Monkeypox pandemic push, WHO emergency, Menstrual changes, PFAS warning, Pesticide microbiome, Chemical cocktails, Armpit hair, Hour 2 ENCORE – Dr. Simone Gold, America’s Frontline Doctors, Unjust prison sentence, Jan 6 narrative and MORE!
July 17th, 2022 3-5PM ET
Sunday on The Robert Scott Bell Show:
‘Shocking’ Monkeypox Screw-Up Means We Need to Admit We Now Face Two Pandemics We blew our chance to quickly contain monkeypox. Now the dangerous virus is spreading fast all over the world. Health experts agree: the outbreak could soon qualify as a pandemic, if it doesn’t already. And the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better. More infections, more deaths, more chances for the pox to mutate. “We are in uncharted territory with this outbreak… and still early in the event,” James Lawler, an infectious disease expert and a colleague of Wiley at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, told The Daily Beast. The latest figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control are startling. The CDC tallied 9,647 infections as of July 11. That’s a fourfold increase compared to just a month ago. The virus, which causes a rash and fever and can be fatal in a very small percentage of cases, is in 63 countries—57 of which don’t usually have any monkeypox cases. Cases are concentrated in West and Central Africa—where the virus is endemic—as well as in Europe, where the current outbreak began in May. But the U.S. is logging a startling number of cases, as well: 865 in 39 states, according to the CDC. That’s five times as many as a month ago.
WHO to reconvene monkeypox emergency panel on July 21 The World Health Organization said Thursday it would reconvene its expert monkeypox committee on July 21 to decide whether the outbreak constitutes a global health emergency. A second meeting of the WHO’s emergency committee on monkeypox will be held, with the UN health agency now aware of 9,200 cases in 63 countries at the last update issued Tuesday. A surge in monkeypox infections has been reported since early May outside the West and Central African countries where the disease has long been endemic. On June 23, the WHO convened an emergency committee of experts to decide if monkeypox constitutes a so-called Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) — the highest alarm that the WHO can sound. But a majority advised the WHO’s chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that the situation, at that point, had not met that threshold. Now a second meeting will be held, with case numbers rising. “The emergency committee will provide its views to the WHO director general on whether the event constitutes a PHEIC,” the UN health agency said in a statement. “If so, it will propose temporary recommendations on how to better prevent and reduce the spread of the disease and manage the global public health response.” A statement will be issued in the days following the meeting.
Menstrual changes after Covid vaccines may be far more common than previously known
When adults gained access to Covid vaccines last year, most knew to expect headaches, fatigue and soreness as side effects. But some researchers think it’s time to add another common one to the list: temporary menstrual changes. An analysis published Friday in the journal Science Advances found that 42% of people with regular menstrual cycles said they bled more heavily than usual after vaccination. Meanwhile, 44% reported no change and around 14% reported a lighter period. Among nonmenstruating people — those post-menopause or who use certain long-term contraceptives, for example — the study suggests many experienced breakthrough or unexpected bleeding after their Covid shots. The survey included over 39,000 people 18 to 80 years old who were fully vaccinated and had not contracted Covid. The study authors cautioned, though, that the percentages do not necessarily represent the rate of menstrual changes in the general population, since people who observed a difference were more likely to participate. The survey’s aim was simply to provide evidence for future studies, not to establish cause and effect.
PFAS Contamination is Worse Than You Thought “Forever chemicals” are added to many consumer products intentionally…but we’re learning that many more products are contaminated with PFAS unintentionally, making the threat to human health even more severe. Action Alert! For months now, we’ve been reporting on the dangers of PFAS chemicals, nicknamed “forever chemicals” for their persistence in the environment and the human body. We know that PFAS contaminates our drinking water and they are added to many consumer products to make them grease, stain, or water resistant; they are also added to cosmetics for consistency and texture. These exposures are bad enough, but now we’re learning that many more products are contaminated with PFAS and we would never know, because the manufacturers themselves don’t even know. This incidental, unintentional contamination with PFAS is yet another way we are exposed to these chemicals that accumulate in the body and make us sick—and the EPA’s response is to protect the chemical industry. Unintentional PFAS contamination can happen during manufacturing in a number of ways. Coatings and lubricants used in factories con contain PFAS, which are then transferred onto the products made in that facility. PFAS are used in slip agents—substances used to help mass-produced products slide easily out of molds—and can leach onto those products too. When plastic products are made, plastic pellets are melted and extruded through a nozzle into a mold. To prevent plastic from drying inside the nozzle, PFAS-containing substances are added to the nozzle, meaning many plastic goods are likely contaminated. Manufacturers may unknowingly use raw materials contaminated with PFAS because they are purchased through intermediaries who may promise their materials are PFAS-free when they’re not. PFAS used in personal protective equipment for workers in a facility can also contaminate the products made in that plant.
Pesticides and the Microbiome From the Environmental Health Symposium The human microbiome, often referred to as the driver of human physiology, has crucial roles in many systems of the body: stimulating immune system development and homeostasis, maintaining the integrity of the gut barrier, retrieving otherwise inaccessible nutrients from the diet, synthesizing essential vitamins and neurotransmitters, altering the production of intestinal hormones, stimulating bone density, and participating in both drug biotransformation and toxicant excretion. Altered gut microbiomes are associated with a long list of diseases including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer, liver cirrhosis, and neurologic diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, autism spectrum disorder, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease. Environmental toxicants like arsenic, triclosan, PCBs and organophosphate pesticides have been shown to significantly alter the gut microbiome. Organophosphate pesticides represent the most common exposures of all currently used pesticides – 70% of all pesticides used today fall into this class. One organophosphate in particular, diazinon, has been shown to damage the gut microbiome and the immune system as a result. Diazinon is a common insecticide used in conventional agriculture and has been detected in groundwater, agricultural wells, and drinking water. Humans are exposed through pesticide residue on nonorganic foods and drinking water contamination
Chemical cocktails cause health risks for children and adults A new research study shows that mixtures of chemicals pose health risks to children as well as adults. The concentrations of chemicals found in the European population of adults and children exceeds the safe level by a factor of between 3 and 9. Six chemicals contributed to about 95% of the total risk. These results call for improved risk management measures for the chemical mixtures that humans are frequently exposed to. The study is based on exposure data generated by the HBM4EU project, providing information about hazardous chemicals found in the bodies of European adults and children. 136 chemicals were identified in adults and 84 were found in children. The risks of these exposures were estimated using European health-based guideline values. Because guideline values are missing for several chemicals, the mixture risk for adults was assessed for only 20 chemicals. For children 17 chemicals could be included in the risk assessment. The results of the risk assessment show that the acceptable exposure to these chemicals is exceeded by a factor of between 3 and 9. Six chemicals contributed roughly 95% of the total risk, phthalates, flame retardants, pesticides, PFAS, cadmium, and UV filters (chemicals used in sunscreen lotions). Thomas Backhaus, one of the study´s co-authors, says, “These results confirm, once again, that chemical mixtures might jeopardize human health, and that we need to improve the risk management of typical complex exposure scenarios.”
Armpit Hair Is Back, Whether You Like It or Not When Julia Roberts appeared at the “Notting Hill” premiere in 1999 with hairy armpits peeking out from her sparkling red gown, the debate about her body hair trumped any news about the rom-com, which went on to become the highest-grossing British film of all time. “Fuzzy About Feminism,” proclaimed the Herald Sun in Melbourne, Australia. “Fur Flies When Julia Roberts Greets the Crowd,” said the Denver Post. “Pitty Woman,” blared a headline from the Sun in the United Kingdom, which also asked readers to call its “Furry Phone-in” with their thoughts. (At the time Ms. Roberts told Howard Stern that she didn’t understand all the fuss. Today, she declines to comment.) Shouldn’t armpit hair for all genders—embraced by celebrities, espoused by laissez-faire hippies since the 1960s—be a non-issue by now? And yet, it still has the power to raise eyebrows, even as it enters the zeitgeist again. Vogue’s August cover, featuring Emma Corrin of “The Crown,” is its first to feature a nonbinary person, and likely its first to show armpit hair. The actor, who uses they/them pronouns, joins a growing number of female and nonbinary people thatflaunt armpit hair. A Hollywood sampling: Miley Cyrus, Janelle Monáe, Jemima Kirke and Lourdes Leon, daughter of early adopter Madonna.
Hour 2 ENCORE!
Special Guest – Dr. Simone Gold
The Founder of America’s Frontline Doctors is Simone Gold, MD, JD. Internationally known as “the Doctor who went viral,” Dr. Gold is a formerly 20+ year board-certified emergency physician and author of the best-selling book, “I Do Not Consent: My Fight Against Medical Cancel Culture.”
Dr. Gold’s mission is to make America’s Frontline Doctors the leading voice of common sense and scientific clarity in the fight to defend our Civil Liberties. Dr. Gold graduated from Chicago Medical School before earning her Juris Doctorate from Stanford University Law School. She has worked in Washington, D.C. for the Surgeon General, as well as for the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee. In July 2020, Dr. Gold organized the America’s Frontline Doctors White Coat Summit in Washington, D.C., which rapidly drew 20,000,000 views online. Currently, AFLDS.org receives over 7,000,000 page views per month and her personal following on Twitter is over 400,000 people. She is a frequent guest on media outlets across the country and has appeared in USA Today, the Associated Press, the Guardian (UK), New York Times, and many other publications. She has been featured on nationally syndicated programs such as The Tucker Carlson Show, The Ingraham Angle, The Glenn Beck Show, The Charlie Kirk Show, The Dennis Prager Show, Day Star Television, and others. America’s Frontline Doctors and Dr. Gold are based out of Naples, Florida.
Dr. Simone Gold Sentenced to Two Months in Prison A California doctor has been sentenced to two months in prison for being involved in the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol and stepping inside the restricted premises along with her co-defendant John Strand. Dr. Simone Melissa Gold was initially charged with entering a restricted building or grounds, violent entry, and disorderly conduct, and arrested on Jan. 18, 2021. She spent two days in custody. On March 3, 2022, she pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge of illegally entering the restricted building. Gold was sentenced June 16 to serve 60 days in jail, one year of supervised release, pay a $9,500 fine, and $500 restitution. Gold is the founder of America’s Frontline Doctors (AFLDS), a nonprofit that has spoken out against the emergency use authorization of COVID-19 vaccines and promoted the use of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine during the initial days of the pandemic. While inside the building, Gold delivered a speech through a megaphone to a crowd gathered in Statuary Hall, where she stated her opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine mandates and government-imposed lockdowns. Gold expressed regret for entry into the Capitol building in a Jan. 12 interview with The Washington Post. “During the same interview Strand stated that he was also inside the U.S. Capitol with Gold and was there to protect Gold,” according to an official statement. “I was misguided. I should not have entered,” Gold said. “Everything I did on January 6, misguided or not, was consistent with my effort to do my best for people.” She sounded emotional when she told Cooper that she was “shocked” the prosecutors believed she was not remorseful and did not intend to take part “in a situation that was so destructive to our nation.”
Remember Friends, The Power to Heal is Yours!
