All Episodes
Previous Next
Oct. 22, 2020 - Dennis Prager Show
06:58
Dr. Jeff Barke "I Think We've Gone Crazy with this Mask Thing"
| Copy link to current segment

Time Text
Dr. Jeff Barkey, physician, primary care physician, Newport Beach, California, has written this short paperback.
It's up at DennisPrager.com.
I wrote the forward to it, as you mentioned earlier.
That's how much I think of him and of the book, COVID-19, a physician's take on the exaggerated fear of the coronavirus.
Just tell me, if I recall, were you...
Responsible for my speaking at the University of California, Irvine Medical School graduation?
When I graduated from medical school, we came to your office and invited you to speak.
That was some years ago.
I doubt that they would have you back at this point.
No, no, you don't doubt it.
We were proud to have you.
Yeah, exactly.
The thought would cause, they would call on a physician.
If somebody even mentioned it in the president's office, let's have Dennis Prager speak at the graduation.
Well, by the way, Dennis, that just goes to show you how long you've been an influence in my life, and it's been a great influence, and it's much appreciated.
Well, to be very clear, if I've influenced people like you that...
That I've done a lot of good.
That's very important to know.
So let's go to the book here and the exaggerated fear, which I completely agree with.
To what do you ascribe, this is not a medical question, but to what do you ascribe the exaggerated fear, and this part is medical, among people in medicine?
Oh boy, that's a really good question, and I'm not sure.
Maybe it's just that a lot of people in medicine are just like other human beings, and when they're infected by fear, they don't think clearly.
And to be quite honest with you, it is a lot easier, more comfortable, to just go along with the mainstream narrative, to keep your head down, to wear a mask, not speak out, than it is to...
Challenge the, you know, the mainstream media narrative.
And I think a lot of doctors are like that.
They just want to go about their business.
They want to be left alone.
They want to take care of their patients.
They're not interested in speaking out.
So they kind of go along to get along.
You know, my favorite essay in the book is premium non-nocree, first do no harm.
And I think, unfortunately, our reaction to this virus...
has caused far more harm than the virus itself, especially as it relates to keeping our schools closed and our children that don't have the ability to talk about their feelings and to overcome their fear.
They internalize those feelings, and as a result of internalizing those feelings, they end up with delusional thinking.
Delusions are fixed false beliefs, and that's what they have.
They're scared to go to school.
They're scared to come home and take their masks off because they're worried they're going to kill their parents.
That's what they're taught in the media, and that's what they're taught at school.
And it is very unfortunate, and we're going to see long-lasting negative effects as a result of it.
Well, I wish one of the long-lasting effects was not to believe in panic.
But I think the opposite.
I think if there's panic over the coronavirus, then...
What virus won't there be a panic over?
Exactly.
You know, I think it's fair to have concern over coronavirus, especially if you're in a high-risk group.
But listen, if you look at the CDC's own numbers, if you're less than 20 years old, the survivability rate of this virus is 99.997%.
It's almost hard to do the math to calculate your risk, yet we're keeping the schools closed.
There's also been some studies that recently came out that showed children just do not spread this virus to at-risk adults.
But here we are, our schools are closed, and when they do go to school, we're requiring the masking of healthy children.
That doesn't make any sense, and there's going to be long-lasting damage as a result.
So what's your take on masks in general?
Listen, it's not a hill I want to die on.
I think if you want to wear a mask because it makes you more comfortable, I have no problem with that.
There is very limited science showing efficacy of masks.
And I just don't agree with the concept that the government should be mandating the masking of the healthy population.
I think Sweden mostly got it right.
Swedish health minister recently came out and said that we will not require the masking of our population.
Of all the things we do to control the virus, masking is so low on the list of successful and important interventions that we're just not going to mask people.
That are not ill and we just don't see that as being helpful.
So I think we've gone crazy with this mask thing and I don't think it's particularly helpful and so especially as it relates to school children.
What do you think of rabbit's foot?
That might be a more effective preventative measure.
Are you seeing a diminution in patients coming to your office?
You mean as far as being fearful because of coronavirus?
No, not really.
No, not at all.
Initially we did.
People were mostly staying home, and I think understandably so, in the early days when we didn't know a lot about this virus.
Now we know a lot more.
Our treatments are much more successful, especially early on with mild symptoms.
So our volume is pretty much back to normal, and so we're not seeing a problem as far as patients accessing us and getting preventative care and things of that sort.
Are you aware of the vitamin D suggestions?
I am.
I recommend it strongly.
So I think there are several supplements that are important in preparing our immune system.
Most important, of course, is get some exercise, lose weight if you're overweight, you know, and take better care of yourself because we know 94% of the deaths occur in folks that have significant pre-existing conditions.
So to the extent that you can mitigate those, all the better.
But vitamin D, absolutely.
Vitamin C, I'm a fan of.
Taking daily zinc, I think, is a good thing.
Quercetin, another supplement spelled with a Q. And now even melatonin, there's some evidence out of the immune-boosting properties of low-dose melatonin.
So I take a milligram of melatonin every night.
All right, we're going to speak again.
Dr. Barkey is not only a great doctor, he's a courageous man.
His book is up at DennisPrager.com, COVID-19.
▲
Export Selection