Did They Really Die of COVID?

Greece’s Silent Pandemic of Misclassified Deaths

May 16, 2025

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A Message from Dr. McMillan

We’re facing a troubling global situation. Early in the pandemic, deaths were likely overcounted to drive a strong vaccine narrative. Now, as the virus continues to circulate, there is a deafening silence from public health leaders.

There seems to be no space for honest, balanced dialogue. Acknowledging the serious, ongoing impact of the virus would force difficult questions about the true effectiveness of the COVID vaccines, questions many seem unwilling to confront.

What kind of scientific leadership abandons its population in a time of uncertainty, without guidance, without transparency?

In this environment, choosing your experts wisely has never been more important.

Stay informed. Remain discerning.

Dr. Philip McMillan

In this week's May 16, 2025 update:

  • COVID-19: Greece’s silent pandemic of misclassified deaths

  • Vejon: This week’s featured Vejon video

  • Health: Can grounding help you sleep better

  • Infographic: Did they really die of COVID?

  • News: Medical news in brief

  • Education: McMillan - Masterclass Live

    Read time: 6 minutes

FEATURE ARTICLE

COVID-19

  • Nearly half of recorded COVID-19 deaths were not caused by the virus but occurred with incidental infection.

  • Many patients died from unrelated conditions like cancer, stroke, or kidney failure and showed no COVID-specific symptoms.

  • A significant portion of cases involved hospital-acquired COVID-19 and required no oxygen or antiviral treatment.

  • Elevated national death rates persisted despite widespread vaccination and and variants with milder lung involvement, prompting questions about immune effects and data classification accuracy.

Why this is important: When deaths are misclassified, trust erodes. Greece’s recently analyzed COVID-19 data reveal how relying on positive tests alone can distort reality, masking true causes of death and inflating public fear. As societies reckon with prolonged excess deaths, accurate attribution isn’t just bureaucratic housekeeping; it is essential for medical integrity, policy accountability, and rebuilding public trust.

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RESEARCH

  • Grounding involves direct contact with Earth's surface, potentially offering physical and psychological benefits like reduced stress and improved mood.

  • Grounding technologies, such as indoor mats and sheets, connect to wall socket earth terminals to simulate outdoor grounding indoors.

  • Some studies suggest grounding may improve sleep duration or recovery, but effects on sleep quality and stress are inconclusive.

  • Outdoor grounding is free and may improve circadian rhythms, but strong evidence for specific health benefits is still lacking.

Why this is important: Reconnecting with the Earth, whether through tech or touch, might offer subtle sleep and stress benefits, but the evidence remains inconclusive. These findings matter because they remind us to question wellness trends and explore the real, sometimes overlooked, value of natural environments for mental and physical health.

INFOGRAPHIC

EDUCATION

Join the live Masterclass sessions twice each month with priority Q&A access. Led by Dr McMillan, these cover a broad range of health and wellness topics. Also get unlimited access to the full library of recorded Masterclass sessions.

MEDICAL NEWS IN BRIEF

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

🚥 Childhood Malnutrition Spurs Recognition of Type 5 Diabetes as a Distinct Global Health Challenge: Recognizing malnutrition-related diabetes as a distinct type reframes how global health systems approach diagnosis and care. It shifts the focus from lifestyle blame to developmental origins, prompting more equitable treatment strategies, especially for underserved populations where early-life nutrition has lifelong consequences. Classification now mirrors biological reality more closely than ever before.

🚥 Spit Science: How Saliva Is Shaping the Future of Disease Detection: Spit is rewriting the rules of diagnosis - offering a painless, accessible, and rapid way to catch illness early, often before symptoms appear. From Alzheimer’s to oral cancer, this shift could democratize early detection, reduce healthcare costs, and bring life-saving insights within reach of millions who might otherwise go undiagnosed.

🚥 Living Near Pesticide-treated Golf Courses May Sharply Increase Parkinson's Disease Risk: 
Living near golf courses may significantly raise the risk of Parkinson’s disease, especially in areas vulnerable to groundwater contamination. This highlights an urgent need to reassess pesticide use and water safety in residential zones nationwide. [SOURCE]

🚥 When AI Sees Race: The Hidden Bias in Medical Imaging Algorithms: AI models trained on medical images can infer racial categories from non-clinical cues, revealing how social biases are baked into “objective” data. This finding underscores a critical risk: if left unchecked, AI could automate and amplify racial disparities in healthcare under the illusion of neutrality.

🚥 Ultra-Processed Foods Linked to Higher Risk of Disease and Early Death: Each bite of ultra-processed food may incrementally erode long-term health, raising risks for hypertension, cancer, digestive disease, and early death. The findings underscore a clear, quantifiable link: the more ultra-processed food consumed, the greater the harm, highlighting the urgent need for dietary reform, public policy intervention, and clinician-guided nutritional awareness.

🚥 Gut Protein Guides Immune Defense by Reading Microbial Lipid Signals: By decoding how a single protein recognizes bacterial lipids to spark protective immune responses, this research reveals a precise, non-destructive way the body cultivates gut health - offering a blueprint for therapies that enhance immunity by guiding microbial behavior rather than eradicating it. [SOURCE]

BOOK NOOK

"Disease X: Are You Prepared?" is your comprehensive guide to navigating the uncertain future of global health. Drawing from experience and the latest scientific insights, this book offers:

  • Practical strategies for personal and community preparedness.

  • Lessons learned from COVID-19 and other outbreaks.

  • Actionable steps to boost resilience against emerging health threats.

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