That was an interesting read, Tucker - yet another sad story among many that have come out of this pandemic.
I'd like to offer some thoughts on some of the points you've raised. It's probably worth my saying that I am currently employed as a doctor, so I have some experience dealing with the issues you've raised here. I disagree with the 'my doctor tells me everything I need to know' statement. There is a whole world of information that those in the medical profession do not yet know. Advice given to patients is usually based on what we do know
at present.
Firstly, the 'you are what you eat'. This is starting to become more and more recognised in medicine today. There is a lot of research going on into diseases such as bowel cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease etc. that are really emphasising this theme of diet. Research into our gut microbiome (the composition of bugs in your gut), which is intrinsically linked with the foods we eat is also starting to pick up. So, I wholeheartedly agree with you on that point.
What I disagree with though is your argument which seems to fully slant towards the 'nurture' side of the nature vs nurture debate that often takes place in the science world. The article you linked refers to a 'rare autoimmune disease' which the girl here had. I did a quick search to find out what the disease is and it is apparently called 'opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome'. Being a rare syndrome, I know nothing about the specifics of it, so I've done a quick read up about it. While it's not an inherited condition, the syndrome apparently typically comes on after exposure to any of a long list of viruses, as a secondary development from a dangerous tumour or alternatively has no obvious, known cause. Some of the viruses listed as potential causes are influenza, Epstein-Barr, Coxsackie-B virus, all of which are viruses which you and I will likely have come into contact with over the course of our lives. To say then that every disease we as humans have is a direct consequence of something 'unhealthy' or 'stupid' that we or our parents have done is incorrect. This is a fine example of that.
If it were the case that every disease is a direct result of an unhealthy or stupid action taken, then how would you go about explaining genetically inherited conditions such as
Huntingdon's Disease (for example)? We know too little about the development genetic mutations to be able to make statements such as the ones you have made above.
I think some of the points you make are more than valid, Tucker. Yes, alcohol
can cause cancer. Yes, that girl's parents probably did the wrong thing by giving her Hydroxychloroquine. However, to make bold, 'this is why this happened' statements without considering both that there is likely a lot we don't know about this case and equally that there are many elements at play here (namely her
rare autoimmune condition) which could have predisposed her to a worse outcome is in my mind shortsighted. These elements are nothing to do with the way her parents raised her.
My feeling is that there are a mixture of factors involved here that led to this girl's death. There are the 'nurture' elements such as her diet, the drug given to her, etc. that very much played a part with her body's capability to deal with the disease process. However, there are just as many 'nature' elements to this, her autoimmune condition moreso than anything, but also her genetic makeup that are very much in play.
There is too much here that we don't know to be able to make sweeping statements. These are my thoughts.