Troubling Truths Behind the Covid-19 Pandemic
Guest essay by Dr. Paul S. Aijian, a California Central Coast primary physician
Those of you who were following this substack during March of 2022 may recall that I participated in a COVIDcrisis medical freedom “resistance” rally at my hometown of Santa Barbara, California that month. Other attendees at that rally included the musicians “Five Times August” (Brad) and Hi-Rez (Jessee). What I did not disclose publicly in that report was that Jill and I were hosted by primary care physician Dr. Paul Aijian, his wife and family on their avocado/mixed use small farm in the Santa Barbara foothills. At the time, it was extremely risky for any California physician to provide early treatment for COVID, but Paul was one of the brave few who risked his career to treat this disease in his patients and thereby saved the lives of many who were at high risk for hospitalization and mortality. Paul and his wife are people of deep faith, staunch conservatives, and freedom lovers. We have since become good friends, a friendship sealed by our commitment to both our families and our farms, and to speaking truth about medicine, science, ethics and the COVIDcrisis.
Venue and COVID rally attendees, Santa Barbara, March 2022
After the rally, Paul hosted a fundraiser at his farm for local politicians who were aligned with the medical freedom/anti-tyranny movement.
I was pleased to recently receive a link to a well written essay he published in a substack-powered publication titled Santa Barbara current, in which he spoke of his experiences during the COVIDcrisis as well as the questions which continue to bother him - and so many of us. He kindly provided permission to republish with attribution, and below you will find his recent essay.
I asked Paul how he, his wife, his farm and his medical practice have been doing since we visited him almost two years ago, and his reply really brought some much needed Santa Barbara sunshine into my life. Similar to stories I hear again and again. Physicians who risked their careers to stay true to their oath to protect and treat their patients during the COVIDcrisis are seeing their practices explode with new patients, and are having trouble keeping up with the workload. I guess that sometimes the good guys do win. I am so glad to see physicians like Paul Aijian, Brooke Miller, George Fareed, Bryan Tyson, Kat Lindley, Richard Urso, John Littell and so many others that have maintained their ethical center during the COVIDcrisis now being recognized for their courage and prospering in their practices.
Troubling Truths Behind the Covid-19 Pandemic
by Dr. Paul S. Aijian
JAN 12, 2024
In early 2020, we began hearing reports of people sick and dying all over the world. Soon, we were being told to stay at home, to self-isolate for “Two weeks to stop the spread.” We were admonished to do what we could to help the soon to be overwhelmed medical profession manage the tsunami of impending death and destruction. People were scared; they stayed home. Weddings were cancelled, funerals were held on Zoom, schools were shut down, churches were told they could not hold services, and businesses closed by the thousands.
It is now four years since the Covid-19 pandemic spread around the world. Many people did, in fact become ill, and some died.
The worst outcomes were seen in the elderly, and in people with multiple pre-existing medical conditions. We were admonished by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), mainstream media, and our local public health officials, to do as we were told. Failure to cooperate was punished, identified one as a fool, or someone willing to risk killing others out of selfishness.
The outcome was that the virus spread anyway, essentially unimpeded by ineffective cloth masks and lockdowns. Sick people were sent back to nursing homes, where many of them died. The social, financial, and personal consequences of following “expert” advice turned out to be disastrous. Looking back on this, even Francis Collins, head of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (Anthony Fauci’s boss), has recently admitted that much of these early efforts to stop the spread were not helpful, and were actually damaging.
“Experts” Suppressed Research and Scientific Inquiry
My first exposure to the actual disease was having patients call me, reporting symptoms suggestive of Covid. Early on, there was no recommended therapy offered by the experts, wearing disposable personal protective equipment. Then, ventilators were used for people with severely low oxygen levels. A hospital ship was taken to New York (and remained essentially unused). Death counts were part of the nightly news, as were the anguished pleas for more money from the governor of New York.
I became aware of a suggested treatment protocol when I read the work of a French Doctor, Didier Raoult. He was an early proponent of treating Covid with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ, an anti-malarial drug) and azithromycin (an antibiotic).
This was followed by the observation that Ivermectin (IVM, an anti-parasitic drug used on humans and animals) was possibly effective to treat Covid-19. A New York doctor, Zev Zelenko, was successfully treating his patients with HCQ (hydroxychloroquine), azithromycin, vitamins C and D, zinc, and other over-the-counter supplements. Dr. Peter Mc Cullough came out early with a protocol of “repurposed drugs,” which were showing promise. Pierre Kory MD, and Paul Marik MD, started the Front Line Covid-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), coming out with a helpful protocol for the prevention and treatment of Covid-19. Around this time, monoclonal antibodies (Regeneron) were being used to treat the virus, with some encouraging success.
Then, Donald Trump fell victim of the disease. He was treated with everything being used at the time, including the monoclonal antibody treatment (Regeneron), dexamethasone (a cortisone type drug), Remdesivir (a new antiviral drug given intravenously), and over-the-counter meds, including vitamin D, zinc, and the stomach acid reducer Famotidine. He also announced that he had taken HCQ. The latter created a firestorm of controversy about using “repurposed drugs” to treat Covid. The enemies of Trump used his taking HCQ to attack him, and the Covid pandemic became a political football. A commercial promoted by the FDA made fun of those foolish enough to take IVM, saying that the people taking it should not confuse themselves with horses.
Taking the “Clot Shot”
Early in the pandemic, I started treating patients with some of the repurposed drugs. I was inundated by patients seeking any form or treatment or preventive medication. Initially, I could write prescriptions for IVM, however that soon was blocked by the government. I spoke at a rally of likeminded folks (the Worldwide Rally for Freedom, in May 2021) at Stearns Wharf. The government had bought massive amounts of vaccine from Pfizer and Moderna. The manufacturers were guaranteed immunity, and the vaccines were mandated across the country. President Trump proudly promoted them, claiming credit for “Warp Speed” production and approval.
I remember telling the group of hundreds that I would have refused the mandatory injection of a saltwater shot. This was based on my view of personal autonomy. I suspected the vaccines might prove to be dangerous, and initially decided to watch and wait.
Right off the bat, I had an elderly nursing home patient expire from a pulmonary embolism, 12 hours after her first covid shot. Another man came in with massive clots blocking his vena cava (the huge blood vessel returning blood to the heart). I had heard it called the “Clot Shot,” and these initial patients made me much more wary of taking it or promoting it. I was one of the few doctors at my hospital refusing the vax. I had a medical and religious exemption, which fortunately was accepted. Without the exemption, my staff privileges at the hospital would have been canceled.
“Safe” and “Effective”?
Vaccines are usually proven to be safe over years, not over the abbreviated process used to justify the “Emergency Use Authorization” for the mRNA “vaccines.” “Safe and Effective” has been the mantra ever since their rollout.
By this time, however, many bright people were beginning to question whether it was either safe or effective. After this, I met Robert Malone, MD, who came to speak at a Medical Freedom rally in Santa Barbara. Steve Kirsch, another bright skeptic, spoke at the same event. By this time, I was convinced that the repurposed drugs worked. I had treated hundreds of grateful people for Covid. We did not lose a single patient, and referred very few to the hospital. We knew that at the hospital they would get the “approved” protocol, including Remdesivir, and separation from family visitors. We had to face the wrath of the State of California, which had passed a law making what I told patients illegal. This attempt to suppress scientific inquiry and the doctor patient relationship was, fortunately, canceled by the courts.
The “Trial of Galileo”
I have a print of the “Trial of Galileo” painting in my office. He is seated in front of the assembled might of the Catholic Church. He was accused of heresy for saying the earth went round the sun. Galileo was convicted of heresy in 1633 and was sentenced to spend the rest of his life under house arrest. I refer to the painting when I explain that my views on Covid are heretical.
People have started questioning the advice of the CDC, FDA, mainstream media, and compliant doctors who follow their advice. This article is intended to be an introduction to the range of issues raised by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Unanswered Questions
Where did this virus originate? Why did our government think that creating a devastating pandemic virus was a good idea? What is the verdict on repurposed drugs? What is the truth about the “safe and effective” mRNA vaccines? What is the explanation for Sudden Adult Death Syndrome, and the “excess mortality” numbers around the world? Was the governmental response to the pandemic a “Beta test” for the next crisis? What is happening with the World Health Organization’s proposal to take over worldwide decision making when the next “Emergency” comes along? This comes up for a vote in May 2024, by the way. What is the likely future of this rapidly mutating virus, as most of us have had it several times, and have either natural or vaccine immunity? Who do you trust to educate you on all these complex matters?
As the latest round of coughs, fevers, flu, and Covid variants spread, I suggest you do as Galileo did: do your own research, listen to multiple opinions, and don’t rely entirely on sources corrupted by Big Pharma money.
Dr. Paul S. Aijian has been practicing Internal Medicine in Santa Barbara for over 40 years.
Dr. Aijian's suggestion to "do you own research" was widely mocked by those promoting the mainstream narrative: "What do you mean, you did your own research? Do you have your own bio-lab at home? You're an idiot."
I didn't tell people that "I did my own research," I told them, "Over the last year(s), I have spent hundreds of hours (true) educating myself on all aspects of this issue."
We are again back to the question….who watches the watchers? Where/when did physicians lose their autonomy to treat patients? Creeping authoritoranism is consuming our Republic. I commented recently about these MANDATED jabs infants, children and yes,women, are required to take. Who empowered the mandators? This is a highway to hell scenario in the making.