Unmasking the Truth – Question 5 Part 2 – Are you missing any factors?
You will want to go back to the last post to read the first half of question 5. Then return here to continue…
After looking at the first side of this question, now turn your attention to what factors may have been missed by the person debating with you. We can quickly do that by looking at the assumptions made in part 1.
The person believes that you could have the virus unaware and pass it to them or others. Science does support asymptomatic infections so that can be agreed upon. The passing of the virus from these asymptomatic individuals is not as confirmed however. So there is a weak point in the argument that has not been confirmed by studies. If you look at passing of the virus from children to others, that has recently been called into question by a recent Journal of Pediatrics article.
They are also assuming that the mask has a high degree of efficacy in preventing spread of the virus. This is a simplistic view of contagion that does not consider whether the infection is spread in respiratory droplets or in aerosols. Or is it spread by surface contacts or in GI fluids? We are still working on the answer to those questions.
Probably the best application of this fifth question comes in whether or not the mask itself has any other negative effects on the person wearing it or in a society which wears masks broadly. This is definitely true when mandates are enacted forcing others to wear a mask. On the flip side, if masks work to limit spread, there are societal effects of not wearing masks that extend beyond us.
Without delving into a longer debate, a simplistic “don’t kill my grandma” won’t get to the truth of the matter. The emotional appeal can disable any hope of getting to the heart of the issue. What if a better option of protecting grandma is available?
When making public policy and/or life and death personal decisions, we need to slow down and consider if we or those debating us are missing any factors that change the outcome of the debate. Missing factors could turn out to be the deciding factors or at least mitigate the strength of the initially recognized factors.
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
