Podcasts about drug abuse

We discuss how menopause and andropause can impact our mental health. Thrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to improve in the areas of health, wealth and/or relationships, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help:In the US: Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counseling. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

"Preview: Colleague Salena Zito comments on the tragedy of mental illness without appropriate remedies that show up as random violence as well as homelessness and drug abuse. More" 11930

Lester Kiewit speaks to Marianne Thamm, Associate Editor at Daily Maverick, about the case of missing Joshlin Smith, and how she embodies the plight of far too many children, living in poverty, exposed to drug addicted adults, with no support system or food security.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The following conversation may include topics that some individuals might find distressing or triggering. These topics could include but are not limited to discussions about mental health, trauma, violence, abuse, discrimination, or other sensitive subjects. We aim to create a safe and respectful space for dialogue, but please be aware of your own emotional well-being and boundaries. If at any point you feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed, please prioritize your mental health and consider stepping away from the conversation. Additionally, if you require support or assistance, please reach out to a trusted friend, family member, or mental health professional. By continuing with this conversation, you acknowledge your understanding of the potential triggering nature of the topics discussed and agree to engage with sensitivity and respect for others.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/2-be-better--5828421/support.

Welcome to the award-winning The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with the people and organizations that make this the most unique area of Texas. This week, Tom welcomes back Abby Filyaw and Phil Taylor from the Hill Country Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Together, they take a deep dive into the pressing issues of alcohol abuse and recovery in the Hill Country. They discuss the continuing prevalence of alcohol abuse, particularly among teenagers, and emphasize the importance of prevention, education, and recovery support services. The discussion highlights the critical role of building individual recovery plans and the need for person-centered care. Additionally, they touch on the importance of forming networks with other healthcare providers to offer comprehensive support to individuals facing substance abuse and mental health challenges. The episode concludes with the introduction of the Recovery Bill of Rights, which advocates for the dignity and respect of individuals in recovery. Key highlights: Alcohol Abuse and Recovery in 2025 Teenage Alcohol Abuse and Prevention Person-Centered Care in Recovery Mental Health and Substance Use Community and Healthcare Network Recovery Bill of Rights Resources: Check out the Hill Country Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (HCCADA) for further information on services, programs, and resources. Other Hill Country Focused Podcasts Hill Country Authors Podcast Hill Country Artists Podcast Texas Hill Country Podcast Network

Authors Joshua Howe and Alexander Lemons join me to discuss:slow violence vs acute violencecoping with suicidalityThree Eights for scheduling your dayWhy healing is not recoveryHow to find meaning in the meaninglessToxic exposure, trauma and head injuriesWhat's your dream languageBUY WARBODY: https://a.co/d/cL9OeKYThrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to improve in the areas of health, wealth and/or relationships, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help.In the US:Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counselingThe National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:The International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

In this powerful and eye-opening episode, Ugandan icon and mental health advocate Judith Heard joins us for a raw conversation about drug abuse in Uganda — a silent epidemic that is claiming the lives of countless young men and women.We dive deep into the reality of substance abuse, addiction, and the painful journey many youths face, including time in rehab centers and the mental health toll that often goes unnoticed. Judith Heard shares personal insights, real-life stories, and a call to action for society, the media, and policymakers to do more.If you've ever wondered what's really happening behind the scenes in Uganda's youth culture or you care about mental health awareness, drug prevention, and healing communities, this episode is a must-watch.Timestamps0:00 - Intro01:30 I love the name02:30 Wanting to have her on the podcast 04:20 Having her on the podcast 06:00 Being called a socialite 09:00 Meeting Pr.Francis 10:40 People that have transformed their lives11:30 Survived on alcohol and drugs15:17 Moving to Dubai 17:30 Hardest Moments of being sober20:30 Going to parties25:38 Life as a mother 31:00 Galatians 2:2034:40 Drug abuse in Uganda 41:00 The rich vs the Poor on drugs 46:10 Geosteady's drug addiction 54:55 Comprehensive Insurance in Uganda 59:05 Ugandan presenters and MediaSubscribe for more conversations that matterNew episodes every week!#JudithHeard #DrugAbuseUganda #MentalHealthUganda #UgandanYouth #RehabUganda #SubstanceAbuse #UgandaPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #StopDrugAbuse #EmpathyFirst #UgandanStories

Why pain is actually in the BRAIN and how we LEARN to be anxious Today on the Mind Caddie we have a really distinguished guest in the shape of Dr Howard Schubiner He is an internist and the director of the Mind Body Medicine Center at Ascension Providence Hospital in Southfield, Michigan. Dr. Schubiner is a Clinical Professor at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and is a fellow in the American College of Physicians, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. He has authored more than 100 publications in scientific journals and books, and lectures regionally, nationally, and internationally and has consulted for the American Medical Association, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Institute on Mental Health. Dr. Schubiner is the author of three books: Unlearn Your Pain, Unlearn Your Anxiety and Depression, and Hidden From View Why your brain predicts what it needs to do to PROTECT you ALWAYS When you touch a hot stove it is not your finger causing the pain it is your BRAIN What happens when your brain goes into DANGER MODE The triple three that keep the problem in place Focus Fear Fixing The body always heals but our brain can keep producing pain How anxiety can be a learned response to a PERCEIVED danger Why we need to ‘TALK' to our brain to reduce the perception of threat Change the perception of the threat and we change our response to the threat. Such an important episode not just for your golf but your life in general   To find out more about Dr Schubiner go to https://unlearnyourpain.com/ To start your FREE Mind Caddie 7 day trial go to https://www.mindcaddie.golf/ To book your Mind Caddie workshop at your club go to www.themindfactor.com To book your place on the ‘Lost Art of Golf' school get in touch at www.themindfactor.com OFFICIAL BRAND AMBASSADOR : Fenix Apparel and Accessories Co. Ltd. Shop with code : MINDFACTOR10 at checkout for 10% OFF your next order at www.fenixxcell.com @fenixxcell    

Fredric Schiffer is an assistant professor of psychiatry, part-time, at Harvard Medical School and a research associate at McLean Hospital. He has developed a theory of psychology that is the subject of his recent book Goodbye Anxiety, Depression, Addiction, & PTSD: The Life-Changing Science of Dual Brain Psychology. The theory has been studied extensively at Harvard and its support and applications have been articulated in multiple peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Schiffer is also the Founder and CEO of MindLight, LLC which has received 2 SBIR grants from the US National Institute on Drug Abuse. He has a private practice of psychiatry in Newton, Massachusetts, USA Social Media Handles:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.fredschiffer/ Dr.fredschiffer mindDoc7S!   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Fredric-Schiffer-MD/61560456878989/  Twitter: Drfredschiffer  Youtube: @Dr.FredSchiffer  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredric-schiffer/

The following conversation may include topics that some individuals might find distressing or triggering. These topics could include but are not limited to discussions about mental health, trauma, violence, abuse, discrimination, or other sensitive subjects. We aim to create a safe and respectful space for dialogue, but please be aware of your own emotional well-being and boundaries. If at any point you feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed, please prioritize your mental health and consider stepping away from the conversation. Additionally, if you require support or assistance, please reach out to a trusted friend, family member, or mental health professional. By continuing with this conversation, you acknowledge your understanding of the potential triggering nature of the topics discussed and agree to engage with sensitivity and respect for others.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/2-be-better--5828421/support.

Skunckle Phil, everyone's favorite uncle and a medical miracle. He fell into the habit of using every substance under the sun from a young age after his mother walked out on him and his siblings. If you can think of it, chances are he snorted it.Now at 60+ years old he has decided he is breaking the habit once and for all. With the help of his ever supportive wife and some good friends Phil is now clean and no longer using any harddrugs whatsoever.Topics discussed:how Phil got startedoverdosing on hard-drugshe dangers of prescription drugsand much more!Visit our sponsor ShopReclaimRepurpose:https://shopreclaimrepurpose.etsy.com?coupon=STIJNFAWKESTAFLPodcast recorded with Riverside Studios:https://www.riverside.fm/?via=stijnfawkesMusic used:Intro: Runes of the Ancients by Queen of blades -- https://www.bandlab.com/roamingdarkness_Outro: Viking/Medieval Theme by M-Murray -- https://freesound.org/s/723202/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/greyhorn-pagans-podcast--6047518/support.

Hope can lead to painful disappointment. Fantasizing can prevent us from taking action. How do we bridge the two?Thrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to improve in the areas of health, wealth and/or relationships, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help.In the US:Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counselingThe National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:The International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

About M2 THE ROCK - MICHAEL MOLTHAN:I'm Michael Molthan, host of The M2 The Rock Show—one of the fastest-growing podcasts and shows on self-improvement, mental health, addiction recovery, and spiritual transformation. I'm so grateful you're here.I started M2 The Rock in 2017 to bring you conversations designed to make you happier, healthier, and more healed. Through raw and unfiltered discussions with experts, celebrities, thought leaders, and athletes, we uncover new perspectives on personal growth, recovery, and overcoming life's toughest challenges.My Story:What sets my journey apart is that there wasn't just one rock bottom—there were many. From being a successful luxury homebuilder to falling into addiction, homelessness, crime, and eventually 27 mugshots and prison, my life was in absolute chaos.Addiction was my temporary escape from childhood trauma, but it only led to destruction.It wasn't until I hit the lowest point imaginable that I finally found true freedom, redemption, and purpose. After an unexpected early release from prison in 2017, I walked 300 miles back to Dallas to turn myself in—only to be miraculously pardoned and told to “pay it forward.”And that's exactly what I've been doing ever since.My MissionI believe that rock bottom is not the end—it's a stepping stone to something greater.My goal is to redefine what "rock bottom" means by helping others rebuild their Spirit, Mind, and Body. On M2 The Rock, I speak openly about trauma, addiction, recovery, and the power of transformation. I don't shy away from topics like:✅ Trauma & Addiction – Understanding the root causes✅ Self-Sabotage & Mental Health – Breaking negative cycles✅ Codependency & Enabling – How relationships impact recovery✅ 12-Step Programs & Spiritual Healing – Finding true freedom✅ Religious Trauma & Personal Growth – Healing from past wounds"Everyone Is An Addict."Whether it's substances, work, validation, or negative thinking, we all have something we struggle with.But recovery is possible, and transformation is real.

Presented by Men Of Valor. To learn more or volunteer: men-of-valor.org This episode is brought to you by SageSpring Wealth Partners. At SageSpring Wealth Partners, "You invest in your future. We invest in you.": sagespring.com 

The Hidden Dangers of Modern Marijuana: A Deep DiveIn this episode of Clearing the Haze, host Chuck Marty explores the alarming new findings on the health risks associated with modern marijuana use, particularly among individuals under 50. Emerging research indicates a significantly higher risk of heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and cardiovascular death among cannabis users. The episode also delves into marijuana's impact on mental health, highlighting its potential connection to schizophrenia and psychosis. Real-life stories and scientific studies underscore the serious, often overlooked, dangers of marijuana, making a strong case for increased awareness and education on this widely accepted substance.00:00 Introduction to Modern Marijuana Risks00:58 Marijuana and Cardiovascular Health02:47 Real-Life Impact Story: Jake's Heart Attack03:30 Marijuana and Mental Health05:13 Seizures and Overdoses: The Unspoken Risks06:20 Final Thoughts and Precautions06:55 Conclusion and ReferencesReferencesDenver7 News. "Marijuana users under age 50 are six times more likely to have a heart attack, study finds."National Institute on Drug Abuse. "Young men at highest risk of schizophrenia linked with cannabis use disorder."Healthline. "Cannabis Users Under 50 Are 6 Times More Likely to Have a Heart Attack." 

We discuss why we need first, second, third and fourth responders as part of our mental health team. Thrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to improve in the areas of health, wealth and/or relationships, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help.In the US:Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counselingThe National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:The International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

Journalists from around the state discuss the news of the week with host Bill Bryant, including activity in the General Assembly as the session winds down. Guests: Alex Acquisto, Lexington Herald-Leader; Hannah Pinski, Louisville Courier Journal; and Sarah Ladd, Kentucky Lantern.

As more states legalize marijuana, its use is becoming increasingly normalized—even among teenagers. According to the latest data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, one in four high school seniors reported using cannabis in the past year. But on today's episode of Grieving Out Loud, a grieving mother is warning others about the risks.Laura Stack wasn't overly concerned when her 14-year-old son admitted to trying marijuana at a party. But what started as experimentation quickly spiraled into addiction. Laura believes cannabis-induced psychosis played a devastating role in her son's death, and now she's on a mission to educate others. Through her nonprofit, Johnny's Ambassadors, she's raising awareness about the dangers of high-potency marijuana and its impact on young minds.In this emotional episode, hear Laura's heartbreaking story and the urgent message she wants every parent to know. Plus, an addiction medicine doctor weighs in on why he believes marijuana is a gateway drug and how it affects the developing brain.Help is available: https://emilyshope.charity/help/If you liked this episode, listen to this one next: Grief, marijuana, and addiction: A conversation about cannabis use disorderCannabis-related news: Adolescents who use cannabis are at higher risk of psychotic disorders, according to new researchTeens more prone to cannabis use disorder than adults, new study findsMarijuana gummies hospitalize 11 New York middle schoolersLargest study on cannabis and brain function finds long-term impact on memorySend us a textThe Emily's Hope Substance Use Prevention Curriculum has been carefully designed to address growing concerns surrounding substance use and overdose in our communities. Our curriculum focuses on age-appropriate and evidence-based content that educates children about the risks of substance use while empowering them to make healthy choices. Support the showConnect with Angela Follow Grieving Out Loud Follow Emily's Hope Read Angela's Blog Subscribe to Grieving Out Loud/Emily's Hope Updates Suggest a Guest For more episodes and information, just go to our website, emilyshope.charityWishing you faith, hope and courage!Podcast producers:Casey Wonnenberg King & Marley Miller

The idea of the “lone wolf” and the “alpha” is often misunderstood—both in nature and in life. In this episode, we explore how isolation, perception, and disconnection shape our struggles, why most suicides come down to mistakes or misunderstandings, and how we can shift our perspective to stay connected, even in the darkest moments.Thrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to improve in the areas of health, wealth and/or relationships, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help.In the US:Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counselingThe National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:The International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

Have a comment or question? Click this sentence to send us a message, and we might answer it in a future episode.Welcome to Season 5, Episode 10 of Winning Isn't Easy. In this episode, we'll dive into the complicated topic of "Conditions That Might Be Subject to Term Limitations or Exclusions – Understanding Them, and Why."Join attorney Nancy L. Cavey, a leading expert in disability claims, for an insightful discussion on medical conditions that may be subject to term limitations or exclusions. Many prospective disability applicants believe that if they have a medical condition and a doctor confirms they are disabled, they have an open-and-shut case. Unfortunately, this is often not the case - particularly when the disability is mental in nature, or when a physical disability is partially linked to a mental health condition. In today's session, Nancy L. Cavey will explore a range of medical conditions that could be subject to these limitations or exclusions and explain why.In this episode, we'll cover the following topics:One - Drug Addiction / Substance Abuse and Your ERISA Disability ClaimTwo - Alzheimer's Disease and Your ERISA Disability Insurance ClaimThree - Gender Dysphoria and Your ERISA Disability Insurance ClaimWhether you're a claimant, or simply seeking valuable insights into the disability claims landscape, this episode provides essential guidance to help you succeed in your journey. Don't miss it.Listen to Our Sister Podcast:We have a sister podcast - Winning Isn't Easy: Navigating Your Social Security Disability Claim. Give it a listen: https://wiessdpodcast.buzzsprout.com/Resources Mentioned in This Episode:LINK TO ROBBED OF YOUR PEACE OF MIND: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/ltd-robbed-of-your-piece-of-mindLINK TO THE DISABILITY INSURANCE CLAIM SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR PROFESSIONALS: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/professionals-guide-to-ltd-benefitsFREE CONSULT LINK: https://caveylaw.com/contact-us/Need Help Today?:Need help with your Long-Term Disability or ERISA claim? Have questions? Please feel welcome to reach out to use for a FREE consultation. Just mention you listened to our podcast.Review, like, and give us a thumbs up wherever you are listening to Winning Isn't Easy. We love to see your feedback about our podcast, and it helps us grow and improve.Please remember that the content shared is for informational purposes only, and should not replace personalized legal advice or guidance from qualified professionals.

Mark Schorr LPC, joins us to discusswhy relationship crisis is strongest motivator for suicidalitydifferences between feeling helpless, worthless and hopelessmyth about suicides in winterwhat's most important part of treating someone with suicidalitywhat is "tragic optimism" how TIPP pulls us out of despairvalue of "planned pleasurable events" Thrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to improve in the areas of health, wealth and/or relationships, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help.In the US:Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counselingThe National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:The International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

Greg and Edie describe their son's eight-year journey through heroin addiction which impacts the family in profound ways. They describe how it disrupted their lives and how they grappled with the difficult and scary decisions of how much to help. They share the tools they learned that gave them wisdom, health, and peace.    According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 40.3 million people in the United States had a substance abuse disorder in 2020. This means that at least two family members were impacted for a minimum of 80.6 million people whose lives were disrupted. It is more likely a minimum of four people making it a total of 161.2 million people who have been affected by a family member's drug use. Of those 40.3 million people with substance use disorder, only 6.5 percent received treatment.   Their son got clean after many rehabs and 127 changes in where he lived over eight years after finally hitting his bottom. If you have a loved one who is imprisoned by addiction, listen to this story. It will give you experience, strength, and hope for your journey. #addictionrecovery #boundaries #truthinlove #toxicrelationships   Website: https://www.changemyrelationship.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChangeMyRelationship YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@changemyrelationship Watch this video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0ErlNczUBU0

Hey there, and welcome back to Think Thursday from the Alcohol Minimalist Podcast!Today's episode explores why March might actually be a better time to start new habits than January. If you've struggled with keeping those ambitious New Year's resolutions, this might be exactly what you need to hear.What You'll Learn:Why 80% of January 1st resolutions fail—and why it's not your faultThe neuroscience behind habit formation and why timing mattersThe difference between a 31-day challenge (like Dry January) and real, lasting changeHow seasonal shifts in neurochemistry can actually help your motivationThe Fresh Start Effect—and why March, Mondays, and birthdays are prime times for changeScience-Backed Insights:Dr. Nora Volkow (National Institute on Drug Abuse) explains how temporary alcohol breaks reset tolerance but don't rewire drinking habitsDr. Katie Milkman (University of Pennsylvania) on the power of temporal landmarks in goal-settingDr. Trevor Kashi on how sudden transitions (like post-holiday resolutions) can shock our brain's reward systemDr. John Arden on how spring's increasing daylight boosts serotonin levels, naturally improving motivation

Mary Bono has left the halls of Congress, but she's still winning with her efforts to stop the misuse of both prescription and illegal drugs. Bono, co-founder and chair of Mothers for Awareness and Prevention of Drug Abuse, wants to see a focus on solutions from lawmakers. With a greater presence of fentanyl in the drug supply, “everything [has] changed because there's no longer time for experimentation,” Bono says. “‘One pill can kill' is a [Drug Enforcement Administration] slogan, and it's... Read More Read More The post Hon. Mary Bono, Mothers for Awareness and Prevention of Drug Abuse appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Zimbabwe faces a spike in drug use, particularly among youths, with 1 in 30 households affected. Economic struggles and high youth unemployment drive substance abuse. Recent police campaigns have led to arrests and drug hauls, but can Zimbabwe end the drug scourge?

Our anger isn't something to be feared, it's to be alchemized and utilized for a bigger purpose. It's a signal of hurt and unmet needs. Let's explore. Thrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to improve in the areas of health, wealth and/or relationships, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help.In the US:Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counselingThe National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:The International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

Addiction breaks lives, breaks families, and on a mass scale can break societies, but breaking an addiction is quite difficult. There are two main schools of thought for how to help addicted people: Abstinence, or the cessation of drug (or alcohol, or other addictive vice) use, or “harm reduction”—the practice defined by the National Institutes […]

Addiction breaks lives, breaks families, and on a mass scale can break societies, but breaking an addiction is quite difficult. There are two main schools of thought for how to help addicted people: Abstinence, or the cessation of drug (or alcohol, or other addictive vice) use, or “harm reduction”—the practice defined by the National Institutes of Health as “interventions aimed to help people avoid negative effects of drug use.” But is “harm reduction” a good policy and a good use of federal government money? Joining us to discuss his report on harm reduction spending by federal agencies is our colleague Robert Stilson.Links: DOGE and HHS: Harm ReductionBiden Admin To Fund Crack Pipe Distribution To Advance 'Racial Equity'The Weird Ideas and Shoddy Science Behind Free Government Crack PipesOmnibus Spending Bill Includes Ban on Government-Funded Crack PipesInside the East Coast's Largest Open-Air Drug MarketDispensing Drug ParaphernaliaFollow us on our socials: Twitter: @capitalresearchInstagram: @capitalresearchcenterFacebook: www.facebook.com/capitalresearchcenterYouTube: @capitalresearchcenter

Presented by Men Of Valor. To learn more or volunteer: men-of-valor.org This episode is brought to you by Interstate AC, Nashville's Trusted Commercial Experts: interstateac.com 

Dr. Gary Null provides a commentary on "Universal  Healthcare"       Universal Healthcare is the Solution to a Broken Medical System Gary Null, PhD Progressive Radio Network, March 3, 2025 For over 50 years, there has been no concerted or successful effort to bring down medical costs in the American healthcare system. Nor are the federal health agencies making disease prevention a priority. Regardless whether the political left or right sponsors proposals for reform, such measures are repeatedly defeated by both parties in Congress. As a result, the nation's healthcare system remains one of the most expensive and least efficient in the developed world. For the past 30 years, medical bills contributing to personal debt regularly rank among the top three causes of personal bankruptcy. This is a reality that reflects not only the financial strain on ordinary Americans but the systemic failure of the healthcare system itself. The urgent question is: If President Trump and his administration are truly seeking to reduce the nation's $36 trillion deficit, why is there no serious effort to reform the most bloated and corrupt sector of the economy? A key obstacle is the widespread misinformation campaign that falsely claims universal health care would cost an additional $2 trillion annually and further balloon the national debt. However, a more honest assessment reveals the opposite. If the US adopted a universal single-payer system, the nation could actually save up to $20 trillion over the next 10 years rather than add to the deficit. Even with the most ambitious efforts by people like Elon Musk to rein in federal spending or optimize government efficiency, the estimated savings would only amount to $500 billion. This is only a fraction of what could be achieved through comprehensive healthcare reform alone. Healthcare is the largest single expenditure of the federal budget. A careful examination of where the $5 trillion spent annually on healthcare actually goes reveals massive systemic fraud and inefficiency. Aside from emergency medicine, which accounts for only 10-12 percent of total healthcare expenditures, the bulk of this spending does not deliver better health outcomes nor reduce trends in physical and mental illness. Applying Ockham's Razor, the principle that the simplest solution is often the best, the obvious conclusion is that America's astronomical healthcare costs are the direct result of price gouging on an unimaginable scale. For example, in most small businesses, profit margins range between 1.6 and 2.5 percent, such as in grocery retail. Yet the pharmaceutical industrial complex routinely operates on markup rates as high as 150,000 percent for many prescription drugs. The chart below highlights the astronomical gap between the retail price of some top-selling patented pharmaceutical medications and their generic equivalents. Drug Condition Patent Price (per unit) Generic Price Estimated Manufacture Cost Markup Source Insulin (Humalog) Diabetes $300 $30 $3 10,000% Rand (2021) EpiPen Allergic reactions $600 $30 $10 6,000% BMJ (2022) Daraprim Toxoplasmosis $750/pill $2 $0.50 150,000% JAMA (2019) Harvoni Hepatitis C $94,500 (12 weeks) $30,000 $200 47,000% WHO Report (2018) Lipitor Cholesterol $150 $10 $0.50 29,900% Health Affairs (2020) Xarelto Blood Thinner $450 $25 $1.50 30,000% NEJM (2020) Abilify Schizophrenia $800 (30 tablets) $15 $2 39,900% AJMC (2019) Revlimid Cancer $16,000/mo $450 $150 10,500% Kaiser Health News (2021) Humira Arthritis $2,984/dose $400 $50 5,868% Rand (2021) Sovaldi Hepatitis C $1,000/pill $10 $2 49,900% JAMA (2021) Xolair Asthma $2,400/dose $300 $50 4,800% NEJM (2020) Gleevec Leukemia $10,000/mo $350 $200 4,900% Harvard Public Health Review (2020) OxyContin Pain Relief $600 (30 tablets) $15 $0.50 119,900% BMJ (2022) Remdesivir Covid-19 $3,120 (5 doses) N/A $10 31,100% The Lancet (2020) The corruption extends far beyond price gouging. Many pharmaceutical companies convince federal health agencies to fund their basic research and drug development with taxpayer dollars. Yet when these companies bring successful products to market, the profits are kept entirely by the corporations or shared with the agencies or groups of government scientists. On the other hand, the public, who funded the research, receives no financial return. This amounts to a systemic betrayal of the public trust on a scale of hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Another significant contributor to rising healthcare costs is the widespread practice of defensive medicine that is driven by the constant threat of litigation. Over the past 40 years, defensive medicine has become a cottage industry. Physicians order excessive diagnostic tests and unnecessary treatments simply to protect themselves from lawsuits. Study after study has shown that these over-performed procedures not only inflate costs but lead to iatrogenesis or medical injury and death caused by the medical  system and practices itself. The solution is simple: adopting no-fault healthcare coverage for everyone where patients receive care without needing to sue and thereby freeing doctors from the burden of excessive malpractice insurance. A single-payer universal healthcare system could fundamentally transform the entire industry by capping profits at every level — from drug manufacturers to hospitals to medical equipment suppliers. The Department of Health and Human Services would have the authority to set profit margins for medical procedures. This would ensure that healthcare is determined by outcomes, not profits. Additionally, the growing influence of private equity firms and vulture capitalists buying up hospitals and medical clinics across America must be reined in. These equity firms prioritize profit extraction over improving the quality of care. They often slash staff, raise prices, and dictate medical procedures based on what will yield the highest returns. Another vital reform would be to provide free medical education for doctors and nurses in exchange for five years of service under the universal system. Medical professionals would earn a realistic salary cap to prevent them from being lured into equity partnerships or charging exorbitant rates. The biggest single expense in the current system, however, is the private health insurance industry, which consumes 33 percent of the $5 trillion healthcare budget. Health insurance CEOs consistently rank among the highest-paid executives in the country. Their companies, who are nothing more than bean counters, decide what procedures and drugs will be covered, partially covered, or denied altogether. This entire industry is designed to place profits above patients' lives. If the US dismantled its existing insurance-based system and replaced it with a fully reformed national healthcare model, the country could save $2.7 trillion annually while simultaneously improving health outcomes. Over the course of 10 years, those savings would amount to $27 trillion. This could wipe out nearly the entire national debt in a short time. This solution has been available for decades but has been systematically blocked by corporate lobbying and bipartisan corruption in Washington. The path forward is clear but only if American citizens demand a system where healthcare is valued as a public service and not a commodity. The national healthcare crisis is not just a fiscal issue. It is a crucial moral failure of the highest order. With the right reforms, the nation could simultaneously restore its financial health and deliver the kind of healthcare system its citizens have long deserved. American Healthcare: Corrupt, Broken and Lethal Richard Gale and Gary Null Progressive Radio Network, March 3, 2025 For a nation that prides itself on being the world's wealthiest, most innovative and technologically advanced, the US' healthcare system is nothing less than a disaster and disgrace. Not only are Americans the least healthy among the most developed nations, but the US' health system ranks dead last among high-income countries. Despite rising costs and our unshakeable faith in American medical exceptionalism, average life expectancy in the US has remained lower than other OECD nations for many years and continues to decline. The United Nations recognizes healthcare as a human right. In 2018, former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon denounced the American healthcare system as "politically and morally wrong." During the pandemic it is estimated that two to three years was lost on average life expectancy. On the other hand, before the Covid-19 pandemic, countries with universal healthcare coverage found their average life expectancy stable or slowly increasing. The fundamental problem in the U.S. is that politics have been far too beholden to the pharmaceutical, HMO and private insurance industries. Neither party has made any concerted effort to reign in the corruption of corporate campaign funding and do what is sensible, financially feasible and morally correct to improve Americans' quality of health and well-being.   The fact that our healthcare system is horribly broken is proof that moneyed interests have become so powerful to keep single-payer debate out of the media spotlight and censored. Poll after poll shows that the American public favors the expansion of public health coverage. Other incremental proposals, including Medicare and Medicaid buy-in plans, are also widely preferred to the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare mess we are currently stuck with.   It is not difficult to understand how the dismal state of American medicine is the result of a system that has been sold out to the free-market and the bottom line interests of drug makers and an inflated private insurance industry. How advanced and ethically sound can a healthcare system be if tens of millions of people have no access to medical care because it is financially out of their reach?  The figures speak for themselves. The U.S. is burdened with a $41 trillion Medicare liability. The number of uninsured has declined during the past several years but still lingers around 25 million. An additional 30-35 million are underinsured. There are currently 65 million Medicare enrollees and 89 million Medicaid recipients. This is an extremely unhealthy snapshot of the country's ability to provide affordable healthcare and it is certainly unsustainable. The system is a public economic failure, benefiting no one except the large and increasingly consolidated insurance and pharmaceutical firms at the top that supervise the racket.   Our political parties have wrestled with single-payer or universal healthcare for decades. Obama ran his first 2008 presidential campaign on a single-payer platform. Since 1985, his campaign health adviser, the late Dr. Quentin Young from the University of Illinois Medical School, was one of the nation's leading voices calling for universal health coverage.  During a private conversation with Dr. Young shortly before his passing in 2016, he conveyed his sense of betrayal at the hands of the Obama administration. Dr. Young was in his 80s when he joined the Obama campaign team to help lead the young Senator to victory on a promise that America would finally catch up with other nations. The doctor sounded defeated. He shared how he was manipulated, and that Obama held no sincere intention to make universal healthcare a part of his administration's agenda. During the closed-door negotiations, which spawned the weak and compromised Affordable Care Act, Dr. Young was neither consulted nor invited to participate. In fact, he told us that he never heard from Obama again after his White House victory.   Past efforts to even raise the issue have been viciously attacked. A huge army of private interests is determined to keep the public enslaved to private insurers and high medical costs. The failure of our healthcare is in no small measure due to it being a fully for-profit operation. Last year, private health insurance accounted for 65 percent of coverage. Consider that there are over 900 private insurance companies in the US. National Health Expenditures (NHE) grew to $4.5 trillion in 2022, which was 17.3 percent of GDP. Older corporate rank-and-file Democrats and Republicans argue that a single-payer or socialized medical program is unaffordable. However, not only is single-payer affordable, it will end bankruptcies due to unpayable medical debt. In addition, universal healthcare, structured on a preventative model, will reduce disease rates at the outset.    Corporate Democrats argue that Obama's Affordable Care Act (ACA) was a positive step inching the country towards complete public coverage. However, aside from providing coverage to the poorest of Americans, Obamacare turned into another financial anchor around the necks of millions more. According to the health policy research group KFF, the average annual health insurance premium for single coverage is $8,400 and almost $24,000 for a family. In addition, patient out-of-pocket costs continue to increase, a 6.6% increase to $471 billion in 2022. Rather than healthcare spending falling, it has exploded, and the Trump and Biden administrations made matters worse.    Clearly, a universal healthcare program will require flipping the script on the entire private insurance industry, which employed over half a million people last year.  Obviously, the most volatile debate concerning a national universal healthcare system concerns cost. Although there is already a socialized healthcare system in place -- every federal legislator, bureaucrat, government employee and veteran benefits from it -- fiscal Republican conservatives and groups such as the Koch Brothers network are single-mindedly dedicated to preventing the expansion of Medicare and Medicaid. A Koch-funded Mercatus analysis made the outrageous claim that a single-payer system would increase federal health spending by $32 trillion in ten years. However, analyses and reviews by the Congressional Budget Office in the early 1990s concluded that such a system would only increase spending at the start; enormous savings would quickly offset it as the years pass. In one analysis, "the savings in administrative costs [10 percent of health spending] would be more than enough to offset the expense of universal coverage."    Defenders of those advocating for funding a National Health Program argue this can primarily be accomplished by raising taxes to levels comparable to other developed nations. This was a platform Senator Bernie Sanders and some of the younger progressive Democrats in the House campaigned on. The strategy was to tax the highest multimillion-dollar earners 60-70 percent. Despite the outrage of its critics, including old rank-and-file multi-millionaire Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, this is still far less than in the past. During the Korean War, the top tax rate was 91 percent; it declined to 70 percent in the late 1960s. Throughout most of the 1970s, those in the lowest income bracket were taxed at 14 percent. We are not advocating for this strategy because it ignores where the funding is going, and the corruption in the system that is contributing to exorbitant waste.    But Democratic supporters of the ACA who oppose a universal healthcare plan ignore the additional taxes Obama levied to pay for the program. These included surtaxes on investment income, Medicare taxes from those earning over $200,000, taxes on tanning services, an excise tax on medical equipment, and a 40 percent tax on health coverage for costs over the designated cap that applied to flexible savings and health savings accounts. The entire ACA was reckless, sloppy and unnecessarily complicated from the start.    The fact that Obamacare further strengthened the distinctions between two parallel systems -- federal and private -- with entirely different economic structures created a labyrinth of red tape, rules, and wasteful bureaucracy. Since the ACA went into effect, over 150 new boards, agencies and programs have had to be established to monitor its 2,700 pages of gibberish. A federal single-payer system would easily eliminate this bureaucracy and waste.    A medical New Deal to establish universal healthcare coverage is a decisive step in the correct direction. But we must look at the crisis holistically and in a systematic way. Simply shuffling private insurance into a federal Medicare-for-all or buy-in program, funded by taxing the wealthiest of citizens, would only temporarily reduce costs. It will neither curtail nor slash escalating disease rates e. Any effective healthcare reform must also tackle the underlying reasons for Americans' poor state of health. We cannot shy away from examining the social illnesses infecting our entire free-market capitalist culture and its addiction to deregulation. A viable healthcare model would have to structurally transform how the medical economy operates. Finally, a successful medical New Deal must honestly evaluate the best and most reliable scientific evidence in order to effectively redirect public health spending.    For example, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a former Obama healthcare adviser, observed that AIDS-HIV measures consume the most public health spending, even though the disease "ranked 75th on the list of diseases by personal health expenditures." On the other hand, according to the American Medical Association, a large percentage of the nation's $3.4 trillion healthcare spending goes towards treating preventable diseases, notably diabetes, common forms of heart disease, and back and neck pain conditions. In 2016, these three conditions were the most costly and accounted for approximately $277 billion in spending. Last year, the CDC announced the autism rate is now 1 in 36 children compared to 1 in 44 two years ago. A retracted study by Mark Blaxill, an autism activist at the Holland Center and a friend of the authors, estimates that ASD costs will reach $589 billion annually by 2030. There are no signs that this alarming trend will reverse and decline; and yet, our entire federal health system has failed to conscientiously investigate the underlying causes of this epidemic. All explanations that might interfere with the pharmaceutical industry's unchecked growth, such as over-vaccination, are ignored and viciously discredited without any sound scientific evidence. Therefore, a proper medical New Deal will require a systemic overhaul and reform of our federal health agencies, especially the HHS, CDC and FDA. Only the Robert Kennedy Jr presidential campaign is even addressing the crisis and has an inexpensive and comprehensive plan to deal with it. For any medical revolution to succeed in advancing universal healthcare, the plan must prioritize spending in a manner that serves public health and not private interests. It will also require reshuffling private corporate interests and their lobbyists to the sidelines, away from any strategic planning, in order to break up the private interests' control over federal agencies and its revolving door policies. Aside from those who benefit from this medical corruption, the overwhelming majority of Americans would agree with this criticism. However, there is a complete lack of national trust that our legislators, including the so-called progressives, would be willing to undertake such actions.    In addition, America's healthcare system ignores the single most critical initiative to reduce costs - that is, preventative efforts and programs instead of deregulation and closing loopholes designed to protect the drug and insurance industries' bottom line. Prevention can begin with banning toxic chemicals that are proven health hazards associated with current disease epidemics, and it can begin by removing a 1,000-plus toxins already banned in Europe. This should be a no-brainer for any legislator who cares for public health. For example, Stacy Malkan, co-founder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, notes that "the policy approach in the US and Europe is dramatically different" when it comes to chemical allowances in cosmetic products. Whereas the EU has banned 1,328 toxic substances from the cosmetic industry alone, the US has banned only 11. The US continues to allow carcinogenic formaldehyde, petroleum, forever chemicals, many parabens (an estrogen mimicker and endocrine hormone destroyer), the highly allergenic p-phenylenediamine or PBD, triclosan, which has been associated with the rise in antibiotic resistant bacteria, avobenzone, and many others to be used in cosmetics, sunscreens, shampoo and hair dyes.   Next, the food Americans consume can be reevaluated for its health benefits. There should be no hesitation to tax the unhealthiest foods, such as commercial junk food, sodas and candy relying on high fructose corn syrup, products that contain ingredients proven to be toxic, and meat products laden with dangerous chemicals including growth hormones and antibiotics. The scientific evidence that the average American diet is contributing to rising disease trends is indisputable. We could also implement additional taxes on the public advertising of these demonstrably unhealthy products. All such tax revenue would accrue to a national universal health program to offset medical expenditures associated with the very illnesses linked to these products. Although such tax measures would help pay for a new medical New Deal, it may be combined with programs to educate the public about healthy nutrition if it is to produce a reduction in the most common preventable diseases. In fact, comprehensive nutrition courses in medical schools should be mandatory because the average physician receives no education in this crucial subject.  In addition, preventative health education should be mandatory throughout public school systems.   Private insurers force hospitals, clinics and private physicians into financial corners, and this is contributing to prodigious waste in money and resources. Annually, healthcare spending towards medical liability insurance costs tens of billions of dollars. In particular, this economic burden has taxed small clinics and physicians. It is well past the time that physician liability insurance is replaced with no-fault options. Today's doctors are spending an inordinate amount of money to protect themselves. Legions of liability and trial lawyers seek big paydays for themselves stemming from physician error. This has created a culture of fear among doctors and hospitals, resulting in the overly cautious practice of defensive medicine, driving up costs and insurance premiums just to avoid lawsuits. Doctors are forced to order unnecessary tests and prescribe more medications and medical procedures just to cover their backsides. No-fault insurance is a common-sense plan that enables physicians to pursue their profession in a manner that will reduce iatrogenic injuries and costs. Individual cases requiring additional medical intervention and loss of income would still be compensated. This would generate huge savings.    No other nation suffers from the scourge of excessive drug price gouging like the US. After many years of haggling to lower prices and increase access to generic drugs, only a minute amount of progress has been made in recent years. A 60 Minutes feature about the Affordable Care Act reported an "orgy of lobbying and backroom deals in which just about everyone with a stake in the $3-trillion-a-year health industry came out ahead—except the taxpayers.” For example, Life Extension magazine reported that an antiviral cream (acyclovir), which had lost its patent protection, "was being sold to pharmacies for 7,500% over the active ingredient cost. The active ingredient (acyclovir) costs only 8 pennies, yet pharmacies are paying a generic maker $600 for this drug and selling it to consumers for around $700." Other examples include the antibiotic Doxycycline. The price per pill averages 7 cents to $3.36 but has a 5,300 percent markup when it reaches the consumer. The antidepressant Clomipramine is marked up 3,780 percent, and the anti-hypertensive drug Captopril's mark-up is 2,850 percent. And these are generic drugs!    Medication costs need to be dramatically cut to allow drug manufacturers a reasonable but not obscene profit margin. By capping profits approximately 100 percent above all costs, we would save our system hundreds of billions of dollars. Such a measure would also extirpate the growing corporate misdemeanors of pricing fraud, which forces patients to pay out-of-pocket in order to make up for the costs insurers are unwilling to pay.    Finally, we can acknowledge that our healthcare is fundamentally a despotic rationing system based upon high insurance costs vis-a-vis a toss of the dice to determine where a person sits on the economic ladder. For the past three decades it has contributed to inequality. The present insurance-based economic metrics cast millions of Americans out of coverage because private insurance costs are beyond their means. Uwe Reinhardt, a Princeton University political economist, has called our system "brutal" because it "rations [people] out of the system." He defined rationing as "withholding something from someone that is beneficial." Discriminatory healthcare rationing now affects upwards to 60 million people who have been either priced out of the system or under insured. They make too much to qualify for Medicare under Obamacare, yet earn far too little to afford private insurance costs and premiums. In the final analysis, the entire system is discriminatory and predatory.    However, we must be realistic. Almost every member of Congress has benefited from Big Pharma and private insurance lobbyists. The only way to begin to bring our healthcare program up to the level of a truly developed nation is to remove the drug industry's rampant and unnecessary profiteering from the equation.     How did Fauci memory-hole a cure for AIDS and get away with it?   By Helen Buyniski   Over 700,000 Americans have died of AIDS since 1981, with the disease claiming some 42.3 million victims worldwide. While an HIV diagnosis is no longer considered a certain death sentence, the disease looms large in the public imagination and in public health funding, with contemporary treatments running into thousands of dollars per patient annually.   But was there a cure for AIDS all this time - an affordable and safe treatment that was ruthlessly suppressed and attacked by the US public health bureaucracy and its agents? Could this have saved millions of lives and billions of dollars spent on AZT, ddI and failed HIV vaccine trials? What could possibly justify the decision to disappear a safe and effective approach down the memory hole?   The inventor of the cure, Gary Null, already had several decades of experience creating healing protocols for physicians to help patients not responding well to conventional treatments by the time AIDS was officially defined in 1981. Null, a registered dietitian and board-certified nutritionist with a PhD in human nutrition and public health science, was a senior research fellow and Director of Anti-Aging Medicine at the Institute of Applied Biology for 36 years and has published over 950 papers, conducting groundbreaking experiments in reversing biological aging as confirmed with DNA methylation testing. Additionally, Null is a multi-award-winning documentary filmmaker, bestselling author, and investigative journalist whose work exposing crimes against humanity over the last 50 years has highlighted abuses by Big Pharma, the military-industrial complex, the financial industry, and the permanent government stay-behind networks that have come to be known as the Deep State.   Null was contacted in 1974 by Dr. Stephen Caiazza, a physician working with a subculture of gay men in New York living the so-called “fast track” lifestyle, an extreme manifestation of the gay liberation movement that began with the Stonewall riots. Defined by rampant sexual promiscuity and copious use of illegal and prescription drugs, including heavy antibiotic use for a cornucopia of sexually-transmitted diseases, the fast-track never included more than about two percent of gay men, though these dominated many of the bathhouses and clubs that defined gay nightlife in the era. These patients had become seriously ill as a result of their indulgence, generally arriving at the clinic with multiple STDs including cytomegalovirus and several types of herpes and hepatitis, along with candida overgrowth, nutritional deficiencies, gut issues, and recurring pneumonia. Every week for the next 10 years, Null would counsel two or three of these men - a total of 800 patients - on how to detoxify their bodies and de-stress their lives, tracking their progress with Caiazza and the other providers at weekly feedback meetings that he credits with allowing the team to quickly evaluate which treatments were most effective. He observed that it only took about two years on the “fast track” for a healthy young person to begin seeing muscle loss and the recurrent, lingering opportunistic infections that would later come to be associated with AIDS - while those willing to commit to a healthier lifestyle could regain their health in about a year.    It was with this background that Null established the Tri-State Healing Center in Manhattan in 1980, staffing the facility with what would eventually run to 22 certified health professionals to offer safe, natural, and effective low- and no-cost treatments to thousands of patients with HIV and AIDS-defining conditions. Null and his staff used variations of the protocols he had perfected with Caiazza's patients, a multifactorial patient-tailored approach that included high-dose vitamin C drips, intravenous ozone therapy, juicing and nutritional improvements and supplementation, aspects of homeopathy and naturopathy with some Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic practices. Additional services offered on-site included acupuncture and holistic dentistry, while peer support groups were also held at the facility so that patients could find community and a positive environment, healing their minds and spirits while they healed their bodies.   “Instead of trying to kill the virus with antiretroviral pharmaceuticals designed to stop viral replication before it kills patients, we focused on what benefits could be gained by building up the patients' natural immunity and restoring biochemical integrity so the body could fight for itself,” Null wrote in a 2014 article describing the philosophy behind the Center's approach, which was wholly at odds with the pharmaceutical model.1   Patients were comprehensively tested every week, with any “recovery” defined solely by the labs, which documented AIDS patient after patient - 1,200 of them - returning to good health and reversing their debilitating conditions. Null claims to have never lost an AIDS patient in the Center's care, even as the death toll for the disease - and its pharmaceutical standard of care AZT - reached an all-time high in the early 1990s. Eight patients who had opted for a more intensive course of treatment - visiting the Center six days a week rather than one - actually sero-deconverted, with repeated subsequent testing showing no trace of HIV in their bodies.   As an experienced clinical researcher himself, Null recognized that any claims made by the Center would be massively scrutinized, challenging as they did the prevailing scientific consensus that AIDS was an incurable, terminal illness. He freely gave his protocols to any medical practitioner who asked, understanding that his own work could be considered scientifically valid only if others could replicate it under the same conditions. After weeks of daily observational visits to the Center, Dr. Robert Cathcart took the protocols back to San Francisco, where he excitedly reported that patients were no longer dying in his care.    Null's own colleague at the Institute of Applied Biology, senior research fellow Elana Avram, set up IV drip rooms at the Institute and used his intensive protocols to sero-deconvert 10 patients over a two-year period. While the experiment had been conducted in secret, as the Institute had been funded by Big Pharma since its inception half a century earlier, Avram had hoped she would be able to publish a journal article to further publicize Null's protocols and potentially help AIDS patients, who were still dying at incredibly high rates thanks to Burroughs Wellcome's noxious but profitable AZT. But as she would later explain in a 2019 letter to Null, their groundbreaking research never made it into print - despite meticulous documentation of their successes - because the Institute's director and board feared their pharmaceutical benefactors would withdraw the funding on which they depended, given that Null's protocols did not involve any patentable or otherwise profitable drugs. When Avram approached them about publication, the board vetoed the idea, arguing that it would “draw negative attention because [the work] was contrary to standard drug treatments.” With no real point in continuing experiments along those lines without institutional support and no hope of obtaining funding from elsewhere, the department she had created specifically for these experiments shut down after a two-year followup with her test subjects - all of whom remained alive and healthy - was completed.2   While the Center was receiving regular visits by this time from medical professionals and, increasingly, black celebrities like Stokely Carmichael and Isaac Hayes, who would occasionally perform for the patients, the news was spreading by word of mouth alone - not a single media outlet had dared to document the clinic that was curing AIDS patients for free. Instead, they gave airtime to Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, who had for years been spreading baseless, hysteria-fueling claims about HIV and AIDS to any news outlet that would put him on. His claim that children could contract the virus from “ordinary household conduct” with an infected relative proved so outrageous he had to walk it back,3 and he never really stopped insisting the deadly plague associated with gays and drug users was about to explode like a nuclear bomb among the law-abiding heterosexual population. Fauci by this time controlled all government science funding through NIAID, and his zero-tolerance approach to dissent on the HIV/AIDS front had already seen prominent scientists like virologist Peter Duesberg stripped of the resources they needed for their work because they had dared to question his commandment: There is no cause of AIDS but HIV, and AZT is its treatment. Even the AIDS activist groups, which by then had been coopted by Big Pharma and essentially reduced to astroturfing for the toxic failed chemotherapy drug AZT backed by the institutional might of Fauci's NIAID,4 didn't seem to want to hear that there was a cure. Unconcerned with the irrationality of denouncing the man touting his free AIDS cure as an  “AIDS denier,” they warned journalists that platforming Null or anyone else rejecting the mainstream medical line would be met with organized demands for their firing.    Determined to breach the institutional iron curtain and get his message to the masses, Null and his team staged a press conference in New York, inviting scientists and doctors from around the world to share their research on alternative approaches to HIV and AIDS in 1993. To emphasize the sound scientific basis of the Center's protocols and encourage guests to adopt them into their own practices, Null printed out thousands of abstracts in support of each nutrient and treatment being used. However, despite over 7,000 invitations sent three times to major media, government figures, scientists, and activists, almost none of the intended audience members showed up. Over 100 AIDS patients and their doctors, whose charts exhaustively documented their improvements using natural and nontoxic modalities over the preceding 12 months, gave filmed testimonials, declaring that the feared disease was no longer a death sentence, but the conference had effectively been silenced. Bill Tatum, publisher of the Amsterdam News, suggested Null and his patients would find a more welcoming audience in his home neighborhood of Harlem - specifically, its iconic Apollo Theatre. For three nights, the theater was packed to capacity. Hit especially hard by the epidemic and distrustful of a medical system that had only recently stopped being openly racist (the Tuskegee syphilis experiment only ended in 1972), black Americans, at least, did not seem to care what Anthony Fauci would do if he found out they were investigating alternatives to AZT and death.    PBS journalist Tony Brown, having obtained a copy of the video of patient testimonials from the failed press conference, was among a handful of black journalists who began visiting the Center to investigate the legitimacy of Null's claims. Satisfied they had something significant to offer his audience, Brown invited eight patients - along with Null himself - onto his program over the course of several episodes to discuss the work. It was the first time these protocols had received any attention in the media, despite Null having released nearly two dozen articles and multiple documentaries on the subject by that time. A typical patient on one program, Al, a recovered IV drug user who was diagnosed with AIDS at age 32, described how he “panicked,” saw a doctor and started taking AZT despite his misgivings - only to be forced to discontinue the drug after just a few weeks due to his condition deteriorating rapidly. Researching alternatives brought him to Null, and after six months of “detoxing [his] lifestyle,” he observed his initial symptoms - swollen lymph nodes and weight loss - begin to reverse, culminating with sero-deconversion. On Bill McCreary's Channel 5 program, a married couple diagnosed with HIV described how they watched their T-cell counts increase as they cut out sugar, caffeine, smoking, and drinking and began eating a healthy diet. They also saw the virus leave their bodies.   For HIV-positive viewers surrounded by fear and negativity, watching healthy-looking, cheerful “AIDS patients” detail their recovery while Null backed up their claims with charts must have been balm for the soul. But the TV programs were also a form of outreach to the medical community, with patients' charts always on hand to convince skeptics the cure was scientifically valid. Null brought patients' charts to every program, urging them to keep an open mind: “Other physicians and public health officials should know that there's good science in the alternative perspective. It may not be a therapy that they're familiar with, because they're just not trained in it, but if the results are positive, and you can document them…” He challenged doubters to send in charts from their own sero-deconverted patients on AZT, and volunteered to debate proponents of the orthodox treatment paradigm - though the NIH and WHO both refused to participate in such a debate on Tony Brown's Journal, following Fauci's directive prohibiting engagement with forbidden ideas.    Aside from those few TV programs and Null's own films, suppression of Null's AIDS cure beyond word of mouth was total. The 2021 documentary The Cost of Denial, produced by the Society for Independent Journalists, tells the story of the Tri-State Healing Center and the medical paradigm that sought to destroy it, lamenting the loss of the lives that might have been saved in a more enlightened society. Nurse practitioner Luanne Pennesi, who treated many of the AIDS patients at the Center, speculated in the film that the refusal by the scientific establishment and AIDS activists to accept their successes was financially motivated. “It was as if they didn't want this information to get out. Understand that our healthcare system as we know it is a corporation, it's a corporate model, and it's about generating revenue. My concern was that maybe they couldn't generate enough revenue from these natural approaches.”5   Funding was certainly the main disciplinary tool Fauci's NIAID used to keep the scientific community in line. Despite the massive community interest in the work being done at the Center, no foundation or institution would defy Fauci and risk getting itself blacklisted, leaving Null to continue funding the operation out of his pocket with the profits from book sales. After 15 years, he left the Center in 1995, convinced the mainstream model had so thoroughly been institutionalized that there was no chance of overthrowing it. He has continued to counsel patients and advocate for a reappraisal of the HIV=AIDS hypothesis and its pharmaceutical treatments, highlighting the deeply flawed science underpinning the model of the disease espoused by the scientific establishment in 39 articles, six documentaries and a 700-page textbook on AIDS, but the Center's achievements have been effectively memory-holed by Fauci's multi-billion-dollar propaganda apparatus.     FRUIT OF THE POISONOUS TREE   To understand just how much of a threat Null's work was to the HIV/AIDS establishment, it is instructive to revisit the 1984 paper, published by Dr. Robert Gallo of the National Cancer Institute, that established HIV as the sole cause of AIDS. The CDC's official recognition of AIDS in 1981 had done little to quell the mounting public panic over the mysterious illness afflicting gay men in the US, as the agency had effectively admitted it had no idea what was causing them to sicken and die. As years passed with no progress determining the causative agent of the plague, activist groups like Gay Men's Health Crisis disrupted public events and threatened further mass civil disobedience as they excoriated the NIH for its sluggish allocation of government science funding to uncovering the cause of the “gay cancer.”6 When Gallo published his paper declaring that the retrovirus we now know as HIV was the sole “probable” cause of AIDS, its simple, single-factor hypothesis was the answer to the scientific establishment's prayers. This was particularly true for Fauci, as the NIAID chief was able to claim the hot new disease as his agency's own domain in what has been described as a “dramatic confrontation” with his rival Sam Broder at the National Cancer Institute. After all, Fauci pointed out, Gallo's findings - presented by Health and Human Services Secretary Margaret Heckler as if they were gospel truth before any other scientists had had a chance to inspect them, never mind conduct a full peer review - clearly classified AIDS as an infectious disease, and not a cancer like the Kaposi's sarcoma which was at the time its most visible manifestation. Money and media attention began pouring in, even as funding for the investigation of other potential causes of AIDS dried up. Having already patented a diagnostic test for “his” retrovirus before introducing it to the world, Gallo was poised for a financial windfall, while Fauci was busily leveraging the discovery into full bureaucratic empire of the US scientific apparatus.   While it would serve as the sole basis for all US government-backed AIDS research to follow - quickly turning Gallo into the most-cited scientist in the world during the 1980s,7 Gallo's “discovery” of HIV was deeply problematic. The sample that yielded the momentous discovery actually belonged to Prof. Luc Montagnier of the French Institut Pasteur, a fact Gallo finally admitted in 1991, four years after a lawsuit from the French government challenged his patent on the HIV antibody test, forcing the US government to negotiate a hasty profit-sharing agreement between Gallo's and Montagnier's labs. That lawsuit triggered a cascade of official investigations into scientific misconduct by Gallo, and evidence submitted during one of these probes, unearthed in 2008 by journalist Janine Roberts, revealed a much deeper problem with the seminal “discovery.” While Gallo's co-author, Mikulas Popovic, had concluded after numerous experiments with the French samples that the virus they contained was not the cause of AIDS, Gallo had drastically altered the paper's conclusion, scribbling his notes in the margins, and submitted it for publication to the journal Science without informing his co-author.   After Roberts shared her discovery with contacts in the scientific community, 37 scientific experts wrote to the journal demanding that Gallo's career-defining HIV paper be retracted from Science for lacking scientific integrity.8 Their call, backed by an endorsement from the 2,600-member scientific organization Rethinking AIDS, was ignored by the publication and by the rest of mainstream science despite - or perhaps because of - its profound implications.   That 2008 letter, addressed to Science editor-in-chief Bruce Alberts and copied to American Association for the Advancement of Science CEO Alan Leshner, is worth reproducing here in its entirety, as it utterly dismantles Gallo's hypothesis - and with them the entire HIV is the sole cause of AIDS dogma upon which the contemporary medical model of the disease rests:   On May 4, 1984 your journal published four papers by a group led by Dr. Robert Gallo. We are writing to express our serious concerns with regard to the integrity and veracity of the lead paper among these four of which Dr. Mikulas Popovic is the lead author.[1] The other three are also of concern because they rely upon the conclusions of the lead paper .[2][3][4]  In the early 1990s, several highly critical reports on the research underlying these papers were produced as a result of governmental inquiries working under the supervision of scientists nominated by the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine. The Office of Research Integrity of the US Department of Health and Human Services concluded that the lead paper was “fraught with false and erroneous statements,” and that the “ORI believes that the careless and unacceptable keeping of research records...reflects irresponsible laboratory management that has permanently impaired the ability to retrace the important steps taken.”[5] Further, a Congressional Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations led by US Representative John D. Dingell of Michigan produced a staff report on the papers which contains scathing criticisms of their integrity.[6]  Despite the publically available record of challenges to their veracity, these papers have remained uncorrected and continue to be part of the scientific record.  What prompts our communication today is the recent revelation of an astonishing number of previously unreported deletions and unjustified alterations made by Gallo to the lead paper. There are several documents originating from Gallo's laboratory that, while available for some time, have only recently been fully analyzed. These include a draft of the lead paper typewritten by Popovic which contains handwritten changes made to it by Gallo.[7] This draft was the key evidence used in the above described inquiries to establish that Gallo had concealed his laboratory's use of a cell culture sample (known as LAV) which it received from the Institut Pasteur.  These earlier inquiries verified that the typed manuscript draft was produced by Popovic who had carried out the recorded experiment while his laboratory chief, Gallo, was in Europe and that, upon his return, Gallo changed the document by hand a few days before it was submitted to Science on March 30, 1984. According to the ORI investigation, “Dr. Gallo systematically rewrote the manuscript for what would become a renowned LTCB [Gallo's laboratory at the National Cancer Institute] paper.”[5]  This document provided the important evidence that established the basis for awarding Dr. Luc Montagnier and Dr. Francoise Barré-Sinoussi the 2008 Nobel Prize in Medicine for the discovery of the AIDS virus by proving it was their samples of LAV that Popovic used in his key experiment. The draft reveals that Popovic had forthrightly admitted using the French samples of LAV renamed as Gallo's virus, HTLV-III, and that Gallo had deleted this admission, concealing their use of LAV.  However, it has not been previously reported that on page three of this same document Gallo had also deleted Popovic's unambiguous statement that, "Despite intensive research efforts, the causative agent of AIDS has not yet been identified,” replacing it in the published paper with a statement that said practically the opposite, namely, “That a retrovirus of the HTLV family might be an etiologic agent of AIDS was suggested by the findings.”  It is clear that the rest of Popovic's typed paper is entirely consistent with his statement that the cause of AIDS had not been found, despite his use of the French LAV. Popovic's final conclusion was that the culture he produced “provides the possibility” for detailed studies. He claimed to have achieved nothing more. At no point in his paper did Popovic attempt to prove that any virus caused AIDS, and it is evident that Gallo concealed these key elements in Popovic's experimental findings.  It is astonishing now to discover these unreported changes to such a seminal document. We can only assume that Gallo's alterations of Popovic's conclusions were not highlighted by earlier inquiries because the focus at the time was on establishing that the sample used by Gallo's lab came from Montagnier and was not independently collected by Gallo. In fact, the only attention paid to the deletions made by Gallo pertains to his effort to hide the identity of the sample. The questions of whether Gallo and Popovic's research proved that LAV or any other virus was the cause of AIDS were clearly not considered.  Related to these questions are other long overlooked documents that merit your attention. One of these is a letter from Dr. Matthew A. Gonda, then Head of the Electron Microscopy Laboratory at the National Cancer Institute, which is addressed to Popovic, copied to Gallo and dated just four days prior to Gallo's submission to Science.[8] In this letter, Gonda remarks on samples he had been sent for imaging because “Dr Gallo wanted these micrographs for publication because they contain HTLV.” He states, “I do not believe any of the particles photographed are of HTLV-I, II or III.” According to Gonda, one sample contained cellular debris, while another had no particles near the size of a retrovirus. Despite Gonda's clearly worded statement, Science published on May 4, 1984 papers attributed to Gallo et al with micrographs attributed to Gonda and described unequivocally as HTLV-III.  In another letter by Gallo, dated one day before he submitted his papers to Science, Gallo states, “It's extremely rare to find fresh cells [from AIDS patients] expressing the virus... cell culture seems to be necessary to induce virus,” a statement which raises the possibility he was working with a laboratory artifact. [9]  Included here are copies of these documents and links to the same. The very serious flaws they reveal in the preparation of the lead paper published in your journal in 1984 prompts our request that this paper be withdrawn. It appears that key experimental findings have been concealed. We further request that the three associated papers published on the same date also be withdrawn as they depend on the accuracy of this paper.  For the scientific record to be reliable, it is vital that papers shown to be flawed, or falsified be retracted. Because a very public record now exists showing that the Gallo papers drew unjustified conclusions, their withdrawal from Science is all the more important to maintain integrity. Future researchers must also understand they cannot rely on the 1984 Gallo papers for statements about HIV and AIDS, and all authors of papers that previously relied on this set of four papers should have the opportunity to consider whether their own conclusions are weakened by these revelations.      Gallo's handwritten revision, submitted without his colleague's knowledge despite multiple experiments that failed to support the new conclusion, was the sole foundation for the HIV=AIDS hypothesis. Had Science published the manuscript the way Popovic had typed it, there would be no AIDS “pandemic” - merely small clusters of people with AIDS. Without a viral hypothesis backing the development of expensive and deadly pharmaceuticals, would Fauci have allowed these patients to learn about the cure that existed all along?   Faced with a potential rebellion, Fauci marshaled the full resources under his control to squelch the publication of the investigations into Gallo and restrict any discussion of competing hypotheses in the scientific and mainstream press, which had been running virus-scare stories full-time since 1984. The effect was total, according to biochemist Dr. Kary Mullis, inventor of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedure. In a 2009 interview, Mullis recalled his own shock when he attempted to unearth the experimental basis for the HIV=AIDS hypothesis. Despite his extensive inquiry into the literature, “there wasn't a scientific reference…[that] said ‘here's how come we know that HIV is the probable cause of AIDS.' There was nothing out there like that.”9 This yawning void at the core of HIV/AIDS “science" turned him into a strident critic of AIDS dogma - and those views made him persona non grata where the scientific press was concerned, suddenly unable to publish a single paper despite having won the Nobel Prize for his invention of the PCR test just weeks before.  10   DISSENT BECOMES “DENIAL”   While many of those who dissent from the orthodox HIV=AIDS view believe HIV plays a role in the development of AIDS, they point to lifestyle and other co-factors as being equally if not more important. Individuals who test positive for HIV can live for decades in perfect health - so long as they don't take AZT or the other toxic antivirals fast-tracked by Fauci's NIAID - but those who developed full-blown AIDS generally engaged in highly risky behaviors like extreme promiscuity and prodigious drug abuse, contracting STDs they took large quantities of antibiotics to treat, further running down their immune systems. While AIDS was largely portrayed as a “gay disease,” it was only the “fast track” gays, hooking up with dozens of partners nightly in sex marathons fueled by “poppers” (nitrate inhalants notorious for their own devastating effects on the immune system), who became sick. Kaposi's sarcoma, one of the original AIDS-defining conditions, was widespread among poppers-using gay men, but never appeared among IV drug users or hemophiliacs, the other two main risk groups during the early years of the epidemic. Even Robert Gallo himself, at a 1994 conference on poppers held by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, would admit that the previously-rare form of skin cancer surging among gay men was not primarily caused by HIV - and that it was immune stimulation, rather than suppression, that was likely responsible.11 Similarly, IV drug users are often riddled with opportunistic infections as their habit depresses the immune system and their focus on maintaining their addiction means that healthier habits - like good nutrition and even basic hygiene - fall by the wayside.    Supporting the call for revising the HIV=AIDS hypothesis to include co-factors is the fact that the mass heterosexual outbreaks long predicted by Fauci and his ilk in seemingly every country on Earth have failed to materialize, except - supposedly - in Africa, where the diagnostic standard for AIDS differs dramatically from those of the West. Given the prohibitively high cost of HIV testing for poor African nations, the WHO in 1985 crafted a diagnostic loophole that became known as the “Bangui definition,” allowing medical professionals to diagnose AIDS in the absence of a test using just clinical symptoms: high fever, persistent cough, at least 30 days of diarrhea, and the loss of 10% of one's body weight within two months. Often suffering from malnutrition and without access to clean drinking water, many of the inhabitants of sub-Saharan Africa fit the bill, especially when the WHO added tuberculosis to the list of AIDS-defining illnesses in 1993 - a move which may be responsible for as many as one half of African “AIDS” cases, according to journalist Christine Johnson. The WHO's former Chief of Global HIV Surveillance, James Chin, acknowledged their manipulation of statistics, but stressed that it was the entire AIDS industry - not just his organization - perpetrating the fraud. “There's the saying that, if you knew what sausages are made of, most people would hesitate to sort of eat them, because they wouldn't like what's in it. And if you knew how HIV/AIDS numbers are cooked, or made up, you would use them with extreme caution,” Chin told an interviewer in 2009.12   With infected numbers stubbornly remaining constant in the US despite Fauci's fearmongering projections of the looming heterosexually-transmitted plague, the CDC in 1993 broadened its definition of AIDS to include asymptomatic (that is, healthy) HIV-positive people with low T-cell counts - an absurd criteria given that an individual's T-cell count can fluctuate by hundreds within a single day. As a result, the number of “AIDS cases” in the US immediately doubled. Supervised by Fauci, the NIAID had been quietly piling on diseases into the “AIDS-related” category for years, bloating the list from just two conditions - pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and Kaposi's sarcoma - to 30 so fast it raised eyebrows among some of science's leading lights. Deeming the entire process “bizarre” and unprecedented, Kary Mullis wondered aloud why no one had called the AIDS establishment out: “There's something wrong here. And it's got to be financial.”13   Indeed, an early CDC public relations campaign was exposed by the Wall Street Journal in 1987 as having deliberately mischaracterized AIDS as a threat to the entire population so as to garner increased public and private funding for what was very much a niche issue, with the risk to average heterosexuals from a single act of sex “smaller than the risk of ever getting hit by lightning.” Ironically, the ads, which sought to humanize AIDS patients in an era when few Americans knew anyone with the disease and more than half the adult population thought infected people should be forced to carry cards warning of their status, could be seen as a reaction to the fear tactics deployed by Fauci early on.14   It's hard to tell where fraud ends and incompetence begins with Gallo's HIV antibody test. Much like Covid-19 would become a “pandemic of testing,” with murder victims and motorcycle crashes lumped into “Covid deaths” thanks to over-sensitized PCR tests that yielded as many as 90% false positives,15 HIV testing is fraught with false positives - and unlike with Covid-19, most people who hear they are HIV-positive still believe they are receiving a death sentence. Due to the difficulty of isolating HIV itself from human samples, the most common diagnostic tests, ELISA and the Western Blot, are designed to detect not the virus but antibodies to it, upending the traditional medical understanding that the presence of antibodies indicates only exposure - and often that the body has actually vanquished the pathogen. Patients are known to test positive for HIV antibodies in the absence of the virus due to at least 70 other conditions, including hepatitis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, syphilis, recent vaccination or even pregnancy. (https://www.chcfl.org/diseases-that-can-cause-a-false-positive-hiv-test/) Positive results are often followed up with a PCR “viral load” test, even though the inventor of the PCR technique Kary Mullis famously condemned its misuse as a tool for diagnosing infection. Packaging inserts for all three tests warn the user that they cannot be reliably used to diagnose HIV.16 The ELISA HIV antibody test explicitly states: “At present there is no recognized standard for establishing the presence and absence of HIV antibody in human blood.”17   That the public remains largely unaware of these and other massive holes in the supposedly airtight HIV=AIDS=DEATH paradigm is a testament to Fauci's multi-layered control of the press. Like the writers of the Great Barrington Declaration and other Covid-19 dissidents, scientists who question HIV/AIDS dogma have been brutally punished for their heresy, no matter how prestigious their prior standing in the field and no matter how much evidence they have for their own claims. In 1987, the year the FDA's approval of AZT made AIDS the most profitable epidemic yet (a dubious designation Covid-19 has since surpassed), Fauci made it clearer than ever that scientific inquiry and debate - the basis of the scientific method - would no longer be welcome in the American public health sector, eliminating retrovirologist Peter Duesberg, then one of the most prominent opponents of the HIV=AIDS hypothesis, from the scientific conversation with a professional disemboweling that would make a cartel hitman blush. Duesberg had just eviscerated Gallo's 1984 HIV paper with an article of his own in the journal Cancer Research, pointing out that retroviruses had never before been found to cause a single disease in humans - let alone 30 AIDS-defining diseases. Rather than allow Gallo or any of the other scientists in his camp to respond to the challenge, Fauci waged a scorched-earth campaign against Duesberg, who had until then been one of the most highly regarded researchers in his field. Every research grant he requested was denied; every media appearance was canceled or preempted. The University of California at Berkeley, unable to fully fire him due to tenure, took away his lab, his graduate students, and the rest of his funding. The few colleagues who dared speak up for him in public were also attacked, while enemies and opportunists were encouraged to slander Duesberg at the conferences he was barred from attending and in the journals that would no longer publish his replies. When Duesberg was summoned to the White House later that year by then-President Ronald Reagan to debate Fauci on the origins of AIDS, Fauci convinced the president to cancel, allegedly pulling rank on the Commander-in-Chief with an accusation that the “White House was interfering in scientific matters that belonged to the NIH and the Office of Science and Technology Assessment.” After seven years of this treatment, Duesberg was contacted by NIH official Stephen O'Brien and offered an escape from professional purgatory. He could have “everything back,” he was told, and shown a manuscript of a scientific paper - apparently commissioned by the editor of the journal Nature - “HIV Causes AIDS: Koch's Postulates Fulfilled” with his own name listed alongside O'Brien's as an author.18 His refusal to take the bribe effectively guaranteed the epithet “AIDS denier” will appear on his tombstone. The character assassination of Duesberg became a template that would be deployed to great effectiveness wherever Fauci encountered dissent - never debate, only demonize, deplatform and destroy.    Even Luc Montagnier, the real discoverer of HIV, soon found himself on the wrong side of the Fauci machine. With his 1990 declaration that “the HIV virus [by itself] is harmless and passive, a benign virus,” Montagnier began distancing himself from Gallo's fraud, effectively placing a target on his own back. In a 1995 interview, he elaborated: “four factors that have come together to account for the sudden epidemic [of AIDS]: HIV presence, immune hyper-activation, increased sexually transmitted disease incidence, sexual behavior changes and other behavioral changes” such as drug use, poor nutrition and stress - all of which he said had to occur “essentially simultaneously” for HIV to be transmitted, creating the modern epidemic. Like the professionals at the Tri-State Healing Center, Montagnier advocated for the use of antioxidants like vitamin C and N-acetyl cysteine, naming oxidative stress as a critical factor in the progression from HIV to AIDS.19 When Montagnier died in 2022, Fauci's media mouthpieces sneered that the scientist (who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2008 for his discovery of HIV, despite his flagging faith in that discovery's significance) “started espousing views devoid of a scientific basis” in the late 2000s, leading him to be “shunned by the scientific community.”20 In a particularly egregious jab, the Washington Post's obit sings the praises of Robert Gallo, implying it was the American scientist who really should have won the Nobel for HIV, while dismissing as “

We are joined this week by Dr. Meredith Gansner. Dr. Gansner is a child psychiatrist at Boston Children's Hospital and an instructor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, specializing in high-risk digital media use in teens. She has received multiple research grants, including a K23 career development award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and she is an active member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry media committee. Her first book, Teen Depression Gone Viral, explores the challenges of treating adolescent depression in the digital age. In this episode, Dr. Meredith Gansner discusses depression in teens, something that has been on the rise especially in today's digital age. She sheds some light on how adolescent depression often looks different from adult depression, sometimes showing up as irritability, aggression, or even physical symptoms like headaches and stomach pain. She helps us break down why it's so important for parents to recognize these signs early on and seek professional support instead of just dismissing them as typical teenage behavior. Dr. Gansner also examines the relationship between social media and mental health. While some teens find support online, others are exposed to harmful content that can reinforce unhealthy coping mechanisms and worsen or even cause poor mental health. She offers some practical advice on improving digital media literacy, setting boundaries, and developing safety plans to help young people engage with the internet and social media in a way that is not detrimental to their well-being. Dr. Gansner also discusses effective treatments for teen depression, stressing a multi-faceted approach including lifestyle changes, therapy, and medication when appropriate. She also clarifies the differences between suicidal thoughts and non-suicidal self-injury, offering guidance on how parents and caregivers can respond with the right level of support. With a focus on family-based strategies, this conversation with Dr. Meredith Gansner helps provide insightful information for anyone looking to strengthen emotional resilience in today's teenagers!   Show Notes: [2:13] - Dr. Gansner reflects on initially feeling optimistic about addressing mental health in youth online but grew frustrated. [5:56] - The youth mental health crisis peaked during COVID and remains a pressing issue. [6:23] - Depression is a physiological illness with many contributing risk factors. [8:03] - Teen depression often manifests as irritability or anger, making it harder for parents to recognize. [11:29] - Some children with depression experience physical symptoms like headaches or stomachaches. [13:08] - Hear about the inspiration behind the title of Dr. Gansner's book. [15:53] - Social media spreads both helpful and harmful information about depression, requiring careful oversight and guidance. [18:32] - Social media can both support and worsen teens' mental health, creating harmful echo chambers. [19:26] - Dr. Gansner feels that rather than banning social media, teaching digital literacy can help children take on harmful content. [21:40] - Teaching teens responsible internet use with guidance, like learning to drive, helps ensure safer engagement. [24:43] - What are some of the best ways to treat depression in teens? [27:31] - Parents often struggle to differentiate suicidal thoughts from non-suicidal self-injury in teens. [28:05] - Dr. Gansner explains that non-suicidal self-injury involves self-harm without suicidal intent, often as a distress signal or coping mechanism. [31:21] - Simply telling teens to "just stop" self-harm can lead to shame, worsening depression and leading to a harmful cycle. [33:17] - Improving sleep is important for teens' emotional resilience, helping prevent impulsive decisions and risky behaviors. [36:58] - Parents limiting their own screen use helps depressed teens feel supported and less isolated. [38:38] - Be sure to get Dr. Gansner's book at a discounted price here! Links and Related Resources: Episode 131: Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Kids and Teens with Dr. Shadab Jannati Episode 148: How Sleep Affects Academic Performance and Mood Episode 160: The Sleep-Deprived Teen with Lisa Lewis Episode 169: The Science of Exercise and the Brain with Dr. John Ratey Discount on Teen Depression Gone Viral   Connect with Us: Get on our Email List Book a Consultation Get Support and Connect with a ChildNEXUS Provider Register for Our Self-Paced Mini Courses: Support for Parents Who Have Children with ADHD, Anxiety, or Dyslexia    Connect with Dr. Meredith Gansner: Boston Children's Hospital - Meredith Gansner  

We discuss the five musical notes of mental health to reduce suicidality: Self-AwarenessConnectionResiliencePurposeRestThrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to improve in the areas of health, wealth and/or relationships, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help.In the US:Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counselingThe National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:The International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

We discuss:headaches link to suicidality, what triggers headaches how to reduce headachesThrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to improve in the areas of health, wealth and/or relationships, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help.In the US:Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counselingThe National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:The International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

Feb. 28, 2025 - New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports Commissioner Chinazo Cunningham talks about standardizing care at halfway houses, funding for drug recovery and treatment in the governor's budget, and the impact of the prison strike on substance abuse treatment in correctional facilities.

Scott Burwell, PhD, is the founder and CEO of Neurotype Inc. Scott shares his journey from a background in experimental psychology to establishing Neurotype, a company developing brain therapeutics to address cravings in substance use disorders. He discusses the innovative use of EEG technology to measure brain responses to stimuli, providing an objective biological assessment and treatment of cravings. Scott emphasizes the importance of integrating science-led approaches in creating medical devices and reflects on the challenges and rewards of leading a MedTech startup.   Guest links: https://www.neurotype.io | https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottjburwell/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/neurotype Charity supported: Equal Justice Initiative Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com.  PRODUCTION CREDITS Host: Lindsey Dinneen Editing: Marketing Wise Producer: Velentium   EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 049 - Scott Burwell, PhD [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey, and I'm so excited to introduce you to my guest today, Scott Burwell. Scott is the founder and CEO of Neurotype Inc, developer of new brain therapeutics to make environmental triggers less problematic for people in recovery for substance use disorders and other addictions. Well, hello, Scott. Thank you so much for joining us today. I'm so excited to speak with you. [00:01:17] Scott Burwell: Great. Thanks so much for having me, Lindsey. Thanks. [00:01:19] Lindsey Dinneen: Of course. Well, would you mind by starting off and tell us a little bit about yourself, your background, and maybe what led you to MedTech? [00:01:28] Scott Burwell: Sure. Yeah. So, I have a background in experimental psychology, a PhD in psychology from the University of Minnesota. And kind of what led me to that was experience: my family had a liquor store growing up and I worked there for many years. And so I saw firsthand from behind the counter people with substance use disorders occasionally, and just knowing from extended family, substance use disorders, and it was an interesting observation to me to see different people, how they get to a substance use disorder. Some through genetic propensity and some through experiences in their life. And that led me to get a PhD in psychology where I really focused on the genetics and physiology underlying substance use disorders. And during this time of getting my PhD, I was always trying to think of, where does my skill set and my interest align in the future? What kind of job am I going to have after this? So I looked around. I had some experience, thought, "Could I go the academic route? Could I apply for grants, be a professor at a university?" That approach, which is a very good approach for some people, where your main outcome are publications and grants and dissemination of science. And then I also looked at industry, but a lot of the companies in industry weren't doing exactly what I wanted to do, which was take these biomarkers that we were studying in psychology and transforming that into medical device or medical innovations. And then the third path that I didn't quite see at the time was this sort of like rabbit hole, this unknown path of medical device innovations or startup innovations. And it was an eye-opener to me through some programs at the National Institute of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, that led us to this opportunity that actually, I could start my own startup in this space. And and I'm happy to talk a little bit more about that, that later. But really, this opportunity to make something new, based on the science that we know today, and based on the opportunity and the gap in terms of what people are being treated for with these substance use disorders. So that's kind of what led me down the path, and happy to talk about it today. [00:03:41] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, excellent. Well, thank you for that. And yeah, I'm so excited to delve into so many aspects of your story. So going back just a little bit, you had this childhood where you were observing and you were seeing what was happening to some folks and you thought, "Okay, maybe there's a better way, or at least I'd like to understand more about this." But now, were you always sort of science minded and kind of interested in going into psychology, or did that come about as a result? How did that interest develop? [00:04:10] Scott Burwell: Yeah, really, I never saw myself getting a PhD, never saw myself going to an academia setting. People with graduate degrees, people with doctoral degrees-- all those people seem to be other people and not something that what we did. But my parents really instilled an appreciation of higher education in myself and my two older sisters. But again, it was never this plan for me to go out and get an higher education, PhD degree. I think that what really led me to the path was just try to understand myself. I think that's what led me to psychology. It was a psychology class in behavior genetics that I took in undergraduate that, you know, behavior genetics is the field of understanding how your genes and your rearing environment lead to who you are and influence who you are. And it was one of these, this realization that actually it's not just your experiences, it's not all just the soft, mental processing and soft psychological experience. There's really a physical, biophysical basis, to a lot of who you are and who you turn out to be. And I think that was really eye-opening to me and helpful for me understanding who I was and how I am in the world. And I think, you know, just that little bit of information of understanding, there's this objective information that is programmed in your genes or programmed in your physiology that influences who you are in everyday life, that I found super interesting and eventually led me to work at the Twin Study at the University of Minnesota. And then and then while I was there, I realized there's a lot of people getting PhDs that I'm not that much different from and we're all just curious people. And it's an opportunity for me to, you know, if I apply myself, it was an opportunity for me to pursue a field. [00:06:06] Lindsey Dinneen: That's very cool. Yeah. Okay. So, so you're pursuing this field and you've already had this background and interest in helping folks who have these substance abuse disorders, and I'm wondering, what were you observing as you have now developed this company? And I'm so excited to dive into that as well, but a little bit before that, what were your observations when you started realizing, "Okay there's a gap in the way that we're treating this or handling this or responding to this." And then what was the outcome for you that you thought, "Okay, let's try something different." [00:06:42] Scott Burwell: Yeah. So a couple of things. I think the first thing is that, the treatment of substance use disorders and all behavioral addictions and to some degree mental health is been sort of a parallel development. It's been a, it's been a parallel field that's been outside of the rest of the way that medicine is traditionally done. And so, even though we have for some substance use disorders medications for management of the substance use disorder. Or there are social support groups, AA, Narcotics Anonymous also, that help provide social support to people with substance use disorders. These are sort of groups and services that have been built outside of traditional medicine. And with the exception of these services, there haven't been too many medical innovations, FDA regulated innovations that doctors can prescribe for people with substance use disorders. And this is despite decades of research that are showing there are biological underpinnings of substance use disorders. There are biological interventions that, that can potentially help people with these afflictions. And so, that was one of the pieces that during my training, I was just constantly looking for companies that were doing this kind of work to treat disorders from a biological or psychobiological perspective. And I just wasn't finding anyone. And also at that same time, the DSM Five, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for substance use disorders, the criteria that sort of outline what it takes to get a diagnosis had just included the symptom of craving. It might be surprising to people, but it's only been since about 2013 or so, that craving has been an official symptom of a substance use disorder. And I mean, that's despite again, decades, many years of people reporting cravings being an issue that they deal with day in and day out. And so I was aware of this addition of a new symptom, but also I'm aware of the fact that the way that substance use disorders are diagnosed, they're assessed, they're monitored, is entirely subjective, meaning that people are reporting these symptoms in an interview in a one on one kind of subjective interview that people can report what they believe, report what they experience, which is valid information. But sometimes what you're aware of, what the clinician is aware of, might not be what's going on an objective biophysical level. And so I was aware of a certain biomarker that you can measure with brain waves using electroencephalogram or EEG and this biomarker is what leading science says is the biomarker underpinning of craving. And so I felt, well, you know, if there was a way that clinicians had this in their hands as either a diagnostic assistant or as a way to treat people with craving, this could be a valuable medical device that people can use. And so, I can talk more about the specific biomarker, but these were two realizations that I saw that there's a lacking and a need for innovation in this field. [00:10:03] Lindsey Dinneen: Great. Yeah. Okay. So yeah, could you share a little bit more about the biomarker and then how you have found, how you have discovered to affect this and what this device is and how it works? [00:10:14] Scott Burwell: Yeah, so Neurotype Inc., we were founded in 2019. We were founded after we were participating in this workshop at Yale University called Innovation to Impact. It's funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. And we really pitched this idea to them as kind of a off the cuff, last day of the workshop pitch event and won first prize in that thing. And that's really what gave us the steam to go ahead and apply for these federal grants to support further development of this biomarker. What the biomarker is, basically we put a headset on you and that headset is kind of like a fitness tracker except other than being like a fitness tracker that's tracking your steps from, you know, a watch or, you know, being a glucose monitor that's on your arm, that senses how much blood sugar you have, this fitness tracker is on your head. It measures the electro physiology that's generated by your brain. And it's entirely passive in that regard. We're not putting any like, you know, electrical stimulations in, but it's just measuring how your brain is acting at all moments. And what we do is that's different from other companies is we're actually recording how your brain responds on a millisecond scale in response to pictures. So we hand somebody an iPad while they're wearing one of these headsets, and we show them a flip book of pictures. Some of those pictures are like chocolate cake, puppy dogs, you know, cute, emotional pictures. Some of those things are boring things like kitchen supplies, office supplies, whatever they might be. And then some of those things are like opioid pill bottle, right? And so, for opioid use disorder, if you are liable for craving, and if you're likely to start reusing after being discharged from treatment, your response to that opioid pill bottle, the brain response, the objective brain response, is going to be very similar to how it responds to, for instance, chocolate cake, than a person that's not at risk for returning to opioid use or other kinds of craving. And so this biomarker is really a biomarker of what's called 'motivated attention.' How interesting you find that stimulus on the screen and how much it grabs your attention. And what we know from psychology is that if something grabs your attention, you're likely to behave in a way that is going to correspond with that. So if it grabs your attention, you're going to act a certain way around that stimulus. And so for people with opioid use disorder, it might be that it stimulates some thought process or some behavioral process in your body that leads you to seek that substance, affiliate yourself with people that have that substance, you know, all sorts of indirect ways that eventually lead you to start using that substance again. And so, we have done a few different research projects funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and these are different projects over time that have really established the core assessment capabilities of the device. And now we're working towards clinical trial validation through a small business innovation research project from National Institute on Drug Abuse that will be a pivotal clinical trial for us. [00:13:30] Lindsey Dinneen: That's really exciting. When does that happen? [00:13:32] Scott Burwell: So, that is part of what's called a fast track project, and we are finishing up our phase one portion of that. And the phase two portion will probably start sometime this coming summer. Yeah. [00:13:45] Lindsey Dinneen: Great. Okay. That's great. And so what is your dream or ultimate ideal goal for the company and for this device? What are you hoping to affect or where are you hoping this device will be used? [00:13:58] Scott Burwell: Yeah. So, our main goal or our first sort of beachhead market, if you will, is the intensive outpatient treatment clinics for substance use disorders or other mental health. It's a certain kind of clinic where people are seen on a pretty regular basis during early recovery when they're still in a kind of high risk period. And in this group of patients, they tend to be in a scenario where they are living at home or living in the wild, so to speak, it's no longer a residential treatment setting. But they are living and being challenged day to day with the triggers in their environment that, that can lead to risk for problems. And the interesting thing about this space though, and this market is that in that space, there really are not many regulated, or any regulated devices, that are being used to manage specifically certain symptoms. And especially none that are applying to brain physiology like ours. And so, it's a pretty big step to bring our device to these spaces because they might be familiar with a blood pressure cuff or people might get blood work done from time to measure other health related risks. But for us, we are bringing an EEG system, and it's a portable EEG with a software device, into a clinic where they've never been before. And so my grand vision for this is really to be, you know, we're not a fix all. We're not a cure-all solution, but we are solution to help one specific slice of somebody's condition, and be a fix for craving in these settings. But if we can get the device in these clinics settings, it opens the door for a whole lot of other biomarker solutions to take place. And so right now, we're just focused on craving, monitoring the craving, but also treating the craving through what's called closed loop biofeedback. But the but the long term vision for this is to do-- we can additionally build out with the same brain kind of assessment, we can build out other kinds of biomarkers. So, those that are related to genetic risk. So we don't have to do like a full genetic test, but we could use that same brain data to to study what are called endo phenotypes, but basically a genetic marker of risk for a certain disease type or a certain disease progression. We could also measure other aspects of distress or you know, other depressive symptomatology or things like this with our measures. So, I think if I were to, at minimum, if we were to be able to make a dent or just get our device into these intensive outpatient clinics, that would be a huge success for me and the company. But, I think much grander speaking, it would open the doors for a lot of more transformative addiction treatment care. [00:16:56] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Yes. Okay. Well, that's incredible and thank you for sharing your vision, 'cause I always love hearing, all right, what's the longterm heart for this company in this project. So that's great. Yeah. Are there any moments that stand out to you, maybe as you're developing this device or maybe even before as you're studying the biomarker and you're thinking through, you know, how can I make a difference in this particular indication? So are there any moments that stand out to you as really affirming to you, "Yes, I am in the right place at the right time. Doing what I'm supposed to be doing." [00:17:32] Scott Burwell: Yeah, I think one piece was when we won first place at that at the Yale workshop that we did. I would say another was just getting each of these grants. We've applied for grants over and over again. And you don't get every one of those grants. But when you get certain projects, and when you're awarded these monies, it is incredibly validating because, you know it's gone through scientific review at the NIH. You know that also at the specific institute, so National Institute on Drug Abuse or Alcoholism or Mental Health-- they're different -- that this is an intense area that they see value. And so when you get these projects, and we've gotten over a million dollars now in these projects, that there's some validation behind it from federal and also a scientific level. So that's one area, but then I would also say that, when talking to clinicians, we talked to clinicians and we talked to some patients about the device, and we demo the device and demo the technology with some clinicians and patients. And, people will come back and be like, "Wow, why is this not out there already? Why don't we have this kind of data?" And to me that is incredibly rewarding to just see people and their immediate responses to the technology, because I don't think anyone really knows that this science or this technology is readily available. It just needs to be packaged in the correct way. And it also has to go through the correct regulatory and reimbursement pass. I mean, to just say "just," I think that's probably an understatement for sure. But, the science has decades of work behind it. And really it's up to us now to move that, to make it to that next milestone, that next goalpost. And that work isn't really science. It's just hard work. [00:19:14] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Yeah, indeed. Well, speaking of hard work, you know, forming a company on its own, working in the medtech field on its own, all of those things are difficult challenges to choose. And I'm curious, how has your personal path been in terms of growing into this leadership role where you are directing this company and directing people. How's that journey been for you too? [00:19:43] Scott Burwell: You know, I think it's been a journey. And when people say that you can't do it on your own, that is 100 percent true. And even if you hear it and you believe it, sometimes I think it takes a lot for me to come to the realization to put that into practice. I tried to do a lot on my own. In the team, I am the CTO, the CEO, the COO, all these different roles that I've assigned myself. We participated and were awarded into the-- NIH has this program called Innovation Core, iCore. And we did this program and one of our mentors there was really harping on the idea of leaning into your what are called core competencies. So what are you actually really good at as a team and as a company? And what are you less good at? And and I think that the more that I've learned to lean into my core competencies, which are really around the science, the translation of the neuroscience, the translation into a clinical tool that can be used, thinking about the vision of our technology. And tried to offload some of the other things, whether it be regulatory or whether it be some aspects of business strategy or other otherwise to, to other people that can help in a fractional sense or whatever to help us out. That's helped me both maintain my role as a leader and keep on doing the work that I think that I can actually contribute to and be useful contributing to, as well as keeping the company afloat in terms of funding and just hitting our milestones on all the different projects that we've been awarded and need to produce for. So, so I would say that, you know, I'm no, I'm not a perfect leader. I'm not a perfect CEO by any means. But I, but as I go on, I kind of learned that you can't do it all yourself, and you can't accomplish everything to the same degree as another person possibly could. And so trying to build good teams, trying to lean on team members that can do certain things, finding the strengths in certain team members and asking them to do the right kind of work given their skill set. But I think that's been a crash course for me. [00:22:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Yes, indeed. Well, that makes complete sense because, you know, like you said at the very beginning, it is a journey, and it is a constant learning and growing process. So yeah, that's, that's fantastic. Well, pivoting the conversation just for fun, imagine that you were to be offered a million dollars to teach a masterclass on anything you want. It can be within your field. It doesn't have to be. What would you choose to teach and why? [00:22:29] Scott Burwell: Oh my gosh. Well, You know, I think that-- I'm not sure anyone would offer me a million dollars for this. But if I had the time, I think If I had the time, I would actually really love to teach a masterclass on how to do this sort of neuroscience innovations. There's a lot. This is a really hot area for startups and innovations, the idea of using neuroscience tools as products. There are companies out there like the Muse headband or there's Nurable, which makes these smart sort of headphones that also measure brainwaves. Neurocity is another company that's doing things for productivity. And I know people at these companies. They're all great companies. And these are some very successful examples. But there's other companies out there too that, that are doing things that I feel are led by engineering first. So, just because you can do something, it doesn't mean that you should do something. And it doesn't mean that there's any validity to what it is that you're doing. So, you know, there's a lot of interest in that. Around developing brain computer interfaces or other kinds of neurological or brain diagnostic or treatment devices. They're doing brain stimulation or brain sensing or biofeedback or all these sorts of buzzwords. I think we're kind of part of that group, honestly, but the difference between us and the others is that we are science led and a lot of these other companies are engineering or technology led. And when you lead through something, when you start by innovating by technology and innovating by engineering, that's great from a perspective of showing others that you have a tool. But without a use for that tool, and without evidence from science that tool actually does something useful, then it's kind of useless. And so a lot of those companies go broke because they don't have a user for that tool or the tool that they built doesn't actually do what they intended it to do. So one thing that I think I would do in this course, if I were to do this course, is to really emphasize like, here's how you can approach certain kinds of biomarkers. Here's the types of biomarkers that people actually think is correlate with a disease, major depression, ADHD, substance use disorders, whatever it is, and actually have a scientific grounding versus building a headset that does XYZ first and not really having a scientific basis. One, one tip I would just offer people is just get a PhD that has the background in that content space first on your team, because they will tell you what the field thinks of it. And a lot of times, the field thinks that a lot of the products that are being developed out there are just snake oil. And so, so really, you know, do your diligence on the science before diving into something. [00:25:27] Lindsey Dinneen: Cool. Yes. I'm sure that would be a fantastic masterclass and very needed. So, all right. Sounds good. All right. And how do you wish to be remembered after you leave this world? [00:25:40] Scott Burwell: Great question. You know, I would love, like I mentioned earlier, for Neurotype to play its part in establishing these kinds of brain biomarkers in the treatment for behavioral and mental health disorders. I would love for us to be a building block for what the future looks like. I think we're using the most current science available to build our innovation. And if we can be sort of that first step into the future, I think that would be so great. And the science will change in the future, but I think that if we can be that stepping stone, that would be ideal. I think on a more personal level, I think I would love for anyone I know, anyone that I come into contact though with, I really want to be remembered as a person that's just been kind to you. If you can remember one moment that that you felt like, "Oh, Scott made me feel good in that scenario" or "Scott was helpful in that scenario." I think that would be a more realistic grab or a closer term grab. So, so, you know, both those things I think would be great. But in the day to day, I really work to at least hope that people remember me and felt that I was kind to them. [00:26:48] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, absolutely. Kindness makes all the difference. Yeah! Okay, and then, final question. What is one thing that makes you smile every time you see or think about it? [00:27:00] Scott Burwell: Oh, geez. I think, you know, Is it is it okay to say cute animal memes from Twitter or something? But so... [00:27:08] Lindsey Dinneen: Sure! [00:27:09] Scott Burwell: I love cute animals. I love any cute animal or cute baby thing on Instagram or wherever. But I will also just say, back to the impact aspect of our company, we do research with people. We do early demo testing with people with substance use disorders. And some people struggle, they're in and out of treatment programs five, six times before something really starts to click. And they put in so much hard work and so much effort to keep on their pathway, unique pathway to recovery. And so, you know, I think that I'm really encouraged and really puts gas in my tank when I see people that are doing well and that they're happy. And because there's some degree of pride that person carries around and some, and and maybe that pride was not necessarily there beforehand. And so, you know, I think that I will, regardless if they are achieving their goals and living a happier life because of what Neurotype is doing, or something else, really doesn't matter to me. When I see people that are doing better, it is warming to my heart to see somebody that has made some sort of sustained change in their life that is impacting them in a positive way, because it really does show that people can change. People can do what they want to do and live the life that they want to live in many cases when they. are given the opportunity. And so that's heartwarming to me. [00:28:38] Lindsey Dinneen: Absolutely, yeah, absolutely. Ah, that's wonderful. Well, yes, and also, awesome little cute memes are the best, especially with animals, oh my gosh. [00:28:48] Scott Burwell: I know. Yeah. [00:28:49] Lindsey Dinneen: I spend way too much time looking at baby animals, but I always smile, so, you know, win. [00:28:54] Scott Burwell: Yes, it is. It's the main, it's the main way I get my little like boosts of dopamine throughout the day for sure. [00:29:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Yes, absolutely. Well, Scott, this has been a fantastic conversation. I so appreciate you joining me and sharing more about the work that your company is doing and all the innovation. I'm so excited to watch it continue to succeed. So thank you for spending some time with me today. I appreciate it. [00:29:18] Scott Burwell: Absolutely. Thank you, Lindsey. Thank you. [00:29:20] Lindsey Dinneen: Of course, and we're so honored to be making a donation on your behalf as a thank you for your time today to the Equal Justice Initiative, which provides legal representation to prisoners who may have been wrongfully convicted of crimes, poor prisoners without effective representation, and others who may have been denied a fair trial. So thank you so much for choosing that charity to support. We just wish you continued success as you work to change lives for a better world. And thank you also to our listeners for tuning in. And if you're feeling as inspired as I am at the moment, I would love if you would share this episode with a colleague or two, and we will catch you next time. [00:30:02] Ben Trombold: The Leading Difference is brought to you by Velentium. Velentium is a full-service CDMO with 100% in-house capability to design, develop, and manufacture medical devices from class two wearables to class three active implantable medical devices. Velentium specializes in active implantables, leads, programmers, and accessories across a wide range of indications, such as neuromodulation, deep brain stimulation, cardiac management, and diabetes management. Velentium's core competencies include electrical, firmware, and mechanical design, mobile apps, embedded cybersecurity, human factors and usability, automated test systems, systems engineering, and contract manufacturing. Velentium works with clients worldwide, from startups seeking funding to established Fortune 100 companies. Visit velentium.com to explore your next step in medical device development. ​

Episode 119: of the American Grown Podcast in the Colortech Creative Solutions studios with Brian DiMattia MMA Instructor & Host of Food Fight Podcast. PART 2 of 2.⚠️Explicit Episode (Buckle up for a wild ride. Be prepared for adult content & language.)In this episode Brian shares with us his redemption story from drug addict to going clean. When not recording his Food Fight Podcast he works at Good Tree MMA inspiring others to stand up for themselves.To learn more about Brian click here: https://linktr.ee/FoodfightproductionsGood Tree MMA: https://wilkesbarremma.comIf you or someone you love is struggling with substance abuse please call 1-800-662-4357 or go to Findtreatment.gov for a list of services.This episode is brought to you by these sponsors:College Knowledge Foundation. Your path to higher education.Angelo's Pizza. Enjoy mouthwatering Italian dinners.Boyer's Tavern. Proper food & drinks made by slightly improper people.Triggered 22. Support a local veteran and help spread awareness for PTSD & #22aday.Cleona Coffee Roasters. A small batch coffee roastery & coffee shop, veteran & first responder owned located inside 911 Rapid Response in Annville PA.Modern Gent Customs. We don't make basics...We make statements.Hains Auto Detailing. Have your car smiling from wheel to wheel. After a trip to Josh your car will look better than brand new.Hossler Engraving. Looking for unique handcrafted gifts for all occasions Zach has you covered.Take a sip or snack break.SIP: Garage Beer.SNACK: Jurgy.OFFICIAL STUDIO SPONSOR: Colortech Creative Solutions. Colortech Creative Solutions takes your creative projects from visualization to realization. We've been doing so since 1980 all while keeping your budget in mind.To see photos of today's guest follow our Social media: IG- https://www.instagram.com/americangrownpodcast/ FB-https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077655465940 or visits us at https://rss.com/podcasts/americangrownpodcast/

We discuss how the joy of prepaying for a lead also leads to the joy of prepaying for our mental health. Thrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to improve in the areas of health, wealth and/or relationships, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help.In the US:Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counselingThe National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:The International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

Chris Buru , a local DJ and producer joins us today to talk about about the intricacies of the music industry, particularly focusing on EDM. They explore the importance of art beyond politics, the realities of being a DJ, the significance of preparation, and the challenges of receiving feedback as an artist (6:00). Chris shares his passion for music and the emotional impact it has on both him and his audience, emphasizing the energy exchange that occurs during live performances. We discusses the nightlife and EDM culture, focusing on the interplay between substance use and the emotional experiences tied to music (40:00). We reflect on our personal journey with drugs, the impact of addiction on creativity, and the importance of genuine connections in the service industry (1:03:00). The discussion also touches on the wastefulness of the restaurant industry and the superficiality of relationships formed in nightlife settings, ultimately advocating for a more mindful approach to both substance use and personal connections. We get into the transformative power of shifting from a negative to a positive mindset, the rewarding nature of human connections in the service industry, and the complexities of navigating relationships and trust issues. We wrap up with the importance of self-discovery and the value of finding deeper meaning beyond temporary excitement (1:35:00). Enjoy. Love y'all.Twitter @awake_smyth

  Today on an all-new edition of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to musician/producer Jamie Perrett, son of singer/songwriter/musician Peter Perrett. Best known as a founding member of the U.K. punk band, The Only Ones, Peter has been a somewhat mythical figure in popular music for the last thirty plus years for reasons you will soon hear. Founded in 1976, The Only One's released three albums and their standing as one of the classic, first wave punk bands of the time is cemented with Peter's best known song, “Another Girl, Another Planet.” Called “One of Rock-N-Roll's great survivors,” in Mojo, Perrett's recently released solo album, The Cleansing is getting rave reviews for it's subject matter which The Guardian called a darkly humorous gem and a triumph. Our conversation with Jamie centered around his role as producer and facilitator of The Cleansing, as well as his new single “Glory Days,” which was released the day we spoke. We really dug into things with Jamie who was brutally honest and open about growing up in an unconventional and chaotic household. The stories you will hear Jamie tell are about as raw and frankly, difficult, as you have ever heard on this podcast. Somehow we also get to how Jamie discovered his own music, how making music with and touring with his father is really just a way to explore an unspoken love between them and what it was like growing up & recoding songs about his childhood which included abuse, neglect, fractured relationships and the complexities of growing up with broken promises. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast. Get ready to pick your jaws up off the floor.

We discuss the five musical notes of a relationship: CommunicationTrustIntimacyPlayfulnessGrowthThrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to improve in the areas of health, wealth and/or relationships, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help.In the US:Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counselingThe National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:The International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

The following conversation may include topics that some individuals might find distressing or triggering. These topics could include but are not limited to discussions about mental health, trauma, violence, abuse, discrimination, or other sensitive subjects. We aim to create a safe and respectful space for dialogue, but please be aware of your own emotional well-being and boundaries. If at any point you feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed, please prioritize your mental health and consider stepping away from the conversation. Additionally, if you require support or assistance, please reach out to a trusted friend, family member, or mental health professional. By continuing with this conversation, you acknowledge your understanding of the potential triggering nature of the topics discussed and agree to engage with sensitivity and respect for others.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/2-be-better--5828421/support.

Presented by Men Of Valor. To learn more or volunteer: men-of-valor.org This episode is brought to you by CoreCivic. Better the public good: corecivic.com 

We discuss why that overwhelming and distressing feeling we have might be empathy fatigue. Thrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to improve in the areas of health, wealth and/or relationships, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help.In the US:Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counselingThe National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:The International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that about one out of every eight kids in America grows up in homes with a substance use problem. And according to the CDC, Fentanyl was responsible for nearly 70% of drug overdose deaths in 2022. Now, the film INHERITANCE places us all on the frontlines of the opioid crisis right here in Ohio.rnrnFilmed over 11 years, INHERITANCE explores the underlying causes of the opioid epidemic in America through the life of one boy and five generations of his extended family. Curtis, a bright and hopeful 12-year-old, grows up in rural Appalachia surrounded by love and struggle while every adult in his family - parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins - battle addiction. Curtis's America is a country where people and communities are struggling with an epidemic of substance use disorder, joblessness, poverty, and a deteriorating sense of belonging. Can Curtis break the cycle of addiction that has plagued his family for generations?

Life isn't just about learning to be happy, joyous and free, it's also about learning how to be angry. Let's discuss. Thrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to improve in the areas of health, wealth and/or relationships, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help.In the US:Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counselingThe National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:The International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

What is the impact of substance use on mental health? Dr. Michael Milobsky is the owner and operator of Pediatrics at the Meadows, a primary care pediatric practice in Castle Rock, Colorado, committed to keeping patients healthy and safe by providing unparalleled access to excellent in-office care. Renowned, trusted, and skilled diagnostician, with 20 years of experience as a pediatric hospitalist and pediatric emergency physician. Dedicated to diagnosing patients quickly and accurately and following up with the most appropriate, effective and up-to-date treatments. Owner of Chicken Soup Pediatric In-Home Urgent Care & Concierge Healthcare. He has additional training in managing and treating chronic pain and addiction in adolescents. In episode 533 of the Fraternity Foodie Podcast, we find out why Dr. Milobsky chose UPenn for his undergraduate experience, how playing college basketball impacted his life and career, what he thinks about going to medical school today, what is the critical link between mental health and academic success, how students can recognize the signs of mental distress in other students, how to persuade another student to get help, what is the impact of substance use on mental health, mindfulness techniques that can help you, and time management advice while in college. Enjoy!

Sometimes loss is an opportunity to revamp ourselves. Let's discuss.Thrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to improve in the areas of health, wealth and/or relationships, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help.In the US:Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counselingThe National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:The International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

We dissect the emotions behind each sentence of a suicide note, then address the antidote for each emotion.Thrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to improve in the areas of health, wealth and/or relationships, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help.In the US:Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counselingThe National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:The International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

Adversity and tragedy are one-two punches that often break a human being right down to the very core of her/his being, especially when he/she is young.Luke Storey describes how he survived his addictions and a cult meant to “reform” him, then found his way to healing through the process of surrender this week on Spirit Gym.Learn more about Luke, browse his favorite products and listen to his podcast, The Life Stylist Podcast With Luke Storey, on his website. Check him out on social media via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Telegram and Rumble.Sign up for your Spirit Gym podcast membership so you can access members-only extended versions of the podcast along with exclusive Q&A opportunities with Paul. Timestamps3:45 “In the case of my parents, what they didn't know, they didn't know.”9:05 Craving a warm blanket of safety but not knowing how to get that from people, Luke turned to drugs.18:02 Do you create chaos for yourself every day?23:13 Developing the witness-observer perspective.28:54 Be present for the feminine storm.36:20 Luke becomes a participant in the cult-like troubled teen industry.42:32 There were survivors, not graduates or alumni of Luke's days at the Rocky Mountain Academy.50:08 Can there be “good” brainwashing?1:00:13 The contagious nature of trauma.1:15:47 Is our society disempowering men?1:26:37 Creating micro-communities.1:32:18 “We have an opportunity to change the trajectory of the collective.”Resources The work of Plotinus, Dr. Leonard Sax and Steven TylerThe Sacred Art of Listening by Kay LindahlFreedom of Mind: Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults and Beliefs by Steven HassanCEDUSynanonFind more resources for this episode on our website.Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz) by Brave as BearsAll Rights Reserved MusicFit Records 2024Thanks to our awesome sponsors:PaleovalleyBiOptimizers US and BiOptimizers UK PAUL10Organifi CHEK20Wild PasturesWe may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.