354: ZDoggMD | Debunking Plandemic COVID-19 Pseudoscience

Are the diet pills and supplements you take to offset that midnight chalupa habit doing you any favors? You wouldn't be alone in wondering. All over the world, people buy pills or supplements in hopes of preventing disease, improving their health, and losing weight. But do any of them really work? Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss: With 40% of Americans being obese, 70% overweight, and 100% duped by corporate greed for an easy, instant solution, it's no wonder diet pills and supplements are pitched as the greatest thing since sliced bread (and the bread is probably how you got like that). A self-administered injection of semaglutide (popularly branded as Wegovy or Ozempic) can provide up to 17% weight loss at a cost of over $1,300 per month. Side effects include possible thyroid tumors, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, headaches, kidney damage, and stomach pain. Fat blockers can reduce fat intake by 30%, but the weight loss is typically only around six pounds over two years. The diet supplement industry is largely unregulated by the FDA, so there's a risk of potentially harmful, unlabeled ingredients sneaking past protective scrutiny. Over-the-counter diet supplements are often BS, but green tea is a natural weight loss aid that can help block fat, suppress appetite, and help people lose weight. Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know! Connect with David at his website, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and make sure to check out The David C. Smalley Podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts! If you like to get out of your house and catch live comedy, keep an eye on David's tour dates here and text David directly at (424) 306-0798 for tickets when he comes to your town! Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/805 This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

5 Mars 202355min

Your gambling addict of a boyfriend has put you $70,000 in debt, and now you're wondering if the notarized document he's agreed to sign will really be enough to ensure you'll ever see that money again. While you're smart enough to know the house always wins when wagering, you have a sneaking suspicion that the girlfriend doesn't. Welcome to Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in! On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss: Your gambling addict of a boyfriend has put you $70,000 in debt, and now you're wondering if the notarized document he's agreed to sign will really be enough to ensure you'll ever see that money again. [Thanks to Corbin Payne for helping us with yet another doozy!] You worry your good friend may be getting married before he's emotionally or financially ready — and the couple's frequent bickering just exacerbates your misgivings. Should you voice your concerns, or just let them go? Recent layoffs at your company — of long-time and high-performing employees, many of your friends included — leave you feeling disheartened and insecure, even though you survived this round. Is preparing your resume the most logical next step? Your 76-year-old mother has recently admitted to suffering serious health issues from the stress of caring for her dying husband and wondering how to take care of herself once he's gone. If you can't convince her to try therapy, how might you help her manage this stress that's tearing her apart? Being a charismatic teenager who's always romantically approached might sound like a dream to most of your peers, but the truth is you hate hurting the ones you turn away. Aside from eschewing basic hygiene, is there a compassionate way to dial down the mojo? Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com! Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger. Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi. Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/804 This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals Sign up for Six-Minute...See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

3 Mars 202353min

Martin Seligman is the Fox Leadership Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and the director of the Positive Psychology Network. He is the author of 20+ books including Learned Optimism and The Optimistic Child; his latest (co-authored with Gabriella Rosen Kellerman) is Tomorrowmind: Thriving at Work with Resilience, Creativity, and Connection ? Now and in an Uncertain Future. What We Discuss with Martin Seligman: Studies have shown that optimistic people with highly positive emotions live between six and eight years longer than their more pessimistic peers. Personality traits, past experiences, and current circumstances can all play a role in shaping an individual's outlook on life — and their tendency to veer toward optimism or pessimism. How Martin's five-year-old daughter inspired him to stop being a grouch and shift his professional priorities in a more positive direction — all because of her own commitment to stop whining. How, by focusing on strengths, resilience, and positive psychological growth, military personnel can learn to better cope with the stresses of their duties and build a more positive and effective team culture. How we can apply positive psychology strategies to overcome the crisis of purpose and find greater fulfillment in our lives by cultivating gratitude, setting meaningful goals, practicing mindfulness, and finding ways to serve others — even if we're predisposed (genetically or otherwise) toward pessimism. And much more… Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/803  This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course! Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

2 Mars 20231h 7min

Michael Santos (@MichaelGSantos) survived 26 years as a federal prisoner, hosts the Prison Professors podcast, and is the author of Earning Freedom!: Conquering a 45-Year Prison Term. What We Discuss with Michael Santos: How Michael Santos got sentenced to 45 years in federal prison when he was just 23 years old — not for committing a violent crime, but for establishing himself as a cocaine entrepreneur at the height of the War on Drugs (and committing perjury just made things worse). What this conviction meant to Michael's relationship with his family — and his wife. The three-prong plan Michael applied to the sudden wealth of time he had on his hands to find a way to reduce his sentence and hit the ground running when he finally got out. How the system is designed to trip up attempts inmates make toward self-improvement and rehabilitation. How Michael made his first million behind bars. And much more... Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/802 This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course! Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

28 Feb 20231h 11min

While mandated by some religious and cultural traditions for thousands of years, and not without certain benefits to health, is circumcising newborns before they're old enough to consent wrong? Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss: Male circumcision is the oldest known human surgical procedure, with historical records and archeological evidence dating the practice back to ancient Egyptians in the 23rd century BCE. While circumcision is mandated by numerous cultural and religious traditions and enacted for health reasons in certain parts of the world, is the practice of altering someone's body before they're old enough to give consent wrong? Some medical professionals believe the preventive health benefits of elective circumcision of male newborns outweigh the risks of the procedure. What special interests are involved in recommending or not recommending circumcision as a standard procedure? What's the deal with so-called female circumcision — or, as it's more accurately known, female genital mutilation (FGM)? Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know! Connect with David at his website, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and make sure to check out The David C. Smalley Podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts! If you like to get out of your house and catch live comedy, keep an eye on David's tour dates here and text David directly at (424) 306-0798 for tickets when he comes to your town! Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/801 This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals Sign up for Six-Minute Networking...See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

26 Feb 202338min

Sexually abused by your own brother at a young age, and aware of your own proclivities to possibly abuse others younger than yourself, you wonder if seeking therapy to alleviate how you feel might get you in trouble if you ever sought security clearance for a government job. What should you do? Welcome to Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in! On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss: Will seeking therapy for your own issues related to being sexually abused as a child result in denial of security clearance for a government job? Multiple rounds of job interviews — with zero results — have taken their toll on your mental health. How can you remain rageless when the machine treats you like a soulless cog?  Is it wrong to cut off your dying, constantly complaining BPD dad when his apologies for being a terrible parent are conditional upon accepting that your mother wasn't a saint? You've booked a one-way ticket abroad in hopes of finding respite from your relationship dry spell. Is there a better way to get past your insecurities and put yourself out there? Is booking that childhood dream destination for your honeymoon worth the trouble, or should you just go somewhere safe and scenic? Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com! Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger. Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi. Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/800 This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course! Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

24 Feb 202356min

Marina Nemat (@marinanemat) is a human rights activist who survived torture and imprisonment in Iran after Ayatollah Khomeini's Islamic Revolution. She chronicled her ordeals in Prisoner of Tehran: One Woman's Story of Survival Inside an Iranian Prison. What We Discuss with Marina Nemat: How life for women in Iran prior to Ayatollah Khomeini's Islamic Revolution mirrored their contemporaries in the United States. Why most of the populace optimistically thought the Islamic Revolution was ushering in much-needed changes over the first few months — and what happened when things started to quickly turn sour. How 16-year-old Marina got on the regime's radar and wound up in Tehran's notoriously brutal Evin Prison. The torture Marina endured while imprisoned, and the ultimatum she was forced to accept in lieu of execution. Why Marina was eventually released from prison, and what she's done with her time since then. And much more... Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/799 This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course! Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

23 Feb 20231h 29min

Forrest Galante (@ForrestGalante) is a wildlife biologist, conservationist, co-host of The Wild Times Podcast, and TV presenter for Extinct or Alive and Mysterious Creatures. He is also the author of Still Alive: A Wild Life of Rediscovery. What We Discuss with Forrest Galante: What happened when an Amazonian shaman insisted Forrest snort an unknown powder from a monkey bone to keep him safe on the journey ahead? How growing up as an almost feral, shoeless child on a farm in Zimbabwe prepared Forrest to survive in the wilderness (and why he doesn't have an accent anymore). How Forrest wound up as a successful contestant on Naked and Afraid, which led him to leave his job as an ant-counting biologist and continue his conservation efforts in a more visible medium: television. How does Forrest go about finding animals in the wild that have been presumed extinct? How did Forrest and his crew survive trudging around the mangrove jungle on Ramree Island where hundreds of Japanese soldiers had been eaten alive by saltwater crocodiles during WWII? And much more... Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/798 This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course! Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

21 Feb 20231h 15min