Wow! It is hard to believe that it was nearly 6 years to the day we were told that there was a virus from China that was killing everyone that it infected and would change the world as we once knew it. It had the power to shift the world more so than the day when the twin towers were struck on 9/11. I remember how we were told that society would be shut down for only “2 weeks to stop the spread.” Then two weeks became two months and ultimately, two months became two years and here we are today. I remember my son on the phone on speaker mode sitting at the kitchen table with all of his friends on the other line hearing that the school year was going to be cancelled. They were screaming with cries of joy but later realizing that this was the worst thing that could have happened to them and later they were tears of pain. Going to multiple grocery stores to find any food that was available at the time. Calling me when he found toilet paper and celebrating when he found pasta at Cost Plus World Market. I remember going to work and trying to deal with patients’ ailments and illnesses over the phone. I remember getting the vaccine and thinking how great science was and how much has changed since the discovery of vaccines back in 1796 when Edward Jenner noticed milkmaids who had cowpox seemed immune to smallpox and he inoculated a boy with cowpox pus, exposing him to small pox and he was found to be immune as well, nearly 225 years before the use of the mRNA Covid vaccines that were being injected in most of our arms starting in early 2021. There were lines of cars miles long and people waited hours to get the vaccine, that we were told, would prevent us from getting the dreaded disease. Then, months later we (physicians) were seeing individuals who were vaccinated get it anyways, then we were told “well if you got the vaccine and got Covid you couldn’t spread it”, but we were seeing it spread. Then we were told that if you were vaccinated, and you got Covid, you couldn’t die from it, yet people were dying from it. And this is when my life as a physician really became difficult.
This seeded the lack of trust in the science community. Remember just “trust the science”? I was fortunate enough to only lose 2 patients directly from Covid. One who was before the vaccines were available and the other was after the availability but due to his lack of trust in the science he succumbed to the disease. Don’t get me wrong, Covid was real in the beginning and there was a lot of individuals who may have been saved from the vaccines, but we were not being honest with the world not addressing the real risk factors: obesity, inactivity, diabetics and the immunocompromised etc… It wasn’t age per se but the diseases that we collect as we age when we do not stay healthy. We were told that if you got Covid, you couldn’t get it again and then there was the Omicron variant and all bets were off. The problem was that “the science” was constantly changing the goal post and they never course corrected. We as physicians practicing were seeing side effects and diseases post vaccination that were beyond coincidence but were being told that what we were seeing was not true. I became a skeptic as well. When science became political, I had to question “the science” (my profession) as well. I learned a lot during that time.
Being limited on my ability to see patients during the pandemic I felt the best way I could help my patients was to start writing on my website, information that I found on how we could prevent the disease, studies that were ongoing, and stats about the disease itself. This was a painstaking task because my original website was designed in 2007 and it required several procedures to post but it was worth it to me and a lot of you enjoyed the posts. I tried to steer you in the best direction I could and I think my staff and I did a very good job.
Many of you have been asking for more info now that the pandemic is over and there are questions that many of you have concerning medical issues from today. I am happy to announce that I am back to answer your questions. I want to keep you informed and educated about the current medical issues that all of us face. I am asking you to email me ANY questions that you have because if you have a question there are many others that likely have the same question. Remember what we were told in school? “There is never a dumb question.” Well that is not entirely true but it is close. I will also do my best to post information on the current issues that you may see on T.V., the internet or in magazines and newspapers. (Yes, younger generation many old timers such as myself still read the newspaper). So let’s start 2026 with staying more informed and check the site regularly for the latest information about health matters, local issues, and office issues and events as well. I am glad to be back. Stay healthy my friends and NEVER FORGET!!
