Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin makes a tackle, gets up, and immediately falls down. Every commentator immediately declares that Hamlin’s medical emergency is due to “commotio cordis.” Or so it seems. Any discussion of the possibility of the COVID vaccine’s involvement is “lies.”
I serve as a medical information resource to an Orlando political talk show called “The American Adversaries.” So, when this very public medical event happened, I became Chris Hart’s on-air guest. His co-host is Mike McBath, a former Detroit Lions player who is still actively involved in player issues. While doing my homework, I found lots of doctors making diagnoses. It did not matter whether the vocalist was in the front or the back row, he was singing in unison with the choir. This raises a serious question for these doctors. “Didn’t your medical school make you take a class on ‘differential diagnosis’?”
Let me ‘splain this for you. If you have high blood pressure, your doctor should do a good history, an examination, and some tests before he decides on the proper treatment for your blood pressure. Do you have:
- Morbid obesity
- Family history of hypertension
- Periodic sweating and fast heartbeat
- Or (many more)?
The point of all this is to make certain that the doctor is tackling the actual problem causing the high blood pressure. If he doesn’t, you’ll get a treatment that, at best, won’t help and, at worst, might be dangerous. Most of us are familiar with this in the epidemic of diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Lots of bright kids are getting (mal)treated with medications when their only problem is that they’re bored in school. The proper treatment for them is more challenging school work, not medications.
Just as hypertension and bored kids need proper diagnoses, the Damar Hamlin incident cries out for the same. And all those doctors making armchair diagnoses should slow down until they see all of Hamlin’s chart. In particular, they should stop claiming that anyone who implicates the clot shot is spreading misinformation. I haven’t seen Hamlin’s chart, so I can’t say for certain what caused his cardiac arrest, but I can be responsible and explain what may have happened. Notice that I said “may,” not “did.”
There are at least four possibilities that must be in the differential for Hamlin’s arrest.
1. Commotio cordis
2. Sudden death following COVID vaccination
3. Adrenaline-induced lethal arrhythmia following chronic COVID vaccination-induced myocarditis
4. Chronic underlying structural or electrophysiological cardiac pathology manifesting at that moment.
It’s crucially important to understand that those four don’t include all the “rare birds” listed by Dr. McCullough. Further, all of them would look exactly the same during the seconds from contact to collapse. All of them would stop his heart from pumping at the same moment. From the time his heart stopped until he passed out would be on the order of ten to fifteen seconds. That’s simply because your brain and body haven’t used up the oxygen the bloodstream already delivered.
Anyone who has watched a hunting show knows that an elk or moose can run hundreds of yards before collapsing, even after its heart has been destroyed by the bullet.
Ditto for Damar Hamlin. He made the tackle, stood up, and fell over when his brain and muscles exhausted the oxygen they already had.
We can wipe one of those choices off the list right away. Top-line professional athletes get really serious cardiac exams before their team signs the final contract. So, Hamlin is virtually certain no to have had any big-time anatomic or electrical problems with his heart before he joined the Buffalo Bills.
Commotio cordis (Latin for “commotion of the heart”) happens when a small dense object impacts the sternum (breast bone), creating an electrical impulse at exactly the wrong moment in the cardiac cycle. This “R on T” phenomenon puts the heart into ventricular fibrillation, a rhythm that doesn’t pump any blood. This is the “diagnosis” being shouted everywhere in the internet. But nobody claiming “This is it!” has a clue. There just isn’t any public medical data on Hamlin’s event. All we have is the Monday Night Football video and a clock.
Commotio cordis is most common in teenagers, whose chest walls are more flexible than adults. But even there, it’s rare, with only twenty or so cases in the US each year. Common missiles are softballs, hockey pucks, and similar small items. They strike the sternum, in the center of the chest, very close to the heart.
In Hamlin’s case, a frame-by-frame inspection of the event shows that the runner’s right shoulder pad struck Hamlin on the right side of his chest. This pad is designed to reduce impact forces, so it’s very unlikely that it would have generated any appreciable shock.
In fact, multiple knowledgeable observers, including Mike McBath, have commented that there was nothing unusual about the tackle. Hamlin was throwing the runner to Hamlin’s left as the runner tried to escape around Hamlin’s right. The runner’s helmet never impacted Hamlin’s chest.
This doesn’t mean that commotio cordis has been completely ruled out. It just makes it much less likely. And there are two other possibilities we must consider. The first is that Hamlin was in that short window for myocarditis and sudden death after the mRNA COVID shot. With no information to confirm this, we must put that in the “question mark” box.
A closely related possibility is chronic myocarditis from the COVID shot. This creates a susceptibility to adrenaline, leading to bad heart rhythms. In fact, it appears that all sudden death incidents, both after COVID and COVID shots, are directly due to surges of adrenaline.
Once again, Mike McBath confirms that during a game, at the moment of intense activity like making a tackle, personal adrenaline peaks. If Hamlin had this sort of subclinical chronic injury from the mRNA shot, the moment of the tackle could easily have set off a lethal event.
The events after Hamlin’s collapse also point us to the “vaccine,” which we know he had taken because he is not one of the two Bills who did not get the full original course. He was defibrillated very quickly, and this should have been able to convert him to a stable rhythm. But it took nine minutes to get a stable heart rhythm re-established. This suggests more serious underlying pathology, as we’d expect with a vaccine injury.
Coffee the Christian way: Promised Grounds
The careful reader will notice that I have not said, “Hamlin’s injury is due to xxx.” I just don’t have that information. The multitude of commentators voting for commotio cordis could be right.
But the information we have lines up better with a vaccine injury. Finally, I do not have high hopes for complete recovery. A nine-minute resuscitation is likely to lead to severe brain injury from lack of oxygen. But his early recovery of language function does point toward a better outcome than most.
The NFL should mandate that all its players and staff be examined for vaccine-induced cardiac injury. It would be a great service to them and to America.
Ted Noel MD is a retired Anesthesiologist/Intensivist who podcasts and posts on social media as DoctorTed and @vidzette. His DoctorTed podcasts are available on many podcast channels.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
