Ian Gartshore

As one who tries to understand people I have been most curious as to why conspiracy theories are being embraced by those who normally do not see eye-to-eye. How is it that supporters of Donald Trump are joined by those described as “new agers?” Politically, they would otherwise have next to nothing in common. What both presently DO have in common is a distrust of those who are in charge of the medical system and the governments who rely on them. Why distrust the established medical field? When the pandemic emerged very little was known about the virus. Initially it was believed that people could easily become infected through touching infected surfaces, and so playgrounds were closed down and copious amounts of alcohol-based sanitizers and chemically-laden cleaners were put to use. Even when evidence ‘surfaced’ that virtually all infections were caused by the spread of tiny viral-laden droplets, we were continued to be told to sanitize everything. Thankfully playgrounds reopened. ...

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and, (for most) the sense that life is weird, many are anxiously wondering whether they or their loved ones will catch this virus. Governments are bleeding red ink (about a generation’s worth!). Many are out of work, especially smaller businesses are failing, the economy is in deep trouble, and nobody knows when, or even whether, we will ever return to “normal.” We can passively wait around and hope that a vaccine will save the day (maybe, but it might take more than a year, and, as do all pharmaceuticals, i t will have side-effects ). Or we can empower ourselves by building up our body’s natural immune system.  This novel coronavirus has not been the first, nor the last, that will spread through the population. Can we afford to shut down whole societies in an effort to defeat them, or will we instead arm ourselves and thus enjoy healthier, longer, lives -viruses or not? As it turns out worrying or stressing is hard on our immun...