Stress and illness – how government COVID policies are making you sick

By: Greg Staley

Written On: September 28th, 2020

Updated on: 2021-08-23

“Associations between psychological stress and disease have been established, particularly for depression, CVD, and HIV/AIDS. Other areas in which evidence for the role of stress is beginning to emerge include upper respiratory tract infections, asthma, herpes viral infections, autoimmune diseases, and wound healing.” – Psychological stress and disease, JAMA (Journal of the Medical Association)

Lockdowns and Stress

I think it goes without saying that governments COVID policies around the world have been rather heavy handed — and they’ve absolutely caused undue stress on the populaces they “serve”. The uncertainty of the future, limits on social gatherings with friends and family, threats and enforcement of egregious fines, increasing debt levels and the governments constant flip flops on their positions has many stressed like never before.

The study goes on to say that a casual relationship cannot be established but “the results of these studies are consistent with those of natural experiments regarding the effects of real-life stressor exposure on disease risk.” It concludes by saying “this consistency of research findings strongly supports the hypothesis of a causal link.”

It can therefore be reasonably deduced from the above mentioned JAMA study, that the COVID policies which are inducing excess stress can also potentially lead to an uptick in respiratory illnesses — like COVID. So the very policies designed to “save us all” could be setting us up for more illness and death than if we approached this in a way that was more reasonable.

Stress lowers your body’s lymphocytes — the white blood cells that help fight off infection

According to Cleveland Health Clinic, “stress decreases the body’s lymphocytes — the white blood cells that help fight off infection.” The lower your lymphocyte level is, the more at risk you are for viruses, “including the common cold.” Additionally, “high stress levels also can cause depression and anxiety, again leading to higher levels of inflammation.” It would therefore seem counter productive to induce fear and stress in the population if the goal is better outcomes for Covid patients.

Mandated masks leading to headaches

Headaches – One study that followed 158 nurses that had to wear PPE (masks) for greater than 4 hours per day showed that more than 8/10 developed PPE (masks) related headaches (81%). Therefore, I think it’s a fair and reasonable association to make to say that those suffering from ongoing headaches as a result of the mask mandates might be stressed out about those mandatory masking policies that make them feel unwell and this stress may be making them more susceptible to COVID itself!

Macne (Mask Acne) – “Face masks are causing an uptick in acne. The humid and sticky environment your mask creates around your face lends itself to breakouts around the nose, cheeks, mouth and chin.” You would think it would be common sense to say that wearing a dirty, sweaty, soiled mask throughout your work day could lead to worsening acne but apparently this completely flies under the radar of Canada’s “experts.” Masking here in Canada is often referred to as a “minor inconvenience” by those helping to craft our nations Covid policies. The stress of having ones skin breakout can not be understated — acne can lead to very sensitive and tender skin and let’s not forget it can decrease a persons self-esteem when outbreaks occur.

This doesn’t seem to matter to physicians who seem to have abandoned the Hippocratic oath all around the world – the same oath that states that doctors should first “do no harm.” Instead, It seems they’ve been replacing this oath with their own personal mantra of “do what is politically convenient.” If someone is going to have ongoing acne and skin issues as a result of wearing a mask — why aren’t you writing an exemption to prevent that harm? I think I know — fear and cowardice.

Mask Mouth – Imagine seeing that many of your patients who had a history of healthy gums and teeth are coming in with all sorts of issues like decaying teeth, receding gum lines, and REALLY bad breath. According to Dr. Rob Ramondi, roughly 50 per cent of his patients are being impacted by this. It has become such a common problem that they decided to give it a name – “mask mouth.” This name was derived from what is known as “meth mouth” because of the overlapping similarities between the two conditions. The New York Times reported that “the term “meth mouth” is widely used by dentists to describe the dental problems that arise among methamphetamine users.” Problems like cracked, black and brown stained teeth because addicts often neglect their oral hygiene.

The condition now dubbed mask mouth, occurs when we force air through a mask, which dries out the mouth creating an environment where plaque can thrive — resulting in a myriad of dental issues.

Why did we mandate masks?

Masks have been proven not to be effective in reducing transmission of influenza (one can reasonably deduct this applies to COVID) and they impact mental health as well. Improper use may also lead to the increased transmission of viruses — including COVID in the general population. For instance, the US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams in March of 2020 said that “you actually might increase your risk of infection if facemasks are not worn properly.”

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Article: Staley: Everything wrong with masks

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A shining symbol of obedience

“There may be additional benefits to broad masking policies that extend beyond their technical contribution to reducing pathogen transmission. Masks are visible reminders of an otherwise invisible yet widely prevalent pathogen and may remind people of the importance of social distancing and other infection-control measures. It is also clear that masks serve symbolic roles.” – NEJM, Universal Masking in Hospitals in the COVID-19 era

From the data out of Wuhan, China it is clear that asymptomatic transmission is not the main drive of the increases in cases of COVID — its symptomatic individuals who are driving numbers up. We can also conclude that if one trusts a mask to “protect themselves and others,” that these individuals may be going out into public with symptoms — the known cause of the majority of case transmissions.

I think the NEJM study cited earlier in this article sums it up perfectly when it said;

“Masks are not only tools, they are also talismans that may help increase health care workers’ perceived sense of safety, well-being, and trust in their hospitals. Although such reactions may not be strictly logical, we are all subject to fear and anxiety, especially during times of crisis. One might argue that fear and anxiety are better countered with data and education than with a marginally beneficial mask, particularly in light of the worldwide mask shortage, but it is difficult to get clinicians to hear this message in the heat of the current crisis. Expanded masking protocols’ greatest contribution may be to reduce the transmission of anxiety, over and above whatever role they may play in reducing transmission of COVID-19.”

The real reason masks were forced upon the masses based on the evidence leads me to believe that they are nothing more than a useless virtue signal that politicians have used to satiate the masses need for a feeling of safety. In summary, they’re a very effective placebo to quell their anxieties and fears about a great “unknown.” However one must question the governments timing in mandating masks, as the mandate came after the peak of the pandemic (after first wave in April of 2020). We must now ask the logical question — is the mask to help quell fear or to keep people in a constant state of it?

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