Iron Direct Primary Care Podcast

In this Scamdemic- A History series we remember the early 2020 history diving into the frontlines of medical freedom and institutional accountability. This is part 4 reviewing what was happening in November 2020 to early 2021.

Dr. Rishin Shah is a board-certified cardiologist and vascular specialist with over 15 years of experience. He founded Prime Heart and Vascular, serving the Plano, Frisco, and Allen Texas communities, and is known for his patient-centered approach. Alongside advanced training from respected institutions and certifications like the American Board of Internal Medicine and RPVI, Dr. Shah’s daily work is all about prevention, minimally invasive treatments, and delivering care that truly empowers patients.What sets Dr. Shah apart is the compassion and clarity he brings to every consultation. Patients and colleagues alike note his ability to explain the science behind cardiovascular health in a way that encourages action, not anxiety. He is deeply invested in education, both for his patients and the next generation of providers, all while advocating for accessible telehealth options. Dr. Shah’s expertise on preventive cardiology care and patient communication made for a compelling conversation on the Iron Direct Primary Care podcast.

Iron DPC's Registered Dietician Kelli Hanson has some great questions in this Q&A with Stefan.

David Akouka returns to the Human Performance Arena to train with Stefan and speak on training mindset.

I beat this flu/covid strain going around in 24 hours last week. What was my stack?Well, I had a baseline of optimized hormones, clean diet, reverse osmosis water with trace minerals added back, pre and probiotics from fiber/fermented vegetables, complex carbs, no added sugars, routine exercise, cold plunge, sauna.Patients have been calling in and coming in to Iron DPC office with the following symptoms:Fever, body aches, chills, sweats, cough, congestions, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, headaches.I wasn’t sure if I was having symptoms or if I had just overtrained (trained chest/back at 5am at Wolf Fitness, then practiced tennis at 8am, saw patients, and then played a tennis match in the afternoon. But something similar happened 3 years ago so when I woke up the next morning with fatigue, bilateral arm tendinopathy, body aches and some GI upset I had a high degree of suspicion this was the flu because I have been seeing so many cases of this at Iron DPC. My friends in the urgent care system say they are seeing extraordinary levels of positive Flu A swabs, so we know the community has this. Logan checked my vitals and I hate a HR of 100 (tachycardia), when my resting is under 60, temperature of 99.9 (which is hot for me). What did I use acutely:Methylene blue 30mg in the AM. Quicksilver scientific sublingual glutathione and vitamin C and multi also straight away.At the HPA I did Cold plunge at 36F for 3 minutes.  Then I did the longest sauna session I’ve ever done for 35 minutes at 190F. I injected 1.5mg of Thymosin Alpha 1.I Injected  KLOW 1mg each. (both of which I filmed in the studio since I wanted to show how it was done. Editing it now and noting how I’m acting kind of stiff and slow because I was not myself.)I also took a 50mg Ioderol tablet due to the known antiviral and oxidative effects of iodine against pathogens.You can order most of this protocol on fullscript and integrative peptides. Integrative peptides we keep in stock in the office and the gut feeling has been flying off the shelf since the combo of BPC, KPV, akkermansia, colostrum bovine immunoglobulins has been so potent to stop the diarrhea and abdominal pain in people which I’ve spoken about in my Wolverine Protocol lecture. Thymogen oral has also been great at training dendritic cells to mature and identify and clear infected cells as described at length in my lecture on thymus peptides. The injectable peptides are also a possibility but are logistically a bit more challenging to obtain as they need to be distributed by one of us, reconstituted, kept cold, injected and more expensive especially at dose per cost. I would have all patients keep quicksilver scientific sublingual glutathione, vitamin C, multi on hand. Stock up on intranasal iodine and biocidin throat spray.I also would like all patients to have a household nebulizer and at least one vial of 20% nebulized acetylcysteine solution. Please see this old lecture from 2023 on this topic if still unaware of this essential mucolytic. Because when snot and congestion hits you don’t want to be without it and only rarely does a pharmacy carry it unless we specifically know the pharmacist and ask them to carry it. Commercial pharmacies stopped carrying nebulizers during the pandemic for some strange reason. This was frustrating because I was prescribing nebulized budesonide through nebulization extensively. They also denied my prescriptions for Hydroxychloroquine and of course I didn’t even try ivermectin with them. Pharmacies that were complicit in this included: CVS, Walgreens, Publix, Walmart. Commercial pharmacies still cause delay in patient care asking for prior authorizations for cheap medicines like tadalafil which I can dispense for $5 for 30 tablets. They deny medications based on outdated PA laws. For that reason I prefer never to use them. 

The VA is turning veterans into permanent 'chronic pain' patients—and it's not the injury that's the problem. It's the label." In this eye-opening episode of the Iron Direct Primary Care Podcast, host Stefan Hartmann, PA-C sits down with Kathleen Neal, DPT, a physical therapist at the VA. They expose the brutal reality: How the VA system's heavy reliance on meds, procedures, and disability labels traps vets in a cycle of helplessness and dependency. Why identifying as your diagnosis ("I'm a chronic pain patient") keeps pain locked in—psychologically and physically—long after the original injury heals.The power of movement, mindset shifts, and root-cause approaches over endless pills and "manage it" scripts is discussed. Real stories of patients breaking free when they stop wearing pain like a badge and start reclaiming their identity as capable, moving humans.This isn't just another pain talk—it's a wake-up call for anyone stuck in the "broken forever" narrative, especially our veterans who've been failed by bureaucracy. Iron Direct Primary Care offers a functional medicine approach to chronic pain, but it's not an approach that you will find at the VA where primary care provider turnover is high.

Nurse Dr. Campbell's viral Iodine clip on my instagram and facebook stirred up a lost of questions.Find the IG clip here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DSzuwRlAFVH/ Find the FB clip here: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1618568346253852His full video: https://youtu.be/SWNLEQDgD4w?si=4eyn-ZlnyzPJv0PI Lecture on Iodine: https://youtu.be/gSTCizA7o2YIodine research: Brevard County is 58% iodine deficient! https://publichealthpolicyjournal.com/assessing-iodine-deficiency-and-halide-levels-in-brevard-county-florida-a-retrospective-practice-audit/We are working in the trenches at Iron DPC treating patients through an affordable method of care delivering anti aging medicine as primary care. You can register at IronDPC.com as a patient. If you are a provider and want to learn how to do this as well. We have a course that you can now enroll in. Check it out here ⁠https://stefan-hartmann.mykajabi.com/pl/2148697525⁠

Logan and Stefan attended A4M Las Vegas 2025 which was the largest functional medicine gathering the world has ever seen with over 8,000 participants. Anti-Aging medicine is the hottest interest on the planet. Medical providers want to learn and incorporate the latest for their patients and themselves and A4M had a spectacular show. Some highlights discussed:GLP-1 Peptides Are the Gateway Drug for the conventional medicine provider into Functional Medicine.Ovaries contain the mitochondria fountain of youth for women.Estradiol is the most important anti-aging hormone for women.The estrobolome can be modified to improve common female illnesses. Dental stealth infections cause system illness that baffle both conventional and functional medicine.We are working in the trenches at Iron DPC treating patients through an affordable method of care delivering anti aging medicine as primary care. If you are a provider and want to learn how to do this as well. We have a course that you can now enroll in to learn anti-aging medicine. Check it out here ⁠https://stefan-hartmann.mykajabi.com/pl/2148697525⁠

Big Dawg Brady Flanders is Space Coast Young Republicans Secretary of the Treasury.Brady was born and raised in Rochester, NY, is a huge Dolphins’ fan, has always been entrepreneurially-minded, cut his teeth in sales/marketing from high school to his mid-twenties, closing millions in sales and moved all over the place, then left the suit and tie behind to live out of a converted campervan (affectionately referred to as Frank the Tank) to travel the US, moved to south Florida, left south Florida to walk from Key West to San Diego with his dog, moved back to Florida — but this time to the Space Coast — opened up his dream business here in Palm Bay, The Dawg Pound; saunas, cold plunges, red light therapy, compression, personal training, etc., and he has since jumped in headfirst with the Space Coast Young Republicans; 2025's winner of the "HIT THE GROUND RUNNING" award.Many have said the moment that bullet made contact with Mr. Kirk's neck, that a million new Charlies were instantly born — Brady sent in his official intent to run for treasurer of the club on the evening of September 10th, 2025.They activated the wrong dude.Garrett Jacobellis Vice President of the SCYRGarrett moved to Brevard County at 18 to attend the Florida Institute of Technology and quickly fell in love with the Space Coast. Originally from Chicago, he graduated from Florida Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and now works as a full-time mechanical engineer. Garrett is passionate about civic engagement and conservative values—especially among young professionals.He joined the Space Coast Young Republicans in 2019 seeking a community of like-minded individuals and has since become a key leader within the organization. He previously served as Communications Director and Membership Chair before stepping into his current role as Vice President. Garrett also serves as the Chair of the City of Melbourne’s Independence Day Parade Committee, helping lead one of the largest patriotic celebrations in Brevard.Fun Facts:Born and raised Catholic in ChicagoFirst got involved in politics by attending a SCYR meeting in 2019—has door-knocked for campaigns every year sinceServed as Vice President of the Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity for three years at Florida TechBelieves there’s no better place to live, work, and serve than the Space CoastStefan is also a member of SCYRJoin SCYR for fun and important events year round at https://spacecoastyr.com/

If you are a provider and want to learn how to start a DPC and how to learn HRT. We have a course that you can now enroll in. Check it out here ⁠https://stefan-hartmann.mykajabi.com/pl/2148697525⁠

Lynne Hartmann guides this talk for the Osteopathic Society of Integrative Medicine. She discusses how daily practices of high omega 3 diet, cold plunge, strength training, sauna and more has made her healthier now above age 60 than she has ever been in her life. This lecture can serve both patients and clinicians who often are the sickest population. She is offering the Kurort Training Retreat in Melbourne Beach to heal and train sick doctors in these methods that have helped her and so many of Iron DPC's patients who follow the full protocol.See Kurort training program here:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fZ7lbKBnRl1a-T5NosrD2gALkcffapbDXSwbw3e4yQ8/edit?tab=t.0

Important lessons to remember our history of the scamdemic. What was done and by who. Our elected officials, social media influencers, doctors, PAs, nurses. Did they stand for medical freedom or march in lockstep with the managerial-class tyrants. I was vocal on social media in an attempt to educate and warn the population. I was unfriended, blocked, banned and censored for doing the right things. To see part 1 on rumble https://rumble.com/v5idd9l-scamdemic-part-1-history-lessons-march-april-2020.html Part 2 https://rumble.com/v5idnjf-scamdemic-part-2-a-history-may-2020.html

My friend and mentor Pierre Cloutier MD stopped by my office while I was in the studio so I had him sit down to record. He's not one for a media spotlight. If you want to hear more from him comment below and maybe I can convince him to come back. Otherwise you can read his book: Personal Guide To Health https://bluenotepress.com/products/personal-guide-to-health or you can register for our Learn Functional Medicine course approved by Dr. Pierre at https://stefan-hartmann.mykajabi.com/signup

In this episode of the Iron Direct Primary Care Podcast, host Stefan Hartmann interviews VOC specialist David Hoover about the health risks associated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in homes, particularly in new constructions. They discuss David's personal experience with VOCs when he moved into his brand new home and the subsequent health issues he faced. The conversation covers the importance of proper ventilation, ways to improve air quality such as through ventilating dehumidifiers and balanced ventilation systems, and how to inspect and address VOC-related problems in homes. Practical tips such as the importance of cleaning air handlers, and the practice of 'Lufton' (airing out the house regularly), are shared to help homeowners minimize VOC exposure and promote a healthier living environment.Contact David Hoover at 321-356-5054Hoovers.Healthy.Homes.LLC@gmail.comHooversHealthyHomes.com.00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction00:42 Personal Story of Home Air Quality Issues01:43 Identifying and Solving Air Quality Problems02:36 Implementing Ventilation Solutions05:03 Balancing Home Sealing and Ventilation07:33 DIY Air Handler Maintenance08:31 Home Inspection and Data Logging12:00 Designing the Perfect Home15:13 Cost and Practical Solutions for Home Air Quality18:03 The Need for a Whole House Dehumidifier18:39 Managing Humidity and Air Quality19:00 Ventilation Solutions for Better Air Quality20:48 The Importance of Fresh Air24:07 Customer Stories and Real-Life Examples26:36 Health Impacts of VOCs and Air Quality28:32 Final Thoughts and Practical Tips

Logan and Stefan sit down to talk about functional medicine black pills: what we've learned from going to conferences all over the states and the world and from clinical practice and studying and applying this stuff every day. We love functional medicine but we approach it from my practical lens. We are working in the trenches at Iron DPC treating patients through an affordable method of care delivering anti aging medicine as primary care. If you are a provider and want to learn how to do this as well. We have a course that you can now enroll in. Check it out here https://stefan-hartmann.mykajabi.com/pl/2148697525Debunking Functional Medicine Myths: The Black PillsIn this episode of the Iron Direct Primary Care Show, hosts Stefan Hartmann and Logan Cahoon delve into the 'black pills' of functional medicine—controversial insights that challenge popular beliefs. They discuss the efficacy and expense of GI Map tests, the limited utility of SPECT scans, hormone testing nuances, long-term impacts of low-carb diets, the reality of natural remedies, and genetic influences on health. Through personal anecdotes and clinical experiences, they advocate for a balanced, evidence-based approach to optimizing health.00:00 Welcome to the Iron Direct Primary Care Show00:20 Introduction to Functional Medicine and Black Pills00:57 The Controversy of GI Maps05:37 SPECT Scans: Are They Worth It?08:05 Hormone Testing: Clinical Signs vs. Lab Results12:31 The Debate on Low Carb Diets17:51 Natural vs. Medical Interventions for Lipids and Testosterone28:54 Behavioral Issues in Children: A Personal Perspective32:29 Natural vs. Optimized: The Final Verdict00:03 Introduction and Functional Medicine Overview00:57 GI Maps and Parasite Cleanses05:37 SPECT Scans and Brain Health08:05 Hormone Testing and Treatment12:31 Low Carb Diets and Hormonal Impact17:51 Natural Ways to Lower Lipids32:29 Natural vs. Optimized Health38:15 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Whistleblowing in Academia: Integrity, DEI Controversies, and Medical EthicsHost Stefan Hartmann sits down with Dr. Rick Adante, a whistleblower and professor formerly at Florida Institute of Technology (FIT). The discussion delves into Dr. Adante's recent appearance on the James O'Keefe podcast, exploring the pushback against DEI initiatives at FIT, which led to his dismissal. Hartmann and Adante discuss the importance of integrity, speaking the truth, and the personal costs of maintaining ethical standards in both academia and healthcare. They touch on the oversights in medical practices, the influence of psychological assessments, and the issue of false data within professional communities. The conversation extends to the systemic indoctrination in educational institutions, both at the school and university levels, advocating for a need to reshape the leadership within these organizations. Hartmann and Adante also address the problematic promotion of gender dysphoria within the field of psychology and the broader implications of such practices. The episode concludes with a discussion on the regulatory environment and practical steps for leveraging financial and policy measures to reinforce accountability and ethical integrity within educational and medical institutions.00:00 Introduction and Welcome00:38 Discussion of Speaking Truth Despite Consequences02:26 Psychological Testing and Scientific Validity04:24 Mental Toughness and Athletic Background05:17 Building Resilience Through Experience08:39 Experience in PA School and Political Bias15:12 Psychology Field's Political Bias and Impact on Military54:03 Psychology's Role in Gender Identity Issues01:12:32 Need for Local Action and Reform01:34:01 Critical Thinking in Medical Practice01:42:13 Direct Primary Care Model and Patient-Focused Medicine

Welcome to episode 2 of the Iron Direct Primary Care Show! In this episode, we sit down with Randy Peace, an Iron DPC member. Diagnosed decades ago with a mitochondrial disease and given a grim prognosis, Randy refused to accept defeat. Instead, he dove headfirst into medical research—long before the days of Google and online forums—seeking answers in arcane European and Russian studies, many of which he had translated at his own expense.From Death Sentence to Self-AdvocacyRandy’s journey began with a devastating diagnosis and a lack of conventional treatment options for mitochondrial myopathy. Rather than give up, he became his own advocate, experimenting with a wide range of therapies, including experimental peptides and anabolic steroids. His relentless pursuit of knowledge and willingness to try unconventional approaches have made him a unique figure in the world of patient-led research.Adventures Abroad: Security Contracting and AfricaThe conversation also explores Randy’s background as a security contractor, with stories from Afghanistan, Iraq, and especially Africa. He shares fascinating insights into African culture, history, and the challenges of navigating health and medicine on the continent. From the mysterious Leopard Man of Sierra Leone to the realities of forced vaccination campaigns, Randy’s experiences paint a vivid picture of life and medicine beyond the Western world.Mitochondrial Health, Peptides, and HormonesA major focus of the episode is mitochondrial health. Randy discusses his personal experiments with peptides, the role of anabolic steroids, and the limitations of current medical understanding. He emphasizes the importance of hormones—not just for physical health, but for mental well-being—and challenges some of the dogmas of modern medicine.The Value of Anecdotal Evidence and Open-MindednessThroughout the episode, Randy and the host discuss the importance of anecdotal evidence, the placebo effect, and the need for open-mindedness in both patients and practitioners. They critique the rigidity of medical dogma and highlight the value of being your own advocate, especially when facing rare or poorly understood conditions.Key TakeawaysSelf-advocacy can be life-saving, especially when conventional medicine has no answers.Mitochondrial health is complex, and sometimes unconventional therapies can make a difference.Cultural and medical experiences abroad can reshape our understanding of health.The medical community should remain open to anecdotal evidence and patient-led research.Final ThoughtsRandy’s story is a testament to resilience, curiosity, and the power of taking charge of your own health journey. Whether you’re a patient, practitioner, or simply curious about the frontiers of medicine, this episode offers inspiration and food for thought.

The Pursuit of Truth and Health: Unfiltered Conversations on Fitness, Vaccines, and SocietyIn this episode, Simon and Stefan dive into candid discussions covering a variety of topics from debunking the notion of magic pills for health issues to the importance of facing pain for personal growth. They share controversial opinions on the safety and efficacy of vaccines, emphasizing the need for personalized approaches. The duo also talks about the complexities behind diseases like Alzheimer's, the impact of societal norms on health, and the relentless pursuit of truth. Their conversation moves fluidly from fitness routines and the effectiveness of ice baths to debunking myths around heart disease and obesity. Filled with tough love, this episode challenges listeners to embrace hard work and truth for better health and a fulfilling life.For patients register at ironDPC.comFor providers who want to learn functional medicine pre-register for the Learn Functional Medicine course at https://stefan-hartmann.mykajabi.com/pl/2148697525