Second opinions and innovative thinking

COVID-19: a 2nd Opinion – “...Senator Johnson...laid out the history of inconsistencies that led to the ‘goal posts’ continually being moved and how at the same time, differing viewpoints were being suppressed.”

This past Monday, Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin held a panel discussion titled, COVID 19: A Second Opinion. He was joined by a group of world renowned doctors and medical experts that presented a different perspective on the global pandemic response. They shared their thoughts concerning the current state of knowledge of early and hospital treatment, vaccine efficacy and safety, what went right, what went wrong, what should be done now, and what needs to be considered in the long term.

I recommend your listening to this is informative discussion regarding the Covid-19 virus.

In medical terms, a “second opinion” is asking another doctor to review your case. Kathy Katella, writing at YaleMedicine.org, notes the wisdom and importance of getting a second opinion – especially for a major medical decision, “go to a couple of places to be sure you know what you're getting and why.” She cites two studies that affirm the prudence of second opinions.

In 2017, a study showed that 21% of patients who sought a second opinion at the Mayo Clinic left with a completely new diagnosis, and 66% were deemed partly correct, but refined or redefined by the second doctor.

...a 2018 study published in the Annals of Surgical Oncology that found that a second review by a multidisciplinary tumor board at a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center changed the diagnosis for 43% of the 70 patients in the study.

Over two years into the Covid-19 pandemic, we see that leading politicians and top medical advisors, possibly backed by pharmaceutical companies, labor consistently and insistently to shut down this common medical practice when it comes to Covid-19. “Believe what I say,” they say. “Can I get a second opinion?” “No way!” they say. “We hold all the keys of knowledge.”

Often those who seem to control the conversation are the “ivory tower” doctors and scientists who deal in theories. Often those trying to get a word in edgewise are the doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals working in the trenches, actually treating people with Covid-19 and having success doing so. Why not include their “second opinions” in the conversations? Unless, perhaps, it is not about solving the problem? If not, why not?

In addition to shutting down second opinions, there are misgivings about “thinking outside the box” regarding a situation that often must answered, if answered honestly, “We don’t know.” Ingenuity, resourcefulness, and the ability to rethink what is and is not working are our friends at such a time as this – not our enemies.

Ultimately, the leaders of the pack have not only sought to squelch freedom of speech, but also fought the freedom of medical second opinions, while striving to restrict innovative thought.

So, take a listen at the linked discussion. See what you think. Let me know what you think.

COVID-19: A 2nd Opinion (Part 1)
COVID-19: A 2nd Opinion (Part 2)
The Truth Behind COVID-19 and the Shot

Vaccines and your conscience

Both Robert Jeffress and Pope Francis want you to get vaccinated, says Mark Wingfield in the liberal Baptist News Global. Wingfield quotes Jeffress – pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas – as saying, “There is no credible religious argument against the vaccines,” and “There is no legitimate faith-based reason for refusing to take the vaccine.” What Pope Francis says may create difficultly for Catholics with conscientious objections. Because of local church autonomy, what Robert Jeffress says should carry little weight beyond his local congregation.

Apparently, Jeffress is referring to the concerns of some about the ties to fetal cell lines derived from aborted babies. Various religious leaders have expressed concerns about this, though it seems the view of the most hi-profile leaders is that the time line is so far removed from the actual abortions (1970s-1980s) that there is no moral issue – or some express it that the good of the vaccine outweighs the evil of the abortions.

Some have expressed objections in terms that make it sound like baby parts have been taken from current abortions to use in these vaccines. That is not correct. Here are some facts.

• Janssen Research/Johnson & Johnson used abortion-derived fetal cell lines in the development, confirmation, and production of its vaccine.
• Moderna, Inc./National Institutes of Health and Pfizer/BioNTech performed confirmation tests using abortion-derived fetal cell lines, but did not use them in production.
• AstraZeneca/University of Oxford used abortion-derived fetal cell lines in confirmation tests, design & development, and production.

The difference between fetal cell lines and fetal tissue. Fetal cell lines are cells that grow in a laboratory. They descend from cells taken from elective abortions in the 1970s and 1980s. Those individual cells from the 1970s and 1980s have since been grown in the lab for 30 to 40 years, creating fetal cell lines.

Consider the position of Robert Jeffress and others. If you find it compelling, make it part of your conscience. However, if you conscientiously object to the vaccine, do not feel compelled to kowtow to the views of some hi-profile religious leader (or some combination of them). Each Christian believer needs to decide whether he or she feels OK with the way these vaccines were produced. Follow your own conscience!

(Information source, the Charlotte Lozier Institute)

Joe’s Mask Mandate

• Joe Biden, August 13: “Every single American should be wearing a mask when they’re outside for the next three months, at a minimum. Let’s institute a mask mandate nationwide starting immediately, and we will save lives.”
• Joe Biden, August 20: “We’ll have a national mandate to wear a mask — not as a burden, but to protect each other. It’s a patriotic duty.”
• Joe Biden, September 6: “Here’s the deal, the federal government...there’s a constitutional issue whether the federal government could issue such a mandate, I don’t think constitutionally they could, so I wouldn’t issue a mandate.”

What Passes for Journalism

journalism, noun. The activity, occupation, or profession of writing for newspapers, magazines, or news websites or preparing news to be broadcast.

Houston doctor Stella Immanuel rapidly became an internet sensation, defending the use of hydroxychloroquine to combat COVID-19. Almost as rapidly she because the brunt of jokes, mocking her weird ideas about reptilians and demon sperm. The latter mockery was not just a fun outing, but designed to invalidate what she said about hydroxychloroquine. What Dr. Immanuel said about hydroxychloroquine is that it works, that all 350 patients she had treated with hydroxychloroquine have survived.

Here’s what I noticed. Anybody with a computer can search and find something strange someone has said. Almost everyone will agree that Dr. Immanuel has said some strange things about various subjects. What a real reporter could do, though, is actually research the actual statement Dr. Immanuel made about the actual subject. In two “demon sperm” articles I read, the authors attacked some weird ideas Dr. Immanuel holds – but DID NOT debunk her claim of helping people with hydroxychloroquine. That is the relevant question to COVID-19. That is what a journalist ought to research and report on. Is that claim valid? Did it work? What has happened with her 350 patients treated with hydroxychloroquine? It is  telling that the authors could not or would not address it.

Why? Dr. Harvey Risch, epidemiology professor at the Yale School of Public Health says, “It’s a political drug now, not a medical drug.” This is largely due to the fact it has been touted by President Donald Trump. I don’t want political reports about medical issues. In real time and real life, what matters me is the accuracy of the doctor’s claim that all 350 patients she had treated with hydroxychloroquine have survived. A mechanic may have some weird ideas about the moon, but can he fix a car? A chef may think chickens are aliens, but can she whip up an excellent chicken cordon bleu?

What passes for journalism in 2021 seems to be political opinion parading as fact.

The deep freeze

This likely will put a chill on folks wanting to get tested:

Texas county warns of arrests for COVID-19 positive residents who don’t self-isolate -- “Brooks County Attorney David Garcia warned in a July 4 post on Facebook that residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 should stay home except to receive medical care. He said that failure to do so may result in an arrest.”

Doctors got it wrong...

...aren't God; shouldn't try to play God.

Amish girl who fled United States to escape forced chemotherapy is now cancer-free -- "Some might call it a “miracle,” but alternative and holistic medicine healers aren’t really surprised to learn that a 12-year old Amish girl is now cancer-free — after her doctors testified in court just six months ago that she would be dead by now if her family were permitted to refuse her chemotherapy."

Soda drinks are mostly unhealthy

An interesting article about drinking sodas is found HERE. 

"...cutting the habit is harder than you think - not only is caffeine addictive, but so is aspartame. 

"Diet soda may even hook you worse than regular soda, because artificial sweeteners don’t quite satisfy the body like sugar does." -- From "Infographics claiming soda is unhealthy are mostly true"

5 thoughts on healing

Psalm 103:3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

God is sovereign. He heals. He doesn't heal. When He heals, He heals anyway He chooses. God cannot be fit into someone's theological healing box.

God heals by "means,"* using doctors and medicine. 
At times doctors and/or medicine do not heal. Anytime doctors and/or medicine heals someone, it is God healing. Notice the following texts.
Matthew 9:12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
Jeremiah 8:22 Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?
Isaiah 38:21 For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover.
1 Timothy 5:23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.
Luke himself was a physician, and it doesn't seem that he gave up his practice just because he became a believer.
The Bible speaks both positively and negatively toward doctors and medicine. We are not condemned for using doctors, but we should not put our trust in doctors. Our trust should be in God. We should not use doctors and medicine as an alternative to God. King Asa of Judah sought only the physicians and not God. He was condemned for that (Cf. 2 Chronicles 16:12).

God heals by "means" that are not "medical". (e.g. mud & spit, anointing, prayer)
   God heals in answer to prayer. Genesis 20:17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. James 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
   God uses water to heal. 2 Kings 5:14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
   God uses anointing to heal. James 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
   God uses mud of clay and spit to heal. John 9:6-7 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
On numerous occasions, for reasons unknown to us and for His sovereign purpose, God has chosen to heal using means that are not medical in nature. Any means he chooses is at His disposal.

God heals by no means at all. 
God speaks and it is done.
Matthew 8:8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.
John 4:52-53 Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.  So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth...
John 11:43-44 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth...
While Scripture demonstrates that God has and does use "means" when healing mankind of the his diseases and afflictions, it also demonstrates that God heals by no means at all. He speaks and it is done. He can wills and it is done. Though He may choose to do so, an omnipotent God requires nothing beyond Himself to accomplish His will.

God does not heal. 
As God chooses divinely to heal. He also chooses not to heal.
2 Kings 13:14 Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died.
2 Timothy 4:20 ...Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick.
Is healing in the atonement? Yes, if we understand that correctly. But it does not mean, as some suggest, that all one has to do is "claim" their healing, or have enough faith. The Branches of the Vine Ministries web site tells us "that physical healing is part of the atonement paid for by the Lord Jesus Christ, and that it is always God’s will to heal every person and in every case." Tom Brown states, "Healing is part of man's redemption in Christ; therefore it belongs to every believer." Tell that to the prophet Elisha, who was "sick with the sickness whereof he died." Tell that to Paul, who asked the Lord three times to remove his thorn in the flesh. A full reading of the whole Bible shows us beyond the shadow of doubt that it is not always God's will to heal every person in every case. In fact...

God makes some sick.
The power of disease and healing is completely in God's hands. Not only can He heal, but He also can make sick. He "kills and makes alive." All power is in His hands.
Micah 6:13 Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins.
John 11:3-4 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
Deuteronomy 28:27 The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.
Acts 12:23 And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

Conclusion. 
There is no "God in a box" -- no "one size fits all" theology of healing. God heals as He pleases. Disease and death are part of the human condition. This will continue to be until we receive the ultimate healing of the atonement -- our resurrection bodies that are immortal and incorruptible (1 Corinthians 15:52-54).

* Means is a human action (surgery, prayer) or natural element (medicine, diet, spit) than God operates through in the accomplishing of His will. This is opposed to the direct operation of God in which no means is used.

Food and Health

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

* 6 Cancer-Fighting Superfoods -- “All the studies on cancer and nutrition point to eating plant-based foods for their phytonutrients and other special compounds.”
* 12 Surprising Sources of Caffeine -- "...the sneaky stimulant can pop up in unexpected places."
* Breast Health, a Great Reason to Love Peanut Butter and Jelly -- " New research indicates that older girls who regularly eat peanut butter, nuts, and other sources of vegetable protein and fat may reduce their risk of developing benign breast disease (BBD) by as much as 39 percent."
* Foods That Fight Cancer -- “No single food or food component can protect you against cancer by itself.”
* The Honey Launderers: Uncovering the Largest Food Fraud in U.S. History -- “A second phase of the investigation began in 2011, when Homeland Security agents approached Honey Holding, ALW’s 'garbage can', and one of the biggest suppliers of honey to U.S. food companies. In 'Project Honeygate', as agents called it, Homeland Security had an agent work undercover for a full year as a director of procurement at Honey Holding.”
* The Southern Staple Everyone Should Know How to Make -- “The first few attempts were missing something. After a bit more research, we found several versions of this dish that benefit from a small shot of pickle juice because of its vinegary, sour flavor.”

The Lord that healeth thee

It is good to find the happy medium of biblical teaching on physical healing. On one extreme are those who believe that the only reason Christian's aren't healed is because they don't have enough faith. On the other extreme -- which unfortunately includes many modern Baptists -- are those who reject the unseen hand of God and opt for only medical and scientific "realities".

Steve Ewton, pastor of Bethel Baptist Church, Appleby, Texas, makes some great points about healing in a handout he prepared called "Praying for God to Heal." I want to highlight some of his main points.

God can heal our diseases. God does heal our diseases. But it is not always God's will to heal. This can be in terms of His will, as in the cases of Elisha (II Kings 13:14) and Paul (II Cor. 2:1-10). In these cases it was not God's will to heal, period. It can also be in terms of God's time, as in the cases of the man born blind (John 9:1-7) and Lazarus (John 11:1-45). In these cases it was not God's will to heal at a particular time, but to do something at a different time. Pastor Ewton also notes that "Trusting God to heal us does not mean that we must abstain from using physicians or medicine."

God promises the church that the prayer of faith shall save the sick, James 5:13-16. Anointing with oil is still a legitimate practice today.

Finally,
Healing may come immediately through a miracle.
Healing may come gradually over time.
Healing may come eventually in heaven.

Exodus 15:26 "...for I am the Lord that healeth thee."

Health News and Views

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

Asparagus: 5 health benefits
Bring Back DDT, and Science With It
Coated vs. Uncoated Aspirin
Employers Eye Bare-Bones Health Plans Under New Law
Food Frauds Lurking in Your Supermarket
Good Foods for Great Sex
Imported rice may contain dangerously high lead levels
Why circumcision lowers risk of HIV

To your health

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

5 health benefits of red peppers
6 Surprising Foods That Put You to Sleep
(Bananas, Passionfruit Tea, Dates, Chinese Food, Cherries)
7 foods you should never eat
8 Spices with Health Benefits
10 Best Wines under $15
Some studies state that drinking a glass or two of red wine daily is healthful, lowering your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and even cancer.
Anti-Aging Secret? It's in Your Diet
Fermented foods bubble with healthful benefits
Spices and Herbs: Their Health Benefits
The Greek Island Where People Live to Be 90 – Is it the Coffee?
Long life for coffee drinkers?
The Safest (and Cheapest) Cholesterol Treatment
Why Eat Local?

Readings on "parents vs. society"

The posting of web links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with viewpoint of the posts linked.

Domestic Threats to Parental Rights
Faith healing and the law
Lawyers ask court to rule in prayer death
Sick girl removed from hospital
The Injustice of Helpful Parents — Yet More Insanity

Poison and medicine

Sometimes the only difference between a medicine and a poison is the dosage.

Medical mania

The KTBB (Tyler, TX) radio station asked for opinions this morning, "Should parents be charged in 'faith-healing' deaths?". I received no answer after the 8th phone ring, so decided to post my opinion on my blog instead.

A couple who are members of the Followers of Christ church in Oregon City, Oregon, pled not guilty to manslaughter on Monday. The charge is for failing to provide medical care to their son, who died shortly after birth. The baby was premature, weighing a little over 3 lbs. The birth was neither attended by a doctor, nor was one called. The members of this church believe in using prayer instead of medicine.

In general parents should have the right to make medical decisions for their minor children, whether they believe in prayer only, medicine only, or a combination of both. Since children are involved this becomes a very emotional issue.

We have lived in a secularized society so long that many do not believe God can heal and that medical attention is always the proper and necessary option. In cases like this one in Oregon City, most will assert that the child would have lived if he had gotten medical attention. But if we think little deeper about it we would remember that children getting medical attention die every day. Some die in spite of the medical attention, and some die from the medicines or procedures they get. Do you want to charge those parents with manslaughter too? If not, why not?

[Note: I do not endorse the religious views of the Followers of Christ church in Oregon City, Oregon, and I do not believe it is wrong to seek medical attention.]

Teen Outsmarts Doctors

Several weeks ago I made a post on A boy, religion, parental rights and government intervention. I think the following article makes a nice follow-up, and indicates that the doctors aren't always right. Shouldn't folks have the right to take the information that doctors provide and make their own informed decisions?

When doctors didn't give A high school senior at a Washington state high school, Jessica Terry, studied her own tissue samples and correctly diagnosed herself -- a diagnosis doctors had missed for several years.

Read HERE.

Kelly Smith on the pool of Bethesda

John 5:7 - "The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me."

Q. Why do you suppose the pool is available to the less firm rather than the more weak?

Answer by Kelly Smith. There were five porches to this pool, and on each of them waited all those watching for the first sign of trouble in the waters, so they could rush in and hopefully be the one to be healed.

I make several observations in this. Their faith was in the pool. Their faith was in the water. Their hope was in their ability to get into the pool first. They were selfish, and caring not for each other. I believe if they had been more caring of those less able to reach the pool, perhaps the water might have been troubled more often (but that's beside this point).

This impotent man, his faith was in the water and pool as well, yet he had no hope in his own ability to get him there. He had no hope in anyone else helping his ability to receive this healing either. Christ gave him that was without hope, hope -- and made him whole. He showed him that his faith was misplaced. Showed him that Salvation... is of the Lord. Showed them all that the healing contained within the water, was not water at all, but the Grace and Power of Almighty God, in whom our faith and hope should be.

I wonder that of all that were healed in the pool, how many gave proper tribute to the true source of it? This man went on to proclaim this miracle, and Glory was given to God because of it.

[By permission. Kelly Smith, elder, Harmony Primitive Baptist Church, Calhoun, GA]

An old debate

The McPherson-Bogard Debate on "Miraculous Divine Healing" has been made available to a new generation by David Padfield, evangelist for the Church of Christ in Zion, Illinois. Bogard, a Baptist, and McPherson, of the Foursquare Gospel Church, debated in Little Rock, Arkansas on May 22, 1934.

Padfield writes, "Out of all the debate books I own the McPherson-Bogard Debate is one of my favorites. Ben Bogard was the greatest debater the Baptist church has ever produced. Bogard debated many of my brethren and always proved himself to be an honorable and worthy opponent. Baptist preachers of our day lack the conviction their brethren had in days gone by. Aimee Semple McPherson was the founder of the Foursquare Gospel Church."

Faith healing and the law

An intriguing legal battle in Oregon brings together health, religion, faith healing, and the interests of the parents versus the interest of the state.

"...Ava Worthington, died at home March 2 from bacterial bronchial pneumonia and a blood infection. Both conditions could have been treated with antibiotics, according to Dr. Christopher Young, a deputy state medical examiner.

"The Followers of Christ, a non-denominational congregation with roots in the 19th-century Pentecostal movement, came under state scrutiny in the late 1990s after several church children died from medically treatable conditions. The deaths prompted the Oregon Legislature to remove religious shield laws for parents who treat gravely ill children solely with prayer, setting the stage for the Worthington case." -- Child's death tests Oregon law on faith healing

"Tuesday's death of 16-year-old Neil Beagley, however, may not be a crime because Oregon law allows minors 14 and older to decide for themselves whether to accept medical treatment." -- Teenager from faith-healing family dies in Oregon

Dirty movies??

You probably know that movie theaters provide plenty of mental filth. What do you know about the physical filth? Read about it here.