Dr. Pedram Salimpour recently appeared on the Dr. Phil show where he put his understanding of clinical laboratories to good use by showing Dr. Phil McGraw and Dr. Mehmet Oz more detailed information about what is in the products that bear the celebrity doctor’s endorsements.
Dr. Salimpour explains why patients should be careful…
During the appearance, Dr. Salimpour showed the laboratory space, including the very complex and sensitive instruments that test for heavy metals, pesticides, and other contaminants in the products that come through the lab. Some of the heavy metals the team test for include mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic.
Testing for Contaminants
As Dr. Salimpour noted in the appearance, CBD is only regulated by the FDA in Epidiolex. “For everything else, it’s the Wild West,” he said. He went on to say that some of the CBD products that come through laboratory testing do show heavy metals or pesticides. They have also found micro-toxins and aspergillus. The latter presents a danger to anyone but is especially dangerous to the immunocompromised.
The problems come from the fact that hemp is a bio-accumulator. As Dr. Salimpour explained, “Whatever is in the ground gets sucked up into that plant.” Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil followed that up by saying that the companies making the products where these harmful contaminants appear don’t care about the potential effects of what they sell. They just care about the money. In most cases, they also disappear. On top of that, many products fraudulently use the names of Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz, claiming their endorsements.
Dr. Salimpour also revealed more details about the testing equipment used in his lab. It is the same type of equipment used to check baby formula and together cost millions of dollars. That high cost means that many companies are choosing not to test their products, especially since it isn’t legally required to do so.
Testing for Claimed CBD Levels
The laboratories used for this purpose don’t just lab-test for contaminants like pesticides and heavy metals. They also test to confirm if a product contains as much CBD as is claimed by the manufacturer. He said that this is frequently not the case. As Dr. Salimpour explained, “CBD can be very expensive. It can cost close to $10,000 a pound.” That prompts companies to include less CBD than they claim, especially since the CBD sector isn’t regulated the way that it ought to be.
The Results of Testing Fraudulently Endorsed Products
In the appearance, Dr. Salimpour specifically shared some lab results from testing a product that claimed endorsement from Dr. Phil. He explained that the product failed the test, as it is “not safe for human consumption under any circumstance.” That product had too much lead — 15 times higher than safe levels. That is dangerous because of how lead accumulates and the fact that people tend to use the products repeatedly over time, as Dr. Salimpour explained. “Lead is dangerous for adults as well as children, but is especially harmful to the neurodevelopment of the growing child’s brain as its accumulation can cause damage to the brain and nervous system, slowed growth and development, learning and behavior problems, and hearing and speech problems,’ explained Dr. Salimpour. That’s why testing these products is so important.
Dr. Salimpour’s Career Highlights
Dr. Pedram Salimpour earned a medical degree at Boston University School of Medicine and is an Alpha Omega Alpha scholar. He then completed his residency at USC Medical Center and earned a master’s degree in public health from UCLA’s Fielding School. During his educational years, Dr. Salimpour became the first person ever to receive the American College of Physicians’ Research Award twice.
Founding and Participation in Medical Systems
Dr. Salimpour is one of the founders of CareNex Health Services, a health care tech organization founded in 2005. Anthem, Inc., later wholly acquired CareNex.
In 2006, Dr. Salimpour acquired San Diego’s Alvarado Hospital, which he used to establish Plymouth Health. Until 2010, Plymouth Health owned and operated the new medical center.
Currently, Dr. Salimpour continues to focus on the healthcare sector with a focus on the development of new medical devices, drugs, and health systems that improve patient care.
Dr. Salimpour has served on the UCLA School of Public Health’s board of directors and the Boston University School of Medicine’s Dean’s Advisory Board. He is also the chairman of the board of directors of Los Angeles’ Discovery Science Museum and serves on various corporate boards of directors.
He is the president of the Los Angeles Fire & Police Pensions board, where he manages more than $25 billion in assets. He has also been appointed as commissioner to this board twice. He additionally finished a term as the president of the Los Angeles County Medical Association, with the distinction of being the youngest to hold that role.
Public Appearances
In addition to co-authoring major grant awards and peer-reviewed journal publications and scientific abstracts, Dr. Salimpour regularly speaks at international and national conferences. He was the keynote speaker at a recent Annual Scientific Colloquium held at MIT’s Whitehead Institute.
