Categories Health

7 days 30 days All time Recent Popular
“Belief” is NOT a Medical Counter Measure

Through April 2020, the official recommendation by the Journal of the American Medical Association was unambiguous.

“Face masks should not be worn by healthy individuals to protect themselves from acquiring respiratory infection...

...because there is no evidence to suggest that face masks worn by healthy individuals are effective in preventing people from becoming ill.”

https://t.co/7CHdVGLeZS

Part of that lack of evidence in fact showed that cloth facemasks actually increased influenza-linked...

...illness.

https://t.co/CqRtlg0yro

In contravention to established science, States, municipalities and businesses have violated the legal requirements for the promulgation of medical counter measures during a public health emergency stating a “belief” that face masks limit...

...the spread of SARS CoV-2. To date, not a single study has confirmed that a mask prevented the transmission of, or the infection by SARS CoV-2.

All parties mandating the use of facemasks are not only willfully ignoring established science but are engaging in what amounts...

...to a whole population clinical trial. This conclusion is reached by the fact that facemask use and COVID-19 incidence are being reported in scientific opinion pieces promoted by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and
Retracted, with a note that says "we believe that all the key findings of the paper with regards to co-authorship between junior and senior researchers are still valid". Isn't it important to discuss the many points on which the paper is incorrect?


1. The gender analysis was "only meant to be exploratory” and used techniques that “cannot be claimed to establish causality” but causal inferences were made anyway.

Causal claims were justified by pointing out that other people do it too. "While this technique does not establish the existence of a causal effect, it is commonly used to infer causality from observational data."
The same group that always cites the Palestinian Ministry of Health now wants you not to know that it exists, is responsible for vaccinating its population & has rejected Israeli help. See this thread for key facts: https://t.co/GmnBe20xrs

Amnesty just wants you to hate Jews.


Founded in 1961, Amnesty built a reputation for supporting prisoners of conscience who were non-violent.

While some in the global NGO still do good work, Amnesty has lost direction, often supporting antisemites, misogynists, homophobes &


In 2010, Gita Sahgal, then head of the organization's gender unit, was fired for exposing Amnesty's shameful ties & support for Britain's most famous Taliban advocate, former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg.

Supporting terrorists has been a recurring theme with Amnesty. In 2015, a senior employee of Amnesty International was found to have undeclared private links to men alleged to be key players in a secretive network of global Islamists, revealed The Times.

Christopher Hitchens wrote that Amnesty’s actions backing the Taliban & against whistleblower & gender unit chief Gita Sahgal exemplified the organization’s “degeneration and politicization,” reflecting “a moral crisis that has global implications.”
1/ Welcome to another edition of West’s Well-Being Wednesday! As a reminder, I’ll briefly highlight papers, topics, questions, etc. related to healthcare professional #wellbeing, with a new entry each week. #wellbeingwednesday #burnout #MedTwitter

2/ This week we’ll touch on the association of racial bias and burnout, prompted by @FutureDocs thread last week reflecting on #DrSusanMoore and so many other victims of systematic disparities and racism.


3/ As a biostatistician, I think it’s interesting that in statistics “bias” is defined as a systematic error or deviation from the truth. This is worth reflecting upon as we debate whether racism and other biases are inherent in our systems – by definition, bias is systematic!


4/ Led by @dyrbye, we published on racial bias and burnout last year. Collaborators included @RRHDr @Ivuoma @bcunningMDPHD @van_ryn
Association of Racial Bias With Burnout Among Resident Physicians https://t.co/cm8JrLyzLO via @JAMANetworkOpen part of @JAMANetwork

5/ This report is part of the multisite longitudinal CHANGES study with @van_ryn as PI. I’m hopeful that this amazing all-star team might have additional clarifying comments: @dyrbye @RRHDr @Ivuoma @bcunningMDPHD
THREAD
I created a simple table to illustrate the individual impact of the "flexible second dose timing" now recommended in the UK.

Coincidentally, @bob_wachter & @ashishkjha just tackled the US policy question in this important piece. 1/
https://t.co/n5bHkdIo0c


I based this on recent statements from the UK chief medical officers, JCVI, and what we know from prior vaccine development. 2/

JCVI: https://t.co/6FQ25d6MFE

UK Chief Medical Officer (CMO) statement: https://t.co/RTpAIqgE1i

CMO letter to the profession:

This table and thread focuses on the AZ vaccine, where more data on a delayed second dose is available than with the Pfizer vaccine. It is not intended to address questions about single-dose regimens or mix & match approaches. 3/


In the table, persons “A” and “B” both receive their first dose in January. “A” receives their second dose in February (4 weeks later), and “B” receives their second dose in April (12 weeks later). “C” receives their first dose in April and second dose in May (4 weeks later). 4/


I made a qualitative comparison the potential efficacy during the two months between “A” and “B’s” second dose, as well as the potential longer-term efficacy after “B” receives their second dose. 5/
A lot of people are having trauma responses, and they don't even know it. Now trauma isn't a free pass to be an asshole, but one of the ways it can manifest is through 'over controlling'. They're scared, trying to push down that fear by attacking everyone around them.


Now, trauma doesn't make you a racist, but being a racist does inflict trauma.
When you're triggered and vulnerable (and being vulnerable feels unsafe), this can lead to fear. In a desperate attempt to avoid that fear, and lack of control, people can try to control everything.

Someone disagrees with you and threatens what you're using to make sense of the universe? You attack, because it feels like an attack on you, and what you think is keeping you safe.

It doesn't mean there aren't things you should be critiquing, or that you can't have discussions, but it does mean you can and should be mindful of how your vulnerabilities are interacting with the ways you are trying to make sense of the world.

The good news is, the Government has funded 20 sessions of Medicare, so hopefully everyone can go to therapy and figure out a way to navigate a world that has changed forever.
Hello!
I'm finishing up my dissertation now and am on the US post-doc market in clinical psychology so I'd appreciate any leads.

My interests are reinforcement sensitivity, depression/anxiety, and LGBTQ+ mental health.

Shameless thread of recent accomplishments below:

First of all, feel free to visit my website at
https://t.co/DK3AaqgRJ4 for my CV and online lectures and articles. Here are twitter threads about some of them from this past year

Here's a meta-analysis on bipolar disorder and reinforcement sensitivity


Here's a meta-analysis on depression, anxiety, and reinforcement sensitivity


Here's a new tool for implicitly measuring
How did it come to this? A deeply misguided effort (@joyhataley) to silence @randyhillier, a MPP in the provincial legislature. This reflects poorly on the medical community. How could one do it differently in a thoughtful, educated manner. Lets consider. 1/


First, Mr. Hillier and I don't share political perspective but we do share a respect for facts. Facts are the foundation of debate and for the development of sound policy. Ontario has no mechanism to robustly debate C19 facts as the legislature is basically shuttered. 2/

So Mr. Hillier has consequently decided to organize rallies and engage in civil disobedience. All rather normal behavior. He has an audience because leaders in the medical/political community haven't convinced the public that draconian actions are necessary. 3/

It may surprise many but the last time such draconian actions were taken were the middle ages. The plague killed half of europe. Lockdowns likely facilitated death, as after people panicked and killed their cats/dogs, rats florished and congregated indoors. 4/

Mr. Hillier tweets acknowledge the unprecedented draconian actions and expand upon concerns centered on civil liberties and the destruction of institutions that maintain the health and well being of Ontarians. Seems rather straightforward. 5/
There is going to be a mental health crisis unlike anything we've seen before. PTSD will be widespread, and look who we've got running the country.


When soldiers return from active duty, the TRIM (Trauma Risk Management) system helps deal with issues arising from acclimating back into civilian life. It's designed to provide support in the aftermath of traumatic events. Which is what we have here, on a huge scale.

It won't just be frontline healthcare workers either. I fear a massive trauma response from the wider population, as and when Covid is brought under control and we begin to return to whatever 'normal' looks like at that point.

The armed forces could provide insight into how hospital trusts, schools and businesses could apply this for their staff / students at scale, but it would need government support and...no.
This is the same govt which has decimated mental health care over the past 10 years.

We already had a mental health crisis before Covid.
In 2017 the number of young people arriving in A&E with psychiatric problems had doubled since 2009 but mental health services were cut by £538million.