Positive thinking and new beginnings

As we move into the new year, we can feel a sense of positivity that things will change for the better for our country.

We have a new government led by a very healthy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is all charged up making changes and cleaning up the mess of the last three years since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2022.

For a start, he received important visits and phone calls from regional and world leaders. The Sultan of Brunei was the first head of state to arrive and what His Majesty did was probably a world’s first – personally drive the host country’s Prime Minister from the airport to the Istana. His visit signaled his approval and support for a new dawn in the fortunes of Malaysia.

Indonesia was the first country Anwar made an official working visit whereby he impressed leaders and businessmen with his promise of new collaborations for the region’s growth.

We can look forward to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The pandemic pushed many of us into despair; even now, many are still anxious and afraid due to personal experiences of the loss of family and friends.

Many reports have surfaced worldwide about what this whole pandemic is about. A popular belief is that it is a ‘plandemic’, a biological weapon, a threat to disrupting the world economy- a geopolitical weapon of destruction.

The new mantra

Trust deficits in government and health authorities have emerged. Thanks to information from the internet and social media, the world now has access to additional data, information and analysis of issues. Authorities can no longer fool everyone every time anymore. Many are taking every piece of information with a pinch of salt.

DYOR or ‘Do Your Own Research’ has become the new mantra. At the recent World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland, the CEO of Pfizer was interviewed by journalists as to when he found out that the vaccines did not stop transmissions of the virus and why he withheld information on this. As he did not confirm or deny it, they concluded that he was guilty of criminal fraud for promoting a product that has no value to the world.

There were serious accusations that the vaccine was ineffective and dangerous. We have had reports of people dying of stroke and other ailments as a result of the side effect of the vaccine. It remains to be seen what the repercussions of this exposure will be to the world health authorities and that of countries who have used this vaccine.

On the other hand, alternative protocols using vitamins such B, C and D3 plus zinc and the 30-year-old cheap Ivermectin seem to prove that this Nobel prize-winning drug has been found to be effective in not only curing but also as a prophylaxis in preventing infection of the virus. From day one, health authorities dismissed it as only fit for treating animals and ‘ubat cacing’ (worm medicine).

In a media report released on Jan 17, 2023, the World Council for Health (WCH), a non-profit initiative for the people which seeks to broaden public health knowledge and sense making through science and shared wisdom, which often challenges the declarations of the World Health Organisation (WHO), has called on governments to update their Covid strategies in line with conclusive findings on its treatment and prevention.

The Ivermectin debate and controversy

Last year, the Malaysian Ministry of Health (MoH) commissioned a task force of experts (DETF-Ivermectin) to investigate Ivermectin as a treatment for Covid-19. They submitted a report suggesting that Ivermectin should not be included as a standard treatment for Covid-19 in Malaysia.

This conclusion was reached despite the reference to four systematic reviews, three of which support the use of Ivermectin and despite scientific evidence of its effectiveness. Now we do wonder why, and who is benefitting, from the exclusion of this effective drug.

We all can recall how Dr Amir Farid’s clinic was raided during the first Covid-19 outbreak in early 2020 for dispensing Ivermectin to his patients. However, until today there are still no legal or charges taken against him for any offence under the country’s drug laws.

The WCH also pointed out the methodological weakness of many of the studies on which the conclusion of its ineffectiveness was based on. It claims that none of these trials was designed to show the efficacy of Ivermectin in prevention, an anti-viral effect of Ivermectin that requires a protocol similar to that of new anti-virals promoted by the pharmaceutical companies, and the effectiveness of the multi-drug protocol for treating severely hypoxic Covid-19 patients.

The WCH is reminding public health agencies that Ivermectin is now well-established as an essential, safe and effective treatment in the fight against Covid-19.

From the start of the pandemic, when the very dangerous Delta variant was prevalent, I have seen patients recovering even at the stage of requiring oxygen, simply by taking Ivermectin and a cocktail of other drugs, such as aspirin and colchicine and vitamins. At that time, Ivermectin was even smuggled by family members into the Covid rehabilitation centres as this drug it was strictly not allowed.

Healthcare education needed

These latest reports show that more independent and professional healthcare groups are bucking the official narratives supported by big pharma and the western media.

But the most effective way to stay safe and healthy is to lead a healthy lifestyle in terms of nutrition and exercise, which will enhance our immunity against any disease.

The authorities should also start a serious program of healthcare education for the public beginning with the education system. Our children have to be made aware of the risks of commercial foods such as fizzy and sugary drinks, the adverse effects of fast foods that contain too much salt and preservatives and the dangers of processed sugar.

More controls should be instituted on the advertising of these products. We have yet to see a strong healthcare campaign as the consequence of not doing so will ultimately put a constraint on the increasing costs of our healthcare system.

Prevention is still better than cure. We are probably a nation with the highest incidence of obesity and diabetes which also leads to high blood pressure, stroke and heart attacks.

As the nation prepares to kick start its economic growth, focus should also be given to a new paradigm shift for our healthcare and education system.

As the Year of the Water Rabbit signifies a promising year for new beginnings, this should be a good time to start. – The Health