” However, others were more practical, with one Reddit user stating, “it’s obviously not a little door, it’s just a flat piece of broken rock.” The Mars discovery comes at a time that the U.S. Congress is to hold an open hearing next Tuesday about UFOs for the first time in over 50 years. The House Intelligence Committee’s Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation Subcommittee will tackle the subject. “The American people expect and deserve their leaders in government and intelligence to seriously evaluate and respond to any potential national security risks — especially those we do not fully understand,” said Indiana Democratic Rep. André Carson, chairman of the subcommittee, in a statement this week.