I just saw a report on NBC that stated, “As of Sunday, at least 16,183 people had filed complaints with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that they’d developed tinnitus, or ringing in their ears, after receiving a COVID vaccine.” I have had numerous patients complaining of tinnitus that they feel was the result of receiving the COVID vaccine. With these large numbers, it would be foolish to dismiss this as mere coincidence. However, there is still a very strong effort to protect the reputation of that vaccine. This stubbornness is hindering the scientific process, which could help us better understand how to best utilize the vaccine, while better protecting those that could be at risk of such serious adverse effects of the shots.
While watching the news team sharing this story, I couldn’t help but feel like I was watching a skit on Saturday Night Live. NBC News medical reporter, Erica Edwards, when asked about a possible link between the vaccine and tinnitus, said this, “The CDC said it analyzed all of those 16,000 reports and found absolutely no link between the COVID-19 vaccine and tinnitus.” I couldn’t help but immediately wonder if the CDC, or whomever is pulling the strings in that organization, thinks the American people are really that dumb.
Think about this… more than 16,000 people did not have tinnitus, got the vaccine, and then got tinnitus. All of those people felt strongly enough that there was a relationship between the two that they took the time to report it to the CDC. There’s a good chance that at least some of those cases were coincidental, but for the CDC to say there is “absolutely no link” is absurd.
The truth of the matter is that ALL medical interventions come with some risk. The science of medicine is tricky because while the medicine itself can be a constant (meaning the same components and same dosage), you, the patient, are a variable. Since no two people are alike, every single medicine has unknown affects and risks.
The pharmaceutical industry’s primary goal is to sell more drugs. They amplify the benefits of their drugs or treatments, and minimize the risk. How many times did you hear the words “safe and effective” during the pandemic? Well, we now know that the vaccines are far less safe than we were told, and their effectiveness fell extremely short. We were told that it would keep us from getting the virus and would prevent the spreading of it. We were misled again. So, I have to ask again, how dumb do they think Americans are?
As I continue to give Americans credit for being smart, I can’t help but think about the tobacco industry duping us into thinking cigarettes were safe for so long. And then there was the more recent opioid fiasco. Purdue Pharma led doctors and patients down a path of death and despair by lying about data. When doctors told Purdue reps that their patients’ drugs eventually stopped controlling the pain, they were simply told to “double the dose.” Surrounded by patients getting addicted, seeing the havoc these drugs were wreaking, were doctors really that dumb?
Simply put, the medical system has been failing us for decades. There is very little attention on prevention, which would have the biggest impact on the health of our country. Greed, corruption, and power are pushing people to lie, cheat, and mislead. I cling to the idea that we are smarter than that… that we can’t be that dumb. But as we fall for the lies over and over, continuing to be led astray, I’m starting to wonder. I have heard so many absurd claims these past couple years, knowing they were incorrect, yet watched my fellow Americans fall for these lies again and again. And this is not an anti-vaccine, anti-medicine, or anti-government rant, it’s just the disappointing realization that we’ve gotten very comfortable being lied to. If you’re frustrated because you’ve caught yourself being too trusting and falling for this stuff, you’re not alone. We are smarter than this.
