We are now fully two years into this pandemic and the controversy of masks in preventing the spread of COVID-19 continues to rage. Right or wrong, like vaccines and lockdowns, masks use adherence have been a flashpoint dividing the political right and left during the pandemic. It may have taken several months, but those on the right and left of the spectrum seem to have adopted mask wearing (or the lack thereof) as a symbol of political allegiance, the evidence […]
In times of uncertainty and doubt, and COVID-19 is a perfect example of this, a lot of things start happening in our heads. When we are uncertain or begin to doubt, we have a reactive, emotional side to our brain ( the limbic system) that tends to shut down the rational, logical side thinking patterns (the prefrontal cortex). That’s just part of being human. We end up making very otherwise unwise decisions based on these reactions. As humans ourselves, those […]
You know the old adage, “too many chefs spoil the dinner”. Now we can say that about our health, as well. As a practicing family doctor for the past 20 years, I’ve seen countless times how too many specialists can “spoil” a patient’s health. A cardiologist starts two blood thinners to keep the patient from another heart attack, but then finds that the patient died of a bleeding ulcer from the blood thinners. A psychiatrist starts another patient on antipsychotics […]
COVID-19 continues to pose a serious public health threat. A multitude of different prevention and treatment strategies have been employed to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, specifically to reduce length of illness, days of missed work, hospitalizations, and deaths. Ivermectin has been identified previously as having in vitro antiviral properties against SARS-COV-2. Interest in ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 gained traction early in 2020 as a potential inexpensive treatment for COVID-19 patients based on in vitro findings, as […]
COVID Frequently Asked Questions October 24, 2020 I am not a Republican, I am not a Democrat, I am independently minded. There are problems with both political parties, please keep that in mind. Dr. Hastings Question: Did locking down entire economies during COVID lead to fewer overall deaths? Answer: No. Multiple lines of evidence (see here, here, and here) reveal that not only did locking down economies during COVID surge not decrease COVID deaths, it INCREASED OVERALL deaths from […]
FYI: I am neither a Democrat or Republican. I am politically fiercely independent. SUMMARY: While the U.S. leads the world with the UK in testing per population, the U.S. also has one of the highest COVID deaths per million. This appears to reject the scientific consensus that testing more people leads to fewer deaths if the U.S. is one of the world leaders in this area. The states won by Trump in 2016 and states currently governed by Republicans fare […]
There is risk in appearing insensitive by providing you the information below. I understand and accept this risk. Please know that I care about and am concerned about the health, well-being, and safety of each of you reading this email. Thank you in advance for understanding. Please direct any objective, evidence-based responses to our office, I read and consider all of them. Thank you. Over the course of the last several weeks, we have been informed by news media […]
The following is an email sent on May 19, 2020 to the Dr. Diana L. Fite, President of the Texas Medical Association regarding COVID-19. I am extremely grateful to Dr. Fite for responding to my previous email addressing some controversies surrounding COVID-19. Good afternoon Dr. Fite, Thank you for taking the time to respond to my email. We are in agreement in regards to the generally accepted CDC guidelines regarding social distancing in a pandemic. I am aware of the […]
Lockdowns and quarantines are procedures called “Non Pharmaceutical Interventions” that are currently being advocated and used to slow the spread of highly contagious, infectious disease, such as COVID-19. However, despite these “social distancing” measures that appeared to lower death rates in previous pandemics like the 1918 flu, we are not seeing the same benefits that would be expected in the current pandemic. Why are lockdown orders not working like we think they should? I know this is controversial, but stick with […]