Wellness Unmasked Weekly Rundown: From Fungi to Fitness: Unpacking This Week's Health Headlines

Dr. Nicole Saphier covers this week's key health headlines, including the arrest of two Chinese nationals for smuggling the dangerous Fusarium fungus into the U.S., raising biosecurity concerns. She also discusses the FDA’s exploration of psychedelic therapies for mental health, emphasizing safe, clinical use. Lastly, Dr. Saphier highlights a new study showing that regular exercise improves outcomes for colon cancer patients, reinforcing the importance of physical activity. 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):
Hello, and welcome to Wellness Unmasks. I'm doctor Nicole Sapphire
and this is your weekly rundown about the week's top
health headlines. First, a story that hasn't made many headlines,
but it's going to the Justice Department has arrested two
Chinese nationals for allegedly smuggling a dangerous fungus in the
United States. It's called Fusarium gramminarium, and it's more than

(00:24):
a mouthful. It's a known agriculture pathogen that can wipe
out wheat and grain crops. It can also make humans
and livestocks sick. Scientific literature even categorizes it as a
potential agro terrorism weapon. Now, this isn't just an exotic
plant disease. It's a direct threat to our food security
and economy. This case underscores how biosecurity must extend beyond

(00:48):
viruses and labs to include threats to our agriculture. As
a nation, we cannot afford to be naive about the
risks of unregulated biological materials crossing our borders. Now onto
more pro I'm missing front Doctor Marty Mcarey, the new
FDA commissioner who is going to be on wellness UNMASKS
next week announced that researchers are formally looking into psychedelic

(01:10):
therapies as a tool for mental health that includes psilocybin,
MDMA and other compounds that have long been misunderstood and understudied.
Now these are not being promoted for recreational use, but
for carefully supervised therapeutic treatment. Early studies have actually shown
remarkable potential in alleviating PTSD treatment, resistant depression, and even

(01:33):
anxiety and patients facing terminal illness. It's time we let science,
not stigma, lead the conversation, and that's exactly what doctor
McCarey is saying they are going to do. Now, let's
be clear, this isn't a free for all. These substances
have very powerful effects and must be administered in controlled
clinical settings for oversight. People should not be doing this

(01:53):
in their own home without being under the supervision of
someone who knows a little bit about it and the
potential consequences. We can't afford another public health crisis like
the opioid epidemic, but we also can't ignore potential breakthroughs.
And finally, some encouraging news that reinforces what I am
saying all the time movement is medicine. A new study

(02:14):
out this week shows that regular exercise significantly improves outcomes
for people with colon cancer. Patients who engaged in moderate
physical activity just thirty minutes a day, five times a
week had lower recurrence rates of their cancer and better
overall survival. It's not about running marathons or being a
gym rat. It's about staying active, improving circulation, reducing inflammation,

(02:36):
and supporting your immune system, especially during and after cancer treatment.
This research is a reminder that the most powerful prescription
often isn't found in a bottle, it's in your daily habits.
Thanks for listening. This is doctor Nicole Sapphire with Wellness
Unmasked Weekly Rundown