Sep 16, 2026 3-5pm ET
Wednesday on The Robert Scott Bell Show:
Hour 1
A Nasal PCR Test Is Not an Autopsy: The Pennsylvania ‘Measles Death’ That Was Declared Before Anybody Looked A 40-year-old woman in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, died amid a growing measles outbreak, but Peter McCullough argues that the available information does not establish that measles was the primary cause of her death and that news coverage moved too quickly from a positive measles finding to describing the case as a measles-associated death. CNN reported that Jefferson County Coroner Greg Furlong confirmed the woman had died from measles complications and noted that she had not been vaccinated against measles. The report described her death as Pennsylvania’s third measles-associated death during the outbreak and said the state had recorded 676 measles cases as of the preceding Friday, including 108 cases added during the previous week, with more than 100 people hospitalized. McCullough challenges the certainty of the characterization by emphasizing the woman’s extensive pre-existing medical problems, particularly severe, end-stage respiratory disease. His article argues that a positive nasal PCR result demonstrates detection of measles viral material but is not equivalent to an autopsy establishing the underlying and contributing causes of death. He further criticizes the absence of an autopsy or independent investigation and says the publicly available reporting does not provide sufficient clinical information about the woman’s treatment, including whether antivirals, antibiotics or steroids were administered. McCullough also objects to the emphasis placed on the woman’s vaccination status, arguing that it transforms an uncertain medical case into a broader vaccination message before the complete circumstances surrounding the death have been established. CNN, by contrast, quoted Furlong describing the death as a reminder that measles can be serious and potentially life-threatening. The central disagreement is therefore not whether the woman tested positive for measles during an active outbreak, but whether the evidence publicly presented is sufficient to conclude that measles caused or materially contributed to her death. McCullough’s position is that determining that question would require a more complete examination of her medical history, clinical course, treatment and potentially an autopsy rather than relying primarily on a nasal PCR result and the temporal presence of measles.
Special Guest: Lisa Rooney
With a focus on transformative healing, Lisa Rooney blends the power of Integrative Coaching and Homeopathy to guide individuals on a journey towards reclaiming their health and vitality. Lisa is a seasoned Life Coach and Homeopathic consultant, who intimately understands the intricate dance between physical and emotional struggles, recognizing their profound impact on well-being. Specializing in guiding overwhelmed individuals, women in various life transitions, young adults, and first responders, Lisa tailors her approach to address a spectrum of challenges. Through personalized coaching sessions, Lisa helps clients navigate emotional challenges such as overwhelm, fear, trauma, and uncertainty, while also addressing physical ailments including sleep disturbances, digestive issues, chronic pain, and skin conditions.
She possesses extensive training as a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, an Energy Healer, and a Homeopathic Consultant.
Her educational journey has taken her through esteemed institutions such as The Coaches Training Institute, Healing Touch, Energy Psychology, Lotus Health Institute, and Joette Calabrese, among others—all of which have helped her refine her integrative, multi-method approach to healing. As a mother of two young adults, she raised her children holistically, employing many of the same methods she uses today. Nestled in the greater Atlanta area with her husband and two canine companions, Lisa finds joy in traveling, kayaking, hiking, sharing movie nights with loved ones, and embracing a lifestyle in harmony with her core values.
Medicine Has Forgotten How to Touch the Patient Modern medicine increasingly places laboratory results, imaging, electronic records and technological measurements ahead of direct observation and physical examination, a shift critical-care physician Joseph Varon argues can deprive clinicians of an independent and important source of diagnostic information. Varon emphasizes that he supports advanced medical technology and routinely uses tools including CT imaging, ultrasound, ventilators, molecular diagnostics and sophisticated monitoring, but argues that these technologies work best when they extend rather than replace a physician’s senses. Experienced clinicians can detect changes in breathing, skin color, posture, speech, facial expression, mental status, circulation and physical effort that may signal deterioration before laboratory values or monitors clearly reveal a problem. Physical examination can also challenge assumptions created by test results, providing information that helps physicians recognize false reassurance, incidental findings or diagnoses that do not match the patient’s actual condition. Varon identifies electronic medical records as a major contributor to the changing doctor-patient relationship, citing research showing physicians spending approximately 27% of their clinic day in direct clinical interaction while devoting nearly half their time to electronic records and desk work. He argues that documentation can create an illusion of thoroughness because electronic templates may contain extensive normal examination findings even when the actual bedside examination was limited. The decline in physical examination also affects medical education, as trainees increasingly observe physicians reviewing laboratory values and computer records rather than learning bedside diagnostic skills from experienced clinicians. Varon additionally emphasizes that physical examination serves a human function: appropriate, consensual touch and direct attention can reassure patients, strengthen trust and communicate that the physician has personally evaluated them rather than merely reviewed their data. Telemedicine accelerated the physical separation of doctors and patients during the COVID era, although Varon recognizes its substantial benefits when physical presence is unnecessary or difficult. Artificial intelligence could intensify the problem or help reverse it. AI can summarize records, recognize patterns and reduce clerical burdens, potentially giving physicians more time with patients, but healthcare systems could instead use those efficiencies simply to increase patient volume. Varon argues that medicine should preserve both technological sophistication and bedside examination, using AI and electronic systems to return physicians to patients rather than further separating them. His central conclusion is that patients are not datasets and that effective medicine requires integrating technological information with the observation, examination, judgment and human interaction of a clinician physically engaged with the patient.
Hour 2
TIME SENSITIVE: Something I have been building for a year launches Thursday. One thing can’t wait. Sayer Ji announces the September 17 launch of Restore the First, a citizens’ coalition focused on First Amendment protections and government interactions with social-media platforms, broadcasters and artificial-intelligence systems, while urging immediate attention to the JAWBONE Act ahead of a Senate Commerce Committee vote. Ji frames the initiative around his experience after being included in a 2021 report identifying 12 individuals accused of spreading vaccine misinformation, which he says was subsequently cited by the White House and lawmakers as platforms increased enforcement against COVID-related content. Ji and other plaintiffs later pursued litigation alleging federal involvement in censorship, but he says a federal court dismissed Finn v. Global Engagement Center on procedural grounds without reaching the underlying evidence. He also points to other court decisions involving standing and damages to argue that individuals who believe federal officials pressured private platforms to suppress lawful speech currently face significant obstacles obtaining judicial remedies. Restore the First is scheduled to launch at the Children’s Health Defense conference in Washington, D.C., with 15 organizations and seven independent media outlets already participating, according to Ji. The coalition is calling on Congress to preserve relevant government records, conduct public hearings under oath and establish enforceable protections against government-directed suppression of protected speech. The immediate focus of the article is S. 4749, the JAWBONE Act, introduced by Sens. Ted Cruz and Ron Wyden. Ji describes the legislation as providing a private right of action allowing Americans to sue federal officials who coerce or attempt to coerce platforms, broadcasters or AI systems into suppressing constitutionally protected speech, while also requiring disclosure of government communications with those organizations. He notes that the proposal has support from organizations including the ACLU, Knight First Amendment Institute and FIRE. Ji’s article ultimately combines the announcement of Restore the First with a direct advocacy campaign encouraging readers to contact members of Congress before the committee vote and support passage of the JAWBONE Act.
What the Media Won’t Tell You About the Measles Measles mortality in the United States declined dramatically before introduction of the first measles vaccine in 1963, and Dr. Sina McCullough argues that improvements in nutrition, sanitation, housing and general living conditions deserve greater attention when evaluating the historical burden of the disease. She describes measles as an acute respiratory viral infection typically beginning with fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, followed by characteristic mouth spots and a spreading rash, while acknowledging that pneumonia, encephalitis and death can occur. McCullough reports that U.S. measles mortality had declined approximately 98% by 1960 and emphasizes that much of this reduction preceded both widespread antibiotic availability and vaccination. She gives particular attention to nutritional status and vitamin A, citing historical studies and meta-analyses associating vitamin A treatment with reduced complications and mortality among hospitalized measles patients. Current public-health guidance also recognizes vitamin A as part of clinical management for some children with measles, although it is a treatment consideration rather than a substitute for prevention. McCullough then examines historical outbreaks in highly vaccinated populations, including events during the 1980s in Illinois, Texas, Montana, Colorado and Quebec, to establish that breakthrough infections can occur. She cites a 2026 meta-analysis examining 890 vaccinated people who contracted measles, reporting that 70 transmitted the virus and that some transmitters had received two vaccine doses. The article also discusses the MMR vaccine’s use of live attenuated measles virus and rare reports of vaccine-associated disease, particularly among people with underlying immune vulnerabilities. McCullough cites research detecting vaccine-strain material after vaccination and raises questions about whether persistent viral material could have longer-term consequences, although detection of viral RNA does not itself demonstrate that it causes chronic disease. She additionally reviews observational studies associating natural measles infection with certain subsequent health outcomes. Her central argument is that parents should be presented with historical mortality trends, nutritional evidence, breakthrough infections, vaccine limitations and documented adverse events alongside conventional public-health information so they can evaluate measles risks and vaccination decisions using a broader body of evidence.
Common antibiotic linked to higher risk of death in adults, major study finds Cefepime, a widely used broad-spectrum antibiotic for serious bacterial infections, was associated with a possible increase in all-cause mortality compared with other beta-lactam antibiotics in a large meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials, although the researchers did not establish that cefepime itself caused the additional deaths or recommend that physicians stop using it. The analysis, published in JAMA Network Open, examined 110 randomized trials involving more than 22,000 adults and children receiving cefepime or another beta-lactam antibiotic. Patients were being treated for conditions including pneumonia, urinary tract infections, meningitis, severe bacterial infections and febrile neutropenia, a potentially life-threatening combination of fever and dangerously low infection-fighting white blood cells. Across the trials, 778 of 11,726 cefepime recipients died from any cause within approximately 30 days, representing 6.6%, compared with 6.2% among patients receiving alternative antibiotics. A Bayesian meta-analysis calculated a 94.4% probability that cefepime was associated with higher all-cause mortality, rising to 98.6% when researchers restricted the analysis to 73 peer-reviewed published trials. Importantly, those percentages represent statistical probabilities concerning the existence of an association, not a finding that cefepime increased an individual patient’s risk of death by 94%. The association appeared stronger among adults than children and was particularly pronounced among patients with febrile neutropenia. Researchers could not identify a single mechanism explaining the finding. Potential explanations include inadequate drug concentrations that fail to control serious infections and excessively high concentrations capable of producing neurotoxicity. Dosing cefepime can be challenging because increasing the dose may improve bacterial killing while simultaneously increasing toxicity risk. The analysis also combined studies conducted across different eras using varying patient populations, doses, protocols and comparison antibiotics. Researchers therefore called for additional study and clinical guidance rather than withdrawal of cefepime, which remains an important treatment for severe infections.
Mysterious disease sending young, healthy Texas workers into kidney failure A poorly understood form of chronic kidney disease previously documented among agricultural and manual laborers in Central America, South Asia and other hot regions appears to be affecting young and middle-aged workers in Texas who lack the traditional risk factors for kidney failure. Known as chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology, or CKDu, and sometimes called Mesoamerican nephropathy, the condition differs from conventional chronic kidney disease because many patients do not have diabetes, hypertension or glomerulonephritis. Physicians at Houston safety-net hospitals, including Ben Taub, have treated otherwise healthy men in their 20s and 30s presenting with kidney failure, including patients reporting unusually dark urine. Many are laborers from Mexico and Central America working in construction, roofing and other strenuous outdoor occupations under extreme heat conditions. A review of Harris County hospital records cited in the report found that approximately one in six emergency dialysis cases involving uninsured or undocumented patients had no identifiable cause, a pattern described as consistent with CKDu. The disease can initially produce few or no symptoms, meaning kidney damage may progress substantially before patients realize anything is wrong. Later symptoms can include fatigue, sleep disturbances, nausea, weakness and shortness of breath associated with anemia, and some patients are approaching end-stage kidney disease when diagnosed. Researchers have not established a single cause. Repeated heat stress and dehydration are leading suspects, potentially interacting with pesticide exposure, smoke, unsafe drinking water and frequent use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Occupational conditions that limit water breaks could further increase risk. There is currently no specific diagnostic test or disease-specific treatment. Doctors generally diagnose CKDu after excluding established causes of kidney disease and considering occupational and environmental exposures, with kidney biopsy providing additional information in selected cases. Management centers on preventing further kidney injury and providing dialysis or transplantation when necessary. Experts recommend periodic creatinine blood testing and urine protein testing for people performing strenuous outdoor labor in hot climates because these relatively simple tests may detect kidney injury before symptoms become severe.
Most American Adults Battle Fatigue, CDC Report Says More than two-thirds of American adults reported experiencing fatigue at least several times during a three-month period, according to a CDC National Center for Health Statistics report based on survey data collected in 2024. Overall, 71.5% of adults said they had felt “very tired or exhausted” to some degree, including nearly 55% who experienced fatigue on some days, 10.7% who experienced it on most days and nearly 6% who reported feeling fatigued every day. Only 28.5% reported never experiencing these symptoms. Frequent fatigue was not evenly distributed across the population. Women were more likely than men to report frequent fatigue, at 20% compared with 13%, while younger adults experienced it more frequently than older adults. Among people ages 18 to 34, 19.5% reported frequent fatigue compared with 12.9% of adults age 65 and older. Fatigue was also more common among lower-income adults and people living in the Midwest, South and less urbanized areas. Significant differences appeared among racial and ethnic groups, with 25.5% of American Indian and Alaska Native non-Hispanic adults reporting frequent fatigue, the highest percentage identified, compared with 9.1% among Asian non-Hispanic adults, the lowest. The findings also indicate that frequent fatigue is associated with substantial limitations in everyday functioning. Approximately half of adults experiencing frequent fatigue reported difficulties in at least three functional areas, including senses, communication or mobility, compared with 16.9% of adults without frequent fatigue. Social and occupational consequences were also common, with 29% of frequently fatigued adults reporting limitations involving social activities and 36% reporting problems involving work. The CDC did not investigate what was causing the fatigue and did not determine whether fatigue has become more prevalent compared with previous years. Lead author and sociologist Natalie A.E. Young described fatigue as one of the most commonly reported concerns in primary care and noted that people experiencing frequent fatigue face increased risks of activity limitations, disability and permanent work disability. The report also notes an association between fatigue and poorer health outcomes and increased mortality risk in the general population, while emphasizing that population-level fatigue remains comparatively understudied. The findings therefore document both how widespread fatigue is among American adults and how strongly frequent exhaustion is associated with impaired daily functioning, without determining the medical, psychological, occupational or lifestyle factors responsible for the symptoms.
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