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The brutal and often plainly infantilizing laws only enforceable under states of emergency aren’t exactly “new” normals. In fact, they’ve been around for years, often right under our noses. Let’s look at their history, and where they’ve gone wrong. 

Profits And Poverty

There are two factors that gave rise to authoritarian medicine: profits and poverty. 

In the early 20th century, pharmaceutical medicine got its big break. John D. Rockefeller was making millions from oil, which could be made into a seemingly endless range of synthetic substances. These include pharmaceutical drugs, a potentially huge income stream for the Rockefellers and their American oil-producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company standard Oil. John D. Rockefeller then decided to invest in medical colleges on one condition: only man-made medicine could be taught. Naturopathy, homeopathy, and other natural medical modalities had to go. Over time, these seemed to die out until they slowly came back to life from the 1960s onwards. Sadly, higher success rates and more empowering treatment approaches couldn’t save them right away; society had to change. 

Looking at poverty, the first public health laws began in a much different time. In 18th and 19th century America, unpredictable, serious infectious disease outbreaks were the norm. Volunteer groups were the first to quarantine immigrants in case they brought disease with them. Eventually, taxation and doctors’ takeover of these quarantine committees led to public health law and policy. Mandatory vaccines and quarantining of unvaccinated individuals replaced simply isolating everyone when it was possible to do so. 

An Outdated Value System

Mandatory vaccines are nothing new. They are simply relics of a bygone era. As early as the 1900s, there were court cases where vaccine-injured people would fight for their rights to be exempt. The defendant’s argument was always a variant of “it’s for the greater good,” just as the same lines are parroted today. Other dictatorships (besides the medical system) have since used the same soundbites. 

One argument in favor of lockdowns is that “we’ve responded in the same way to previous epidemics.” However, the world has changed. We no longer deal with widespread extreme poverty; lack of clean water and sanitation; and constant household air pollution. As I explained in my previous article, air pollution dramatically increases your risk of respiratory infection. We know about nutrients such as vitamin D, zinc, and iodine, and how to use them. In some circles, we even know now that the immune system’s aging process is reversible. 

The “greater good” mentality, where people more vulnerable to adverse reactions are seen as sacrifices, has got to go, too. Humanity is made up of individuals. If your neighbor is, for example, one of the hypothetical 10 percent of people who cannot take a particular drug, the fact that you can take it without side effects does not invalidate their experience. They should not be forced into using it, just as you should not be forced into taking another hypothetical drug that may affect you, but not them. Your genes are different from theirs, and some variations are linked to higher risks of vaccine injury. 

An Insider’s Interview 

This authoritarian mindset isn’t just about infectious disease. A friend active in my country’s health freedom movement recently told me about her now-husband’s experience in the psychiatric ward, which illustrates what the conventional system really thinks of its patients. 

A relationship breakdown with his ex-girlfriend initially plunged him into a severe depression. An off-hand mention of suicide (he wasn’t actually suicidal) led to him being ordered to attend a series of psychotherapy sessions. Although he stated that he was improving, accidentally missing two sessions resulted in him being picked up by police and forcibly locked away in a psychiatric ward. He was given no chance to explain himself. 

When my friend was able to visit him, he was completely convinced that he would have to be there for at least three months. She only knew he was in there, and why, because he managed to hide his phone inside his shoe. Staff forced him to take medication, which he would hold under his tongue until he could spit it out safely. It took a court case, where my friend argued that he was in fact stable, to get him out. 

At no time was he able to stand up for himself. All of his power was taken away. You or I could easily clear up a misunderstanding by explaining that it was an off-hand comment, but he had no chance. However, he is not an illiterate peasant who needed to be isolated and told what to do. He is an educated man entitled to a voice. 

Health And Freedom Are Not Trade-Offs

Related to pharmaceutical medicine’s attitudes towards infectious disease, mental health, and more, is the idea that health must be a trade-off. Just as drugs have toxic (even fatal, in some cases) side effects, it can be assumed that an “effective” intervention must be unpleasant or even dangerous. 

Lockdowns are not the chemotherapy-like, necessary evil they’re portrayed as. Sweden’s death rate associated with COVID-19 has turned out to be lower than that of the UK. Sweden experienced only half the decline in mobility, and so much of the coronavirus’ impact came from a response that denied treatment to nursing home residents. Additionally, Sweden is not suffering from mental health or economic damage at the same rate as the UK, either. Denmark has downgraded COVID-19 and ended almost every restriction as of September 10. They even began to phase out the coronapas at a similar vaccine rate that Australia is starting to use vaccine passports at. 

Even in animals, a loss of freedom can cause tremendous harm. One study even found that the dominance hierarchies formed by mice after a certain population density has been reached can cause immune dysregulation in subordinate mice. This happened despite their inability to plan and fight for a free society. Looking at whales and dolphins–some of the most intelligent animals–captivity is now known to cause brain damage. The removal of choice causes a neurotransmitter imbalance and behavior issues. Parts of the brain responsible for higher functions such as cognition degenerate, as their dependence on a watery environment, means they cannot escape. 

It’s Time To Move On 

There is no “new” normal, just more of the same. The beliefs that our bodies are helpless, that we don’t know what’s best for ourselves, and that sacrifices are “necessary” do not belong anymore. They were created by a time and circumstances that no longer exist. It’s time to move on, and embrace our power to take charge of our health. 

Alexandra Preston is an Australian naturopath, passionate about empowering others to take charge of their health and healing the planet. Her special area of interest in natural health is antiaging; she also loves the beach and is a semi-professional dancer.

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