“Don’t get mad, get healthy.” This thought occurred to me when the most recent lockdown in our state was announced. Just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, Oregon, like many states in the U.S., is on yet another lockdown.

With cases on the rise, people are becoming COVID weary. Yet, regardless of how one feels, we have certain dictates we must adhere to. Additionally, we MUST take personal responsibility for minimizing our risks for complications should we contract the virus.

Protocols…. Good or Bad

Some of the protocols and mandates seem to make sense while others are downright ridiculous and may have long-lasting, negative impacts.

For example, the recent “encouragement” by state of Oregon governor, Kate Brown, recommending people call the police on neighbors and friends should they have more than six people gathering for the Thanksgiving holiday is downright scary.
There are some who believe this is a good idea while others see this as yet one more step in a direction we may not be able to return from. Others view this as remarkably close to what happened in Europe starting in 1933.

https://www.kezi.com/content/news/Gov-Brown-encourages-Oregonians-to-cal...

Regardless of which lock-down we are in, one thing is certain, little by little we are being forced to make changes in our behaviors.

A few of the obvious changes are:
•More people working remotely and from home
•Food delivery vs shopping in grocery stores
•Using platforms like Zoom to communicate with family, friends, co-worker, clients and vendors compared to face-to-face encounters
•Conferences going completely virtual with no end in sight
•Face masks adorn most everyone you come in contact with
•No indoor eating at restaurants with some states restricting outdoor seating too

One or two changes may not be that big of a deal and may not seem like much at all, but when you add it all up, there are some changes that are irreversible. For example, many businesses will not at all be able to recover financially (and emotionally) from the shutdowns.

Hard Hit Industries

The restaurant industry has been extremely hard hit. Just when an owner figures out how to bounce back from a closure, they are asked to limit seating, or worse yet, close again. There is only so many times an owner, and their staff, can take this both emotionally and financially.

Another hard-hit industry is fitness. With independently owned gyms closed throughout the U.S., like restaurant owners, many are forced to close permanently as more and more owners are filing bankruptcy.

Why Is McDonald’s Essential?

Amazingly, while health related businesses are considered a risk to our well-being, fast food establishments are deemed essential, meaning they can stay open with very few limitations. Fast-food restaurants, like McDonald’s and Taco Bell, are not only surviving, but they are also thriving.

One may wonder why fast-food restaurants are considered essential. The rational is that these establishments are feeding countless front-line workers. In that they are more convenient for front-line, essential workers, such as police, firefighters, and healthcare professionals, who cannot cook at home when they are on the front lines, they are supposedly needed.

https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-why-fast-food-workers-essent...

I understand, and appreciate, the need to provide convenience, but I do not understand, nor support, the need to provide such unhealthy choices. The majority of fast food choices are very unhealthy. There is no doubt they contribute to our declining health.

One is left to wonder why there is not a more focused effort on providing healthier food choices.

Here’s why…

When you consider how much subsidization is going on in the meat, dairy, and other industries that are directly connected to the fast food industry, it comes down to money over health. https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/.../how-the-government.../

Yet, many people choose to ignore the link between subsidization, poor food choices, and the ever-increasing poor health of the U.S. population. With diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, heart disease, obesity and obesity related illnesses on the rise, and food insecurities increasing, wouldn’t it make more sense for the government to subsidize healthier food and lifestyle choices?

Lest one think the subsidization and the “money over health” position is blown out of proportion, let’s look at other instances where the government did not care about the health and well-being of its citizens and chose money over the well-being of citizens.

Government Funded Studies That Put People at High Risk

There have been a considerable number of “studies and experiments" conducted on unsuspecting “volunteers” in the past. Until recently, this information was not readily available to the public, but over the last decade or two, a lot of information has been declassified.

Two of the most outlandish studies that have had deadly impacts on U.S. citizens are the MK Ultra and Tuskegee studies.

These research projects were carried out by U.S. government agencies. Many people may want to disregard the information claiming it is what conspiracy theories are made of. Yet, most will be shocked to learn the studies did occur.

MK-Ultra

MK-Ultra was a top-secret CIA project in which the agency conducted hundreds of clandestine experiments—sometimes on unwitting U.S. citizens—to assess the potential use of LSD and other drugs for mind control, information gathering and psychological torture. Though Project MK-Ultra lasted from 1953 until about 1973, details of the illicit program did not become public until 1975, during a congressional investigation into widespread illegal CIA activities within the United States and around the world.

https://www.history.com/topics/us-government/history-of-mk-ultra

Tuskegee Study

In 1932, the Public Health Service, working with the Tuskegee Institute, began a study to record the natural history of syphilis in hopes of justifying treatment programs for blacks. It was called the “Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male.”

The study initially involved 600 black men – 399 with syphilis, 201 who did not have the disease. The study was conducted without the benefit of patients’ informed consent. The results of untreated syphilis were deadly for some of the unsuspecting victims of the government funded study.
https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm

There are many more experiments that are as outlandish as these two, but this will give you an idea of how much you may not know about the deceitful activities of the United States government.

Is this conspiracy theory at work? Hardly. This is the digging up of activities that have been carefully covered up.

Truth be told, we DON'T know all that is going on with humans as the unaware victims of funded projects that were (and are) covered up. When the truth surfaced, many people ignored the reality simply getting on with their lives as if nothing happened primarily because they were not directly impacted. The information made for good reading, but God forbid they would dare to speak up.

Speak Up

It is time to speak up. We must quit sweeping the truth under the carpet.

One is left to wonder what the truth in all that is going on with COVID. Although COVID is real and millions are impacted, how much do we really know?

But I digress. More on COVID, but first…

Did you know that the government funds research with food manufacturers to study how to literally get people hooked on sugar, salt and fat? It’s true.

Lest anyone doubt what you are reading, I suggest you research what is called the Bliss Point.

This is the point we get a drug rush from the exact combination of either salt, sugar or fat (or all three) in the foods we eat. Manufacturers have spent millions upon millions to discover the bliss point that gets people hooked on certain foods. This is a fact.

https://www.treehugger.com/what-is-the-bliss-point-4863362

Tied to this, the federal government pays billions for sugar-sweetened beverages. Money that could go into healthy programs, but NO! through their funding, they keep people fat, sick and dependent on an unhealthy lifestyle.

The federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) pays at least $2 billion annually for sugar-sweetened beverages purchased in grocery stores alone, according to a study by the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.

https://news.yale.edu/2012/09/17/federal-food-program-pays-billions-suga...

What does this have to do with COVID? Consider this; the people most at risk for complications from COVID-19 are those who with comorbidity. If this is the case, doesn't it make sense that a lot of what we are being unknowingly subjected to actually puts us at a higher risk.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2713155/

Things are Backward

In addition to what we eat impacting our risk of complications, so does our level of exercise.
Shutting down gyms is the opposite of what should be happening. Rather than taking away the availability for people to engage in healthy activities, the government is subsidizing the very activities that are getting us sicker by the day.

Similarly, shutting down food sources that are healthy while making fast food restaurants essential is yet another asinine move.

If this information is not raising red flags for you, what will? The fact is, we cannot rely on the government, the healthcare system and big pharma to look out for our best interest. They have more than proved they are not interested in our best interest. Rather, they are interested in profits.

Next Experiment

One of the most controversial topics as it relates to COVID is whether or not to get vaccinated. According to a recent article on the Pew Research site about half of U.S. adults (51%) now say they would definitely or probably get a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 if it were available today; nearly as many (49%) say they definitely or probably would not get vaccinated at this time. Intent to get a COVID-19 vaccine has fallen from 72% in May, a 21-percentage point drop.

Full article https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2020/09/17/u-s-public-now-divided-ov...

Is it no surprise that people are leery of a vaccine that is being rushed to market? Do people wonder if they are yet more unwittingly, and unwilling, test subjects for yet another government funded experiment? Is there a high sense of mistrust of the very people who are supposed to be looking out for our well-being?

Many people fear there will be mandates put in place that force them to get the vaccine. Possible mandates could include travel, sports events, grocery shopping, public transportation or even work for some companies.

The bottom line is this; you and only you must decide what is right and aligned with what is most important to you.

The best thing each of us can do is take personal responsibility for our health. Simply put, eat healthy, exercise, and do not take everything at face value.

When it comes to COVID, you must do what you can to stay healthy in order that you will not increase your risk of complications should you contract the virus.

There is no guarantee you will not contract COVID. But the more you know, the more research you do and the more you stay as healthy as possible, the less likely it is that you will be subjected to the complications so many people are experiencing.

More on minimizing your risks through healthier choices.

http://plantbasedeatingforhealth.com/are-you-increasing-your-risks-of-co...

Author's Bio: 

Kathleen Gage is an advocate for healthy and compassionate eating through a whole food, plant based protocol. She hosts the podcast show, Plant Based Eating for Health and is often a featured expert on various podcast shows. An outspoken woman who is willing to speak out for change, Kathleen is available for interviews, speaking engagements and guest blogging. Contact her at kathleen @ kathleengage.com