The news is filled with stories of the negative and intended consequences of new technology and/or government’s actions.
When I mix them all together in my mind, the common theme seems to be that artificial things are replacing real, natural and healthy ones.
The vagueness of the words “things” and “ones” in the previous sentence is intentional as I wish to share a number of actions which have been introduced, implemented, enforced or mandated in the past decade which had good intentions but ended up causing more harm than good.
1) mRNA Covid vaccination mandates.
I was initially excited and happy to take the newly developed shot against the novel virus in early 2021. The unnatural part came when governments and public health organizations began mandating and enforcing compliance for the young and the healthy. It was wrong to discount natural immunity. I am shocked by the lack of concern and action by the FDA in the face of the high number of serious adverse side effects due to the Emergency Use Authorized shots.
Hundreds of medical doctors across the world are now speaking out against the mRNA vaccine programs with phrases like “They are more harm than good for most people.”
2) Social Media platforms.
TikTok, Twitter and Instagram. The artificial, online world has pockets of goodness but more and more areas of negative manipulation. Social media has depressed many and has made people more divided than ever. Millions are addicted to scrolling in these emotionally draining environments and struggle to have real, live relationships with other humans. These platforms are more harm than good for most people, especially children.
3) Excessive government stimulus and control of monetary systems.
The current banking crisis of March 2023 is an example of the negative impact that government interference in the markets can have.
Preventing people from speaking on college campuses is not encouraging healthy debate and critical thinking skills. This authoritative stance against only some ideological groups is doing more harm than good.
Coercion, manipulation, control and discrimination are not healthy, they are not natural, and they cause more harm than good.
It’s been over a year since my Frozen Shoulder started causing me intense pain and lack of arm motion and I thought it was time to share some updates on the recovery journey.
The majority of my healing occurred 6-9 months after stabbing, nerve impingement pain started. I believe the multiple actions and treatments contributed to my reduction in pain and improvement in range of motion but I think the most important and impactful actions were Physical Therapy and Yoga Therapy.
My current situation is overall positive for the following reasons: 1) I have no pain in my arm and shoulder, 2) I can lift my left arm directly over my head, 3) I can ride my bike and run, and 4) I can do most yoga poses.
The plateau in progress started about 10 months after my problems started and I still have limited range of motion in my left arm in certain positions. For those who are know yoga, my impacted side is not able to touch the ground when I do “cactus arms”. While standing, the angle of my left lower arm is at 30 degrees instead of 45 degrees when I have my palms facing out and my upper arms perpendicular to the ground.
My Physical Therapist has be working on my subscapularis, infraspinatus and supraspinatus muscles in my back for a while but they are still very stubborn and often unrelenting. How do I get these muscles to relax and loosen up?
My eagle arm pose is good when the right shoulder is called to stretch but fails to fly when my left shoulder is asked to take off. Some back muscles just feel stuck and still frozen.
Eagle Arm Pose
I’m not sure what to do at this point other than continue to move, stretch and work on regaining my upper body strength. I’m grateful that the pain is gone but I get frustrated and disheartened that I can’t do certain movements as a fit, middle-aged athlete. I long to do 15 push ups like I did just last year.
I know there are many women over 50 years old who have faced and endured similar changes with this painful and often misunderstood illness and I hope that this brief blog gives some people hope and insight on their own challenges.
A newly passed law called the PACT Act can help many veterans who are suffering from medical illnesses.
The PACT Act is one of the largest health care and benefit expansion in VA history. The full name of the law is The Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act.
It provides enhanced healthcare eligibility for veterans, especially those exposed to burn pits (Kuwait, Iraq and Saudi Arabia), Agent Orange and other toxic substances.
Presumptive Condition
The biggest change is that the PACT Act adds to the list of health conditions that the VA assumes (or “presume”) are caused by exposure to these substances.
These include 23 new presumptive medical conditions including:
Brain cancer
Kidney cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Asthma
Melanoma
Chronic sinusitis
Emphysema
If you haven’t filed a claim yet for the presumptive condition, you can file a new claim online now. You can also file by mail, in person, or with the help of a trained professional.
As a result of this new law, the VA must now give any veteran in VA Healthcare a toxic exposure screening.
Toxic exposure screenings are available at VA health facilities across the country.
Veterans who are not enrolled and who meet eligibility requirements will have an opportunity to enroll and receive the screening.
The screening will ask you if you think you were exposed to any of these hazards while serving:
Open burn pits and other airborne hazards
Gulf War-related exposures
Agent Orange
Radiation
Camp Lejeune contaminated water exposure
Other exposures
If you have any questions about your eligibility for the PACT Act or need assistance applying, contact My VA 411 at 800-698-2411 or go online at this website.
Each day we make hundreds of choices and decisions regarding our health and safety.
If there’s one thing I learned in the year 2020 it is that every human being has a different risk tolerance. Everyone on this planet has a unique set of personal scales and internal measurements when it comes to assessing the risk of any given action versus the benefit or reward of it. Each person has their own fears, neurotic tendencies and defense mechanisms. Every individual is as distinct as a snowflake when it comes to Risk Management.
Welcome to Risk Management where in the real world there is little conformity among billions of inquiring minds!
Looking back, I realize that my first lesson in risk management (risk vs. reward) occurred when I was 10 years old. While riding my shiny new Huffy ten-speed bicycle, I took a turn too quickly and hit a patch of sand. This resulted in my crashing to the asphalt and receiving my first, full arm road rash. I suddenly understood that risky actions can sometimes lead to unpleasant consequences. I soon realized that I had to improve my bike handling skills and look out for hazards in the road in order to be safe and prevent bodily injury.
The risk of crashing aside, my passion and love of bike riding has continued throughout my adult life as I pursued numerous criterium, cyclocross, track, road and mountain bike races. All of these events had a high of level of risk for injury but my desire to have the thrilling reward outweighed my concerns. I was willing to take my chances knowing that I had prepared, trained and did what I could to mitigate bodily harm. I always wore a high quality helmet to protect my head but that didn’t help when I faceplanted onto a rock in the mountains of southern California. The helmet didn’t do much when I crashed in the final turn of a road races and got run over by the rider behind me. If you race bikes enough, you will crash but that is the risk that many people take for the reward of the experience.
The importance of the rewards and/or benefits of an activity also varies greatly among people. No one has the exact same set of values.
I, like many cyclists, have modified my bike riding patterns to account for the increased risk of getting hit by a vehicle on the road. To save my skin and bones, I primarily ride on dirt paths on my mountain bike, far away from distracted drivers. At least the rocks and cacti are stationary and don’t come up behind me at 80 mph!
At this point you may be asking, what does Brenda’s story about biking riding have to do with the decision to take the COVID-19 vaccine?
Why am I comfortable with the decision to take a newly developed vaccine that only has Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the FDA?
It’s simple. It’s Risk Management.
Based on my experience and background in Biochemistry studies in college, jobs in clinical research/pharmaceutical companies and recent investigation and inquiry on the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine, I am making the best-informed decision for myself.
In a nutshell, below are the main reasons why I plan to take the new vaccine once available to me:
I want to be able to travel and visit my family without worrying about contracting and spreading the virus.
Messenger RNA has been studied and worked on for many decades and holds the potential to revolutionize vaccination.
The delivery mechanism of the mRNA using a Lipid Nano Particle (LNP) is way cool.
The immune response that is being enhanced is targeted for the specific spike protein on the “business end” of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus.
The COVID-19 virus is unpredictable and contracting the disease can result in unknown and longer-term effects that are not fully understood at this point.
The effects of revving up my immune system to defend against this novel virus is controlled and short lived. I’ll take 24 hours of unpleasant discomfort over 5-10 days of uncertain outcomes.
The FDA clinical research phases that were accelerated were primarily bureaucratic waste/red tape and the extended times it normally takes to enroll people into the clinical trial (phases 1 and 2).
The Pfizer and Moderna phase 3 trials were controlled, randomized and double-blinded studies with over 41.000 and 30,000 participants respectively.
So whether it’s the decision to ride a bicycle on the road, go to the holiday party, wear a mask or take the newly developed COVID-19 vaccine, we all need to weigh the risks and the benefits of our choices.
A Holiday Party with Toastmaster friends, Colorado 2015
How much risk you are willing to take is a very personal calculation based on your unique circumstances, fears and desires. Only you can make the determination regarding what is most important to you.
I encourage you to actively research and study on as many neutral, science-based sites and publications as you can find in order to fully understand the biology, the history and the implications of taking the new vaccine.
Listen to a wide range of medical, clinical research and industry professionals to get all sides of the story before you run the information through your personal Risk Management filter.
And lastly, follow your gut. I have found that the little voice inside your head that instinctively tells you what is safe and good is usually right.
Strong Words & Simple Truths 