by Lynn Mandaville
Have you ever read the list of ingredients on the bag in which your store-bought bread is packaged?
Here are some of the ingredients from the bag of white hot dog buns we bought recently at our neighborhood grocery store:
- Enriched unbleached wheat flour
- Niacin
- Reduced iron
- Thiamin mononitrate
- Riboflavin
- Folic acid
- Sugar, yeast, water, vegetable oil
As you probably know, as savvy consumers, ingredients are listed in order of proportion in the product, specifically, the biggest percentage listed first, thus wheat is the first ingredient.
If you know your nutrition, you know that the following five ingredients are vitamins and minerals which add nutritional value to the calories in the bread.
And if you’ve ever made bread, you know that sugar, yeast, water, and vegetable oil are ordinary ingredients added to achieve enhanced lift, taste, texture and “mouth feel.”
After these ingredients are listed less readily recognized ingredients:
- Ammonium sulfate
- Sodium stearoyl lactylate
- Ascorbic acid
- Monocalcium phosphate
- Calcium sulfate
- Calcium propionate
Without Googling further I would have had no idea what these things are. (They are chemical compounds used to insure freshness, shelf life, and retard spoilage, among other things.)
The bag also informs me that there is no high fructose corn syrup used, but warns me that this product can expose me to other chemicals like acrylamide which are known to the state of California to “cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.”
The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has oversight of most of our food in the US, and with that knowledge we consume our foods with an assumption of safety and security.
Knowing the FDA has okayed my bread, the most basic food of mankind throughout the ages, I feel safe consuming it, even these hot dogs buns that CA finds possibly carcinogenic.
Other things we ingest, or inoculate, may not seem as innocent or normal, so it makes sense that we approach them with some trepidation.
I’ve found myself pondering this topic recently in light of vaccine resistance vs. the embracing, by some people, of a veterinary drug, specifically a cattle de-wormer, called Ivermectin.
Ivermectin IS a deworming medicine used by veterinarians around the globe to kill developing threadworms, a type of roundworm that causes onchocerciasis (river blindness), and to treat a disease called strongyloidiasis transmitted by these worms.
Ivermectin has been used successfully in non-human mammals since the early 1980s, particularly in regions where onchocerciasis is endemic (tropical and sub-tropical areas).
Merck & Company Inc. has been researching human uses since that time, and finally began marketing it for some human applications in 1988 in those endemic countries. In ensuing years Ivermectin has proven to be a relatively safe and effective drug to eliminate parasitic worms from humans, as well as the large animals for whom it was developed, when used according to prescribed guidelines.
In other words, it’s a great poison to kill young worms in mammals.
I was unable to find a simple listing of ingredients for Ivermectin, other than to find incredibly long words ending in “-icides” to describe what its ingredients do, like “-icides” in insecticides that we use to kill bugs in our gardens.
Drugs, like food, are overseen by the FDA, so those with FDA approval are assumed to be safe for our responsible use, thus, anyone who has an early case of threadworm infection can feel secure in being prescribed this drug by a responsible physician..
To give a fair shake to my informal “investigation” I looked into the ingredients in COVID vaccines.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is made of the following ingredients:
- mRNA, or messenger ribonucleic acid, which is the only active ingredient in the vaccine, and which transmits genetic instructions to our bodies to make a viral protein that triggers an immune response to infection. Contrary to rumors, mRNA cannot alter DNA in the human body.
- Lipids, which are intended to protect the mRNA and give it a slippery exterior that allows it to slide inside cells. The chemical names for lipids can be lengthy and daunting to spell, but the simplest of lipids we know is cholesterol.
- Salts, with which we’re familiar as sodium chloride (table salt), and less familiar potassium chloride, and dibasic sodium phosphate dihydrate.
- Sugar, more commonly sucrose.
Moderna adds to its vaccine some acids and acid stabilizers (acetic acid, which is a byproduct of fermentation and gives vinegar its characteristic flavor, and tromethamines, which serve to neutralize acid in the blood), and Johnson & Johnson adds ethanol, a form of alcohol.
All in all, the big three vaccines are very similar.
These vaccines were originally offered as emergency treatment to ward off COVID-19, and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is now fully FDA-approved for general use.
The only difference among these three “inventions” – bread, Ivermectin, and COVID-19 vaccine (specifically Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine) – that I can discern is that bread (commercial brands) and the vaccine are approved by the FDA for general human consumption, while Ivermectin, while FDA-approved for general use in cattle, is FDA-approved for humans only on an individual basis in consultation with a physician to treat parasitic infection, but is still only in the research phases, where Ivermectin and a COVID-19 virus are placed together in a Petri dish to determine whether Ivermectin might be a mitigant for symptoms of COVID-19.
That’s a pretty big distinction, in my opinion.
This kind of comparison and contrast is not offered to the general public by the cable media, network media, or any other source that I know of.
I got to wondering why some people would fear the vaccine over Ivermectin in the face of the consequences of contracting COVID-19.
Is it that Ivermectin has been around longer than COVID and its vaccines, even though people are not using Ivermectin for what it was developed to do?
It can’t be a legitimate excuse that “I don’t know what’s in the vaccine” but I do know what’s in Ivermectin. It is quite simple to Google what’s in the various vaccines, and more difficult to determine what’s in Ivermectin.
Is it that they trust a media personality who hypes alternative medicine more than they trust the medical industry or the government who hype a new vaccine?
Aside from understanding reluctance among Blacks, due to their checkered history with medical malpractice and medical experimental atrocities, I’m honestly without a logical explanation as to why people would reject vaccine yet embrace Ivermectin.
I’m not one of those folks who contend that anti-maskers or anti-vaxxers ought to be denied health care should they contract COVID or its variants. That doesn’t reconcile with the Hippocratic Oath or mainstream religious teaching.
I don’t believe in penalizing people for being gullible (those sucked in by charlatans and snake oil salesmen), or for being just plain reckless (in my opinion) with their choices.
But I sure am dumbfounded when it comes to believing in a cattle de-wormer over a proven vaccine. I guess that’s just me.
I guess we’ll just have to chalk this up to the foibles of being human.
Well Lynn you may have helped me make one of my points as to why I feel the way I do. You stated in your research (and I commend you for that) that the Merck company started research on Ivermectin in the early 1980’s and didn’t get approval untill 1988 for limited use on humans. What is that 7-8 years of testing and trials for limited case by case use? That doesn’t take into account the years maybe decades of trials for approval to use this product on livestock by the good ol’ FDA? How many times have we read about the FDA pulling a popular drug off the market because of the long term side effects that did not start showing up until many years down the road. You can’t turn on the TV with out being driven crazy by some bottom feeding law firm urging you to sue a company if you got close enough to a chemical jug to read the ingredient label. Glycosphate, paraquat, Round up, gramoxone both approved chemicals used for years are suddenly all bad! These products were life changing back in the day. This doesn’t even begin to mention GMO crops that are so prevalent today. Did you know some countries have banned their import? So fast forward to 2020, the whole world is thrust into the covid insanity! And suddenly a miracle cure is on the horizon! Our government opens the check book and a cure is born! And all in less than a year! HALLELUJAH! ( Speaking of snake oil?) No long term testing, little concern for side effects, (which there have been) Waaaah Laaaaah! Again very little or no coverage by MSM on side effects. Hmmmm.
You question about trusting the government. Have you turned on your TV lately or picked up a news paper? I feel the current administration is a total train wreck, opening our borders to anyone and anything ( with little or no testing) that can make the trip. Then spread them all over the country? WHAT? A year ago we could not leave our own houses! How about our people in Afghanistan? I doubt they have many warm fuzzies about now.
So I loose my “right” to turn down the vaccine what is next? My right to free speech? To own a firearm? Where will it end?
I am sorry our views differ so much but I hope this clears up a few things for those of you who disagree with me. At least the last time I checked I still have the right to my opinion! At least I think I do. I haven’t checked for a couple of days.
JAOF, it might interest you to know that the COVID vaccines did not occur overnight as if by magic. The science and technology to produce these, and many others that did not pass muster by the FDA, were developed many years ago when SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) reared their ugly heads in 2003 and 2012 respectively. (These two syndromes are precursors of the current COVID-19 virus.) The use of mRNA became a standard on which to base vaccines against such respiratory syndromes, so there is a reliable formula on which to build subsequent vaccines. Each new vaccine must pass testing and data-gathering for each specific virus against which to achieve protection. Having the mRNA technology in place shortens the time in which to develop vaccines considerably, so although it seems like the COVID vaccine appeared overnight like magic, that is not the case. The time-intensive work was already done and had already passed FDA standards with flying colors.
Just an old farm boy is kinda an idiot and long winded as well.
That’s it. I said everything important.
Well said! Yeah, these people crack me up I never hear about them showing up to the health department protesting when they shut a beach down for ecoli or protesting at a grocery store when the FDA pulls a product because of samonella, or anyone protesting at a department store when there’s a recall on a toy or crib because of choking hazard or a safety issue. But maybe these are the kinda people that just say hey I gotta get me some of that and I’ll take my chances.
Lynn, years past Mother Jones published an article about the ingredients in processed food products. The article listed dozens of products with unrecognizable stuff with lengthy chemical sounding names. One product stood out, stood alone, from the lengthy list. Only that product had a clearly identifiable food substance. I don’t recall exactly what it was but it was some sort of meat.
The product was rat poison.
“Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.”
Michael Pollan
As for the debate at hand, the question as to why one would take an animal deworming medication over a vaccine lies in the current disturbingly resurgent cultural climate change, a reversion from the American Renaissance of the 1950s when science and technology drove remarkable progress, back to the dark ages of superstition and distrust, where miracle cures trump scientifically backed, and time tested, medicine because, well, magic is cool and I’m a smarter person than you because I am privy to the secret words and realms. Wouldn’t we all like a magic wand to wave away all our cares and woes?
Walt, I’m reminded of the slogan, I think it might have been from Monsanto, “better living through chemistry.” Was that from the 60s or 70s? Anyway, it was from the days when we DID believe in science as “the future,” but the chemistry turned out to be poisoning the population, through pesticides in food, and chemicals getting into food sources inadvertently. (Was it PCBs or a fire retardant that got into cattle feed in MI and wound up in the milk/meat supply in the 70s? I’d just had our first child and had to have my milk tested to make sure it wasn’t contaminated so I could continue to nurse him.) I guess I could see how we’d develop a distrust of science in general because of that kind of horrible mishap, but wouldn’t the distrust then carry over to veterinary medicine being used for untested human consumption? Like I said, I’m at a loss to explain it.
The Biden debacle in Afganistan, invasion of the border by unvaccinated and Covid positive people, and we are still on this Covid crap?
If you are vaccinated, you get a gold star- feel better? If you are unvaccinated, you are a freedom and liberty American, but know you will be ridiculed by those much smarter and in the know than you!?
13 dead service people, $88+ billion worth of equipment, firearms, planes, helicopters, and war material and not a peep from anyone on these posts? Shameful.
You wanted change, you got it. President Biden owns this collosal FUBAR. What happened to the fawning, sychophantic media? Biden is obviously mentally and physically incompetent. Always has been a poor excuse for a politician and foreign relations expert.
Sir,
DTOM
In my estimation, these libs don’t want to hear the truth. But it is certainly fun telling them……..
Cheerio
Yep amnesia, another mess a republican got us into and another mess a democrat has to get us out of.
Mr. Gar,
It is not getting out that is the problem. It is the process of how we removed military before civilian Americans, friendly Afgans, and all the equipment of extraordinary type and quantity.
Just think if Trump would have pulled off the collosal FUBAR like Dementia Joe, there would be 24-hour coverage demanding his resignation. The Democrats and Remocrats also are responsible for Joe’s election, knowing he was unfit to serve. Now we know he is mentally incompetent to be commander in chief.
Remember the Vietnam was escalation in 1964? That was a Democrat and Nixon/Ford got us out of that.
Once again you’re wrong. Your orange god started to remove troops way before PRESIDENT BIDEN took office. Back in November your secretary of state worked out a deal with the Taliban to take total control my May 1st, and even if the clown was still president, I can guarantee something would have happened, but I wouldn’t have blamed him. A soldier knows the day they sign those papers that they may never return home, and like Tony Bologny said, stick to the topic!
It appears the old farm boy and others may likely be on the wrong side of history. Im only moderately interested in how he feels about it, what I would truly like to know is if he or perhaps others are able to provide historical precedence otherwise. I’ll try and share this link, it explains what I’m referring to. https://youtu.be/G4r7ORDMOQc
Tony, your link was edifying. Thanks.
My intent is not to instruct, but merely to share what I have found to be most likely factual, and to seek further information towards multitudes of questions. My hope would be to gain a better understanding of the viewpoints of others.
Unfortunately it seems as though a lot of the input is nothing less than parroted talking points to further inflame emotions and spread information that is dubious in it’s intention. I do not feel that “life’s destiny including death was determined by God almighty himself the second I was conceived” (however that determination came about is highly questionable). I believe We have Choices and a certain will, if you will.
My opinion, genuine thanks to all those vaccinated folks who are voluntarily being the human version of a guinea pig. Not once, not twice, but now three times. Particulary, for something that does even come close to fully protecting you. The jury is not in regarding the long term effects of this trial. I hope the best to all you.
Please remember were the virus originated when shopping. President Trump said “don’t ask me that question…. ask China that question”.
So why did he get vaccinated? And he just got booed at his latest side show in Alabama for telling his WWE crowd to get vaccinated. But have it you’re way I haven’t heard anything about the government forcing you to get vaccinated so hopefully you or anyone you know gets infected and show up in the ER because those people working there believe in the science.
Sometimes it feels as though freedom really only means we are free to be dumb. How about some more historical perspective, although this is also debated (or more of a denial). I find this image of Chinese propaganda ironic to a nauseating degree. For those unaware, at the thick of the Korean war we were fighting the Chinese in those mountains. This will likely be turned into the tune of “yeah see those socialist commies did that and look what it got them” or some other ignorant rage babel. I could respond with comments and thoughts about the current operations, but I thought we were discussing the “covid crap” on this article specifically and ill try to stick to the topic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegations_of_biological_warfare_in_the_Korean_War
I’ve been following this story and the comments, and I feel that both sides have made good points, minus the never-ending ridiculing and name-calling. I like a good debate, but find the latter so disappointing.
Anyway, I am wondering how those in this forum feel about the following article regarding our county. I understand from previous articles in the TB that Rep. Johnson is controversial and am not asking for opinions regarding him or his views. Rather, I want to know what you think about the letter from the Allegan Health Dept. threatening to take children suspected of being carriers of the virus into protective custody. Though I have had the vaccine myself, I believe that this takes things too far.
Is this legitimate, or has someone pulled a fast one on Rep. Johnson? I searched for “Covid Warning Letter” on the health dept. site and got nothing, but perhaps I didn’t use the best key words. I’ll let you professional journalists take it from here. 🙂
Thank you, and do have a good day.
https://nbc25news.com/news/state/michigan-lawmaker-calls-out-allegan-county-covid-19-letter-to-parent
This appears interesting and alarming at first, however, it matches the typical song of overreacting and misrepresenting the situation. It seems to me that is a worse case level of escalation, if the notice has no level of “threat” if you will, how could one expect people to give regard in today’s climate of rampant disregard. The R’s be squealing loudly lately, perhaps we should try to determine what it is they are attempting to distract attention away from.
Our local FOX17 now has an article about the health dept. letter. The first one I shared was from a mid-Michigan station, though the letter has “gone viral.” I am glad there was some explanation. The letter regarding quarantine has been sent out throughout the pandemic, and thankfully no one has had to go to court over it or worse. I think whoever got the letter dated August 27th, like me, probably didn’t know that and was scared and contacted Rep. Johnson. It IS strongly worded, and anyone would be afraid of losing their child.
https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/lakeshore/allegan/allegan-co-covid-warning-notice-causing-stir-on-social-media