EU warns of privacy & security issues around Covid tracing apps

The European Commission has warned companies developing contact tracing apps to track Covid-19 infections against the processing and storage of location data. The announcement comes with the publication of the EU toolbox for the use of mobile applications for contact tracing. The guidelines state that, “Collecting an individual’s movements in the context of contact tracing apps would violate the principle of data minimisation and would create major security and privacy issues”. They also recommend that the use of such technologies should be voluntary, use only anonymised data and be based on Bluetooth proximity technology. Many countries are now working to implement such apps, however, citizens are reluctant to adopt them and submit to yet more surveillance and control that strips away what’s left of our human rights after the introduction of emergency coronavirus bills.

Obesity and coronavirus

Much has been made of the death toll from Covid-19 in the elderly and black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups. Little mention has been given to the number of critically ill Covid-19 patients who are overweight or obese. In a new op-ed, British cardiologist, Dr Aseem Malhotra, tackles the ‘elephant in the room’. Namely, the poor state of health that too many people across the globe are in that is directly related to being overweight and/or obese. According to the latest report from the UK’s Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre (ICNARC), 63% of those admitted to intensive care have a BMI above 25. The Swedish government have officially recognised that obesity puts people at higher risk of becoming critically ill from Covid-19. The ICNARC figures correlate with rates of overweight and obesity in the UK and US, which now stands at more than 60% of the population. Being overweight and obese not only puts you at greater risk from Covid-19, it also increases hospital admissions overall. Now more than ever is the time for governments around the world to sit up and fully acknowledge the issue along with its causes and urgently review their ‘healthy’ eating guidelines to protect the health of their citizens. Heavily underpinned by scientific research and clinical evidence, the ANH-Intl Food4Health guidelines are designed to combat out-of-date government guidelines to help you restore metabolic flexibility, maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk of developing chronic disease and stay healthy as you age. We don’t need to wait for governments to start proper public health campaigns, we can all self-care at home right away.

Cholesterol essential for a healthy immune system

Cholesterol forms a key part of our cells’ defence mechanism against pathogens. A new study highlights the essential nature of cholesterol for effective functioning of our immune system to defend us against pathogens. A Chinese study pinpointed low levels of cholesterol in critically ill Covid-19 patients. With the continued focus on the reduction of cholesterol levels to ultra-low levels, this research is yet more proof that government low fat, low cholesterol guidelines are pure junk and require immediate review.

Record level of supplement sales as consumers try to protect themselves

The natural health sector has experienced a bumper few months as consumers seek products to help them become more resilient in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. In the US, growth of the category is expected to increase by 25%, up from 8.5%. Not only are existing supplement users increasing their use of supplements, those who don’t normally take supplements are doing so and plan to continue. In the US some states have seen fit to force stores supplying supplements to close thereby restricting consumers access to products that could play a key role in reducing their risk. However, it would seem that negative messaging from health authorities and media channels that supplementation is not an effective protection against the coronavirus is falling on deaf ears. Citizens are instead making informed choices in order to protect their own health through self-caring at home.

Putting a coronahalo round Big Tech

Ex Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, is using the current pandemic to call for citizens to be grateful to Big Tech and all they do, praising them for their leadership and noting that without them, the response to the pandemic would have been very different. Of course, no mention was made of the blatant mass censorship of information that differs from the mainstream, state-controlled, rhetoric. We are aware that many sources of information designed to help the public protect their health naturally are being subjected to widespread censorship and suppression, which in turn denies a large sector of the public the ability to put new, supportive, context around the current situation. The pandemic has seemingly given Big Tech companies a free pass to tighten their grip on our society with little or no regulatory or moral oversight. This will likely be extremely hard to reverse as we go forward, which could potentially result in antitrust cases quietly disappearing if we are not sufficiently vigilant and ready to take a stand for our rights and freedoms.

Food system frailties exposed by coronavirus pandemic

The frailties and limitations of our global food system have been exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. In a new report, ‘COVID-19 and the crisis in food systems: Symptoms, causes and potential solutions’,  the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (iPES) exposes the many problems experienced by the global food system, plus the fragility and lack of resilience, which has been laid bare by global lockdowns. The report calls for lessons to be learned so that food systems become both sustainable and resilient in order to protect the health of humans, animals and the planet for the future.