Dallas, Texas – April 2026
At the IMA’s 2026 conference, focused on emerging trends in medicine, host John Davidson sat down with pathologist and Independent Medical Alliance Head of Medical and Scientific Affairs, Dr. Ryan Cole. The wide-ranging conversation touched on Dr. Cole’s ongoing fight for medical free speech, his deep dive into photobiomodulation (red light therapy), the hidden impacts of “junk light” and agricultural chemicals, and a return to nature’s basics for true wellness.
Dr. Cole, a board-certified pathologist with clinical experience in emergency rooms, urgent care, and family medicine, has long advocated for early treatment protocols and patient-centered care. He briefly served with America’s Frontline Doctors and faced intense scrutiny from the Washington Medical Commission for his public statements and prescribing practices during the COVID era. That disciplinary process, which restricted aspects of his license, now appears to be winding down. Dr. Cole expressed hope that a recent 8-1 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on free speech in medicine and therapy has prompted Washington regulators to reconsider their position. “The First Amendment matters. The Constitution matters,” he said, adding that he remains ready to fight to the end if needed.
Today, Dr. Cole leads policy and educational efforts for the IMA, including state and federal legislative work, visits to HHS, conferences, and webinars. He also balances life as an organic farmer in Idaho—raising vegetables, livestock, and tending 200 fruit trees—while keeping up with his six daughters. His mission is simple yet profound: help people reclaim health through straightforward, nature-aligned practices.
A Personal Introduction to Red Light Therapy
The discussion turned quickly to photobiomodulation, the topic of Dr. Cole’s conference presentation. His interest began with a personal injury three years ago: tearing his bicep tendon while throwing a bale of hay on his farm. His physical therapist predicted months of twice-weekly sessions. Skeptical but open, Dr. Cole encountered a red light device at a dinner in Toronto. After just 20 minutes, his pain dropped from 7/10 to 2/10, and his range of motion improved noticeably.
Doubting the placebo effect at first, the scientist in him dug deeper. He discovered the extensive photobiomodulation literature—roughly 10,000 published papers today, compiled in databases like that of Finnish researcher Vladimir Heiskanen. Mentors in the field include Harvard’s Michael Hamblin (now emeritus) and others exploring light’s effects on cellular repair.
“If light can heal a tendon, what else can it do?” Dr. Cole asked. The answer, he found, goes far beyond injury recovery. Modern society suffers from “junk light”—the blue-heavy spectrum of LEDs that replaced incandescent bulbs around 2020. Streetlights and household fixtures shifted to energy-efficient LEDs, but at what cost?
In nature, blue light never appears without balancing red and near-infrared wavelengths from sunlight. Incandescent bulbs once provided a fuller spectrum. LEDs and modern lighting disrupt circadian rhythms, sleep, mood, vision, endocrine function, and even raise cancer risks—particularly among night-shift workers. “We think we’re saving the planet with a light bulb,” Dr. Cole noted. “Only 6% of household energy goes to lighting. The rest powers compressors, air conditioners, and refrigerators. We’re starving our signaling pathways, messing with blood sugar and mood—all in the name of reductionism.”
He pointed to history: Danish physician Niels Ryberg Finsen won the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for using red light (via carbon arc lamps) to treat smallpox scarring and skin tuberculosis (lupus vulgaris). Medicine once embraced light therapy, then largely forgot it—perhaps because such modalities can’t easily be patented or monetized.
Dr. Cole emphasized the bigger picture: returning to natural light cycles. “Get up, meet the sunshine, set your body clock. Get real-world experience instead of living in a box with fake light all day.”
Glyphosate, the Microbiome, and “Death by Government”
The conversation shifted from light to what we put in our bodies. Dr. Cole runs a regenerative organic farm and has researched glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup and other herbicides. He noted that Monsanto patented glyphosate as a broad-spectrum antimicrobial in the early 2000s and again in 2010—before Bayer’s acquisition. It doesn’t just kill weeds; it disrupts soil bacteria, beneficial fungi, parasites, and the human gut microbiome.
“It also binds essential minerals needed for amino acids and proteins,” he explained. The result? Everyday meals deliver an unintended dose of antibiotic without consent, harming the microbiome that supports immunity, digestion, and overall health. “We wonder why everybody’s sick,” Dr. Cole said. “We’re poisoning our food, our light, our water (with fluoride), our air, and our medicines—then acting surprised at rising chronic illness, metabolic disorders, autoimmune conditions, and even gender confusion linked to endocrine disruptors like atrazine.”
He highlighted elevated Parkinson’s rates among farmers and golfers (heavy spray areas) and criticized efforts to grant agricultural chemical companies legal immunity similar to that for vaccines. On his own farm, weeds and pests exist, but nature finds balance. “Mother Nature is no fool. She knows what we need. We keep trying reductionist fixes and thinking we can do it better.”
The discussion led to medicine at a crossroads: increasingly “Orwellian” systems on one side versus open-minded groups like the IMA exploring overlooked therapies—including red light, DMSO, and chlorine dioxide—alongside fundamentals like real food and natural rhythms.
As a pathologist, Dr. Cole sees himself as “the observer at the scene of the crash,” reporting cellular-level damage (cancers, infections) while drawing on his clinical background to view the whole patient. “I understand the mechanisms, but I put that back into the picture of thinking like a clinician.”
Looking Ahead
Dr. Cole continues teaching, researching, and advocating through the IMA. He urged listeners to prioritize basics: sunlight, regenerative food, and awareness of environmental toxins.
To follow Dr. Ryan Cole’s work, connect with him on X at @DoctorCole (full: Dr. Cole spelled out) or on Substack at ryancolemd.substack.com.
The full interview is available on the Broken Truth podcast. As Dr. Cole and the IMA demonstrate, true progress in medicine may lie not in ever-more-complex interventions, but in remembering what nature has provided all along—and defending the freedom to discuss it openly.
