Podcasts about dtes

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Deb (00:03.606)Within the next seven months, up to 1.5 million Americans could lose access to a medication that they’ve relied on for decades. Not because it’s dangerous, but because a pharmaceutical giant may have lobbied the FDA to eliminate their competition. And if you’re one of them, your doctor may already have told you about this issue and stopped prescribing it.This isn’t a conspiracy theory. This is documented in federal court filings. This is happening right now. And the company that stands to profit, well, they’re the same ones manufacturing the only product that might survive.Today on Let’s Talk Wellness Now, we’re exposing the desiccated thyroid extract crisis, the corporate manipulation behind it, and what you need to do right now to protect your health. Stay with me because I’m about to share what could save your access to the medication keeping you alive.Welcome back to Let’s Talk Wellness Now, the show where we uncover the root causes of chronic illness, expose regulatory capture in healthcare, and empower you with the tools to advocate for yourself. I’m Dr. Deb, naturopathic doctor, your medical detective, and today we’re diving into one of the most consequential and corrupt healthcare decisions affecting patients right now. If you or someone you love takes Armour thyroid, NP thyroid, or any desiccated thyroid extract,for hypothyroidism or if you’ve struggled to find a thyroid medication that actually works for your body, this episode is absolutely critical. And if you have celiac disease, gluten sensitivity or corn allergies, what I’m about to reveal will make your blood boil. Now grab your cup of coffee, don’t forget your notebook and settle in because what’s happening to this medication right now is a masterclass in how pharmaceutical companies use regular Deb (02:06.544)agencies to eliminate competition, control markets, and price gouge patients. And I have all the receipts. Deb (02:20.982)Let me start with what might surprise you. Desiccated thyroid extract, or DTE as we call it, is actually one of the most oldest thyroid medications in the world. And I mean old. From the 1890s through 1970, this was the standard treatment for hypothyroidism.Now let’s really dive into that. From the 1890s to the 1970s, this was standard hypothyroidism treatment.In 1965 alone, and this is documented in peer-reviewed literature published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, approximately four out of every five prescriptions for thyroid hormone in the United States were of natural desiccated thyroid preparations.The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism is a very high-end journal. Now think about that. This wasn’t some fringe therapy. This was mainstream medicine. Armour Thyroid, the most recognizable brand name, has been manufactured since the early 1900s, well over a century ago.and this is cited again in NIH bookshelf. When the FDA was officially established in 1938, Arbor thyroid was already on the market. And this is important and I want you to understand why. Under the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, any drug that was already being marketed before 1938 was automatically grandfathered into the system. That means it didn’t have to Deb (04:08.112)go through the formal FDA approval process. And this again is cited under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, grandfathered drugs and exemptions. And this is crucial to understanding what happens next. By the 1970s, synthetic levothyroxine, brand name Synthroid and generics became the preferred treatment. Hmm, wonder why?It was easier to standardize, came into consistent doses, and worked well for most patients, and could be mass manufactured. By the 1980s, levothyroxine had largely replaced desiccated thyroid in clinical practice, according to the American Thyroid Association 2014 guidelines for the treatment of hypothyroidism. But here’s what matters. Some patients…a very significant minority of them, never felt right on levothyroxine alone. Despite their lab work looking normal, they still had fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, cold intolerance, and depression.These patients often found relief when they switched back to their desiccated thyroid, which contains both T4 and T3 hormones, the way human thyroid naturally produces them. And this is not anecdotal. This is documented in randomized double-blind crossover studies published in Endocrine Practice.For decades, that was fine. Their doctors prescribed it, insurance sometimes covered it, patients were getting better, and the system worked really well. Until August 6th of 2025, just a short time ago, everything changed. On that date, the FDA sent letters to manufacturers, importers, and distributors of desiccated thyroid extract products stating that these medications would need an approval. Deb (06:04.654)a biologics licensed application, a BLA, to remain legally on the market. And this is cited in the FDA’s official statement, FDA’s actions to address unapproved thyroid medications. understand it says unapproved thyroid medications. However, desiccated thyroid, specifically Armour, has been approved since 1938. And this was dated August 6th through 7th, 2025.This wasn’t a guideline. This wasn’t a suggestion. It was an endorsement of action. And the timeline they gave them? Well, just 12 months to transition patients to another medication before enforcement action could begin.This was also cited by an FDA notice to the industry, animal derived thyroid products notice to industry, August 6th, 2025. Now do the math, that means August 2026, seven months from now, 1.5 million Americans currently taking this medication. And this number comes from the FDA official statement, citing that it’s an estimation of 1.5 million patients receiving prescriptions for these medications.could potentially lose their thyroid access. Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The FDA didn’t wake up in August of 2025 and decide to regulate desiccated thyroid after a century. This decision has a much longer backstory. And understanding that backstory is critical to understanding what’s really happening in this industry.The shift started in 2022. Back in September of 2022, over three years ago, an FDA branch chief sent a letter to the National Associations of Boards of Pharmacy noting that the agency had decided to designate DTE as a biological product, which would affect its eligibility for compounding. Deb (08:13.972)This also is cited in an FDA letter to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy September 2022.Then two months later, in November of 2022, the FDA’s Office of Compounding Quality and Compliance sent a softer letter acknowledging that many Americans take medication to treat hypothyroidism and some choose to take DTE products. The letter stated that the FDA would focus enforcement on cases that pose the greatest public health risks, such as serious adverse offense or serious product quality or adulteration.also is cited by an FDA letter from Francis G. Bromel, the director, Office of Compounding Quality and Compliance, November of 2022. Now, let me just think about this for a second. If this drug has been on the market since the 1800s, been FDA approved since 1938, would we not have seen a health crisis long before 2022?I honestly don’t know of any other drug that’s been around this long that’s used by this many people. Now granted, I haven’t done the research on it either, which I can do for you guys, but I’m just thinking if a drug is on the market today and it causes harm, it doesn’t make it three years, five years before you see lawsuits everywhere. Why are there no lawsuits on this drug? Why are there no major reactions that people are seen having?Hmm, just thought. But here’s the pattern. The FDA was already laying the groundwork back in 2022, testing the waters, signaling where this was headed. The August 2025 action. Then this came down. Deb (10:09.806)August 6, 2025, the FDA announced its position publicly and sent formal letters to all DTE manufacturers, importers, and distributors. This was cited by the FDA Enforcement Action August 6, 2025, letters to manufacturers, importers, distributions of DTE products. The agency stated several concerns. First, DTE products have experienced quality and dosing issues.The FDA cited, and I’m quoting directly from their statement, over 500 adverse events reported associated with DTE products from 1968 to 2025. From 1968 to 2025, we had 500 adverse reactions? What is that math equate to?A couple a year? Come on guys, this is insane! With a substantial increase, you, between 2019 and 2020 that the agency suggested was related to voluntary recalls of sub-potent or super-potent products.This was cited in the FDA statement, over 500 adverse events reported associated with ADT products from 1968 through 2025.Second, the agency expressed concern about batch inconsistency. According to the FDA’s official statements, tablets made from the same manufacturing batches may not always provide the same thyroid hormone levels. Okay, this was cited in the FDA statement, tablets made from the same manufacturing batches may not always provide the same thyroid hormone levels. Thirdly, and I want to actually let’s back up. I want you to remember I said that Deb (12:11.216)because further down in this podcast, we’re going to talk about this. This is an important point to remember. Thirdly, the agency raised concerns about potential impurities from animal source material, including potential for viral contamination due to the animal source and supraphysiological levels of T3.the FDA statement on impurities, viral contamination and super physiological T3 levels. Now I will tell you, I’ve been prescribing armarithograde for 20 years. I’ve rarely seen a super physiological dose given of T3 in lab results, unless the patient takes their medication like four or five hours before you do the blood test, then you’ll see a false rise because you’re actually seeing the medication. You’re not seeing people walking aroundsuperphysiological T3 levels. Nobody would like that feeling. So anyway, I digress. Now let me pause here because this is where I need to give you some context that the FDA hasn’t quite emphasized yet. Of course, we have another connection and it is the China connection.So the FDA’s concerns about contaminated drugs and quality issues don’t exist in a vacuum. In 2024, the U.S. over 828,000 metric tons of pharmaceuticals, seven times the level from 2000. And here’s the kicker. China and India supply the majority of active pharmaceutical ingredients. APIs for U.S. generics accounting for 70 to 80 % of the total genericdrug supply. According to Reuters industry report in 2024, they state that China supplies 82 % of the APIs for critical drugs. Deb (14:08.204)Got to question that, right? Why are we giving all of our drug formulas to China and allowing them to import them into our country? In fact, roughly 20 % of the critical drugs have APIs exclusively sourced from China. And China controls 80 to 90 % of the global production for antibiotics and other key compounds. This was also cited by Reuters industry data thatcontrols 80 to 90 percent of the global production for antibiotics and other key compounds. Now just think about this. They control 80 to 90 percent of our medication. They control 20 percent of our critical drugs and we just put what kind of tariff on them? Hmm.In 2025 alone, the FDA issued multiple warning letters to foreign manufacturers for contamination issues and failure to follow good manufacturing practices. This is also cited by the FDA warning letters 2024 through 2025 and multiple citations to foreign manufacturing facilities. This is a systematic problem affecting the entire US drug supply, not just desiccated thyroid.So when the FDA suddenly became concerned about DTE quality and contamination, part of that concern was legitimate. But this is crucial. The same inconsistencies and contamination issues exist across the entire generic drug supply. And the FDA has not taken the same enforcement action against them. Let that sink in.They have not taken the same enforcement action against the other drug companies. So what’s behind all of this? Where is this all coming from? Hmm. Let’s address something directly, because you deserve to know it. And I’m going to cite my sources precisely so that when the medical boards have something to say about this, and they might, I have a documentation for every single word that I am about to speak. Deb (16:24.878)According to the court documents filed in October 2025, in the case ofa urine, a urine. I’m going to say that wrong. Pharmaceuticals versus Dr. George Tidmarsh from ABBV, the multinational pharmaceutical company that manufactures armor thyroid, reportedly petitioned the FDA in 2024, asking the agency to reclassify DTE as a biologic and to prohibit other manufacturers from selling unlicensed DTE products unless they havehad an investigational new drug application, we call this an IND, and a clinical development program aimed at eventual approval. This is cited in the court filing a Urena pharmaceuticals lawsuit versus Dr. George Tidmarsh, October 2025, reported by Fierce Pharma. Now let me explain why this matters and why this is one of the most brazen examples of regulatory capture I’ve ever seen in my career.AbbeVee is one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. In 2024, they reported over $54 billion in revenue. Drop the mic on that one.They have the resources, the regulatory expertise, the legal teams, and the financial capacity to navigate a biologics license application process that costs between $500 million and $1 billion. Let that sink in. Deb (18:07.882)A drug that’s been on the market since the 1800s that was grandfathered in 1938 that’s making plenty of money right now. They’re going to spend 500 million to $1 billion to get a biologics license application. Why would they do that? Well, we’re about to find out. Most otherDTE manufacturers, smaller companies like Acela Pharmaceuticals, which makes NP-thyroid, and RLC Labs, which made WP-thyroid, do not have those same resources. And this is cited in Pharma Voice in 2025. Why a treatment older than the FDA is getting new regulatory scrutiny. So when you petition the FDA to reclassify a drug in a way that requires this type of expensivetime-consuming biological approval, you’re not just asking for safety. You’re asking to eliminate your competitors from the marketplace. Now, I want to be very precise here. These allegations are documented in federal court filings, and it hasn’t been approved in court. It’s also been reported by multiple industry sources, including Fierce Pharma. But I’m telling you,what has been reported in legal proceedings, not stating it as an absolute fact because you deserve to know the difference and because I have to protect my license. Now, what do we know for certain?AbbeVee is working on a biologics license application for Armour thyroid through clinical trials called Avantia. This is cited by the AbbeVee corporate statement 2025 Avantia clinical trial for Armour thyroid. A cell of pharmaceuticals has been pursuing BLA approval for NP thyroid for seven years since 2017 and it completed its phase two trials successfully in 2025. They’re now moving Deb (20:15.448)into Phase 3 trials. This is also cited by the Acela Pharmaceuticals CEO statement 2025 seven-year pursuit for BLA approval completed Phase 2 trials moving to Phase 3.RLC Labs, which manufactured WP thyroid, has made no public announcement about pursuing BLA approval and really probably don’t have a plan to do this since they’ve been off the market for some time now. About five years, I think maybe a little longer. Here’s the market manipulation.If only ABBV is successful and obtains a BLA approval for Armour thyroid, that company would effectively have a monopoly on the DDT market. And in pharmaceutical markets, monopolies historically lead to price increases.We’ve seen this pattern over and over again when turning pharmaceuticals acquired Daraprim and raised their price from $13.50 to $750 per tablet overnight. When Myelin raised EpiPen increased prices by 400 % when insulin manufacturers colluded to raise prices in lockstep. This is the playbook.use regulatory barriers to eliminate your competition and then exploit pricing power. For a drug that’s been on the market since the 1800s, guess corporate greed is everywhere. They’re not making enough money on this product already and they’re taking advantage of the rules that they can manipulate their competition by. And here’s what really makes me furious. The American Thyroid Association, the professional organization Deb (22:06.672)representing endocrinologists sent letters to the FDA commissioner on October 8th of 2025 and September 18th of 2025.advocating for continued patient access to DTEs. This is cited in the American Thyroid Association statement and letter to the FDA commissioner dated October 8th, 2025 and September 18th, 2025. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists issued a statement on September 9th of 2025 supporting equitable access and personalized medicine for DTE. This was also cited in the American AssociationAssociation of Clinical Endocrinologists, AACE, statement dated September 9th, 2025. Even the medical establishment, which has historically favored levothyroxine, is saying, wait, this is going too far. Patients need access to this medication. But the FDA is moving forward anyway. Why? Well, where does it always lead us? Follow the money trail.Okay, so I need to explain what a biologics license application actually is because this is where the rubber meets the road for what’s going to happen to pricing and availability. What is a BLA?A BLA is a biologics license application. It’s a formal request submitted to the FDA to market a biologic product in the United States. A biologic is defined under the Public Health Service Act section 351 as a product derived from or made using living material, in this case, animal thyroid glands. And this is cited in the FDA definition for biologic products. So they’re putting armor thyroid right Deb (23:57.377)right up with stem cells and exosomes. Think about that. Stem cells and exosomes cost thousands of dollars per application because of how they have to be harvested, stored, freezed, all of that. But we’re talking about a thyroid gland. Good Lord, people.Unlike regular drug applications for synthetic medications which follow a simpler pathway, the BLA process is designed for complex biological products like monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, and gene therapy products. It’s a much more expensive, much more time-consuming process. The BLA processis what manufacturers have to do. And we’re going to talk about that. So according to Reprocell and Forge Biologics analysis of the FDA’s BLA process, here’s what companies need to submit. First, they need to complete a clinical trial data, phase one, two, and three trials, proving safety and efficacy for desiccated thyroid. Haven’t we done that since it’s been on the market since the 1800s? Just saying.This means they have to conduct large randomized controlled trials comparing it to levothyroxine, measuring safety outcomes, efficacy outcomes, and quality of life metrics. Second,Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls, CMC’s data. Detailed information about how the product is manufactured, quality control measures, stability testing and specifications that must be met for every batch. Third, preclinical and animal safety data. Fourth, labeling and product information. Now, I think we have labeling and product information. Deb (25:53.717)since the 1800s? But just saying. Fifth, they need Pharma Covigilance Plan, a detailed plan for monitoring safety after the product is on the market. Haven’t they had to do that since the 1800s? And they have to have a timeline. And this is the critical part. The FDA’s standard review time for a BLA is 10 months.That’s after the application is deemed complete and accepted for filing. So this is cited by the FDA standard review timeline, BLA submission, and FDA review.Now, before you even get to filing, you need to conduct the clinical trials and compile all the data that’s typically several years of work. How are you going to prove safety and effectiveness in a large clinical trial long term? What do they consider? What do they deem long term? Three months, six months, a year, two years. These companies had 10 months.Well, maybe 12. They did it a year in advance. But unless you knew this was coming, how are you going to put together a trial, enroll the people, have all the trial components set up and ready to go in less than 12 months unless you knew it was coming beforehand? Even ifhad started all their clinical trials in 2024, completing them, compiling the data, and getting a complete application ready for submission, this would likely take you through mid-2026, then add another 10 months for FDA review. We’re looking at 2027 at the earliest for most of these companies to receive a BLA application. Deb (27:54.319)But the FDA gave the manufacturers until August of 2026. That’s approximately 19 months from when the August 2025 letters were sent. Most companies cannot reasonably complete the BLA approval in that timeframe. And when I’m talking about the 19 months, I’m talking about the information they would have had earlier. Now the cost.This gets me even more frustrated. Why are we spending this kind of money? The BLL process is extraordinarily expensive. The current FDA user fee for a BLA submission is approximately $483,560 just for the filing fee. And this is cited at the FDA user fees prescription drug user fee rates for 2025.The full cost of conducting clinical trials, CMC studies, and all the supporting documentation typically ranges from $500 million to over $1 billion, depending on the scope of the trials and the complexity. And this is cited in JAMA’s network, Open2023. A cell of pharmaceuticals has been pursuing the BLA approval since 2017. That’s eight years. And it’s just now.moving into phase three trials with a planned enrollment of approximately 300 patients. This is cited by the Acela Pharmacies CEO statement of 2025. Now that’s unusual. That’s typical for this process. This is not unusual. This is typical for this process to take seven, 10 years to get approval for this. So if Abby’s the one that requested this,Abby V. And Acela started this in 2017. Was Abby V threatened by Acela that Acela might get this approval and it would be quietly done without anybody seeing it? And maybe Abby V would be left out of the market after a century? Who knows? It’s possible. Deb (30:13.112)But for smaller manufacturers without billions in revenue, this cost is completely prohibitive. And this is why this matters. When you push an old established medication through an extraordinary, expensive approval process with a compromised timeline, one of three things happen. First, only the largest companies can afford it, creating a monopoly. And when that happens, the company that holds the only approved product can set pricing withminimal competitive pressures. Two, smaller manufacturers can’t afford it and their products disappear and the market shrinks and access decreases. Three, we see a combination of both and who pays the price? Literally, patients do. Now here’s whereThere’s something I want you to really think about because this is where the regulatory argument falls apart when you look at it carefully. The FDA’s concern about DTE is that, and I’m quoting their official statement, tablets from the same manufacturing batches may not always provide the same thyroid hormone levels. This is from their FDA statement.And that’s a legitimate quality concern, right? It is. Thyroid medications have a narrow therapeutic window like any other hormone, meaning the difference between an effective dose and the dose that causes problems can be quite small. But here’s what the FDA doesn’t emphasize. Generic drugs have the exact same dosing inconsistency issue, and it’s considered acceptable and has been since we allowed generics on the market.So how does a generic drug dose work anyway? Well, for generic drugs to be approved as bioequivalent to a brand name medication, the FDA requires that the generic drugs bioavailability fall within 80 to 125 % of the brand name product. Isn’t that a dose inconsistency? Deb (32:22.894)from the brand name medication? 800 or sorry, 80 to 125%. According to the pharmacy times analysis of the FDA’s bioequivalent standards, the 80 to 125 % bioequivalence rule means that a generic drug can have 20 to 45 % variability compared to the original brand product.Now, most generics are much closer than that. The FDA study data shows that the mean difference for an AUC value between generic and reference products is about three and a half percent in the two year post-Waxman hatch period, and 80 % of the generics fall within a five percent range. But the FDA’s regulations allow for that much higher variability. And this is cited in an FDA study data mean difference for AUC.Now, let me put this in plain language. A patient could take a generic levothyroxine tablet where one batch provides, say, 75 micrograms of an active thyroid hormone. And the next batch from a different manufacturer, a different generic manufacturer, could provide up to 93.75 micrograms, 125 % of that 75. That’s an 18 microgram difference.in the same prescribed dose. Now, this is considered acceptable and patients tolerate it and this system works.Yet the FDA’s argument against DTE is that batch-to-batch inconsistency is unacceptable and requires this expensive biologic approval? That’s a double standard. So why is batch inconsistency acceptable for generic levothyroxine, but supposedly unacceptable for desiccated thyroid? I’ll give you the regulatory answer. Deb (34:29.366)because DDT is a biological product derived from an animal tissue and the FDA considers biological products to require more rigorous control. That’s the regulatory answer, but I’ll give you the real answer.because there’s no billion dollar pharmaceutical company with a patent pending on generic levothyroxine who petitioned the FDA to regulate their competitors more strictly. The inconsistency argument is legitimate, but it’s selectively applied. And that matters when you’re trying to understand whether this is really about patient safety or whether it’s about market control.Now I want to talk about something that hasn’t gotten nearly enough attention in this discussion and it’s something that makes me absolutely furious. What is Armour Thyroid? According to the official prescribing information published by AbbeV and available through rxabbev.com and the FDA’s daily med database, Armour Thyroid contains the following inactive ingredients. Calcium steroid,dextrose derived from corn, mycocrystalline cellulose,sodium starch glycolate and a opadri white coating. Now let’s talk about dextrose. Dextrose is a sugar derived from corn and while manufacturers claim that the corn derived dextrose in armor thyroid is gluten free, here’s the problem. Cross contamination during corn processing can introduce gluten proteins especially if the corn is processed in facilities that also handle Deb (36:18.808)wheat, barley, or rye. Corn sensitivity is extremely common in patients with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and studies show that up to 50 % of the celiac patients react to corn proteins due to molecular mimicry, and the corn proteins look similar enough to gluten that the immune system attacks them. And this is cited by RestartMD.com.And here’s what’s documented in peer-reviewed medical literature in a 2023 case report published in Case Reports in Endocrinology. These researchers documented five patients with gluten intolerance or celiac who were taking natural desiccated thyroid. Three of those patients also reported lactose intolerance. Now these patients had to switch from DTE to liquid levothyroxine formulations to avoid the inactiveSo here’s my question. If AbbeV becomes the only manufacturer with an approved DTE product and their formulations contain corn-derived dextrose that triggers reactions in celiac patients, what are those patients supposed to do? They can’t take armor because of the corn. They can’t take compounded DTE because the FDA is banning compounding of these biologics. They can’t take NPKsor WP thyroid because those companies may not survive the BLA process. So they’re left with a synthetic version of levothyroxine which may not work for them.Now the NP thyroid and WP thyroid difference. Now here’s what’s interesting according to drugs.com comparison of inactive ingredients and P thyroid and P thyroid has calcium steroid dextrose also derived from corn, mineral oil, multi-crystalline cellulose. Deb (38:19.31)cross carmelicin sodium and a opadri to white. So NP thyroid also has corn-derived dextrose. WP thyroid on the other hand was specifically formulated to be hypoallergenic according to ROC labs, but it’s no longer available and its ingredients were inulin from chicory root and medium chain triglycerides. No corn, no gluten, no common allergies. So todayWe do not have a glandular thyroid, a DTE, that is not potentially contaminated with gluten. Yet, patients with autoimmune thyroid disease are supposed to avoid gluten.Now, some of these people can handle a DTE and many cannot, so that argument could be a mute point. But at the end of the day, the one product that we had that was designated for patients with multiple chemical sensitivities, celiac disease and coron allergies, has been off the market for a long time already.We have a monopoly problem. So if ABBV becomes the only approved manufacturer, patients with these celiac diseases and corn allergies will either be forced to take a medicine that makes them sick and triggers their immune reaction or switch to a synthetic that doesn’t adequately treat their hypothyroidism or choose to go without treatment. This is not hypothetical. This is real patients with real medical needs who are about to lose accessto the only formulation that works for their body. And the FDA’s response is silence. Deb (40:07.69)Now I want to highlight something that hasn’t gotten nearly enough attention in this discussion. Compounding pharmacies. What is a compounding pharmacy? Compounded medications are custom made by licensed pharmacists to meet a patient’s specific needs. Maybe you need a different strength that was commercially available, but you have an allergy to a filler or a dye in the commercial product. Maybe you need a liquid formulation or instead of a tablet or you need a capsule. That’s when compoundingin. And the FDA’s, this is the FDA’s definition of compounding. And for decades, compounding pharmacies have been making desiccated thyroid extract for patients who needed customization. Some patients couldn’t take the commercial products because of the dyes and the fillers, and some needed strengths that were not available. And these compounding pharmacies filled the gap.But reclassification changes everything. When the FDA reclassified DTE as a biologic in 2022 and reinforced that decision in August of 2025, explicitly stated, and I’m quoting directly from the FDA’s official statement, these unapproved animal-derived thyroid medications are not eligible for compounding because these products are regulated as biologic products under the Public Health Service Act.How can that be? These products have been approved since 1938 and the Biologics Act didn’t go into effect or doesn’t go into effect until August of 2026.So how in 2022 were they able to say that the compounding pharmacies could not make these products? Anyway, what this means is after August 2026, compounding pharmacies will no longer be permitted to compound a desiccated thyroid extract, even for patients with specific medical needs. Now, compounding pharmacies can still compound T4 and T3 separately, synthetic versions of levothyroxine and liothyronine, according to Deb (42:12.728)healing dose compounding pharmacy. These pharmacists can create custom ratios of these two synthetic hormones to approximate what a patient was receiving from a DTE. But that’s not the same thing. Some patients respond better to the whole DTE preparation than to a compounded synthetic combination. And for patients with specific allergies to standard fillers like your celiac patients that I just talked about, losing the ability to get a compounded DTE alternative isreal hardship. This is going to be a ripple effect. For a subset of patients, maybe 5 to 10 percent of those on DTE compounding was their lifeline and it was their way to get a medication formulation that worked for their unique body. When compounding goes away, these patients lose that option as well and for some it will be a significant problem. Now let’s talk about what this likely means for your wallet.The current pricing right now, according to SingleCare and GoodRx, Armour Thyroid costs approximately $150 to $157 for a 90-day supply of 60-milligram tablets, about $1.67 per tablet. With discount cards, some patients can get it down to $101 to $152 for a 90-day supply.Generic levon thyroxine costs about $70 for a 90 day supply, less than half that price. And p-thyroid costs approximately $133 for a 90 day supply of 60 milligrams with a discount card about $83 to $101.What happens after we get BLA approval? Well, here’s the pharmaceuticals pricing model. When a company spends 500 million to $1 billion to bring a product to market, including conducting massive clinical trials, the cost tens of millions of dollars they recoup in that investment through pricing power. And this is cited in the pharmaceutical pricing models. If ABBIEV is the only company with an approved BLA of DTE, Deb (44:18.248)They have pricing power. They don’t have competitors. They can set their price, whatever they want. And historically, when drugs transition from grandfather status, which is basically unregulated to formal formally approved status, prices often increase significantly, not always, but often. And typically they have to get re-approval for insurance. SoTouring Pharmaceuticals acquired DARPM and raised the price again from $1,350 to $750 overnight, a 5,000 % increase. This is the playbook.Let’s talk about insurance coverage. This is the other consideration. Insurance companies sometimes have different coverage policies for approved versions versus unapproved drugs. And right now, many insurance plans cover armor thyroid or NP thyroid, even though they’re technically unapproved because they’ve been on the market for decades and patients are on them. Once a drug becomes formally approved, insurance companies may have new contractual relationships, prior authorization requirements, or preferred drugs.list that could affect your coverage. If 1.5 million people have to get a prior auth for their insurance to cover this new medication, this is going to drive the doctor’s offices crazy. We do not have the staff to man this. We do not have the manpower. We do not have the time. This is going to interrupt people’s ability to get their medications. This is going to create chaos within the system. And some patients might see better coverage, but manymost likely are going to see worse coverage and some might find themselves in a situation where they need to try to get the drug approved first or get an approval for something else like levothyroxine and they’re going to have to document that it didn’t work and the documentation that they had from 20 years ago is probably not going to be enough because it’s not documented anywhere. It’s lost in the system after 10 years. So for patients the practical takeaway is expect Deb (46:25.774)a price increase. I would say possible, but I don’t think that’s true. think you’re going to see a price increase if they get approved. Expect possible insurance complexities, budget accordingly, talk to your insurance company now about what your coverage is going to look like in 2027 if they even know. And if you want my honest assessment of what is likely to happen,I’ll give you a scenario, 30 % likelihood. The FDA enforces the August 26 deadline and DTE products not approved by then are pulled from the market. Patients will have 30 to 90 days to transition to other medications. Some patients suffer significant symptom relapse. Compounding for DTE becomes illegal and this disruptiveness of the system creates a real hardship. Scenario two.which is 50 % likely. This is actually what the FDA commissioner, Marty McCreary suggested on August 13th of 2025 when he posted on social media. The FDA is committed to pursuing the first ever approval of desiccated thyroid access pending results of the ongoing clinical trials. In the meantime, we’ll ensure access for all Americans. Hopefully that continues. What this likely means is the FDA uses enforcement discretion to allow continuedsales while approvals are being pursued and the deadline gets extended. Maybe patients get access for another two to three years while companies work on a BLA approval. This would be the least disruptive scenario, but it’s also legally uncertain because the enforcement letters have been formally rescinded. And scenario three, which is 20 % likelihood, one or two companies get BLA approval. Those products stay on the market at higher product prices and companies, products, other companiescompanies, products are pulled, the market shrinks, availability is limited, prices are higher, but patients can still get something. This is likely if a seller successfully completes phase three trials for NP-thyroid. And my assessment is based on the regulatory language and the enforcement letters that have not been rescinded yet, that the pattern of FDA enforcement, I believe scenario two enforcement discretion with an extended time frame is most likely what we’re going to see. Deb (48:49.488)doesn’t mean patients should sit back and do nothing. It means you should be prepared for change while advocating for access. If you want to keep Arm or Thigh Right on the market, 1.5 million people need to start talking about this publicly and flooding our Congress people, Bobby Kennedy, the FDA, with what you want to see happen. We have the ability to shape this and to change this with our voice. But if we sit back on our laurels and we do absolutelynothing. What is going to happen is what the FDA wants to have happen and ABV wants to have happen because they’re going to simply think people don’t give a shit. And if the American people are going to be lazy and not want to step forward and actually start using their voice for some good and instead of just going to social media and bitching and hoping something is going to happen, well, then we’re going to get what we deserve. But if you start taking someaction and you start advocating for the things that you want. Contacting your representatives, contacting your U.S. tell them the FDA has done this. Many of them may not know this, may not be on their radar. Tell them what you want. Start going after this. Start writing to the FDA Commissioner’s Office. They have a website. They have a Commissioner’s Office at fda.hhs.gov. Be responsible.respectful, but be firm. Explain your scenario. How long you’ve been on DTE. Why levothyroxine doesn’t work. What symptoms you experience when not adequately treated. How this decision will affect your quality of life and your pocketbook. Let’s do something proactive. So let’s consider this. Moving forward, work with your provider who understands the regulatory landscape around DTE. You can discuss the evidence for and against combination therapy.You can monitor for thyroid function with free T3 and free T4 testing, not just TSH. If you’re willing to try individualized approaches, you can do that. If you need help finding a functional medicine provider who understands this issue, come to serenityhealthcarecenter.com or explorethevanari.com. It’s a self-directed functional medicine support group. And right now what is happening is going to shape how history Deb (51:19.024)is made with not just armor thyroid, but many drugs to come. And it is important for you to take action. So I want to thank you for joining me today on Let’s Talk Wellness Now. This episode is about far more than thyroid medication. It’s about your right to personalized medical treatment. It’s about your regulatory capture and corporate influence. And it’s about what happens when billion dollar companies shape healthcare policy in ways that reduce patient choice and increase their profits.this episode resonates with you or you know somebody who’s going to be affected by desiccated thyroid, please share it. Post it on social media, send it to your doctor, email it to your representatives, tag AbbeVee, tag FDA. Make noise because the only way we stop this is if we make it too politically costly for them to continue. Your voice truly matters. Your health truly matters and you deserve access to treatments that work best for your unique body.If you’re ready to explore comprehensive personalized health care that puts you in control, visit us at SerenityHealthCareCenter.com. Learn more about functional medicine approaches to thyroid and beyond and explore my new platform, Venari.com, which is a self-directed functional medicine tool. Thank you for joining me today. Until next time, I’m Dr. Deb reminding you, your health is your responsibility, your choice, and your right. Be well, stay informed, fight back.and I’ll see you in the next episode. And if you’re looking for a full citation list of this episode, you can head over to letstalkwellnessnow.com and I will post all the citations for you so you have them in your arsenal as well. Thank you again.The post Episode 259 – The Desiccated Thyroid Crisis: FDA's Unseen Impact & Corporate Manipulation first appeared on Let's Talk Wellness Now.

In this conversation, we catch up with our friends at Strathcona Vineyard, a small, vibrant, multi-ethnic, mixed-socio-economic congregation in the heart of Vancouver's DTES, Canada's poorest urban postcode. Dawn Humphreys, Jamie Hellawell, and James Witwicki share what incarnational ministry means, emphasizing the importance of presence, relationship, and community engagement that levels inequalities and invites people to participate. They share their experiences living in the DTES, and the challenges and rewards of long-term commitment to a community. We touch on the significance of kinship, the need to challenge power dynamics, and the transformative nature of living in proximity to suffering. If you've ever wondered what living in inner city Vancouver will do to your ecclesiology and how you measure success in ministry, listen in, and perhaps embrace the risk of following God's call into this community, or another community like it.Guest BiosDawn Humphreys helped plant Strathcona Vineyard Church 20 years ago and has served as lead pastor for the past 17 years. She was also on the founding team for Jacob's Well, a relationally focused ministry in the DTES, and served on staff there for 11 years until 2012. Dawn is passionate about inspiring and equipping others to engage with God's heart for the poor and oppressed. She has supervised Regent Interns for many years, including during her time at Jacob's Well and at Strathcona Vineyard, and worked part-time as a Pastoral Representative for the M.Div. Program at Regent College for just over two years. She also works as the Engage Catalyst for Vineyard Canada, helping unify efforts in justice and societal impact so Vineyard Churches and the people who belong to these communities can flourish. Before her life in Vancouver, Dawn spent eight years living in various parts of Southeast Asia with St Stephen's Society, an incarnational missional community based in Hong Kong, where she learned the rhythms of faithful presence and how God moves in everyday life. Dawn brings a vital challenge and encouragement to the Church regarding current paradigms of ministry and the empowerment of people on society's margins. Jamie Hellawell has lived in Vancouver's DTES for over 20 years, during which he completed a PhD in philosophy. He served as Associate Pastor at Strathcona Vineyard Church for over 8 years. After completing a master's in counselling, Jamie began working as a counsellor at the end of last year. Jamie loves connecting with people from diverse educational, cultural, and life experiences. Over the years, he has overseen Small Groups, led Bible studies, and discussions exploring the intersection of faith, philosophy, and theology, among many other initiatives. He was also a key part of Strathcona's Housing Project, where derelict houses were renovated into liveable homes for community members, allowing the church to continue offering hospitality. In this work, he drew on his skills as a professional painter, his love of working with his hands and seeing a project through to completion. Jamie is married to April, who has her own counselling practice, and together they have three daughters. Jamie brings a compassionate and steady leadershiRegent College PodcastThanks for listening. Please like, rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice and share this episode with a friend. Follow Us on Social MediaFacebookInstagramYoutubeKeep in TouchRegent CollegeSummer ProgramsRegent College Newsletter

Is the NDP's new budget squeezing small business in B.C.?  Why are so many commercial trucks failing inspections? Vancouver goes ahead with a new VPD training academy in the DTES. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What needs to change to fix B.C.'s mental health crisis? What's going to fill the hole left behind the London Drugs closing down in the DTES? And how summers might be looking different for recreational anglers out there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Community groups in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside are pushing back against plans to convert the former London Drugs space at Woodward's into a police training centre. Guest: Sean Miles - Director of Binners' Project and a facilitator for the Coordinated Community Response Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest: Barj Dhahan, CEO and Founder of Sandhurst Group (that owns a number of retail businesses in B.C), and former Vancouver Police Department Board Member and Vice Chair Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Businesses are leaving the Downtown East Side because of theft and street disorder Guest: Lucy Maloney, OneCity Vancouver City Council Candidate The need for bigger, family oriented homes Guest: Brad West, Port Coquitlam Mayor Can small monthly changes boost your savings Guest: Kelly Ho,  Partner at DLD Financial Group & Certified Financial Planner The benefits of giving up Guest: Andreea Gavrila, a psychological expert at Université du Québec à Montréal in Canada Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

London Drugs closing its Woodwards location Guest: Landon Hoyt, Executive Director, Hastings Crossing BIA Should Canada drop the Chinese EV tariffs? Guest: Addisu Lashitew, Associate Professor, McMaster University Canada's armed forces are planning for threats from America Guest: Dr. James Horncastle, assistant professor, humanities, Edward and Emily McWhinney Professor in International Relations Decriminalization pilot project set to end Jan 31st Guest: Garth Mullins,Host of the Crackdown Podcast and advocate for drug users Is Canada driving away foreign entrepreneurs  Guest: Stephen Green, Immigration Lawyer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest host Bruce Claggett talks to Sarah Blyth, Advocate for the DTES and Executive Director of the Overdose Prevention Society Vancouve Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec. 31, 2025: Guest host Bruce Claggett in for Jas Johal Calgary moves to repeal multi-unit zoning; should B.C. to do the same? (0:00) Guest: Mark Sager, Mayor of West Vancouver How to achieve your health and diet goals in the New Year (13:16) Guest: Dani Renouf, Registered Dietitian at St. Paul's Hospital The State of the DTES heading into 2026 (22:45) Guest: Sarah Blyth, Advocate for the DTES and Executive Director of the Overdose Prevention Society Vancouver The biggest entertainment and pop culture stories of 2025 (35:09) Guest: Dana Gee, Arts reporter for Vancouver Sun and The Province Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After weeks of emotional and often heated public hearings, Vancouver City Council has approved sweeping changes to zoning in the Downtown Eastside — allowing buildings as tall as 32 storeys in parts of the neighbourhood. Guest: Peter Meiszner - Vancouver City Councillor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plans by Vancouver Mayor Sim and his ABC majority to uplift the Downtown Eastside propose to increase the proportion of market rentals, water down the definition of social housing and dramatically increase allowable building heights. Critics say this amounts to a recipe for rapid gentrification and displacement of local residents. We talk with Ian Mass about this plan and much more.

October 3, 2025 - Premier David Eby gets angry at Alberta's new oil pipeline pitch, Conservative leader John Rustad faces a backlash over firing a communications staffer, and the province hires former Vancouver mayor Larry Campbell to be its new advisor for the city's Downtown Eastside after having to fire the first pick. In an audio podcast extra, the panel discusses the upcoming fall session of the BC legislature. Host Rob Shaw is joined by Allie Blades, Jeff Ferrier and Jillian Oliver. Brought to you by UBER Canada.

A huge rally is planned for Downtown Vancouver as part of the ongoing BCGEU strike. The Downtown Eastside is quickly becoming one of the most surveyed and studied parts of the city. Do we REALLY need another consultant? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sept. 29, 2025: Guest host Charis Hogg in for Jas Johal Feds officially declare Bishnoi gang as terrorist entity (0:00) Guest: Kash Heed, former Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General of B.C, and former Chief Constable of the West Vancouver Police Department Can Larry Campbell help address challenges in the Downtown Eastside? (6:34) Guest: Sarah Blyth, Advocate for the DTES and Executive Director of the Overdose Prevention Society Vancouver Layoffs at Vancouver City Hall: necessary savings or desperate cost-cutting? (13:03) Guest: Dan Fumano, City Columnist for Vancouver Sun and The Province Are Vancouver City Hall's cost-cutting measures reckless? (20:45) Guest: Rebecca Bligh, Vancouver City councillor and mayoral candidate Is WestJet saying goodbye to reclining seats in economy class? (28:13) Guest: Claire Newell, President of Travel Best Bets Trump threatens outsourced film production with 100% tariffs (37:44) Guest: Rick Forchuk, TV Week Magazine columnist and CKNW contributor How to safely buy Girl Guide cookies without getting scammed (45:19) Guest: Diamond Isinger, provincial spokesperson for B.C. Girl Guides Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BCGEU president Paul Finch says the new contract talks very quickly broke down. What happened?! Former Vancouver mayor Larry Campbell is speaking out on his appointment as DTES special advisor, saying he is definitely not a "czar." Donald Trump says he wants to put a 100% tariff on movies made outside of the US! What does this mean for BC's film industry? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The B.C. government has appointed former Vancouver mayor Larry Campbell to coordinate housing, services and supports. What exactly will he be doing — and can this appointment make a difference in one of the city's most complex neighbourhoods? Two Texada Island residents have now been charged in connection with the killing of a grizzly bear in July. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View From Victoria: The DTES gets another Czar Guest: Vaughn Palmer, Vancouver Sun Columnist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BC is appointing Larry Campbell to work with partners to improve quality of life for everyone in Downtown Eastside. Guest: Guy Felicella - Harm reduction and recovery advocate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Novo Nordisk præsenterer stærke resultater for Wegovy til hjertepatienter. Novo-ansattes aktiegaver er tæt på at gå i 0. Onlinesupermarkedet Nemlig vil være profitable og billige. Hjemmearbejde på tilbagetog i finanssektoren viser undersøgelse. Grænser for topskat fastsat fra 2026. Xi, Putin og Modi mødtes i Shanghai. Vært: Lasse Ladefoged (lasse.ladefoged@borsen.dk)

The need for real solutions for the DTES in Vancouver Guest: Brandon Grossutti, Owner of PidGin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BC hires then fires a DTES czar, Carney releases the mandate letter to rule them all and Danielle Smith plays with fire

Are we heading into a second postal strike? GUEST: Marvin Ryder, Associate professor at McMaster University's DeGroote School of Business  Can Vancouver afford a million dollar selfie sign? GUEST: Carson Binda, B.C Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Feder Comedian Julie Kim arrives in Vancouver for the Doing Too Much Comedy Tour! GUEST: Julie Kim, stand-up comedian and writer Premier David Eby ends DTES adviser's contract after public scrutiny  GUEST: Trevor Halford, B.C Conservative MLA for Surrey-White Rock Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Andrew started using substances in grade 4. This led him down a path that nearly ended his life. He was homeless on the downtown lower east side of Vancouver, and his body was shutting down. Today he works to help others and has a YouTube channel where he carries a message of hope called DrewCouver.✅ Reach out about the Heroic Microgreens food bank donation pool to Daniel@hardknoxtalks.com✅ Buy us a coffee!✅ Need HKT Merch?✅ Check out EHN Canada✅ Bunny Hugs and Mental Health✅ Wellness News Check out Andrew's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@UCz9evohTRDK42b40JA-P53w  Support the showWe've got fresh merch and it's amazing! Pick yours up HERE Are you getting something from our content? Tap here and buy us a coffee to say thanks and help us keep this train on the tracks! Check us out on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@hardknoxtalksWant to listen to our episodes uncensored? Become a channel member here!

The VPD officially didn't cover up Ken Sim's DUI, cops & DTES plans, Bligh fired, ABC candidates, open meetings and Surrexit

The harm behind Ken Sim's pause on supportive housing in the DTES GUEST: Pete Fry, Green Party Vancouver City Councillor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In what turned out to be one hell of a hockey game, Connor McDavid scored last night's OT winner, securing the 4 Nations Championship for Team Canada! It was a dramatic day at the Victoria legislature yesterday! Conservative MLA Clare Rattee (Skeena) told house that a dozen years ago, she was a homeless drug addict, living on the DTES. What's going on in Fraser Health? The region's CEO unexpectedly resigned from her role. Guest: Vaughn Palmer - Vancouver Sun Columnist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and Police Chief Adam Palmer announced Task Force Barrage, a long-term initiative to combat organized crime and violence, particularly in the Downtown Eastside. The plan includes increased police presence, crackdowns on chronic offenders, gang activity, and drug traffickers, following the recent reversal of decriminalization policies. Guest: Ken Sim - Mayor of Vancouver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seg 1: Why Canada will NOT be feeling the sting of rising egg prices. Seg 2: Why Ken Sim believes a task force will prevent crime in the DTES! Seg 3: The love and lawlessness of Bonnie and Clyde! Seg 4: It's been another crazy week in US politics, so we have our check-in with Global Washington correspondent Reggie Cecchini! Seg 5: Canada's Arctic sovereignty is increasingly at risk, particularly concerning the Northwest Passage (NWP), which the country claims as internal waters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can Trudeau's border measures reduce fentanyl smuggling? Why one ABC councillor is opposing Mayor Sim's DTES housing plan! Can BC improve the rate of killer whale births? What's behind Trump's plan to “take over” Gaza? Making Cent$ of the Market with Lori Pinkowski! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why one ABC councillor is opposing Mayor Sim's DTES housing plan! Guest: Rebecca Bligh - ABC Vancouver City Councillor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why does London Drugs want to move out of the DTES? The answer is quite simple: crime is hurting business. Guest: Clint Mahlman - CEO of London Drugs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seg 1: The BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) alongside three individual plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against the City of Vancouver to challenge the city's daytime ban on outdoor sheltering. This ban is cruel, dehumanizing, and deadly. It violates sections 7, 12, and 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  Seg 2: Why does London Drugs want to move out of the DTES? The answer is quite simple: Crime is hurting business. Seg 3: The release of DeepSeek-R1 has raised alarms in the U.S., triggering concerns and a stock market sell-off in tech stocks.  Seg 4: Metro-Vancouver politicians are supplementing their base salaries to an extreme extent! The worst part? It's on the TAXPAYERS' dime! Seg 5: According to Mike Hurley, Metro Vancouver is facing rising costs while planning its 2026 budget, with a focus on reducing costs for ratepayers.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GUEST: Gordon Price, former Vancouver City Councillor from 1986-2002 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why isn't Metro Vancouver sticking to their business of water and waste? GUEST: Dylan Kruger, Delta City Councillor Chinese AI DeepSeek sends Wall Street crashing GUEST: Andy Baryer, Tech and Digital Lifestyle expert at HandyAndyMedia.com Will Ken Sim's DTES plans lead to clear progress in the area? GUEST: Gordon Price, former Vancouver City Councillor from 1986-2002  How hard will B.C's economy be impacted by Trump's tariffs? GUEST: David Williams, Vice President of Policy for the Business Council of BC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How will inhibiting supportive housing impact the DTES? Guest: Guy Felicella, Harm Reduction and Recovery Advocate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Inside one of BC's largest pump-and-dump schemes Guest: Zak Vescera, Reporter for the Investigative Journalism Foundation What's happened to tourism? Guest: Steve Burgess, Author of “Reservations: The Pleasures and Perils of Travel” Is telepathy real? Guest: Dr. Christopher French, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Goldsmiths University of London and Author of “The Science of Weird Sh*t: Why Our Minds Conjure the Paranormal” What's new with Trump? Guest: Reggie Cecchini, Washington Correspondent for Global News Are we all f**ked? Guest: Pamela McDonald, Director of Communications and Education at the British Columbia Securities Commission How will inhibiting supportive housing impact the DTES? Guest: Guy Felicella, Harm Reduction and Recovery Advocate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why Chrystia Freeland thinks she should be the new PM Guest: Chrystia Freeland, Candidate for Liberal Leadership Is Ken Sim's plan to revitalize the DTES realistic? Guest: Ken Sim, Mayor of Vancouver What could we learn from the declassified JFK files? Guest: Philip Shenon, Former Veteran Investigative Journalist for The New York Times and Author of “A Cruel and Shocking Act: The Secret History of the Kennedy Assassination” What are the consequences of banning mobile petting zoos? Guest: Mike Hopcraft, Owner and Operator of Wild Education BC Why is Harjit Sajjan not seeking re-election? Guest: Harjit Sajjan, Canada's Minister of Emergency Preparedness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is Ken Sim's plan to revitalize the DTES realistic? Guest: Ken Sim, Mayor of Vancouver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GUEST: Rebecca Bligh, ABC Vancouver City Councillor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next week Vancouver City Council will debate the first three redevelopment applications under the Broadway plan, at least two of which are meeting with significant neighbourhood opposition. Council will also debate the use of fracked gas in new building construction, police body cameras and more. Redeye collective member Ian Mass joins us with his City Beat report.

How quickly would things deteriorate if charity groups stopped cleaning up on the DTES? Guest: Wally Wargolet, Executive Director of the Gastown Business Improvement Association Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seg 1: How our brains calculate escapes Survival often depends on quick thinking more than just fast movement. The brain plays a key role in deciding what to do when a predator is near, such as whether to run, freeze, or hide. Guest: Dr. Tiago Branco, Professor of Neuroscience and Behaviour at the University College London Seg 2: Scott's Thoughts: Why do Europeans care more about Canadian History than we do??? When you go overseas, the history of Canada's involvement in WW2 is apparent. Why isn't more done here to educate Canadians on history? Guest: Scott Shantz, Contributor for Mornings with Simi Seg 3: View From Victoria: Is Weaver serious The Premier is reacting and blasting an NDP former ally, Andrew Weaver. Ebay Mocked the idea that Weaver would throw in with Conservatives. We get a local look at the top political stories with the help of Vancouver Sun columnist Vaughn Palmer. Seg 4: Can we control our urban rat-astrophe? Efforts are underway to combat the growing rat populations in two of Ontario's largest cities. The primary factors contributing to this issue include a sharp increase in construction projects, such as transit developments and housing construction, which disrupt rat habitats underground and force them into open spaces. Guest: Karen Wickerson, Rat and Pest Program Specialist for the Government of Alberta Seg 5: What would happen if we stopped cleaning up the DTES? How quickly would things deteriorate if charity groups stopped cleaning up on the DTES? Guest: Wally Wargolet, Executive Director of the Gastown Business Improvement Association  Seg 6: What we know about Trump's assassination attempt Former President Donald Trump was shot in the ear during a rally on Saturday night, causing him to duck behind the podium as gunfire erupted.  Guest: Reggie Cecchini, Washington Correspondent for Global News Seg 7: Monday Morning Quarterback for Jul 15, 2024 It was a 35-20 win over Saskatchewan to take over first place in the Western division. Vernon Adams Jr. was solid again with 451 passing yards; on pace for over 6,000 yards this season which hasn't been done in this league since 2004. Guest: Rick Campbell, Head Coach of the BC Lions Seg 8: Was Trump's attempted assassination a sign of the times? The image of Donald Trump with his fist in the air and blood on his cheek is likely to become a symbol of his continued influence in US politics. Guest: Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky, Author & Senior Fellow at the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University Seg 9: How is Canada controlling its immigration levels? In the first quarter, Canada's temporary residents reached 2.8 million, making up 6.8% of the population, up from 3.5% two years ago, according to Statistics Canada. Guest: Marc Miller, Canada's Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anton Bueckert aka Crow Qu'appelle of Nevermore Media and Mike Kiernan stepdad to missing person found deceased Chelsea Poorman join us for a gruesome chat about murders in BC, cover up's by RCMP, the ongoing missing indigenous women and a deep cut into the Pickton Pig Farm case.   We get into the Pickton story, especially since he was recently killed in jail just before day parole, the DNA from the case, Anton's Substack series - Canadian Nightmare, and the case of Mike's missing daughter and how he thought that was completely mishandled by the cops. We talk about the book "That Lonely Section of Hell".   Was Pickton a fall guy for the Hells Angels or worse? Why did the cops not seem to investigate Chelsea's disappearance? Are there any hero's in this story? What was Piggies Palace and how can one of the brothers still be working for the city? What was the time frame for this whole case? How did Michael find evidence left over at the scene at the mansion in Shaughnessy?   In the second half it get's worse if that is even possible. We talk about how this is still going on, how new highs are being hit in BC, or do they even know really how many women are missing? What about the 200,000 articles of evidence, and the 20 murders that he was not charged for? Why do they really wanna get rid of evidence and why was the VPD cockblocked by the RCMP?   Is this racism? Why is this still going on? Was the 2010 Olympics a cover to cleanse the perception of Vancouver and area? What about the additional 80 victims? What was happening with the bodies? Is the pig meat contaminated with human meat? What was it about Trudeau from Anton's previous Substacks? Is this whole thing connected with wider global human trafficking problem? Or was it just a local disposal service? And what about the child trafficking ring in Prince George past the Highway of Tears?   https://nevermoremedia.substack.com/p/canadian-nightmare-part-1 https://nevermoremedia.substack.com/p/the-never-ending-nightmare?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=787156&post_id=145739157&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=24pqe&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email https://www.facebook.com/michael.kiernan.5836 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRMbtfG3wus Crime Beat - Secrets of a Mansion   To gain access to the second half of show and our Plus feed for audio and podcast please clink the link http://www.grimericaoutlawed.ca/support.   For second half of video (when applicable and audio) go to our Substack and Subscribe. https://grimericaoutlawed.substack.com/ or to our Locals  https://grimericaoutlawed.locals.com/ or Rokfin www.Rokfin.com/Grimerica Patreon https://www.patreon.com/grimericaoutlawed   See links below for some stuff we chatted about during the show: https://www.facebook.com/groups/192587941440937/about/?utm_source=salmon%20arm%20observer&utm_campaign=salmon%20arm%20observer%3A%20outbound&utm_medium=referral https://www.vice.com/en/article/bv87w3/norman-traversy-a-qanon-supporter-has-raised-dollar140k-to-prosecute-justin-trudeau-for-something-or-other https://greystonebooks.com/products/that-lonely-section-of-hell Transcript of RCMP interrogation of Lynn Ellingsen: https://missingwomen.library.uvic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/EXHIBIT-191-Document-entitled-Interviews-of-Lynn-ELLINGSEN.pdf Human meat "cross-contamination" with pork: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/alert-issued-about-meat-from-picktons-pig-farm/article1129163/ Is JT a chomo: https://open.substack.com/pub/nevermoremedia/p/is-justin-trudeau-a-child-molester?r=1dwjsk&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Correction: https://open.substack.com/pub/nevermoremedia/p/i-was-wrong-about-justin-trudeau?r=1dwjsk&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Coquitlam prison break: https://open.substack.com/pub/nevermoremedia/p/a-drug-lord-walked-out-of-prison?r=1dwjsk&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web The other coquitlam prison break: https://open.substack.com/pub/nevermoremedia/p/the-other-criminal-mastermind-who?r=1dwjsk&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Canadian True Crime series: https://www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes/2017/12/6/15-robert-pickton-part-1 https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/dark-mind-detective/id1474729098 ANTON'S PREVIOUS ARTICLES ABOUT MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN IN B.C. August 13, 2022 - Ten Things You Need to Know about the Drug War Right Fucking Now August 20, 2022 - Indigenous women are still being murdered in Vancouver, and the police are still are covering it up August 21, 2022 - Will Five Billion Dollars be Enough to Cover Up Vancouver's Dirty Little Secret? October 3rd, 2023 - Robert Pickton is Eligible for Parole in 2024 March 1, 2024 - Robert Pickton is Up for Parole May 2024 - Who Killed Robert Pickton? June 19, 2020 - The Never-Ending Nightmare June 20, 2020 - Canadian Nightmare (Part 1) June 20, 2020 - Canadian Nightmare (Part 2) song about one of Pickton's victimes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2dF73ppyx0 this poem/song is about the DTES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9thvHDskYvA   If you would rather watch: https://rokfin.com/stream/49809 https://rumble.com/v52qyfr-anton-bueckert-and-mike-kiernan-canadian-nightmare-pictons-piggies-palace-a.html https://grimericaoutlawed.locals.com/post/5772676/anton-bueckert-and-mike-kiernan-canadian-nightmare-pictons-piggies-palace-and-the-farm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjSs5Mq8JBo   Support the show directly: https://grimerica.ca/support-2/ Outlawed Canadians YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OutlawedCanadians Our Adultbrain Audiobook Podcast and Website: www.adultbrain.ca Our Audiobook Youtube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@adultbrainaudiobookpublishing/videos Darren's book www.acanadianshame.ca Check out our next trip/conference/meetup - Contact at the Cabin www.contactatthecabin.com Other affiliated shows: www.grimerica.ca The OG Grimerica Show www.Rokfin.com/Grimerica Our channel on free speech Rokfin Join the chat / hangout with a bunch of fellow Grimericans  Https://t.me.grimerica https://www.guilded.gg/chat/b7af7266-771d-427f-978c-872a7962a6c2?messageId=c1e1c7cd-c6e9-4eaf-abc9-e6ec0be89ff3   Get your Magic Mushrooms delivered from: Champignon Magique  Get Psychedelics online Leave a review on iTunes and/or Stitcher: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/grimerica-outlawed http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/grimerica-outlawed Sign up for our newsletter http://www.grimerica.ca/news SPAM Graham = and send him your synchronicities, feedback, strange experiences and psychedelic trip reports!! graham@grimerica.com InstaGRAM https://www.instagram.com/the_grimerica_show_podcast/  Purchase swag, with partial proceeds donated to the show www.grimerica.ca/swag Send us a postcard or letter http://www.grimerica.ca/contact/ ART - Napolean Duheme's site http://www.lostbreadcomic.com/  MUSIC Tru Northperception, Felix's Site sirfelix.bandcamp.com

On todays podcast I am very happy to chat with Brandon Grossutti of Pidgin Restaurant in Vancouver. A Vancouver native, Brandon's unique story of a real BC man, has taken him from fishing boats in the Haida Gwaii to owning an incredible popular upscale ding restaurant in Gastown. His lived perspective as small restaurant owner in the heart of the chaos of the DTES give Brandon a hard knox perspective of the restaurant business. His love of hospitality, his team and his family fuel his passion for making every guest who walks through Pidgin's feel like they are coming home themselves. I hope you enjoy the stories and insights. 

In Vancouver, single room occupancy hotels are often a last resort before homelessness, but rising rents mean that many low-income residents lose their housing each year. City of Vancouver vacancy control bylaws designed to protect SROs were quashed by the BC Supreme Court in 2022. On Nov 7, that ruling is being challenged in the BC Court of Appeal. We speak about the case with Wendy Pedersen, director of the Downtown Eastside SRO Collaborative.

Crow Qu'Appelle joins us for a chat about NEVERMORE MEDIA, and leaving Woke Anarchy in Canada. We chat about being an activist for indigenous rights, seeing a shift of the freedom / Anarchy movement during COVID. We chat about Entryism, Anti Science, Anti Trump, metaphysics, defining definitions of words like Capitalism, Woke, Fascist, how they can call everyone Fascists, conversion therapy and the woke phenomenon.   In the extra long second half we get deeper into Indigenous Land Rights, #landback, Ontario governments restrictions on family land use (anti hippy laws), the Indian Act, the Arctic terrain in war, Canada's death, the DTES (Downtown East Side of Vancouver), Inuit suicides, issues with the right wing, sovereign village, pipeline protests, spontaneous order, and the revolution in mexico against the government and cartels.   We also chat about the collapse, electrifying Africa, animism, poly-crisis, circle of all nations, intentional communities, globalism, harm reduction, addiction, the drug war, big pharma, the Picton pig farm crime, the Hells Angels and RCMP, missing indigenous women, Gabor Mate, The opium wars, and the opportunity for Christians and Anarchists to bond.   "As an animist, I do welcome the paradigm shift that is coming into view. I like to tell people: If the COVID era hasn't made you question the nature of reality itself, you aren't thinking hard enough. And you're unsure as what the actual nature of reality is, does it not follow that unforeseeable variables will play into the equation in ways that the powers that be could not possibly have planned for?"   Can we leave our convenience behind or will we always be slaves to it? Can we be a part time revolutionary?   https://nevermore.media/   https://winteroakpress.files.wordpress.com/2023/07/there-is-nothing-1.pdf   https://winteroakpress.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/the-withway-paul-cudenec.pdf   See links to some stuff we chatted about:   https://nevermoremedia.substack.com/p/uniting-the-last-real-anarchists https://open.substack.com/pub/nevermoremedia/p/ten-things-you-need-to-know-about?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web https://anarchistnews.org/content/crow-fascist-drifts-and-people-who-are-not-comrades https://realpeoples.media/indigenous-women-are-still-being-murdered-in-vancouver/   To gain access to the second half of show and our Plus feed for audio and podcast please clink the link http://www.grimericaoutlawed.ca/support.   For second half of video (when applicable and audio) go to our Substack and Subscribe. https://grimericaoutlawed.substack.com/ or to our Locals  https://grimericaoutlawed.locals.com/   If you would rather watch on video: https://grimericaoutlawed.locals.com/post/4368408/crow-quappelle-post-trans-corrupted-leftism-anarchy-nevermore-media-substack-for-sale https://rumble.com/v33wndt-crow-quappelle.-post-trans-corrupted-leftism-anarchy.-nevermore-media-subst.html https://rokfin.com/stream/37397   Help support the show, because we can't do it without ya. If you value this content with 0 ads, 0 sponsorships, 0 breaks, 0 portals and links to corporate websites, please assist. Many hours of unlimited content for free. Thanks for listening!!   Support the show directly: https://grimerica.ca/support-2/ Our Audiobook Site: www.adultbrain.ca Our Audiobook Youtube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@adultbrainaudiobookpublishing/videos Grimerica Media Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@grimerica/featured Darren's book www.acanadianshame.ca Check out our next trip/conference/meetup - Contact at the Cabin www.contactatthecabin.com Other affiliated shows: www.grimerica.ca The OG Grimerica Show www.Rokfin.com/Grimerica Our channel on free speech Rokfin Join the chat / hangout with a bunch of fellow Grimericans  Https://t.me.grimerica https://www.guilded.gg/chat/b7af7266-771d-427f-978c-872a7962a6c2?messageId=c1e1c7cd-c6e9-4eaf-abc9-e6ec0be89ff3   Get your Magic Mushrooms delivered from: Champignon Magique  Mushroom Spores, Spore Syringes, Best Spore Syringes,Grow Mushrooms Spores Lab Get Psychedelics online Leave a review on iTunes and/or Stitcher: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/grimerica-outlawed http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/grimerica-outlawed Sign up for our newsletter http://www.grimerica.ca/news SPAM Graham = and send him your synchronicities, feedback, strange experiences and psychedelic trip reports!! graham@grimerica.com InstaGRAM https://www.instagram.com/the_grimerica_show_podcast/  Purchase swag, with partial proceeds donated to the show www.grimerica.ca/swag Send us a postcard or letter http://www.grimerica.ca/contact/ ART - Napolean Duheme's site http://www.lostbreadcomic.com/  MUSIC Tru Northperception, Felix's Site sirfelix.bandcamp.com