“Should we medicalize children?” with Dr. Julia Mason

True Thirty with Joey Dumont

Dr. Julia Mason is a board-certified pediatrician and fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She’s a graduate of the University of Illinois with both her masters in nutritional science and her medical degree, and she completed residency training in pediatrics at Children's Hospital, Los Angeles. She currently runs a busy practice in Oregon where she now deals with an ever increasing number of gender dysphoric adolescents–many of whom are dealing with neurodevelopmental challenges or psychiatric comorbidities.

During our chat, we discussed the alarming statistic that 99% of children who are prescribed puberty blockers will graduate to cross-sex hormones–hormones like testosterone or estrogen. And by choosing this treatment, they are now on a life-long path of medicalization–a path that is not understood with regards to the informed consent of minors.

She also shared her concerns that puberty blockers are not a “harmless pause” as many of her colleagues believe, and that based on her 25 years of practicing pediatric medicine, she believes that puberty blockers can lead to the sterilization of children, have adverse effects on bone density, and even prevent penile development in young boys. She has been very vocal in her dissent to the American Academy of Pediatrics for many years now.

I was thrilled to have Dr. Mason join me on True Thirty. And although I have interviewed over 20+ clinicians in my reporting over the past 6 months, Dr. Mason was the first one brave enough to join me on camera.

I hope you learn as much as I did for the show.

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