Wellness Unmasked Weekly Rundown: What the New ACIP Means for Vaccination Policies

In this Wellness Unmasked Weekly Rundown, Dr. Nicole Saphier discusses the recent disbanding of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., raising concerns about replacing experienced experts with ideologically driven members. She also highlights a new study linking high levels of PFOA “forever chemicals” in teens to increased blood pressure, offering practical tips for reducing exposure. Wellness Unmasked is part of the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Podcast Network - new episodes debut every Tuesday & Friday. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to Wellness on Mass. I'm doctor Nicole Sapphire and
this is your weekly rundown. Now, let's start with a
bold and controversial move out of Washington. D C Health
Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior has officially disbanded the CDC's
longstanding Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, commonly known as ASIP,
and appointed eight new members in its place. Now, ASIP

(00:25):
is the group that makes key recommendations on vaccine use
in the United States, guiding everything from school vaccine requirements
and insurance coverage to which vaccines are offered free under
programs like Vaccines for Children. Now, this is not a
small move. Some of the newly appointed members have questioned
the safety of the COVID vaccines as well as some
other vaccines, and have pushed for more individualized vaccine schedules.

(00:50):
Supporters of the overhaul say it's about restoring transparency and
eliminating potential conflicts of interests, but many in the medical
community are concerned that replacing excs experienced public health experts
with more ideologically driven voices could undermine public trust and
lead to inconsistent, politically motivated guidance. Now, my take on

(01:11):
this is I do think that it is incredibly important
that we remove some of the existing AST members because
their transparency and their motivations were called into question during
the COVID pandemic. Because during the COVID pandemic, it seemed
that they ignored some of the emerging data when it
came to the safety and really the efficacy of these

(01:32):
vaccines in our younger, healthier populations, and rather they continue
to push forward with their universal recommendations in vaccines and
boosters when other countries were not, and when it didn't
seem the data was there to support it. So I
am in favor of removing some of the members, if
not all of the members, and replacing them with new
members that have a fresh perspective on things. But I

(01:53):
do want to say that it's important that we don't
swing that pendulum too far the other way so that
it creates incredible distrust in the institution. When the goal
is to restore transparency and gain public trust, you have
to be careful not to swing that pendulum too far
the other way because it can have the same effect.
The new ASIP is expected to convene later this month,

(02:16):
and decisions made at that meeting could shape the upcoming
vaccine recommendations for the school year and fall winter virus season.
It's something every parent and provider should be watching coostly.
I certainly will, and I will be keeping you informed. Now,
let's quickly shift to a new study that should be
on every family's radar. Researchers published in the Journal of
the American Heart Association found that adolescence with higher levels

(02:39):
of pfas, also known as those forever chemicals, had significantly
increased blood pressure. Now, pfas are synthetic compounds used in
nonstick cookware, stain and water resistant fabrics, food wrappers, and
even some cosmetics. They don't break down easily, and they've
already been linked to hormone disruption, immune to function, and

(03:01):
certain cancers. And what this new study is showing us
is it's also increasing our risk of cardiovascular disease and
it can be happening as young as kids who are teenagers.
This is a new and troubling layer because these forever
chemicals are raising the risk of cardiovascular disease during the
teen years before symptoms even appear, and with high blood

(03:22):
pressure in youth often going undiagnosed, This could be a
hidden driver of chronic disease later in life. So here's
what we can all do. Switch to cast iron or
stainless steel cookware. Filter your tap water using activated carbon
or reverse osmosis. Cut back on fast food and packaged
snacks because these are often come in pfas coded wrappers.

(03:43):
Your waistline will be happy about it too. And check
household and personal care products for ingredients containing the words
fluoro or per floro. These small conscious changes can actually
make a big difference. That's your wellness Unmass weekly rundown.
Thanks for listening to Wellness Unmass on America's number one
podcast network, iHeart. Follow Wellness on Masks with doctor Nicole

(04:04):
Saffire and start listening on the free iHeartRadio app or
wherever you get your podcasts, and we will catch you
next time.