1 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:05,640 Speaker 1: Welcome to Wellness Unmask. Today. 2 00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:08,320 Speaker 2: I am joined by Josh McConkie, who is a doctor 3 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:10,479 Speaker 2: and he's a military colonel, and we are going to 4 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:14,000 Speaker 2: discuss several topics that sits at the intersection of medicine 5 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:18,920 Speaker 2: policy and national security. We actually talk about code vaccination policy, 6 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:21,760 Speaker 2: how it helped people, but also how it hurt our 7 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:25,520 Speaker 2: military and its implications for military readiness. We're also going 8 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:28,600 Speaker 2: to talk about how some of the mandates affected service members, 9 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 2: what we know about health outcomes, and the broader question 10 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:35,159 Speaker 2: how do we balance protection with individual medical risk but 11 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 2: also national defense. We also dive into the State of 12 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 2: the Union, what he thought was good, what he thought 13 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:45,839 Speaker 2: was missing, the Maha movement. We even talk about pending 14 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 2: military relations with Iran. We cover a lot of it. 15 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: Well. 16 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:51,879 Speaker 2: It has certainly been a busy time talking about health policy. 17 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 2: We had the State of the Union, we have Senate 18 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 2: confirmation hearings. So I'm very happy that we have doctor 19 00:00:56,840 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 2: McConkie on with us today to kind of help break 20 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 2: it all down. Certified position, he was a professor and 21 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:05,120 Speaker 2: he also is an author, so he has a lot 22 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:06,320 Speaker 2: to say about these topics. 23 00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:08,440 Speaker 1: Doctor McConkie, thanks so much for being with us today. 24 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:10,320 Speaker 3: Thank you for having me on the show. 25 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:13,760 Speaker 2: So obviously the State of the Union, a lot of 26 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 2: people tuned in, there were a lot of applauses, there 27 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 2: were some outbursts, But I kind of want to get 28 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 2: away from the political side of things, because there were 29 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 2: some very important things that were talked about, you know, 30 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:26,200 Speaker 2: from you know, a big view from you what was 31 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:27,840 Speaker 2: your take on the State of the Union. 32 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 3: Well, I think from the healthcare side of things, I 33 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 3: think some of the biggest notable points was what was 34 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:39,200 Speaker 3: not mentioned. And so in the previous State of the 35 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:42,279 Speaker 3: Union speech when you talk about that MAHA movement making 36 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:47,280 Speaker 3: America healthy again, and you know had previously put you know, 37 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:51,040 Speaker 3: Secretary Kennedy more front and center, there was basically no 38 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 3: mention in this at all. And then most presidential administrations 39 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 3: and prior addresses have talked about some type of medical advances, 40 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 3: you know, they didn't mention anything as far as kind 41 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 3: of research and those things. So there was a lot 42 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:08,640 Speaker 3: of things not mentioned. There was a lot that was 43 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:12,080 Speaker 3: mentioned with you know, immigration, and there was a brief 44 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 3: mention of how many people they were removing from the 45 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:17,720 Speaker 3: Medicaid scrolls. But I think the big notable things were 46 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 3: what were not mentioned? 47 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:21,080 Speaker 2: So why do you think that is? I mean, I 48 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:23,120 Speaker 2: have my opinions, but let's hear yours first. 49 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 3: You know, I've been reading some articles and some reviews 50 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:29,160 Speaker 3: on that, and I think a lot of the issues 51 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 3: with you with the vaccine, you know, specifically, you know, 52 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:36,799 Speaker 3: the hepatitis B and COVID vaccines, and what the perception 53 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 3: being that you know that Kennedy and his administration are 54 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 3: kind of moving away from evidence based studies and interjecting 55 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:47,960 Speaker 3: more of their personal beliefs into some of those recommendations. 56 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 3: I think it's it's causing a lot of issues, and 57 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 3: the President may be distancing himself from that. So it 58 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 3: may have been intentional, or maybe he just ran out 59 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:59,920 Speaker 3: of time. I guess that will be determined here shortly. 60 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:04,080 Speaker 2: You know, we have heard a little bit about I 61 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:06,920 Speaker 2: don't know if you tuned in at all to the 62 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:10,559 Speaker 2: Senate confirmation hearing for Surgeon General Casey. 63 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 3: Meet doctor case I watched some clips. 64 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:15,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, so I am someone who actually tuned in for 65 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 2: the whole thing. 66 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 1: I tend to do that in between seeing patients. It's 67 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: always fun. 68 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 2: But I thought it was very interesting and a lot 69 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 2: of the things that you just mentioned got brought up, 70 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 2: and it is controversial, and so I think that's probably 71 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:31,560 Speaker 2: why it could have been he just didn't have enough time. 72 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 2: But I think because it's controversial and it isn't very 73 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 2: favorable with a lot of American people is maybe why 74 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 2: it didn't get brought up in the State of the Union. 75 00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 2: But specifically, the questions that were asked were hepatitis B vaccines, 76 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 2: should it be universally recommended in newborns? And also, interestingly 77 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 2: for me, though the Surgeon General confirmation hearing, they didn't 78 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 2: bring up the COVID vaccine. 79 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:58,240 Speaker 1: They didn't bring up COVID at all, and I found 80 00:03:58,240 --> 00:03:59,119 Speaker 1: that a little surprising. 81 00:03:59,480 --> 00:03:59,840 Speaker 3: Wow. 82 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, So I guess I guess from my standpoint is 83 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:09,520 Speaker 2: when we talk about the MAHA movement, I am able 84 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:11,840 Speaker 2: to you know, I think it's kind of divided. I 85 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:13,800 Speaker 2: think you can talk about the health, you know, the 86 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:17,880 Speaker 2: wellness point, the making food healthy, healthier, and trying to 87 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 2: get some of the stuff, you know, the artificial dies 88 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:22,720 Speaker 2: and some of the stuff that already has been banned 89 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:24,600 Speaker 2: in other countries that we still have here in the 90 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:25,480 Speaker 2: United States kind. 91 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:27,359 Speaker 3: Of nowhere else on the planet can you get those 92 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:30,919 Speaker 3: on the in America that is quite quite ridiculous. So 93 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:32,680 Speaker 3: I'm glad to see that being addressed as well. 94 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:35,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that, you know, there's no way you 95 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:39,120 Speaker 2: can't champion and cheer for that a little bit. I 96 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:42,000 Speaker 2: think unfortunately some of that gets muddied by some of 97 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 2: the vaccine talk And what's your overall take on the 98 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:47,960 Speaker 2: MAHA vaccine talking points? 99 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:51,400 Speaker 3: You know, when you kind of lump it all together, 100 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:53,680 Speaker 3: you see so many people just dismiss it all and 101 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:56,159 Speaker 3: just want to throw the whole baby out with the 102 00:04:56,200 --> 00:05:00,040 Speaker 3: bath water. Them asking some questions, you know, with the 103 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:03,920 Speaker 3: food dies and just food security and addressing those issues 104 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:06,080 Speaker 3: I think are a very positive thing. Those questions should 105 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:10,120 Speaker 3: have been asked and really addressed decades ago with the vaccines. 106 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:12,560 Speaker 3: You know, I certainly have some concerns that they try 107 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:17,760 Speaker 3: to put a blanket anti vaccine rhetoric out there. I 108 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 3: don't think that's that's truly the case, but I think 109 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:24,279 Speaker 3: that it's controversial enough. I'm a physician, I've practiced for 110 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:27,880 Speaker 3: twenty years. I certainly believe in vaccines. They've saved thousands 111 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:30,040 Speaker 3: and thousands of lives. You know, I certainly had some 112 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:34,599 Speaker 3: concerns with the COVID vaccine specifically, but the hepatitis B vaccine, 113 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:36,919 Speaker 3: I felt like it's a little bit more of a 114 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 3: reach on their part to really almost politicize that. And 115 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:44,400 Speaker 3: I'm not a pediatrician. I don't do himnizations. I'm an 116 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 3: emergency doctor. You know, I see the repercussions of people 117 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:50,120 Speaker 3: who don't get those vaccines coming into my emergency department. 118 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:52,560 Speaker 3: But you know, as far as that specifically with the 119 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:55,800 Speaker 3: hepatitis vaccine, I think they were a lot of valid concerns. 120 00:05:56,360 --> 00:06:00,599 Speaker 3: And with doctor means, my understanding is that she hasn't 121 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:03,840 Speaker 3: clinically practiced medicine in quite some time. Did they address 122 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:06,720 Speaker 3: that there? I had seen just some clips, but when 123 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:08,040 Speaker 3: did she last practice? 124 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:11,960 Speaker 2: So interesting, and I am not an expert in doctor 125 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:14,359 Speaker 2: means credentials by any stretch of the imagination, but I 126 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:17,560 Speaker 2: can tell you from what I have gathered, is very smart, 127 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 2: bright woman. She went to Stanford Medical. Not very many 128 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:25,560 Speaker 2: people can say that. I certainly can't. Graduated in good standing, 129 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:28,560 Speaker 2: had a lot of research experience, had a head and 130 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:33,279 Speaker 2: neck surgical fellowship, not fellowship, I'm sorry, residency I think 131 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 2: somewhere in the Northwest, and hard residency to get and 132 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:40,760 Speaker 2: she got it, but she went on a leave of 133 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:44,240 Speaker 2: absence and we don't necessarily know why, and she ended 134 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:47,640 Speaker 2: up not finishing her residency. And so as you know, 135 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:51,320 Speaker 2: you can become get your medical license, we have to 136 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:54,159 Speaker 2: while you're a resident. So she does have a medical license, 137 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:58,200 Speaker 2: but she never completed residency. And I think that is 138 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:01,920 Speaker 2: where a lot of people are criticizing her because in 139 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:03,800 Speaker 2: terms of, you know, what she was trained to do, 140 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:07,960 Speaker 2: She's never actually practiced medicine unsupervised. She's always been a 141 00:07:07,960 --> 00:07:11,400 Speaker 2: medical student or a resident who again didn't finish residency. 142 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:14,840 Speaker 1: She then went on to start a company. 143 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:18,400 Speaker 2: I think she has a device company that sells like 144 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 2: gluepost monitors, which is interesting because obviously Secretary Kennedy, that's 145 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:24,960 Speaker 2: one of his big pushes is for people to have 146 00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:29,239 Speaker 2: these glucost monitors. And I think, you know, I've heard 147 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:33,120 Speaker 2: that she practiced functional medicine, which is kind of a 148 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:36,920 Speaker 2: yeah exactly that he made a face for people who 149 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:39,360 Speaker 2: are listening. He made a face, And the thing is, 150 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 2: I make the same face because I'm like, I don't 151 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:43,400 Speaker 2: know what that means. I think that means that you 152 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:47,280 Speaker 2: focus on metabolic health. But you know, it wasn't that 153 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:49,520 Speaker 2: she you know, completed a residency and then did a 154 00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:51,200 Speaker 2: fellowship or advanced training in this. 155 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:54,440 Speaker 1: I think she just I don't know. I actually don't 156 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:55,200 Speaker 1: know what that means. 157 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:57,960 Speaker 2: And she doesn't have an active medical license right now, 158 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:00,320 Speaker 2: so she's certainly not seeing patients right now, and I 159 00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:02,880 Speaker 2: don't know when the last time she was, and I 160 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:05,960 Speaker 2: actually don't know if she ever really saw and treated 161 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:08,080 Speaker 2: patients outside of residency. 162 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:10,840 Speaker 1: So there's a lot of questions marks for me on there. 163 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:13,119 Speaker 1: It didn't come up as much as you would think. 164 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 3: Does that mean she's not board certified then in anything 165 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 3: with American border medical specialties? 166 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:20,800 Speaker 2: I would say I don't believe so, because she didn't 167 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:21,840 Speaker 2: finish residency. 168 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:24,360 Speaker 3: Yeah, so I don't know. 169 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:26,760 Speaker 1: Again, I am not an expert in her credentials. 170 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:28,680 Speaker 2: I'm surprised it didn't come up as much as you 171 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:31,920 Speaker 2: would have thought, mainly because the doctors on the panel 172 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:36,680 Speaker 2: were Republican and so maybe they were a little lighter 173 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:39,120 Speaker 2: on her. But for me, you know, that's one thing 174 00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:41,640 Speaker 2: that has me kind of scratching my head. There were 175 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:44,120 Speaker 2: some things that did get brought up. Was I guess 176 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:47,000 Speaker 2: she didn't disclose in some of She's an influencer, right, 177 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:50,040 Speaker 2: so she makes money by posting on social media, and 178 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 2: so she didn't disclose that she had financial gains from 179 00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:57,400 Speaker 2: some of her posts. I guess, I mean, I'm not 180 00:08:57,440 --> 00:08:59,440 Speaker 2: an influencer, so I don't really know all that works. 181 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:01,600 Speaker 2: And then they asked her a lot of questions about 182 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:05,360 Speaker 2: the vaccines and birth control, basically about statements that she's 183 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:07,760 Speaker 2: made in the past, which you know, she kind of 184 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:10,240 Speaker 2: did a little bit of an about turn with her 185 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:12,480 Speaker 2: responses in the Senate hearing. So but I think you 186 00:09:12,559 --> 00:09:14,800 Speaker 2: have to do that, right if you're wanting to get confirmed. 187 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:18,720 Speaker 3: Yeah, very interesting. So I've just seen some of those clips, 188 00:09:18,760 --> 00:09:20,520 Speaker 3: so maybe if I get some time, I'll go back 189 00:09:20,559 --> 00:09:24,200 Speaker 3: and watch that. But there's certainly those are notable, notable things. 190 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:27,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, I think it's very likely she will 191 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:27,720 Speaker 1: get confirmed. 192 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:31,000 Speaker 2: Obviously, she has the sport of Secretary Kennedy President Trump, 193 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:34,440 Speaker 2: and she's definitely aligned with the MAHA agenda. I kind 194 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:36,600 Speaker 2: of would have liked to see someone to reach across 195 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:38,719 Speaker 2: the aisle a little bit more, maybe a little bit 196 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:42,160 Speaker 2: less involved with MAHA because public health and as you know, 197 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:44,320 Speaker 2: I mean think about since COVID, I mean, we're at 198 00:09:44,360 --> 00:09:46,280 Speaker 2: an all time low in terms of trust, Like, what 199 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:48,720 Speaker 2: do you think it would take to bring back trust 200 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:50,199 Speaker 2: to the medical establishment? 201 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:53,600 Speaker 3: You know, for me, I think the biggest concern. I mean, 202 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 3: just talk about the COVID vaccine. You know, the research 203 00:09:56,720 --> 00:09:58,480 Speaker 3: was there. It certainly saved a ton of lives if 204 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:01,679 Speaker 3: you had risks, you know, if you elderly population or 205 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:07,200 Speaker 3: or or youth of some you know medical problems, you know, diabetes, asthma, 206 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:11,040 Speaker 3: some specially of the respiratory issues. But I think what 207 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:16,160 Speaker 3: concerned me with the COVID vaccine itself is that I 208 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:18,640 Speaker 3: did feel that they could have been more honest. So 209 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:20,719 Speaker 3: when they came out with their blanket statement, Hey, we 210 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:23,400 Speaker 3: want to immunize everybody. It's going to prevent the spread 211 00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:24,920 Speaker 3: of the disease, and we should give it to all 212 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:29,720 Speaker 3: these kids. You know, I had concerns there that unless 213 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:32,959 Speaker 3: you had really especially in children, it didn't prevent the 214 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:33,760 Speaker 3: spread of disease. 215 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:38,040 Speaker 2: Do you think they knew that the that the transmission 216 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:40,640 Speaker 2: wasn't able to be stopped by the vaccine when they 217 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:42,560 Speaker 2: demanded universally. 218 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:44,840 Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't think they knew that, and so they 219 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:47,880 Speaker 3: shouldn't have come out so hard with that messaging, and 220 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:49,760 Speaker 3: maybe it was the media they just caught onto it 221 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:52,320 Speaker 3: and pushed that narrative, but they really pushed like, you know, 222 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:54,000 Speaker 3: you have to get this, it's going to prevent the 223 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:57,360 Speaker 3: spread of the disease. And it didn't. And you know, 224 00:10:57,440 --> 00:10:59,400 Speaker 3: there's both sides of the debate on that, but what 225 00:10:59,480 --> 00:11:03,520 Speaker 3: it did is that just gave just put fuel on 226 00:11:03,559 --> 00:11:06,000 Speaker 3: the fire for the anti vaxers. So the people that 227 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:09,080 Speaker 3: were looking for a reason to not want vaccines, where 228 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:13,079 Speaker 3: you push all those those crazy you know, autism lengths 229 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:15,320 Speaker 3: and they just work. They're clearly not there. The evidence 230 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:18,320 Speaker 3: does not support that. But if you give you know, 231 00:11:18,480 --> 00:11:22,200 Speaker 3: that population just an inch of like, oh, here's the 232 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:25,160 Speaker 3: government being dishonest. You know the I don't think they 233 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:27,160 Speaker 3: really knew that it wouldn't prevent the spread of the disease. 234 00:11:27,320 --> 00:11:29,400 Speaker 3: When you came out so hard saying hey, you have 235 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:31,679 Speaker 3: to take it to prevent the spread of disease, they 236 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:34,880 Speaker 3: just latch onto that. And now we had five hundred 237 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:37,680 Speaker 3: and six hundred cases of measles in Texas a few 238 00:11:37,679 --> 00:11:41,160 Speaker 3: months ago and we're just what is this to eighteen hundreds, 239 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:43,680 Speaker 3: Like we're going to dial back the clock now on vaccines, 240 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 3: So you know, it's that was my concern. 241 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:50,720 Speaker 1: You're listening to wellness and mass We'll be right back 242 00:11:50,760 --> 00:11:51,120 Speaker 1: with more. 243 00:11:54,520 --> 00:11:56,840 Speaker 2: It's pretty disappointing that we are on the brink of 244 00:11:56,920 --> 00:12:00,000 Speaker 2: losing our eradication status for measles. 245 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:01,160 Speaker 1: It's not just the United States, to. 246 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:03,400 Speaker 2: Be fair, you have Canada, you have some areas in 247 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:06,400 Speaker 2: Europe obviously Mexico and other places that are also having 248 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:09,200 Speaker 2: measles outbreaks right now. But I think a lot of 249 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:12,000 Speaker 2: it has to do with you know, we started seeing 250 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:15,320 Speaker 2: a decline in vaccination rates pre COVID like twenty nineteen, 251 00:12:15,320 --> 00:12:17,680 Speaker 2: a little bit of a dip, but since then, obviously 252 00:12:17,679 --> 00:12:20,319 Speaker 2: it's gone down. People like to point fingers saying it's 253 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:23,040 Speaker 2: RFKA junior, but reality is it was happening before then. 254 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:24,880 Speaker 2: It all has to do with the lack of trust, 255 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:27,520 Speaker 2: and I'm one hundred percent with you. They just needed 256 00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:29,720 Speaker 2: to be more transparent when it came to the COVID vaccine. 257 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:32,120 Speaker 2: I was one of the biggest things that people criticize 258 00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:35,200 Speaker 2: me for is they say that, oh, I was a 259 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:38,240 Speaker 2: shot pusher, vaccine pusher, whatever they want to say about 260 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:41,240 Speaker 2: me on social media, And the reality is, yes, I was. 261 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:44,680 Speaker 2: I was reporting on air many times a day, every 262 00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:50,240 Speaker 2: single day since starting January twenty twenty, and when we 263 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:53,560 Speaker 2: had Operation Warp Speed, it was very exciting, like, oh 264 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:55,880 Speaker 2: my gosh, we're potentially going to have a vaccine and 265 00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:58,959 Speaker 2: maybe the hospitals won't be overrun. I think anyone who 266 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:02,360 Speaker 2: didn't work in a hospital during COVID, they they're the 267 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:04,920 Speaker 2: only ones who can say COVID wasn't real. Right all 268 00:13:05,559 --> 00:13:07,960 Speaker 2: actually step foot into the hospital know it was real. 269 00:13:08,360 --> 00:13:11,240 Speaker 3: As an emergency physician, it sucked yourue will to live, 270 00:13:11,679 --> 00:13:14,319 Speaker 3: I'm telling you, just seeing just the fallout of that 271 00:13:15,080 --> 00:13:18,199 Speaker 3: and the patient deaths and the stories. You know, I've 272 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:20,559 Speaker 3: spent time in Australia and New Zealand as well, so 273 00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:24,000 Speaker 3: I did spend some time in Australia during COVID, and 274 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:25,920 Speaker 3: right after I had arrived there, you just hear the 275 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:28,960 Speaker 3: stories in Texas because I was in Texas previously, and 276 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:31,560 Speaker 3: as well as North Carolina where I'm at now, and 277 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:35,280 Speaker 3: I mean just truckloads of bodies just thrown into refrigerated 278 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:38,040 Speaker 3: trucks because they didn't even have place to put them all, 279 00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:42,760 Speaker 3: and just the stories that were coming out, it was, Boy, 280 00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 3: It's something I hoped to never see repeated. They see 281 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:46,720 Speaker 3: it was in one of those one hundred year events 282 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:50,240 Speaker 3: like the Spanish influenza of nineteen eighteen. You know, I've 283 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:52,320 Speaker 3: been perhaps in twenty years. I hope to never see 284 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:53,240 Speaker 3: anything like that again. 285 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:56,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, but it was exciting for the COVID vaccine to 286 00:13:56,440 --> 00:13:58,960 Speaker 2: come out because life as we knew it had really 287 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:03,240 Speaker 2: stopped businesses utter, children were suffering, adults were suffering. It 288 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:05,840 Speaker 2: was I mean, being a coronavirus, you know, I had 289 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:09,120 Speaker 2: my suspicions that it's probably not going to stop transmission, 290 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:11,440 Speaker 2: dead in its track, but they were saying it probably would. 291 00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:14,720 Speaker 2: That's what they were saying was in that short term 292 00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:16,440 Speaker 2: study that it did stop transition. 293 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:19,480 Speaker 3: So and just the conferred immunity. You know, once you 294 00:14:19,640 --> 00:14:22,600 Speaker 3: have a disease, you generally build those antibodies. You know, 295 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:24,520 Speaker 3: early on they were just pushing that, oh, there's no 296 00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:28,640 Speaker 3: confer immunity. And for me, I'm a I'm a biologist. 297 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:31,560 Speaker 3: I have a degree in biology, practice medics for twenty years, 298 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:35,120 Speaker 3: and so you're telling me that in the history of 299 00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:38,000 Speaker 3: disease and the thousands of years of mankind, this is 300 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:40,920 Speaker 3: like the one disease where you don't build some natural 301 00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:44,200 Speaker 3: antibodies to that. And I questioned that early on, but 302 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:47,520 Speaker 3: don't say anything or you get crucial. You know obvious, 303 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:50,360 Speaker 3: we know now, but they were pushing that early on 304 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:53,160 Speaker 3: as well. And you know, just I think people were scared. 305 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:55,760 Speaker 3: They just didn't know what they didn't know. And we 306 00:14:55,880 --> 00:14:59,160 Speaker 3: had not in our lifetimes, had not seen a pandemic 307 00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:01,520 Speaker 3: like this before. So I think everyone was just scared 308 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:03,880 Speaker 3: and fear kind of ruled the day rather than the 309 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:07,680 Speaker 3: actual science. When I went to Australia, I was locked 310 00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:09,440 Speaker 3: in a hotel room for two weeks. 311 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:11,200 Speaker 1: We were very harsh in Australia. 312 00:15:11,240 --> 00:15:13,560 Speaker 3: I mean people are wife in and out of the country. Yeah, 313 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:15,880 Speaker 3: with my wife and three children, we were locked in 314 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:18,480 Speaker 3: a hotel room. As soon as we were checked in. 315 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:21,600 Speaker 3: We couldn't open the door, the windows were bolted shut. 316 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:24,200 Speaker 3: You couldn't even go out on the patio. And we're 317 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:27,000 Speaker 3: up on the seventh or eighth floor, and you know, 318 00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:28,680 Speaker 3: just I'm so, you're getting. 319 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:30,080 Speaker 1: All the circulating air but you can't. 320 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:32,000 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, you can get the circus sare and read 321 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:34,760 Speaker 3: that all over. But what if I stepped outside and 322 00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:38,240 Speaker 3: I coughed and a particle fell on someone's seven floors below, 323 00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:40,720 Speaker 3: and it was just it was so bizarre, just the 324 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:46,320 Speaker 3: complete ignoring like science and germ theory and how everything works. 325 00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:48,239 Speaker 3: I lived it. It was bizarre. 326 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:51,880 Speaker 2: I mean really common sense went out the window. At 327 00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:55,560 Speaker 2: anytime you actually tried to mention common sense things that 328 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:58,520 Speaker 2: we had been taught twenty years ago. They all of 329 00:15:58,560 --> 00:15:59,640 Speaker 2: a sudden you were turning. 330 00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:00,640 Speaker 1: Into a conspira theorists. 331 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:03,080 Speaker 2: And for me, you know the idea of trying to 332 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:05,360 Speaker 2: get back to normalcy with the COVID vaccine, I'm like, yes, 333 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:06,000 Speaker 2: I'm all for it. 334 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:06,920 Speaker 1: Weight should do it. 335 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:11,080 Speaker 2: Obviously, high risks should do it first, and you know, 336 00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:13,160 Speaker 2: anybody else who wants it should do it. But then 337 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:15,840 Speaker 2: when they started mandating the kids to do it, that 338 00:16:15,960 --> 00:16:17,880 Speaker 2: is when I took a pause. Being a mother of three, 339 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:21,000 Speaker 2: I had concerns because of the sense that one we 340 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:26,400 Speaker 2: already knew overwhelmingly that healthy kids were extremely low risk, 341 00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:29,640 Speaker 2: but we were also seeing those cases of misc in kids, 342 00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:33,400 Speaker 2: which was that the inflammatory response from the virus. And 343 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:36,640 Speaker 2: my concern was, if kids are getting this weird inflammatory 344 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:39,320 Speaker 2: response from the virus, we're now going to give them 345 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:42,440 Speaker 2: a dose that's higher than the virus in this vaccine. 346 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:45,080 Speaker 2: Are they going to get an even higher inflammatory response 347 00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:47,320 Speaker 2: to the vaccine? I wrote about it a lot, I 348 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:49,960 Speaker 2: talked to a lot of people about it, and everyone 349 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:52,840 Speaker 2: really kind of just kept saying, no, we're not saying this, 350 00:16:53,160 --> 00:16:55,880 Speaker 2: there's no evidence to suggest this, and so then I 351 00:16:55,920 --> 00:16:58,880 Speaker 2: started saying, I am not for this, and then I 352 00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:02,440 Speaker 2: turned into typevaxer. So half of the population we're like, 353 00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:05,040 Speaker 2: you're pushing the clot shot as people like to call it, 354 00:17:05,119 --> 00:17:07,960 Speaker 2: quote unquote, and then another half is like, oh, you're 355 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:08,720 Speaker 2: an anti vaxer. 356 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:11,360 Speaker 1: I'm like, well, I can't be both, so choose. 357 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:15,159 Speaker 3: Yeah. I mean, so in the military population, I'm a 358 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:17,480 Speaker 3: colonel and the Air Force reserves, it was a military commander, 359 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:21,400 Speaker 3: and in young, healthy, twenty year old guys, you see 360 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:26,760 Speaker 3: a six hundred percent increase in like paracatitis, myocarditis. Hmmm. 361 00:17:27,160 --> 00:17:28,840 Speaker 3: I wonder what it could have been, you know, I 362 00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:31,680 Speaker 3: mean there's no doubt, but I mean if you talk 363 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:35,960 Speaker 3: about it, like whoa, you know, they want to cucify you, but. 364 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:37,359 Speaker 1: Yeah, talk about it. 365 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:40,200 Speaker 2: Israel even tried to alert us with data early on 366 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:44,720 Speaker 2: about young men, adolescents early twenties, and it was really 367 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:47,639 Speaker 2: pushed aside by our public health officials for months. And 368 00:17:47,920 --> 00:17:49,640 Speaker 2: you know, this isn't necessarily supposed to be a talk 369 00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:53,240 Speaker 2: about COVID and the vaccine, but it's just these moments 370 00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:56,280 Speaker 2: are what took us so far away from being trusted 371 00:17:56,320 --> 00:17:59,640 Speaker 2: in the public's eye. And now we have a new administration, 372 00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:01,840 Speaker 2: which I was very happy for because this is an 373 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:06,240 Speaker 2: administration who wanted allowed us to have these conversations. I 374 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:08,720 Speaker 2: wanted to roll back a lot of the mandates. But 375 00:18:08,760 --> 00:18:11,640 Speaker 2: my concern is that we're not necessarily making the moves 376 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:14,480 Speaker 2: to regain public health and we actually may be going 377 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:15,919 Speaker 2: a little farther from that. 378 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:21,040 Speaker 3: Yeah, definitely concerning, and I think you probably saw that reflected. 379 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:24,080 Speaker 3: That's why he didn't talk about that specifically. That's my 380 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:26,600 Speaker 3: feeling in the State of the Union address, and we'll 381 00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:28,720 Speaker 3: kind of see where the administration goes from here. But 382 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:30,919 Speaker 3: I think he senses that as well, and that it 383 00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:31,920 Speaker 3: concerns a lot of people. 384 00:18:32,760 --> 00:18:35,120 Speaker 1: So what is your take, you know, pivoting a little bit, 385 00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:37,840 Speaker 1: We now have Secretary of Hegseth. 386 00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:40,600 Speaker 2: We're kind of coming out of COVID, they're trying to 387 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:43,479 Speaker 2: roll back those mandates. They're paying back people who maybe 388 00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:45,760 Speaker 2: you know, we're removed from the military lost some of 389 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:49,440 Speaker 2: their funding. From like a national security and readiness standpoint, 390 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:52,200 Speaker 2: where do you feel like we're at with recruitment, from 391 00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:55,800 Speaker 2: the health of the military physical health, but also just 392 00:18:55,840 --> 00:18:57,160 Speaker 2: having a robust military. 393 00:18:57,840 --> 00:19:01,159 Speaker 3: So for me, I've always been very support of the 394 00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:06,320 Speaker 3: administration's stance that the military has a terrible, terrible job 395 00:19:06,359 --> 00:19:10,199 Speaker 3: to do, so when we're called on, we unleash lethality. 396 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:13,560 Speaker 3: And I've served in combat. I have carried body bags 397 00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:16,200 Speaker 3: of American heroes and Iraq. In two thousand and seven, 398 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:19,199 Speaker 3: I was there when they were shooting down helicopters. I 399 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:21,680 Speaker 3: arrived the day I landed in theater. They shot down 400 00:19:21,720 --> 00:19:25,520 Speaker 3: one helicopter, one of ours. It was about eight helicopters 401 00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:27,640 Speaker 3: in a two week span. I was there. They killed 402 00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:30,440 Speaker 3: the flight surgeon, Colonel Algod, just before I got there. 403 00:19:31,119 --> 00:19:34,680 Speaker 3: And when you start taking the attention of the military 404 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:38,360 Speaker 3: and putting out things on things that don't really add 405 00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:41,439 Speaker 3: to that ability to deliver lethality and train as a 406 00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:44,439 Speaker 3: military commander, I will tell you that an ordinate amount 407 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:49,919 Speaker 3: of my time was spent on DEI things and CBT 408 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:56,560 Speaker 3: computer based training, and you know, diversity and inclusion they 409 00:19:56,560 --> 00:19:58,840 Speaker 3: can be great things. So that's what I love about America. 410 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:03,960 Speaker 3: My squadron had people from all walks of life, ethnicities, religions, colors, 411 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:07,000 Speaker 3: and just everything. It was wonderful. But when you make 412 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:10,879 Speaker 3: that you're singular focus instead of focusing on the absolute mission. 413 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:14,720 Speaker 3: We did a big exercise in the Pacific Northwest. So 414 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:19,920 Speaker 3: this was CADUSA, so Ultimate Caduceas. This is a big 415 00:20:19,960 --> 00:20:23,560 Speaker 3: military exercise where they are planning on patient movement in 416 00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:28,080 Speaker 3: the Pacific theater. It was clearly in response to military 417 00:20:28,119 --> 00:20:33,600 Speaker 3: aggression of China against Taiwan. And I did an NBC interview. 418 00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:37,720 Speaker 3: This is involving the National Disaster Medical System, the Department 419 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:40,520 Speaker 3: of Defense, the VA, all the civilian hospitals, and this 420 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:44,280 Speaker 3: was at Joint Base Lewis McCord in Seattle, Tacoma area. 421 00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:48,719 Speaker 3: And the night before the interview, during the Biden administration, 422 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:50,679 Speaker 3: I got a list of things that I could not 423 00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:53,359 Speaker 3: talk about, and number one, front and center that this 424 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:56,720 Speaker 3: four page document I kept it. Don't say the word China, 425 00:20:57,240 --> 00:20:58,000 Speaker 3: can't say China. 426 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:00,000 Speaker 1: Who from who did you? 427 00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:02,840 Speaker 3: Yeah? Yeah? So there's Department of Defense and then there's 428 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:06,679 Speaker 3: the Public Affairs who get their marching orders from you 429 00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:09,080 Speaker 3: know whatever mag com who get their orders from. So 430 00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:12,640 Speaker 3: somewhere along the line, the public affairs officer, he sits down, 431 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:15,120 Speaker 3: these are the things I can't talk about, cannot say 432 00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:18,439 Speaker 3: the word China. So sure enough, the very first question 433 00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:22,400 Speaker 3: that the NBC anchor asks is this exercise in response 434 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:26,560 Speaker 3: to Chinese aggression against Taiwan, And in my mind is 435 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:29,760 Speaker 3: just exploding. I'm like, you've got to know, this is 436 00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:32,800 Speaker 3: an annual exercise that we do every year. This year 437 00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:35,479 Speaker 3: just happens to be in the Pacific Theater because we 438 00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:37,960 Speaker 3: were actually assizing all the way from Guam and the 439 00:21:38,119 --> 00:21:41,880 Speaker 3: Okinawa all the way to Seattle and then Elmendorf up 440 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:45,520 Speaker 3: in Alaska, like we actually flew aircraft. We flew aircraft 441 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:48,200 Speaker 3: but simulated patients and then farm them out on helicopters 442 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:52,520 Speaker 3: to Spokane and Boise and very big exercise and just 443 00:21:52,720 --> 00:21:55,280 Speaker 3: don't say the word China. And that concerned me, and 444 00:21:55,359 --> 00:21:58,920 Speaker 3: that knowing what the national security objectives are and what 445 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:01,879 Speaker 3: we were preparing for or but you don't want to 446 00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:04,680 Speaker 3: upset the Chinese, so don't don't say China on National 447 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:08,879 Speaker 3: and TV. And so that that we follow, we follow orders. 448 00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:11,760 Speaker 3: You know, we have a civilian led military. I'm very 449 00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:16,000 Speaker 3: strong believer in that. I had some uh much different 450 00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:19,240 Speaker 3: opinions than leadership at that time, but I followed orders. 451 00:22:19,359 --> 00:22:22,560 Speaker 3: And I'm very happy to see the Trump administration have 452 00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:25,560 Speaker 3: that much different approach in the focus now being put 453 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:27,480 Speaker 3: on the right things, and I think you're seeing that 454 00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:31,119 Speaker 3: reflected in a massive increase in our recruiting. It was 455 00:22:31,359 --> 00:22:33,760 Speaker 3: very very hard to recruit near the Biden administration for 456 00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:35,000 Speaker 3: some very obvious reasons. 457 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:38,760 Speaker 2: More coming up on Wellness Unmasked with doctor Nicole Sapphire 458 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:45,520 Speaker 2: heading into i mean all over the media right now, 459 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:47,720 Speaker 2: is the conflicts going on with Iran. 460 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:48,879 Speaker 1: What is your take on that? 461 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:54,240 Speaker 3: So Iran has been one of our largest national security 462 00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:58,399 Speaker 3: threats for decades, having served in Iraq and then seeing 463 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:03,879 Speaker 3: after the withdrawal in twenty eleven, US going into the 464 00:23:03,880 --> 00:23:07,200 Speaker 3: Middle East and then you disrupt that government, that check 465 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:10,320 Speaker 3: that we had on Iran. Saddam Musain was a very 466 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:14,520 Speaker 3: very bad dude, but taking him down let Iran just 467 00:23:14,600 --> 00:23:17,879 Speaker 3: run completely wild. So we removed more of the big force, 468 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:21,159 Speaker 3: the big check against Iran. And then when we bailed 469 00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:24,600 Speaker 3: in twenty eleven, which I also thought was a mistake, 470 00:23:25,359 --> 00:23:26,800 Speaker 3: when I was there in two thousand and seven. It 471 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:30,320 Speaker 3: was the largest air base and then second in traffic 472 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:35,520 Speaker 3: only to London Heathrow. And you know, you're there to 473 00:23:35,560 --> 00:23:37,000 Speaker 3: take care of the men and women that are serving 474 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:40,160 Speaker 3: this country. Politics aside. We serve for those men and women. 475 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:42,760 Speaker 3: And I carried those body bags. I took care of 476 00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:45,480 Speaker 3: those men and women, those real heroes. And I thought, 477 00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:49,119 Speaker 3: you know, we're going to be here for the long term, 478 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:51,840 Speaker 3: and so keep that check on Iran. And then as 479 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:54,679 Speaker 3: soon as we left in twenty eleven, you had Iran 480 00:23:54,760 --> 00:23:59,000 Speaker 3: come in there and just set up the whole Isis, 481 00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:05,040 Speaker 3: you know, state, and really gave everything exploded, I mean 482 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:08,199 Speaker 3: all the way to like Syria, and and then you 483 00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:11,159 Speaker 3: know what happened in Israel, you know, October seventh and 484 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:13,960 Speaker 3: twenty twenty three. I mean, these cascading effects of just 485 00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:18,240 Speaker 3: bad decisions. So Iran is a very very bad group 486 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:20,959 Speaker 3: of leadership, you know, are the Iranian people are just 487 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:23,680 Speaker 3: no different than anyone else. They want to education, they 488 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:26,200 Speaker 3: want food for their families. But I mean the leadership 489 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:30,200 Speaker 3: there is horrific. They are hell bent on destroying the world, 490 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:33,879 Speaker 3: nuking Israel. You know, you cannot let them have a 491 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:37,480 Speaker 3: nuclear weapon, and if some of these reports are accurate 492 00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:41,240 Speaker 3: that I'm hearing, they may be as little as one 493 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:44,680 Speaker 3: week away from having that ninety percent enriched uranium enough 494 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:45,680 Speaker 3: to have a nuclear weapon. 495 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:50,159 Speaker 1: That creation Midnight Hammer. I mean, we were told that 496 00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:52,080 Speaker 1: that was supposed to have taken most of it out. 497 00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:55,680 Speaker 3: There's conflicting reports there, you know, depending who you talk 498 00:24:55,760 --> 00:24:59,760 Speaker 3: with in the administration, but the most recent reports and 499 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:02,520 Speaker 3: I think why you're seeing these talks that we're having 500 00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:07,040 Speaker 3: right now getting so heated and so focused on if 501 00:25:07,119 --> 00:25:12,600 Speaker 3: they get that capability, you it will be extremely bad. 502 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:14,479 Speaker 3: I don't want to be hyperbolistic, but if they get 503 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:17,680 Speaker 3: a new kid a weapon, I mean, world War III 504 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:20,960 Speaker 3: is going to be it's going to be horrific. Like 505 00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:24,280 Speaker 3: just we can't let it happen under any circumstance, under 506 00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:27,560 Speaker 3: any administration. That cannot happen. So whatever we need to 507 00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:29,719 Speaker 3: do to prevent that is what needs to happen. 508 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:32,879 Speaker 2: Well, I think President Trump, if anyone's going to be 509 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:35,680 Speaker 2: forthcoming with doing what needs to happen there, I. 510 00:25:35,680 --> 00:25:36,880 Speaker 1: Believe it would be him. 511 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:39,440 Speaker 2: So I guess that gives me some sort of piece 512 00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:41,399 Speaker 2: in a very very dangerous time. 513 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:42,879 Speaker 1: Yeah, I wanted to get this in. 514 00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:45,040 Speaker 2: I know you're a very, very busy person, but you 515 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:48,199 Speaker 2: actually wrote a book that was a Pultzer Priye nominated 516 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:51,040 Speaker 2: book obviously is very good and it's turned into something 517 00:25:51,119 --> 00:25:53,280 Speaker 2: even bigger than that now in a children's series. 518 00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:54,639 Speaker 1: Can you just tell us quickly about that. 519 00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:57,880 Speaker 3: Yeah, thank you very much. So my personal leadership ethos 520 00:25:58,040 --> 00:26:00,840 Speaker 3: be the weight behind the spear. That's my call to 521 00:26:00,920 --> 00:26:03,440 Speaker 3: action for people to engage their communities because our best 522 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:07,240 Speaker 3: resource we have in this country, it's teachers, coaches, volunteers, 523 00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:10,560 Speaker 3: and families. That is what sets America upart. And as 524 00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:13,240 Speaker 3: a military commander, as an emergency physician, I had just 525 00:26:13,359 --> 00:26:19,200 Speaker 3: seen an entire generation that lacked leadership skills, They lacked resiliency. 526 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:21,520 Speaker 3: I mean, as an emergency doctor, I see the anxiety, 527 00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:24,240 Speaker 3: the depression of the suicide, and as a military commander, 528 00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:27,119 Speaker 3: just we have a long way to go to teach 529 00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:30,399 Speaker 3: this generation. You know, some of these skills it's really 530 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:32,840 Speaker 3: hard to do when they're twenty years old. So there's 531 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:35,080 Speaker 3: a lot of pushups, and there's a lot of yelling 532 00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:38,880 Speaker 3: and physical fitness, and you just we need to start earlier. 533 00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:42,960 Speaker 3: So getting involved at five six years old, I've now 534 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:45,399 Speaker 3: turned that into a children's book series, the Be the 535 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:48,720 Speaker 3: Weight Series and our first book, The Heart of a Leader. 536 00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:51,959 Speaker 3: But behind me here we've won the Gold Seal from 537 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:55,040 Speaker 3: the Mom's Choice Awards well as well as several other awards. 538 00:26:55,359 --> 00:26:57,880 Speaker 3: But this is how you teach kids about leadership. So 539 00:26:58,240 --> 00:27:00,960 Speaker 3: the next books are going to be a about resiliency 540 00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:04,920 Speaker 3: and just some of those really important skills and accountability. 541 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:06,400 Speaker 3: So when you ask, how do you teach a five 542 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:09,359 Speaker 3: year old these skills, well, we got a fantastic book 543 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:12,760 Speaker 3: with joe Yakivetic, a world renowned illustrator had done a 544 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:17,359 Speaker 3: lot of Disney illustrations Leelo and Stitch and a Little 545 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:20,639 Speaker 3: Mermaid quite legit, so I was very blessed to have 546 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:23,639 Speaker 3: him jump on board, and we're pretty excited about the series. 547 00:27:24,440 --> 00:27:27,560 Speaker 2: Well, I love that maybe fewer drag Queens storytime hours 548 00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:31,200 Speaker 2: at the local libraries and more children's books on resilience. 549 00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:34,960 Speaker 2: Thank you so much, colonel and doctor Josh McConkey, so 550 00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:35,960 Speaker 2: appreciate your time. 551 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:37,080 Speaker 3: Thank you very much. 552 00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:38,879 Speaker 1: Well, we covered a lot. 553 00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:40,399 Speaker 2: There, so let me figure out how I'm going to 554 00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:42,800 Speaker 2: wrap all of that up. First and foremost, I really 555 00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:45,560 Speaker 2: appreciated his insight and time when it came to discussing 556 00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:47,800 Speaker 2: the COVID vaccine and how we just didn't know a 557 00:27:47,840 --> 00:27:50,960 Speaker 2: lot in the beginning. You know I personally, You've heard 558 00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:52,679 Speaker 2: me say it over and over again. I didn't like 559 00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:55,200 Speaker 2: the way it was handled from a public health standpoint. 560 00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:57,919 Speaker 2: I didn't think they were very transparent on things. But 561 00:27:58,000 --> 00:27:59,720 Speaker 2: I don't think a lot of it was nefarious. I 562 00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:04,560 Speaker 2: think it was just rapidly moving information, and while their 563 00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:08,239 Speaker 2: ultimate goal was to save lives, they definitely muddied it 564 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:11,080 Speaker 2: and took us far away from trust in public health. 565 00:28:11,119 --> 00:28:12,600 Speaker 2: It's going to take a really long time to get 566 00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:15,679 Speaker 2: back to it. I have my concerns whether or not 567 00:28:15,880 --> 00:28:18,960 Speaker 2: the MAHA movement is actually helping us regain public trust 568 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:21,639 Speaker 2: or taking us farther away. There are a lot of 569 00:28:21,640 --> 00:28:24,560 Speaker 2: good things coming out of the MAHA movement, also some 570 00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:28,600 Speaker 2: things that are a little frustrating as a physician to watch. 571 00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:31,399 Speaker 2: I also thought it was very interesting to talk about 572 00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:36,480 Speaker 2: military readiness, how the COVID vaccine obviously negatively impacted a 573 00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:39,800 Speaker 2: lot of young healthy men because that's what we like 574 00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:42,400 Speaker 2: to see in the military, and how we had recruitment 575 00:28:42,520 --> 00:28:47,360 Speaker 2: efforts were very hard during the Biden administration. And how 576 00:28:47,360 --> 00:28:49,200 Speaker 2: about that, how about the fact that he was told 577 00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:52,960 Speaker 2: he can't even talk about China when talking about national security. 578 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:54,840 Speaker 1: I mean that's concerning. 579 00:28:54,960 --> 00:28:57,440 Speaker 2: I'm glad that we find ourselves now where we're able 580 00:28:57,480 --> 00:29:00,560 Speaker 2: to be more transparent and we are not afraid to 581 00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:04,120 Speaker 2: talk about some of our foes across the world and 582 00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:06,680 Speaker 2: have a little bit more of an American. 583 00:29:06,280 --> 00:29:08,960 Speaker 1: First in mentality. Whether we're talking about our physical health, 584 00:29:09,200 --> 00:29:13,000 Speaker 1: mental health, or national security, everything is aligned. Thank you 585 00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:15,040 Speaker 1: so much for listening to Wellness on MASS. I'm doctor 586 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:15,880 Speaker 1: Nicole Saffire. 587 00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:18,240 Speaker 2: Be sure to tune in every week to Wellness on 588 00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:22,160 Speaker 2: Mass on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts, 589 00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:23,040 Speaker 2: and we'll see you next time.