Gestalt #144 – Positive Defense

I will start with one basic assumption:
You want to be alive as long as you can be reasonably healthy and enjoy life.

For many Americans in the latter half of the 20th Century and the early part of the 21st Century, this didn’t seem to be too difficult to achieve, at least until aging caught up with you. This is no longer true.

We are now living in a time of unparalleled threats to our lives and health. However, we aren’t told this by the people we used to trust. Indeed, some of them seem to want us dead or at least psychologically crippled.

A brief recap of the threats we face:

1. An environment filled with chemicals known to disrupt normal endocrine and brain development.
2. An educational system designed not only to keep us ignorant, but to teach us habits of thought that will lead us to poverty and poor health.
3. A media environment designed to induce depression if not outright suicide and provide a completely false narrative regarding the nature of the world we live in.
4. A health care system that provides amazing quality of care for the wealthy and largely ignores everyone else unless they somehow manage to find out how to access it properly.
5. A predatory financial environment that seeks to extract every dollar from those who are least able to defend themselves, especially the elderly.
6. An incompetent government no longer aligned with the interests of the majority of the public.
7. Emergent killer viruses that may or may not have come from nature.
8. Possession and proliferation of nuclear weapons to countries run by ignorant thugs.
9. Advances in biological and computer technology that will give unimagined power to the few who know how to use them.

In my long participation as a prepper/blogger, I always used to say, running from threats to a isolated cabin in the woods is not the answer. If you consider the totality of the threats facing us, I still say this is the case. A negative defense, that is, simply trying to flee trouble won’t work, in my opinion. What is needed is a positive defense.

They say that the best defense is a strong offense. This isn’t true if your opponent has much greater resources than you do. And unfortunately, that is our situation. The people who mean us ill have enormous wealth and control the media. In a head on fight with them, we will loose.

I believe that the best solution is not to fight them, but to strengthen ourselves. Here’s how:

Control your environment. Think about everything you buy and how it is packaged. Chemicals like BPA and phthalates have profound effects on the human body, especially pregnant women and children. Grow as much of your own food as you can. Avoid plastics and get food in glass whenever possible. Have your water analyzed by a professional to check to see if there are any toxic chemicals in it. Don’t take your local government’s assurances at face value.

Homeschool children and grandchildren, if possible. If not, find a charter or private school that aligns with your values AND provides an excellent education that includes mathematics and science. An ignorance of these two subjects will doom children to becoming second class citizens, at best. Don’t hesitate to spend on tutors or other educational expenses. It is far more important to spend on this than fancy clothes or media purchases. Get kids tested to determine their general intelligence and aptitudes. Don’t push kids further than they can go academically. Also, don’t stint on education for those who can benefit. Know your kid or grandkid and help them to achieve the best outcome for them.

Don’t watch recent Hollywood movies. Don’t stream movies, even older ones. I’ve recently learned that movies are being altered for streaming audiences and not in a good way. That movie you remember from its theatrical release with one ending may have a different one in the streaming environment. For your movie entertainment needs, buy used DVDs of older movies. Don’t go to the websites of major news organizations. They have an agenda that is not aligned with your best interests. Try to use search engines to find stories on what is important to you. However, even this is becoming difficult as Google is now trying to control the information you receive by putting its thumb on the scale. Limit your time on social media. Read books, especially older ones. There is a whole world of information that you can no longer get any other way.

Eat real food that you cook yourself and exercise. If you are young and fit, model your exercise program on military programs (Marines etc.). Middle-aged people can get exercise simply by doing chores themselves like shoveling snow or mowing their grass. Older folks can go for walks or swim. Get regular physical exams from a physician you trust. Get recommended screenings and vaccines. Monitor your health with wearables. Your goal should be to prevent getting sick as much as is possible.

Learn basic accounting. Get any financial promises in writing. Read the small print. Don’t hesitate to contact the Attorney General’s office in your State if you think you are being ripped off. Don’t spend more than 10% of your income on luxuries (entertainment, travel, etc.). Don’t go into debt if you can help it. Watch out for elderly relatives who will likely be experiencing cognitive decline. There are large numbers of predators trying to scam them, without mercy. The government is doing nothing to stop this. As you get older, expect to experience the same cognitive decline and predatory attack. Transfer your wealth to others before this happens. Make a Will for finances and how you want your health care needs to be taken care of when you face the end of life.

Learn who your representatives are and how they vote on important issues. Also, assess their competence. Go to townhall meetings and ask them questions. Don’t just vote for someone because they align with you on one or two issues. Vote based on their competence as well. I have voted for people of both political parties and voted for people who I disagreed with on certain issues. Don’t let yourselves be manipulated by the “pundits” on radio and TV. They do not have your best interests at heart.

N95s will be necessary in crowded indoor venues for the foreseeable future. Make sure you have plenty. Get the facts on Long Covid from the scientific literature, not the media and not the government (no longer a reliable source of information). Go to PubMed (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) and search for “covid” or “long covid”. There are currently over 23,000 scientific studies related to the latter. Are the authors of these papers all in on the conspiracy to support lazy people who don’t want to work? Please. Long Covid is real. Avoid it.

Don’t live in a big city, especially one that is likely to be a target in a nuclear war. If possible, live in a rural area that is relatively free of drugs and crime. Ideally, you won’t be too far from decent medical care. Know your neighbors and think about what you would do if there was a nuclear war and all major services collapsed.

Learn as much biology and computer science as you can. I realize not everyone will be able to go very far in this direction, but do what you can. If you have younger relatives or friends who can handle this material, encourage them to learn as much as possible. There are a lot of inexpensive resources available to help them get started. Getting more knowledge in these areas is one of the few really good reasons to get a College education.

Basically, what I am advocating here is to be aware of the threats arrayed against us and to strengthen and improve ourselves to resist them. In future blogs, I will provide more details.

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Gestalt #139 – The Soothers

I see some OSINT blogs, which used to be reliable, are now using terms like “the Doomers”. Gosh, really, this is still a thing?

A few years ago, “the Doomers” warned about a coming pandemic that would kill millions of people and damage the global economy. Some of them even warned that it would come out of China. “The Soothers” mocked the Doomers for suggesting such a crazy thing. Who was right?

Now the Doomers are warning about even more deadly viruses, nuclear war, EMPs and threats to our food supply. The Soothers, which now apparently include prominent OSINT twitter personalities, dismiss these possibilities with the same mocking attitude of the pandemic-will-be-bad deniers.

Let’s consider the facts, shall we?

Viruses

H5N1 (bird flu) came of China in 1997. There was a massive cover up in China that resulted in many unnecessary deaths.

SARS-CoV-1 came out of China in 2002. There was a massive cover up in China that resulted in many unneccesary deaths.

H1N1 (swine flu) suddenly appeared in North America in 2009 and caused a pandemic. It’s origins were never definitively established.

MERS was reported in the Middle East in 2012.

Ebola infected Americans in America in 2014.

SARS-CoV-2 came out of China in 2020. There was a massive cover up in China that resulted in over 6 million dead world-wide including over 1 million dead in the United States. Long Covid has caused long term disability in many millions more.

A more infectious form of monkeypox suddenly appeared in Europe and the US in 2022.

H5N1 (bird flu) acquired a key mutation necessary to spread mammal-to-mammal in 2022. It kills nearly 100% of all birds it infects. It kills at least 50% of all humans it infects, even with high level health care. Many virologists believe that the virus is only one step away from being able to transmit human-to-human, sustainably.

Nuclear War

Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Putin strongly hints he is willing to use nuclear weapons to prevail in the war. Many of his supporters, in the Russian government, openly call for nuclear weapons to be used against Ukraine, European countries that aid Ukraine and the United States. Russia is also developing a cobalt warhead which could be used to make large areas of the United States unihabitable by most forms of life for decades.

China was found to have 400 nuclear warheads in 2022 and expected to have 1500 by 2035. In 2021, China tested hypersonic missiles capable of reaching anywhere in the United States in a few minutes. China has threatened Taiwan, Japan, Australia and India. There is currently at least one high-atmosphere balloon over the United States that is visiting each of our most sensitive sites related to retaliation in the event of nuclear war.

North Korea has nuclear weapons, is developing ICBMs capable of hitting the United States and is threatening to use them against South Korea, Japan and the United States.

Iran is developing nuclear weapons and may have warheads and delivery systems soon.

Pakistan is undergoing a severe economic crisis in 2023. It has nuclear weapons. Pakistan has almost gone to war with nuclear power India on several occassions. Pakistan has close ties to Islamic fundamentalist terrorists. Its nuclear weapons are not considered secure.

Japan and South Korea are seriously considering the development of nuclear weapons to defend themselves. Europe is arming up. Countries that don’t currently have access to nuclear weapons are likely planning to acquire them (supposition).

Electromagnetic Pulses (EMPs)

Numerous experiments have demostrated the technical feasibility of using a high atmospheric nuclear burst to destroy electronic equipment in a widespread area. If the Grid were destroyed in North America, most Americans would die within a year (of freezing to death, starvation, rioting, etc.) One of the platforms that was predicted to be used to deliver this weapon was a high-altitude balloon. Did I mention that there is a Chinese high-altitude balloon over the United States as I write this?

Food supply insecurity

Chicken prices are high. Egg prices are high. This is because H5N1 is killing millions of chickens. H5N1 is now spreading mammal-to-mammal in mink farms. It is not much of a stretch to consider that H5N1 might spread pig-to-pig in hog lots or bovine-to-bovine in large dairy farms and cattle feed lots. Well, we can just eat vegetables you say. What vegetables?, I say. Huge amounts of our productive agricultural land is devoted to plants that cows and pigs can eat but which humans cannot eat. Switching over to production of a balanced set of vegetables that humans could eat would take years, maybe decades. That’s a long time to go without eating.

The Making of a Soother

Some soothers are born. They don’t want to think about anything bad so they simply deny that bad things can happen. It’s a psychological defense mechanism. However, many soothers are paid, not made. Risk communicators like Peter Sandman and Jody Lanard are paid huge sums of money to soothe the public, sometimes by directly contacting humble bloggers who are considered “influencers”. Other Soothers are made in much less expensive ways. They are invited to DC, given a rubber chicken dinner and flattered. For some, that’s enough. They’ll now parrot whatever the government line is – in the public interest, you understand. Others may want a bit more. A better retirement; a better internship; a promised government job. Not too costly, for what you get.

Whenever you have to decide who to listen to, a Soother or a Doomer, just ask yourself: who has the facts on their side?

One last thing. I do not consider myself a “Doomer”. I’m a Prepper. That means I prepare so that I’m NOT doomed. You know who is doomed? The Soothers, and the people who listen to them.

Gestalt # 136 – A Self-Organizing Meritocracy

Just a quick reminder of why we are here.

A small group of hereditary elites have been controlling this country for centuries. They came over on the Mayflower, etc. got a lock on resources, and never looked back. Some “ethnics”, anyone who is not an Episcopalian, have intermarried into this elite, but not many. This elite maintained their power by making sure their children got outstanding educations, especially at the High School level, while most children got mediocre or just plain bad educations. Important business deals were conducted at “restricted” clubs so that only the “right” people could make money. Later, the “ethnics” were allowed to make money, as long as the elite got their cut. However, if financial wrongdoing was discovered, it would be the ethnics who would go to jail, almost never the elite. The American elite did fairly well, until recently. The most recent crop of descendants have degenerated, in every way, and no longer have the brains or values necessary to maintain this country. If we count on them to lead us, we are doomed.

The Hierarchy and the Organization Man vs. Distributed and Interconnected Work Groups

The 20th Century was the high point for large, complex organizations. The government, companies, education and even agriculture became big, complex organizations with large numbers of workers organized in distinct, class-based levels. The people in the penthouse were often an hereditary elite. I don’t mean to say that every member of a wealthy family had a guaranteed great job waiting for him. There was selection based on ability. However, the selection was from a small pool. Most people had no chance to reach to the top levels of large institutions mostly due to their inferior educations but also due to deliberate social discrimination. Large institutions did work relatively well, for a time. AT&T provided reliable phone service and created Bell Labs, a major contributor to science and engineering. NASA put a man on the moon, one of the most significant achievements of our species. The United States science establishment made penicillin and insulin available to the masses and found a vaccine for polio. American entertainment has dominated the world and reshaped its culture. And of course, the most feared military in the world wears the Stars and Stripes on its sleeve. Unfortunately, due to the rot at the top (see degeneracy of the elite), large organizations no longer function well. Too many mediocre, or just plain stupid or crazy people, are now in the penthouse and at the highest levels of government. The top dog can always fire people below him, but it doesn’t appear as if anyone can fire the top dog.

What’s the alternative? Distributed networks of super-empowered individuals and small groups. I want to be clear that I am just winging this. I have no special source of information. Nor do I have a dogma or ideology to preach. These are just ideas. Today, the technology exists for all of us to cast off the shackles of the pyramid builders and control our own lives. Indeed, if we don’t do this, we won’t have lives to free. What do we need to build this new type of civilization? Large families; high quality but cheap education; land (1 – 10 acres); small functional groups with objective assessments of merit; distributed networks of like-minded people tied together with the internet or ham radio.

Education Best Practices

Is it possible to create an educational system that rivals the High Schools created by the English nobility and their cousins, the Episcopalians in America? Yes, it’s been done. Jews and Catholics were initially excluded from these elite schools. Realizing that a superior education was necessary to join the elites, they created their own super High Schools. The “Ethical Culture” now also “Fieldston School” is not Jewish in a religious sense, but many Jewish students who went on to great success went to this outstanding school. Check out their Notable alumni. These include J. Robert Openheimer, Marvin Minsky and Barbara Walters. The Catholic Church created Regis High School. This school is very competitive to get in to but tuition is covered by the Church. Notable alumni who went to this school include Robert Giroux, Anthony Fauci and Colin Jost. So, it is possible to study what makes the elite schools work so well, build your own educational system that incorporates winning strategies and expand success to new groups of people. I believe that the technology exists to create small schools and even homeschool curricula that utilize these principles. I will have more details in a future blog.

Creating a meritocracy

Education is key to creating a meritocracy. However, truly effective education requires honest evaluation of the abilities and achievements of the students. Too many parents insist that their children are geniuses and that if they get bad grades, it’s the fault of the teachers. Well, sometimes the teachers are bad, but most kids are average. That’s what average means. It’s not bad to be average at doing school work. In this country, you can be completely average and have an incredible life. That’s what’s great about the US. So, kids should be tested for intellectual ability (IQ tests) and parents given honest evaluation of what their child is capable of. There are other tests for specific abilities such as learning foreign languages and manual dexterity. Parents should use these results to guide their children to realistic careers. I’ve seen what happens when children are pushed beyond their natural ability. It’s not good. Most children are not challenged enough. We need to raise the bar for what “average” children can be expected to achieve. Sometimes children score badly on tests because of unfortunate genetics. But sometimes it’s due to environmental poisoning. If a group of children score poorly, it’s wise, and only fair, to see if there is an environmental cause. We know for a fact that lead and mercury exposure damages brains. We know where these environmental toxins are poisoning children. If goverments won’t address the issue, then potential parents should move to somewhere safe.

Objective ability and achievement assessments are necessary at every step of human development to ensure fair distribution of resources and realistic goals. Anyone who relies on subjective assessments is guaranteeing that nepotism and bias towards wealthy families will occur. External “sanity checks” are also helpful for individuals. I am working on a foreign language program partially to learn a new language, but also to check my own ability to learn. As we get older, our brain function will decline. This is unfortunate, but happens to everyone. I want to know when this occurs in me so I can make appropriate plans. Clear-eyed and honest self-assessment through the use of external checks is necessary to build a meritocracy.

Human social groups used to be small. The advantage of small groups is that everyone in the group knows the capabilities of everyone else in the group. Whenever possible, favor participation in small groups over large institutions. Large institutions have failed us in this pandemic. Creating deep interconnections with small numbers of other people will lead to better allocation of resources and time. Small groups of like-minded individuals distributed over great distances can communicate with each other through the internet. The old PFI_Forum worked well to connect Preppers, in my opinion. Forums are considered passee. The switch to platforms like Twitter and TikTok was a mistake. Perhaps recent concerns will result in the re-establishment of Forums. They work well for creating distributed communities.

Examples

There are some careers that lend themselves towards more independence from large institutions than others. If you are good at logic, becoming a software developer is a great option. There are many free online programs one can utilize to acquire the necessary skills. For “average” people, skilled trades are great careers. These range from mechatronics technician (Associates Degree required) to Electrician, Plumber and Carpenter (Trade School and Apprentice training) to Truck Driver (3 weeks to 6 months of training). Note, most of these options do not require a College Degree. You can be earning a living, and starting a family, by the time you are 20 years old. Going to College and majoring in one of the “Studies” or “Communications” or “Public Affairs” majors is generally not a good idea. The best case scenario is that you finish, have large debts, and get a low-paying job in a soul-killing large corporation or government institution. Worst case scenario, you don’t finish, have huge debts and get a minimum-wage job and are depressed for the rest of your life. College does make sense for people interested in STEM careers. It doesn’t make sense for almost everyone else. Unless you come from a wealthy family. In that case, feel free to go to Harvard and major in Italian Renaissance Studies. I would if I could!

Culture and Entertainment

Quick, name the top American sculptors, painters or writers (“writers” like Brad Thor don’t count). In the first half of the 20th Century, it would have been easy to find many examples for each of these categories. Now, not so much. This is true in other countries as well. High culture is not for everyone. How about Entertainment? There is plenty of this available, mostly from Hollywood. Here’s the thing about Hollywood, most of the prime jobs are reserved for the children of the Hollywood elite (Nepo-Babies) and the children of the wealthy (Money-Babies). Did you know that Nicholas Cage’s real last name is Coppola? He changed it, for some reason or other. It’s amazing how many of the SNL cast members came from ridiculously wealthy families. Even their guests are often Money-Babies. Did you know that Ann Taylor-Joy, guest host in 2021, went to the same school as the King of England (Hill House School)? Making money is no longer the objective for many in Hollywood. They’re already filthy rich. Now, it’s all just one big vanity project. If a movie makes money, it’s more because people feel they have to go to see “something” rather than because they get much out of the bad scripts, bad actors and loud noises. I suggest not going to Hollywood movies. Frankly, your time would be better spent watching funny cat videos. You’d save a lot of money too. The technology for creating high quality movies outside of Hollywood now exists. You can buy film-quality digital video cameras and use free CGI software. So, instead of paying Hollywood to watch one of their vanity projects, go and make your own movie. Also, paint your own pictures, make your own sculptures and write your own poetry. It doesn’t matter if no one likes it but you. The point is to express yourself instead of being a passive observer. I am certain that if everyone were to do this, a certain percent of the output would be fantastic. And let the public decide what is great Art, not some art “critics” who grew up in wealthy families disconnected from the real world.

A Start. More to come.

This idea of a self-organizing meritocracy is a work in progress. I’m open to suggestions.

Gestalt # 134 – Breathless – The Effect of SARS-CoV-2 on the Respiratory System

The lungs are among the first organs attacked by SARS-CoV-2. Early in the pandemic, it was clear that this virus could cause changes in the lungs apparent on X-Rays. In fact, before RT-PCR assays were developed and widely deployed, many COVID-19 patients were diagnosed based on a specific type of image (ground glass opacities) identified in their lungs with X-Rays.

Most people who die of COVID-19 are thought to die because of respiratory failure (although long term studies may ultimately find other major causes of death in patients with long Covid). SARS-CoV-2 can cause immediate and severe damage to the lungs by a type of pneumonia. Patients can be saved from death using a variety of strategies. Early on, many patients were put on ventilators. Unfortunately, only about 50% of patients would survive this procedure. More recently, other measures have been adopted to reduced the need for ventilation. This has resulted in improved survival rates. Of course, treatment with Paxlovid can prevent the disease from progressing to the stage where ventilators are necessary. For extremely sick patients, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) may be their only hope. This is a type of combination therapy which takes over many of the functions of the lungs and other organs while the patient recovers. It requires expensive machines and a team of trained health care professionals. We need more ECMOs in this country for COVID-19 and future respiratory pandemics.

SARS-CoV-2 can also cause longer term damage through a process called fibrosis. There is a new clinical term: post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis (PCPF) used to describe what can happen to the lungs in people who were infected with SARS-CoV-2. Basically, cells called fibroblasts overproduce themselves in response to factors stimulated by SARS-CoV-2. This overgrowth results in production of substances that can narrow the fine passages needed for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. This leads to a number of symptoms including shortness of breath and fatigue. Although there are a number of therapies for fibrosis under development, there is no cure for it at this time.

The diaphragm is the muscle that moves the lungs and is necessary for breathing. The diaphragm is in turn controlled by the phrenic nerve which emerges from the spinal cord. There is evidence breathing problems in some patients may be not be due to damage to the lungs per se but rather due to damage to the diaphragm and/or phrenic nerve. There are exercise programs that may help recovery from this disorder, but their efficacy is still being studied.

SARS-CoV-2 can cause breathing problems through several, distinct mechanisms. People who are “short of breath” need to know what the exact cause of this non-specific symptom is in order to get the right therapy for them. Of course, best of all is to avoid getting infected in the first place. You know the drill: vaccine, N95 and avoid crowds. These three preventative measures are not going to stop being important any time soon.

References

Bösmüller (2021) The pulmonary pathology of COVID-19. Virchows Archive.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7892326/

Hama Amin (2022) Post COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis; a meta-analysis study. Ann Med Surg (London).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8983072/

Marginean et al. (2022) Challenges in the Differential Diagnosis of COVID-19 Pneumonia: A Pictorial Review. Diagnostics (Basel).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9689132/

Severin (2022) The effects of COVID-19 on respiratory muscle performance: making the case for respiratory muscle testing and training. European Respiratory Review.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9724806/

Shi et al. (2021) Diaphragm Pathology in Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19 and Postmortem Findings From 3 Medical Centers. JAMA Internal Medicine.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7670391/

Gestalt#133 – Heart Broken – The Effect of SARS-CoV-2 on the Cardiovascular System

A recent review summarizes some of the ways that SARS-CoV-2 can damage the heart:

Myocarditis
Acute coronary syndrome
Right ventricular dysfunction
ST-segment elevations
Stress-induced (takotsubo) cardiomyopathy
Dysrhythmias

Alblaihed,et al 2023 American Journal of Emergency Medicine.

The exact mechanism for damage to the heart from SARS-CoV-2 is not always known. The percent of people who are infected who will have direct damage to their hearts is also not known. A recent MRI study suggests that direct damage to the heart from SARS-CoV-2 may be less common that had been feared (Gonzalez et al. 2022). However, it is important to note that the cardiovascular system is more than just the heart. The cardiovascular system also includes the many arteries and veins that carry blood throughout the body. There is substantial evidence that infection with SARS-CoV-2 increases the incidence of blood clots long after the initial infection. (Galiatsatos and Brodsky, Johns Hopkins Medicine 2022). This is thought to be linked to the overactive inflammatory response mentioned in my last blog. These blood clots can damage the lungs, extremities and the brain. There is a nice diagram illustrating a proposed mechanism for how inflammation caused by SARS-CoV-2 can result in a stroke here.

One of the common complaints of people with Long Covid is a “racing heart”. One hypothesis to explain this symptom involves the vagus nerve which influences the rate that the heart beats. The vagus nerve is part of the autonomic nervous system. Damage to this system is called “dysautonomia”. Again, a dysregulated inflammatory response is thought to result in dysautonomia.

Damage to the cardiovascular system caused by SARS-CoV-2 is complex. Although the virus can damage the heart directly, many of the its negative effects on the cardiovascular system are indirect involving the immune and nervous systems.

References

Abbasi (2022) The COVID Heart—One Year After SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Patients Have an Array of Increased Cardiovascular Risks. Journal of the American Medical Association.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2789793

Alblaihed,et al (2023) Dysrhythmias associated with COVID-19: Review and management considerations. American Journal of Emergency Medicine.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9721478/

Mbonde et al. (2022) Stroke Features, Risk Factors, and Pathophysiology in SARS-CoV-2–Infected Patients
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2542454822000030

Galiatsatos and Brodsky, What Does COVID Do to Your Blood? Johns Hopkins Medicine 2022.
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/what-does-covid-do-to-your-blood

Gonzalez et al. (2022) Cardiac Injury Before and After COVID-19: A Longitudinal Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Study. Journal of the College of Cardiology Imaging..
https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jcmg.2022.10.008

Gestalt # 132 – Burning Up: The Effect of SARS-CoV-2 on the Immune System

We are currently experiencing a tidal wave of respiratory disease. Hospitals are overrun, tent overflow triage centers have been set up and emergency protocols are in place. It isn’t just COVID-19 that is causing the problem. We have had record-breaking outbreaks of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Influenza (Flu) and most recently “Strep throat” (caused by the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes). The explanation most commonly given for these surges in non-SARS-CoV-2 infections is that “normal” amounts of these diseases were held in check due to pandemic precautions and that there is a backlog of infections that need to occur before we can get back to “normal” levels. This does not make a whole of sense to me. I have not seen any hard data, either epidemiological or experimental, to back up this putative explanation. At even a theoretical level, I’m not sure how sound this idea is. Is there any alternative explanation? Yes, there is. Infection with SARS-CoV-2 may have caused damage to the immune system of some people that leaves them open to infection from other pathogenic organisms. There is precedent for such an effect. Shortly after infection with influenza, patients are at risk of developing bacterial pneumonia. And, of course, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) causes a long term vulnerability to other infectious diseases.

How might SARS-CoV-2 damage the immune system? It could do this in at least two ways: 1. It can cause a dysregulated inflammatory response such that the patient’s own immune system damages the lungs and other organs. 2. It can cause exhaustion of immune system cells preventing patients from fighting off other infections.

Inflammation is a normal response to infection. You may have noticed that a tissue feels warm after it has been infected. There are other aspects of the inflammatory response as well. Overall, inflammation helps your body destroy infectious agents. It is a double-edged sword, however. Too much and dysregulated inflammation can also damage your body. In my last blog, I mentioned neuroinflammation as one of the causes of neurodegeneration. Inflammation can also damage other tissues such as the lungs and heart. Like all infections, SARS-CoV-2 causes inflammation. There is evidence that there is a high rate of dysregulation of the inflammatory response after SARS-CoV-2 infection that results in long term damage to many tissues. This is likely one of the root causes of Long Covid.

Our bodies appear to have a limit in the number of immune system cells we can produce. As we age, the numbers of such cells usually decline which is why older people are more susceptible to infectious diseases, including SARS-CoV-2. There is evidence that over activation of the immune system as a result SARS-CoV-2 can cause patients to start to “run out” of immune system cells; in effect, a type of premature aging. This has been documented (see references below). Given this fact, wouldn’t it be natural to expect higher levels of infection in younger individuals from other pathogens than SARS-CoV-2? And, in fact, this is exactly what we are seeing.

I don’t know for sure that the surge in infections we are seeing right now is due entirely to immune system damage caused by SARS-CoV-2. But isn’t it a bit strange that this hypothesis, which is consistent with hard, experimental data (see below) is almost never mentioned in media stories as a possible explanation but that the “pent up” hypothesis, which has no hard data supporting it, is almost always presented?

As usual, I need to state that I am not an immunologist. So, take what I write here with a grain of salt. If you have doubts, please check the references below.

References

Alahdal and Elkord (2022). Exhaustion and over-activation of immune cells in COVID-19: Challenges and therapeutic opportunities. Clnical Immunology.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9640209/

Diamond and Kanneganti (2022) Innate immunity: the first line of defense against SARS-CoV-2. Nature Immunology.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41590-021-01091-0

Gallardo-Zapata1 and Maldonado-Bernal (2022) Natural killer cell exhaustion in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Innate Immunity.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9389049/

Srivastava (2022) High Frequencies of Phenotypically and Functionally Senescent and Exhausted CD56+CD57+PD-1+ Natural Killer Cells, SARS-CoV-2-Specific Memory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells Associated with Severe Disease in Unvaccinated COVID-19 Patients. bioRXiv.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.07.26.501655v1

Trøseid (2022) Persistent T-cell exhaustion in relation to prolonged pulmonary pathology and death after severe COVID-19: Results from two Norwegian cohort studies. Journal of Internal Medicine.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joim.13549

Williams et al. (2022) Plasma cytokine levels reveal deficiencies in IL-8 and gamma interferon in Long-COVID. medRXiv.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.10.03.22280661v1

Gestalt # 130 – Long Covid, Symptoms and Potential Treatments

Long Covid, also known as Post-COVID, chronic COVID and post-acute COVID-19, describes a variety of symptoms (and likely pathologies). Patients often complain of fatigue and “brain fog”. Documented ailments include: shortness of breath; persistent cough; tachycardia (rapid heart beat); blood clots; chest pain; difficulty concentrating; altered sense of smell and/or taste; dizziness; head ache; depression; anxiety; insomnia; hallucinations; diarrhea; and joint and muscle pain. Many of these symptoms will worsen upon physical or mental exertion. Several different systems are involved including the: respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous, gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal systems. Not every patient has every symptom.

Covid skeptics allege that people claiming to experience Long Covid are fakers just trying to get out of work. There is no question that there is a class of people who are falsely claiming disability to get checks and avoid work. This was happening before Covid and some of these people may be using Long Covid to continue their fraudulent claims. However, there is undeniable evidence that many people are suffering real, demonstrable disability as a result of SARS-CoV-2 infection (see references below). For every Long Covid faker, I suspect that there are many people experiencing decline in cognitive or physical functioning who are in denial about their disability. No one can fake having a shrunken brain. Unfortunately, this feature of Covid has been documented with MRIs in large numbers of people who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 (Hellgren et al 2021; Douaud et al 2022).

What are potential treatments for Long Covid? These include the following:

To clear up hidden, persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection:
Paxlovid
Lagevrio (controversial. some think use of this drug can result in dangerous mutations in SARS-CoV-2).
Remdesivir

To treat microclots:
Rivaroxaban
Colchicine
famotidine
loratadine
Pravastatin
Maraviroc (anti-HIV drug)
clopidogrel, aspirin and Apixiban

Immune modulator:
Naltrexone

Antihistamines:
famotidine
diphenhydramine

GammaCore Saffire CV vagus nerve stimulation device

Physicians vary in their knowledge of and/or willingness to treat Long Covid. If you suspect that you may have Long Covid, you are most likely to receive treatment if you seek out experts in infectious diseases at more prominent tertiary or quaternary care facilities. This usually means famous or “big city” hospitals. Since so little is known about Long Covid and what will be the most effective treatment, there are a large number of clinical trials attempting to understand and find safe and effective treatments. Participating in such a trial may be your best hope for getting cutting edge treatment. At the least, you will be examined by a physician who is expert at diagnosing Long Covid. The NIH has a website called: ClinicalTrials.gov. There are wide variety of organizations around the world recruiting participants for over 1,000 interventional studies. You can find a list of these opportunities for participation here.

You should know that “Long Covid” is considered an official disability under the “Americans with Disability Act”. See: “Guidance on “Long COVID” as a Disability Under the ADA, Section 504, and Section 1557” for more information.

References:

Hellgren et al. (2021) Brain MRI and neuropsychological findings at long-term follow-up after COVID-19 hospitalisation: an observational cohort study. British Medical Journal Open.
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/10/e055164

Douaud et al. (2022) SARS-CoV-2 is associated with changes in brain structure in UK Biobank. Nature.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04569-5

Vannorsdall et al. (2022) Cognitive Dysfunction, Psychiatric Distress, and Functional Decline After COVID-19. Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667296021001853

Kell et al. (2022) A central role for amyloid fibrin microclots in long COVID/PASC: origins and therapeutic implications. Biochem J.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8883497/

O’Kelly et al. (2022) Safety and efficacy of low dose naltrexone in a long covid cohort; an interventional pre-post study. Brain, Behavior & Immunity – Health.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666354622000758

Shaffer (2022) Lots of long COVID treatment leads, but few are proven. PNAS.
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2213524119

Gestalt # 129 – Positive Action

Many of the threats that face us are known: Nuclear War, Pandemics and Economic Collapse. In my last blog, I outlined the attacks on Traditional Culture and the Enlightenment. So, what to do?

Understand that Traditional Culture has lasted for thousands of years for a reason. Alternative lifestyles are not new. They have been tried many times in the past. They just don’t lead to anything permanent. Note, I do not criticize people who don’t fit in with traditional culture due to their inclinations. One of the best things about America is that you can live any way you want as long as you don’t infringe on anyone else’s rights. Forcing people to live in traditional ways, against their natural inclinations, leads to a nightmare country – see Afghanistan. The best policy is to allow everyone to live as they wish. People should understand, though, that traditional family structure leads to better economic, health and security for those so inclined. Let’s not hide these facts from people when they are growing up.

Understand that the Enlightenment led to freedom and prosperity. The application of Reason to human problems and, especially, the development of the Scientific Method, has led to huge increases in wealth and health. The Enlightenment is the basis for the Constitution of the United States and most other free countries. There is no conflict between Traditional Culture and the Enlightenment. George Washington was both a traditionalist and an important contributor to enlightenment principles in the United States. If you analyze sociological and health data using the scientific method, you will find that traditional culture leads to the best outcomes.

Disconnect from Hollywood movies and the Mainstream media to preserve your sanity. I’ve covered the malicious influence of these forces in previous blogs. The only way to protect yourself and your family from evil influences is to stop watching Hollywood movies and Mainstream media. This includes Fox News, by the way. The people on Fox News have exactly the same values as the people on CNN or NBC News. Fox News personalities are just as committed to destroying you and your family as the so-called “liberals” on other media channels. The owners of the “conservative” and the “liberal” media are the same people. Look it up. To gather accurate news, create your own intelligence network of family and friends across the country, and the world, if possible. Ask them about their first-hand experiences. You will find that it diverges wildly from what the “TV people” tell you.

Get off of your smartphone and read books instead. There is real evidence that digital media is impairing people’s ability to concentrate. This is probably one reason so many people are taking legal stimulants like Adderall. “Social” media on digital devices is also causing depression and suicide in young people. One of the secrets of many successful people is that they read vast quantities of books on many different subjects. This practice will give you a super power to understand the world we live in that few others will have.

Get outside and exercise. Exploring the natural world is important for both mental and physical health. In an emergency, it is also important to be as fit as you can be and to know the area where you live as well as possible.

Expand your social network. The more people you know and interact with, the longer you will live. Social isolation is one of the most damaging things to your health that can happen to you. I realize that staying safe during the pandemic and being social are often contradictory behaviors. We must all find the best balance depending on our circumstances. I always wear an N95 if I am inside with other people. That hurts my ability to socialize, but that is a tradeoff I have decided to make. One of the great things about the internet is that you can meet and interact with people a long ways away. This can greatly increase your ability to gather information from areas outside of where you live and enrich your life. These interactions are best if they are detailed and prolonged. Retweeting doesn’t count.

Prepare for a better world. I have few illusions about the severity of the challenges facing us. Anyone who has read my blogs for any length of time will not call me a Pollyanna. Nonetheless, I am optimistic about the future. The resources available to us make even the poorest American potentially more powerful than the greatest Emperor of Ancient Rome. What a shame that most people do not know what they can accomplish, if only they try. My goal in preparing is not just to survive the current threats that face us, but to prepare to help build a better world than the one that is ending. I will try to provide as many concrete suggestions as to how to do this as I can. I welcome suggestions from others.

Gestalt # 119 – Free Your Mind and Prepare

Some commentators imply that people who won’t get vaccinated or wear masks are stupid. I want to emphasize that I am not in this camp. People respond to information they receive and process it as best they can. If you were not educated to understand the scientific method, then you will use other ways to process information. These default information processing methods can be manipulated by people who understand human psychology. It is my informed opinion that most Americans are being given deliberately inferior educations so that they don’t reason properly. It’s not enough for some wealthy families to have good educations for their offspring; they want most children to get bad educations. That is the only way they can guarantee compliance with a whole set of unwritten rules that benefit the wealthy but do tremendous damage to the majority of Americans. Anti-vaxx and and anti-mask behavior didn’t develop just because a few fringe characters spoke loudly about this or because most people are stupid. Education and the media are controlled by the wealthy, not just “the liberals”. Their agenda has been to actively confuse the American public about the pandemic. It is well known that when people get conflicting information from “authoritative sources”, their default will be to do nothing, i. e., not get vaccinated or wear a mask. The powerful people shedding crododile tears about the stupidity of the American public or “those conspiracy people on the internet” are often the ones doing exactly what they need to do to support “those conspiracy people on the internet”, and they know it.

There are a lot of misguided people who suspect that people in government are “out to get them”, in some way or another. Some of them fall for crazy conspiracy theories promulgated by sites like QAnon, Infowars or various ethnic supremacist nutbars. The thing is, there are people who manipulate education, media and the economy for their own benefit. I sometimes wonder if these aren’t the same people who have created or support the crazy conspiracy sites in order to deflect attention from themselves. It is easy for the truly powerful families to say: “See, anyone who thinks that they are being manipulated by an organized group is crazy.”

Who are these people? In Europe, it is the aristocrats, literally people with titles next to their names or descendants thereof. In the United States, it is a hidden aristocracy that follow the European model, but surreptitiously. I could provide example after example of how people from a few wealthy families not only control the media but are actually the people you see in the media. Yes, even in action movies. You would be surprised by how many movie stars come from the wealthiest familes on Earth and can trace their lineage back centuries to aristocrats in Europe or robber barons in the United States.

Most experts agree that a nuclear war in the not-too-distant future is more likely than not. How is it that most Americans don’t know this? In other countres like Sweden and Switzerland, governments are preparing their people to go to carefully prepared fallout shelters. The message from the American government and media about nuclear war is confused, just as it was for the pandemic. After a nuclear war, resources are likely to be tight. I’m afraid that the wealthy, who are building their own shelters, don’t want to have to compete with everyone else for these scarce resources. This may be one of the reasons no effective fallout shelters are being produced by the government and why people are not being encouraged to do anything to protect themselves.

With nuclear war, as with everything else, you will be on your own. Not only that, you will have to persist in your preparations despite media messages saying that there is no reason to prepare because, either, “Nuclear war is unlikely” – lie or, “Nuclear war is not survivable” – another lie. More specific information on how you can prepare will follow in another blog.

Gestalt # 118 – Medical Care and Advancements

I am not a doctor. What follows is not medical advice. I myself am not perfectly fit and do not claim to be an exemplar of health. I am not endorsing everything I discuss below. I do not receive any compensation for any of my blogs including this one. My stock investments are in mutual funds. I do not own any individual stocks.

I think that people should know what is possible. I will discuss types of procedures that I personally would not do for ethical reasons. I believe it is worth knowing what some people with the knowledge and the money are doing. Much of this my readers will already know. Some of it will be new. And some of it will be shocking.

The Basics

Having a Primary Care Physician (PCP) is useful. They can perform check-ups and screenings which will ultimately save you money and possibly your life. If you need a prescription in an emergency, like, for example, Paxlovid, you are far more likely to get one in a timely fashion if you have a PCP. It is worth “interviewing” several potential PCPs before you choose one. It is important that they be someone who you can relate to, who can explain procedures in a way that you can understand and who is competent.

Vaccinations have probably saved more lives than anything with the possible exception of antiseptic surgery. It distresses me greatly that one political party has decided that vaccinations are bad, although some very liberal Democrats are also anti-Vax. Flu and the Covid vaccines are not perfect, but getting them increases your odds of surviving an infection and avoiding disability. Kids will benefit if they get the standard vaccines (https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/imz/child-adolescent.html). Vaccines that older people will benefit from that they may not be aware of include: Shingrix (to prevent shingles) and PREVNAR20 to prevent pneumonia and related disease. Making sure you are up to date on your tetanus shot is also a good idea.

Everyone knows that a good diet is beneficial. But what is a good diet and is it important to be as thin as possible? There is a lot of misinformation on this subject. The most important dietary principle is to avoid processed foods. Stay away from fast food and frozen food. Make meals from scratch as much as possible. I once saw a presentation by some food scientists, years ago, who combined sugar and fat in different proportions and determined the optimal ratio to make people want to eat it. As you can imagine, this was loaded with calories. This knowledge was subsequently used to reformulate even basic foodstuffs like bread. I have noticed that food is much sweeter than it used to be. The is because food manufacturers use food formulas to entice you to eat as much of their food as possible. This is one reason we have an obesity epidemic. Does this mean you should be as thin as possible? No. Some people have developed eating disorders as a result of an unhealthy fixation on thinness. Women will stop menstruating and become infertile if they go below about 22% body fat. The normal human pattern is for children to be thin, young adults to be muscular, middle-aged and older adults to put on weight (middle-aged spread). Older people often will start to lose weight before they die. There is currently a lot of debate about the optimal Body Mass Index (BMI). Although lower BMIs are associated with a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes, very thin middle-aged and older people don’t live as long as older people who would be considered to be chubby (but not obese). We don’t know why this is. One thing is certain however, overweight children will suffer poor health as they age and obesity is very harmful at any age.

Most people know that exercise is good for them. Both aerobic exercise like walking and anaerobic exercise like weightlifting is helpful. Of course, knowing your physical condition and discussing your proposed exercise program with your doctor is a good idea. There is currently a huge emphasis on organized sports for children. This is really a bad idea. Many children end up crippled for life or with permanent brain damage as result of their participation in win-at-all-costs athletics. Playing soccer or flag-football with friends on the weekend is one thing, but participating in high pressure athletics can lead to steroid use and other serious health issues.

Psychological health is just as important as physical health. I’ve already discussed the terrible toll “social” media has taken on children. The more real social interactions people have, the longer they live, other things being equal. I realize that the pandemic has resulted in more isolation. I don’t dispute that this has been bad for many people’s mental health. This is one reason I wish we would impose international travel bans. If we were to stop these viruses from coming into the country, we could have normal social interactions without risking death and disability. Short of this, the only solution is to create social bubbles of people you will interact with because you trust that they are taking precautions to avoid getting infected. This worked somewhat with earlier strains of SARS-CoV-2. Not sure that this is working very well with the new strains. This puts us in a terrible dilemma – risk mental health or physical health?

Interacting with people is important, but even a dog can help with loneliness and isolation. People with dogs live longer than those who do not. This is apparently also true of cats.

Options

Sometimes patients are given bad news about their condition. They may be told that current treatments will not save them. These patients should know that they still might have a chance with new treatments that are not generally available. A patient getting this sort of news might benefit by seeking out a doctor or care practice with the most experience with their condition and to get a second opinion. We are in an era of breathtaking new advances in medicine. The newest treatments must be tested in small numbers of patients for safety and efficacy before they become generally available. Patients who have gotten bad news may wish to consider participating in clinical trials to gain access to the latest treatments. These may or may not prove effective. Here is a link to the NIH Clinical Research Trails and You: https://www.nih.gov/health-information/nih-clinical-research-trials-you.

Current medical insurance policies limit the screening and care many doctors can offer patients. “Concierge Practice” or “Boutique Medicine” can offer patients additional services, for a price. Whether this is worth it depends on individual’s ability to pay for these services out-of-pocket and their general health. In general, the older you are, the more you may benefit from additional screening, quicker access to care and more personalized attention. There are a number of non-standard screening options available to those who can afford it. These include panels of tests that better assess your cardiovascular health and can detect cancer at earlier stages of development than the insurance-approved tests. Liquid biopsy is a new approach to detecting cancer which samples blood to detect very early stages of cancer. Some tests are already available for those who can pay for them. One hopes that they eventually become available through health insurance as they may increase survival and decrease the costs associated with treating advanced cancers.

Genetics

How long you live is partially determined by your behavior. However, your genetics is also important. It is worth collecting health information from your family members, especially older members, and creating a family health history. This will help you doctor know what special screenings you should receive.

In all 50 US states, newborns are screened for a variety of genetic conditions. This screening can sometimes lead to dietary changes or other interventions which prevent serious conditions such as mental retardation. However, the conditions screened for vary to some extent in different states. In general, the more conditions screened for, the more chances parents have to avoid a tragic outcome for their children. It is possible to purchase supplemental newborn screening which will screen for more conditions than any one state provides routinely. Although the odds that a given child will have one of the screened disorders is low, the consequences of missing a diagnosis can lead to death or a life time of misery. There are genomic tests (which involve DNA sequencing) that can be performed that can determine the cause of abnormalities in a newborn. These are not standard and are only performed a few hospitals at this time (https://www.genomes2people.org/research/babyseq/).

If a family history points to increased risk of certain diseases, there are specific genetic tests which can be conducted to determine whether or not other members of the same family are likely to get the same disease. If there is no treatment, some people will decline such tests. However, they should at least know that there are ways of finding out if they have the disease. General screening of the American population for genetic diseases is not currently recommended. However, general screening is available for some diseases through a company called 23andMe. Individuals who pay for this test can find out if they are carriers for a variety of diseases. They can also find out if they are at increased risk of breast cancer and Alzheimer disease. People of Ashkenazi descent are more likely to have certain mutations in the BRCA genes that result in greatly increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers. Given that there are preventative treatments for these conditions, it seems rational to want to screen for it. Since there are many people in the United States who have Ashkenazi ancestors but do not know this, the number of people who could potentially benefit from such screening is large. One thing to consider is that getting genetic tests may affect long term care and disability insurance costs.

Some potential parents who know that they are carriers for genetic diseases may choose to perform prenatal testing. Often this is done with the intention of terminating pregnancies that will result in affected children. In many countries, there are many fewer children being born with Down syndrome due to testing of this sort. In this case, the parents are not carriers. Down syndrome is due to a de novo (new) mutation that occurs in the developing embryo. Most people are not aware that approximately 50% of all pregnancies result in spontaneous abortions due to mutations that occur in the embryo that are not compatible with prenatal development. Most of the time, this happens so early in pregnancies that the woman did not know that she was pregnant.

The genetic diseases we understand the best are monogenic, that is, involve a single gene. However, some traits are polygenic, that is, depend on the interactions of multiple genes. There have been attempts to create polygenic scores for traits like intelligence. The success of such studies is debatable. Nonetheless, there are some companies that claim that they can perform preimplantation genetic testing on in vitro embryos and only transfer the “best” embryo into a woman. There are serious concerns about the claims made by these companies (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00787-z). However, most scientists believe that at some point, choosing embryos with specific complex qualities will be possible.

Enhancements

Sean Connery came in third place for Mr. Universe in 1953. Arnold Schwarzenegger won Mr. Universe seven times in the 1970s and 1980. If you look at pictures of these two men in their primes, you will see a difference. Mr. Connery looked like a very fit man. Mr. Schwarzenegger looked like an alien from another planet. The difference, of course, was that Mr. Schwarzenegger used steroids. There are now many substances that can be used to enhance physiological or mental performance. Amphetamines (Adderall) and their relatives such as Ritalin are legitimately prescribed to children with ADHD. However, there are many people (especially in academia) who access these potentially dangerous drugs in order to concentrate for long periods of time at high levels of attention. There are anecdotal reports that parents who want their normal, but short, children to play in certain sports are putting pressure on doctors to prescribe human growth hormone to make their children larger.

With new gene editing tools, it is possible to fine tune an embryo’s genetic material to produce influence traits with incredible precision. This has already been done in humans – in China. Although the Chinese government claims that they had nothing to do with this, I am skeptical, knowing how complete their control is over academic science in China. There are individuals associated with the Chinese government who have been going to great lengths to identify the genetic basis for intelligence and other useful traits. It is possible that they plan to manipulate embryos to create what could literally be superhumans. Indeed, wealthy families could finance such a project themselves. There are perhaps indications that something like this may be in progress.

Cloning used to be a hot topic. For some reason, it has disappeared from public discussion despite the fact that it is now routine in animals. There is no theoretical reason why it could not be routine in humans. If you combine genetic manipulation with cloning it would be possible to create large numbers of humans with whatever traits you wished. I realize that this sounds like science fiction and that no one is talking about it. But please believe me, this is all very possible, perhaps probable. I fear the outcome of such projects more than nuclear war. A genetic feed forward loop will have unforeseeable consequences.

Reference:

China’s CRISPR twins might have had their brains inadvertently enhanced

https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/02/21/137309/the-crispr-twins-had-their-brains-altered/