Follow the REAL science on COVID

Do a search for “masks” and "CO2 poisoning” and you get all sorts of results saying that it's all a conspiracy theory. The truth, however, is much more nuanced.

Let me say up front that if you're a healthcare worker or someone coming into contact with someone susceptible to the adverse effects of COVID-19, a mask is essential. No, it does not completely block everything, but it certainly does block a heckuva lot of unwanted things. The main problem with the masks is a false sense of security.

But back to the CO2 toxicity. A study was done on healthcare workers during the SARS outbreak in 2003. It found that 37 percent of them developed headaches from wearing a mask for prolonged periods. This is something I've known for years intuitively from bush hogging on my tractor. If I don't stop every couple of hours and take off my N95 mask I get dizzy, sometimes very tired, sometimes even disoriented.

To label CO2 toxicity as a total conspiracy theory is to ignore the facts. Are you going to get it from grocery shopping with a mask on? Probably not, but there have been several cases of people passing out in cars while wearing masks and causing accidents. Why you would wear your mask in the car is beyond me.

My whole mask issue has never been an aversion to the masks themselves. It's an aversion to blanket edicts that come down from people with no constitutional authority to issue them. What we do know about this virus is you have to be exposed to it for several minutes (the experts say at least 10) before you can catch it. It is virtually impossible to catch it going to the grocery store. You're not going to catch it walking through any store. Now, if you're in the vulnerable category then I can understand why you'd wear a mask, but the experts also say the mask isn't going to keep you from getting it, but it might keep you from spreading it if you have it.

If you cannot social distance then a mask makes sense. I was at a funeral recently and everyone wore masks. That makes good scientific sense. However, forcing everyone to wear a mask whenever they're in public may cause people to assume the mask is going to save them. I know from personal experience that when I don't wear a mask in a grocery store I'm much more aware of keeping my distance. When I wear one I don't even think about it.

Here's what the current science tells us. A mask will not keep you from getting COVID, but it may keep you from spreading it if you have it. It also tells us that you're not going to get it through casual contact at a grocery store. That's why decisions on masks should be left to the individual stores and not the government. Wearing a mask everywhere is senseless. Wearing a mask when you're in close contact with others for a prolonged time is smart. We have the info. Let us make our own decisions like big boys and girls. 

The frustrating thing is the overwhelming link between Vitamin D deficiency and severe cases of COVID. There’s ample evidence that proper levels of Vitamin D in your system may help you avoid what’s called a cytokine storm. This is when your immune system overreacts and starts attacking your own cells and tissues. This is what kills many people with COVID-19.

The science to surviving coronavirus is there. Unfortunately, it’s not being widely disseminated. 

Phil Valentine is the host of the award-winning talk radio show, The Phil Valentine Show, on SuperTalk 99.7WTN in Nashville. He's also co-host of The PodGOATs podcast and I'm Calling Bovine Scatology.