integralanswers.bsky.social
Curious Healthcare Professional with a passion for dispelling intentional disinformation especially within the medicine and science spheres.
Networking with Pro-Science & Evidenced Based Medicine.
Amateur Photographer
#WeCare, #Photography
3,488 posts
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Getting Started
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2/ So I go down to Phuket and each year in part to recognize how fortunate I am to still be here.
Just before shooting the photo above I was sitting in meditation facing the sunset.
I opened my eyes to see this stray dog staring at me. Then a moment later he walked away. I grabbed this shot.
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1/ Story behind this photo:
Late last year I flew to Phuket, something I’ve done almost every year in Nov -Dec since 2004. Last year was no different. 20 years previously, only because my flight was overbooked on Christmas Day, I wasn’t on the beach in Phuket when the Tsunami hit on Dec 26th.
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References: Voice-Processing Neuroimaging
• Andics et al. (2014) — Current Biology, “Voice‑Sensitive Regions in the Dog and Human Brain Are Revealed by Comparative fMRI”
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/201...
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References: Grief and Loss:
• Karastathis et al. (2011) review the emotional impact of pet loss and grief in mental health settings scholarlypublishingcollective.org/amhca/jmhc/a...
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References: Oxytocin and Bonding:
Rehn et al. (2014). “Dogs’ endocrine and behavioral responses at reunion are affected by how the human initiates contact.” Physiology & Behavior, 124, 45-53. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
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References: Oxytocin and Bonding:
• Miho Nagasawa et al. (2015). “Oxytocin-gaze positive loop and the coevolution of human-dog bonds.” Science, 348(6232), 333-336. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
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References: Heart Rate Synchrony:
• Katriina Leikola et al. (2024). “Heart rate variability and activity synchronization between dogs and their owners.” Scientific Reports. neurosciencenews.com/dog-human-he....
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7/ Summary Insight
The human–dog bond isn’t just emotional—it’s biological, neurological, and ancient.
They shape our hearts, calm our nerves, and teach us connection in its purest form.
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6/ Grief & Loss
Losing a dog hurts because the bond is real.
Brain scans show that pet loss activates the same circuits as losing a loved one.
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5/ Companionship / Everyday Joy
They don’t just walk beside us.
They match our pace, our moods, and our life journeys.
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4/ Loyalty & Friendship
Dogs don’t measure time the way we do.
Every return home is a fresh miracle.
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3/ Oxytocin Gaze / Deep Connection
When you lock eyes with your dog, your brain releases oxytocin—the same bonding hormone seen in parent-infant attachment.
Love, scientifically measurable.
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2/ Heartbeat Sync / Co-regulation
Your heartbeat can sync with your dog’s.
Literally.
Studies on HRV (heart rate variability) show that during calm, connected moments, humans and dogs co-regulate emotionally and physically.
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3/ Bottom line: I flew back to BKK via Dubai. Fortunately, BKK did not notice I’d been in Kenya, only noticing my boarding pass from Dubai.
Day after my return, I visited a colleague (infectious disease doc) and made sure I got the Yellow Fever Vaccine.
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2/ I was meeting in the city, no safari visits this time.
I was to be in Kenya for 3-4 days. On day 2 I learned I had to rush back to Thailand, wife had a medical emergency.
It was then I learned I might not be able to return. Thailand might not let me in from Kenya without Yellow Fever Vax.
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1/ I live in Thailand. My wife is a physician. I consult for some biotech companies.
I was asked to visit Nairobi in Dec by a client. I paid an agent to sort out my visa. First visit to Africa. Online, no clear answer about vax requirements. Travelers from Thailand don’t need additional vax.
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2/ 2. Then a few weeks ago I read an article by Dr. Peter Hotez about Yellow Fever and its potential to spread to the Southern US in part due to climate change.
These two happenings explains why I wrote about Yellow Fever recently.
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1/ Fair enough. Here’s some background on why I’ve written about Yellow Fever recently.
1. In Dec 2024, I had meetings in Nairobi to discuss a business opportunity. I learned only after I arrived that returning home (Thailand) from Kenya required me to get a Yellow Fever Vax.
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13B/ Ref: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35051292/
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13A/ A Prospective Cohort Study of COVID-19 Vaccination, SARS-CoV-2 Infection, and Fertility
These findings indicate that male SARS-CoV-2 infection may be associated with a short-term decline in fertility & that COVID-19 vaccination does not impair fertility in either partner.
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12B/ Ref: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
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12A/ The effect of COVID‐19 and COVID‐19 vaccination on serum anti‐Mullerian hormone: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
COVID‐19 infection can result in ovarian reserve injury by reducing the AMH level but getting vaccinated against COVID‐19 has no impact on the AMH level.
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11/ The impact of COVID-19 vaccines on fertility-A systematic review and meta-analysis
Based on the studies published so far, there is no scientific proof of any association between COVID-19 vaccines and fertility impairment in men or women.
Ref: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
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10/ COVID-19 mRNA vaccination does not impair ovarian follicular function or oocyte quality in IVF cycles
No significant difference in oocyte quality, quantity, or fertilization rate in vaccinated women.
Ref: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
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9/ References:
Bentov et al., 2021
Title: Ovarian follicular function is not altered by SARS-CoV-2 infection or BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccination
Ref: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34364311/
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8/ Rat studies can be useful starting points. But cherry-picking them to shout “mRNA vaccines cause infertility!” is dishonest.
Nick Hulscher is not exposing a truth—he’s constructing a lie.
Always follow the signal, not the noise.
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7/ So why the hype?
Because people like Hulscher count on the public not reading the paper.
They bank on fear and confusion to push an agenda.
This isn’t science. It’s propaganda dressed in a lab coat.
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6/ And let’s not forget:
Multiple large human studies have shown:
•No impact on IVF success rates
•No change in AMH in women post-vaccination
•No effect on time to conception
Cited studies: Bentov et al., Aharon et al., Morris et al.
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5/ Here’s why rat studies ≠ human catastrophe:
•Rats have estrous cycles, not menstrual cycles
•AMH varies wildly by species
•No dosing equivalence: human doses scaled to rats = misleading
•No fertility test, no reproduction outcomes
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4/ What Nick Hulscher claims:
•“Vaccines destroy 60% of a woman’s non-renewable eggs”
•“Irreversible infertility”
•“Human catastrophe”
What the paper shows:
•Minor, transient shifts in a few rat markers
•No data on humans.
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3/ The study found changes in some lab markers:
•Slight drop in AMH (ovarian hormone)
•Increase in cell stress markers (TGF-β1, VEGF, caspase-3)
•More atretic (dying) follicles in mRNA group
That’s it. No infertility, no sterility, no 60%.
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2/The study Hulscher cites is a small rat study from Vaccines (MDPI).
30 rats: 10 got mRNA vax, 10 got inactivated vax, 10 were controls.
They looked at ovarian tissue & hormone levels—not fertility, pregnancies, or actual health outcomes.
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9/ 💬 Final thought:
Science isn’t perfect — but it’s honest, self-correcting, and built on methods Hulscher routinely ignores.
Vaccines saved millions.
Nick’s blog saved no one.
🔁 RT to spread facts
Follow @IntegralAnswers for more.
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8/ Hulscher’s piece misrepresents data, ignores confounders, and
pretends correlation = causation.
This isn’t public health.
It’s content marketing for antivaxers.
🧵 Ref (Expert review of the article’s misuse): science.feedback.org/review/covid...
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7B/
CDC: www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safe...
WHO: www.who.int/news-room/fe...
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7A/ 📌 Claim 5: Hulscher argues COVID-19 vaccines should be pulled due to safety concerns.
🔍 In reality, COVID-19 vaccines have undergone rigorous testing and continuous monitoring. Serious adverse events are rare, and the benefits far outweigh the risks.
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6/ Real-world data confirms it:
✅ Vaccines lowered risk of death
✅ Reduced hospitalizations
✅ Blunted waves of infection in countries with early access
🧵 Refs: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
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5/ 📌 Claim 4:
“COVID vaccines have saved zero lives.”
This is one of the most easily debunked claims in the pandemic.
🧪 The Lancet Infectious Diseases estimated 14.4 million deaths prevented by vaccines in the first year alone.
🧵 Ref: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
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4B/ Refs: www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.factcheck.org/2023/06/scic...
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4/A📌 Claim 3:
Hulscher cites a 2023 Cleveland Clinic study claiming more vaccine doses = more COVID infections.
But the authors explicitly warned against this misinterpretation. Confounding variables — like exposure risk, job role, age — weren’t controlled.
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3/ 📌 Claim 2:
Vaccines act as “infection promoters.”
🚫 False. Vaccines teach your immune system to fight pathogens. They don’t “help” viruses. This is immunology 101 — and has been for over a century.
🧵 Refs: www.cdc.gov/vaccines/glo...
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2/ 🧠 The Japan study had serious design flaws:
– No randomization
– No control for exposure risk or test-seeking behavior
– Timing misclassification
– Unadjusted confounders (e.g. age, health status)
It’s not strong evidence. It’s cherry-picked noise.
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1/📌 Claim 1:
A new Japanese study proves COVID vaccines increase your risk of infection.
🚫 Wrong. The authors themselves caution that their results are vulnerable to confounding and observational bias — and do not prove causation.
🧵 Ref: science.feedback.org/review/covid...
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10/ 🇻🇳 Vietnam’s COVID story is a powerful reminder:
When science is trusted, leadership is decisive, and communities act together — even the most resource-limited nations can protect their people.
#COVID19 #PublicHealth #Vietnam