I am getting a little tired of the sweeping statements trotted out about the ‘allopathic medical establishment’ and its ‘obeisance to the pharmaceutical industry’ (Nerada Vantari, letters, 25 August).
Suffice to say that this does an enormous disservice to the countless medical professionals who have devoted their lives to improving and indeed saving people’s lives, not least during the pandemic. I’m also peeved about the smugness that accompanies the self-actualised claims of those committed to ‘alternative lifestyles’ who invariably look down on those lesser mortals who fail to toe the line of health puritanism. There appears to be little understanding here of the complexities of people’s health status and its link to matters of power, wealth, income and education. Looking after oneself is of course desirable, but the ability to do so is far from equitable in today’s Australia.
Relatedly, referring to questionable data alleging that the majority of those dying from COVID are ‘over 70’ or suffer from ‘pre-existing conditions’ can, if not fully explained and contextualised, run dangerously close to eugenicist thought.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
