FEATURED PRESS
Crash CEO Podcast: Teaching Leadership Skills CEOs don’t Learn In Business School
July 14, 2023
In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, visionary leaders who can adapt to change and drive innovation are essential. Jonathan Baktari MD, a renowned physician, has successfully navigated this dynamic industry, transitioning from a highly accomplished medical career to becoming an innovative healthcare entrepreneur. With a focus on technology-driven solutions and customer-centric services, he has launched multiple successful businesses, including a nationwide laboratory testing service, adult vaccination company, and a national drug testing company. Driven by his passion for mentorship and sharing his expertise, Dr. Baktari is dedicated to equipping aspiring leaders with the skills necessary to excel in healthcare and beyond.
Doctor: Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders Have Become ‘Do-Not-Treat’ Orders
May 02, 2022
By Jonathan Baktari MD, doctor, vaccine expert and CEO of e7 Health — Do-not-resuscitate (DNR) can be the key to a dignified passing for many people. However, many recent studies have revealed that DNR orders can mean that the suffering patients do not get the care and attention that they desperately need. This can lead to worse health outcomes for those at the end of their life, which creates unnecessary trauma for both the patient and their loved ones.
DNR orders are a vital mechanism for granting people the end of life that they need. However, that’s only when they work for, and not against, the patient and their families. It’s time we implemented more specific procedures and communicated with patients and their loved ones more clearly about what DNR status actually entails, and what care a DNR patient is entitled to.
Do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders hit the medical landscape in the mid-1970s. The goal was to prevent futile resuscitation efforts to patients who probably wouldn’t benefit from them, particularly when it comes to CPR, electric shock, and intubation, which can cause more harm to some patients than good.
COVID-19 placed science under attack — here’s how to save it
March 10, 2022
By Dr. Jonathan Baktari, Opinion contributor — As a result of COVID-19, science has been thrust into the center of the toxic culture war surrounding vaccines. One side of the aisle believes that the scientific status quo is beyond questioning. The other believes that personal experience and anecdotes trump peer-reviewed research.
Both positions are wrong. Scientific dogma can and should be challenged. However, pseudo-science and personal anecdotes are not the way to do it. We do not progress our collective understanding of the world through hearsay and gut feeling; we do it through rigorous scientific inquiry.
History tells us that no scientific dogma should be beyond skepticism. In the 1960s, the scientists of the day said that stomach ulcers and gastritis were caused by lifestyle issues like stress. In 1982, Dr. Barry Marshall and Dr. Robin Warren looked at the tissues of those with stomach ulcers and noticed there was an unidentified bacteria in virtually all cases.
mRNA Technology Has a Future Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic
Jan 31, 2022
International Business TImes — Studies have shown that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are safe and, contrary to conspiracy theories, do not alter genetic information.
Jonathan Baktari MD praises mRNA vaccine technology for its potential to help fight other pandemics.
mRNA technology has a more widespread application among various illnesses and could drastically change the way we treat patients.
Vaccines have been one of the greatest inventions of our time and prevent millions of deaths each year. It’s nothing to be dismissed, but a new technology might once again revolutionize the way we fight disease.
But let’s back up for a moment.
How Do Vaccines Work?
Put simply, vaccines contain weakened or inactivated parts of an organism. These parts are enough to trigger an immune response in your body, but not enough to make you sick. Thus, should your body be exposed to a virus that you’ve already been vaccinated against, it’ll know how to fight it.
What if your body knew how to fight disease without needing that initial exposure to the weakened or inactivated part of the organism? This brings us to mRNA technology.
This won’t be the last pandemic. Here’s how we can prepare for ‘Disease X’
A diverse range of vaccine manufacturers across the globe would help prevent over-dependence on one country or supplier, and shorten supply chains.
Jan 6, 2022
By Jonathan Baktari MD Contributor— The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t the first pandemic of this century and it won’t be the last. While the pandemic has been a human disaster, we should consider ourselves lucky. As a result, groundbreaking mRNA technology has been brought into the mainstream, giving us an indispensable weapon against the next deadly outbreak.
The World Health Organization lists the outbreak of viral diseases as among the Top 10 biggest threats to public health, with good reason. The rate of animal-to-human transmission of viruses has been increasing, with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimating that three in four new diseases come from animals.
However, the increased threat of pandemics is not new; epidemiologists have warned of the prospect of a major new illness, sometimes referred to as Disease X, for years.
One major risk factor is deforestation. As more humans live on the border of rainforests, the chances of a disease “spillover” continue to increase. In fact, studies have shown there’s a 47 to 57 per cent chance of another deadly pandemic happening in the next 25 years.
To best protect ourselves next time around, we should start by evaluating our vaccine production infrastructure. Two-thirds of the world’s vaccines come from one company: the Serum Institute of India. This biotechnology powerhouse works smoothly when global demand for vaccines is steady. But when there is an unprecedented spike in demand, domestically or from abroad, the supply chain breaks down.
You asked: Is it safe to travel to a music festival?
Oct 7, 2021
Washington Post — Traveling has always come with complications, but the coronavirus pandemic has made it more challenging than ever. Our By The Way Concierge column will take your travel dilemmas to the experts to help you navigate the new normal.
In a By The Way Concierge first, every single public health expert I talked to had the same take on your question: Go to the music festival.
Given all of the parameters you laid out to reduce most of your coronavirus risks, “this person has my blessing to go to the music festival,” said Andrew Noymer, an associate professor of population health and disease prevention at University of California at Irvine.
Of course, as with everything during the pandemic, he had a few caveats.
For starters, his seal of approval is “not the same as a watertight guarantee that they won’t get a breakthrough case,” Noymer said. “There are no absolutely watertight guarantees right now given where transmission is at in most of the country.”
DNR Orders Have Unintended Negative Consequences, Study Shows
Sept 3, 2021
Forbes — A recent study found that do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders, while meant to reduce needless suffering, often lead to increased death rates and worse medical care.
Many people think that DNR orders mean doctors will “pull the plug” if they’re brain dead or unable to breath. However, hospitals increasingly interpret DNR to mean ‘Do Not Treat,’ with such inaction often leading to unintended consequences and negative outcomes.
The study was conducted by e7 Health, a preventative health and wellness company, and includes peer-reviewed data from the CDC, American Heart Association and Harvard Medical School…
ALL PRESS
COVID-19 placed science under attack — here’s how to save it
March 10, 2022
By Dr. Jonathan Baktari, Opinion contributor — As a result of COVID-19, science has been thrust into the center of the toxic culture war surrounding vaccines. One side of the aisle believes that the scientific status quo is beyond questioning. The other believes that personal experience and anecdotes trump peer-reviewed research.
Both positions are wrong. Scientific dogma can and should be challenged. However, pseudo-science and personal anecdotes are not the way to do it. We do not progress our collective understanding of the world through hearsay and gut feeling; we do it through rigorous scientific inquiry.
History tells us that no scientific dogma should be beyond skepticism. In the 1960s, the scientists of the day said that stomach ulcers and gastritis were caused by lifestyle issues like stress. In 1982, Dr. Barry Marshall and Dr. Robin Warren looked at the tissues of those with stomach ulcers and noticed there was an unidentified bacteria in virtually all cases.
Looking for a Covid test before NYE? Here are a few places you can go
Dec 29, 2021
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — As Las Vegas prepares to debut 2022, the omicron variant is ripping through the country. Already, some cities like New York and LA have significantly scaled back or canceled their celebratory events.
But here in Las Vegas, all the revelry still has the green light. Large events are still operating under the directive to either require proof of vaccination–or require guests to maks up indoors.
But doctors, like Jonathan Baktari with e7 Health, point out testing ahead of the holiday could give peace of mind.
Experts weigh in on holiday travel amid threat of omicron, surging covid cases
Dec 22, 2021
Trib Live — Almost two years since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, cases are surging and the threat of another highly contagious variant looms, but projections show people still plan to travel for the holidays.
Nearly 28 million more people will travel this year compared to 2020, according to AAA, and airlines will see a projected 184% increase over last year. That will bring this year’s levels to about 92% of what they were in 2019.
In just Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, more than 770,000 people intend to fly during the holidays, according to AAA, and another 287,000 plan to travel via bus, train or other means of public transport. Just over 11 million people plan to drive to their destination, according to AAA.
Experts weighed in on what people should consider heading into the two-week stretch of gatherings and celebrations.
What 6 health experts advise for holiday travel amid omicron
Dec 17, 2021
Washington Post — Just weeks since its discovery, the new highly transmissible omicron coronavirus variant is now rapidly spreading in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, omicron’s prevalencejumped sevenfold in a single week, and its case numbers appear to be doubling every two days.
While health experts predicted a winter surge, “it’s higher and faster than anyone anticipated,” says Chris Beyrer, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
As colleges send students home and professional sports cancel games, should people consider changing their holiday travel plans as well? We asked six public health professionals for their advice.
‘Things are changing so quickly’
Daniel Rhoads, section head of microbiology at the Cleveland Clinic, saw that cases were already high in the United States, and “then this week came,” he says. Now he’s dealing with cases doubling, and half of the samples are omicron.
