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Why aren't doctors taught about medical cannabis? Pediatrician Dr. Bonni Goldstein never learned about the endocannabinoid system in medical school. In this episode she explains why it was left out, what she sees when she treats sick kids with conditions like autism and epilepsy under medical supervision, and why a 1995 study on kids in chemo went nowhere. She is clear that cannabis is not for everyone and needs careful dosing, and she explains why she worries about Delta 8 and THCA products sold in smoke shops.

🔎 ABOUT THE GUEST - DR. BONNI GOLDSTEIN

Dr. Bonni Goldstein is a pediatric-trained physician, licensed in California since the early 1990s, who spent years in pediatric emergency medicine. Since 2008 she has been the owner and medical director of Canna-Centers Wellness & Education, a California medical cannabis practice. She has published research using saliva biomarkers to measure the effects of medical cannabis in children with autism, and she is the author of Cannabis Is Medicine (Little, Brown Spark, 2020) and Cannabis Revealed.

- Website: https://www.canna-centers.com/

- Book, Cannabis Is Medicine: https://www.canna-centers.com/cannabis-is-medicine/

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bonnigoldsteinmd/

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnigoldsteinmd

📖 FREE - IF PHARMA CAN ADVERTISE, I CAN CRITICIZE

Mike's take on who gets to talk about health in public, and who gets shut out.

→ https://mikevera.substack.com/p/if-pharma-can-advertise-freely-i

🕒 HEALTHY & AWAKE® TIME MANAGEMENT

Mike's course for getting your time back so your health plan actually happens.

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🔗 FOLLOW & LISTEN - HEALTHY & AWAKE

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@healthyandawake

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikeverahealth

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelfvera

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DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any condition. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or cannabis dose, for yourself or your child, without a qualified clinician.

🤝 WORK WITH MIKE

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ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Why do doctors rush through appointments? Dr. Luissa Kiprono argues that healthcare productivity quotas can put the time patients need in conflict with the way physicians are paid. We discuss physician autonomy, burnout, AI, and access to care, followed by her perspective on pregnancy and vaccines.

🔎 ABOUT THE GUEST — DR. LUISSA KIPRONO

Dr. Luissa Kiprono, DO, MBS, EMBA, is a maternal-fetal medicine specialist and founder and CEO of TeleMed MFM and World Gateway Perinatal Consultants. She served for 12 years in the U.S. Air Force as an officer and physician and is the author of Push, Then Breathe: Trauma, Triumph, and the Making of an American Doctor.

- TeleMed MFM: https://telemedmfm.com/

As mentioned in the introduction, Dr. Kiprono disagrees with views expressed in our earlier autism conversation with Dr. Peter McCullough. That episode is linked here so you can hear the conversations in context:

- The Autism Spike, with Dr. Peter McCullough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN5xBuGDepg

📖 FREE — THE COMPLETE GLP-1 BREAKDOWN

Explore the GLP-1 discussion further with Mike’s guide to the medications, their tradeoffs, and the research behind the claims.

→ https://mikevera.substack.com/p/the-ozempic-trap-what-theyre-not

DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any condition. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine.

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Affiliate disclosure: Purchases through the links below may earn me a commission, supporting the show at no extra cost to you.

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🔗 FOLLOW & LISTEN — HEALTHY & AWAKE

Mike Vera, MS, NBC-HWC, host of the Healthy & Awake Podcast

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@healthyandawake

🤝 WORK WITH MIKE

Ready to take the next step with your health? Book a $1 discovery call with Mike Vera, MS, NBC-HWC.

→ https://bit.ly/3QDnWg7

Antidepressant withdrawal raises a question that can get lost when a prescription is written: who helps you when you want to stop? Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring joins Mike Vera to explain why he argues psychiatric care needs a plan beyond prescribing, drawing on his experience in drug safety and deprescribing. They discuss informed consent, long-term treatment, the benefits patients report, and what he considers when helping someone prepare to taper.

A note before you listen: this conversation covers antidepressants, SSRIs, psychiatric medication withdrawal, and mental health. It is shared for educational purposes only and is not medical advice; it is not a recommendation to start, stop, or change any medication (make medication decisions with your prescribing clinician). If you are struggling or in crisis, support is available 24/7: in the US, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline), or text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line). Outside the US, contact your local emergency services or crisis line.

🔎 ABOUT THE GUEST — DR. JOSEF WITT-DOERRING

Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring is a board-certified psychiatrist, co-founder, CEO, and Medical Director of TaperClinic. A former Medical Officer in the FDA's Division of Psychiatry, he works with patients navigating psychiatric medication side effects and withdrawal. He also hosts Side Effects with Dr. Josef.

- TaperClinic: https://taperclinic.com/

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@taperclinic

- Side Effects with Dr. Josef: https://taperclinic.podbean.com/

📖 FREE — THE ANTIDEPRESSANT SIDE EFFECT THEY BURIED

Read Mike's earlier conversation with Dr. David Healy on medication harms, informed consent, and withdrawal:

→ https://mikevera.substack.com/p/the-antidepressant-side-effect-they

🕒 HEALTHY & AWAKE® TIME MANAGEMENT

Mike's $47 two-course bundle for protecting what matters and applying the system to one health routine. Includes Health Routine Head Start, lifetime access, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

→ https://healthyandawake.com/time-management

DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any condition. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine.

⏱ TIMESTAMPS

0:00 The Missing Exit Plan

0:25 Why This Conversation Matters

2:24 Questioning the Chemical-Imbalance Explanation

6:49 Informed Consent and Long-Term Evidence

8:54 From Psychiatry to the FDA to Deprescribing

12:10 Healthy & Awake Time Management

13:27 The Pushback Against Deprescribing

16:06 Can Psychiatry Change?

19:50 Labels, Marketing, and Mental Health

23:57 What to Consider Before Coming Off Medication

28:19 Individualized Tapering and Withdrawal

31:27 Supplements, Cannabis, and Quick Fixes

34:34 Psychedelics, Therapy, and Integration

38:11 The Ketamine Clinic Question

38:42 Where to Find Josef's Work

39:11 Closing and Newsletter