Fauci’s about turn: the case for vitamins C & D

In an Instagram interview with American actor Jennifer Garner (anyone think this is odd - especially the beginning?), Director of the US National Institute of Allergy and infectious Disease (NIAID), Anthony Fauci, has waited until now to suddenly support the use of vitamins C and D to improve immune system resilience and reduce susceptibility to infections. However, he’s still resolutely mute on the use of vitamins C and D as part of treatment protocols for covid-19 patients. Which is rather strange given that back in 2016 he was promoting their use to “…enhance your body’s defense against microbes”. A recent study emphasised the need for sufficient levels of vitamins D and K to reduce overall mortality risk. Given Fauci’s position, it’s bordering on criminal that he continues to be silent on the use of vitamins C and D in the treatment of covid patients. Treatments that cost pennies, have no serious side-effects and have been shown to save lives - but in doing so could harm the vaccine market perhaps.

Skeptics breach the bastion of Scouting

The Scout Association has announced it will be tackling ‘fake’ news as part of its new digital citizen badge. The drive to ‘teach’ young people involved in Scouting how to spot ‘fake’ news started in 2019 when Skeptic organisation Sense About Science worked with the Scout Association to develop its Evidence Hunter Activity Pack. From the outset, the whole programme is biased towards one particular and narrow viewpoint. Rather than telling children what is or isn’t deemed to be ‘fake’ news, we feel that the Scout Association should be assisting the development of new skills, like critical thinking, from which they can evaluate and form their own opinions. Scouting is a fantastic youth organisation set up to help “…young people make new friends, have amazing adventures, and learn new skills”. It is doing some great work, but we are sure that many parents would feel that it’s not the correct place for what could swiftly become indoctrination.

CBD on the bill in the US

New legislation to legalise the marketing of hemp and hemp-derived CBD has been introduced into the US Senate. Sponsored by Rep. Kurt Schrader and Rep. Morgan Griffith, The Hemp and Hemp-Derived CBD Consumer Protection and Market Stabilization Act of 2020 seeks to direct the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to create a clear regulatory framework for the use of hemp and hemp-derived CBD and protect consumers. Not everyone is happy about the bill though. The Natural Products Association (NPA) has rejected the proposed Act saying it doesn’t set a safe level of daily consumption, would undermine public trust in the safety of food supplements and do nothing to promote public health. The Act, if passed, will bring clarity and certainty to a currently confused regulatory space and secure the supply of hemp and hemp-derived CBD supplements for those users who rely on them to manage a wide-range of chronic health conditions.

Global biodiversity on the brink

The Convention on Biological Diversity has published its fifth report on Global Biodiversity. The report makes stark reading as it outlines the rapid decline of biodiversity globally. The authors caution that “Humanity stands at a crossroads with regard to the legacy it leaves to future generations”. Cautioning that bold actions will be needed to pull nature back from the brink on which human actions has left it. Global Safety Net offers “...a blueprint to save critical ecosystems and stabilize the earth’s climate”. It offers a digital map of global biodiversity to enable the connection of corridors to connect protected and unprotected areas of the environment and protect the “…biological wealth” of our precious planet. The app, which has been created by a team of researchers from the conservation organization RESOLVE, brings the first comprehensive estimate of the total amount of land area that needs to be protected in order to resolve both biodiversity and climate change. They found over 50% of total land area needs to be protected. Their clear message is that governments must act – soon!

ANH Pick of the Week

When the summer edition (Issue 103) of Caduceus magazine landed on our desk, a picture of a smiling environmental advocate, Robert F Kennedy Jnr (RFK), caused us to open it immediately. RFK has become the world’s leading advocate for the rights of vaccine-injured children through his ground-breaking work with the non-profit Children’s Health Defense. On 29 August, he spoke at a rally to thousands in Berlin – so his message is being heard far and wide at a time when Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca would wish he had no audience at all.  In this month’s Caduceus, you get to read the full, eye-opening Foreword by RFK from Dr Judy Mikovits’s latest and not always easy to find (at least in paperback) book, the remarkable bestseller Plague of Corruption: Restoring Faith in the Promise of Science. But it wasn't just RFK’s piece that caught our eye. Then there's a stonier from Dr Malcolm Kendrick on how this outspoken Scottish doctor has lost faith in medical research, and a great article by leading US Vitamin C pioneer clinician Dr Thomas Levy on how vitamin C can help us in the face of Covid-19. All of this plus more made the current edition of Caduceus our Pick of the Week!