Cathy Meehan: Maybe you’re just getting started training, or maybe you’ve been training and working out for quite some time. Well, it turns out there’s definitely different levels of training. So today’s episode on the Meehan Mission podcast, we’re going to talk with Eric Barber with Barberic Training, and he’s going to help walk us through the different levels, because we want to make sure that we’re avoiding injuries. Cathy Meehan: We’re staying motivated, and we’re doing what our body’s meant to do. So let’s welcome to the show where he talks about the levels of training for adults, and also his take on levels of training for kids. So sit back, take some notes, share with your friends and let’s get started. Cathy Meehan: Welcome to another episode of the Meehan Mission podcast. And as you see, I have Eric Barber, our favorite online trainer. Hey, Eric. Eric Barber: All right. How are you? Cathy Meehan: Great. So I brought Eric on today because I know a lot of us may be jumping back into training, but there’s also some of you that you might already be advanced or you might be intermediate. And I just wanted Eric to help explain the differences in those levels, because I know some people that are going back to the beginning, maybe they haven’t worked out in a while. Cathy Meehan: Maybe you’re actually going to be a beginner, even though at one point in time, maybe ten years ago, you were advanced. So, Eric, if you can help walk us through those differences and how, you know, we can navigate our workout plans using those levels. Eric Barber: I love it. This is right up my alley. Great question. To me, in my brain, everything breaks down to, beginner, intermediate, advanced, and then elite. Okay. I don’t really pay attention with anything. Elite. I’m not training somebody to be a better swimmer or to be, a better basketball player. You know, that extra 10% that professionals need. Eric Barber: That’s not what 99% of personal trainers and all of us out there doing. We’re more geared towards helping people get fitter, stronger, faster, that kind of thing. So elite training needs to go to the specialists. So that leaves us with beginner, intermediate and advanced. And I think at 56 years old, I think that anybody who has taken a long break from working out should be humble and put themselves right back at a beginner level, even if it’s only for a month. Eric Barber: Because if if a person builds consistency when the workouts are easy, right? And at a beginner level, they’re going to want to keep going to the gym and you want to leave the gym wanting just a little bit more, especially in the beginning. That’s the that’s one of my secrets. Every time I’ll take a break from working out, let’s say it’s, let’s say life happens. Eric Barber: And, you know, it’s been two months since I worked out on a regular basis. And I know that if I try to go in and do what I normally do, I’m going to get busted up right? So I need to be humble. And I don’t necessarily take myself down to a beginner’s level, but I definitely go from advanced down to intermediate. Eric Barber: So the intermediate person who has spent time in the gym years in the gym, but they’ve had months or even years off, they need to go back to a beginner’s level. Just be humble. Even if it’s just for one month. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about on this one. So, if you if you do that and you make consistency, the, the, the main point rather than the intensity or anything like that, you’re going to find yourself getting into the gym on the second month and the third month and the fourth, and then it becomes habit and then you’re back into your, your, your shape again or better. Eric Barber: Yeah, I know, I. Cathy Meehan: Know for me, because I had to go back to beginner because it had been years since I had worked out. And really what you taught me was that consistency. Number one, I needed to kind of like reevaluate my daily lifestyle and how I was going to fit in, you know, going to the gym and doing all those things that it was that consistency and, you know, changing my schedule a little bit. Cathy Meehan: And you’re right, I, I worked out just enough that I wasn’t so sore that I didn’t. Eric Barber: Right. Cathy Meehan: Despise going to the gym. Eric Barber: That’s right. Cathy Meehan: That I actually wanted to go to the gym. It made a huge, huge difference. I see probably a lot of people fail in that area if they, you know, they wake up and they can’t move, then they have no motivation. They don’t want to go to the gym. Eric Barber: I see that more often than not, I see people go in there, hit it hard for a week or 2 or 3, and then they’re just like, holy moly, you know? And I just can’t. You know what I mean? That’s that’s not the right way to go about it. As we get into our 40s, 50s, 60s, when you’re young, who cares? Eric Barber: You’re bulletproof. You can, you know. Cathy Meehan: Bounce right. Eric Barber: Back. Yeah. You can beat yourself up and bounce right back. But yeah, as we get older, we get more responsibilities. We’ve got, you know, previous injuries that. You know what I mean? Whatever medical conditions, it’s you have to be smarter now as you have to train smarter than, than ever before as you get older. So yeah. Cathy Meehan: And I would think in addition to a workout plan, you know, you also have
Meg Sutton: How to Choose High-Quality Supplements + Top Natural Health Picks for Whole-Body Health
Cathy Meehan: How many times do we go to the store to buy a supplement and we have no idea what we’re looking for or what is the best quality? Where is it resourced? The industry for supplements is massive. And on today’s episode of the Meehan Mission podcast, I’m going to introduce everyone to Meg Sutton. Now, many of you know Meg because she is our natural health consultant here at MeehanMD. And I just have to tell you, her brain is so full of knowledge and her ability to educate patients is just phenomenal. I love having Meg here as our special resource. So many of the things that Meg does is she does curate and go through all of the products that are on the Mindset Wellness Shop. She also leads the team when it comes to alternative therapies. She is also very involved, like I said, with the education of patients and writing our health guides. But most importantly, she is the go-to for patient education. So please like the video, subscribe to our channel, share with people so that we can continue the mission of education. And most of all, let’s meet Meg. Cathy Meehan: Well, hello everyone and welcome to the Meehan Mission podcast where we explore faith, science, health and truth. And we like to empower families with knowledge. So today I’m joined by someone who many of you already know, Meg Sutton. And Meg is our natural health consultant. She is a key member of our team at MeehanMD. She oversees the Mindset Wellness Shop. She guides patients through supplement questions and natural remedies. She helps lead our alternative therapy support for cancer patients. She’s also the author of the Mindset Kids Natural Health Guide. And I think you’re also working on an adult one, the MeehanMD Natural Health Guide for Adults. So we’ve got a lot to go through. Meg spends so much time educating patients and working with them. just to help kind of cut through the confusion. So Meg, welcome to the show today. Meg Sutton: Thank you, it’s great to be here. Cathy Meehan: You bet. Well, let’s get started kind of from the beginning. What really spawned this like passion that you have for natural health? Because you are the go-to for natural health. Meg Sutton: So it’s, I’ve been very lucky. I grew up in kind of the natural health realm, thanks to my mother. It wasn’t until a family member got sick that I decided to cut through all the noise and get certified in naturopathy. So I went, I think it was in 2016, I think it was, and learned about how our bodies are designed, how God made us, how to support them naturally and help those around me. So yeah, a little bit about that. Cathy Meehan: Well, that’s great because we love the wealth of knowledge that you have. So my question is, how did you end up at MeehanMD? Meg Sutton: Hahaha! actually used to work in the corporate world. It wasn’t until I wanted to join a political action group here in Oklahoma, Oklahomans for Parental Rights and Vaccine group. What’s the… Okay, HPR, and I probably got that wrong. So sorry. It’s changed a couple times. That’s why. Cathy Meehan: We’ll flash it up on the screen. Meg Sutton: Yeah. disclosure, I am not… I’ve never been vaccinated and so I’ve always had a passion to educate people on vaccines. And so I joined the group and I met your lovely husband at a legislator’s lunch. Didn’t know who he was. I went there to educate the legislator on vaccines and parental health. And when I was about to ask a question at this luncheon, he pops his hand up and asks pretty much the exact same question that I was gonna ask. And I turned to my friend who was with me at that time and I’m like, who is this? I need to know who this guy is. So that’s when we started our friendship and I met you, your lovely wife, Ms. Kathy. And we had a blast going to the Capitol and educating legislators and anyone else that would listen. We might’ve ruffled a few feathers. But that is fine. And it wasn’t until fast forward, we’d been working together that you and him found out that I had a background in natural health. You really wanted to get that off the ground. And I was looking to get out of the corporate world. I did marketing, I did revenue services, dispute resolution, all of that stuff. And that’s when you guys offered me this job and it has been an absolute dream. And I feel like I’m with family and I absolutely love it. I love taking care of people. Cathy Meehan: yeah. Well, and also I do have to add that you have that mission, attitude and just belief in your body, which, know, I do, I pride MeehanMD and all of the team members that are here because our goal is to be that resource and that help and that education. And so that is really what I think it makes us so much different than a lot of the other clinics that are out there is that we really want to empower the patient with education. And I know you do so much of that. But let’s talk about one of the main things that we use your brain for. And that is when a lot of people don’t want to have prescriptions or they just want to like supplement their body. And your knowledge is so deep when it comes to different types of supplementation. And if we can just kind of start because the industry is massive. Meg Sutton: It is massive. And the marketing behind it is even bigger. Cathy Meehan: Right, right. So how do patients actually know, where do we start? Quality? Do we
Reflexes Part 3: The Hidden Blueprint of Brain Development | Dr. Laura Hanson + Cathy Meehan
Cathy Meehan: Hello and welcome back to the Meehan Mission podcast. We are in a special three part series on reflexes with Dr. Laura Hanson. So if you go back to part one, we discussed withdrawal reflexes. Part two was primitive reflexes. And on today’s part three episode, we’re going to discuss postural reflexes. Which you might consider this part of our anti-gravity system because that’s what keeps us upright and balanced and coordinated. We are going to talk about how posture actually connects to our neurological health. We have to remember movement isn’t just physical, it’s part of brain development. So sit back, take some notes, share the podcast and let’s learn more. with Dr. Laura Hanson. Cathy Meehan: Hey everyone, and guess what? It is our final part three of our three-part series, talking about reflexes with Dr. Laura Hanson. And today we’re gonna talk about postural reflexes. And I am so glad you are back again today. So Dr. Laura Hanson, please take over. Dr. Laura Hanson: Okay, here we go. We’re gonna now tie our bow around our reflexes. We started off with withdrawal reflexes. This is our earliest defense system. We have to know how to protect ourselves, how to get away from something. This actually builds that same kind of pattern up in the brain that says, I need to put the brakes on connections and things that are not really necessary for me to focus on right now. How do I get that runaway brain to stop? You have to know how to put the brakes on. Then we made a beautiful transition into the world of primitive reflexes. You have transitions throughout your entire life going from being a newborn to a toddler, to riding a bike, to going to college, to getting married, there’s just transitions all through our life. The reflexes, the primitive reflexes are part of that transitional process. But the day that you are born, that is when postural reflexes begin. Cathy Meehan: Okay. Dr. Laura Hanson: So think of that little baby coming out of the birth canal. I love the story of birth and how that baby travels like a Tootsie Roll through the birth canal. And it literally gets all balled up. And then it’s going to open up and be birthed by extension. That is what happened to every one of us if we got to go through the birth canal. Cathy Meehan: Mmm. Cathy Meehan: Okay. Dr. Laura Hanson: So the first thing you do is you begin interacting with gravity. And what is that thing that everybody notices about the newborn? Look, they’re picking up their head. I love that part because we’re already doing it, but we have to bring the rest of the body with us. So at the end of our second episode, Dr. Laura Hanson: We finished with the little baby holding them up and that the stepping reflex is automatically there. But you pull your hands away and the baby would come down because we are not wired in gravity yet. And it takes us a year to get there. And we practice, everything we do, we practice. Dr. Laura Hanson: So we move along, we get into locomotion, we crawl along, then around 10 months you get into cruising. And that’s when you pull yourself up on something and you walk along the furniture, but then you bounce. You’re practicing those joints in gravity. And so there’s a little motion pattern in every single joint as you’re getting ready to start walking. You can compress, you can pull apart, you can rotate, and you can translate. And so when those babies are just sitting there bouncing, that’s exactly what they’re doing. They’re saying, I’m getting ready, because I’m going to take a step, and I’m going to be ready to do that. Now, what does the baby look like? When the baby stands up, because their head is so big, Cathy Meehan: Okay. Cathy Meehan: Yeah. Dr. Laura Hanson: In comparison to their bodies, their legs are bowed out initially, and that’s okay. And the arms go up, this is called high guard. And they’re literally like little teeter totters out there, practicing their balance in order to know that they will be able to walk one day. And they’ll start to practice that pattern. And then down the road, the hands will come down. we’ll start to have reciprocal arm swing around four years old, and our legs will actually turn in a little bit. And this is for the Q angle of the hip because the bones cannot or the muscles cannot keep up with the growth of the bone. So your hip joints literally accommodate this growth in gravity. Okay? Now, by around Cathy Meehan: Mm-hmm. Cathy Meehan: Okay. Cathy Meehan: Mm-hmm. Dr. Laura Hanson: seven and a half, eight and a half, legs should be straight. We do not want excessive bowing and we do not want excessive turning in. It’s not just about the legs. So all of your body is responding to this process. So there are eight anti-gravity muscles. Two of them, if they are weak, they will literally drive the other six to shorten up. And I don’t want you to think shortened is contracted. It’s not that. A contracted muscle is like me flexing my bicep, okay? A shortened muscle, you actually lose sarcomeres. And sarcomeres are that individual muscle motor unit. Cathy Meehan: Okay. Dr. Laura Hanson: Just like when a woman is pregnant, she gets more sarcomeres so that her belly can grow, okay? And all of these have neurological feedback that is going on in that body. But if I lose sarcomeres, then the back of my legs for the hamstring, they’re too short. And literally, I can’t straighten my leg. I have seen kids… Cathy Meehan: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Dr. Laura Hanson: five, six, seven, eight, could not straighten their legs to save
Reflexes Part 2: The Hidden Blueprint of Brain Development | Dr. Laura Hanson + Cathy Meehan
Cathy Meehan: Hello everyone and welcome to part two of our three part series on reflexes with Dr. Laura Hanson. So in part one, we covered withdrawal reflexes. Those are the earliest proactive patterns that begin wiring the nervous system in pregnancy. And today we’re gonna talk about primitive reflexes. These help with birth, feeding, bonding and early movement. These ones are meant to integrate in the first year of life as the brain’s maturing. But what happens when they don’t? Those might show up later as anxiety, sensory issues, learning struggles, or even poor coordination. So let’s break it down with our special guest, Dr. Laura Hanson. Cathy Meehan: Hey everyone and welcome to part two of our three-part series on reflexes. And we have back again, Dr. Laura Hanson, who I absolutely love your mind. I love how you educate. And we talked about withdrawal reflexes in part one. So if you haven’t seen that yet, people go back to that episode. But right now we are going to talk about the second one, which is primitive reflexes. So let’s talk about, you know, this little neurodevelopment in our little bitty babies and our little children and how that influences the rest of their life. So take it away, Dr. Hanson. Dr. Laura Hanson: Well, thank you so much for having me back. I love to talk about reflexes. So just a very brief recap. This is a sequence of events. And I really believe, too, over time, we will even discover more reflexes that are actually available to that central nervous system. But the majority of them have a tendency to be put into these categories. Cathy Meehan: Yes. Dr. Laura Hanson: So the withdrawal reflexes are the earliest defense system. So the first thing that we learn is how are we gonna survive. And that is going to influence how we see ourself in the world. Do we see ourself safe in the world? And it’s not like somebody’s doing something to the child. It’s literally their own little internal compass. But then after that gets laid down, My favorite word, and I use it all the time, is transition. That’s a really big word for the central nervous system. So you go from defense mode into, I just want to be with everything. I just want to go towards everything. So if you did listen to the first one, we talked about how that withdrawal reflex is part of how the inhibitory pathways in the brain get built. So you either go towards or you pull away. You have to learn everything that you are able to do. You have to learn it somewhere. So that’s what we’re unfolding for you is where these things come from. So this transition, we’re now gonna learn how to go towards something. Cathy Meehan: Right. Dr. Laura Hanson: and be part of it in order to make that part of our central nervous system. Now, the three reflexes that I want to highlight in this little segment are Moro reflex, ATNR asymmetrical tonic neck reflex, and tonic labyrinthine reflex. These are three that typically are very connected. Cathy Meehan: Mm-hmm. Dr. Laura Hanson: And typically, if you have one that didn’t integrate, all three of them didn’t integrate. So one of the things that I’ve noticed in 30 years of practice is that is a very true element of how I was taught. And sometimes people will tell me that, well, we got that one resolved and we’re still working on this. And sometimes we have to understand how they overlap. Cathy Meehan: Okay. Dr. Laura Hanson: And there’s just no way for one reflex to be able to disappear when their timelines for coming on board and their timelines for integration are very connected. So it’s important to really kind of get that background. But let’s start with the word transition. So you go from being in the womb Cathy Meehan: Okay. Dr. Laura Hanson: to the outside world. That’s a transition. So it’s not just, it’s a big transition. You go from being a newborn to laying on the floor. You go through a transition on how to be a toddler, how to learn how to be potty trained, how to go to kindergarten, how to be apart from your mom longer and longer to being school age. Cathy Meehan: Big transition. Yeah. Dr. Laura Hanson: to adapting to an environment, to transition to college, to adult life, to a career, to buying a home. Transition is through our whole lives. So it’s a big one and it’s connected to either that if you go forward at that time, you’ll go into Moro, ATNR, palmar, all of that. Cathy Meehan: Wow, and those are big milestones. Dr. Laura Hanson: or you could get locked up in fear paralysis, meaning that there’s so much stress that’s going on, you don’t know how to go forward. And so we can have kids that are kind of stuck in that transition. And so that’s an element of the reflex world, okay? Cathy Meehan: Mmm. Mmm. Cathy Meehan: Wow. just keep thinking of all the problems you hear now with young teens and kids and anxiety and depression and they can’t go forward. mean, kids that they don’t want to get their driver’s license at 16. I mean, that one, I’m like, how do you have a child that doesn’t want to get their driver’s license at 16? it’s like, wow, it’s almost like you’re connecting dots that I’m thinking of some of my friends’ kids and grandkids and Dr. Laura Hanson: Yes. Dr. Laura Hanson: Yes! Dr. Laura Hanson: All right, next. Cathy Meehan: Wow, Dr. Laura Hanson. Yeah. Dr. Laura Hanson: And remember what we said in the first one. They don’t know how to tell you that that’s what’s going on inside because their library got stuck. They only have what they have, right? And that’s
Reflexes Part 1: The Hidden Blueprint of Brain Development | Dr. Laura Hanson + Cathy Meehan
Cathy Meehan: Today, we’re diving into something almost no one in mainstream pediatrics really fully explains, and that’s reflexes. I’m Cathy Meehan with the Meehan Mission Podcast, and my special guest today is Dr. Laura Hanson. She is a wealth of knowledge, and she’s with ConnectMyBrain.com. So we’re talking about reflexes. So not just like those ones you get at a checkup where they hit your knee and your leg bounces up, but those early automatic movement patterns that literally build the brain. We’re actually gonna do something special. We’re breaking this into a three-part series. And so today we are going to talk about withdrawal reflexes, and then we’ll release part two, which is primitive reflexes and our final third part of the series is postural reflexes. So get ready and take some notes, share the podcast with your friends and people who are needing to know, and let’s get started. Cathy Meehan: Hey everyone and welcome to today’s episode. Like we talked about, this is part one of our three part series, Reflexes, the Hidden Blueprint of Brain Development. And who better to tell us all about reflexes and what we need to know is Dr. Laura Hanson. Dr. Laura, thank you for joining us today. Dr. Laura Hanson: It’s always a pleasure. This is probably one of my favorite topics. So I’m happy to share some information with your audience. Cathy Meehan: That is great. Really, we just really need to start from the very beginning and talking about reflexes. And like I said, you are the best person to give us this information and let’s really start. Why do reflexes matter in the first place? Dr. Laura Hanson: This is actually the beginning of the wiring of Baby Human. I can remember a long time ago when I first got this concept, and it’ll be about our third part that we get to, postural reflexes. And I said, well, wait a minute. If posture is out there, what comes before that? And then it leads you to, well, what comes before that? And reflexes are literally the earliest connections for baby human. So a lot of talk is out there about sensorimotor. Reflexes precede sensorimotor. In fact, when you’re a baby inside the womb and you’re reflexively moving and moving different body parts, you’re actually setting up what will become the sensorimotor cortex. On top of your brain. So always think of it. I love to talk about reflexes or development from this idea of dominoes. You know, people build those beautiful abstract pieces of dominoes and then it only takes one little push and the whole thing comes down. Imagine what it would be like if one of those dominoes was actually out of place. The Cathy Meehan: Yeah, a great visual. Dr. Laura Hanson: Information or the force would stop and then you could push it again but there would always be that piece taken out. So reflexes are that idea that are often overlooked thought that you know they come in they do something they go away and you never need them again but you do. You need them to build the appropriate circuits. They all have different timelines, but even to kind of put some context into it, if something happened to you or me, we would go back into our brainstem and we would begin to relearn movement patterns, reaction to things in the environment. Cathy Meehan: Mm-hmm. Dr. Laura Hanson: Because it’s the rudimentary place of all learning. So I remember back around 2004, my mom had a stroke and I was working on her body one day, her left arm, and she had a right-sided stroke. So the left side of the body would have been impacted. And I remember getting in over her hand and literally she went right into a palmar reflex. So remember when babies are just little bitty babies. Cathy Meehan: Mm-hmm. Dr. Laura Hanson: And you put your finger into their hand, they just reflexively, yes. So you go back into these in various parts of time because it’s a way that the central nervous system actually knows how to learn. So go ahead. Cathy Meehan: Did the little grip. Mm-hmm. Cathy Meehan: It’s so amazing. I just want to stop right there because that is so amazing when you think about just how important early, early development is. It’s not after the baby’s born. We are talking such early development in those basic little steps. It’s so important. Dr. Laura Hanson: No! Dr. Laura Hanson: Well, Bruce Lipton actually talks about whatever’s going on with mom and dad a few weeks before conception will also shape conception. And he termed the phrase conscious parenting. We’ve got to be aware of what it is that we’re doing before we ever conceive these babies because Cathy Meehan: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Dr. Laura Hanson: It starts immediately the shaping of their central nervous system. Cathy Meehan: Which we could go into a whole other segment about prenatal care before you even conceive. So yeah, yeah. But the reflexes part, just the neurodevelopment of the little tiny, little tiny baby. Yes, we’ll continue with that and keep educating us. Dr. Laura Hanson: Yeah. Dr. Laura Hanson: Yeah, that’s a big one too. Absolutely. Dr. Laura Hanson: Okay, so this is the one, the first part is actually called the withdrawal reflexes. So that’s what we’re going to focus on here in part one. I personally think this is one that many different therapists are really not trained in. Over the years, I will ask parents, well, did you do the withdrawal reflexes? And they go, I don’t know what that is. And then they’ll ask the person that they were working with. Cathy Meehan: Okay. Dr. Laura Hanson: Did you do the withdrawal reflexes? And they go, I don’t know what that is. So the very first thing that baby human learns is how to defend itself.
Dr. Bob Sears on Vaccine Safety, Medical Freedom & Facing the Medical Board
Cathy Meehan: Welcome to this edition of the The Meehan Mission Podcast. This is where faith, science, truth, and health intersect. And I like to introduce you to the movers and shakers in the world. Today’s episode, we’re joined by Dr. Bob Sears. He is a pediatrician and an author who’s been fighting for our kids and medical freedom for quite some time. We’re gonna talk about his books, how he sees the future of medical freedom, and just what we can do to share our information with parents so they’re informed too. So let’s get started. Cathy Meehan: Well, hello everyone and thanks for joining us. I’m Cathy Meehan and on today’s episode, I have the marvelous Dr. Bob Sears. Hello, Dr. Sears. Dr. Bob Sears: Hello, Kathy. I’m super happy to be on your show. Thanks for inviting me in. Cathy Meehan: Hey, you bet. And so listen, what I wanted to do was I’ve recently been introduced to you. I think we met at MAPS last year. And then more recently, I got to know you from the Physicians for Informed Consent meeting we had over in California. And I was just so excited because I’ve heard your name a lot. You have been fighting for our children, for quite a while and you are one of those doctors that I call a mover and a shaker. You’re not afraid to share your opinion and you are not afraid to tell the truth, right? So what I wanted to do is bring you onto our audience so they could get to know you if they didn’t already know you and then also talk about some of the great exciting things that you write about to help educate other parents and people wanting to know more information. So to get started, I’d like to hand the microphone over to you. And if you could give us kind of like a little background on not, doesn’t have to be like three days long, but a background on, you know, how did you get into pediatrics and what made you the disruptor that you are? Dr. Bob Sears: How long is your show? No, I’ll give you the two minute version. You know, my dad is a pediatrician and so I kind of always grew up, you know, watching him enjoy what he does. And he told me, you know, Bob, if you can go into business for yourself and not have a boss, then that’s a great way to make a living. And so I, listened to him. And I, you know, in medical school, I was just really drawn towards pediatrics because I love working with kids. But I also found I really like working with parents and there’s sort of jokes that go around in medical school and in pediatrics that the parents are like, you know, the big problem and no one likes dealing with parents. But I love dealing with parents and because I was a parent too by that time. And so I think having my own kids really allowed me to. empathize with my patients. And so I loved pediatrics and so I went to medical school, a pediatric residency, and then I joined my dad’s practice here in Southern California in 1998. I never looked back. And the whole vaccine thing kind of… It came my way, because in Georgetown, where I went to medical school, I was trained that vaccines are great. And I actually used to think that they were great and that they were totally harmless for everybody. But at Georgetown, I got exposed to a book that a friend of mine made me read. And my wife and I needed a place to stay. And we had our baby and we were essentially homeless looking for an apartment around or somewhere to stay. And a friend of mine said, well, you can stay in our apartment, in our house, as long as you read this book. And that book has since become much more popular. But back then it was a very obscure book. It was called A Shot in the Dark. And it was written by Barbara Lowe Fisher, who started NVIC, the National Vaccine Information Center that we all know now. And of course, Candace Owens did a special called A Shot in the Dark. And I think that was a tribute to this original book that really this book is what shone the spotlight on vaccine reactions. And I read that book, it opened my eyes. And once you read the science on vaccine reactions, you can’t forget it. Cathy Meehan: Yes, her series. Dr. Bob Sears: And the science was very solid, even back in the early 90s when I was reading this information. So that’s what got me started on this. Cathy Meehan: So it was interesting. So it was kind of like a give and a take. I’ll give you some room if you read this book. And, you know, I find that really interesting because there so many pediatricians out there today that we present the material or we’re just like, just look into some of the research or the lack of research and they won’t even look at it. I mean, how do we break that cycle? with physicians when we’re just trying to get the information to them. How do we break it? Dr. Bob Sears: Yeah, you know, Kathy, honestly, I don’t think you break this cycle with currently practicing pediatricians, especially if they’ve been in practice for a number of years. I just don’t think they’re open minded. I read this book, Kicking and Screaming. Like my wife told me, you know, you got to read this book. And I’m like, I’m a doctor, you know, why do I need to read this book? Literally, you know, and And but I did it, you know, for my family and I’m very glad I did. And
Survivor 42’s Tori Stanley on Casting, Behind-the-Scenes Secrets & Life After the Show
Cathy Meehan: Have you ever had just the biggest goal, the wildest dream? Well, today’s guest on The Meehan Mission Podcast is Tori Stanley from Survivor Season 42 of Survivor. Yep, the reality TV show Survivor where they put a bunch of people on an island and vote them off. Sounds crazy, but it actually happens. Survivor 50 is about to kick off. Well, I wanted to introduce everyone to Tori where she’s going to share some of the things that she had to go through. I mean, the girl ate a lizard, people. She ate a lizard while she was on this island. I cannot believe she did that, but it takes grit. It takes strength. It takes this mental capacity that most of us don’t have. She’s also going to provide us some of the really great information that she’s learned from, you know, what do you do after you’ve accomplished the biggest goal of your life? How does that reflect into what you do day to day? I hope you enjoy the show. I think you’ll like her. I know I love her. So let’s get started. Cathy Meehan: Hey everyone, today’s episode of the Meehan Mission podcast, I’m bringing on a special guest that you might be thinking, what? A reality TV star? Well, we’ve got her. It is Tori Stanley from Survivor Season 42. Hey Tori, how are you? Tori Stanley: Hello, I’m good. Excited to talk all things Survivor. Cathy Meehan: I think that’s great. Well, because I heard that season 50 is actually coming out this February. So I thought, hey, I can use some of my connections, find somebody that’s been on a Survivor episode before, and just introduce you to the audience. Because, you know, there’s a lot of behind the scenes stuff that happens on Survivor. And, you know, we watch, we think it’s all glamorous and fun and exciting, but so much happens behind the scenes, but I want to start with why in the world did you apply for Survivor in the first place? Tori Stanley: That’s a good question, because it is crazy. Like it is real what you see too. Like we really are living on a deserted island. Like it’s not a fake reality show. Like we’re doing all those hard things. And there was something about that that was so alluring to me. I think it’s that like ultimate sense of adventure. And I was kind of primed to be a Survivor fan because I come from a whole family of Survivor lovers. So like, I think the first season came out and I actually was able to watch it with my family. It’s now about to be 50 seasons. So I was like, okay, as long as it’s on long enough for me to have a chance to apply. And I ended up applying like over six years multiple times just because I wanted to be on it so bad. And it’s just such a good family show. And I remember every single week, like that is the show that my family was sat in front of the TV. My brothers and sisters, we weren’t fighting with each other as much as usual. And we were actually able to enjoy it. I even remember we would eat meals of like white rice and mandarin oranges because those would symbolize grubs. Cause sometimes you would eat gross things on survivor like grubs. And so really it wasn’t just like my dream, but it really was my family’s dream. In fact, a really fun fact is I’m actually not the first person in my family to audition for survivor. My mom actually auditioned for survivor. It would have now been like 20 years ago. So tell them about it, mom. Cathy Meehan: Hmm. Well, so everybody, if you haven’t guessed yet, Tori is my daughter. She is the middle of five kiddos and she will talk about being competitive in a minute. But okay, it’s a fact. I did audition for Survivor 20+ years ago. If you’re lucky, you can find the clip somewhere. I don’t know. I hope it’s been like buried deep like a treasure. No! Tori Stanley: On my YouTube channel. Cathy Meehan: Okay, this show’s about you, Tori. But yeah, Survivor was a huge part of our family. I mean, and not only that, but let’s talk, Tori, about growing up in the Meehan household and, you know, really what shaped your competitiveness? Because you are, well, all of the kids are competitive, but, you know, you are very competitive and you are very goal-oriented. How’d that happen? Tori Stanley: Right, right. So it is fun. Like I’m a therapist now, so I love psychoanalyzing myself. And like the stigma for a middle child is often that of like an overachiever. You know, you could also get like the black sheep of the family. There’s also some overachieving. And for me, it is definitely the overachieving. Now I really do not think that that came from me feeling like neglected or overlooked in childhood. Like that’s really not my story as a middle child. But I also do think I have to give credit to my parents who I just always saw like my mom genuinely was super woman. Like she was raising five kids. She is the most patient person I’ve ever met. Like seriously such an, like genuinely the best mom that I’ve ever seen. And I’m not just saying that even though I might be biased. And then like my dad, an amazing doctor, so creative, so intelligent. Like anything that I saw my parents wanting to do. They were able to make it happen. And so I think if you look at me and all my siblings, I mean, I’m really proud of all of us, honestly. There’s no deadbeat in the family. And so I think we just all had this idea growing up, they’re
Vaccine Mandates, Medical Freedom & the AAP Lawsuit with Pediatrician Dr. Paul Thomas
Cathy Meehan: Well, there’s been a lot happening in the world of medical freedom. And in particular, the American Academy of Pediatrics has been hit by a lawsuit. And it’s not a normal regular lawsuit. This is a RICO lawsuit. Now this is a very serious and it involves racketeering. and they are no longer going to be able to make these false claims that they’ve been making to parents and pediatricians alike. Today’s show has the beloved Dr. Paul Thomas, the author of The Vaccine Friendly Plan to help open up your eyes, and then the author of Vax Facts, where you can dig into the truth. So sit back, take some notes, and let’s get started. Cathy Meehan: Hello everyone and welcome to the Me Hand Mission podcast. And if you can see, I have the world’s favorite pediatrician, Dr. Paul Thomas. Thank you for joining us today. Dr. Paul Thomas: Thanks, Kathy. It’s my privilege and honor to join you today. Cathy Meehan: You bet. You know, we do go back a few years. We met up at medical freedom groups and you have just, you and Dee Dee have just become dear to my heart and for the clinic. And we love and appreciate all that you do and that you risk for the sake of our children. And you have been busy lately, very busy. Yeah. Can you? Dr. Paul Thomas: It looks that way. have to give some of that credit to Rick Jaffe. He’s the attorney from California who I always knew he was supportive, but he had never really grabbed hold of the reins and just run with it. And he’s done this twice now, right? I’m part of a lawsuit that he’s put together against the CDC that’s still moving through the system and basically that lawsuit was that all vaccines should be shared decision-making. So it’s a sort of a workaround to get to what we’ve really always said we all agree on is that there should be no vaccine mandates, right? mean, parents should be allowed to decide what goes into their child’s body, period. There should not be, well, these are recommended, but… Cathy Meehan: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Dr. Paul Thomas: You can’t go to school if you don’t get them. And then the schools don’t tell parents the truth that they actually have an exemption in all but five states. So the hope is that lawsuit will prompt RFK Jr. and the CDC HHS to do the right thing, which is just get rid of mandates. And hopefully that will still happen. So that was the purpose of that. Right. Cathy Meehan: Right, right. So, you know, recently the CDC did reduce the number of vaccinations from like over 80 to down to around 30. So do you think that that lawsuit had anything to do with the CDC turning around and, you know, reducing the number of vaccines recommended? Dr. Paul Thomas: Who knows? I mean, that was actually the hope. You know, we weren’t anticipating it’s a lawsuit we’re necessarily gonna win, but it’s a lawsuit that sort of puts it out there that, look, this is the right way to go. And so they can electively pivot, which they’ve done, whether they were gonna do it anyway, I don’t know. But I’m really happy to see we’ve nudged in that direction. So that’s a very good thing. Cathy Meehan: Yeah, I think that’s great. Well, what’s interesting is that, you know, we always say, show me the science when it comes to the vaccinations and the safe and effective and everything. And it seems like in retaliation to the lawsuit against the CDC, the AAP, American Academy of Pediatrics, just turned around and decided to sue the government. mean, it’s so everybody’s lawyering up is what it seems to be doing. It’s just, you Dr. Paul Thomas: Right. Right. Cathy Meehan: trying to fight this in the legal system, which we’ll see where that goes. But I also wanted to touch on briefly for those of the audience that don’t know you, you know, you are a doctor that has never been afraid to challenge the system. And I really want to credit you for, you know, I mean, you started with one of your books was the Vaccine Friendly Plan. And that really was, I imagine, designed to just kind of like introduce the idea of, maybe we don’t need all these vaccines. Where did you come up with that idea in the first place? Dr. Paul Thomas: Right? Well, in 2002 or three, I sort of had my eyes opened. had read the Andy Wakefield paper that wrongfully was ultimately retracted and he was demonized wrongfully. But anyway, that paper simply said there might be an issue with the MMR vaccine and autism. We need to look into this. I mean, it was just a case report. No big deal. Actually, very big deal because it planted the seed. Huh. I mean, I was… raised, if you will, my medical education was mainstream and taught and would, you know, it’s interesting. We teach what we have been taught, right? So in medicine, have to see one, see one, do one, teach one. And I mean, you would do that over and over again with even complicated surgical procedures. You see one, you do one, and then you’re teaching it. But very rarely did we have time to go back and really do a deep dive into the science and see if what we were being taught. Cathy Meehan: Mmm, true. Dr. Paul Thomas: actually was backed up by good science. in the vaccine, right, right. You accept it. You’re in training. Yeah. So I woke up in the early two thousands, like, my gosh, things aren’t as we’re being told. Vaccines are not quote safe and effective. That’s a marketing slogan. Every pharmaceutical product has risks. Vaccines. It became clear to me
Medical Freedom, Informed Consent & Vaccine Mandates with Attorney Aaron Siri
Cathy Meehan: Okay, wow. You guys are in for a treat with my special guest today on the Meehan Mission podcast. This guy is so special that I am reading from a list of his accomplishments. Okay, so see if you can guess who this is. Well, first, he’s the managing partner of Siri and Glimstad, which is a national law firm with over 100 legal professionals. that are handling civil rights, class actions, and complex litigation. He has led litigation to compel federal agencies, FDA, to release vaccine licensure documents related to the COVID-19 vaccines. He’s challenged federal and state medical mandates. He’s restored vaccine exemptions, including for the US military members. He’s deposed leading immunologist, pediatricians, and vaccinologists, and he’s the author of Vaccines, Amen. Not only that, he is regularly interviewed on national television and quoted quite often in print media. And today, he is my special guest. Please welcome Aaron Siri. Cathy Meehan: Well, hello everyone and welcome to this very special edition of the Meehan Mission podcast. And if you can’t tell, I’m a little emotional. I knew this was going to be hard. My guest, if you can see, is Aaron Siri. And you know, I’ll tell you why it’s emotional because one of my most vivid memories of Jim was when he got his first phone call from you to talk about some projects and what you guys could do to save our babies and help our children. And I just remember that call because he was so excited. And just to think of how far we’ve come and what we’re doing now. okay. Thank you for being my special guest, Aaron Siri. Thank you so, so much. You know, I just, you guys that are the movers and shakers in this fight for medical freedom, you know, you guys are built differently. And what is it, when did you realize, Aaron, that… You were built differently. I mean, from your peers. I mean, you have to have a faith or a courage or a boldness. I mean, or the fight for justice. When did you know you had that in you? Aaron Siri: I don’t know. I think I take it day by day. But I’ll tell you somebody who I never saw waver and was was an incredible fighter. That was Jim. I will tell you one of the first I’ll say the first time I met Jim. And Jim would be proud of what you’ve continued to do in his memory and legacy was I was invited to a a meeting in Manhattan, I think with a number of folks regarding this issue, regarding medical freedom. And Mary Holland, I think, arranged the meeting, and it was at NYU. And there was a bunch of important folks to influence, let’s put it that way. And I show up. And Jim’s sitting at a table. Never met him before. No idea who he is. Didn’t know he’s a doctor. And this is many years ago. This was like a long time ago. And there were some other doctors there and they started saying some stuff. And Jim just like leaned across the table and gave them a thrashing that I will never forget. I mean, he just unloaded. I remember thinking like, whoa, where did this guy come from? This is incredible. So, I’ll never forget that meeting. In fact, I would say that it’s definitely been part of the inspiration about living your convictions. And Jim talked about that, as you know, and he talked to me about that. You know, my my interaction with him often just the two of us, I don’t know what he said to others often, but, you know, he would say, like, like, you got to do what you believe, you got to live your convictions, only have one life, you know, if you’re gonna not live your convictions, and what kind of life you’re living. I mean, that’s, that’s to sum it up, essentially. So anyway, you know, it Cathy Meehan: Absolutely. Aaron Siri: I will also say that it also takes having somebody at your side who also makes sure you’re always doing the right thing too and guided in that way. And I would say that, you know, it’s, and for some, you know, certainly faith is an important part of it. Everybody’s got to be thankful to somebody. Everything didn’t come from nowhere. And then, Cathy Meehan: Yeah, it really does. Cathy Meehan: Absolutely. Aaron Siri: And then also, think, you your spouse, it’s really important. And I will tell you, my wife often is uncompromised in terms of what’s right. And she will, you know, nudge me along. So all of those things help. Cathy Meehan: Yeah, that’s all great. Yeah. Well, you know, mean, Jim and I were a team. I used to always say that he’d go in and, well, I don’t know if I can say this, but I’ll say he’d go in and throw crap everywhere. And then I’d come in with the toilet paper and clean up everything. He was the big voice out there. you know, when I’m just thankful that God has given me resources and a team and people just to carry on what we had started because, we still, we’ve come so far, but we still have so much further to go. And so for some of the people that are listening in my audience and they might not know, I mean, how in the world did you get associated into medical freedom? And I know we don’t have forever. So just give us the brief bio on how you chose this path and why you’re here. Aaron Siri: Well, not something I ever thought about when I went to Berkeley for law school. Not something I imagined when I clerked for the chief judge of the Supreme Court of Israel for a year after law school. Not