More than 100 attend panel on alternative COVID-19 treatments

Update: This story has been altered to reflect a change of employment by a panel member.

More than 100 people gathered in Newark Monday evening to hear a panel of medical officials offer alternative ways to deal with COVID-19.

Panelists denounced COVID-19 vaccines and advocated alternative treatments such as horse dewormer ivermectin, antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine, vitamins and essential oils, many in direct conflict with mainstream medical advice.

The town hall event, hosted by the Delaware Medical Freedom Alliance and Patriots for Delaware, featured an eclectic group of doctors and medical professionals from around the world, including three medical doctors, one osteopathic doctor, one naturopathic doctor and one chiropractor. 

The event began with the pledge of allegiance, after which Lewes artist and panel moderator Abraxas Hudson remarked, “We need to work on the liberty part.”

 A donation basket was passed to help pay for the venue.

Delaware Medical Freedom Alliance founder Jeremy Malin said that he created the group because “there are more pathways to health than vaccination and that message is not being told.”

On the panel were:

• Dr. H. Bruce Carrick, a Wilmington-area chiropractor who plugged naturopathic remedies.
• Dr. Peter J. Glidden, a Minnesota-based naturopathic doctor, via Zoom.
• Dr. Shankara Chetty, a medical doctor in South Africa who said he has treated his patients with  hydroxychloroquine, via Zoom.
• Dr. Craig M. Wax,  a New Jersey osteopathic doctor whose website says he can “help you to gain your best health though [SIC] positive thinking, motivation, nutrition, hydration, exercise, sleep, avoiding poisons and #notfood, and lifestyle modification.” He spoke via Zoom.
• Dr. Daniel W. Stock, an Indiana medical doctor whose comments at a Mt. Vernon Community Schools board meeting went viral in early August within anti-mask and anti-COVID-vaccination crowds, via Zoom.
• Dr. Peter McCullough, a Texas medical doctor currently being sued by his former Dallas-based employer for allegedly spreading vaccine misinformation while using his former job title and employer name in media interviews, via Zoom.
• Dr. Adam Brownstein, a Milton family medicine doctor, who went into private practice Wednesday.

After Stock spoke, Hudson said, “I prefer vitamin D to tyranny” to great applause.

A table at the entrance to the venue was positioned to allow each visitor to complete a  “Covid Immunity Certificate.” 

The certificates allowed individuals to select which kind of immunity they claim to have, from “robust innate immunity” to “acquired immunity.” 

Other options include medical and religious exemptions, as well as the choice to mark “vaccinated” with blank spaces for the vaccine manufacturer and batch number. 

After a Beebe spokesman asked for a correction about Brownstein’s employment, Brownstein said he had left healthcare system to go into private practice, a move that had been planned for three months. His departure and the panel were not related, he said.

During the meeting, Brownstein said he was not pro- or anti-vaccines, but believed people should have a choice.

“He is not a spokesperson for Beebe Healthcare,” said a statement from Beebe Healthcare spokesman Ryan Marshall. “As a science-based health system, we firmly stand behind the science of the COVID vaccine and related safety measures, and their vital role in helping prevent serious illness and furthering our collective goal of ending the pandemic.”

Charles Megginson

Charlie Megginson covers government and politics for Town Square LIVE News. Reach him at (302) 344-8293 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @cmegginson4.