In early May 2024, Greg Glassman hosted a group of friends for tacos and an informal presentation of what science is, and the problems with the science of today. Greg centered the talk around explaining the basics of the scientific process of turning observations into measurements, developing models to predict future measurements, and validating the models through their predictive strength. Physician and scientist, Dr. Richard Johnson, joined the discussion, citing examples of the dangers of consensus, and how incorrect assumptions can easily be perpetuated. The implications of treating for personal health versus treating for public health was examined, particularly in regards to the response to COVID. The talk concluded with a discussion of the importance of maintaining public trust in science, and the need for transparency and rigorous scientific methods. In an effort to maintain the integrity of open discussion, we are asking all viewers to direct their thoughts and comments to the forums and posts on the BSI website: https://brokenscience.org/

In this episode of Emily Unleashed, Emily Kaplan sits down with Stanford professor Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to discuss his academic journey and how his background in economics shaped his critical approach to healthcare decision-making. They dive into his influential Santa Clara study, which revealed a much higher infection rate than initially reported, sparking controversy and leading to his outspoken opposition to lockdowns and other public health policies. Despite facing immense backlash and threats to his career, Bhattacharya continues to advocate for scientific integrity and reform within public health. Tune in for a candid conversation about standing up for truth, challenging the status quo, and the consequences that come with it.

In March 2020, while still serving as CrossFit CEO, Greg Glassman deliverd a version of a talk he had delivered during grand rounds at medical schools around the country. Greg Glassman divides various common causes of death into five categories: chronic, microbic, genetic, kinetic, or toxic.

The chronic disease category includes conditions such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, hypertension, and kidney disease. Microbic deaths are caused by things like ebola, malaria, and SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the COVID-19 outbreak. The genetic category includes conditions such as Tay-Sachs and cystic fibrosis, kinetic examples include car crashes and falls, and the toxic category includes deaths caused by nerve agents, snake bites, and botulism, for example.

Pointing to the chronic disease category, Glassman notes, “This is about 86% of our medical spend on our runaway medical expenditure. It’s 86% of spend, 80% of deaths.” The other four categories receive 14% of spend and represent 20% of deaths.

Glassman points out that we have the solution to the chronic disease side, “And the solution here is what? It’s get off the couch, get off the carbs.”

Glassman insists sedentarism and excessive consumption of refined carbohydrates are not related to lifestyle. Instead, he says, they are “two pathological behaviors, two deleterious, extremely damaging behaviors that were choices.”

“The solution here — it’s behaviorally driven and it will be behaviorally cured or it will be medically babysat,” Glassman says.

Turning his attention to the COVID-19 crisis, Glassman explains, “What has happened is that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is the agent — the virus responsible for COVID-19, the illness, has escaped the microbic bucket and landed in the chronic disease bucket and has essentially started a trashcan fire with a precipitation of death, to mix metaphors.”

Glassman attributes the potency of the illness to comorbidities, the simultaneous presence of one or more chronic diseases in the patients affected. “I see these as chronic disease deaths,” he says.

In an effort to maintain the integrity of open discussion, we are asking all viewers to direct their thoughts and comments to the forums and posts on the BSI website: https://brokenscience.org/