Dr. Lynn Lafferty grew up around her two grandmothers, both farmers, learning lessons that helped chart the course in her life decades later. Some family stories had a lifelong impact. One great-grandmother was the local healer in her small rural community. When the Spanish Flu erupted, she used an elixir of elderberries and alcohol to treat 20 community members who fell ill with that dread disease. Not a single patient died. Lynn reports that no one in her extended family fell ill from that disease, and attributes their resistance to the nightly dose of elderberry elixir for all family members, which was a family ritual.
Dr. Lafferty is an endowed professor at Nova Southeastern University, teaching pharmacy and medical students. She attributes her career choice to influences from her grandmothers, who inspired her direction in life. The life lessons she learned also drove her to seek rational solutions to the SARS-CoV-2 virus when it broke out, causing COVID in 2020.
Challenges in Medical Education
Dr Lafferty highlighted her concerns about the lack of education on essential nutrients and the influence of hospital protocols over resident physicians. She described a concerning mindset among psychiatry residents who expressed fear of harming patients with prescribed drugs, despite their extensive training and financial investment. Dr. Lafferty also recounted a personal experience involving her brother’s inadequate medical care, emphasizing the limitations imposed by hospital protocols and the lack of knowledge about basic treatments like magnesium deficiency.
Truth and Love’s Transformative Power
The Breggins discussed with Dr. Lafferty her experience speaking truthfully about healthcare issues, including her confrontation with a dean over her statements about Lipitor’s side effects. She expressed her commitment to speaking the truth and her belief that she is on a mission. Dr. Breggin and Ginger Breggin also confirmed their personal sense of being called to do their work.
Authoritarian Control in Medical Progress
Peter and Lynn discussed the impact of authoritarian control over medical institutions, highlighting how innovative doctors are being suppressed, which hampers progress in medicine and patient care.
Pharmacists vs. Physicians: Education Gaps
Dr. Breggin and Dr. Lafferty also examined differences between primary care doctors and pharmacists, Dr. Lafferty declaring that pharmacists are more science-based and less authoritarian than medical doctors. They highlighted how medical students receive limited pharmacology training compared to the comprehensive education received in the past.
Therapy, Medication, and Scientific Reasoning
Dr. Breggin raised the issue of the importance of therapy over medication for psychiatric and psychological issues and the potential benefits of pharmacists working with psychiatrists to monitor psychiatric drug side effects.
Listening to the patient who is sitting in front of you and looking beyond the latest big pharmaceutical options were two important highlights that came out of the conversation. Seeking treatments with the least potential for harm and understanding the range of treatments available in the natural world of foods and supplements were also emphasized.
Dr. Lafferty can be found at her website. She offers courses, some free. Her newest training is a 10-session course, held once a week, that gives a basic understanding of how to take care of yourself and your family best. Participants review body systems, how they work, and foods, herbs, and supplements that can help the body return to balance.