For the past year or so, I’ve been bombarded on social media about the side effects of Covid vaccines, particularly how they are purported to damage your Mitochondria. Some of the people sharing this material are often persons I’ve admired and respected for years, and some have even featured on this blog or follow it… Medical authorities, and not least Big Pharma of course, poo poo the whole idea as conspiracy theories. Social media is constantly censoring posts, even blocking them. Now I’m no expert. I had heard of Mitochondria before, but I didn’t even know what it was. You can’t know everything, though with a good BS filter you can learn a lot from places like YouTube. Like Dr John Campbell whose channel is often cited by these “conspiracists”. He’s even gotten close to getting into trouble with YouTube, but I find him the most credible when it comes to Covid information…
There’s no doubt there have been significant excess deaths since the worst part of the pandemic has more or less ended, the data is there for everyone to see. Dr John Campbell refrains from saying they’re caused by vaccines, he isn’t keen on getting blocked!
Since discovering the Keto Diet whose positive effects still have me amazed, I’ve become much more interested in health related issues. After all, the post collapse world probably won’t be able to supply us with the drugs we currently take for granted, the USA is already experiencing shortages, and don’t even mention China which is facing, I think, a diabolical health problem.
It turns out, the SAD diet – Standard American/Australian Diet, also known in some parlors as the Shit American Diet – can seriously damage Mitochondria. Let me tell you, I’ve decided that chronic inflammation is doing serious harm to all parts of your body…..
So then, what’s this new theory of mine you ask? Not being any sort of health expert, I can’t know one way or the other whether the Covid vaccines damage or even destroy Mitochondria as some people suggest. But, if your mitochondria is compromised because you’re following the SAD diet, then vaccines could be more likely to interfere with it. It was watching the following video that got me started on the path of this post. The SAD diet is probably responsible for all sorts of ailments, and what if the epidemic of bad health was just bubbling to the surface and going exponential like everything else turning to shit? The pandemic could be the catalyst that starts the die off…. an accumulation of everything that’s wrong with the food sector and the economy pushing it along.
The SAD diet causes all the diseases that Dr John Campbell lists in the video at the top. One cause of death is even urinary complications which are completely fixed in my case. As discussed above, it also causes neurological problems like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, the latter being on Dr John’s list too. As is diabetes. To top it all we now have another epidemic of plant based everything that I personally believe is really unhealthy…..
There’s one more facet to my theory. Years ago Gail Tverberg wrote an essay on her blog explaining how many of the things we take for granted utterly rely on abundant SURPLUS ENERGY. Things like pension funds, insurance schemes, free education, and yes, a complex health system. The proof is that the US health system is responsible for 8% of its CO2 emissions! Post pandemic, the system is overwhelmed, staff are burnt out and leaving in droves, etc etc……. methinks all those unexplained excess deaths are also a sign of the surplus energy crisis and looming collapse.
Furthermore, having now participated in two podcasts with those crazy eco modernists I’m very much inclined to add GMOs. After all, who knows what ingesting glyphosate over a decade or two is capable of doing to unsuspecting consumers of processed foods?
I’d really like to know what you all think…. I appreciate I’ve given you a lot of homework!
Our first keto Christmas lunch…. Duck casserole with fennel, chicken breast in capsicum and cream sauce, and delicious sugar free blueberry cheese cake I’m still enjoying…. I wish we’d been eating like this for years…!
Damn the Matrix 
Owing to the popularity of vegetarianism and veganism – mostly driven by an ethic that we ethically ought not eat other animals – I asked a friend who is a Keto expert if it’s possible for a vegan to live healthily on a Keto diet. Her answer was yes, but if being a vegan is limiting to our food choices then being keto well elevate that difficulty ten times over. But still viable.
Anyway, I’m not vegan myself but – whether we like it or not – it’s a solidly building movement. Keto and paleo diets seem to both run counter to that popular ethic, and so they are disapproved of by many alternative / environmental folk even though those diets come close to resembling the food regime that we were naturally evolved to thrive on as hunter gatherers.
I switched from 12 years keto ( 17% body fat,) to a high protein(1 gram per pound) moderate fat , low carb. I’m 14% body fat.
I just thought that I would also point out the other Elephant hanging out in the cardiac ward, microplastics.
As they’re in our food and water they effect us all.
Wei J, Wang X, Liu Q, Zhou N, Zhu S, Li Z, Li X, Yao J, Zhang L. The impact of polystyrene microplastics on cardiomyocytes pyroptosis through NLRP3/Caspase-1 signaling pathway and oxidative stress in Wistar rats. Environ Toxicol. 2021 May;36(5):935-944. doi: 10.1002/tox.23095. Epub 2021 Jan 6. PMID: 33404188.
“The SAD diet … also causes neurological problems like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s”
It is really all about the health of the gut bacteria, which determine the relative volumes of neurochemicals assembled in the brain. See:
Regulation of Neurotransmitters by the Gut Microbiota and Effects on Cognition in Neurological Disorders:
“We summarize the mechanisms whereby the gut microbiota regulate the production, transportation, and functioning of neurotransmitters. We also discuss how microbiome dysbiosis affects cognitive function, especially in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8234057/
So, to the extent that the diet makes the gut bacteria healthy, the body and mind are protected from disease. Processed foods are unnatural, by definition, so are very likely to cause great damage to the microbiome, necessarily leading to poor mental and physical well-being.
Hi Mike, I think the online discussions about mitochondria & Covid may be confusing vaccination with infection outcomes! I have found no suggestion of -ve mitochondrial impacts of vaccination in the literature, but there is quite a lot of emerging data that suggests that COVID-19 infection itself may be impacting mitochondrial health! In fact there are significant indicators that it’s post-COVID-19 damage to mitochondria that may be responsible for many of the symptoms associated with ‘long Covid’, including the now very obvious multiplying declines in immune response capacity that accompany repeated infections. Mitochondria are fascinating! They are organelles found within most types of cells within our bodies. They are almost like ‘cells within cells’ & have their own DNA & cellular systems. Some think they may be some type of archea that colonised mammals & other organisms a few hundred million years ago & were subsequently incorporated into all of our cells. They are the ‘powerhouses’ of individual cells & are also responsible for many other functions within their ‘host’ cell, including many regulatory functions & the cells immune response.
And it’s this DNA that anti vaxxers claim is modified by the rNA vaccines. Will we ever know?
‘Will we ever know?’ Well that was the question I was addressing. As far as I’ve been able to see, there is no evidence at all that the ‘active’ ingredient of the mRNA vaccines – the bit that holds ‘information’ about C19’s spike protein – has any effect on the mitochondria in our cells. This fragmentary information doesn’t even enter our own cell nuclei, let alone pass through the further multiple barriers to the nuclei of the mitochondria! It has a very brief presence in the body – just enough to pass information about the spoke proteins on to the very specific lymph node cells involved in our immune systems. This is all thoroughly explained by the Commonwealth Dept of Health web site as well as numerous other references. There are also a large number of well verified sources online discussing C19’s mitochondrial impacts. A review thereof will answer your question I think…
Lynn Margulis was the originator of the symbiosis concept, and if I recall she argued that things like the mitochondria were evidence of this. One of the most powerful ideas in biology.
As far as I’ve been able to determine, the mRNA vaccines aren’t that great, but the spike protein they expose you to is far less than what you get from a covid infection. It’s the repeated infections that will and are causing a new immune deficiency from destroyed and exhausted immune cells. Just like another famous virus that can’t be named.
I’m a wannabe vegan; partly because there’s no laughter in slaughterhouses and partly because it’s a possible solution to the devastation we’re inflicting on Spaceship Earth. As such, I’m reluctant to consider arguments that promote the idea that not eating meat is bad for us.
If you want conspiracy theories, then one might be that the Merchants of Doubt, infamous for their nefarious tactics in the tobacco and fossoil industries (and others), have been employed by Big Ag and the meat farming industry to spread FUD so as to protect their bottom lines. From that mindset, I would want much, much more information before I’d allow your theory any traction within my head.
What really needs changing is food production.
Worked in a few abattoirs, and actually there is heaps of laughing, by the humans at least, and maybe because of the circumstance. I remember a slaughterman stepping back from the gallons of blood gushing as he corkscrewed the jugular of a beast, a grin at a shocked newby in me “ that’s why we drink!”
Obviously massive killing factories can’t be good, but neither are huge monoculture soy farms that provide your soy lattes and tofu. Not claiming to have any answers, but enjoy my meat, and prepared to kill my own.
Lloyd
Strahan
Interesting about the laughter. I guess it’s a natural response to the insanity of the situation; one must laugh, or cry.
Personally, I’m quite OK with the idea of killing your own beasts for meat. It’s the inhumanity of the idea in the minds of most that ‘meat comes from the supermarket’ that winds me up.
You refer to ‘huge monoculture soy farms’… I personally find these, too, highly distasteful; mainly because of the forests that are cleared to make way for them, but also because the whole concept of monocultures is extremely unwise in the long term. However, there is no doubt at all that reducing the quantity of meat we consume can – and, indeed, mustbe a part of the system change required if we are to come out the other side of the climate emergency. I offer as counterpoint: How to save the world, from George Monbiot.
Is it not easier to just say:
shit inputs = shit outcomes.
When you add together microplastics, forever chemicals, processed foods (whether meat, dairy or vegan), unregulated factory & aircraft pollutions, industrial agriculture, road rubber pollution, petrochemical industrial processes – it all equals shit inputs. Some might add untested vaccines to that list. Then you can natural reactions to human activity, like increased CO2 reducing cognitive function, with ozone depletion and oxygen depletion on the way.
I don’t think science will ever catch up to all the possible combinations of illnesses provided by all those inputs.
I do remember years ago, a report showing that ancient Egyptian bodies had 65 contaminants, whereas modern ones have 400. And now sperm counts are down 50% worldwide.
Life expectancy in the UK and US is now on the decline.
All these factors will be connected.
Following collapse data is intense enough, I haven’t the energy to follow all this long-covid/vaccines/mychondria/DNa/RNa debates. I do pop into Dr John Campbell’s work now and again, particularly his work on vitamin D, and I do agree it is very good information.
The vast majority of us are all going to die early of civilisation, whether it’s a pandemic outcome, fascism, floods, fires, starvation, nuclear war, iso-static rebound or storms. A few of us might live to a natural old age, a proportion of those might live healthily to a natural old age. That’s about as good as it is going to get I’m afraid. “We are what we eat” it is said, which sums it up neatly.
Brandon’s point above I think is probably the nearest to the truth, gut bacteria being key. We know micro-plastics are in breast milk now, so they must be in the gut too. And forever chemicals are in rainfall, so we’re drinking them too. Most factory made bread is made from wheat treated with Roundup, os if you eat bread and it’s not made with organic flour, you’re adding poisoning to your list.
I find MEDCRAM a great site for detailed health information and data. (The site is funded by the sale of medical information and data to teaching hospitals and receives no funding from pharmaceutical companies).
Here’s a talk on Long covid and fat metabolism Mitochondrial dysfunction
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Long Covid and Fat Metabolism Mitochondrial Dysfunction: Getting Outside Might Be an Answer
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And another one on Excess Mortality and covid 19.
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Excess Mortality and COVID-19: What is causing it?
youtu.be
@peNdantry is spot on: animal agriculture is not fun ( that Dominion (2018) fillum was no knee-slapper 8-| ) and it is absolutely fucking disastrous for the planet. Of the total mammalian biomass; Humans are about 36%, our domesticates (mostly cattle/pigs) are 60%, and wild mammals are only 4%. Poultry biomass is about 3x that of wild birds!
So, assuming a high animal protein/fat diet is optimal for human health (be it Atkins, Paleo, Keto, Carnivore – your pick), and if all 8 billion of us adopted such a diet… does anybody here seriously doubt that this would be A BAD THING for the planet? So I can’t bring myself to watch the above Brian Sanders video, in part, titled “COWS CAN SAVE THE WORLD”! Really…
And Big Ag (meat, dairy, eggs) is absolutely running the Big Oil/Tobacco playbook of seeding doubt about the health of animal proteins/fats. This isn’t tin foil hat stuff – Nina Teicholz is a prime example.
That’s not to say there aren’t shitty people in the plant centric world – fuckin hipsters and brainless animal lovers have given veganism a thoroughly bad name. Soy anything can fuck right off… soy based “meat alternatives” is such liberal “have my cake and eat it too” bullshit. All that processed crap is just vegan junk-food! And those folks who refuse to wear “animal products”, instead smugly donning their “cruelty free” plastic garbs (nylon, polyester, etc) just piss me off – as if those clothes are created (and disposed of) in a vacuum. Give me a quality leather jacket and I’ll wear it for life.
With that said, after much research of my own, I personally landed on a “Whole-Foods, Plant-Based Diet” as the best for human health. I’ll spare you a sermon but for anybody interested, “PLANT BASED NEWS” is a good source on YouTube (Chris MacAskill does some fantastic videos), or watch/read anything from the likes of T. Colin Campbell, Michael Greger, Galit Goldfarb, John A. McDougall, Mick Walker, Yami Cazorla-Lancaster… the list goes on.
No doubt though, simply cutting out the SAD diet non-foods is THE BEST dietary decision anybody can make for their health! All the chronic disease, autoimmune disorders, inflammation, etc… largely comes down to this diet.
But @MARK BEVIS ultimately nails it with… “The vast majority of us are all going to die early of civilisation”. This goes for a good chunk of the biosphere too – it aint called “The 6th Mass Extinction” fer nuthin! We have made (and continue to make) a right fuckin’ mess of this place and I reckon God would be regretting the whole dominion thing…
The only reason there are so many farm animals is all down to too many people. OVERSHOOT.
Now that I’m on very low plant content diet, I’ve never felt better. My BP is the lowest since I don’t know when and it’s only a matter of time before I ditch the BP pills…..
I’m not sure exactly what you meant by “whole foods” but I hope it wasn’t whole grain…
Well, it’s not really ALL DOWN TO human population – the number of domesticates is obviously determined by our dietary preferences. Overshoot would still be inevitable with 8 billion vegans – they’d still all die horribly in the coming resource wars, just with a little less cardiovascular disease/cancer/etc… 😛
And… “I’m not sure exactly what you meant by “whole foods””… well clearly Mike! Or you wouldn’t have embedded a video about bread! 😀
Otherwise, I just read your earlier “Musings on Dr YouTube” post, and I’m glad to hear you’re chronic ailments are clearing up, kilo’s are coming off, and you generally feel better! And all in such a short time frame – wow!
But, this is in fact a very common and well documented/understood experience for people on such diets, however (from what I’ve read/watched) the longer term implications are rather concerning. Maybe such longer term health considerations are a lesser concern for you at 70+, but I’m still in my 30’s and I’d prefer to do all I can to avoid colon cancer.
Now I, like you, are very much a lay person. And as you noted there is a lot of garbage and many a grifter out there in the media landscape of the interwebs. Thus a “really good bullshit filter!” does indeed come in handy.
So, that’s why for example, as I’m trying to understand the ideal diet for a hairless ape, I very quickly stopped paying any attention to “Dr” Berg ( https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Eric_Berg )… I don’t need my back cracked, plus I prefer not to support Scientology in any way, shape or form… https://tonyortega.org/2021/05/15/scientology-chiropractor-eric-berg-called-out-by-son-in-viral-tiktok-video/
Instead, I found myself drawn to and rather much convinced by the literature/data surrounding the (say it with me) “Whole-Foods, Plant-Based Diet”. For example, “The Starch Solution” by John McDougall, or “Carbophobia: The Scary Truth About America’s Low-Carb Craze” by Michael Greger – he donates all proceeds of his books to actual charities by the way (no grift here), plus you can even get the PDF for free ( https://atkinsfacts.org/downloads/atkins-exposed.pdf ). Oh and both these guys are actual Doctors (MD’s), so there’s that…
I say all this from a place of great admiration and respect Mike. Your efforts here at DTM have helped ‘red pill’ a lot of folks down-under, and I’d very much like to see you keep raging against the machine for as long as possible – don’tcha wanna see what happens in “2050”. 🙂
So my sincere advice is, finish your homework Mike… go read from the author list I provided, watch PLANT BASED NEWS videos, and then make up your mind, fully informed (hell, if I had to suffer through Joe Rogan videos, the least you can do is tolerate a few Dr Greger dad jokes). And if after that you’re still convinced a Ketogenic diet is optimal for homo sapiens, well that’s your choice. In the mean time, maybe take a look at/try on the Vegan Keto diet (yes that’s a thing). It might give you a better idea of/feel for what the animal fats/proteins are actually doing for you.
And I’ll leave with a quip from Dr. Kim Williams – “There are two kinds of Cardiologists: Vegans and those who haven’t read the data.”
Wishing you all good health and good luck for 2023! 😀
Glenda came back from volunteering new years eve…. She hadn’t seen this particular person because of covid etc, and he went vegan since. She reckons he looks like death warmed up….
BTW cancer feeds on sugar, not ketones…
I didn’t know he was an antivaxxer because in all his videos I haven’t once heard him mention vaccines. And saturated fats are EXCELLENT for your health! He’s not the only one who says so I’m fast discovering…. Dr Paul Mason who IS a real doctor agrees as does neurologist Dr Phillips…