Here is proof that you can make a scientific case for literally anything, no matter how myopic or untethered from reality. You can do it under the banner of a peer-reviewed journal, you can do it in the name of science. The Science, even.

Behold, ‘Covid 19 vaccines and the misinterpretation of perceived side effects clarity on the safety of vaccines’, published in the latest quarterly issue of the peer-reviewed journal BioMedicine (Taipei).

The paper is in the format of a literature review, in which the author, Raymond D Palmer, mounts the following argument:

Anti-vax sentiment is at an all-time high
Reported adverse events after vaccination are also at an all-time high
Mental stress can cause symptoms that mirror post-vaccination adverse events (myocardial ischemia, renal artery constriction, palpitations, tachycardia)
A WHO-led study found no causality between post-vaccination cardiac adverse events and the vaccines themselves
Maybe the side effects are actually caused by stress-inducing anti-vax propaganda

OK SO THE ADVERSE REACTIONS ARE HAPPENING, BUT IT'S THE ANTI-VAXXERS' FAULT!

Palmer cites a single WHO-led study in support of this claim that post-vaccination adverse events are not causally linked to the vaccines.1 The authors examined data from VigiBase only, for a one month period between Dec 2020-Jan 2021. They concluded that the vaccines had been administered predominantly to the aged and people with comorbidities, cohorts who were more likely to experience events similar to adverse reactions anyway, and so it could not be determined whether the adverse symptoms were vaccine-induced or were simply due to age and comorbidities. By the authors’ logic, almost all Covid deaths cannot be causally linked to Covid either. The authors did not state that causality could not be proven; they simply stated the obvious, that being that further research needed to be carried out.

Working off the flimsy presumption that the Covid vaccines are not the cause of post-vaccination adverse events - which requires completely ignoring an immense body of literature demonstrating causal links and explicating the mechanisms behind them - Palmer hypothesises that the anti-vaccination movement is causing the majority of side effects.

In other words, if you feel stressed, you’re more prone to a bad reaction. And if you think you’ll have a bad reaction, you’re more likely to have one. There’s some truth to that, for sure. The impact of the fear factor in exacerbating vaccine related adverse events is raised by Forrest Maready in his book The Autism Vaccine.2 It's a principle of holistic health that beliefs and mindset influence your experience, and there is plenty of empirical evidence to support this.

I can’t help wondering if Palmer realises that the implication of his argument is that the safety of these products is dependent on the psychological condition of the recipient. In which case, what does that mean for the ‘safe and effective’ narrative?

But anti-vax ‘misinformation’ as the sole source of stress experienced at the time of vaccination? That’s a long bow.

I might have thought some of these stressors would get a mention:

coercive vaccination policies;

medical censorship;

loss of trust in government and public health response;

harsh lockdowns;

fear campaigns directed by nudge units;

separation of family units;

constant media coverage of new variants and the threat of Long Covid.

In summary, Palmer’s literature review is myopic to such a degree that I’m astounded that it passed peer review.

I seriously question whether this is a legitimate paper at all.

My suspicion was piqued, so I clicked through to Palmer’s PubMed listing. He has published 7 papers in total since 2019, 6 on anti-aging and cardiovascular health, and this most recent one on vaccine related adverse events. Fine, ok.

He is apparently the Chief Science Officer of Full Spectrum Biologics, a P/L based in my hometown of Perth, WA. This is where it gets weird.

The Full Spectrum Biologics site has the appearance of a sham site. The graphics are tacky, it has only a vague homepage and contact page, and there are no location or contact details. The contact page has an enquiry submission form that fails to load.

His Twitter account has accrued only 44 followers since 2013. Strange for a Chief Science Officer with 7 published papers.

The site in his bio is another anti-aging site, ScienceOfAging.life, equally tacky but with a few extra pages. The contact submission form works. He appears to be selling a course:

But when you watch the accompanying video, it turns out he is actually soliciting donations for human trials scheduled to begin in 2023.3

Human trials for what?

Palmer’s LinkedIn profile might give a clue.

mRNA Alchemist? What even is that?? (He has this in his bio on his Facebook page too).

Education-wise, he jumps from web design, to real estate, to electrical engineering. Then a course in astronomy and astrophysics. (Palmer is very into astronomy. This is his space photography site and this is a Perth Now feature on his 2009 solo space photography exhibition). Suddenly in 2019 he starts taking online courses in epigenetics, biochemistry, genetic engineering and the like. He publishes his first paper in a cardiovascular medicine journal the same year that he starts studying epigenetics, with no prior training in any related field.

He appears to have also been a Chief Science Officer for a company called Helium 3 Biotech from 2017-2021, quite the career move for an electrical engineer with an astronomy post-grad. This company was also based in Perth, and went into administration in November 2021. Full Spectrum Biologics was registered in June 2021.

Palmer’s LinkedIn also tells us that he speaks Chinese; he has been a volunteer crew member for Sea Shepherd for the past 15 years; and his top interest is Albert Bourla.

In between running a biotech company, publishing scientific papers, studying genetics and crewing for Sea Shepherd, Palmer found the time to publish a book in 2021.

He also has a low-fi anti-aging YouTube channel!

I wanted to find out more about his supposed businesses. The registrar details of his two websites are both are shielded by a proxy, meaning he has paid extra to hide his details behind a proxy company, so you can't see his contacts. Both sites are hosted on GoDaddy servers in Singapore.

Something is up with Raymond D Palmer.

***UPDATE: I SPOKE TO RAY PALMER ON THE PHONE***
Click through to the follow up post below for the full conversation. It involves NIAID and NIH connections, NDAs, Hong Kong investors, and an Egyptian academic previously accused of aiding a suicide bomber. (Truly)

Dystopian Down Under

The strange saga of Raymond D Palmer continues

I SPOKE TO RAY PALMER ON THE PHONE. IT WAS A PRETTY OUT THERE CONVERSATION. This Substack documents a Twitter thread follow up to my original article on Raymond D Palmer, author of a junk paper published in BioMedicine (Taipei), in which he suggests that vaccine side effects are caused by anti-vax misinformation, not vaccines. If you haven’t read the fir…

2 months ago · Rebekah Barnett

Thanks to Isaac of Down The Wombat Hole for bringing this very strange article into my orbit. Another Aussie Substacker (Super Sally) has offered her take HERE.

1

Cardiovascular Adverse Events Reported from COVID-19 Vaccines: A Study Based on WHO Database, July 2021.

2

I have ordered this book but not yet read it. Summary of the book at Lies are Unbekoming:

Lies are Unbekoming

The Autism Vaccine

Watch now (17 min) | The physicians and nurses who routinely turn a blind eye when parents suggest vaccines have harmed their children are equally complicit. Some fear for their jobs, but most blindly reject any claim of harm from a parent if it involves a vaccine. - Maready…

2 months ago · 33 likes · 15 comments · Unbekoming

3

There is also a Patreon page to collect donations for these trials. There are currently 0 patrons.

Another Aussie Substacker covered much of the same material here

Dystopian Down Under

Who is Raymond D Palmer? Author of paper in…