Page 10 - Spring2020

Caustic Commentary

Sally Fallon Morell takes on the Diet Dictocrats

CORONOVIRUS AND THE FLU SHOT Nestle, the Post trots out the same old tired arguments for
As world leaders react over the coronavirus outbreak, soy: “Asians have been eating soy products for millennia
centered in the city of Wuhan, China and now spreading and don’t seem to be any worse for it. They have among
to other countries worldwide, a paper published in Clinical the longest lifespans and the best health, at least in classic
Infectious Diseases (2012 Jun 15; 54(12): 1778–1783) reveals diets.” And that’s just the point. Classic Asian diets contain
a disturbing fact: the inactivated flu vaccine increases the very little soy, typically with about one-half the amount of
risk of noninfluenza respiratory virus infections. The study estrogen in a glass of soymilk or an Impossible Whopper
randomized one hundred fifteen children to receive the daily. However, we doubt that men—or women—will be
trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine or a placebo. Over eating a lot of Impossible Whoppers, as soy is very hard to
the following nine months, children receiving the vaccine digest and is bound to cause problems like stomach ache,
had an increased risk of rhinovirus and coxsackie virus heartburn, gas, constipation and diarrhea.
infection, as well as of “other viruses,” including the coronavirus.
Officials are blaming outdoor live animal markets as the ROAD RAGE
source of the outbreak; no information about the vaccination Many medications can cause changes in behavior, includ-
status of the victims is forthcoming. ing road rage, pathological gambling and complicated acts
of fraud. In 2011, a
BURGER BIAS? French family man
Wr i t i n g f o r t h e sued GlaxoSmith-
pro-beef indust r y Kline, claiming that
trade journal Tri-State a drug for Parkin-
Livestock News, South son’s disease he was
Dakota veterinarian taking turned him
James Stangle noted into a gambler and
that the meatless Im- gay sex addict, re-
possible Burger, made sponsible for risky
from soy protein, behaviors that led to
contains forty-four him being raped. In
milligrams of estrogen 2015, a man taking
while a burger made Durominemade, a
from hormone-implanted beef contains 2.5 nanograms drug for obesity, claimed that it reduced his ability to control
of estrogen. Stangle points out (not that we are in favor his impulses. A sinister side effect of the pain medication
of hormone-implanted beef) that there are one million paracetamol—Americans purchase almost fifty thousand
nanograms in one milligram, meaning that the “Impossible tons of the drug every year—is a reduction in the ability to
Whopper has eighteen million times as much estrogen as a feel positive empathy. The ability to feel positive empathy
regular Whopper.” Eating four Impossible Whoppers per translates into more stable romantic relationships, better
day is enough to make men grow breasts, he says. Actually, adjusted children and more successful careers. Worst of all
even one Impossible Whopper will have the same estrogenic in behavior-changing side effects are the cholesterol-lowering
effects as one glass of soymilk, and that is enough to cause statins. One patient, a previously reasonable man, became
estrogenic effects in both men and women. An article in the explosively angry and developed a tendency for road rage
Washington Post was highly critical of Stangle’s analysis, after beginning statins; others report coming unnervingly
accusing him of bias. Of course, the Post has its own biases close to murdering their wives. Suicide among normally well-
and has shamelessly promoted the soy-based fake meat for adjusted people after starting statins is common. The truth
months. Quoting New York University professor Marion is that drugs do more than lower blood markers or suppress
10 Wise Traditions SPRING 2020