Thousands of other people posted on Instagram when the COVID-19 vaccine was deployed nationwide, with self-portraits of vaccination showing a gloved hand with a needle and a smile hidden behind a mask. Looks like a thing
But the comments it drew weren’t. Sold out dolls, I ridiculed one user in response to Dr. Michael Greger’s photo. Burn your book in my fire pit tonightI said for a moment. Another just wrote: ???.
Gregor is a prominent supporter of plant-based diets and is an avid supporter among those who believe that food is the best medicine. But his statement about vaccines (sometimes medicines are the best medicines) puts him in direct conflict with many fans and in an ugly conspiracy battle over vaccination that is making a noise in the online world of health and nutrition. I pushed.
“You have to be bombarded by it,” Gregor said. The world of online wellness is “one of the rare places where you can say most of the bats. Crazy, you can get a $ 1 million book as a reward. It’s almost unlimited. It’s an area without truth. “
Health and nutrition influencers have sparked enthusiasm for the COVID-19 vaccine and other public health guidance during the pandemic, Gregor said.
Some were Gregor’s colleagues and associates, including a filmmaker known for advocating a low-fat vegan diet that invited doctors to a mask burning party in Southern California.
The anti-vaccine movement partially overlaps with the QAnon conspiracy theory, which is popular in the fields of right-wing politics and wellness and spirituality. However, skepticism about vaccines is a much more prevalent phenomenon, with the support of alternative medicine professionals such as osteopathies and chiropractors, as well as professional athletes, chefs, models, entrepreneurs and actors.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 69.3% of people over the age of 5 in the United States are fully vaccinated as of Friday. 58 million people have never been told by medical professionals that they are the best defense against serious illness and death.
Americans affected by misinformation are less likely to be vaccinated, Pollingshaw said. In a survey released in late December, the US Census Bureau said that 42% of unvaccinated people “do not trust the COVID-19 vaccine.”
A wave of false information about what is healthy and what is not has driven vaccine-disliked people to unproven treatments for COVID-19. C, B-12 and D.
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Studies have shown that supplements do not prevent COVID-19 or reduce the symptoms of the disease. Ingestion of large amounts can cause serious side effects.
But because people need to feel frightened and in control of their lives, they are attracted to the influential people who drive such stories, said Stanford Internet Observatory Technical Research Manager. Said Renée Di Resta, part of the Virality Project, which tracks false information about COVID. 19 Vaccine deployment.
“These are natural human impulses, and it’s very, very difficult to counter them,” Di Resta said.
A house in the San Fernando Valley reveals a desire for control. There, a high school science teacher found six vitamins hidden in her husband’s home office closet.
Always skeptical of doctors and “major pharmaceutical companies,” he said he avoided genetically modified foods, did not use fluoride-added toothpaste, and took daily vitamins rather than vaccinated with COVID-19. The teacher who requested anonymity said. Speak frankly.
She conspiracy theories after he became a fan of former President Trump and began to follow more YouTube channels, crypto influencers and activists on Telegram, a messaging app popular with anti-vaccine activists. He said his interest in was growing.
“People who are conspiracy theorists cannot deal with the unknown,” said the teacher. “But if something shows scary, it’s a sign of weakness. Instead, tell yourself that they know more about the virus than others. It gives them a sense of power. Give. ”
One of the vitamin bottles contains 180 capsules and is priced at $ 97.25 on Dr. Mark Hyman’s website. Dr. Mark Hyman advised Bill Clinton on diet and wrote the preface to the book by anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. As the label indicates, daily pills provide the required daily dose of 618% of vitamin A, 666% of vitamin C, and 41,567% of vitamin B-12.
The wellness industry is also directing a wave of fat embarrassment and disability discrimination to people with disabilities and other underlying health conditions. A popular health influencer posted a vaccination meme on Instagram, saying, “If you’re not athletic and healthy, your opinion about health doesn’t matter.” My meal doesn’t work. “
In September, CEO of Sweetgreen, a fast casual chain that sells $ 15 salad, argued that “vaccines and masks can’t save us,” proposing the government’s concept of “health obligations.” did.
Jonathan Neman added: What if I tax processed foods and refined sugar to pay for the effects of a pandemic? After that, he deleted the problematic LinkedIn post.
President Biden’s November announcement that American companies with more than 100 employees must request vaccines or weekly tests was the last straw of a Los Angeles influencer called Johnny Juicer. His feed is a steady stream of shirtless selfies, $ 11 juicy ebooks and $ 10 plant-based dog food recipe promotions.
He wrote to 305,000 followers:
(Vaccines are based on over 10 years of research on mRNA technology and have undergone standard safety testing. Many reports of post-vaccination injuries have been self-reported and unverified. Biden Mission is bound in court. It has not entered into force.)
According to the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a UK-based research group, only 12 people are responsible for spreading nearly two-thirds of online false alarms about the COVID-19 vaccine. Eight people, including an osteopathic doctor, an influential person in alternative medicine, and a Tennessee couple who gained the masses by questioning chemotherapy and other traditional cancer treatments, are involved in health, wellness, and nutrition. ..
Perhaps best known is the controversial Osteopathic doctor who was warned by the Food and Drug Administration last year to stop using vitamin C, vitamin D3, and quercetin supplements as a COVID-19 treatment. .. His YouTube channel was removed last fall after the platform banned false alarms on vaccines.
Much of the vaccination battles in the wellness circle take place on Instagram, spreading from influencers to everyday people looking for healthy lunch ideas and green smoothie recipes. The platform implements a filter that flags posts discussing vaccines. To avoid that, influencers use creative sequences of misspellings of “vaccine”, such as “vaccine”, “v”, and Virgo emoji.
Celebrities are also drawing public attention to the debate.Green Bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers told reporters that he was “immunized” before the virus tested positive. The NFL Network said he sought homeopathic treatment from his doctor instead of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Surfer Kelly Slater recently tore Biden on Instagram to explain why White House is focusing on vaccine obligations rather than promoting “eating organic foods and getting the right supplements.” I asked.
Wellness brands that support vaccination do not seem to be safe from blowbacks. A wave of criticism continued when Dr. Bronner’s, an organic soap company in San Diego County, announced that all COVID-19 vaccinated employees would receive a $ 1,000 bonus.
“How about giving every employee $ 1,000 to buy organic groceries, vitamin C, zinc, and quercetin?” Write one user with about 46,000 followers and write yourself “Healing Cave Lady” I call it. She sells a COVID-19 “Immune Protocol” bundle of 10 supplements online for $ 393.46.
Gregor, a doctor advocating a plant-based diet, still receives nasty comments nearly a year after explaining vaccination as a citizen’s duty. His staff was hesitant to post content about the COVID-19 vaccine. “Everything that vaguely mentions it is just a big fire.”
Dr. Daniel Verardo, a cardiologist at Newport Beach, says doctors always recommend a balanced and healthy diet. However, believing that a particular diet, supplement, or exercise routine will save someone from a serious illness during a pandemic is rooted in “naturalistic fallacy, everything that is not natural is harmful.”
Vegan’s Verardo said that many vegan patients initially questioned whether they needed to be vaccinated because they thought they were healthy. She said they were all currently vaccinated.
People who believe the vaccine is unhealthy or dangerous simply “found the wrong echo chamber,” she said, and are the victims of people who marketed false information and products such as juice cleansers and dietary supplements. ..
“They benefit from it and actually harm people,” Verald said. “People who died without vaccination listened to these gurus.”
Berald also said he was worried about seeing the opposite online dieting communities, such as veganism and whole carnivorous diets, high-fat ketogenic and low-fat regimemen, beginning to unite around a general hatred of vaccination.
The claim that diets, exercise and dietary supplements can be protected from COVID-19 is so common that Baltimore’s public health department has in a series of public service announcements that staff jokingly called “the average PSA.” Worked on this topic.
Each is released as a meme with a large image and a bold red caption. One reading: “Green tea can’t cure COVID, Trina.” Another said, “Salad doesn’t cure COVID, Connor.”
The department has launched a series to tackle the problems that people face most often when trying. Adam Abadir, who helped launch the series, said he would persuade friends and family to get vaccinated.
“Yes, if you have a healthy lifestyle, you’ll generally get better,” said Abadir, director of communications for the health department and now working in the office of the Mayor of Baltimore. “But don’t make that a reason not to get vaccinated.”
Careful regimens of organic foods, special supplements, or other “wellness” behaviors help bring a sense of control to events in the unknown, uncontrollable world, such as pandemics, and a podcast called “Back to the Vax.” Heather Simpson, co-host of the, said, “hosted by two former self-proclaimed anti-bakers.
“Eating organic foods and having a toxin-free lifestyle gives people control over their mortality,” said the current COVID-19 vaccinated daughter as a child. Simpson, who provides the latest information on vaccination in Japan, said. “I felt that if I gave my daughter and her family the healthiest foods that were all organic and free of toxins, they wouldn’t get cancer, they wouldn’t get autoimmune disease, and they wouldn’t encounter any bad things. rice field.”
A Pennsylvania woman’s suspicion of traditional medicine and her interest in alternative medicine escalated to a more serious level during the pandemic, starting with her in-law demanding anonymity to speak openly. The daughter said.
The woman, a doctor, refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Instead, she promotes a spoonful of vitamin C powder at mealtime and over 2,000 milligrams of niacin per day (about 142 times the recommended daily dose) on Telegram by men without a medical degree. I’m taking it as part of my protocol. At high doses, nicotinic acid can cause blurred vision and liver damage.
“She has a hard time telling the truth from false and disinformation that she continues to feed herself,” said her daughter-in-law. “She is currently in an alternative information bubble that is completely different from what is actually happening in the world.”
