In March 2020, when the coronavirus first hit the U.S., local governments began shutting down and limiting access to routine healthcare and hands-on treatments, like acupuncture.
Of course, just as I had predicted, those drastic lockdowns resulted in MANY tragic and unintended consequences. Including:
- Delays in detecting and treating deadly cancers
- Increases in serious diabetic events
- Problems with pain management
- Increases in drug overdoses and deaths
- Skyrocketing rates of burnout among healthcare personnel
And now, a new study conducted in the Boston area during the early days of the pandemic lockdowns found that people ignored serious warning signs about their heart health, too. (Of course, the public health experts tried to blame the patients, who were understandably confused and afraid…because of the experts’ incompetence and mismanagement.)
Coronavirus fears and mismanagement deterred much-needed emergency treatments
I learned about the importance of emergency cardiac care from Dr. C. Gene Cayton, my colleague from the University of Pennsylvania. He explained how improving and broadening the availability of emergency care delivered outside of a hospital saves countless lives each year. It’s one of the real public health achievements of the 20th century.
For example, after dialing 911, a trained emergency medical technician (EMT) and/or paramedic (EMT-P) can show up at your location and help you survive the initial “golden” minutes leading up to (or following) a cardiac arrest…and before getting to the hospital.
Over the past several decades, this kind of emergency care resulted in a significant reduction in the incidence of cardiac arrest and associated deaths. But as this new study shows, if the patient never makes the 911 call for emergency care (or refuses transportation to the hospital) for fear of coronavirus, bad things happen…
For this study, researchers looked at data on emergency medical care and coronavirus infections during the first phase of the pandemic, from March 15 to June 8, 2020. (These dates coincided with the mandated stay-at-home orders.) They also looked at data from June 9 to August 31, 2020, when the stay-at-home orders were lifted, for comparison.
It turns out, during the first phase of the pandemic:
- The number of emergency 911 calls reporting heart problems dropped by 27 percent.
- Overall cardiac arrests that occurred outside hospitals increased by 36 percent.
- Emergency 911 calls when patients did not accept transportation to the hospital increased by 33 percent.
- Emergency 911 calls when a patient did not accept transportation to the hospital and then later suffered a cardiac arrest increased by a whopping 340 percent!
So, it seems in one fell swoop, the government’s drastic reactions to the coronavirus wiped out ALL the major, life-saving advancements we have made in recent years in the field of emergency cardiac care.
Plus, since the researchers also studied the period following the pandemic shutdowns, they noticed how the trend continued…even as the coronavirus case numbers improved.
For example, even after Boston’s stay-at-home orders were lifted:
- Cardiac arrests that occurred outside the hospital stayed 25 percent higher than normal.
- Emergency 911 calls reporting heart problems stayed 17 percent lower than normal.
In my view, we’ll continue dealing with the harmful, unintended consequences of the government’s drastic reactions to the coronavirus pandemic in the coming months and years. In fact, it may take decades before we can fully assess all the damage!
In the meantime, the government public health “experts” continue to dither over new variant strains, vaccine boosters, and mask mandates. In fact, the government bureaucrat desk experts fouled up so badly, the American Medical Association (AMA) issued an alert to real doctors (who are trying to take care of patients) warning them about all the health problems that are directly due to bureaucratic incompetence, as I will tell you about in a future Daily Dispatch.
Just don’t ignore the warning signs that something is wrong with your heart. Because, in the end, a heart attack is FAR deadlier than the coronavirus, for the vast majority of people. Here’s what you should look out for…
Don’t ignore these eight serious warning signs
According to the Mayo Clinic and Harvard, some of the early warning signs of cardiac arrest—which can appear in the weeks and months leading up to an event—include:
- Chest discomfort
- Shortness of breath or breathlessness
- Weakness or fatigue
- Fast-beating, fluttering, or pounding heart (palpitations)
- Lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting
- Neck or jaw pain
- Nausea or vomiting
- Masked, vague symptoms something is “off”
If you experience any of these urgent symptoms, seek immediate help by calling 911. And always trust your instincts. If something feels off…it may well be. And unlike the field of cardiology in general, the field of emergency care is one area where modern medicine really excels.
In addition, I urge you to take steps to protect your cardiovascular health before you experience a medical emergency. Indeed, there are many natural approaches to preventing and fighting heart disease. You can learn all about them in my Heart Attack Prevention and Repair Protocol. For more information, or to enroll today, click here now.
Source:
“Worse Cardiac Arrest Outcomes During The COVID-19 Pandemic In Boston Can Be Attributed To Patient Reluctance To Seek Care.” Health Affairs, May 2021; 40(6). doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2021.00250