Face masks can damage the immune system

BY HAROLD SAIVE
OPINION

Request for BOCC to reduce the facial coverings mandate to “voluntary.”

With the constant stress presented by the fear and anxiety of Covid-19, wearing a face mask or self-designed facial covering can become a hazard to the health of the majority of our population who remain in good health.

When a healthy population becomes unhealthy due to excessive stress driven by hyperbolic media fear of Covid-19, any of a variety of different diseases can break through that weakened immune system to cause more active cases of Covid-19, metabolic, heart, and other diseases like cancer.

Len Cabrera, April 3rd: The mass hysteria (and bad public policy) on coronavirus is due to exaggerated computer models. The numbers for the month of March in Alachua County were barely a “sniffle,” much less a pandemic at 35 cases per 100,000 people (.035%).

Bio-Statistician Knut M. Wittkowski: “With all respiratory diseases, the only thing that stops the disease is herd immunity. About 80% of the people need to have had contact with the virus, and the majority of them won’t even have recognized that they were infected, or they had very, very mild symptoms, especially if they are children. So it’s very important to keep the schools open and kids mingling to spread the virus to get herd immunity as fast as possible, and then the elderly people, who should be separated, and the nursing homes should be closed during that time, can come back and meet their children and grandchildren after about 4 weeks when the virus has been exterminated”

Alachua Chronicle, May 1st: “The Commission moved forward on mandatory facial coverings in spite of the CDC voluntary recommendation for masks, the governor’s voluntary recommendation for masks, and the conclusion from Paul Myers (Florida Department of Health in Alachua County) that there is no consensus on the wearing of face masks.”

Len Cabrera, April 29th: “The facial covering mandate is an example of petty tyranny we’ve been witnessing all over the country. They made that recommendation even though earlier in the day Governor DeSantis held a press conference where Dr. Sunil Desai downplayed the need for masks, saying hand hygiene is more important: “If your hands aren’t clean, that mask is worthless.” He also said, “Hand hygiene and not touching your face and the social distancing, judiciously applied in the most high-risk groups, is the most important”.

Paul Myers, the Alachua County Administrator for the Florida Department of Health, echoed Dr. Desai in the County Commission meeting on April 28, saying that the evidence for the usefulness of masks being worn by the public does not support a mandate for mask wearing. He cited a review of 52 studies that concluded “cloth masks are ineffective as source control” and N-95 masks are “not recommended for source control.” He also said the CDC guidance is that masks should be a “voluntary public health measure” (emphasis added). “

“So according to local, state, and national experts, the general public does not need to wear masks.”

NY POST: 4/29/2020 – Dr. Michael Ryan at WHO Health Emergencies Programme lauds Sweden for avoiding lockdowns.

“What it (Sweden) has done differently is it has very much relied on its relationship with its citizenry and the ability and willingness of its citizens to implement self-distancing and self-regulate,” Ryan said. “In that sense, they have implemented public policy through that partnership with the population.”

“I think if we are to reach a new normal, Sweden represents a model if we wish to get back to a society in which we don’t have lockdowns,” Ryan said.

Virologist Dr. Judy Mikovits, PhD offered a science-based warning about wearing face masks:

“The masks on walks outside and while driving in your car is mind blowing to me. Do you not know how unhealthy it is to keep inhaling your carbon dioxide and restricting proper oxygen flow? I honestly cannot believe how non-logical we have become! We as a society seem to just listen to (perceived) authority without question. I don’t see a whole lot of critical thought happening here, I’m sorry to say. Why I opt NOT to wear a mask. Well, let me break it down for you. The body requires AMPLE amounts of oxygen for optimal immune health. Especially during a so-called ‘pandemic’. Proper oxygenation of your cells and blood is ESSENTIAL for the body to function as it needs to in order to fight off any illness.

Masks will hamper oxygen intake. Unless you are working in a hospital setting, it is NOT necessary. But go ahead and hold onto to your security blanket if it makes you feel better. I do not listen to the government when it tries to instruct me on how to maintain health, nor do I trust their ‘stats’ (which we know are based on unconfirmed numbers).

You want to be healthy, then make sure to apply it to all aspects of your life. Stop smoking, change your diet, stop consuming alcohol, turn off your wifi and cell phone, stop getting injected with neurotoxins, stop taking toxic medications, stop using so many chemicals in your everyday life, practice proper hygiene (WASH YOUR HANDS). Most importantly, go outside and BREATHE DEEPLY, get some sun, drink plenty of (filtered) water, sleep well and learn to LISTEN to your body.”

In addition to Dr. Mikovits warning, there are additional problems with wearing a face mask that increase stress on the immune system.

Stress Can Lower Your Immunity

Cortisol is closely linked with stress

A face-covering or mask that interferes with respiration can add to stress.

Cortisol is a hormone closely linked with stress. It works as a key player in the body’s stress response and is often measured in research as an indicator of stress.

Cortisol plays a vital role in the body’s functioning; it’s secreted by the kidney’s adrenal glands. But high and sustained blood levels of cortisone in individuals stressed by the fear of Covid-19 can trigger serious and emergent health issues.

Higher and more prolonged levels of cortisol in the bloodstream (such as those associated with chronic stress) have been shown to have negative effects, such as:

  • Impaired cognitive performance
  • Suppressed thyroid function
  • Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia
  • Decreased bone density
  • Decrease in muscle tissue
  • Higher blood pressure
  • Lowered immunity and inflammatory responses in the body, slowed wound healing, and other health consequences
  • Increased abdominal fat, which is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body. Some of the health problems associated with increased stomach fat are heart attacks, strokes, developing metabolic syndrome, higher levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL), which can lead to other health problems.

Offering a face mask “waiver” to shoppers “diagnosed” with COPD, asthma, or related pulmonary diseases misses the point since any healthy person who wears a face mask can become immune compromised by the additional stress that attempting the breathe through a mask can place on the individual.

A face mask or facial covering can displace oxygen to the lungs and increase the levels of carbon dioxide intake when exhaled air – trapped inside the mask – is re-breathed.

More stress is realized when accumulated moisture causes the mask to “clog” the inspiration of air through the mask with increased resistance to inhalation and exhalation. Blocking the passage of air through the mask, even partially, places excessive demands on thoracic muscles and the diaphragm. The result is that breathing becomes more difficult and labored – even among a healthy population. Pushing a shopping cart through a grocery store under these conditions can result in labored respiration.

In certain individuals, especially those suffering from PTSD, mask obstruction can cause claustrophobia, panic attacks, or a feeling of suffocation. These individuals are more prone to blood pressure spikes, heart attacks, and stroke. All of these factors combined can compromise those with otherwise-normal immune systems.

Covid-19 is a time when the public is encouraged to maintain high immunity and healthy habits in order to avoid a serious respiratory illness. But elected officials unwilling to defer critical health policy decisions to experts in health care can too easily be seen as arrogant and politically motivated.

Sweden has already proven to the satisfaction of Dr. Michael Ryan at WHO that a lockdown is not necessary to achieve herd immunity while maintaining a low-stress and viable economy.

The concept of flattening the curve was to prevent hospitals from overflowing with patients, but the forecasts for patient load and mortality were wildly high by orders of magnitude.

It’s time to look at Covid-19 more like a seasonal flu outbreak rather than a scary pandemic.

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https://alachuachronicle.com/harold-saive-fask-mask-mandate-can-damage-the-immune-system/