Host: Dr. Ryan Cole Guests: Dr. Joseph Varon, Dr. Paul Marik
Independent science is gaining momentum, and it is reshaping the future of medicine.
Join host IMA Senior Fellow Dr. Ryan Cole and IMA Co-Founders Dr. Joseph Varon and Dr. Paul Marik for a special webinar celebrating the release of the Journal of Independent Medicine, issue No. 4.
They explored the groundbreaking research featured in the new issue, covering everything from immune health and chronic disease to innovations in metabolic care, oncology, and integrative medicine. The team also discussed how each new edition strengthens the credibility and reach of independent medical research around the world.
As legacy institutions lose public trust, independent science is steadily gaining ground—and credibility.
In this special edition of the IMA Weekly Show, Dr. Ryan Cole hosts IMA Co-Founders Dr. Joseph Varon and Dr. Paul Marik to celebrate the release of The Journal of Independent Medicine Issue No. 4 (JIM 4)—a milestone that marks the journal’s first full year in publication and the steady rise of research unbound by institutional or pharmaceutical influence.
With every new issue, the Journal strengthens its reputation for rigorous, double-blind peer review and open access. Our mission: to give scientists and clinicians a platform for sound, reproducible data on topics too often sidelined by mainstream medicine.
“We don’t take funding from Big Pharma—we’re 100 percent independent,” said Dr. Varon. “If it’s scientifically sound, we’ll review it.”
The webinar offers a clear look at how far the Journal has come and where it’s headed next. Grab a coffee and watch the full episode or browse the highlights below.
Journal 4 Overview: A Year of Breakthroughs
👉 Read Dr. Joseph Varon’s slides from the webinar
JIM No. 4 features some of the most diverse and thought-provoking papers to date, covering everything from metabolic health to vaccine safety, cancer prevention, and medical ethics.
Among the studies highlighted in this issue:
- Considering the Safety of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines in Patients with Aneuploidy — Martin McCaffrey
- Preventing Cancer: The ROOT Protocols — Paul Marik & Justus Hope
- A Holistic Approach to Improve Metabolic Health — Pei Harris & Joseph Varon
- Beyond the Dead Donor Rule: Medicine, Ethics, and Organ Procurement — Joseph Varon & Matthew Halma
- Vaccine-Induced Viral Reactivation and Autism Spectrum Disorder — Matthew Cormier
- A Non-Isolated Call for Rigor: The History of the Anti-Vaccination Movement — Matthew Halma & Joseph Varon
- Palliative Care in Iraq: A Health Systems Imperative for Equity — Santiago Herrero
- Metacritique of Influential Studies Purporting COVID-19 Vaccine Successes (Part 3) — Raphael Lataster
- Case Report: Cavernous Dural Arteriovenous Fistula Following mRNA Vaccination — Dean Patterson et al.
- Letter to the Editor: A Dramatic Increase in Disability Rates in the U.S. — Hal Switkay
Together, these works demonstrate what independent research can achieve when unbound by bias, focusing instead on integrity, transparency, and reproducibility.
Spotlight: Preventing Cancer Through the ROOT Protocols
By Dr. Paul Marik & Dr. Justus Hope
Cancer incidence continues to rise (up 17% over the past decade) with mortality also increasing by 6%. Yet nearly 40% of cancers are preventable through changes in lifestyle, nutrition, and metabolic health.
In their paper Preventing Cancer: The ROOT Protocols, Dr. Marik and Dr. Hope present a data-driven approach to prevention, using tiered nutraceutical strategies based on individual risk levels.
The ROOT 3/4/5/6/9 protocols combine well-studied substances such as green tea, curcumin, omega-3s, berberine, sulforaphane, mebendazole, and celecoxib. Each step represents a deeper, evidence-based commitment to reducing oxidative stress and metabolic inflammation.
“People can actually do things to reduce their risk—it’s empowerment, not dependency,” said Dr. Marik.
Dr. Varon noted that even the peer reviewers praised the paper’s practical impact:
“You’re not just telling people the science—you’re showing them what they can do to prevent disease.”
Dr. Cole added that prevention remains “the key to vitality,” echoing IMA’s holistic vision of health culture built on personal agency and informed science.
👉 Learn more about The ROOT Protocols
Spotlight: Vaccine-Induced Viral Reactivation and Autism Spectrum Disorder
By Matthew Cormier (Health Uncensored)
Researcher Matthew Cormier proposes a novel hypothesis linking vaccine-induced viral reactivation to autism spectrum disorder. His paper reviews existing literature showing that viruses such as rubella, CMV, and HSV-2 can cross the placenta and trigger inflammation in the developing brain—then posits that vaccines may, in rare cases, reawaken dormant infections, intensifying that inflammation.
Dr. Marik called the idea “scientifically credible and worth investigating.” Dr. Varon emphasized that JIM accepted the paper strictly on its scientific merit, not its controversy:
“It’s not political—it’s an opening to examine what’s really going on.”
Dr. Cole noted that new state laws requiring vaccine history in autopsy reports may soon provide the kind of data needed to test this hypothesis more rigorously.
The consensus: independent research must be free to ask difficult questions, precisely because that is how science moves forward.
Call for Papers: Special Editions 2026
With JIM’s readership and reach expanding, the journal will move from four issues per year to six in 2026—plus two special editions now open for submission:
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Treating Post-Vaccine Complications (PACVS)
Mechanisms of action, epidemiology, therapeutic interventions, clinical trials, and case reports. -
Repurposed Drugs and Nutraceuticals in the Chronic Disease Epidemic
Epidemiology, environmental and lifestyle factors, disease projections, and health economics.
Dr. Varon encouraged researchers to submit even in-progress work:
“Send us what you have—if it’s good science, we’ll help you get it ready.”
The Integrity of Independent Science
As the discussion drew to a close, all three physicians returned to a unifying theme: the need for integrity, courage, and independence in research.
“Science is not consensus—it’s questioning,” said Dr. Cole. “And questioning requires freedom.”
Dr. Varon underscored that independence isn’t just about autonomy—it’s about accountability to truth. When research is freed from commercial influence, the results serve medicine, not marketing.
That commitment is what distinguishes the Journal of Independent Medicine—and it’s why stories like the recent melatonin study matter so much. The now-viral claim that melatonin increases heart-failure risk originated from an unreviewed abstract, not a peer-reviewed study, and was rapidly amplified by media outlets without scrutiny.
In their discussion, Dr. Marik and Dr. Varon dismantled the claim point-by-point, highlighting errors such as exposure misclassification and confounding by indication—showing how flawed data can be weaponized to shape public perception.
“The only people who should be losing sleep,” Dr. Varon quipped, “are those faking these news.”
The incident perfectly illustrated why independent, unbiased research matters: it keeps medicine honest.
👉 Read IMA’s response to the melatonin study
Closing Thoughts
Independent science is reshaping the landscape of modern medicine. Not through slogans, but through data, courage, and collaboration. The Journal of Independent Medicine Issue No. 4 stands as proof that transparency and integrity still have a home in research. And the best part? The movement for honest medicine is only just beginning. Stick with us!
