January 8, 2025 • 35 mins
Transform your understanding of modern healthcare and nutrition as we welcome the esteemed Dr. Tom Rogers from Performance Medicine. Dr. Rogers brings his wealth of knowledge in functional and integrative medicine to our discussion, emphasizing how lifestyle choices like nutrition, exposure to toxins, stress, and inadequate sleep play a critical role in our overall health. Prepare to rethink what you know about chronic diseases and health expectancy in the U.S., as we explore possible healthcare system reforms with inspiration from progressive leaders such as RFK, Dr. Oz, and Dr. Macari.
Our conversation sheds light on the alarming prevalence of metabolic syndrome in America, aggravated by the obesity epidemic and poor dietary habits. You'll gain fresh perspectives on why the traditional food pyramid might be leading us astray and discover alternative dietary strategies like keto, paleo, and Mediterranean diets. This episode serves as both a wake-up call and a guide, encouraging listeners to adopt healthier eating habits by reducing processed foods and opting for organic choices. We also touch on modern medicinal aids that assist in better managing the impacts of dietary decisions.
The challenges within the U.S. healthcare system come under scrutiny as we discuss its tendency to emphasize treatment over prevention. Insights from a former ENT surgeon turned integrative medicine advocate reveal systemic issues, including the overuse of medications and unnecessary procedures. The dialogue encourages a shift towards personalized healthcare that prioritizes individual lifestyle factors and metabolic health. We also tackle controversial topics such as the role of vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, stressing the need to address underlying health conditions like metabolic syndrome and vitamin D deficiency. Join us for this enlightening episode as we navigate these pressing health issues and advocate for a more holistic approach to well-being.
To help you to navigate the home buying and mortgage process, Jonathan & Steve are currently licensed in Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia, contact us today at 423-491-5405 or visit www.jonathanandsteve.com.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
This is Benchmark Happenings, brought to you by
Jonathan and Steve fromBenchmark Home Loans Northeast
Tennessee, johnson City,kingsport, bristol, the
Tri-Cities one of the mostbeautiful places in the country
to live, tons of great things todo and awesome local businesses
(00:23):
.
And on this show you'll findout why people are dying to move
to Northeast Tennessee and onthe way we'll have discussions
about mortgages and we'llinterview people in the real
estate industry.
It's what we do.
This is Benchmark Happenings,brought to you by Benchmark Home
Loans and now your host,christine Reed by Benchmark Home
(00:49):
Loans, and now your host,christine Reed.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Well, welcome back everybody to another episode of
Benchmark Happenings.
And you know what?
I can't believe that we are atalmost the end of 2024.
And so today, our special guestis Dr Tom Rogers with
Performance Medicine.
Dr Rogers, thank you for beinghere with us today.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Christine, thank you so much for having me again.
This is always interesting totalk to you.
I love our conversations.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yeah, I'll tell you what I love having you on the
podcast and Jenny, your wife.
I mean what a great.
I mean she's just phenomenal.
I can't believe how talentedshe is in her podcast.
I love your whole family.
I love what you're doing.
I love performance medicine,the functional medicine.
(01:32):
It's so needed and you'rehelping so many people with what
you do so thank you.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
You're too kind, and your family as well.
We love your family, thank you.
Just an incredible family.
We were just talking to Steveand he's got some great ideas
and just the Midas touch oncaring about people.
Yeah, that's what it's allabout.
Whether you're in the mortgagebusiness, the loan business, the
doctoring business, it's allabout serving people.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
It really is.
And people don't know how muchyou know till they know how much
you care.
You know, and it's so true, andthis industry is so competitive
in the mortgage industry, youknow we're just, we're just
fraught with you know what'syour rate, what's your rate, and
people don't look at thatservice and that personal touch
of how much you can be helped.
(02:22):
And just like in your industrywith health I mean our health
you can't put a price on ourGod-given bodies that are made
so perfectly to function so well.
And that's what I love aboutfunctional integrative medicine
it's truly getting to that rootcause of those issues.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
That's what we try to do.
You know, I've been practicingmedicine for 40 years and about
20 years ago when two of my kidscame down with type 1 diabetes,
as you know.
I realized that I didn't knowmuch about nutrition and then I
took a few courses and gotinvolved in integrative
functional medicine which, likeyou say, is finding the root
(03:08):
cause of the problem.
Yes, and really the root causeof our chronic disease in this
country is really poor nutrition, toxins.
We're exposed to too muchstress, too poor sleep and it
leads to gut dysfunction.
So it leads to all thesemetabolic problems and chronic
disease.
(03:29):
I mean all the money we spendin our country it's way more
than any other country wouldthink about spending.
And yet our health is goingdownhill.
It's not getting better, it'sgoing downhill.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
What was it you said on one of your podcasts you were
talking about the health of ourchildren that this was the
first time in history, it waslife expectancy.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
It's less for the kids being born today than their
parents, first time in history.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
That's shocking to me .
Speaker 3 (04:00):
True.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
It's shocking to me, and so we do have some hope
along the way with our election.
So I know we've talked about,we're excited about RFK coming
on board and what he's going todo with nutrition.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
We have an amazing team coming into our health care
system.
I mean I say I'm like you, Iwas so excited, I couldn't stand
it.
I say out with the old,dysfunctional you know old boys
club, traditional, conventional,rigid, cognitive, dissonant
(04:43):
thinking to a new order and it'sgoing to really rattle some
bones and and hopefully it'llreally change things.
I mean, you have not only youhave Dr Oz coming in, not just
Robert Kennedy, you know, you'vegot Dr Oz.
You have Dr Macari out ofHopkins, one of the most
published doctors in the world.
And he went against the COVIDnarrative.
And you have the guy fromStanford, the epidemiologist Dr
(05:08):
Bachar, I think, is how youpronounce it, but he's going in
as director of the NIH and hewas the one that co-authored the
Great Barrington Declarationthat challenged Fauci when COVID
came out.
This is a well-known Stanfordepidemiologist, one of the
smartest guys in the healthcareindustry, and he came out with
(05:31):
that declaration that said wedon't need to be wearing masks,
shutting down our schools,distancing.
We need to be exposed to thisand get natural immunity.
And he was outcast among hispeers with.
Fauci, with you know thegovernment, um, and he was right
and he's coming in to directour NIH that's Dr.
(05:55):
Oz will be in charge ofMedicare.
Medicaid um Macari will be inthere with, I think, maybe the
FDA or I mean you're gettingsome head turners and they're
going to change things aroundand you know what it's.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
It's we've we've had the blinders on for so long in
this nation and even even waybefore.
You know that previousadministration and and just like
you know, I know you've talkedabout the food industry, of the
chemicals that's in our food andhow unhealthy our it's a sad
diet, the standard American diet.
(06:27):
It's sad, it is sad.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Very sad.
It's unbelievable and ourcountry has more toxins and
fillers in our food thananywhere in the world.
It wouldn't be legal to eatsome of the foods here that they
eat in Canada the Froot Loops.
Compare the Froot Loops here,which is terrible food anyway to
the Froot Loops in Canada.
(06:50):
I mean the ingredients we put,the chemicals we put in there.
So the food industry isdefinitely bought out.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
There's no doubt about it.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
That's been going on for decades and it's getting
worse.
I mean, I've talked to thesefood engineers and they tell me
what goes on, and what they dois look for new chemicals that
are more addictive to your tastebuds, more sugary.
And look what's happening withour country we got an obese.
(07:19):
I mean 93% of.
Americans have metabolicsyndrome 93%, which means
insulin resistance, overweight,hypertension, increased
triglycerides and dyslipidemia.
So it's really a sad state ofaffairs.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
It is, and you know we were over Thanksgiving.
We went down to Pigeon Forge,took the family and we got
cabins for everybody so we couldhave a little family trip.
And when we went out and aboutjust sitting in the car watching
people go by, it wasastonishing there was no one
(08:00):
underweight at all.
I mean you talk about theobesity epidemic.
I mean it is, it's real andit's shocking.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
Were they all eating funnel cakes.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Funnel cakes.
And what is that?
The sort of fried onions andstuff Fried.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Oreos.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Everything else.
Yeah Well, look at going toschool.
My wife's a school teacher.
I mean, it's unbelievable.
Most of the kids are overweight.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
And they don't get any nutrition.
So how can we start with whatwe have available today, even
though we know, hopefully downthe road the industry is going
to change and get these toxinsout of our food?
But how would you guide someonein nutrition today?
Speaker 3 (08:47):
That's a great question.
You know most of my practice90% of it nowadays is involved
with weight loss, treatingmetabolic syndrome.
That's what it is whensomebody's overweight they have
metabolic syndrome, which meansinsulin resistance and hormones.
90% of what I treat is hormoneevaluation and treatment and
(09:09):
weight loss, and so I'veexperimented with every kind of
diet there is out there and theyall work and they all fail.
So a general rule of thumb isyou know, most people eat too
many carbohydrates.
There's no doubt in my mindthat the carbs are more
responsible than any of themacros for weight gain.
(09:33):
I mean, when we, our government, came up with this food pyramid
back in the 70s, I mean it wastotally wrong.
We had a guy named Ansel Keyswho totally screwed up our
healthcare system.
So they demonize fats ascausing coronary artery disease,
heart attacks.
It's actually the opposite.
(09:54):
The fats aren't the bad boys.
Now, some fats are, but there'smostly good fats and protein.
But they put carbohydrates asthe base of that pyramid that
you should be getting, yeah,like six servings right.
Yeah, you know.
Breads, rice, pasta, cereals.
There's no healthy cereal outthere.
(10:14):
Oatmeal is not healthy.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
But they're all branded with approved by the
American Heart Association.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
That's because the food industry gives them
millions of dollars every year,so they're bought out, without a
doubt.
I hope some of it turns around,but it's kind of a shame.
So there's all kinds of dietsthat I've worked with, and I've
worked with patients, thousandsand thousands over many years.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Again.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
I learn I change my mind when something comes up
that I really see works, and sowe've looked at keto, paleo,
Mediterranean vegan, vegetarian,carnivore.
They all work, but can youstick to them and is it really
healthy?
One thing that I'm going topush this year in my practice is
(11:04):
cutting out processed foods.
Oh, yes.
The big thing really is.
The danger is processed foods.
So if you cut those out and eatwhole foods.
I don't care if you're doingcarnivore or vegetarian.
You're going to be healthier.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Right, right, because you're eating those whole foods
that are god-made and notman-made, I think.
Anything man-made right we needto be leery of.
I used to tell people if itcomes out of a drive-thru window
or if it has cellophane aroundit, don't eat it that's exactly
right and it's.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
It's worrisome too, because even when you go for
fruits and vegetables in thegrocery, the transit time to get
that food there and the stuffthey put on it okay, like
pesticides I mean.
So you need to eat organic?
Um whole foods if you can.
You need to be very vigilantabout what you eat um.
(12:03):
So we have a little contestthis year in performance
medicine on cutting outprocessed food.
So what I do is encourageeverybody to come in and get an
in-body scan.
That is just a very expensivemachine that you stand on with
your bare feet and your handsand it runs an electrical
(12:24):
current through your body.
And it's very accurate.
I call it the truth teller.
So it tells me what your basicmetabolic rate is, how much
visceral fat you have which isthe bad kind around your organs.
It tells you how much waterretention you have, how much
muscle you have, what percentageof fat overall and, like I say,
(12:48):
visceral fat.
And then I have them get acontinuous glucose monitor, so
they pop on the back of theirarm, it's painless and it
records your blood sugar.
You know, for two weeks, 24hours, every minute you can look
on there and see what yourblood sugar is doing.
So a lot of this insulinresistant you're able to tell
you know, I just drank you know,a caramel macchiato from
(13:11):
Starbucks, my sugar went to 170.
That happened to me.
I'll wear them.
I'm not a diabetic but I'm veryused to them, since I've had
two diabetic kids in my familyfor decades.
So you know we've been lookingat this stuff for years.
We have to.
But, um, so we're going to dothat and then get a food diary
(13:32):
and put a list of all theprocessed foods in there that
they're to avoid for a month ortwo.
See how they feel, because onceyou get that out of your system
you won't crave it.
But it takes a month to getthese cravings out of your
system.
And plus, nowadays we have newmedications that are amazing.
(13:53):
You know, as a physician, I'mreally kind of a blend between
traditional and alternative.
So I know the best of both.
And now we do have anincredible lineup of GLP-1 and
GIP agonists that give people achance to actually level the
(14:16):
playing table with what they eat.
Because, as I tell all mypatients, life is not fair.
Your beanpole buddy may eattwice as bad as you do and you
may be a certain weight andthey're 80 pounds.
So it's different.
It usually catches up with them, but so everybody's a little
different, you know.
(14:37):
We look at your gut microbiomebecause if you have a lot of
stomach issues you're not goingto be healthy, you're going to
develop autoimmune diseases,you're going to be more likely
chance to be overweight andcrave bad foods.
So we look at people's numbers.
We do a lot of lab work but theGLP-1s have been an amazing
(15:01):
group of medicines.
Ozempic and then the Manjaro.
I mean they're incrediblyeffective and what they do is
they just supply the guthormones that you need to tampen
down your appetite.
Reduce glucose output from theliver.
It makes your insulin workbetter.
(15:25):
That's why originally they'rediabetic drugs so um.
It reduces the cravings it'samazing what they do and they're
so good.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
I mean it's like it gives you.
I know, andy, we talked aboutit your son, andy, that works at
performance too and he saidit's kind of like giving them a
sled to go downhill.
It kind of gives them thatlittle boost, you know, to help
you start losing that weight.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
Because, like you said, it's a metabolic issue.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
To me, there's no such thing as willpower in that
matter.
I mean, some can't overcome it.
Now again, when you're a kidand when your mom's eating for
you and she's pregnant, all thatmatters later on in life.
I mean, if you're born to a momwho has gestational diabetes,
(16:20):
the chance of you being fat asan adult, or twice what it is a
mom that isn't yeah, it startsin utero, wow.
So not that you can't overcomeit, but the best way, of course,
would be to learn to our kids,learn to eat right and cut out
the junk food.
But our kids today are they'reoverwhelmed.
(16:43):
They have poor diets.
They don't sleep because theyhave to start school too early.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
They do.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
And they're stressed out because of social media and
they're eating all these toxicfoods and they're staring at a
screen all day.
They don't exercise.
It's just incredibly hard to bea kid now.
Just incredibly hard.
Plus, I think the pediatriciansoverdo it.
(17:10):
I think, they get too manyvaccines.
They get too many antibiotics,the ADD medicines.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
I don't think that everybody truly needs those
medications as a child, that'sright.
We used to play outside, we hadfresh air and we were running
and jumping and playing and youknow, climbing trees and all
those things and, like you said,staring at a screen.
We're not made for that all thetime.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
No, plus, there's a lot of the stuff they're staring
at is a lot of it's bullyingand you know, I think 40% of our
children 18 and under alreadyhave a mental diagnosis on their
chart 40%.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
That's unbelievable.
You never saw that back in myday.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
No, I didn't see all the diabetes that we're seeing
in kids now either.
Um, it's just incredibly's justincredibly hard to be a kid.
So the parents really have tostart looking at this thing even
when they're thinking abouthaving kids.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Yes, and so where can we help people start?
I mean, it's a huge problem,but I think you kind of hit the
nail on the head.
It starts with the parents.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
It starts with educating the parents, and I'd
say re-educating, because mostpeople have been taught the
wrong things.
I mean, really there's a lot ofmisinformation.
And unfortunately, themisinformation came from the
traditional side.
Look at COVID.
I mean, all the stuff they madeus do was totally wrong.
(18:45):
The outliers that rebelledagainst it, like me, were the
ones that in the end, we wereright about 100% of it.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
You were.
You were right, and I mean theivermectin and the vitamins and
being outside getting fresh air,and I mean even with my job,
working for a global med techcompany.
I was threatened that you knowyou're going to lose your job
four different times for nottaking the vaccine.
I said that's okay, I'm notgoing to take it, I've done my
(19:15):
research.
I'm not going to do it and Inever did, thank God we didn't.
Speaker 3 (19:19):
The vaccine injuries I treat in my office every week
are incredible.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Oh, it's so sad.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
And the things that it precipitated was unbelievable
.
I've seen a lot of cases oftype 1 diabetes.
One case two hours after shereceived her first vaccine, she
was in a diabetic coma.
Within two hours a healthy lady, Plus a lot of these people
that are dropping dead of heartattacks, especially young men.
(19:46):
It's horrible and they'recovering it up.
It is.
I don't mind saying it.
The other problem wascensorship.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
you know, during that COVID time, Thanks to
Zuckerberg, and now they'rewanting to get on board.
Isn't it ironic?
Speaker 3 (20:03):
It is, I was censored three times for things that and
I wasn't that controversial.
I didn't come out and say don'ttake the vaccine.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
But I learned that even subtle words that I put on
my podcast, like I learnedreally, I learned I couldn't say
three things.
I could not say vaccine, nomatter what.
If they picked up vaccine,you're out.
Number two I couldn't sayivermectin.
Number three I couldn't sayFauci, and if I did, I was off
(20:34):
of the platforms for you know,months until I was off probation
, but I felt good about it.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Absolutely, we have to stand for what we believe.
If we don't stand for what webelieve, we'll fall for anything
, and I hope that what welearned from COVID is that we
have the ability to make gooddecisions, to do the research
and, regardless of what we'rehearing, we can stand up for
what we choose for our ownbodies.
(21:02):
That's right.
That's exactly right, and notever bow down to that ever again
.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
I hope this mass hysteria doesn't ever govern,
because we'll have otherpandemics there's no doubt about
it, one book that you ask wheredo you start?
Here's a really good book, haveyou?
Ever heard of Dr Casey Means.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
I think you've mentioned that on your podcast.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
She just wrote a book called Good Energy and that's a
great book to read to reallyfind out what's going on with
our healthcare system and how tostay healthy.
She was a top of her class atStanford Medical School and she
was four and a half years into afive-year ENT Ear, nose and
(21:50):
Throat Surgical Fellowship.
I mean prestigious researcher.
So Four and a half years afterstarting that residency she just
decided that she'd had enough.
Our health care system justtotally whacked out.
You know it's geared towardsgreed and money and you know
(22:12):
billing and unnecessaryprocedures, too many medications
.
So she just gave it all up andreally she practices in an
integrated medical clinic.
It has her own, like I do.
Oh wow, I've been doing this 18years, but she's a heavy hitter.
She's well known.
She's been on Rogan, she's beenon with Tucker Carlson.
(22:36):
You should listen to some ofthose podcasts but, she tells it
like it is.
She exposes the healthcaresystem for what it is.
Now in America we have a greatdoctors are great it's not the
doctor's fault and we have allthis technology.
We have ways of dealing withtrauma, dealing with going in
(22:57):
and doing these great procedureson your heart that you could
never imagine.
I mean, it's unbelievable Forour primary care, which I'm in
you know it really stinks.
It's terrible because it's notgeared towards prevention, it's
geared towards treatments.
This is your disease, here'syour medicine, see you in a few
(23:17):
months.
What are you eating?
What's your lifestyle?
Are you sleeping?
Have you had a sleep evaluation?
Tell me about your life.
Are you stressed out?
What's your gut like?
I mean, those are the questionsand then we will get a baseline
metabolic panel on one of themwe do the Cleveland Heart Panel.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
Yes, which I'm sure you probably had.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Yes, that's a great way to start out.
That way, you know, we canevaluate how bad it is because,
like Dr Means says, 93% ofAmericans have metabolic
syndrome already they don't evenknow it.
When they cross over into thatdiabetic range, then they know
it, but for years before thatthey're insulin resistant and
(24:01):
they're very unhealthy.
They're insulin resistant andthey're very unhealthy.
Speaker 2 (24:04):
They're inflamed.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
And so that's what, in my practice, we kind of go
after.
You know we're kind of outliers, but I blend the best with
traditional and some of thealternative stuff, and our
practice has just boomed becauseof that, I think.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
And what you're doing is so important because you are
a true practitioner.
I mean, you're not just sayingthese things, you actually do
them.
You know, because you're veryhealthy and you eat healthy and
you do the Cleveland panel andyou, you know, check your sleep
and you know, when I had thatCleveland panel I could not.
You know, I've always had likea chem 18 or you know, just
(24:43):
general blood work.
Well that doesn't really doanything.
You don't know the person, butwhen you and I sat down together
and you went over that with me,you asked me all those
questions how do you sleep atnight?
You know what's your diet like?
You know how's your gut?
I mean, I've never had aphysician ever sit down and have
(25:04):
a conversation of asking thosequestions.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
Well, that's because I have time to do it.
I spend my time Granted.
For the first 20 years of mypractice I saw 40 to 50 patients
a day.
Then I went back to thehospital.
I mean it was and it was likecookbook medicine you don't have
time and then when you'reseeing those patients you're on
a computer typing in codes totry to get reimbursed from an
(25:31):
insurance company.
The best thing I ever did wasnot take insurance for office
visits.
Of course you use it for yourlabs or you get x-rays or
whatever.
But for an office visit.
Now I see 12 to maybe 14patients on a busy day.
So I have a lot of time.
I'm not on a computer when I'mtalking to them I'm looking in
more depth as to what some oftheir numbers look like and what
(25:54):
their life's like.
Like, for example, acholesterol level means nothing.
You know.
Total cholesterol does not meananything and yet I bet 99% of
doctors if you went in withcholesterol of 250, you're
getting the statin, which can bedangerous medications.
I'm not saying some peopledon't need them.
(26:15):
Occasionally I'll use them, butthere's a great hoax about
cholesterol.
It's not the culprit with heartdisease.
It's more insulin andinflammation.
That's where you look for it,not what your cholesterol is,
and 99% of doctors don't knowthat because they've been
brainwashed by their medicalinstitutions, which are bought
(26:37):
out by the pharmaceuticalcompanies.
You can go all the way back toJohn D Rockefeller, who started
the medical schools.
I mean it was really bought andpaid for and still is by the
pharmaceutical industries.
And you saw what happened withthe vaccines, with COVID, the
(26:58):
billions of dollars they made onthat, even though the fact that
number one it didn't preventCOVID.
No, what is a vaccine supposedto do?
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Prevent the disease, exactly it doesn't work.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
And number two it never prevented transmission.
In fact, it probably encouragedtransmission.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
Well, I've known people that I know that took the
vaccines and even took boostersand continue to take boosters.
They continue to get COVID andit seems like some of them have
even told me it's worse.
I mean they're down for severaldays, yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
Yeah, there's no doubt that people that are
getting these boosters get COVIDmore often than the people that
don't take them.
Cdc will tell you that, butthen they'll say, well, it may
keep you out of the hospital.
Bull crap.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
When you end up in the hospital nowadays especially
, I mean you've got a coexistingcondition, namely metabolic
syndrome, obesity, low vitamin D.
You know, when COVID first cameout, you know it was bad.
I mean it was bad, it even hitsome outliers.
It was a bad disease.
But the problem with it wasthat if you went in they
(28:08):
wouldn't treat you.
There was good treatments outthere for that.
Send you home with a pulseoximeter, yeah, and a nebulizer,
and Zithromax and IvermectinFirst we used hydroxychloroquine
, which is a great medicine too,very high-dose vitamins.
We even prescribed oxygen,anything to keep you out of the
(28:29):
hospital, because you got inthere, you died eight times out
of ten and you died alone.
Oh gosh, we didn't let thefamilies.
Then they put you on theprotocol where they put you on a
ventilator, blow your lungs out, then you.
Now you have chest tubes.
Now they give you remdesivir,which is a terrible drug.
50 percent of time it shut downyour kidneys.
(28:51):
So your on dialysis, you'rejust, you're draining the circle
right, and nine out of the tenof those people died alone, it
was criminal really it reallywas in the nursing home.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
So my dad was in and out of a nursing home at the
time and it was just, it was sopainful.
It was so painful and I'm sothankful for the the work, the
healthcare workers who wouldFaceTime on their personal phone
so I could see and talk to mydad.
You know, at the time and itwas, but you, you know, it's
like hopefully we've learned,you know, as good consumers and
(29:27):
we've become smarter.
You know, I hope that neverhappens again.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
I think with the new government changes we're going
to have.
I don't think it will happenbecause um it was just led by a
bureaucracy that wanted control,wanted the mass hysteria that
we had.
I mean it's crazy how even thedoctors bought into it.
But they started learning,because I treat a lot of doctors
(29:53):
and nurses.
I can't tell you how many cameto me.
Tom, can you give me someivermectin, because I can't use
it.
I want it for my family andmyself.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
Can you write me a?
Speaker 3 (30:04):
medical exemption for thatin because I can't use it.
I want it for my family andmyself.
Can you write me a medicalexemption for that vaccine?
I don't want to take it.
I'm willing to give up mycareer as a surgeon to not take
that vaccine.
What does that tell you?
It's terrible.
The vaccine was not good, itwas dangerous it was.
I still will say that.
I don't care what anybody asksme.
That's right.
Good, it was dangerous.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
I still will say that I don't care what anybody asked
me.
Speaker 3 (30:25):
Hopefully I won't get censored If I do, I'm 70 years
old who cares, you know?
I mean, I'm just going to dowhat I think's right.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
Yes, yes, and, and thank God for that.
You know, I'm so thankful forpeople like you.
I'm thankful for performancemedicine.
I'm so thankful to have thesewonderful options so that we can
have, you know, be healthy,monitor our health, and I look
forward to a 2025.
(30:52):
So 2025, let's think about whatnutrition.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
Let's think about nutrition first, cutting out
processed foods.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
See where you are.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
I mean, see where you are, get an in-body scan.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
Get a Cleveland Heart panel.
I've got to do that.
I have to get the in-body scanbecause I've had my Cleveland
panel.
I need that.
I need that.
Speaker 3 (31:12):
Get the scan and make a food diary.
You know we have a greatnutritionist, lucas Smith, who
directs all our nutrition.
He's the only nutritionist Iwould ever trust.
To talk to people that I know,because most of them are kind of
practicing out of the dark ages, if you ask me, but um, he does
a great job.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
I love when he's on.
You know a podcast and you knowhe and ben and talking about
nutrition and you should get himon your podcast I do.
I do you tell him when you seehim.
I want because I love nutritionand I think it's something that
we all need to learn so muchmore about to eat healthy.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
We do.
That's where it all starts.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
So anybody listening, I do recommend call performance
.
You really need to take controlof your own health, and this is
the way to do it and you guysare doing it right.
You're truly helping people andI think it starts with, you
know, respecting your body,respecting your health and and
(32:11):
treating it as number one, andand let's focus on our nutrition
and I look forward to the nextcoming month, so I want you to
come back.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
So after.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
Trump gets his administration together, and I'd
like for us to talk about someof the changes that we're seeing
.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
Would that be great?
Yeah, it'd be great.
It's probably going to take alittle bit of time, as anything
does, but I hope they really geton it and really clean slate
and start over again.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
Yes, yes.
So, um, dr Rogers, tell usabout the, your locations, and
also, you had some exciting newsabout a new location somewhere
maybe.
Oh, yeah, well, we talk aboutthat.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
Okay, we, we have um locations in all the tri-cities
Kingsport, johnson city, bristolUm, we even have a little
urgent care center in Kingsportand we have two locations in
Knoxville North Knoxville andWest Knoxville.
And the exciting news is we'regoing to Nashville.
Hopefully this year we'll havea clinic in Nashville and we do
(33:19):
some telemedicine With COVID.
We did a lot of telemedicine,so that's kind of a a new thing.
Uh, that's very helpful for alot of people that uh live too
far away or can't get in to seeus.
But uh, and we have some greatum providers at performance
medicine that really um arewell-trained and empathetic and
(33:42):
are willing to listen and notjust react with another
medication and can kind offollow up on everything from
your stress levels to yourhormones, to your metabolic
syndrome, to your sleep patternsand just getting healthier in
(34:03):
general.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
So thank you so much for being with us today and look
forward to having you backagain.
Speaker 3 (34:12):
Thank you, Christine.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
And you have a Merry Christmas.
Speaker 3 (34:14):
You too.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
This has been Benchmark Happenings, brought to
you by Jonathan Tipton andSteve Reed from Benchmark Home
Loans.
Jonathan and Steve areresidential mortgage lenders.
They do home loans in NortheastTennessee and they're not only
licensed in Tennessee butFlorida, georgia, south Carolina
and Virginia.
We hope you've enjoyed the show.
(34:41):
If you did make sure to likerate and review.
Our passion is NortheastTennessee, so if you have
questions about mortgages, callus at 423-491-5405.
And the website iswwwJonathanAndStevecom.
Thanks for being with us andwe'll see you next time on
(35:03):
Benchmark Happenings.
This is Benchmark Happenings, brought to you by
Jonathan and Steve fromBenchmark Home Loans Northeast
Tennessee, johnson City,kingsport, bristol, the
Tri-Cities one of the mostbeautiful places in the country
to live, tons of great things todo and awesome local businesses
(00:23):
.
And on this show you'll findout why people are dying to move
to Northeast Tennessee and onthe way we'll have discussions
about mortgages and we'llinterview people in the real
estate industry.
It's what we do.
This is Benchmark Happenings,brought to you by Benchmark Home
Loans and now your host,christine Reed by Benchmark Home
(00:49):
Loans, and now your host,christine Reed.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Well, welcome back everybody to another episode of
Benchmark Happenings.
And you know what?
I can't believe that we are atalmost the end of 2024.
And so today, our special guestis Dr Tom Rogers with
Performance Medicine.
Dr Rogers, thank you for beinghere with us today.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Christine, thank you so much for having me again.
This is always interesting totalk to you.
I love our conversations.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yeah, I'll tell you what I love having you on the
podcast and Jenny, your wife.
I mean what a great.
I mean she's just phenomenal.
I can't believe how talentedshe is in her podcast.
I love your whole family.
I love what you're doing.
I love performance medicine,the functional medicine.
(01:32):
It's so needed and you'rehelping so many people with what
you do so thank you.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
You're too kind, and your family as well.
We love your family, thank you.
Just an incredible family.
We were just talking to Steveand he's got some great ideas
and just the Midas touch oncaring about people.
Yeah, that's what it's allabout.
Whether you're in the mortgagebusiness, the loan business, the
doctoring business, it's allabout serving people.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
It really is.
And people don't know how muchyou know till they know how much
you care.
You know, and it's so true, andthis industry is so competitive
in the mortgage industry, youknow we're just, we're just
fraught with you know what'syour rate, what's your rate, and
people don't look at thatservice and that personal touch
of how much you can be helped.
(02:22):
And just like in your industrywith health I mean our health
you can't put a price on ourGod-given bodies that are made
so perfectly to function so well.
And that's what I love aboutfunctional integrative medicine
it's truly getting to that rootcause of those issues.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
That's what we try to do.
You know, I've been practicingmedicine for 40 years and about
20 years ago when two of my kidscame down with type 1 diabetes,
as you know.
I realized that I didn't knowmuch about nutrition and then I
took a few courses and gotinvolved in integrative
functional medicine which, likeyou say, is finding the root
(03:08):
cause of the problem.
Yes, and really the root causeof our chronic disease in this
country is really poor nutrition, toxins.
We're exposed to too muchstress, too poor sleep and it
leads to gut dysfunction.
So it leads to all thesemetabolic problems and chronic
disease.
(03:29):
I mean all the money we spendin our country it's way more
than any other country wouldthink about spending.
And yet our health is goingdownhill.
It's not getting better, it'sgoing downhill.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
What was it you said on one of your podcasts you were
talking about the health of ourchildren that this was the
first time in history, it waslife expectancy.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
It's less for the kids being born today than their
parents, first time in history.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
That's shocking to me .
Speaker 3 (04:00):
True.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
It's shocking to me, and so we do have some hope
along the way with our election.
So I know we've talked about,we're excited about RFK coming
on board and what he's going todo with nutrition.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
We have an amazing team coming into our health care
system.
I mean I say I'm like you, Iwas so excited, I couldn't stand
it.
I say out with the old,dysfunctional you know old boys
club, traditional, conventional,rigid, cognitive, dissonant
(04:43):
thinking to a new order and it'sgoing to really rattle some
bones and and hopefully it'llreally change things.
I mean, you have not only youhave Dr Oz coming in, not just
Robert Kennedy, you know, you'vegot Dr Oz.
You have Dr Macari out ofHopkins, one of the most
published doctors in the world.
And he went against the COVIDnarrative.
And you have the guy fromStanford, the epidemiologist Dr
(05:08):
Bachar, I think, is how youpronounce it, but he's going in
as director of the NIH and hewas the one that co-authored the
Great Barrington Declarationthat challenged Fauci when COVID
came out.
This is a well-known Stanfordepidemiologist, one of the
smartest guys in the healthcareindustry, and he came out with
(05:31):
that declaration that said wedon't need to be wearing masks,
shutting down our schools,distancing.
We need to be exposed to thisand get natural immunity.
And he was outcast among hispeers with.
Fauci, with you know thegovernment, um, and he was right
and he's coming in to directour NIH that's Dr.
(05:55):
Oz will be in charge ofMedicare.
Medicaid um Macari will be inthere with, I think, maybe the
FDA or I mean you're gettingsome head turners and they're
going to change things aroundand you know what it's.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
It's we've we've had the blinders on for so long in
this nation and even even waybefore.
You know that previousadministration and and just like
you know, I know you've talkedabout the food industry, of the
chemicals that's in our food andhow unhealthy our it's a sad
diet, the standard American diet.
(06:27):
It's sad, it is sad.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Very sad.
It's unbelievable and ourcountry has more toxins and
fillers in our food thananywhere in the world.
It wouldn't be legal to eatsome of the foods here that they
eat in Canada the Froot Loops.
Compare the Froot Loops here,which is terrible food anyway to
the Froot Loops in Canada.
(06:50):
I mean the ingredients we put,the chemicals we put in there.
So the food industry isdefinitely bought out.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
There's no doubt about it.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
That's been going on for decades and it's getting
worse.
I mean, I've talked to thesefood engineers and they tell me
what goes on, and what they dois look for new chemicals that
are more addictive to your tastebuds, more sugary.
And look what's happening withour country we got an obese.
(07:19):
I mean 93% of.
Americans have metabolicsyndrome 93%, which means
insulin resistance, overweight,hypertension, increased
triglycerides and dyslipidemia.
So it's really a sad state ofaffairs.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
It is, and you know we were over Thanksgiving.
We went down to Pigeon Forge,took the family and we got
cabins for everybody so we couldhave a little family trip.
And when we went out and aboutjust sitting in the car watching
people go by, it wasastonishing there was no one
(08:00):
underweight at all.
I mean you talk about theobesity epidemic.
I mean it is, it's real andit's shocking.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
Were they all eating funnel cakes.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Funnel cakes.
And what is that?
The sort of fried onions andstuff Fried.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Oreos.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Everything else.
Yeah Well, look at going toschool.
My wife's a school teacher.
I mean, it's unbelievable.
Most of the kids are overweight.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
And they don't get any nutrition.
So how can we start with whatwe have available today, even
though we know, hopefully downthe road the industry is going
to change and get these toxinsout of our food?
But how would you guide someonein nutrition today?
Speaker 3 (08:47):
That's a great question.
You know most of my practice90% of it nowadays is involved
with weight loss, treatingmetabolic syndrome.
That's what it is whensomebody's overweight they have
metabolic syndrome, which meansinsulin resistance and hormones.
90% of what I treat is hormoneevaluation and treatment and
(09:09):
weight loss, and so I'veexperimented with every kind of
diet there is out there and theyall work and they all fail.
So a general rule of thumb isyou know, most people eat too
many carbohydrates.
There's no doubt in my mindthat the carbs are more
responsible than any of themacros for weight gain.
(09:33):
I mean, when we, our government, came up with this food pyramid
back in the 70s, I mean it wastotally wrong.
We had a guy named Ansel Keyswho totally screwed up our
healthcare system.
So they demonize fats ascausing coronary artery disease,
heart attacks.
It's actually the opposite.
(09:54):
The fats aren't the bad boys.
Now, some fats are, but there'smostly good fats and protein.
But they put carbohydrates asthe base of that pyramid that
you should be getting, yeah,like six servings right.
Yeah, you know.
Breads, rice, pasta, cereals.
There's no healthy cereal outthere.
(10:14):
Oatmeal is not healthy.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
But they're all branded with approved by the
American Heart Association.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
That's because the food industry gives them
millions of dollars every year,so they're bought out, without a
doubt.
I hope some of it turns around,but it's kind of a shame.
So there's all kinds of dietsthat I've worked with, and I've
worked with patients, thousandsand thousands over many years.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Again.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
I learn I change my mind when something comes up
that I really see works, and sowe've looked at keto, paleo,
Mediterranean vegan, vegetarian,carnivore.
They all work, but can youstick to them and is it really
healthy?
One thing that I'm going topush this year in my practice is
(11:04):
cutting out processed foods.
Oh, yes.
The big thing really is.
The danger is processed foods.
So if you cut those out and eatwhole foods.
I don't care if you're doingcarnivore or vegetarian.
You're going to be healthier.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Right, right, because you're eating those whole foods
that are god-made and notman-made, I think.
Anything man-made right we needto be leery of.
I used to tell people if itcomes out of a drive-thru window
or if it has cellophane aroundit, don't eat it that's exactly
right and it's.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
It's worrisome too, because even when you go for
fruits and vegetables in thegrocery, the transit time to get
that food there and the stuffthey put on it okay, like
pesticides I mean.
So you need to eat organic?
Um whole foods if you can.
You need to be very vigilantabout what you eat um.
(12:03):
So we have a little contestthis year in performance
medicine on cutting outprocessed food.
So what I do is encourageeverybody to come in and get an
in-body scan.
That is just a very expensivemachine that you stand on with
your bare feet and your handsand it runs an electrical
(12:24):
current through your body.
And it's very accurate.
I call it the truth teller.
So it tells me what your basicmetabolic rate is, how much
visceral fat you have which isthe bad kind around your organs.
It tells you how much waterretention you have, how much
muscle you have, what percentageof fat overall and, like I say,
(12:48):
visceral fat.
And then I have them get acontinuous glucose monitor, so
they pop on the back of theirarm, it's painless and it
records your blood sugar.
You know, for two weeks, 24hours, every minute you can look
on there and see what yourblood sugar is doing.
So a lot of this insulinresistant you're able to tell
you know, I just drank you know,a caramel macchiato from
(13:11):
Starbucks, my sugar went to 170.
That happened to me.
I'll wear them.
I'm not a diabetic but I'm veryused to them, since I've had
two diabetic kids in my familyfor decades.
So you know we've been lookingat this stuff for years.
We have to.
But, um, so we're going to dothat and then get a food diary
(13:32):
and put a list of all theprocessed foods in there that
they're to avoid for a month ortwo.
See how they feel, because onceyou get that out of your system
you won't crave it.
But it takes a month to getthese cravings out of your
system.
And plus, nowadays we have newmedications that are amazing.
(13:53):
You know, as a physician, I'mreally kind of a blend between
traditional and alternative.
So I know the best of both.
And now we do have anincredible lineup of GLP-1 and
GIP agonists that give people achance to actually level the
(14:16):
playing table with what they eat.
Because, as I tell all mypatients, life is not fair.
Your beanpole buddy may eattwice as bad as you do and you
may be a certain weight andthey're 80 pounds.
So it's different.
It usually catches up with them, but so everybody's a little
different, you know.
(14:37):
We look at your gut microbiomebecause if you have a lot of
stomach issues you're not goingto be healthy, you're going to
develop autoimmune diseases,you're going to be more likely
chance to be overweight andcrave bad foods.
So we look at people's numbers.
We do a lot of lab work but theGLP-1s have been an amazing
(15:01):
group of medicines.
Ozempic and then the Manjaro.
I mean they're incrediblyeffective and what they do is
they just supply the guthormones that you need to tampen
down your appetite.
Reduce glucose output from theliver.
It makes your insulin workbetter.
(15:25):
That's why originally they'rediabetic drugs so um.
It reduces the cravings it'samazing what they do and they're
so good.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
I mean it's like it gives you.
I know, andy, we talked aboutit your son, andy, that works at
performance too and he saidit's kind of like giving them a
sled to go downhill.
It kind of gives them thatlittle boost, you know, to help
you start losing that weight.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
Because, like you said, it's a metabolic issue.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
To me, there's no such thing as willpower in that
matter.
I mean, some can't overcome it.
Now again, when you're a kidand when your mom's eating for
you and she's pregnant, all thatmatters later on in life.
I mean, if you're born to a momwho has gestational diabetes,
(16:20):
the chance of you being fat asan adult, or twice what it is a
mom that isn't yeah, it startsin utero, wow.
So not that you can't overcomeit, but the best way, of course,
would be to learn to our kids,learn to eat right and cut out
the junk food.
But our kids today are they'reoverwhelmed.
(16:43):
They have poor diets.
They don't sleep because theyhave to start school too early.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
They do.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
And they're stressed out because of social media and
they're eating all these toxicfoods and they're staring at a
screen all day.
They don't exercise.
It's just incredibly hard to bea kid now.
Just incredibly hard.
Plus, I think the pediatriciansoverdo it.
(17:10):
I think, they get too manyvaccines.
They get too many antibiotics,the ADD medicines.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
I don't think that everybody truly needs those
medications as a child, that'sright.
We used to play outside, we hadfresh air and we were running
and jumping and playing and youknow, climbing trees and all
those things and, like you said,staring at a screen.
We're not made for that all thetime.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
No, plus, there's a lot of the stuff they're staring
at is a lot of it's bullyingand you know, I think 40% of our
children 18 and under alreadyhave a mental diagnosis on their
chart 40%.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
That's unbelievable.
You never saw that back in myday.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
No, I didn't see all the diabetes that we're seeing
in kids now either.
Um, it's just incredibly's justincredibly hard to be a kid.
So the parents really have tostart looking at this thing even
when they're thinking abouthaving kids.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Yes, and so where can we help people start?
I mean, it's a huge problem,but I think you kind of hit the
nail on the head.
It starts with the parents.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
It starts with educating the parents, and I'd
say re-educating, because mostpeople have been taught the
wrong things.
I mean, really there's a lot ofmisinformation.
And unfortunately, themisinformation came from the
traditional side.
Look at COVID.
I mean, all the stuff they madeus do was totally wrong.
(18:45):
The outliers that rebelledagainst it, like me, were the
ones that in the end, we wereright about 100% of it.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
You were.
You were right, and I mean theivermectin and the vitamins and
being outside getting fresh air,and I mean even with my job,
working for a global med techcompany.
I was threatened that you knowyou're going to lose your job
four different times for nottaking the vaccine.
I said that's okay, I'm notgoing to take it, I've done my
(19:15):
research.
I'm not going to do it and Inever did, thank God we didn't.
Speaker 3 (19:19):
The vaccine injuries I treat in my office every week
are incredible.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Oh, it's so sad.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
And the things that it precipitated was unbelievable
.
I've seen a lot of cases oftype 1 diabetes.
One case two hours after shereceived her first vaccine, she
was in a diabetic coma.
Within two hours a healthy lady, Plus a lot of these people
that are dropping dead of heartattacks, especially young men.
(19:46):
It's horrible and they'recovering it up.
It is.
I don't mind saying it.
The other problem wascensorship.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
you know, during that COVID time, Thanks to
Zuckerberg, and now they'rewanting to get on board.
Isn't it ironic?
Speaker 3 (20:03):
It is, I was censored three times for things that and
I wasn't that controversial.
I didn't come out and say don'ttake the vaccine.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
But I learned that even subtle words that I put on
my podcast, like I learnedreally, I learned I couldn't say
three things.
I could not say vaccine, nomatter what.
If they picked up vaccine,you're out.
Number two I couldn't sayivermectin.
Number three I couldn't sayFauci, and if I did, I was off
(20:34):
of the platforms for you know,months until I was off probation
, but I felt good about it.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Absolutely, we have to stand for what we believe.
If we don't stand for what webelieve, we'll fall for anything
, and I hope that what welearned from COVID is that we
have the ability to make gooddecisions, to do the research
and, regardless of what we'rehearing, we can stand up for
what we choose for our ownbodies.
(21:02):
That's right.
That's exactly right, and notever bow down to that ever again
.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
I hope this mass hysteria doesn't ever govern,
because we'll have otherpandemics there's no doubt about
it, one book that you ask wheredo you start?
Here's a really good book, haveyou?
Ever heard of Dr Casey Means.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
I think you've mentioned that on your podcast.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
She just wrote a book called Good Energy and that's a
great book to read to reallyfind out what's going on with
our healthcare system and how tostay healthy.
She was a top of her class atStanford Medical School and she
was four and a half years into afive-year ENT Ear, nose and
(21:50):
Throat Surgical Fellowship.
I mean prestigious researcher.
So Four and a half years afterstarting that residency she just
decided that she'd had enough.
Our health care system justtotally whacked out.
You know it's geared towardsgreed and money and you know
(22:12):
billing and unnecessaryprocedures, too many medications
.
So she just gave it all up andreally she practices in an
integrated medical clinic.
It has her own, like I do.
Oh wow, I've been doing this 18years, but she's a heavy hitter.
She's well known.
She's been on Rogan, she's beenon with Tucker Carlson.
(22:36):
You should listen to some ofthose podcasts but, she tells it
like it is.
She exposes the healthcaresystem for what it is.
Now in America we have a greatdoctors are great it's not the
doctor's fault and we have allthis technology.
We have ways of dealing withtrauma, dealing with going in
(22:57):
and doing these great procedureson your heart that you could
never imagine.
I mean, it's unbelievable Forour primary care, which I'm in
you know it really stinks.
It's terrible because it's notgeared towards prevention, it's
geared towards treatments.
This is your disease, here'syour medicine, see you in a few
(23:17):
months.
What are you eating?
What's your lifestyle?
Are you sleeping?
Have you had a sleep evaluation?
Tell me about your life.
Are you stressed out?
What's your gut like?
I mean, those are the questionsand then we will get a baseline
metabolic panel on one of themwe do the Cleveland Heart Panel.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
Yes, which I'm sure you probably had.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Yes, that's a great way to start out.
That way, you know, we canevaluate how bad it is because,
like Dr Means says, 93% ofAmericans have metabolic
syndrome already they don't evenknow it.
When they cross over into thatdiabetic range, then they know
it, but for years before thatthey're insulin resistant and
(24:01):
they're very unhealthy.
They're insulin resistant andthey're very unhealthy.
Speaker 2 (24:04):
They're inflamed.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
And so that's what, in my practice, we kind of go
after.
You know we're kind of outliers, but I blend the best with
traditional and some of thealternative stuff, and our
practice has just boomed becauseof that, I think.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
And what you're doing is so important because you are
a true practitioner.
I mean, you're not just sayingthese things, you actually do
them.
You know, because you're veryhealthy and you eat healthy and
you do the Cleveland panel andyou, you know, check your sleep
and you know, when I had thatCleveland panel I could not.
You know, I've always had likea chem 18 or you know, just
(24:43):
general blood work.
Well that doesn't really doanything.
You don't know the person, butwhen you and I sat down together
and you went over that with me,you asked me all those
questions how do you sleep atnight?
You know what's your diet like?
You know how's your gut?
I mean, I've never had aphysician ever sit down and have
(25:04):
a conversation of asking thosequestions.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
Well, that's because I have time to do it.
I spend my time Granted.
For the first 20 years of mypractice I saw 40 to 50 patients
a day.
Then I went back to thehospital.
I mean it was and it was likecookbook medicine you don't have
time and then when you'reseeing those patients you're on
a computer typing in codes totry to get reimbursed from an
(25:31):
insurance company.
The best thing I ever did wasnot take insurance for office
visits.
Of course you use it for yourlabs or you get x-rays or
whatever.
But for an office visit.
Now I see 12 to maybe 14patients on a busy day.
So I have a lot of time.
I'm not on a computer when I'mtalking to them I'm looking in
more depth as to what some oftheir numbers look like and what
(25:54):
their life's like.
Like, for example, acholesterol level means nothing.
You know.
Total cholesterol does not meananything and yet I bet 99% of
doctors if you went in withcholesterol of 250, you're
getting the statin, which can bedangerous medications.
I'm not saying some peopledon't need them.
(26:15):
Occasionally I'll use them, butthere's a great hoax about
cholesterol.
It's not the culprit with heartdisease.
It's more insulin andinflammation.
That's where you look for it,not what your cholesterol is,
and 99% of doctors don't knowthat because they've been
brainwashed by their medicalinstitutions, which are bought
(26:37):
out by the pharmaceuticalcompanies.
You can go all the way back toJohn D Rockefeller, who started
the medical schools.
I mean it was really bought andpaid for and still is by the
pharmaceutical industries.
And you saw what happened withthe vaccines, with COVID, the
(26:58):
billions of dollars they made onthat, even though the fact that
number one it didn't preventCOVID.
No, what is a vaccine supposedto do?
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Prevent the disease, exactly it doesn't work.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
And number two it never prevented transmission.
In fact, it probably encouragedtransmission.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
Well, I've known people that I know that took the
vaccines and even took boostersand continue to take boosters.
They continue to get COVID andit seems like some of them have
even told me it's worse.
I mean they're down for severaldays, yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
Yeah, there's no doubt that people that are
getting these boosters get COVIDmore often than the people that
don't take them.
Cdc will tell you that, butthen they'll say, well, it may
keep you out of the hospital.
Bull crap.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
When you end up in the hospital nowadays especially
, I mean you've got a coexistingcondition, namely metabolic
syndrome, obesity, low vitamin D.
You know, when COVID first cameout, you know it was bad.
I mean it was bad, it even hitsome outliers.
It was a bad disease.
But the problem with it wasthat if you went in they
(28:08):
wouldn't treat you.
There was good treatments outthere for that.
Send you home with a pulseoximeter, yeah, and a nebulizer,
and Zithromax and IvermectinFirst we used hydroxychloroquine
, which is a great medicine too,very high-dose vitamins.
We even prescribed oxygen,anything to keep you out of the
(28:29):
hospital, because you got inthere, you died eight times out
of ten and you died alone.
Oh gosh, we didn't let thefamilies.
Then they put you on theprotocol where they put you on a
ventilator, blow your lungs out, then you.
Now you have chest tubes.
Now they give you remdesivir,which is a terrible drug.
50 percent of time it shut downyour kidneys.
(28:51):
So your on dialysis, you'rejust, you're draining the circle
right, and nine out of the tenof those people died alone, it
was criminal really it reallywas in the nursing home.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
So my dad was in and out of a nursing home at the
time and it was just, it was sopainful.
It was so painful and I'm sothankful for the the work, the
healthcare workers who wouldFaceTime on their personal phone
so I could see and talk to mydad.
You know, at the time and itwas, but you, you know, it's
like hopefully we've learned,you know, as good consumers and
(29:27):
we've become smarter.
You know, I hope that neverhappens again.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
I think with the new government changes we're going
to have.
I don't think it will happenbecause um it was just led by a
bureaucracy that wanted control,wanted the mass hysteria that
we had.
I mean it's crazy how even thedoctors bought into it.
But they started learning,because I treat a lot of doctors
(29:53):
and nurses.
I can't tell you how many cameto me.
Tom, can you give me someivermectin, because I can't use
it.
I want it for my family andmyself.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
Can you write me a?
Speaker 3 (30:04):
medical exemption for thatin because I can't use it.
I want it for my family andmyself.
Can you write me a medicalexemption for that vaccine?
I don't want to take it.
I'm willing to give up mycareer as a surgeon to not take
that vaccine.
What does that tell you?
It's terrible.
The vaccine was not good, itwas dangerous it was.
I still will say that.
I don't care what anybody asksme.
That's right.
Good, it was dangerous.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
I still will say that I don't care what anybody asked
me.
Speaker 3 (30:25):
Hopefully I won't get censored If I do, I'm 70 years
old who cares, you know?
I mean, I'm just going to dowhat I think's right.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
Yes, yes, and, and thank God for that.
You know, I'm so thankful forpeople like you.
I'm thankful for performancemedicine.
I'm so thankful to have thesewonderful options so that we can
have, you know, be healthy,monitor our health, and I look
forward to a 2025.
(30:52):
So 2025, let's think about whatnutrition.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
Let's think about nutrition first, cutting out
processed foods.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
See where you are.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
I mean, see where you are, get an in-body scan.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
Get a Cleveland Heart panel.
I've got to do that.
I have to get the in-body scanbecause I've had my Cleveland
panel.
I need that.
I need that.
Speaker 3 (31:12):
Get the scan and make a food diary.
You know we have a greatnutritionist, lucas Smith, who
directs all our nutrition.
He's the only nutritionist Iwould ever trust.
To talk to people that I know,because most of them are kind of
practicing out of the dark ages, if you ask me, but um, he does
a great job.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
I love when he's on.
You know a podcast and you knowhe and ben and talking about
nutrition and you should get himon your podcast I do.
I do you tell him when you seehim.
I want because I love nutritionand I think it's something that
we all need to learn so muchmore about to eat healthy.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
We do.
That's where it all starts.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
So anybody listening, I do recommend call performance
.
You really need to take controlof your own health, and this is
the way to do it and you guysare doing it right.
You're truly helping people andI think it starts with, you
know, respecting your body,respecting your health and and
(32:11):
treating it as number one, andand let's focus on our nutrition
and I look forward to the nextcoming month, so I want you to
come back.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
So after.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
Trump gets his administration together, and I'd
like for us to talk about someof the changes that we're seeing
.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
Would that be great?
Yeah, it'd be great.
It's probably going to take alittle bit of time, as anything
does, but I hope they really geton it and really clean slate
and start over again.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
Yes, yes.
So, um, dr Rogers, tell usabout the, your locations, and
also, you had some exciting newsabout a new location somewhere
maybe.
Oh, yeah, well, we talk aboutthat.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
Okay, we, we have um locations in all the tri-cities
Kingsport, johnson city, bristolUm, we even have a little
urgent care center in Kingsportand we have two locations in
Knoxville North Knoxville andWest Knoxville.
And the exciting news is we'regoing to Nashville.
Hopefully this year we'll havea clinic in Nashville and we do
(33:19):
some telemedicine With COVID.
We did a lot of telemedicine,so that's kind of a a new thing.
Uh, that's very helpful for alot of people that uh live too
far away or can't get in to seeus.
But uh, and we have some greatum providers at performance
medicine that really um arewell-trained and empathetic and
(33:42):
are willing to listen and notjust react with another
medication and can kind offollow up on everything from
your stress levels to yourhormones, to your metabolic
syndrome, to your sleep patternsand just getting healthier in
(34:03):
general.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
So thank you so much for being with us today and look
forward to having you backagain.
Speaker 3 (34:12):
Thank you, Christine.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
And you have a Merry Christmas.
Speaker 3 (34:14):
You too.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
This has been Benchmark Happenings, brought to
you by Jonathan Tipton andSteve Reed from Benchmark Home
Loans.
Jonathan and Steve areresidential mortgage lenders.
They do home loans in NortheastTennessee and they're not only
licensed in Tennessee butFlorida, georgia, south Carolina
and Virginia.
We hope you've enjoyed the show.
(34:41):
If you did make sure to likerate and review.
Our passion is NortheastTennessee, so if you have
questions about mortgages, callus at 423-491-5405.
And the website iswwwJonathanAndStevecom.
Thanks for being with us andwe'll see you next time on
(35:03):
Benchmark Happenings.
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