Friday, August 14, 2020

Behind the Mask

 Hey, anybody out there know what carbon dioxide is? No? It's CO2. You know, that stuff little Greta got so upset about because it  supposedly is the cause of 'global warming' that she jumped in her trusty little boat, all alone, right, and sailed to the new world to chastise people to stop causing so much of it. Why? Because so much CO2 mixed with the oxygen in the atmosphere is hurting the planet? And presumably, the people on the planet?
Guess what? Our lungs breathe in that atmosphere, and hard-working organs as they are, they send the CO2 back out and keep the oxygen, which feeds all the cells in our bodies. Neat, huh? Wonder Who thought of that? Never mind.
Came this dread disease, which has claimed many lives, MANY unnecessarily because an effective treatment, long on the market and allowed to be used by doctors, was denied. First the 'expert' everyone listened to said, 'masks might make you feel better, but not effective as a preventative.' Then wait, for some reason, (numbers were falling fast) the 'expert' switched, 'all must wear masks to prevent the spread.' And leaders fell into line and some 'mandated' and some 'recommended,' but people were quick to obey and 'Karens' try to shame those who refuse to comply. But the refusers have good and sufficient reasons for doing so.
Remember, oxygen in, CO2 out? Well, any object, anything that covers the mouth and nose interferes with the CO2 escaping and oxygen entering, slow suffocation. With masks, as we breathe, some of the CO2 is sucked right back into our lungs, which displaces the life-giving oxygen. Get the picture? Yes, there are masks, PPE, personal protective equipment, that allow a slower process, but those are not the ones most people are wearing. Medical personnel wear that type to prevent contamination by droplets or other exchange between themselves and patients. Presumably, too, so they can stay alert while treating said patients.
 So what happens when you rebreathe CO2? Answer-partial hypoxia, worse for some health conditions. The first definition for hypoxia in the The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2007, 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved,  is:
1. Deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching body tissues.
This deficiency can result in:
Signs and symptoms vary according to the cause. Generally they include dyspnea, rapid pulse, syncope, and mental disturbances such as delirium or euphoria. Cyanosis (blue tint to skin) is not always present and in some cases is not evident until the hypoxia is far advanced. The localized pain of angina pectoris occurs because of impaired oxygenation of the myocardium.
 (Hmmm, that's why individuals with this condition, as well as asthma, etc., are given a pass from wearing a mask? The rest of us must just deal with it?)
Discoloration of the skin and eventual ulceration that sometimes accompany varicose veins are a result of hypoxia of the involved tissues.
 dyspnea
breathlessness or shortness of breath; labored or difficult breathing. It is a sign of a variety of disorders and is primarily an indication of inadequate ventilation or of insufficient amounts of oxygen in the circulating blood.  Adj: dyspne´ic.
 syncope
fainting, passing out
A last observation. Odd that the most used supposed preventative (mask) for a disease, one of whose main symptoms is shortness of breath, can also cause the very same thing. If a person is in hospital they may be put on a ventilator, and patients on ventilators have brought millions of dollars to hospitals from the federal government.

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