DoH (Department of Hoaxes)

The way the Department of Health (DoH) Secretary Francisco Duque III has allowed himself and his office to be carried away by the A (H1N1)-Swine Flu scare really astonishes me. The same is true for local mainstream media that ape their “Big Brother” counterparts like CNN and BBC, with a continuous stream of panic “headlies.” We have repeatedly alerted Tribune readers to the pandemic alarm hoaxes of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) because there is ample evidence to show that these institutions, under the baton of pharmaceutical transnationals or Big Pharma, have raised these over the past five decades. Most, it seems, have taken heed, except for the DoH. 
In our “Swine-dler’s Flu” column, you were introduced to critical thinkers, epidemiologists, and doctors who have questioned the CDC and WHO’s sensationalizing of the Swine Flu occurrences. We later on reported the exposé of Dr. Leonard Horowitz on the Big Pharma company Novavax, which is implicated in experiments that splice together the 1918 Spanish, Avian and Swine Flu viruses to produce new strains, which are later “primed” onto populations. The H1N1 outbreak in Mexico was also said to have been perfectly timed for Novavax’s promotion of its new research and vaccine stockpiling programs. As a result of our efforts, we’ve started to hear from some naturalist doctors and we’re happy to have helped spread the information around. 
In our TV show, some headway came as well. Aside from featuring Dr. Horowitz’s YouTube video exposé, we had an episode that delved into the immune-boosting power of virgin coconut oil (VCO) as a defense against Swine Flu and other diseases. 
Yet, last May 29, the Inquirer still came out with its article, “Virgin coco oil, vitamin C offer no flu immunity - DoH,” attributed to a certain Baby Banatin, director of the DoH’s Health Emergency Management Services, during a health forum in Makati. 
VCO has always been known to boost disease resistance by boosting the immune system, even more effectively when taken with what DoH rep Banatin similarly downplayed: “eight-hour sleep and vitamin C…” So when statements and reports further allege that VCO sectors make “false and unsubstantiated claims,” we know whom these quarters are in cahoots with.  
An experiment by a Department of Science and Technology agency entitled, “Virgin Coconut Oil Boosts Immune System of Chickens,” yielded the following findings: 
“…A recent study monitored by PCARRD (Philippine Council for Agricultural, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development) showed that VCO is effective not only in improving the immune system of chickens and making them resistant to infectious diseases, but also in improving their overall health condition… To test the effectiveness of VCO on the immuno-competence of native chickens, Dr. Edmundo Campoto of the Eastern Samar State University quantified the gamma globulin concentration (IgG) in the blood of native chickens given VCO. IgG indicates the presence of antibodies needed to fight infectious diseases. He also determined the chickens’ bleeding and clotting times, which indicate good health…. 
“These procedures were premised on the framework that since VCO contains lauric acid, the most important essential fatty acid in building and maintaining the immune system… His tests revealed that chickens given VCO had higher total serum protein than those without, suggesting that the chickens with VCO had higher antibodies against infectious diseases. This was attributed to VCO’s ability to remove the lipid coat of viruses and expose them to macrophages that destroy them. Moreover, he found that the bleeding and clotting times were faster in VCO-fed chickens than in chickens without VCO supplementation. This means that VCO-fed chickens have a healthier circulatory system. This suggests that VCO can improve the overall health of chickens, as healthier animals have faster bleeding and clotting time. 
“However, in the study, VCO supplementation did not lead to higher weight gain or to better feed conversion ratio. There may be a need to conduct another test of the varying nutrient densities to be able to see if the synthesis of more IgG as a result of VCO is competing with basic nutrients (protein and energy) required for growth…” 
And yet, DoH’s Banatin says VCO offers no immunity? It seems as if they would prefer to latch on to the A (H1N1) hoax and peddle the expensive Big Pharma vaccines than help our people with low cost, locally available health solutions. This is why, to me, the DoH is the Department of Hoaxes. Worse, the Philippine government today is more eager to collaborate with Big Pharma in this calumny and slander against the VCO and the coconut industry than it is to help this vital sector. 
The coconut industry should be the flagship of any national economic stimulus plan because of its huge potential not only as a food, nutraceutical, cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical product, but also as a source of complex industrial chemicals and materials for the environmental salvation of the planet (such as the coco-coir geo-textiles that reclaim desert lands). The problem is that neither Gloria’s Agriculture nor Natural Resources secretaries have anything in their “coconuts” about the economic wonder that is the coconut tree and the 350 million trees that are waiting to be tapped. RP’s science and health institutions should conduct human clinical trials to put on record the VCO’s health benefits that place them at par with eastern health practices--from India ’s Ayurveda to China ’s traditional medicines—that have been long known. 
In my next columns on this subject, we will expose the failures of flu vaccine trials around the world, as well as, the deaths that have resulted from them.