Key Points from Dr. Yosef Wittering's Reaction to the New Executive Order on Health

Background

• Date: February 14th
• Event: Reaction to Trump’s Executive Order on the Make America Healthy Again Commission
• Presenter: Dr. Yosef Wittering, board-certified psychiatrist
  • Expertise: Helping people come off psychiatric meds, experience in FDA and pharmaceutical industry.

Executive Order Highlights

• Purpose: Addressing declining life expectancy in the U.S. compared to other developed nations.
• Key Areas of Concern:
  • Overuse of psychiatric medications and lack of addressing root causes.
  • Chronic diseases: obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, autoimmune diseases.
  • Mental health treatment practices, often superficial rather than deep-rooted solutions.

Major Health Concerns in the U.S.

• Chronic Disease: 6 in 10 Americans have at least one; 4 in 10 have two or more.
• Mental Illness: 1 in 5 adults living with mental illness.
• Childhood Illnesses:
  • 30M children with conditions like allergies, asthma, or autoimmune diseases.
  • Rise in autism spectrum disorder prevalence.
• Food and Lifestyle:
  • Dependency on processed food.
  • Influence of diet on mental health and chronic conditions.

Proposed Policy Changes

• Federal Focus:
  • Shift to addressing root causes.
  • Promoting health through nutrition, physical activity, and lifestyle modifications.
  • Reevaluation of technological, environmental, and food and drug safety impacts.
• Research and Transparency:
  • Emphasis on transparency and open-source research.
  • Focus NIH research on root causes of illness rather than complex, technical aspects.

Corporate and Systemic Influences

• Influence of Corporations:
  • Direct pharmaceutical advertising impacts.
  • Short consultation times incentivized by insurance systems.
  • Pharmaceutical influence on medical education and drug perceptions.
• Call for Policy and System Changes:
  • Encourage longer visits focusing on health education.
  • Incentivize health maintenance over volume-based care.

Commission and Future Steps

• Commission Objectives:
  • Assessing childhood chronic diseases and contributing factors.
  • Evaluating medication use like SSRIs, antipsychotics in children.
  • Identifying best practices for prevention and treatment.
• Transparency and Integrity in Science:
  • Elimination of undue industry influence.
  • Release findings and data for public scrutiny, avoiding trade secrets.

Conclusion

• General Reaction:
  • Dr. Wittering is optimistic about the potential impacts of focusing on public health and reducing corporate influence.
  • Acknowledges this shift as long overdue, prioritizing health over special interests.