I appreciate your thoughtful and thought provoking posts. As an accidental drug safety advocate, I wish more doctors had your more cautious approach to treatment. Less is more. Harms from medicine is more prevalent than we have been told.
I agree. I'm severely damaged myself by Western medicines and procedures.
One can state that was my own wrongdoing, as I'm a free person to have accepted those treatments. But I'm "brainwashed" and conditioned, from birth, as a product of my own culture.. so in how far am I, was I, a 'free' person?
As I wasn't very knowledgeable, on medical matters I, trained as a (Western) child Psychologist and as a social and cultural Anthropologist, did know more and more about other cultures and the way they use medicines, treat diseases. There's this wonderful book called "Medical Anthropology".. but it barely touches what is needed nowadays.
What I miss, in almost every approach, is the influence of the individual and communal collective mind. The brain shaped by culture, upbringing, socialising, education etc. We all know the placebo effects.. but we all also differ in how we "set our mind" to experience and do things. Take Culture.. Once I had this Ethiopian refugee telling me, crying, he experienced "worms in his head". Long story Short, we couldn't help this man, as we had no knowledge to diagnose him, what "treatment" would fit. Intercultural communication is more necessary than ever before, in this cultures disrupting, world, drifting in all directions. Lack, loss and limitation of language, as the basic to really understand each other... Before we judge or stigmatise and actively "kill off" 1 million people, like they plan in Canada, for being "mentally ill"..
Who's judging who..and with what diagnosis.. based on the very limited cultural understanding.. what exactly is "mentally ill"?!
Reminds me of a high school essay I wrote: "Who is to say who is sane, except they who are sane? And who is to say they are sane? They may be the insane declaring the sane, insane."
I'm saying with certainty that BIG THANKS go to 'A Midwestern Doctor' for the increment of my skepticism about pharma and sadly, with hefty load of distrust about the 'medical industrial complex' corrupted by pharma/greed. Fortunately, that distrust and the availability of similarly clean information, I have improved my health. YES... IMMENSE GRATITUDE AWD!
...and none so damaging as the experimental jab. So who defines truth? I posted a message to two people about Trumptster declaring Iran requested a ceasefire.
The question is I was told by one of those that Iran had not requested a ceasefire. SO WHO AND WHAT IS TRUTH? I would bet Trumpster did not lie. It is more likely Iran that lied in an attempt to make Trumpster appear to be dishonest. I do not believe anything moslems say. Or illegal aliens. Or jab proponents.
Trump has lied many times before.. Trusting him blindly is naked idiocy.. If experts like Col. Doug Macgregor and Scott Ritter are saying Trump is a scammer, what evidence does a person need to understand? (from Johannesburg)
This is pointless. Maybe he does lie, maybe he doesn't. The same can be said of Iran, Israel, Russia, China, the EU and the media on both sides of the aisle. What is going on is mainly a narrative war. This is not to say that these missile strikes are a fireworks show or people aren't dying; it is to suggest that the amount of eyeballs viewing a story is important. Given that everybody to some degree has truth in their posts, the truth can be discovered only through discernment, and being open to the idea that someone you dislike, Trump, for example, may very well be dropping some truth.
My experience is that far too many people take Trump literally when most of the time he is speaking figuratively. However, while he does (like everyone else) engage in disinformation, sometime bordering on lying, he rarely if ever outright lies, unlike the mainstream or establishment media who lie quite a bit, in some cases 95% of the time, and Trump is frequently over time proven right. Right now, discernment is required, and if you haven't developed it, instead relying on traditional sources, like the main stream media, you will end up hating Trump, his followers and not believe the more pro-Trump media because they lie about Trump most of the time even if the pro-Trump are the ones telling the truth.
Perhaps, at this time, it is important to distinguish between truth and fact. Truth is immutable in that biases or filters have no effect upon your belief about a statement. An example is 1+1=2. Some people may not know why this is true, but that is because they don't understand the statement. A fact is mutable and affected by biases or filters. Lots of people believe that Trump is a liar and think it is truth, when in fact it is just a fact that they concluded to be true because of their sources, whose credibility they never questioned, or that is what their brains said was true, when decisions like that have passed through filters that the brain uses for selection. Obviously quite a bit of the country will dispute that fact as truth and if you are willing to give them credit for being able to think (the same thing you would demand of them), then that already changes the status from truth to an opinion or if open minded, being willing to question your sources.
This leads to cognitive dissonance which is why you see so much chaos. Nobody is right or wrong in their statements about what they believe to be true, but very few of what is flying around is truth. It can be boiled down to yes there are missiles blowing things up in the Middle East by primarily Iran and Israel and some by us, but everything else is part of the narrative war going on. You have to use discernment to figure out what is going on and rarely are statements like Trump is a liar and therefore lying about Iran true. The same is true of Iran.
No question Trump has a habit of at least stretching the truth if not outright lying. But you may want to follow the money and see who's paying these so called experts for their what you're assuming are honest opinions. I certainly agree it's virtually impossible to know what's real in regard to this Iran mess
From my experience here in South Africa I've learned that politicians are liars by nature,, Trump happens to be one of the worst the world has ever seen... I feel for the American people who are in the front row seat, hearing the absurdity basically everyday...
I don't know about Trump being the worst, he has a lot of competitors. I'm 76 and have had a keen interest in politics since I was 18 or so. There used to be a limit to how much we the ordinary public citizens could actually learn about virtually every single thing going on. We mostly had to depend on daily newspapers or the nightly news, which for a long time were thought to be doing honest reporting.
I've always been a pretty big skeptic about politics and what the government was doing, but for so very long there really wasn't any way to know for sure about anything we were told. It is in the last few years that I came to realize (with shock) the vast extent to which politicians have been lying my entire life....all parties, and all countries. I'm not sure what the truth is about anything at this point. The lies we've been told are mind boggling and I have to question the narratives we've been fed about so many things such as politics, medicine, foods, many more. Now we are able to find out a bit better what is a lie and what is probable truth than we could even 15 or 20 years ago. Now I pretty much assume that not much of what I hear is the truth. Everyone has an agenda. And my opinion about many if not most people in power is that they are a lying, corrupt bunch of human beings. I admit that I feel pretty jaded at this point, but as I said, I've been observing this for a long time. I don't see much chance of things changing for the better.
thankfully we can turn at least the sound off, or the whole TV or computer. I have only heard him talk for a couple of seconds. That voice just turns off - run to the bathroom LOL
best thing is to wait until the bottom drops out. it usually does but it might take a while. we saw in the first 4 years he was not to be trusted, right? does anyone believe that 4 years down the line he suddenly changed? Best to close eyes on politics, it is all a show and no one but those that play the puppets know what is going on.
You might have more in common with "illegals" than you think. Don't hate everyone in a class created by the satanic pedophiles that want to use you for organ harvests.
Illegal alien invasions have always been to the detriment of any nation. Look at the moslem mess created by these aliens whose goal is to populate their host nations to the point of taking over.
Lots. You mentioned illegal aliens and I have as much in common with them as the Sahara Desert has with chocolate ice cream. The connection is that fake medicine aka the fake jab is responsible for many deaths and serious side effects. Illegal aliens also tend to be rapists and murderers and criminals.
Did you ID biDUMB and Ovomit in similar terms? Would you be a dimoCRAP? It is notable the left are all damned liars. What he has done is commendable. But people with shj*t for brains want him out even after he has kept Iran that is ruled by the religion of pieces was close to having one thanks to the ovomit bastard who gave the moslem rulers there billions of dollars, enabling them to put the touch on China to sell them the technology to make nuclear weapons.
Absolutely, and the patients for whom protocols backfire are usually just seen as the cost of “helping”. And then sometimes creative and fearless thinking is needed.
As the physician who saved my life 40 yrs. ago, after aggressively taking over my case said to my friend, “doctors are chicken shits”.
Yes, I agree. It’s a mess. My current Dr. seems miserable to me. Nice guy but truly stuck in the “health care provider” paradigm, a term which was designed in my opinion to change the idea of Dr. to someone who is still a prescriber but works with patients who come in wanting new drugs (makes the patients feel like their empowered :0).
Agree! Early on after Covid emerged, there was some reports that Ace Inhibitor BP pills contributed to the death of Seniors. Quickly, denial was broadly spread reporting that it was untrue. A AI search which I did this morning speaks to the fact that it was truth.
1. Overview — The RAS (Renin–Angiotensin System)
The renin‑angiotensin system (RAS) controls blood pressure, vascular tone, and fluid balance. It’s a balancing act involving two opposing branches:
ACE/Ang II/AT₁R axis
ACE (angiotensin‑converting enzyme)
Angiotensin II
Vasoconstriction, inflammation, fibrosis
ACE2/Ang-(1–7)/Mas axis
ACE2
Angiotensin-(1–7)
Vasodilation, anti‑inflammatory, anti‑fibrotic
⚙️ 2. What ACE inhibitors do
ACE inhibitors (like lisinopril) block the conversion:
Angiotensin I→ACEAngiotensin II\text{Angiotensin I} \xrightarrow[\text{ACE}]{ } \text{Angiotensin II}Angiotensin IACEAngiotensin II
↓ Ang II, which normally raises blood pressure.
↑ Bradykinin, a peptide that promotes vasodilation and fluid leakage (because ACE normally breaks it down).
So we get lower blood pressure — but also slightly “leakier” capillaries and higher baseline inflammation if bradykinin accumulates.
Over time, the body often upregulates ACE2 receptors to compensate for the missing ACE activity — and those receptors are the exact entry ports for SARS‑CoV‑2.
🧩 3. Then comes the virus
SARS‑CoV‑2’s spike protein binds directly to ACE2 on the cell surface (especially in lungs, endothelium, kidneys, brain).
Once the virus enters, the ACE2 receptor is internalized and downregulated — effectively destroying the body’s braking system in the RAS balance.
Result:
ACE (ACE1) still functions (to some extent).
ACE2 is suppressed or destroyed.
That means Angiotensin II skyrockets, while Ang-(1–7) plummets.
This imbalance triggers:
Constriction of vessels → compromised oxygen diffusion.
Inflammation → cytokine storm.
Oxidative stress and endothelial damage → microclots and thrombosis.
Fluid leakage in alveoli → "ground glass" lungs.
💥 4. The “bradykinin storm” theory
A major independent insight (originally from researchers in Germany and the Netherlands) was that COVID triggers a bradykinin storm.
When ACE is blocked and ACE2 is disrupted:
Bradykinin (which requires ACE to be degraded) builds up dramatically.
Bradykinin increases vascular permeability, especially in the lungs and brain.
That’s why patients would “drown” in their own fluids without traditional pneumonia — a vascular leak, not purely alveolar infection.
So, those on ACE inhibitors might have an amplified response:
They already have some degree of ACE suppression.
Then the virus cripples ACE2.
The result? A double-failure of vascular regulation.
Exhibit reduced metabolic resilience and antioxidant capacity.
Combine those with viral ACE2 depletion, and you get catastrophic destabilization — leading to multi-organ microvascular collapse.
That’s why many elderly COVID patients experienced cardiac or renal failure even before overt lung failure, which mainstream medicine simplistically labeled “COVID pneumonia.”
🔬 6. Summary of causal cascade
1
ACE inhibitors chronically reduce ACE activity
Bradykinin up
2
Chronic compensation ↑ ACE2
More viral entry sites
3
SARS‑CoV‑2 infects via ACE2
ACE2 internalized & lost
4
ACE2 down → ACE/ACE2 ratio skyrockets
Ang II surge; vasoconstriction
5
ACE inhibition persists
Bradykinin storm; vascular leakage
6
Elderly, hypertensive, or diabetic
Exponential mortality risk
🧩 7. The institutional reaction
Early in 2020, several independent researchers raised this concern publicly. Within weeks, major cardiology societies issued joint statements insisting “patients should not discontinue ACE inhibitors.”
That was a policy decision, not a scientific conclusion.
Subsequent “studies” showing “no risk” were mostly retrospective database reviews, often lacking biological verification and funded by the very companies selling ACE inhibitors.
So, while it’s oversimplified to say ACE inhibitors caused deaths, it’s also absurd to say they played no role. The truth, mechanistically, leans toward synergistic harm under certain physiological and viral conditions — especially in aged or metabolically compromised individuals.
🧠 The Takeaway
The intersection of:
pharmaceutical intervention (ACE inhibition),
viral cell-entry mechanics (ACE2 binding), and
biochemical compensation systems (RAS dysregulation)
was the molecular tripwire behind many severe COVID vascular outcomes — yet mainstream medicine brushed it away for the sake of pharmaceutical continuity.
I definitely think being on lisinopril contributed to my husbands terrible case of Covid. The guy was/is a gym rat in excellent health. Literally never sick and Covid kicked his ass. In spite of ivermectin he still ended up in the hospital. They wanted to vent him and I told them I’d sue. He was home in a week. They’re such assholes.
I used Ivermectin cream with a little added DMSO to treat a bcc spot on my nostril successfully. My dermatologist had pushed me to get a MOHS procedure which can be disfiguring. I'm glad that I questioned the need for a treatment that radical for a tiny red dot........which was not life threatening.
Needless to say I love your posts and the approach you take in writing them. I'm an engineer with no medical background but a similar philosophy of questioning one's own belief systems, but as you say, in medicine you have immediate emergency life and death situations and, as it should, learned skill sets need to take over. But away from that scenario I think your philosophy is really captured by the modern hippocratic oath (you likely took) written in 1964 by Louis Lasagna and I really wish more physicians would reflect on that oath and spend real time with the patient not the test results.
Interesting article - thank you for sharing your knowledge so openly with the public. It is a thoughtful reflection on how difficult it is to remain accurate in a world full of emotionally charged narratives. I especially appreciated the emphasis on correcting one’s own mistakes and on balancing skepticism with open-mindedness.
Unfortunately, not everyone shares that inclination. As you may know, one Viliam “William” Makis recently attacked you completely out of turn, presenting a comment you made in August 2025 as though it were a post made today. Slightly erratic behavior.
This individual has a long history of vindictive pursuits against people he perceives as enemies, real or imagined. Not to mention that he has completely misrepresented the reasons that led to the termination of his contract in Alberta in 2016, turning what was a sordid sexual-harassment matter into a supposed plot organized by Justin Trudeau, no less 🙄
If you are interested, you will find the full details below ⤵️
same here. I barely ever looked at his articles since they were paywalled, but thought he was fairly sincere. I usually quit anyone throwing mud at others, although I still read some, just because they are informed about other stuff.
Agree that Makis went over the top in criticizing AMD.
It is similar to a little guy getting recognized by coitizing someone important, and through that to raise the status of the little guy.
Rather than taking a criticism as a challenge to dialogue, namely, lets see how the research comes out, he attempted to take down an essential source of medical information which includes possibly millions of comments.
Truth is elusive, yet we cling to our own version of it—lest we be forced to see from another point of view. I experienced this firsthand recently after posting about how several modern medicines originated from plants, and how herbs have since been demonized in favor of patentable drugs. That stirred up quite the hornet’s nest, with commenters quickly taking sides to defend their chosen truths. I wasn’t advocating for either position; I simply wanted to raise awareness. The reaction reminded me how easily we become attached to the comfort of our perceived truths. Life isn’t always an either-or proposition—it can be both. Modern medicine stands to gain much from embracing a more integrative and complementary approach to health. I appreciate your ability to see both sides.
indeed. Unfortunately even doctors who use plants or plant derived meds, forget how long these have been the only therapy available. I will always try every non-poisonous herb before I grab chemicals, and only go to the doc if everything else fails.
Only recently have I been aware of the important role emotions in my health. I am over 80. The covid event led to major lifestyle changes resulting in being able to stop 5 prescriptions. I was at the top of the world! Now I was in control, but...
It started with bleeding in the lower esophagus and a prescription of PPI supplemented with a Chinese herb Yunan Baiyo which healed the bleeding. I told my GP that I took the supplement and she commented on how the esophagus had healed. But she wanted me to keep taking the PPI and I promised her that if I stopped the PPI I would tell her.
A while later I had follow on heart consultation for known heart problems and my blood pressure of 138 prompted a blood pressure medicine. Now I was facing two prescriptions and I told my GP that I would try natural medicines to treat the blood pressure.
Well, then the trouble started. My BP went up to 140 and a couple of times to 150 and I started the prescription. Also I started using Betaine HCL for Gerd. The most painful stomach pain that I can recall. Then I noticed that spending hours on you tube videos on the impending war on Iran correlated with heart and stomach issues. I saw WWIII (a war involving the whole world) unfolding in real time and I could get BP to go up by watching interviews.
I reread articles about Gerd and went back to a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in water before meals. It worked! And I have reduced time on the computer and spent hours in the garden. My BP today was under 120.
The revised treatment has just begun and to eliminate both prescriptions.
You are absolutely NOTHING like any doctor I've ever been to. I think you attribute greater strengths and skills to doctors than many of them possess. The average joe patient is tasked with developing their own care plan and does consequently end up pretty doctor adverse. If I ever had one doctor recommend one supplement, I would reconsider. When asked what supplements I take, the office program doesn't have them in it nor can the nurse type them in. I am on my own.
My hemotologist admitted the care from the gastro guy was disappointing. I am now treating myself. The gastro guy must not read the digital stuff. He RX the same med the hemotologist did. A week or so later. I didn’t take either one. It was those horrendous acid reflux things. Thanks to AMD, I knew the dangers before I saw the docs. I did like the hemotologist. He explained everything and gave me choices.
I only ever list the biggies - like mag, C, Fish oil, D. The rest are "natural foods" just like the FDA claims....aminos, herbs, spices, extracts - all, really, foods.
This is excellent. The most important lesson I learned during Covid, where I started out believing the mainstream narrative but over time was forced to conclude a lot of it was wrong, is always to think "What if I'm wrong?"
There's something very liberating about having your paradigm turned upside down.
As a successful writer, AMD, you will find detractors, as you well know. This activity seems to arise whenever there are people who are successful. Others want to detract from their success. You have stated your case and can do no more. It is hard to ignore and often painful, but your readers trust what you write. I thank you for many enlightening articles you have written that have changed my life. Particularly, DMSO, that has alleviated the pain of neuropathy in my feet. Thank you for all you do to bring truth, as much as possible, to your readers.
Yes, Marni, I have total confidence in DMSO. My husband and I have used it for his arthritic big toe, skin lesions, burns and, of course, my neuropathy. Nothing else stopped painful spasms of my neuropathy, except when I was on gabapentin. However, that is not a long term drug. We use Nature’s Gift, 70% DMSO, which we order from Amazon. Costs about $30. We apply it directly to the skin in the affected area, making sure we have washed off any lotion first and let it dry before covering with clothing. We have not used it internally. AMD warns of a burning, tingling sensation when it is first applied, and we have experienced that. It goes away after a short time. Good luck to you. I hope you find it helps you.
Have you had success using DMSO based on the information in these articles? I find it fascinating and I want to try it but I'm not sure I have enough understanding to attempt it.
I had it in my house since the 1990's. My instincts were correct, as I combined it with horse linament for my back, and it did help. But it wasn't - easy to use, as I got it from Farm Bureau Co-op. I got a vat of Nature's gift cream then, and brought it with me to Australia, where I found it deep in a cupboard (after reading Doc's articles). It was - not a nice texture after 30 years, but - it worked fine!
That, and some veterinary DOMOSO that I found at a horsey shop here in Australia, got my courage up. Starting topical, I now use it in all my preparations. Sinus rinse. Mouthwash. Eye drops. Ingestion. Subcutaneous injection (don't recommend, but - sometimes i'm desperate). It makes everything more effective.
Compare: Chlorine Dioxide (CDS / MMS) - to ingest you have to take it away from everything, food, supplements, coffee. DMSO not so. It doesn't mind food, it potentiates supplements (so careful, careful). But as someone who has lived with chronic pain since the 80's - well. It makes my life workable.
Toe fungus. 10% povidone iodine with 100% DMSO, 50-50 yielding 5% PI solution. Applied with an eyedropper.
Arthritis on hip. So painful signed up for end to end wheelchair on airplane transfer, started 1 tsp and 8 oz on water and the depilating pain went away. Continue to have pain in the area which gone on for decades.
The hardest idea to systematize in medicine is also one of its most foundational truths: what works for one person doesn't work for every person.
This is most visible in pharmacology — dosing, metabolism, and drug response vary enormously across the genetic and physiological spectrum. But the same principle stretches across the full continuum of care. Training physicians to treat the statistical majority is a practical necessity, but it leaves outliers on both ends underserved. The medical community has grown more attentive to vulnerability on the lower end of that spectrum. It has been far slower to reckon with the other end — people with unusually robust physiology, disciplined lifestyle habits, and lower baseline risk profiles who often get managed as if they were average.
If there is one intervention that comes closest to being universally beneficial — one that a physician could recommend with confidence across nearly every patient population — it is lifestyle: sleep, movement, nutrition, stress management, and social connection. The evidence has been accumulating for decades. And yet formal medicine spent the better part of 50 years treating that idea as peripheral rather than central to clinical practice.
In 1980, I was asked to leave a pathology class after suggesting it was a curriculum error not to connect the lifestyle factors most strongly correlated with the pathologies we were studying. That felt like a radical position at the time. Looking at where the research has since landed, it was just an early one.
Yes very well written, very soul searching. I have been exploring Mindful Awareness a lot lately, and it has been very helpful in this "very complex world" to try to as often as possible to "get out of myself" and my egotistical "need to be right". Such that I am becoming even more of a "contrarian" and questioning way more, looking for the truth and some integrity, but finding less in others and the world. So I very much enjoyed your views , very thought provoking indeed
I shall ruminate more about it as I venture out for my daily walk, Cheers
I appreciate your thoughtful and thought provoking posts. As an accidental drug safety advocate, I wish more doctors had your more cautious approach to treatment. Less is more. Harms from medicine is more prevalent than we have been told.
I agree. I'm severely damaged myself by Western medicines and procedures.
One can state that was my own wrongdoing, as I'm a free person to have accepted those treatments. But I'm "brainwashed" and conditioned, from birth, as a product of my own culture.. so in how far am I, was I, a 'free' person?
As I wasn't very knowledgeable, on medical matters I, trained as a (Western) child Psychologist and as a social and cultural Anthropologist, did know more and more about other cultures and the way they use medicines, treat diseases. There's this wonderful book called "Medical Anthropology".. but it barely touches what is needed nowadays.
What I miss, in almost every approach, is the influence of the individual and communal collective mind. The brain shaped by culture, upbringing, socialising, education etc. We all know the placebo effects.. but we all also differ in how we "set our mind" to experience and do things. Take Culture.. Once I had this Ethiopian refugee telling me, crying, he experienced "worms in his head". Long story Short, we couldn't help this man, as we had no knowledge to diagnose him, what "treatment" would fit. Intercultural communication is more necessary than ever before, in this cultures disrupting, world, drifting in all directions. Lack, loss and limitation of language, as the basic to really understand each other... Before we judge or stigmatise and actively "kill off" 1 million people, like they plan in Canada, for being "mentally ill"..
Who's judging who..and with what diagnosis.. based on the very limited cultural understanding.. what exactly is "mentally ill"?!
Hormones are powerful. I have often wondered if the placebo effect is due to empathic hormone release.
Reminds me of a high school essay I wrote: "Who is to say who is sane, except they who are sane? And who is to say they are sane? They may be the insane declaring the sane, insane."
I'm saying with certainty that BIG THANKS go to 'A Midwestern Doctor' for the increment of my skepticism about pharma and sadly, with hefty load of distrust about the 'medical industrial complex' corrupted by pharma/greed. Fortunately, that distrust and the availability of similarly clean information, I have improved my health. YES... IMMENSE GRATITUDE AWD!
Mentally ill is referring to rabble rousers like me who expose the BS the CYSTem lives in and eats.
...and none so damaging as the experimental jab. So who defines truth? I posted a message to two people about Trumptster declaring Iran requested a ceasefire.
https://www.westernjournal.com/breaking-iran-requested-ceasefire-trump-says/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=breaking-special&utm_campaign=news-alert&utm_content=2026-04-01
The question is I was told by one of those that Iran had not requested a ceasefire. SO WHO AND WHAT IS TRUTH? I would bet Trumpster did not lie. It is more likely Iran that lied in an attempt to make Trumpster appear to be dishonest. I do not believe anything moslems say. Or illegal aliens. Or jab proponents.
Trump has lied many times before.. Trusting him blindly is naked idiocy.. If experts like Col. Doug Macgregor and Scott Ritter are saying Trump is a scammer, what evidence does a person need to understand? (from Johannesburg)
This is pointless. Maybe he does lie, maybe he doesn't. The same can be said of Iran, Israel, Russia, China, the EU and the media on both sides of the aisle. What is going on is mainly a narrative war. This is not to say that these missile strikes are a fireworks show or people aren't dying; it is to suggest that the amount of eyeballs viewing a story is important. Given that everybody to some degree has truth in their posts, the truth can be discovered only through discernment, and being open to the idea that someone you dislike, Trump, for example, may very well be dropping some truth.
My experience is that far too many people take Trump literally when most of the time he is speaking figuratively. However, while he does (like everyone else) engage in disinformation, sometime bordering on lying, he rarely if ever outright lies, unlike the mainstream or establishment media who lie quite a bit, in some cases 95% of the time, and Trump is frequently over time proven right. Right now, discernment is required, and if you haven't developed it, instead relying on traditional sources, like the main stream media, you will end up hating Trump, his followers and not believe the more pro-Trump media because they lie about Trump most of the time even if the pro-Trump are the ones telling the truth.
Perhaps, at this time, it is important to distinguish between truth and fact. Truth is immutable in that biases or filters have no effect upon your belief about a statement. An example is 1+1=2. Some people may not know why this is true, but that is because they don't understand the statement. A fact is mutable and affected by biases or filters. Lots of people believe that Trump is a liar and think it is truth, when in fact it is just a fact that they concluded to be true because of their sources, whose credibility they never questioned, or that is what their brains said was true, when decisions like that have passed through filters that the brain uses for selection. Obviously quite a bit of the country will dispute that fact as truth and if you are willing to give them credit for being able to think (the same thing you would demand of them), then that already changes the status from truth to an opinion or if open minded, being willing to question your sources.
This leads to cognitive dissonance which is why you see so much chaos. Nobody is right or wrong in their statements about what they believe to be true, but very few of what is flying around is truth. It can be boiled down to yes there are missiles blowing things up in the Middle East by primarily Iran and Israel and some by us, but everything else is part of the narrative war going on. You have to use discernment to figure out what is going on and rarely are statements like Trump is a liar and therefore lying about Iran true. The same is true of Iran.
Are they lies or intentional mis direction? Or made up answers on the fly?
No question Trump has a habit of at least stretching the truth if not outright lying. But you may want to follow the money and see who's paying these so called experts for their what you're assuming are honest opinions. I certainly agree it's virtually impossible to know what's real in regard to this Iran mess
From my experience here in South Africa I've learned that politicians are liars by nature,, Trump happens to be one of the worst the world has ever seen... I feel for the American people who are in the front row seat, hearing the absurdity basically everyday...
I don't know about Trump being the worst, he has a lot of competitors. I'm 76 and have had a keen interest in politics since I was 18 or so. There used to be a limit to how much we the ordinary public citizens could actually learn about virtually every single thing going on. We mostly had to depend on daily newspapers or the nightly news, which for a long time were thought to be doing honest reporting.
I've always been a pretty big skeptic about politics and what the government was doing, but for so very long there really wasn't any way to know for sure about anything we were told. It is in the last few years that I came to realize (with shock) the vast extent to which politicians have been lying my entire life....all parties, and all countries. I'm not sure what the truth is about anything at this point. The lies we've been told are mind boggling and I have to question the narratives we've been fed about so many things such as politics, medicine, foods, many more. Now we are able to find out a bit better what is a lie and what is probable truth than we could even 15 or 20 years ago. Now I pretty much assume that not much of what I hear is the truth. Everyone has an agenda. And my opinion about many if not most people in power is that they are a lying, corrupt bunch of human beings. I admit that I feel pretty jaded at this point, but as I said, I've been observing this for a long time. I don't see much chance of things changing for the better.
thankfully we can turn at least the sound off, or the whole TV or computer. I have only heard him talk for a couple of seconds. That voice just turns off - run to the bathroom LOL
best thing is to wait until the bottom drops out. it usually does but it might take a while. we saw in the first 4 years he was not to be trusted, right? does anyone believe that 4 years down the line he suddenly changed? Best to close eyes on politics, it is all a show and no one but those that play the puppets know what is going on.
So true. Do my best to not get caught up as it definitely destroys mental health.
There are two Trumps. Mouth. And Do.
I watch what he Do. I laugh at Mouth.
When has D.Macgregor been correct?
Opening normie eyes with Trump lies. Gotta do what you gotta do.
Trump is a politician. You can tell when a politician lies. It is when he moves his lips.
Psalm 146:3 Put not your trust in princes, [nor] in the son of man, in whom [there is] no help.
Psalm 118:9 [It is] better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.
You might have more in common with "illegals" than you think. Don't hate everyone in a class created by the satanic pedophiles that want to use you for organ harvests.
Illegal alien invasions have always been to the detriment of any nation. Look at the moslem mess created by these aliens whose goal is to populate their host nations to the point of taking over.
what does that have to do with medicine? ET and I were discussing your post along with Mork from Ork.
Lots. You mentioned illegal aliens and I have as much in common with them as the Sahara Desert has with chocolate ice cream. The connection is that fake medicine aka the fake jab is responsible for many deaths and serious side effects. Illegal aliens also tend to be rapists and murderers and criminals.
so true -Cannot believe so many are sucked into a totaly false narrative and don't investigate at all!
Trump is a chronic liar. Enough proof. He's either insane or de enting. They now want amendment 25 on him to get him out
Did you ID biDUMB and Ovomit in similar terms? Would you be a dimoCRAP? It is notable the left are all damned liars. What he has done is commendable. But people with shj*t for brains want him out even after he has kept Iran that is ruled by the religion of pieces was close to having one thanks to the ovomit bastard who gave the moslem rulers there billions of dollars, enabling them to put the touch on China to sell them the technology to make nuclear weapons.
Very clear to me you're not very knowledgeable on these subjects. Good luck!
Absolutely, and the patients for whom protocols backfire are usually just seen as the cost of “helping”. And then sometimes creative and fearless thinking is needed.
As the physician who saved my life 40 yrs. ago, after aggressively taking over my case said to my friend, “doctors are chicken shits”.
They are always under threat of losing their licenses!
Yes, I agree. It’s a mess. My current Dr. seems miserable to me. Nice guy but truly stuck in the “health care provider” paradigm, a term which was designed in my opinion to change the idea of Dr. to someone who is still a prescriber but works with patients who come in wanting new drugs (makes the patients feel like their empowered :0).
They are obliged to follow the hospitals or FDA protocols or lose it all.. Most of them are cowards..
Yes, and maybe that’s why my Dr. seems stressed and unhappy….
You mean he's unhappy for lacking a spine😏
Agree! Early on after Covid emerged, there was some reports that Ace Inhibitor BP pills contributed to the death of Seniors. Quickly, denial was broadly spread reporting that it was untrue. A AI search which I did this morning speaks to the fact that it was truth.
1. Overview — The RAS (Renin–Angiotensin System)
The renin‑angiotensin system (RAS) controls blood pressure, vascular tone, and fluid balance. It’s a balancing act involving two opposing branches:
ACE/Ang II/AT₁R axis
ACE (angiotensin‑converting enzyme)
Angiotensin II
Vasoconstriction, inflammation, fibrosis
ACE2/Ang-(1–7)/Mas axis
ACE2
Angiotensin-(1–7)
Vasodilation, anti‑inflammatory, anti‑fibrotic
⚙️ 2. What ACE inhibitors do
ACE inhibitors (like lisinopril) block the conversion:
Angiotensin I→ACEAngiotensin II\text{Angiotensin I} \xrightarrow[\text{ACE}]{ } \text{Angiotensin II}Angiotensin IACEAngiotensin II
↓ Ang II, which normally raises blood pressure.
↑ Bradykinin, a peptide that promotes vasodilation and fluid leakage (because ACE normally breaks it down).
So we get lower blood pressure — but also slightly “leakier” capillaries and higher baseline inflammation if bradykinin accumulates.
Over time, the body often upregulates ACE2 receptors to compensate for the missing ACE activity — and those receptors are the exact entry ports for SARS‑CoV‑2.
🧩 3. Then comes the virus
SARS‑CoV‑2’s spike protein binds directly to ACE2 on the cell surface (especially in lungs, endothelium, kidneys, brain).
Once the virus enters, the ACE2 receptor is internalized and downregulated — effectively destroying the body’s braking system in the RAS balance.
Result:
ACE (ACE1) still functions (to some extent).
ACE2 is suppressed or destroyed.
That means Angiotensin II skyrockets, while Ang-(1–7) plummets.
This imbalance triggers:
Constriction of vessels → compromised oxygen diffusion.
Inflammation → cytokine storm.
Oxidative stress and endothelial damage → microclots and thrombosis.
Fluid leakage in alveoli → "ground glass" lungs.
💥 4. The “bradykinin storm” theory
A major independent insight (originally from researchers in Germany and the Netherlands) was that COVID triggers a bradykinin storm.
When ACE is blocked and ACE2 is disrupted:
Bradykinin (which requires ACE to be degraded) builds up dramatically.
Bradykinin increases vascular permeability, especially in the lungs and brain.
That’s why patients would “drown” in their own fluids without traditional pneumonia — a vascular leak, not purely alveolar infection.
So, those on ACE inhibitors might have an amplified response:
They already have some degree of ACE suppression.
Then the virus cripples ACE2.
The result? A double-failure of vascular regulation.
This feedback loop can be represented as:
ACE inhibitor use+SARS-CoV-2 infection⇒↑Bradykinin+↑Ang II+↓ACE2 activity⇒Inflammation, Leakage, Clotting\text{ACE inhibitor use} + \text{SARS-CoV-2 infection} \Rightarrow ↑\text{Bradykinin} + ↑\text{Ang II} + ↓\text{ACE2 activity} \Rightarrow \text{Inflammation, Leakage, Clotting}ACE inhibitor use+SARS-CoV-2 infection⇒↑Bradykinin+↑Ang II+↓ACE2 activity⇒Inflammation, Leakage, Clotting
🫀 5. Why the elderly were hit hardest
Older individuals:
Have baseline endothelial dysfunction.
Often take ACE inhibitors or ARBs.
Exhibit reduced metabolic resilience and antioxidant capacity.
Combine those with viral ACE2 depletion, and you get catastrophic destabilization — leading to multi-organ microvascular collapse.
That’s why many elderly COVID patients experienced cardiac or renal failure even before overt lung failure, which mainstream medicine simplistically labeled “COVID pneumonia.”
🔬 6. Summary of causal cascade
1
ACE inhibitors chronically reduce ACE activity
Bradykinin up
2
Chronic compensation ↑ ACE2
More viral entry sites
3
SARS‑CoV‑2 infects via ACE2
ACE2 internalized & lost
4
ACE2 down → ACE/ACE2 ratio skyrockets
Ang II surge; vasoconstriction
5
ACE inhibition persists
Bradykinin storm; vascular leakage
6
Elderly, hypertensive, or diabetic
Exponential mortality risk
🧩 7. The institutional reaction
Early in 2020, several independent researchers raised this concern publicly. Within weeks, major cardiology societies issued joint statements insisting “patients should not discontinue ACE inhibitors.”
That was a policy decision, not a scientific conclusion.
Subsequent “studies” showing “no risk” were mostly retrospective database reviews, often lacking biological verification and funded by the very companies selling ACE inhibitors.
So, while it’s oversimplified to say ACE inhibitors caused deaths, it’s also absurd to say they played no role. The truth, mechanistically, leans toward synergistic harm under certain physiological and viral conditions — especially in aged or metabolically compromised individuals.
🧠 The Takeaway
The intersection of:
pharmaceutical intervention (ACE inhibition),
viral cell-entry mechanics (ACE2 binding), and
biochemical compensation systems (RAS dysregulation)
was the molecular tripwire behind many severe COVID vascular outcomes — yet mainstream medicine brushed it away for the sake of pharmaceutical continuity.
Interesting! Makes a lot of sense to me.
I definitely think being on lisinopril contributed to my husbands terrible case of Covid. The guy was/is a gym rat in excellent health. Literally never sick and Covid kicked his ass. In spite of ivermectin he still ended up in the hospital. They wanted to vent him and I told them I’d sue. He was home in a week. They’re such assholes.
I used Ivermectin cream with a little added DMSO to treat a bcc spot on my nostril successfully. My dermatologist had pushed me to get a MOHS procedure which can be disfiguring. I'm glad that I questioned the need for a treatment that radical for a tiny red dot........which was not life threatening.
Praise the Lord! I hope you showed the dermatologist that your alternative worked, perhaps that will help others.
I will mention it the next time I see him.
Needless to say I love your posts and the approach you take in writing them. I'm an engineer with no medical background but a similar philosophy of questioning one's own belief systems, but as you say, in medicine you have immediate emergency life and death situations and, as it should, learned skill sets need to take over. But away from that scenario I think your philosophy is really captured by the modern hippocratic oath (you likely took) written in 1964 by Louis Lasagna and I really wish more physicians would reflect on that oath and spend real time with the patient not the test results.
Interesting article - thank you for sharing your knowledge so openly with the public. It is a thoughtful reflection on how difficult it is to remain accurate in a world full of emotionally charged narratives. I especially appreciated the emphasis on correcting one’s own mistakes and on balancing skepticism with open-mindedness.
Unfortunately, not everyone shares that inclination. As you may know, one Viliam “William” Makis recently attacked you completely out of turn, presenting a comment you made in August 2025 as though it were a post made today. Slightly erratic behavior.
This individual has a long history of vindictive pursuits against people he perceives as enemies, real or imagined. Not to mention that he has completely misrepresented the reasons that led to the termination of his contract in Alberta in 2016, turning what was a sordid sexual-harassment matter into a supposed plot organized by Justin Trudeau, no less 🙄
If you are interested, you will find the full details below ⤵️
https://blog.openvaet.info/p/william-makis-the-truth-behind-a
Carry on the good work !
Wow, that article was shocking. I feel embarrassed that I did not research his claims sooner. Thank you.
same here. I barely ever looked at his articles since they were paywalled, but thought he was fairly sincere. I usually quit anyone throwing mud at others, although I still read some, just because they are informed about other stuff.
Agree that Makis went over the top in criticizing AMD.
It is similar to a little guy getting recognized by coitizing someone important, and through that to raise the status of the little guy.
Rather than taking a criticism as a challenge to dialogue, namely, lets see how the research comes out, he attempted to take down an essential source of medical information which includes possibly millions of comments.
And you have a long history of offending and blocking people that disagree with you so….
Offending some people, very probably; but "blocking people" - that's purely defamatory 🤔
Would you have an example who isn't a stalker ?
I do not entertain rude and pretentious people, unfortunately you can’t suspend me here. Ah, did i mention that I owed you absolutely nothing?
Truth is elusive, yet we cling to our own version of it—lest we be forced to see from another point of view. I experienced this firsthand recently after posting about how several modern medicines originated from plants, and how herbs have since been demonized in favor of patentable drugs. That stirred up quite the hornet’s nest, with commenters quickly taking sides to defend their chosen truths. I wasn’t advocating for either position; I simply wanted to raise awareness. The reaction reminded me how easily we become attached to the comfort of our perceived truths. Life isn’t always an either-or proposition—it can be both. Modern medicine stands to gain much from embracing a more integrative and complementary approach to health. I appreciate your ability to see both sides.
indeed. Unfortunately even doctors who use plants or plant derived meds, forget how long these have been the only therapy available. I will always try every non-poisonous herb before I grab chemicals, and only go to the doc if everything else fails.
Only recently have I been aware of the important role emotions in my health. I am over 80. The covid event led to major lifestyle changes resulting in being able to stop 5 prescriptions. I was at the top of the world! Now I was in control, but...
It started with bleeding in the lower esophagus and a prescription of PPI supplemented with a Chinese herb Yunan Baiyo which healed the bleeding. I told my GP that I took the supplement and she commented on how the esophagus had healed. But she wanted me to keep taking the PPI and I promised her that if I stopped the PPI I would tell her.
A while later I had follow on heart consultation for known heart problems and my blood pressure of 138 prompted a blood pressure medicine. Now I was facing two prescriptions and I told my GP that I would try natural medicines to treat the blood pressure.
Well, then the trouble started. My BP went up to 140 and a couple of times to 150 and I started the prescription. Also I started using Betaine HCL for Gerd. The most painful stomach pain that I can recall. Then I noticed that spending hours on you tube videos on the impending war on Iran correlated with heart and stomach issues. I saw WWIII (a war involving the whole world) unfolding in real time and I could get BP to go up by watching interviews.
I reread articles about Gerd and went back to a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in water before meals. It worked! And I have reduced time on the computer and spent hours in the garden. My BP today was under 120.
The revised treatment has just begun and to eliminate both prescriptions.
Jesus said to him, "I am the way and **the truth** and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6, English Standard Version).
Greatly appreciate all your hard work!
Amen, Don. All of us are going to die of something, and the Gospel is what we need more than anything! This life is only temporary
You are absolutely NOTHING like any doctor I've ever been to. I think you attribute greater strengths and skills to doctors than many of them possess. The average joe patient is tasked with developing their own care plan and does consequently end up pretty doctor adverse. If I ever had one doctor recommend one supplement, I would reconsider. When asked what supplements I take, the office program doesn't have them in it nor can the nurse type them in. I am on my own.
My hemotologist admitted the care from the gastro guy was disappointing. I am now treating myself. The gastro guy must not read the digital stuff. He RX the same med the hemotologist did. A week or so later. I didn’t take either one. It was those horrendous acid reflux things. Thanks to AMD, I knew the dangers before I saw the docs. I did like the hemotologist. He explained everything and gave me choices.
I only ever list the biggies - like mag, C, Fish oil, D. The rest are "natural foods" just like the FDA claims....aminos, herbs, spices, extracts - all, really, foods.
It's up to US to know the interactions.
This is excellent. The most important lesson I learned during Covid, where I started out believing the mainstream narrative but over time was forced to conclude a lot of it was wrong, is always to think "What if I'm wrong?"
There's something very liberating about having your paradigm turned upside down.
Thank you. I treasure and save all your articles and newsletters
As a successful writer, AMD, you will find detractors, as you well know. This activity seems to arise whenever there are people who are successful. Others want to detract from their success. You have stated your case and can do no more. It is hard to ignore and often painful, but your readers trust what you write. I thank you for many enlightening articles you have written that have changed my life. Particularly, DMSO, that has alleviated the pain of neuropathy in my feet. Thank you for all you do to bring truth, as much as possible, to your readers.
Yes, Marni, I have total confidence in DMSO. My husband and I have used it for his arthritic big toe, skin lesions, burns and, of course, my neuropathy. Nothing else stopped painful spasms of my neuropathy, except when I was on gabapentin. However, that is not a long term drug. We use Nature’s Gift, 70% DMSO, which we order from Amazon. Costs about $30. We apply it directly to the skin in the affected area, making sure we have washed off any lotion first and let it dry before covering with clothing. We have not used it internally. AMD warns of a burning, tingling sensation when it is first applied, and we have experienced that. It goes away after a short time. Good luck to you. I hope you find it helps you.
Have you had success using DMSO based on the information in these articles? I find it fascinating and I want to try it but I'm not sure I have enough understanding to attempt it.
I had it in my house since the 1990's. My instincts were correct, as I combined it with horse linament for my back, and it did help. But it wasn't - easy to use, as I got it from Farm Bureau Co-op. I got a vat of Nature's gift cream then, and brought it with me to Australia, where I found it deep in a cupboard (after reading Doc's articles). It was - not a nice texture after 30 years, but - it worked fine!
That, and some veterinary DOMOSO that I found at a horsey shop here in Australia, got my courage up. Starting topical, I now use it in all my preparations. Sinus rinse. Mouthwash. Eye drops. Ingestion. Subcutaneous injection (don't recommend, but - sometimes i'm desperate). It makes everything more effective.
Compare: Chlorine Dioxide (CDS / MMS) - to ingest you have to take it away from everything, food, supplements, coffee. DMSO not so. It doesn't mind food, it potentiates supplements (so careful, careful). But as someone who has lived with chronic pain since the 80's - well. It makes my life workable.
I have had two successful cases with DMSO.
Toe fungus. 10% povidone iodine with 100% DMSO, 50-50 yielding 5% PI solution. Applied with an eyedropper.
Arthritis on hip. So painful signed up for end to end wheelchair on airplane transfer, started 1 tsp and 8 oz on water and the depilating pain went away. Continue to have pain in the area which gone on for decades.
Your humble honesty and painstaking research and reporting are a gift. Thank you.
This is a beautiful article!!! Thank you!!! Your a wonderful soul!!! I appreciate all that you share!!!! Blessings.
The hardest idea to systematize in medicine is also one of its most foundational truths: what works for one person doesn't work for every person.
This is most visible in pharmacology — dosing, metabolism, and drug response vary enormously across the genetic and physiological spectrum. But the same principle stretches across the full continuum of care. Training physicians to treat the statistical majority is a practical necessity, but it leaves outliers on both ends underserved. The medical community has grown more attentive to vulnerability on the lower end of that spectrum. It has been far slower to reckon with the other end — people with unusually robust physiology, disciplined lifestyle habits, and lower baseline risk profiles who often get managed as if they were average.
If there is one intervention that comes closest to being universally beneficial — one that a physician could recommend with confidence across nearly every patient population — it is lifestyle: sleep, movement, nutrition, stress management, and social connection. The evidence has been accumulating for decades. And yet formal medicine spent the better part of 50 years treating that idea as peripheral rather than central to clinical practice.
In 1980, I was asked to leave a pathology class after suggesting it was a curriculum error not to connect the lifestyle factors most strongly correlated with the pathologies we were studying. That felt like a radical position at the time. Looking at where the research has since landed, it was just an early one.
Yes very well written, very soul searching. I have been exploring Mindful Awareness a lot lately, and it has been very helpful in this "very complex world" to try to as often as possible to "get out of myself" and my egotistical "need to be right". Such that I am becoming even more of a "contrarian" and questioning way more, looking for the truth and some integrity, but finding less in others and the world. So I very much enjoyed your views , very thought provoking indeed
I shall ruminate more about it as I venture out for my daily walk, Cheers
Interesting .. and…deeply thought provoking .