Dr. Anthony Fauci, NIH functionary since 1968 and multimillionaire, a corona virus celebrity who became the face of the establishment during the pandemic. In Nov. 2021, he made the impressively grandiose statement in regards to criticism directed at him, “But they’re really criticizing science, because I represent science”

by Reid Fitzsimons

I have some friends who are into natural remedies. Sometimes they ask my thoughts, as a retired medical practitioner (PA), about various substances and treatments they might have heard about. When I was younger, I probably would have repeated the standard line- there is no scientific evidence it provides any benefit- but now I’m more, “what the heck, if it’s harmless, give it a try.” Recently they asked about tree-derived substance from Southeast Asia called kratom, something that has been used indigenously for centuries and said to be an analgesic, stimulant, antihypertensive, and to enhance sexual functioning, among other things. In researching this substance I realized it has actual drug properties, including opioid components. It is not illegal at the Federal level, but has been made illegal in several states and other countries. It has a number of potential adverse effects, and is not something I would take lightly. In fact, the FDA notes it has no scientific data that would support the use of kratom for medical purposes and warns the public NOT to use any products labeled as containing kratom, due to reported deaths. And the FDA can be trusted……….correct?

Something happened just shy of three years ago, something that effected the world and perhaps forever changed the relationship between people and governments (or at least traditionally free and democratic governments), this being the corona virus pandemic. Three years later, it’s both fascinating and deeply disturbing to look retrospectively at actions taken by governments and, equally troublesome (if not previously inconceivable), the scientific and medical establishment. Up until 2020, I was pretty much all in for standard, allopathic medicine. Certainly over the years I had been aware of that some study was the ultimate study that proved this or that medicine or treatment was perfect, until the next ultimate study refuted the last ultimate study and the new finding became the gold standard that could never be refuted...until the next study: it truly is necessary to understand that science and medicine are NOT infallible by any means, because in the end science and medicine are products of people who are fallible, and may well have selfish and self-interests influencing them. Nevertheless, within context, I embraced and supported the orthodoxy.