Episode 128: Do Vaccines and Toothpaste Really “Work”?
Jan 08, 2024
Jenni
Are you tired of the band-aid approach to healthcare? Imagine addressing the root of your health issues instead of merely suppressing symptoms with a pill. Dr. Jake Berman and Jenni Berman fiercely tackle this concept, exposing the cascade of prescription medications and their side effects that stem from a symptom-focused medical system. They share a bow hunting story that perfectly encapsulates their philosophy of perseverance and determination, both in the pursuit of game and in advocating for a healthcare revolution.
This episode is not just a critique; it's an eye-opener about the hidden economics of healthcare, from vaccines to toothpaste. Discover the shocking profitability of these products and how marketing strategies influence public perception and consumer choices. The Bermans challenge listeners to conduct their own research and experimentation, especially when it comes to personal health products, while never downplaying the importance of professional medical advice for serious concerns. By the end of this episode, you'll be armed with insights that could transform the way you view and engage with the healthcare industry.
Check Us Out On Social Media - Facebook: @bermanwellness , @physicaltherapynaples, @Berman Golf Instagram: @berman_wellness, @bermanphysicaltherapy , @Berman Golf Youtube: Berman Golf, Berman Physical Therapy TikTok: Bermangolf, Bermanwellness
Email us - drberman@bermanpt.com jenni@bermanwellness.com
Check out our website - https://www.bermanpt.com/ https://www.bermanpt.com/wellness/ https://bermangolf.com/
Are you tired of the band-aid approach to healthcare? Imagine addressing the root of your health issues instead of merely suppressing symptoms with a pill. Dr. Jake Berman and Jenni Berman fiercely tackle this concept, exposing the cascade of prescription medications and their side effects that stem from a symptom-focused medical system. They share a bow hunting story that perfectly encapsulates their philosophy of perseverance and determination, both in the pursuit of game and in advocating for a healthcare revolution.
This episode is not just a critique; it's an eye-opener about the hidden economics of healthcare, from vaccines to toothpaste. Discover the shocking profitability of these products and how marketing strategies influence public perception and consumer choices. The Bermans challenge listeners to conduct their own research and experimentation, especially when it comes to personal health products, while never downplaying the importance of professional medical advice for serious concerns. By the end of this episode, you'll be armed with insights that could transform the way you view and engage with the healthcare industry.
Check Us Out On Social Media - Facebook: @bermanwellness , @physicaltherapynaples, @Berman Golf Instagram: @berman_wellness, @bermanphysicaltherapy , @Berman Golf Youtube: Berman Golf, Berman Physical Therapy TikTok: Bermangolf, Bermanwellness
Email us - drberman@bermanpt.com jenni@bermanwellness.com
Check out our website - https://www.bermanpt.com/ https://www.bermanpt.com/wellness/ https://bermangolf.com/
Speaker 1:
This is the Berman Method Podcast, featuring Dr Jake Berman and physician assistant Jenny Berman. We are here to treat problems and not symptoms. Disclaimer this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and not to treat anyone or to give medical advice. If you are interested in any information that we are giving and would like to use this for yourself, we recommend that you contact your primary care physician or reach out to us and ask us questions about yourself specifically. Enjoy.
Speaker 2:
And we are rolling, rolling, rolling, rolling, rolling down the river of the Berman Method Podcast. Dr Jake Berman here with my beautiful co-hosts.
Speaker 1:
Jenny Berman, physician assistant.
Speaker 2:
Jenny Berman, for those of you that know her best and we are going against the corporate medical system saying you do not have our best interests in mind, right.
Speaker 1:
Right David against.
Speaker 2:
Goliath, david against Goliath, because we're this tiny little, nobody really going against the corporate giant, the corporate medical system, big pharma, all the insurance companies. They are really great at thinking about themselves and job security and not necessarily you and the best interests in mind, or keeping your best interests in mind. And the perfect example of it is pharmaceuticals. There's not a single pharmaceutical out there on the market that doesn't have at least one side effect. There requires another pharmaceutical to treat that side effect, and so on and so forth, and it leads down this slippery slope where the next thing you know you need to carry on, just for your prescription medications to go visit your family in a different state.
Speaker 1:
Like we take a carry on for our pillows. Not about your prescription medications, I mean, come on.
Speaker 2:
Yeah. So if that doesn't hit you in the face, I don't know what else will. And so many people think that, well, it's a statin, I need this for my cholesterol, or it's for my blood pressure, I need this for my blood pressure. Well, that leads to the next one, and then that leads to the next one. I mean, it's not uncommon for somebody to be on a statin at the age of 45 nowadays.
Speaker 1:
Right.
Speaker 2:
And then, by the time you're 65, you have four prescription medications, and then, by the time you're 75, you have 16. So it's almost like it exponentially increases as you get older.
Speaker 1:
When, in reality, we could just be treating problems and not symptoms.
Speaker 2:
Yeah.
Speaker 1:
Why is your cholesterol high in the first place? You'll say, oh, it's genetic. Everybody in my family has high cholesterol. Well, it doesn't have to be that way, because we have the ability to turn genes on and off. And you may say I eat so clean, but my cholesterol is still high. So what else could I do? I exercise every day and I eat clean still high. What else can I do?
Speaker 1:
Well, there's again an underlying issue to why your cholesterol is elevated, and something we're not going to talk all about cholesterol today, but something that everybody should know about cholesterol is. A lot of times when cholesterol levels are elevated, it's a sign of inflammation, so there's another inflammatory process going on that's actually causing the numbers on your cholesterol values to elevate. However, there's not enough time to talk about that when you go in for your regular old annual primary care check appointment. There's not enough time to talk about the changes that need to be made to lower cholesterol values and the different causes that there are to cause cholesterol values to go up and said. It's just easier to say hey here, you need to take this medicine to reduce your risk of heart disease, but is it actually reducing your risk of heart disease?
Speaker 2:
Touche. So let's not go down that rabbit hole today, because today I've got some really controversial topics. I wanted to start out 2024, coming out swinging, taking the gloves off. Let's come out swinging. I'm going to be even more explicit in 2024 than I was in 2023. And Jenny's like how is that even physically possible? Like, how could you be any more explicit? Well, I'm just going to be more explicit, like I'm just going to be looking for everything that doesn't make sense. And the two things that I'm going to talk about, that we are going to talk about today, are Drum roll drum roll reminds me of Christmas vacation.
Speaker 2:
Come on, guys, drum roll. Jenny, you actually watched about seven minutes of Christmas vacation this year.
Speaker 1:
Eventually I'll get the whole thing in just by seven minute increments.
Speaker 2:
Okay anyway, so the two things that I want to talk about today are vaccines and toothpaste.
Speaker 1:
Vaccines and toothpaste yes toothpaste.
Speaker 2:
But before we get into all that, I do want to give a big shout out to Jenny publicly on the air, because we got the chance for redemption over Christmas this year. So we both are avid bow hunters. We travel the country in the search of the elusive white-tailed deer bow hunting, and Jenny was on a very long streak of bad luck for years.
Speaker 1:
Bad luck as in. I wasn't missing, I just wasn't seeing yes for whatever reason, they just were not walking by her.
Speaker 2:
And if you know anything about bow hunting, you've got to be close. I mean you, you really need to be within 20 yards of a deer to make a ethical, accurate shot with a bow. So just because you see one out of 100 or 150 yards, we don't really say we saw a deer. It doesn't really count, because you had no chance.
Speaker 2:
So, for one reason or another, the past four years the stars just have not aligned. Three years ago you shot a doe and it was right at last light, and we trailed her as long as we could, and then the coyotes ended up getting her. So that was a string of bad luck there, and then that was really it for the past three years last year I got another doe, but within 20 minutes she got eaten by a coyote.
Speaker 2:
Yes, and this was in a morning hunt, so coyotes usually don't eat your deer in the morning hunt. So this was at 7 30 in the morning.
Speaker 1:
It was right at daylight and I I got the deer and Jake says well, just stay, stay in your stand, let's see if anything else comes out, because it was our last hunt, it was the last morning, last morning hunt. So he said stay in the stand, let's see if anything else come out. And I agreed because it was very early on that she came and Within about 20 minutes I text him and say I hear coyotes. So I got out of my stand and trailed her by myself and before I even got to her the coyotes had eaten her in the morning, which is just unheard of.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, that doesn't happen. So we're like what did you do to the deer gods, jenny? You really pissed them off. But anyways, over Christmas break the Keens are good friends invited us up to their property in Georgia and Jenny went two for two on the dose, so made two excellent shots on two great deer and they are now in our freezer and we will make it through the winter. Now we have enough meat to make it through the winter. I got one dough with my bow, so all three of us or we got three deer with bows and we'll make it through the winter Thanks to the Keen.
Speaker 2:
So thank you, jordan and Joe, for having us up yeah and congratulations to Jenny to getting the monkey off your back now we just need daddy to walk by. Yeah.
Speaker 1:
Cool, so good start to the new year.
Speaker 2:
Yeah. So let's get into this, because this is really important. Vaccines and toothpaste. It is crazy.
Speaker 2:
I've learned something from a very trusted source Over Christmas break I guess it was before Christmas and you do your own fact-checking. So everybody listen to this. You do your own fact-checking. Everything that we say on this podcast is our opinion, so you take this with a grain of salt. However, I hope this stirs the pot and I hope you start digging.
Speaker 2:
So the thing that I learned about vaccines is we were talking about pharmacies and the potential of opening up a pharmacy with this person that I know and I said well, what's the most profitable thing in a Pharmacy? Because I'm thinking about it from a business perspective and what he said blew my mind. He said vaccines are the most profitable thing in a pharmacy and I said what? You've got to be kidding me, because here I am, the ignorant American thinking that vaccines are free. I mean, you can go to any Pharmacy and get a flu vaccine, covid vaccine, xyz vaccine I was trying to think of something funny, but I probably shouldn't say that one vaccine and he said that that is by far the most profitable thing in a pharmacy and I said you've got to be kidding me. I said how much and he goes $65 profit for every flu and I think it was COVID vaccine that they give, or I think he said period.
Speaker 1:
Period? I don't know.
Speaker 2:
I don't know all.
Speaker 1:
So of $65 for any vaccine that they give, they have profit in their pocket.
Speaker 2:
There's profit, not expense, not overhead, nothing. That's profit, that's bottom line. And so I'm going you've got to be kidding me and I start crunching numbers and I'm going. Would you look at what's happening? Right now, you've got Travis Kelsey, the leading or one of the most popular tight ends in the history of football, because he's dating Taylor Swift. Right now you got him on a commercial on national television, on every streaming service possible, saying Well, not only should you get your flu vaccine, but while you're there, go ahead and get your COVID vaccine too. Not one, but two, it's better with two. And I'm going you, I didn't even think about it. Who's paying for this stuff? Cause we're not paying for it directly when we go get the vaccines. But you really are Right, right, cause who's?
Speaker 1:
paying for it. Yes, well, all of us that are paying taxes and insurance companies premiums and yes, so they've got this amazing marketing campaign.
Speaker 2:
How many COVID boosters are there now? I mean, it started off with you get your COVID vaccine. Oh, now you need a booster. So that was three years ago, I think. We're on to the 75th booster now, and I think you're supposed to get a COVID vaccine booster every other day. Now, I think is what it is, isn't it? Every other day. I think that's what it is.
Speaker 2:
Just to make sure that you don't get this cold anymore, Right and it's so funny because they realized that they essentially put the flu vaccine out of business. That's what this whole Travis Kelsey marketing campaign is about. It's just a marketing campaign. It has nothing to do with your wellbeing or the safety of the herd or anything. It's a marketing campaign. They realized that for the past three years they've been marketing COVID vaccine so hard that they put the flu vaccine out of business.
Speaker 1:
Got it. So then they wanted to start marketing the flu vaccine so they can make sure to make that $65 profit off each person for the flu vaccine.
Speaker 2:
Exactly so. Why wouldn't you want to double your profit instantaneously? You're already getting the COVID vaccine. Why don't you just go ahead and get another stick Right? And the pharmaceutical companies are doubling their profit instantaneously from one marketing campaign.
Speaker 1:
Well, what can we learn from that? How to market. That's what.
Speaker 2:
I'm taking away from it is marketing. It's all marketing. One on one, it's all it is. It's no different from the marketing campaign that the dairy industry did back in the 80s. I believe it is when dairy milk was going out of fashion, like people were not drinking milk anymore. Don't hold me to the exact dates on this. However, the general concept is very, very true and you can look this up for yourself, as you should with everything that we say, that the dairy industry was having a very difficult time profiting and they're essentially going out of business. I believe it was in the 80s and that's when the Got Milk campaign came out, because women were essentially not drinking milk anymore. So that's when they came out. With all of these celebrities Cindy Crawford was one of them that I remember because, again, I was young at that time.
Speaker 1:
You just liked looking at her yeah.
Speaker 2:
I loved her, so that's where it started, and then like wait a minute, let's expand this to athletes too. So then they started having athletes doing the Got Milk campaign and that's all it was. It was a marketing campaign to boost sales on milk. And here's a little fun fact about milk there is really nothing healthy about milk after you're done being a baby.
Speaker 1:
Right.
Speaker 2:
Isn't that true?
Speaker 1:
Right.
Speaker 2:
And we're actually gonna talk about that a little bit more. Here's a sneak peek, or a teaser, for next week's episode. We're gonna go a little bit deeper into that. However, there is nothing healthy about milk after being a baby, and one of the things that first exposed me to that truth was it wasn't destined, and that's when I first watched that documentary Forks Over Knives, I believe it was called.
Speaker 1:
I don't think I watched that one. But, I do remember I used to drink milk.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, it's one of the first ever documentaries that came out. Exposing essentially natural eating is what it did, but anyways, in that documentary they interviewed a doctor who grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm, and this doctor said the thing that changed my perception on milk, because prior to that time I was drinking two and a half gallons of milk a week.
Speaker 1:
A week.
Speaker 2:
A week.
Speaker 1:
Between just drinking glasses of milk and cereal every single day.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I had cereal for dessert every single night. So at that time I was drinking two and a half gallons of milk a week. And this doctor, who grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm, comes on and says the only purpose of milk is to put 200 pounds on a baby steer as fast as possible so that it can survive the harsh winter. And when he said those words I was just like what in the heck am I doing drinking this? Because it was right at the time where I was kind of losing my metabolism too, so my six pack was kind of starting to get a little fluffier. I'm going what I thought milk was healthy.
Speaker 1:
But again there's that marketing that milk is healthy, juice is healthy toothpaste.
Speaker 2:
Let's get into toothpaste too, because that's another thing that I wanted to talk about today. Sorry, I'm doing most of the talking, jenny, I'm just all jacked up right now.
Speaker 1:
I'll do most next episode.
Speaker 2:
Yes, next episode is all on you. So I started drinking coffee more regularly about less than 10 years ago.
Speaker 1:
I was going to say three years ago, when Stella was born, that was me.
Speaker 2:
Probably about eight years ago. I started because it was like right around the time I opened up Berman PT and that was 2015. And I started drinking it more regularly, but it was just every other day. I didn't want to drink it every day because I didn't want to be addicted to it.
Speaker 2:
And it was around that time where I started noticing that I was starting to get stains on my teeth, down where my teeth meet my gum line. I was starting to get stains there and it really bothered me, because I'm very OCD about my teeth and I don't like anything. I don't like plaque or anything building up on them. I try to keep them as clean as I possibly can. So I went from getting cleanings every six months to every four months and then I went to actually every three months, so I was getting quarterly teeth cleanings just because it bothered me so much. And that took me down this road of, instead of brushing my teeth twice a day, I started brushing them three times a day. So after lunch I'd brush my teeth, then I was flossing twice a day, I was using those peridonal brushes and I just had this constant battle of trying to keep that staining, that plaque buildup that was occurring until my next cleaning.
Speaker 1:
Mouthwash.
Speaker 2:
Then I started mouthwash and I was mouthwashing at least once a day, if not twice a day, and it was just driving me nuts. But I just figured it was a part of getting older. I didn't really attribute it to coffee or anything else, it was just a natural part of getting older. Then I randomly got a different hygienist one day and I was talking to her about it and she goes I would describe her as more holistic than Western. And she goes well, you know that mouthwash doesn't really do anything, right? And I said what are you talking about? And she goes yeah, it doesn't really do anything at all, it's just, it's really just marketing.
Speaker 1:
And I was like makes your breath smell good for a minute.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, it makes your breath smell good, but it doesn't really do anything about plaque. And I said they market that it kills 99.9% of germs. And she goes yeah, that's really good marketing. It doesn't actually do that. I said what are you talking about? And she goes.
Speaker 2:
She had worked for a completely holistic dentist for quite some time and there's really only two things on the market that actually do it. They say that they're going to do and they're actually not even nationally publicized. There's one mouthwash and one toothpaste that you have to look up on the internet to actually purchase. It's not the big name brands that you're thinking of that are marketed. And I said you've got to be kidding me. She goes just try it. Try not using mouthwash for the next week or two after you leave here. I said, ok, sure, fine, I'll give anything a try. So I quit mouthwashing for a month and I was amazed. I was like you've got to be kidding me. I did not even have the faintest glimpse of any stains or plaque building up on my gum line and I started getting angry. I'm going you've got to be kidding me. I've got two value pack things of mouthwash here, a medicine cabinet full of periodontal brushes, floss out the wazoo and hundreds of dollars on this top of the line toothpaste, and it was all just for marketing.
Speaker 1:
And all the time that you spent doing all those different things. Yes, yes, yeah, now don't get me wrong.
Speaker 2:
There is a part of it where you do have to have oral hygiene and you do have to brush your teeth, obviously, oh yeah, you still have to floss, for sure. But what I'm saying is that I quit using mouthwash and I quit getting stains on my teeth. I quit using mouthwash and I quit getting tartar plaque built up, built up around my gum line. Right, I'm going you've got to be kidding me.
Speaker 2:
And I just went and got my teeth or I got my teeth cleaned again by her the next time and she was looking through her note. She goes okay. So last time we said we're going to not use mouthwash, we're not going to use mouthwash for a while and see how it works. How did that go? And I said I'm not going to lead the witness. Why don't you get in there and you tell me what you think? So she starts digging around and she goes I don't see anything at all. And I said neither do I. And I said now I'm really mad.
Speaker 1:
Yeah yeah. So you know this is just coming back to say that the we don't always have the best information out there. I mean, companies are marketing things to increase their revenue. It's not always in the best interest of the patient or the client. So all these toothpaste and mouth washes and whitening kits are all out there, but they're not really helping you.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, and I wanna be careful about saying those exact words.
Speaker 1:
They're not really helping you, versus I don't know that they're really doing what they're saying they're supposed to be doing Well sure, sure, yes, because we absolutely need to brush our teeth into floss, because if we don't, and we do get plaque buildup and tartar buildup, this actually increases our risk of cardiovascular disease, heart disease, and so we absolutely need to be doing these things. But we need to be doing our own research and finding the products that are best. And it's very interesting that all of this happened, because with Jake, because at the same time and we hadn't really communicated about it, but back up a little bit so everybody knows I have celiac disease and actually celiac disease can increase the plaque and stain buildup in one's mouth because of the pH difference in an individual as far as the digestive system goes and an individual with something like celiac and that can be for many GI related disorders, so Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, if you want to call that a diagnosis but all of these things can actually change the pH of the entire digestive tract, which can increase the risk of periodontal disease, plaque buildup, stain, tartar, and so I've had quarterly teeth cleanings for as long as I remember can remember. I think in college I started quarterly teeth cleanings because I was one that also was at higher risk for having the plaque buildup and the staining. And so we went through you know, I went through tons of different dentists and oral hygienists, dental hygienists trying to figure out what's gonna be the best case for me. And it was actually just a couple of months before Jake brought up this mouthwash thing to me, I had actually started using a toothpaste called Luminex, which, again, you can't get over the counter. You have to well actually back up.
Speaker 1:
I had been on a prescription toothpaste for how long you remember that? Yeah, years, for years and years I was on a prescription toothpaste and then I started using this one that I get online called Luminex, and from one teeth cleaning to the next, I had significant improvement in the amount of stain. I hadn't changed anything else that I was eating or drinking. I was still flossing one to two times a day, still brushing typically three times a day, had not been using mouthwash, but this Luminex, for me, had made a big difference, and I have no correlation with Luminex, I don't get anything from people using it, but it was just something that, like Jake mentioned a lot of times, we can't just find these things over the counter. We actually have to do our own research and find what's gonna work best for our body.
Speaker 2:
Yeah and again, I can't say this enough on this episode or the next episode that we're gonna record probably a lot more episodes this year. As far as this is strictly our opinion, take it with a grain of salt. If you want, do your own research, especially when I say what I'm about to say. Next, you go down the toothpaste aisle and all you see are the big name brands. You can think of them, right? I don't even have to say it explicitly, you know exactly which one I'm thinking about right now. Same thing with the mouthwash. There's two big name brands and mouthwash. None of those brands, neither one of those brands, are doing what they're saying that they're doing. And this is my opinion, right? This is my opinion.
Speaker 2:
The thing that you have to understand is that they've got so much money behind them to just pour millions and millions and millions into marketing that when that's the only thing that you see on TV and ads and commercials and magazines, that's what you know, that's what you buy, but in reality it's not doing what it's saying that you are. The thing that you're wanting it to do and you got to do your own research is no different from the vaccines you are paying for these vaccines? What are the vaccines doing? I mean, why are we still getting covid vaccines for a freaking cold? Why did the flu just magically disappear once covid came around but then, all of a sudden, we got to get flu vaccines again because the covid vaccines put the flu vaccine out of business. So get stuck twice. That's what Travis Kelsey says. Think about it. That's what I'm trying to say today is think about it. There's got to be something more to what's going on right now and I'm telling you it's not your best interest that they have in mind. Is that fair?
Speaker 1:
Mm, hmm, you want to?
Speaker 2:
say anything else on this one.
Speaker 1:
No, I you know again, we've already said it but you have to do your own research, do your own projects on yourself. Not with your blood pressure medicine, your cholesterol medicine that definitely needs to be Discuss with a professional medical provider but when it comes to things like toothpaste and mouthwash, do your own little self project.
Speaker 2:
Yes. Cool that was a fun one. Next week we've got an even more fun one. This next week will be very, very simple, but it's going to put things in perspective, some things that you think are you're doing right now that are really healthy and they actually might not be really healthy at all.
Speaker 1:
And you might be doing them every day.
Speaker 2:
You might be doing them every day, so make sure you stay tuned. Please share this episode with your.
Speaker 1:
It's just just end of this episode.
Speaker 2:
Share this episode with somebody that you think needs to hear this. That's probably the best way to say.
Speaker 1:
We're going to try to somewhat stay politically correct here.
Speaker 2:
You're going to try to stay politically correct. I'm just going to try to shut my mouth.
Speaker 1:
Okay, chow, for now. Thank you for subscribing on your social media and podcast platforms to the Berman method Dr Jake Berman with Berman physical therapy, and Jenny Berman, physician assistant, with Berman health and wellness. You can find more information on our website wwwbermanptcom for physical therapy, bermanptcom forward slash wellness for the health and wellness. You can also find us on social media, facebook, instagram and on your podcast platform, so be sure to follow us, like us, subscribe to us and, if you would like any further information, definitely visit our website and reach out to us. You may also find our free reports on the websites as well, where you can download this free information for yourself. Have a great day.