From Bomb Squad to Fighting Medical Misinformation
He learned to stay calm defusing bombs. Now he uses that same nervous system to take on the flood of medical misinformation online.
Dr. Georgine Nanos sits down with Dr. Zachary Meade known to a following in the hundreds of thousands as Dr. Zach MD. His path into medicine is unlike anyone's: a childhood in and out of foster care, years as an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technician across the U.S. military, a stint as an electrical engineer, and then medical school.
Today he's a military anesthesiologist in San Diego, and in his spare time he goes head-to-head with the health myths patients absorb online.This is a conversation about closing the gap between what's true and what's trending, and about why that gap got so wide.
In this episode:
The origin story: foster care, the bomb squad, and how "I didn't know any better" became the through-line of his platform
How he actually researches a viral claim, starting with the nugget of truth, then OpenEvidence and PubMed (the "ivermectin cures cancer" example, start to finish)
Why big wellness is now bigger than big pharma, and in some ways harder to fight
The 60-second rule: if you can't identify someone's real credentials fast, write them off
The tell at the end of the video, what's the call to action, and are they selling you a supplement
Informed consent in the OR, and the patients who've had surgery seven times and never had it explained
How he frames anesthesia fear minutes before a procedure, and the honest safety numbers he gives
Compartmentalizing: what the bomb squad and a hard childhood taught him about surviving the haters
Should doctors be on social media at all, and why he thinks the profession lost the information battle in 2020
Other physician creators he trusts and recommends
Surviving fatherhood, the "main quest," and a peanut-butter latte
A direct message to anyone who grew up feeling unloved or alone: "you're in the valley, keep climbing"
This is the Kind Revolution, where science meets courage and medicine meets humanity.
Meet the Author
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