How well we age is actually something we can control. We are learning more and more that there are correlations between our “aging,” in other words how long we remain healthy versus suffering from some form of chronic disease, and the length of the ends of our DNA called telomeres. Certainly, the idea of “lengthening your telomeres” is so much a part of the public discussion that products are using this as a catchphrase for marketing. So I think it’s important to bring this whole notion of telomeres as markers of disease risk and perhaps more importantly as playing a mechanistic role in aging to a better level of understanding. This is why I have asked Dr. Elissa Epel to spend time with us today. Elissa Epel, Ph.D. is a Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at University of California, San Francisco. Her research aims to elucidate mechanisms of healthy aging, and to apply this basic science to scalable interventions that can reach vulnerable populations. She studies psychological, social, and behavioral pathways underlying chronic psychological stress and stress resilience that impact cellular aging. She also studies the interconnections between stress, addiction, eating, and metabolic health. With her collaborators, she is conducting clinical trials to examine the effect of self regulation and mindfulness training programs on cellular aging, weight, diet, and glucose control. Dr. Epel studied psychology and psychobiology at Stanford University (BA) and clinical and health psychology at Yale University (PhD). She has received several awards including the APA Early Career Award, the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research Neal Miller Young Investigator Award, and is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Epel’s research has been featured in venues such as TEDMED, NBC’s Today Show, CBS’s Morning Show, 60 minutes, National Public Radio, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and in many science documentaries. She co-authored The Telomere Effect with Nobel Prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn, and it’s the book we will focus on in our time together. You can also connect with Dr. Epel on Twitter and Facebook.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

These days, probably the number one topic of conversation in the health world is immunity. Never has our dependence on a healthy immune system been so obvious. So, it’s very timely that Dr. James DiNicolantonio has published his new book, The Immunity Fix. The Immunity Fix explores, first, the notion that we can have a huge impact on the functionality of our immune systems based on the choices we make every day. He talks about the fundamental role of nutrition and especially the threat of deficiency of various trace minerals like magnesium and others, as well as how we should go about repleting our deficiencies. Beyond minerals, he describes how to use other, more exotic nutritional supplements appropriately to augment immune function and why the balance of immune function is particularly relevant in COVID-19. Dr. James DiNicolantonio is a Doctor of Pharmacy and a cardiovascular research scientist. A well-respected and internationally known scientist and an expert on health and nutrition, he has contributed extensively to health policy and has testified in front of the Canadian Senate regarding the harms of added sugars. He serves as the associate editor of the British Medical Journal’s Open Heart, a journal published in partnership with the British Cardiovascular Society, and is on the editorial advisory boards of several other medical journals. Dr. DiNicolantonio is the author or coauthor of over 250 publications in the medical literature. He also is the author of four bestselling health books: The Salt Fix, Superfuel, The Longevity Solution, and his newest book The Immunity Fix, the focus of today’s interview. For more from Dr. DiNicolantonio, visit his website, or follow him on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our world today has certainly become far more chaotic than we had anticipated. As such, it becomes challenging to avoid toxic threatening thoughts and downstream manifestations like depression or anxiety. As our guest today makes clear, we don’t have to settle into this mental mess as if it is just our “new normal.” There is hope and there is help available to us, and the road to healthier thoughts and more happiness may actually be shorter than we think. Today on our program we will spend time with my good friend Dr. Caroline Leaf, author of the new book Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess – Five Simple, Scientifically Proven Steps to Reducing Anxiety, Stress, and Toxic Thinking. Dr. Caroline Leaf is a communication pathologist and cognitive neuroscientist with a Masters and PhD in Communication Pathology and from the University of Cape Town and the University of Pretoria in South Africa, specializing in cognitive and metacognitive neuropsychology. Since the early 1980s, she has researched the mind-brain connection, the nature of mental health, and the formation of memory. She was one of the first in her field to study how the brain can change (neuroplasticity) with directed mind input. Dr. Leaf is currently conducting clinical trials using her 5 step program she developed while in private practice to further demonstrate the effectiveness of mind-directed techniques to help relieve mental ill-health problems such as anxiety, depression, and intrusive thoughts. The primary aim of these trials is to make mental health care more affordable, applicable, and accessible worldwide, and to reduce the stigma around mental health. Her work has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), learning disabilities (ADD, ADHD), autism, dementias, and mental health issues like anxiety and depression. For more from Dr. Leaf, you can follow here on her website, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your brain is always listening and responding to an incredibly large number of hidden influences, and unless you recognize and deal with them, they can steal your happiness, spoil your relationships, and sabotage your health. My good friend Dr. Daniel Amen calls these influences “dragons” in his new book Your Brain Is Always Listening, and with good reason as he explains. Importantly, this book will teach you to tame the dragons and regain what, for many, has been so elusive, especially these days. Daniel G. Amen, MD is a former US Army infantry medic, physician, double board-certified psychiatrist, twelve-time New York Times bestselling author, and founder and CEO of Amen Clinics, with 9 locations across the United States. Amen Clinics has the world’s largest database of brain scans related to behavior, totaling more than 170,000 scans on patients from 150 countries. Dr. Amen’s research team has published more than 80 scientific articles and Discover Magazine named his research as one of the Top Stories in Science for 2015. Dr. Amen has also written, produced, and hosted 15 national public television shows about the brain that have aired over 125,000 times across North America. As many of you will recognize, I have interviewed Dr. Amen several times in the past. But there is something so much more meaningful in our time together today. Dr. Amen’s book Your Brain Is Always Listening is available to preorder now. Dr. Amen is offering four free gifts for those who preorder the book: Your Brain Is Always Listening Playbook, access to a 2-hour event with Dr. Amen on March 17th, Magnificent Mind with Medical Hypnosis, and a free bottle of Happy Saffron at BrainMD. Your gifts can be claimed by entering your order number here. Discover more from Dr. Amen on his website, and follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is so much discussion these days about things like intermittent fasting, time restricted eating, and caloric restriction, and with good reason. There is robust research data that supports the health benefits of these practices. Today, with Dr. Will Cole, we’re going to explore several important topics including: Why chronic calorie restriction and intermittent fasting are not the same thing The ways fasting benefits health beyond weight loss What metabolic inflexibility is and how it affects your health How to get out of your head and into your body when it comes to food How history supports fasting and why our culture moved away from this model of eating Dr. Will Cole is a leading functional medicine expert who consults people around the world via webcam and locally in Pittsburgh. Named one of the top 50 functional-medicine and integrative doctors in the nation, Dr. Cole specializes in clinically investigating underlying factors of chronic disease and customizing a functional medicine approach for thyroid issues, autoimmune conditions, hormonal imbalances, digestive disorders, and brain problems. He is the bestselling author of Ketotarian and The Inflammation Spectrum, both of which have been featured on The Empowering Neurologist. The topic of our discussion today is Dr. Cole’s new book Intuitive Fasting, which describes how to use the powerful benefits of flexible intermittent fasting to gain metabolic flexibility and find food peace. Dr. Cole has also cohosted the popular podcasts goopfellas and Keto Talk, and is the host of the new podcast The Art of Being Well. For more, visit Dr. Cole online, or follow him on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a lot going on in the area of longevity science. Researchers are hard at work trying to unravel the mysteries of what causes the disease we know as aging. But beyond the actual bench research, dedicated thought leaders are doing their part to facilitate the science and bring attention to this burgeoning discipline. And one of the pivotal players in this arena is my good friend, Sergey Young. Sergey is a longevity investor and visionary with a mission to extend healthy lifespans of at least one billion people. In order to do that, Sergey founded the $100M Longevity Vision Fund to accelerate life extension technological breakthroughs and to make longevity affordable and accessible to all. Sergey is on the Board of Directors of the American Federation of Aging Research and is the Development Sponsor of the Age Reversal XPRIZE global competition designed to cure aging. He is also one of Top-100 Longevity Leaders and a Forbes Tech Council member, and is the author of 10 Simple Principles of a Healthy Diet: How to Lose Weight, Look Young and Live Longer. For the latest from Sergey, follow him on Facebook and LinkedIn.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some 30 years ago I had the opportunity to attend a medical conference and heard a presentation by Dr. Alan Gaby. Truthfully, this event marked a turning point in my career destiny for reasons that we will touch upon in this interview. But suffice it to say that I have a great deal of gratitude in my heart for the dedication to the art of medicine that so characterizes Dr. Gaby’s efforts over so many productive years.  Dr. Alan Gaby received his undergraduate degree from Yale University, his M.S. in biochemistry from Emory University, and his M.D. from the University of Maryland. He was in private practice for 19 years, specializing in nutritional medicine. During that time he developed a wide spectrum of innovations that remain in widespread use today. He is past-president of the American Holistic Medical Association and has given expert testimony to the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine on the cost-effectiveness of nutritional supplements. He is the author of Preventing and Reversing Osteoporosis (Prima, 1994) and The Doctor’s Guide to Vitamin B6 (Rodale Press, 1984), and the co-author of The Patient’s Book of Natural Healing (Prima, 1999). Dr. Gaby has written numerous scientific papers in the field of nutritional medicine. He has been the contributing medical editor for theTownsend Letter for Doctors since 1985, and served as contributing editor for Alternative Medicine Review from 1996 to 2010. Over the past 36 years, Dr. Gaby has developed a computerized database of more than 28,000 individually chosen medical journal articles related to the field of natural medicine. He was professor of nutrition and a member of the clinical faculty at Bastyr University in Kenmore, WA from 1995 to 2002. He has appeared on the CBS Evening News. In 2010, Dr. Gaby completed a 30-year project: the textbook Nutritional Medicine. Dr. Gaby has culled more than 40,000 research studies and evidence from his clinical practice to create Nutritional Medicine, which discusses more than 400 different health conditions and disorders. It also contains 60 chapters on individual therapeutic agents (vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other natural substances) including biochemical effects, clinical indications, signs and symptoms of deficiency, adverse effects, drug interactions, nutrient interactions, and dosage and administration. Chapters on fundamentals of nutritional medicine (including dietary fundamentals, food additives, reactive hypoglycemia, food allergy, “sub­laboratory” hypothyroidism, and candidiasis) are also included. Nutritional Medicine is a foundational cornerstone and should be on the desk of every healthcare practitioner, in my opinion. Importantly, we now have the second edition of Nutritional Medicine, which includes all of the information from the first edition with additions and modifications based on new research.  I encourage all of you to visit Dr. Gaby’s website where you’ll find sample chapters from this newly revised text.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Food allergies are an ever increasing problem in our world. And the problem can be life-threatening, and certainly life-changing for as many as 11% of our population. This is why I wanted to bring on the program a world leader on the topic of food allergy who could explain to us exactly what food allergies are all about in terms of their causation, their increasing prevalence, how to handle them on a day-to-day basis, and what the future looks like in terms of developing therapies. Our program today is with Kari Nadeau, MD, PhD, author of the terrific book The End of Food Allergy. Dr. Nadeau is a Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, and Director of the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford University. She is Section Chief in Asthma and Allergy in Pulmonary and Critical Care at Stanford. She is a pediatrician and practices Allergy, Asthma, Immunology in both children and adults. Dr. Nadeau received her MD and PhD from Harvard Medical School. She completed a residency in pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital and a clinical fellowship in asthma and immunology at Stanford and at University of California, San Francisco. She has overseen more than 40 clinical trials and enrolled more than 2,000 patients in allergy studies. Her accomplishments to date include over 240 peer-reviewed publications. Her work has changed the lives of many who, for the first time in their lives, are able to control life-threatening food allergies. These impacts have and will continue to help scientists and physicians in research and patient care. For more than 30 years, she has devoted herself to understanding how environmental and genetic factors affect the risk of developing allergies and asthma, and the molecular mechanisms underlying the diseases. As one of the nation’s foremost experts in adult and pediatric allergy and asthma, her research is laying the groundwork for a variety of potential future therapies to prevent and cure allergies and asthma. Additionally, Dr. Nadeau has worked in the Central Valley to focus on community outreach and education since 2009. Dr. Nadeau has a good relationship with key stakeholders and policy makers in the Central Valley and her research has helped enact legislation to mitigate pollution exposure. She leads and collaborates with others in the area of global climate change, and to mentor others in order to make transformative changes in patients' lives in allergy and asthma, especially in the underserved communities, through innovation and discovery. Over the past decades, Dr. Nadeau has started four companies dealing with food allergy and has seven patents as the inventor. Dr. Nadeau’s research on both the clinical and basic science levels has recently been popularized in the lay press and media, with the New York Times, NPR, Today Show, NBC Nightly News (national), CNN, San Francisco Chronicles, podcasts, and so many more media outlets. These media events and her publication record reflect the huge impact her research is making in the field of allergy and immunology. If past is prologue, Dr. Nadeau has had and will continue to have a promising research career in store for herself and those she mentors. I’m certain you will all gain a much more encompassing view on food allergies with today’s interview.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fair to say that we all assume that aging is inevitable. In reality however, there is no biological law that says we must age. Over the years we’ve seen a variety of theories proposed to explain why we age including the accumulation of damage to our DNA, the damaging effects of chemicals called “free radicals,” changes in the function of our mitochondria, and so many others. Our guest today, Dr. David Sinclair, believes that aging is related to a breakdown of information. Specifically, he describes how, with time, our epigenome accumulates changes that have powerful downstream effects on the way our DNA functions. Reducing these changes to the epigenome is achievable and in fact, even taking it further, his research now reveals that the epigenome can be reprogrammed back to a youthful state. David A. Sinclair, PhD, AO is Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, and is the author of Lifespan: Why We Age–and Why We Don’t Have To. He is the Founding Director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biological Mechanisms of Aging at Harvard. One of the leading innovators of his generation, he is listed by TIME magazine as one of the “100 most influential people in the world” (2014) and top 50 most important people in healthcare (2018). He is a board member of the American Federation for Aging Research, a Founding Editor of the journal Aging, and has received more than 35 awards for his research on resveratrol, NAD, and reprogramming to reverse aging, which have been widely hailed as major scientific breakthroughs and are topics we discuss in our time together. In 2018, Dr. Sinclair became an Officer of the Order of Australia, the equivalent of a knighthood, for his work on national security matters and human longevity. Dr. Sinclair and his work have been featured on 60 Minutes, Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fortune, and Newsweek, among others.  In closing, I really need to say that Lifespan ranks as one of the most influential books I have ever read. Please enjoy today’s interview. To stay current on Dr. Sinclair, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wim Hof, a.k.a. “The Iceman,” holds 26 world records for his feats of endurance and exposure to cold―such as climbing Mount Kilimanjaro wearing only shorts and shoes, running a barefoot half-marathon in the Arctic Circle, and standing in an ice-filled container for more than 112 minutes. On March 16, 2000, Hof set the Guinness World Record for farthest swim under ice, with a distance of 57.5 meters (188.6 ft). Having been taught by the majestic natural power of the cold exposure coupled with a unique breathing technique, Wim is on a mission to share his discoveries with the world. The benefits of his method, now practiced by millions, have been validated by eight university research studies, several of which we discuss today. He has been featured on the BBC, VICE Media, Discovery Channel, and Joe Rogan, Tim Ferris, and School of Greatness podcasts. His newest book The Wim Hof Method-Activate Your Full Human Potential is the subject of our time together today. And I am certain you will not only be entertained, but empowered as well. Wim will provide some really important information that relates to our ability to gain control over parts of our physiology that were heretofore considered inaccessible – like immune function. As such, you’ll find this interview quite timely. For more from Wim, follow him on his website, or on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has been said that “into each life some rain must fall." That’s pretty much a given, for most of us. The challenge becomes how we let these experiences inform us moving forward. Tana Amen, author of the new book The Relentless Courage of a Scared Child, takes us through how her terrifying childhood of abandonment and abuse, numerous battles with cancer and depression, and a never-ending fight to be valued for more than her outward appearance conspired to rob her of a voice—and the healthy future she deserved. She then reveals how she found her voice, safety, and developed habits that she will share with you today to be mentally and physically strong as we enter 2021. Tana Amen is a New York Times bestselling author, a neurosurgical ICU trauma nurse, and a world-renowned health and fitness expert. She has won the hearts of millions with her simple yet effective strategies to help anyone optimize their lifestyle and win the fight for a strong body, mind, and spirit. Tana holds a second-degree black belt in Kenpo Karate and a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Tana and her husband, Dr. Daniel Amen, have four children and five grandchildren. Tana Amen shares updates on her website, as well as on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The term “long-haul COVID” has now entered our lexicon in relationship to this infectious disease. Unlike so many other infectious events, it looks like, in many people, COVID-19 is not monophasic. This means that a significant number of individuals have persistent symptoms for extended periods of time. This experience may now be affecting millions of people globally following their supposed “recovery.” In fact, the NIH in December 2020 sponsored a meeting to call attention to this specific problem because of its global extent. Indeed, the long-term consequences of COVID-19 are now being described as a “second health crisis,” globally. These long-term issues may involve the lungs, the cardiovascular system, the brain and other parts of the nervous system, and even may have psychological consequences, any of which may prove to be debilitating. And they are anything but uncommon. One study recently demonstrated that as many as 46% of competitive college athletes had evidence, post COVID-19, of heart damage. So the notion that a person gets this infection, spends some time in bed, and then should expect to be able to resume his or her typical life experience is now being challenged. An article recently appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association entitled "Long-term Health Consequences of COVID-19" authored by Carlos del Rio, MD, Distinguished Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. del Rio joins us today to discuss these long-term health consequences in terms of their frequency, mechanisms, and possible therapeutics, and what the future may look like with reference to this emerging issue.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a fact – we are all aging. But we can choose to age well, meaning we can make lifestyle choices that will open the door for us to live in a way that doesn’t equate our chronological age to our physical age. As Dr. Frank Lipman states in his new book, The New Rules of Aging Well: The ordinary choices you make each day can have extraordinary effects on your overall health. You only need to know what to do. I’m thrilled to say, the secrets you need are all right here. It’s such a good book, and that is why I’ve endorsed it. Let me tell you more about my good friend, Dr. Frank Lipman. Dr. Frank Lipman received his initial medical training in South Africa and emigrated to the United States in 1984. He became board certified in internal medicine after serving as Chief Medical Resident at Lincoln Hospital in New York City. Becoming more and more aware of both the strengths and weaknesses of his training, he began to study acupuncture, Chinese medicine, functional medicine, nutrition, herbal medicine, meditation, and yoga. Now recognized as a vocal pioneer of integrative and functional medicine (or what he calls “good medicine”), Dr. Frank Lipman is the founder of Eleven Eleven Wellness Center and the Chief Medical Officer at The Well. He is a sought-after international speaker and the best-selling author of six books—How to Be Well, The New Health Rules, Young & Slim for Life, Revive and Total Renewal – and his newest book, The New Rules of Aging Well: A Simple Program for Immune Resilience, Strength, and Vitality. From taking care of your feet to making sure you’re getting enough magnesium, Dr. Lipman hones in on what really matters as we look to keeping ourselves healthy, active, and vibrant. For more from Dr. Lipman, follow him on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on The Empowering Neurologist, I spend some time with Dr. Catherine Shanahan, author of the new book The Fatburn Fix. In her new book, Dr. Shanahan makes it very clear that we need to reassess our notions of fearing dietary fat and embrace the idea that making good decisions as it relates to the type of fats we consume will help ensure our health.  Please enjoy this interview.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s exciting to watch new developments in medicine, especially when new treatments for diseases are developed. Unfortunately, there is no treatment that has any merit for Alzheimer’s disease. Think of it, this disease that affects close to 5.8 million Americans is a disease for which we have no meaningful treatment whatsoever. As many of you know, Dr. Dale Bredesen has pioneered a novel approach to Alzheimer’s disease. Rather than offering up a single treatment, he has created a multi-pronged program that is proving successful in reversing this disease. Yes, I’ll repeat, this program has reversed Alzheimer’s disease. I previously interviewed Dr. Bredesen about his book, The End of Alzheimer’s, and his new book, The End of Alzheimer’s Program, focuses more on providing hands-on information with respect to what each of us can do today to preserve our brains as well as what can be done for patients with existing Alzheimer’s dementia. Like the original book, I am certain that this new work will soon be a best seller, worldwide. And I was asked to provide its foreword, appearing below with permission: "Never before has the practice of medicine been as polarized by the dichotomy between reductionism and holism as exists today with relation to the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Reductionism, as it is applied to the practice of medicine, takes the position that in order to best understand a disease process and ultimately formulate and implement an appropriate therapeutic intervention, both the disease and the intervention need to be reduced to the simplest operative parts and mechanisms. Many have credited the sixteenth-century French philosopher René Descartes with codifying this paradigm. Descartes, in part V of his Discourse, described the world as being nothing more than a clockwork machine that could be understood in its entirety through an exploration of its individual components. And clearly the progress of the science of medicine historically and in the present is deeply punctuated by landmark advances characterized by dedication to this approach. Whether we are speaking of Antonie Philips van Leeuwenhoek, using a single-lensed microscope to discover animalcules (microbes), or the sequencing of the human genome, the underpinnings of Western medicine continue to honor the notion that looking deeper and deeper at constituent parts will ultimately provide a knowledge base that will reveal sought-after solutions to challenging disease processes. To be sure, microscopy led to an understanding of pathophysiology that directly resulted in wondrous advances leveraged for salubrious outcomes. But myopically engaging a philosophy centered on drilling down to unity in terms of parts and processes inevitably segues to sanctioning a therapy equally centered on the validation of the singular. Simply stated, embracing reductionism in medicine supports the ideology of monotherapy, the idea that the goal of modern medical research should be the development of single, magic bullets that are designed and marketed to counter single diseases. As Harvard physician Dr. Andrew Ahn put it in a paper exploring the limits of reductionism in medicine: Reductionism pervades the medical sciences and affects the way we diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases. While it has been responsible for tremendous successes in modern medicine, there are limits to reductionism, and an alternative explanation must be sought to complement it. As of this writing, no disease process highlights the limitations of a reductionist approach as it relates to therapy more than senile dementia of the Alzheimer’s type. To be sure, the deep dive to unravel the etiology of this now-epidemic disease has been under way for decades and underwritten by hundreds of millions of dollars. Applying a reductionist approach has indeed revealed fascinating mechanisms that are likely involved in what ultimately manifests as this disease that now affects 5.5 million Americans. But alas, no single or combination pharmaceutical therapy has any effect whatsoever on modifying the inexorable course of Alzheimer’s disease. As a testament to the tenacity of the pharmaceutical industry, several drugs are marketed to Americans and indeed globally with the idea that they somehow “treat” Alzheimer’s disease. But while these medicines may minimally affect Alzheimer’s symptoms, again they provide no benefit whatsoever with respect to actually improving the ultimate outcome. As Dr. Michal Schnaider-Beeri recently revealed in an editorial in the journal Neurology: “Despite great scientific efforts to find treatments for Alzheimer disease (AD), only 5 medications are marketed, with limited beneficial effects on symptoms, on a limited proportion of patients, without modification of the disease course.” More recently, the concern for the lack of efficacy of these medications was overshadowed by a report appearing in The Journal of the American Medical Association revealing that not only do the commonly prescribed Alzheimer’s drugs lack efficacy, but their utilization is actually associated with more rapid cognitive decline. In contradistinction to reductionism, holism places more value on exploring the forest as opposed to focusing on the single tree. To be sure, a holistic approach to health and disease absolutely embraces the discoveries of deep scientific pursuits, but the fundamental difference in comparison to reductionism is found when examining how science is utilized as it relates to actually treating a malady. Whereas reductionism looks for the one home-run solution, holism considers any and all options available if there’s something positive to offer. As you will soon discover in the pages that follow, for the first time ever a therapeutic intervention has been developed that successfully treats Alzheimer’s disease. The protocol developed by Dr. Bredesen is by definition holistic. His program incorporates the discoveries of research across a multitude of disciplines that have bearing on Alzheimer’s pathogenesis. Our most highly respected scientific research has clearly delineated the specific mechanisms whereby a vast array of seemingly unrelated processes contributes to the ultimate manifestation of this disease. And it is precisely because Alzheimer’s disease manifests from the confluence of multiple factors that its remediation requires the orchestration of diverse instruments. Although the source of the quote “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result” has been questioned, its relevance to the pursuit of a single drug approach to the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease is unquestionable. Sanity now prevails with Dr. Bredesen’s challenge to the status quo that may well bring an end to Alzheimer’s disease." David Perlmutter, MD Naples, Florida January 2019 Please enjoy today’s interview with Dr. Bredesen. For more from Dr. Bredesen follow him on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. (Excerpt from THE END OF ALZHEIMER’S PROGRAM by arrangement with Avery Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2020, Dale E. Bredesen)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What an exciting and important presentation we have for you today. For many years we have been providing information focused on the pivotal role of nutritional choices as they relate to the brain, mostly in the context of neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. Today, we’re going to explore how our nutritional choices actually impact us from a mood perspective with our very special guest, Dr. Uma Naidoo. Let me tell you a bit more about her. Michelin-starred chef David Bouley described Dr. Uma Naidoo as the world’s first “triple threat” in the food as medicine space: She is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, professional chef who graduated with her culinary schools’ most coveted award, and a nutrition specialist. Her niche work is in Nutritional Psychiatry and she is regarded both nationally and internationally as a medical pioneer in this field. In her role as a Clinical Scientist, Dr. Naidoo founded and directs the first hospital-based clinical service in Nutritional Psychiatry in the USA. She is the Director of Nutritional and Lifestyle Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) & Director of Nutritional Psychiatry at the Massachusetts General Hospital Academy while serving on the faculty at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Naidoo graduated from the Harvard-Longwood Psychiatry Residency Training Program in Boston during which she received several awards, some of which included a Junior Investigator Award (American Psychiatric Association); Leadership Development for Physicians and Scientists award (Harvard), as well as being the very first psychiatrist to be awarded the coveted Curtis Prout Scholar in Medical Education. The American Psychiatric Association has asked her to author the first academic text in Nutritional Psychiatry. Think of that, a mainstream organization championing a book that explores the effects of food choices on states of psychiatric well-being! In addition, she is the author of the upcoming title: “This is Your Brain on Food” and this is the subject of our discussion today. Please note as we move through our discussion that we explore, in the context of psychiatry, some important themes that we have discussed in the past in the context of Alzheimer’s disease including the importance of gut health, the influence of the microbiome, the overall lack of pharmaceutical efficacy, and the pivotal role of inflammation. For more from Dr. Naidoo, grab your copy of her new book today, or follow her updates on her website, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on The Empowering Neurologist I had the pleasure of again spending time with Dr. Matthew Phillips. He’s been on the program in the past discussing the effectiveness of the ketogenic diet in Parkinson’s disease.   Today he explores the notion of fasting, and reveals how powerful a therapy this may represent as it relates to both keeping the brain healthy as well as in the treatment of existing disease. I’d like to share the conclusion from his recent publication, Fasting as a Therapy in Neurological Disease, as I think it says a lot: "In an era of rising healthcare costs and an increasing prevalence of neurological disease, the introduction of a self-empowering, cost-free, effective therapeutic option for a range of neurological disorders would be a welcome addition to the armamentarium of physicians. Today’s most common neurological disorders are fundamentally characterized by defective metabolism, on many levels. Given that fasting is a simple, multi-targeted, and essentially “metabolic” therapy with a healthy track record for treating a variety of neurological diseases in animals, it holds promise as a treatment for analogous diseases in humans. Despite this promise, the state of the evidence in humans is extremely limited; many more studies are needed before the actual clinical efficacy of fasting as a therapy in human neurological disorders can be ascertained. Yet if these studies can be prioritized, perhaps the day will come when fasting regimens are prescribed alongside medication-based approaches, culminating in the inception of a unified metabolic approach, capable of modifying not only the symptoms, but also the natural course, of the most common, disabling neurological diseases in existence."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the most pervasive recommendations these days centers on the benefits related to socially distancing ourselves from others. And while this may be a meaningful recommendation, an unfortunate consequence seems to be increasing social isolation. Social isolation begets loneliness, and loneliness is pervasive in modern society. Research reveals profound relationships between levels of loneliness and risk for various health conditions. Important for our current experience with COVID-19 is the relationship between social isolation and immune dysfunction. In today’s podcast, we interview Dr. Danilo Bzdok and Dr. Robin Dunbar, who authored a new review entitled The Neurobiology of Social Distance. It’s a fascinating exploration of the importance of our social integration and our maintenance of social capital. Here is the abstract from this publication: "Never before have we experienced social isolation on such a massive scale as we have in response to COVID-19. Yet we know that the social environment has a dramatic impact on our sense of life satisfaction and well-being. In times of distress, crisis, or disaster, human resilience depends on the richness and strength of social connections, as well as active engagement in groups and communities. Over recent years, evidence emerging from various disciplines has made it abundantly clear: loneliness may be the most potent threat to survival and longevity. Here, we highlight the benefits of social bonds, choreographies of bond creation and maintenance, as well as the neurocognitive basis of social isolation and its deep consequences for mental and physical health." This podcast is very special for us because this is the 100th episode of the The Empowering Neurologist, we are joined by Dr. Austin Perlmutter, and this is a fundamentally important topic that we get to explore with two of the most highly respected researchers in this field on the planet. Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Integration Psychotherapy, pioneered by our guest, Dr. Ingmar Gorman, is a fascinating technique that brings a powerful level of therapeutic efficacy to the use of psychedelics. Psychedelic experiences are certainly becoming more available, and what we learn today is how fundamentally important it is to appropriately process these experiences after they have occurred. So much literature is being published describing the efficacy of psychedelic compounds in the treatment of things like PTSD and refractory depression, but as Dr. Gorman makes clear, it’s not just the taking of the medicine that fully allows realization of improvement. Equally important is the post-experience therapy that helps frame and contextualize what the psychedelic experience has presented. Mental health practitioners can learn more about Dr. Gorman’s training program by visiting http://www.fluence8.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the questions on everyone’s minds has to do with why some people have such a tough time with this COVID-19 infection. Yes, we know that the elderly and people with underlying medical conditions are more likely to have serious complications, but we certainly see plenty of seemingly healthy individuals with significant issues as well. Might there be genomic influences on outcome? It looks like this may well be the case. And this is the subject of our discussion with Harvard-trained Dr. Sharon Hausman-Cohen on The Empowering Neurologist. In addition to our review of the role of genomics as it relates to a person’s response to coronavirus infection, Dr. Hausman-Cohen reveals some very interesting data about the role of two natural supplements, Sambucus ­and Andrographis, in immunity as well as viral infections specifically.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Biological aging is clearly an important risk factor for many of our most common chronic degenerative conditions like diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and even cancer. So much so that these maladies are often described as “age-related diseases.” One of the most important contributors to disease processes associated with biological aging is something called “cellular senescence.” This term essentially refers to aging at a cellular level with loss of function and even the ability to divide. There may be an upside to a cell losing its ability to replicate when we consider cancer. On the other hand, when considering immunity for example, we depend on a constant repopulation of functioning cells in order to optimize the ability of our immune systems. There is an active process within our bodies whereby we are able to identify and rid ourselves of older cells that have lost their function. These have been termed “senescent cells,” and a growing body of science reveals that eliminating these senescent cells may prove to be helpful with many of these so-called age-related diseases and perhaps may impact the whole notion of biological aging as well. There are a variety of natural products that function as “senolytics,” meaning that they have the ability to aid the body in ridding itself of senescent cells. When this occurs, our bodies naturally repopulate themselves with younger, more functional cells which, in a sense, turn back the hands of time, at least as it relates to this important parameter of biological aging. Some of the important candidates being studied right now include flavonoid compounds like quercetin, curcumin, luteolin, and fisetin. Another important area of research focuses on preserving youthfulness and vitality at a cellular level. One intervention that seems to preserve cellular functionality is caloric restriction. Indeed, much research demonstrates in a variety of animal models how effective caloric restriction is not only at a cellular level but also in terms of life extension for the animal itself. And it is this area of research that underlies the popularity of so-called “intermittent fasting” as a way to enhance immunity and possibly even extend lifespan. Moving forward, we should certainly expect to see significant expansion in research that focuses on both how our cells preserve their function as well as how our bodies rid themselves of cells once they come become senescent. The obvious extension of this research will likely be improvement of our health spans and possibly even of our lifespans. Today’s interview is with Dr. Jeffrey Bland. Dr. Bland, founder and president of Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute, is a leading authority on the topic of senotherapeutics and I am certain you will find his information interesting, useful, and thought-provoking.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To be sure, we look at a wide variety medical issues on The Empowering Neurologist. But one event that will affect us all is dying. Here in America we have experienced the medicalization of death, treating death as an enemy to be fought and defeated at all costs. Indeed, the actual process of dying, the patient’s experience during the process, is completely ignored in medical training. Our guest today is Dr. Christopher Kerr, author of the new book, Death Is But a Dream.  Dr. Kerr is a hospice doctor. All of his patients die. Yet he has cared for thousands of patients who, in the face of death, speak of love and grace. Beyond the physical realities of dying are unseen processes that are remarkably life-affirming. These include dreams that are unlike any regular dream. Described as “more real than real,” these end-of-life experiences resurrect past relationships, replay meaningful events, and display themes of love and forgiveness; they restore life’s meaning and mark the transition from distress to comfort and acceptance. Drawing on interviews with over 1,400 patients and more than a decade of quantified data, Dr. Kerr reveals that pre-death dreams and visions are extraordinary occurrences that humanize the dying process. He shares how his patients’ stories point to death as not solely about the end of life, but as the final chapter of humanity’s transcendence. Kerr’s book also illuminates the benefits of these phenomena for the bereaved, who find solace in seeing their loved ones pass with a sense of calm closure. Christoper Kerr, MD, PhD, is the CEO and chief medical officer at Hospice Buffalo. Born and raised in Toronto, Kerr earned his MD, as well as PhD, in neurobiology and completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Rochester. His research has received international attention and has been featured in The New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, and the BBC. He lives on a horse farm in the small town of East Aurora, New York. To learn more about Dr. Kerr and to view some of the video interviews that shed such an important light on the dying experience, visit his website, and also his wonderful TED talk dealing with dreams and visions of the dying.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today I have the opportunity to speak with Dr. George Tetz. His name may sound familiar to many of you as I have interviewed him in the past with regards to his work connecting bacteriophages with Parkinson’s disease. Today, we explore his latest research related to coronavirus (COVID-19). Yes, it’s technical, but his discovery of homologous prion sequences in the virus, and, in its human receptor site is mind-blowing. Let me tell you a bit more about Dr. Tetz. George Tetz, MD, PhD is CEO of the Human Microbiology Institute in New York City. His research focuses on the study of bacteriophages: viruses that infect bacteria. Tetz studies how bacteriophages can contribute to microbiome dysbiosis in a range of human chronic inflammatory conditions. He also examines how bacteriophages can act as novel mammalian pathogens by interacting directly with human cells and the host immune response. His recent findings show an early role for bacteriophage activity in conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Type 1 Diabetes, and “leaky-gut” syndrome.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our most powerful tool to reverse the global epidemic of chronic disease, heal the environment, reform politics, address social injustice, and revive economies is food. What we eat has tremendous implications not just for our waistlines, but also for the planet, society, and the global economy. What we do to our bodies, we do to the planet; and what we do to the planet, we do to our bodies. Beyond these important considerations, it turns out that our choice in foods may well have an important bearing on our risk for the current pandemic of COVID-19 (coronavirus). In Food Fix, #1 bestselling author Mark Hyman explains how our food and agriculture policies are corrupted by money and lobbies that drive our biggest global crises: the spread of obesity and food-related chronic disease, climate change, poverty, violence, educational achievement gaps, and more...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why are most Alzheimer’s patients women? It may come as a surprise to you, but women outnumber men when it comes to Alzheimer’s disease sufferers by a ratio of 2 to 1. Why Alzheimer’s affects women so adversely is unclear, but we do know there is a lot of science that’s beginning to make sense of this statistic. Moreover, now that we are gaining ground on understanding why the female brain is more susceptible to this devastating disease, it allows us to begin getting our arms around the idea that specific lifestyle changes may be very important as they relate to reducing a woman’s risk...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Clearly, one of the most important goals of the conversations we try to spark here is empowerment. This empowerment is especially valuable as it relates to brain health. I’m certain that many of you not only watched my previous interview with Max Lugavere, but also read his important book, Genius Foods. Max now has a new book, The Genius Life, that looks not only at food, but at a variety of other important lifestyle factors that very much add to our level of empowerment with the goal of keeping our brains healthy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do we not generally discuss the fact that there is an epidemic of mental illness in our society? Or that our lifestyle choices may have an impact on our risk for these conditions (like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and others)? Though incidence of these conditions is skyrocketing, for the past four decades standard treatment hasn’t much changed, and success rates in treating them have barely improved, either. Meanwhile, the stigma of the “mental illness” label―damaging and devastating on its own―can often prevent sufferers from getting the help they need.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Without a doubt, one of the most highly debated topics in health and wellness centers on the safety or risk associated with GMO foods. Today, Austin Perlmutter M.D. joins me to interview Jeffrey Smith, who has, for the past two decades, done his best to raise public awareness as to the possible health-related concerns of genetically modifying our foodstuffs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we will speak with Aaron Alexander, author of the new book, The Align Method. Aaron, founder of Align Method™, is an accomplished manual therapist and movement coach with over 16 years of professional experience, whose clients range from A-list Hollywood celebrities to professional athletes and everyone in-between. Over the last five years, Aaron has interviewed over 300 of the world’s preeminent thought leaders on physical and psychological well-being on the top-rated Align Podcast, bringing together a variety of diverse perspectives on physical inhabitance.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The plant-based diet is gaining more and more attention these days, and with good reason. It’s clear that less reliance on animal derived food will have a positive environmental impact. In addition, there is compelling evidence that favoring a more plant-based diet may well provide significant health benefits.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lifespan extension and healthspan extension are certainly topics that most of us want to learn more about. So, in this episode of The Empowering Neurologist we explore how regulating a particular metabolic switch through dietary and other lifestyle choices may help us increase our chances of living a longer, and disease-free, life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The popular Mediterranean diet has received lots of validation in mainstream scientific literature as being a healthful choice. This is a diet that focuses on the the Importance of a variety of vegetables, and protein from both plant and animal sources. It’s a diet that’s rich in healthful fat (typically locally sourced) and, importantly, a diet that’s going to provide lots and lots of healthful fiber, a nutrient that is sorely lacking in what is generally considered the standard American diet.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last February, my wife and I were attending a health-related symposium and noted that many of the speakers were wearing an OURA ring. We learned that the OURA ring was one of the latest entries in the field of wearable technology. What was most intriguing for us was how many of our friends described the insights they were gaining in terms of the length and quality of their sleep. So we decided to buy a couple of these and learn, firsthand, what all the excitement was about. Our level of understanding of not only our day-to-day activities, but, perhaps more importantly, the characteristics of our sleep experience, was not only revealing but powerfully empowering.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prof. Tim Noakes is one of my all-time heroes. As many of you may know, Prof. Noakes, a South African physician, was brought before a professional council for his advocacy of a lower carbohydrate diet. Ultimately he was fully exonerated, defending his position with reference to recommending higher fat consumption while reducing carbohydrates, as documented in the movie The Magic Pill, which focuses not only on the importance of reducing refined carbohydrates for weight loss, but also how diets higher in these carbohydrates are threatening to our health and pave the way for disease.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we are going to review a new book, The Longevity Solution, written by Dr. James DiNicolantonio and Dr. Jason Fung. Much about this book can be learned from its subtitle: "Rediscovering Centuries Old Secrets to a Healthy, Long Life." The point being that much of what this book describes was known by our ancestors, and it's our job to unlearn what we've come to know about aging, and relearn this crucial ancient wisdom. This fascinating book does a deep dive into the mechanisms that are involved in aging and then takes up some very interesting topics that are currently a part of our day-to-day discussions relating to aging, including the notion of fasting, the importance of understanding health implications of foods like like tea, red wine, and coffee, the controversial ideas of consuming dietary salt, why magnesium matters, what makes for a healthy versus unhealthy fat, and even explores Blue Zones, areas in the world in which there is extended lifespan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brain Body Diet is the newest book written by New York Times best-selling author, Dr. Sara Gottfried. Dr. Gottfried writes about the uniqueness of the female brain as it relates to physical body issues, such as weight loss, as well as psychological issues like anxiety, happiness, and mindfulness. It’s a deep dive into a vast array of lifestyle opportunities that can absolutely rewrite a woman’s health destiny. Brain Body Diet is an incredibly empowering work and I can assure you that you will find this interview to be very meaningful. I am honored that I have been given the opportunity to write the foreword for Dr. Gottfried‘s new book as well as permission to reprint it below. Take a read, and then enjoy today’s discussion.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Anna Cabeca has written a new book, The Hormone Fix, that focuses on the important role of diet and other lifestyle issues in terms of gaining hormone balance. She especially focuses on menopause and leveraging the fundamental relationship between a ketogenic diet and hormone function in what she calls the “keto-green way.” This is a unique feature of her new book that takes into account the importance of alkalinity for feeling well while engaged in a ketogenic program. Dr. Cabeca is a very special individual whom I deeply admire and respect. Please enjoy this interview, and be sure to let me know your thoughts below.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s interview is with Lisa Mosconi, PhD. She is the associate director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Weil Cornell Medical College in New York. Prior to that she served as the director of the Nutrition and Brain Fitness Lab at New York University, School of Medicine. Dr. Mosconi holds a dual PhD degree in neuroscience as well as nuclear medicine from the University of Florence, Italy, and is board-certified in integrative nutrition. I think will really enjoy this interview and learn about her new book, Brain Food, which not only looks at nutrition but also leverages the science of nutritional genomics, and even the emerging science relating to the role of the microbiome in brain health. The book provides recommendations that we can all use with respect to the foods we eat and, interestingly, she does challenge some of our long-held notions. I hope you enjoy this discussion.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While there certainly are various medications that prove somewhat helpful in the treatment of symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease, it's important to recognize that these medications are not actually treating the underlying disease itself. We now understand that one of the pivotal mechanisms in Parkinson's disease is compromise of energy production, at the level of the mitochondria. This ultimately manifest as various problems, not just in the brain, but actually throughout the entire body. With this understanding, specifically targeting mitochondrial function makes sense as a way of actually addressing this fundamental underlying abnormality in Parkinson's disease.   As many of you are aware, the ketogenic diet has been demonstrated to enhance mitochondrial function. As such, it should be considered as a candidate, at least, in terms of treating a disease like Parkinson's. In fact, this is the subject of a recent interventional trial in which actual Parkinson's patients were placed on a ketogenic diet under the direction of Dr. Matthew Phillips.   Today, the empowering neurologists interviews Dr. Matt Phillips about his recent published research in which he demonstrates powerfully positive results in Parkinson's patients placed on a ketogenic diet. How wonderful it is that we are now seeing published research dealing with nutritional interventions, especially in these challenging situations.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m sure many of you are familiar with Dave Asprey. He’s the founder of Bulletproof,  and also a New York Times bestselling author. In addition, he hosts the very popular Bulletproof Radio podcast. On his podcast, Dave has had the opportunity to interview hundreds of thought leaders across a wide spectrum of disciplines and as such, he’s learned a lot. In his new book, Game Changers, Dave shares what he’s learned. Here’s from the Amazon write-up: The bestselling author of Head Strong and The Bulletproof Diet answers the question, “How can I kick more ass at life?” by culling the wisdom of world-class thought leaders, maverick scientists, and disruptive entrepreneurs to provide proven techniques for becoming happier, healthier, and smarter. When Dave Asprey started his podcast more than five years ago, he sought out influencers in an array of disciplines, from biochemists toiling in unknown laboratories to business leaders changing the world to mediation masters discovering inner peace. His guests were some of the top performing humans in the world, people who had changed their areas of study or even pioneered entirely new fields. Dave wanted to know: What did they have in common? What mattered most to them? What made them so successful—and what made them tick? At the end of each interview, Dave asked the same question: “What are your top three recommendations for people who want to perform better at being human?” After performing a statistical analysis of the answers, he found that the wisdom gleaned from these highly successful people could be distilled into three main objectives: finding ways to become smarter, faster, and happier. Game Changers is the culmination of Dave’s years-long immersion in these conversations, offering 46 science-backed, high performance “laws” that are a virtual playbook for how to get better at life. With anecdotes from game changers like Dr. Daniel Amen, Gabby Bernstein, Dr. David Perlmutter, Arianna Huffington, Esther Perel, and Tim Ferris as well as examples from Dave’s own life, Game Changers offers readers practical advice they can put into action to reap immediate rewards. From taming fear and anxiety to making better decisions, establishing high-performance habits, and practicing gratitude and mindfulness, Dave brings together the wisdom of today’s game-changers to help everyone kick more ass at life.   There’s a lot for you to learn here! And after you watch this interview, consider watching Dave’s previous visit to The Empowering Neurologist. You can also check out the Bulletproof podcast here, and follow Dave on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Without question one of the most common recommendations made when adults visit a medical practitioner is to reduce their sodium consumption. We’ve all been led to believe that salt is about the worst food additive out there and that it will make everybody hypertensive and affect heart and kidney functioning as well. But much like the castigation of saturated fat, there is another side of this story we’re just now learning. Dietary sodium may have some very important positive attributes. Sodium, it turns out, it is important for the function of the hormone insulin and as such, deficiencies of sodium may relate to diabetes. Other problems that may be associated with not consuming enough salt include sleep dysfunction, poor energy, loss of mental focus, declining athletic performance, and even poor sexual performance. Today’s interview is with Dr. James DiNicolantonio, author of The Salt Fix: Why the Experts Got It All Wrong  and How Eating More Might Save Your Life. He’s also the author of the brand new book Superfood, with previous Empowering Neurologist guest Dr. Joseph Mercola. I think you’re really going to enjoy this explanation of the importance of dietary salt from a perspective that is certainly not what mainstream medicine would have us believe. To be clear, Dr. DiNicolantonio is not telling us that high levels of salt consumption are for everyone. But what he does make clear is the fact that salt consumption may well be important for health for many people. It’s an interesting interview that I hope you will enjoy. And if you want to stay up to date with the latest updates from Dr. DiNicolantonio, you can follow his work on his website, or on social media on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Grain Brain first hit shelves, one of the first questions I started to hear repeated to me again and again was “This is great and all, but what can I do if I’m a vegetarian?” The answer is simple: you can be a vegetarian and follow the Grain Brain lifestyle, no problem. Now as similar lifestyles begin to take the spotlight, the ketogenic lifestyle chief among them, the same question, posed about these diets, are coming to the fore. Thankfully, Dr. Will Cole is here to help. In his new book, Ketotarian, Dr. Cole lays out a lifestyle plan that expertly marries the vegetarian and ketogenic diets, bringing together the fat-burning power of ketogenic eating and the clean green benefits of a plant-centric plate. What could be better!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Without a doubt, we spend a lot of time in this forum discussing the influence of bacteria on the health of the gut, and how that translates into risk for disease elsewhere in the body. As it turns out, there are a multitude of other entities residing within the gut that are absolutely worthy of our attention. Bacteriophages are a type of virus that can infect bacteria and alter their function. First identified in 1917, bacteriophages have been long overlooked in terms of their potential contribution to human disease. Our interview today is with Dr. George Tetz, one of the world leaders in bacteriophage research.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last year I have the opportunity to interview professor Melissa Schilling on the topic of diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, in reference to her publication in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. I find it very fascinating that her research and publication are really quite unrelated, seemingly, to her profession as Professor of Management at New York University Stern School of Business. That said, as yet another manifestation that Prof. Schilling is truly a renaissance person, her new book, Quirky, explores the characteristics of some of the most incredible innovators who have changed the destiny of the world. What really distinguishes the people who literally change the world--those creative geniuses who give us one breakthrough after another? What differentiates Marie Curie or Elon Musk from the merely creative, the many one-hit wonders among us?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode of The Empowering Neurologist looks at a new book from Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, How to Make Disease Disappear. Dr. Chatterjee is a medical doctor with nearly 20 years of hand-on, clinical experience seeing patients. He is double-board certified in both internal medicine and family medicine, and holds an honors degree in immunology. He is star of the BBC One TV show “Doctor in the House”, which has aired  in over 70 countries around the world. Dr. Chatterjee uses a functional and lifestyle medicine approach to reverse chronic disease. On the program, he actually moves in with families and helps them make important lifestyle changes targeted at improving health.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recently, at the annual PaleoFX conference, I had the opportunity to sit on a panel alongside Dr. Michael Ruscio. I was extremely taken by his interaction with the audience, the compassion (and information) in his message, and the depth of his knowledge. I was delighted when he sent me his new book, Healthy Gut Healthy You, and I have found this book to be both extremely comprehensive and written in a user-friendly way. He has done an incredible job in writing this book and I’m hoping you will find it as interesting as have I once you’ve had a chance to read your copy. In the interview today, Dr. Ruscio explains how gut health relates to just about everything else in the body, how changes in gut health can manifest as disease, and what we can do to fix the problem — the ultimate goal.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hormone imbalance is extremely common, and generally it is treated with pharmaceutical interventions. Why don’t we take a step back for moment and ask ourselves just why these issues are occurring in the first place? Once we do that, all roads seem to point us towards an investigation into how our lifestyle choices may be impacting our health, specifically the balance of our hormones. Further, some of the most important lifestyle choices we make are the foods we choose to consume. Magdalena Wszelaki has written an exciting new book specifically geared at dietary changes designed to rebalance hormones, Cooking for Hormone Balance: Cooking for Hormone Balance: The founder of the popular Hormones Balance online community, holistic nutrition coach Magdalena Wszelaki knows this firsthand. Developing hyperthyroidism and then Hashimoto’s, adrenal fatigue and estrogen dominance, propelled her to leave a high-pressure advertising career and develop a new way of eating that would repair and keep her hormones working smoothly. Now symptom-free, Magdalena shares her practical, proven knowledge so other women may benefit. In Cooking for Hormone Balance, she draws on current research to explain the essential role food plays in keeping our hormones in harmony and offers easy, flavorful recipes to help us eat our way to good health. She also offers clear, concise action plans for what to remove and add to our daily diet to regain hormonal balance, including guides for specific conditions. And we will explore, in this program, the connection between diet and hormone balance, as well as Magdalena’s specific recommendations as they relate to specific problems.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I am hopeful that, at this stage of the game, it will not come as a total surprise that even the health and appearance of our skin is affected by microbes and the microbiome. Many of us grew up at a time when bacteria were universally considered to be detrimental and and therefore were the targets of therapies to treat specific conditions. Acne, for example, was considered to be a disease caused by the action of a bad bacterium which was then targeted with topical and oral antibiotics, as well as various other skin sanitizing techniques. Unfortunately, to a significant degree, this mentality remains pervasive. Today I interviewed Dr. Whitney Bowe, author of the new book The Beauty of Dirty Skin. Her book literally rewrites our understanding of what makes for healthy skin. She takes a deep dive into the role not only of gut bacteria but of skin bacteria in manifesting healthy skin. In the interview, we explore a diversity of topics including sun protection, acne treatment, the role of diet in promoting healthy skin, the recently discovered role of probiotics in skin health, and yes, the fallacy of many commonly-accepted approaches to skin conditions. Dr. Bowe did her undergraduate training at Yale and subsequently attended medical school at University of Pennsylvania. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed research journals and has appeared in a variety of media including Good Morning America, The Rachael Ray Show, Dr. Oz, The Doctors, and has been featured in print media including the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Allure, Elle, and Readers Digest.  I am certain that you will all enjoy this very lively and informative interview. For more, visit Dr. Bowe’s website, or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on The Empowering Neurologist I have the wonderful opportunity to interview Dr. Frank Lipman. His new book is called How to be Well: The 6 Keys to a Happy and Healthy Life, and in it he explores important areas of focus for healthy living, including eating, sleeping, moving, protecting, unwinding and connecting. Dr. Lipman has created a novel idea of incorporating these important concept into a mandala, which we will discuss. The book is really a pleasure to read. Dr. Lipman makes it very clear how important our food choices are, but is anything but overbearing in doing so. A main theme throughout the book is restoring our connection to our ancestral selves, not only in terms of our food choices but in addition in terms of our connection to darkness at night, as well as connection to other people, to the things we love, and, most importantly, to others. And those are just a few examples. Dr. Lipman practices in New York City and is a New York Times bestselling author. I’ve known him for many years and he is a kind, dedicated, and empathetic physician. If you want to learn more, visit him online, or on Facebook or Twitter.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Jeffrey Bland, the author of The Disease Delusion, is known as the “Father of Functional Medicine”, a medical approach that focuses on the personalized prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. Over the past 35 years Dr. Bland has traveled more than 6 million miles teaching more than 100,000 health care practitioners in the USA, Canada and more than 40 other countries about Functional Medicine. He has been a University biochemistry professor, the Research Director at the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine, the co-founder of the Institute for Functional Medicine (1991), and the founder/President of the Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute. He has authored more than 100 scientific publications and 11 books for the health professional and health consumer. He lives in Bainbridge Island, Washington with his wife Susan, and near his three sons and their families while pursuing his hobbies of boating, surfing, scuba diving and a life-long passion for learning.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s Empowering Neurologist interview is with Dr. Bruce Blumberg, author of the new book, The Obesogen Effect.    Being overweight is not just the result of diet or not enough exercise. According to leading-edge science, there are silent saboteurs in our daily lives that contribute significantly to our obesity epidemic: obesogens. These weight-inducing offenders, most of which are chemicals, disrupt our hormonal systems, alter how we create and store fat, and change how we respond to dietary choices. Because they are largely unregulated, obesogens lurk all around us: in food, furniture, plastic products such as water bottles and food storage containers. Research has even shown that the effects of some obesogens can be passed on to future generations by irreversibly interfering with the expression of our genes. The good news is we can protect ourselves by becoming more informed consumers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we have talked about so many times in these pages, our lifestyle choices play a fundamental role in determining not just how our brain functions today, but its long-term destiny as well. My good friend Max Lugavere became a globally-recognized citizen scientist, as it relates to brain degeneration, as a consequence of his mother’s battle with a neurodegenerative condition. In his new book, Genius Foods, Max details how he was basically left empty-handed at being able to do anything meaningful to help his mother in her battle. He visited many of our country’s most well-respected academic institutions and hospitals, and ultimately received nothing more than a list of meaningless medications.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do medications “treat” type 2 diabetes? The answer is “no.” While there is a fairly robust list of drugs commonly prescribed by physicians for this situation, these pharmaceuticals tend to treat only the consequences of the disorder, like elevated blood sugar. In this segment of The Empowering Neurologist,  I have the great pleasure of interviewing one of the most forward thinking experts in diabetes in the country, Dr. Sarah Hallberg. This is her second time on the program, and with good reason. She and her team have just completed a study in which they demonstrate profound success in actually treating diabetes using a closely monitored ketogenic diet.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is swearing good for you? We generally assume that swearing is offensive, that it’s a sign of a stunted vocabulary or of a limited intellect. Dictionaries have traditionally omitted swear words and parents forbid them around the house. But the latest research by neuroscientists, psychologists, sociologists, and others has revealed that swear words, curses, and oaths―when used judiciously―can have surprising benefits. In this sparkling debut work of popular science, Emma Byrne examines the latest research to show how swearing can be good for you. With humor and colorful language, she explores every angle of swearing―why we do it, how we do it, and what it tells us about ourselves. Not only has some form of swearing existed since the earliest humans began to communicate, but it has been shown to reduce physical pain, to lower anxiety, to prevent physical violence, to help trauma victims recover language, and yes, to promote human cooperation!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In direct contradiction to what I learned in medical school, our genes do not directly determine every aspect of our health destiny. We now understand that subtle variations in genes, called SNPs, are highly influential in terms of health and disease. These variations in how genes function generally control various enzyme pathways in the body. Dr. Ben Lynch has written an amazing book, Dirty Genes. His book focuses on this new understanding of genetics, which I feel is incredibly empowering. Why? Because, as Dr. Lynch makes very clear, many of the most important SNPs that might appear to be detrimental can actually be overridden by various changes in lifestyle, including diet and supplements.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello everyone. Today on The Empowering Neurologist I interview my longtime friend, Dr. Leo Galland. Today, we’ll be discussing Dr. Galland’s newest book, Already Here. Already Here tells of the death of Dr. Galland’s son, Christopher, at the age of 22, the direct visual evidence Christopher showed him that our souls do go on, and the communications he received from Christopher’s spirit that dramatically changed Dr. Galland’s understanding of life and its meaning. Dr. Leo Galland, an international bestselling author and a respected scholar, is a global leader in integrative medicine and functional nutrition. He has received the Linus Pauling Award from the Institute of Functional Medicine for creating basic principles of Functional Medicine, and the Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions to healthcare from Marquis Who’s Who. He is the author of five popular books and several dozen scientific articles and textbook chapters. A board-certified internist, Dr. Galland is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Nutrition. He received his education at Harvard University and New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Galland is listed in Leading Physicians of the World and America’s Top Doctors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the great parts of my job is that I receive a ton of books. This is a joy not only because, well, I quite enjoy reading, but it allows me to stay up-to-date on the future of medicine, and to continue to bring you the information you need to control your health destiny. One I’ve just picked up recently is The Autoimmune Fix, by my good friend Dr. Tom O’Bryan. A bit more about Dr. O’Bryan: Dr. Tom O’Bryan is an internationally recognized speaker and workshop leader specializing in the complications of Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity and Celiac Disease as they occur inside and outside of the intestines. He is the founder of theDr.com. He recently hosted the paradigm-shifting ‘The Gluten Summit – A Grain of Truth’, bringing together 29 of the world’s experts on Celiac Disease and Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity. Let’s dive right in!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If there’s one thing I hope that you’ve learned in being a member of this community, it’s that no part of the body works in isolation. Our body is an incredibly synchronous machine, with any number of parts working in concert to execute even the subtlest movements or actions. Our entire body functions in this integrated way (hence terms like integrative health and integrative practitioner!). In this discussion, one area we’ve neglected in this conversation is the mouth and our oral health. Dr. Steven Lin, the author of the new book The Dental Diet, is here to encourage us to consider the role of this part of the body not only in our total health, but as the starting point for the entire journey OF health! Dr. Steven Lin is a board-registered dentist, writer, and speaker with work published in The Sydney Morning Herald and The British Dental Journal. He has also written for MindBodyGreen and About.com and given talks as part of the TEDx program. Trained at USYD with a background in biomedical science, he is a passionate whole-health advocate, focusing on the link between nutrition and dental health. Dr. Lin focuses on helping his patients prevent dental disease so as to avoid treatment. He looks for the root cause of disease, believing that the mouth-body connection is the best way to monitor our health. He is also convinced that our diet is the cause of the problems in our mouth, from crooked, rotten teeth to inflamed gums. The oral-systemic link means our mouths affect our body and our bodies affect our mouths. Dr. Lin’s personal and professional mission is to prevent dental diseases instead of treating them. I do hope you’ll enjoy today’s interview, pick up a copy of Dr. Lin’s book, and think more about the implications of your health choices on your oral (and total!) health.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our guest today on the empowering neurologist is Valter Longo, PhD. Dr. Longo has created a new dietary approach that in many ways mimics the effectiveness of the more difficult approaches described above, but at the same time is much easier to implement. He calls this diet the Fasting-Mimicking Diet,  FMD, and it is described in great detail in his new, best-selling book, The Longevity Diet.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a great pleasure to have my colleague Dr. Steven Masley on The Empowering Neurologist today. Dr. Masley, the author of the upcoming book The Better Brain Solution, recently published a groundbreaking study that proves, once again, that lifestyle choices help determine your brain’s destiny! We’ll discuss in our conversation today. Enjoy!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is there any question more fundamental to our health than “What should I eat today?” It’s something we grapple with daily, and how we answer that question can set the tone how we feel for days, weeks, or months. Today on the program I’m joined by Dr. Cate Shanahan, who is here to help us better answer this crucial question.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode features D. Same Berne, an optometrist by training. We cover everything from the eye microbiome to cataracts to contact lenses.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode I speak with former guest Dr. Daniel Amen about his newest book Memory Rescue.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the past several years I have frequently referred to Dr. Robert Lustig’s incredibly important book, Fat Chance – The Bitter Truth About Sugar. Dr. Lustig was one of the pioneers in raising awareness as to the addictive issues surrounding sugar as well as its profoundly detrimental effects on human health. Today, I’m going to interview Dr. Lustig about his new book, The Hacking of the American Mind. I was honored to be asked to endorse Dr. Lustig’s book, about which I thought: Our health, resistance to disease, and ability to function on a date-to-day basis have essentially been hijacked, all in the name of corporate profits. Dr. Lustig explores how industry has manipulated our most deep seated survival instincts to motivate our food choices in away that directly undermines our ability to survive. But more importantly, The Hacking of the American Mind eloquently reveals how we can disengage from this influence and reestablish ourselves on a path to wellness. In this new work, Dr. Lustig really puts a lot of the pieces together, allowing us to understand, in a broader sense, why only our health is deteriorating from a physical and mental perspective. During the interview you will hear Dr. Lustig discuss how the manipulation of our food choices is actually an existential threat, and he does a great job in justifying this statement.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s my great honor and privilege to interview Dr. Bredesen for today’s segment of The Empowering Neurologist. I have known Dr. Bredesen for many years and have followed his work closely. He is clearly a pioneer and trailblazer, but more importantly, he is not afraid to challenge the mainstream medical world’s fixation with developing magic bullets, especially as it relates to dealing with a disease like Alzheimer’s. Rather, he has developed a far more comprehensive program that is proving successful – finally! The End of Alzheimer’s has been wonderfully received for its profound scientific foundations, but it is written in a way that is understandable and, more importantly, functional in terms of allowing all of us to make important changes to protect our brains. Today’s interview is very important as it crystallizes so much work that has been taking place over the past decade in understanding neurodegenerative conditions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m sure by now many of you have heard of ButcherBox, an online subscription that allows you to receive 100% grass-fed beef, free-range organic chicken, and heritage breed pork each month. I’ve been very impressed with the mission of this company, how well they are performing, and the quality of their product and customer service. Our interview today is with the founder and CEO of ButcherBox, Mike Salguero. Mike will walk us through how the need for this service became apparent to him, and how he ultimately built and scaled ButcherBox- which now delivers 100% grass-fed beef and other high-quality meats to thousands of people across the U.S. (include Leize and I)! I think you’ll enjoy not only his story, but also the knowledge that there really is an easy way to eat the very best, most healthful beef available, that is also incredibly affordable.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I think it is very clear that, when discussing diabetes, I am almost always talking about type 2. Mostly, this is because type 2 diabetes is so much more common and, to a significant degree, avoidable. Type 1 diabetes, on the other hand, is less related to lifestyle choices as it is an autoimmune condition. By and large, dietary recommendations for type 1 diabetic patients center on trying to supply carbohydrates to balance the dosage of insulin that is being used. Our guest today, Dr. Keith Runyan, himself a type 1 diabetic and the author of a groundbreaking book on the subject, challenges this long-held approach. Dr. Runyan believes that by allowing the body to adapt to using fat as its primary energy source, a healthier relationship exists in terms of keeping blood sugar in balance, as well as in overall health. Again, this idea is not generally accepted amongst mainstream healthcare providers, But for those of you who have been following the ketogenic diet story, what Dr. Runyan has discovered does indeed have significant scientific underpinning. Dr. Runyan has practiced clinical medicine in the areas of emergency medicine, internal medicine, nephrology, and obesity medicine for 28 years. As mentioned, he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1998 and with conventional advice achieved the “recommended” HbA1c of 6.5-7% over the next 14 years. However, he was disturbed by frequent unpleasant and embarrassing hypoglycemic episodes. After starting regular exercise to train for triathlons in 2007, his glycemic control actually worsened while taking sports gels to prevent hypoglycemia. When he contemplated doing an Ironman distance triathlon, he sought a better method to control his diabetes. He came across the ketogenic diet in 2012 and experienced not only an improvement in glycemic control, but also a reduction in hypoglycemia and its symptoms. He completed an Ironman distance triathlon in 2012, without hypoglycemia or the need for sugar or food due to the fat adaptation afforded by the ketogenic diet. He is now an advocate for the use of the ketogenic diet for the management of diabetes and has co-authored the book, The Ketogenic Diet for Type 1 Diabetes, which explains its use and benefits for type 1 diabetes. He documents his glycemic results on his blog.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Steven Gundry is a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon, New York Times best-selling author, and medical researcher. During his 40-year career in medicine, he has performed over 10,000 heart surgeries and developed life-saving medical technology. In 2008, his book, Dr. Gundry’s Diet Evolution, revealed his new career shift—using nutrition to help patients heal themselves and avoid surgery. His second book, and the subject of our discussion today, is the New York Times bestseller The Plant Paradox. The book outlines a 90-day plan for some of the world’s most pressing health issues, from obesity to heart disease. Gundry MD, founded by Dr. Gundry in 2016, is a wellness blog and YouTube channel equipping people with powerful tools in the journey to reclaim their health. In our interview today we’re going to explore the very interesting world of plant lectins, a unique type of protein that plants developed to protect themselves against predation. As Dr. Gundry reveals in this interview, it turns out that plant lectins may very well be threatening to human health. We also cover how artificial sweeteners are threatening to the gut, the dangers of soy, why we should eat foods that are “in season”, and other interesting ideas as they relate to the health of the gut and to inflammation, the cornerstone of virtually all degenerative conditions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are certainly hearing a lot these days about the ketogenic diet, and with very good reason. It may turn out that this dietary approach is the most powerful intervention we could entertain, in terms of providing the most salubrious environment for the body and the brain! I’m going to tell you right up front, today’s interview is a bit scientifically intense, but nonetheless absolutely worthwhile. I had the great honor to speak with Dr. Dominic D’Agostino. He is is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine. He is also a Research Scientist at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC). His laboratory develops and tests nutritional strategies and metabolic-based supplements for neurological disorders, cancer and enhancement of physical performance and resilience in extreme environments.  His research is supported by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Department of Defense (DoD), private organizations and foundations. Our time together explored the mechanisms involved in terms of how ketosis is so powerfully beneficial for brain cells and brain health. Again, it is certainly a bit detailed from a scientific perspective, but the information is, in my opinion, hugely valuable.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fibromyalgia seems to be an ever-increasing problem, and while mainstream medicine now recognizes its existence, it is clear that bringing fibromyalgia under control requires far more than simply writing a prescription for an “FDA-approved drug.” My guest today is a specialist in treating not just the symptoms of fibromyalgia, but the underlying disorder itself. Dr. David M. Brady has 25 years of experience as an integrative practitioner and over 21 years in health sciences academia.  He is a licensed naturopathic physician in Connecticut and Vermont, a board certified clinical nutritionist, and completed his initial clinical training as a doctor of chiropractic. He currently serves as the Vice President for Health Sciences, Director of the Human Nutrition Institute, and Associate Professor of Clinical Sciences at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. He also maintains a private practice in Fairfield, CT. Dr. Brady has published a multitude of peer-reviewed scientific papers and textbooks related to chronic pain, autoimmunity and functional gastroenterology and is a featured contributing author in the medical textbooks including: Advancing Medicine with Food and Nutrients (2nd Ed.), and Integrative Gastroenterology. His latest book, The Fibro-Fix, is the subject of today’s interview.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Several months ago I was contacted by today’s Empowering Neurologist guest, Amy Berger, who told me she was going to write a book about how lifestyle choices affect the brain. The working title of the book was The Alzheimer’s Antidote. In fact, Amy even asked me to write the foreword to this new work. After reviewing the manuscript, I told her that I would be delighted to write the foreword as, in my opinion, this would turn out to be an important and informative text. Flash forward, The Alzheimer’s Antidote has now been published and is getting great reviews. The book focuses on how a low-carb, high-fat diet fights Alzheimer’s disease, memory loss and cognitive decline. Amy walks us through the metabolic origins of Alzheimer’s disease, the fallacy of Alzheimer’s disease being caused by overproduction of beta-amyloid, the importance of exercise and other lifestyle choices, and even the notion of repairing a broken brain. It’s an excellent book, and I’m hoping you enjoy today’s interview.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Joe Mercola is my guest today on The Empowering Neurologist. He is a board-certified family physician who has treated over 25,000 patients from around the world. Dr. Mercola encourages and educates people about safe and inexpensive nutritional, lifestyle and exercise options to radically reduce their risk of dying prematurely from dangerous drugs and surgeries, as well as cancer and so many of our common and largely preventable degenerative conditions. The topic of our discussion today is his new book, Fat For Fuel. It’s a powerfully user-friendly text that not only clarifies the rationale for powering the body with fat as opposed to sugar and carbs, but also walks the reader through the straightforward nuts and bolts as to how to implement this program and achieve better health. And, as many of you well know, Dr. Mercola is the founder of Mercola.com which has been the most visited natural health site on the internet for the last ten years with over 15 million unique visitors every month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gary Taubes’ new book, The Case Against Sugar, is a riveting deep-dive into the history, politics, perverted science, and subterfuge that have had supporting roles in making sugar so pervasive. Really, who better to write this book than Gary Taubes?!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As many of you know, one of the central themes of my recent book, Brain Maker, deals with the importance of method of birth in terms of seeding an infant’s microbiome. We now know, moving ahead, that even issues like immunity and inflammation later in life are significantly impacted by how a child is born. As I did discuss in the book, work by Dr. Maria Dominguez-Bello at New York University centers on this fundamental event in a person’s life, if and how a baby passes through birth canal. Importantly, she seeks to understand how this exposure inoculates the newborn child with the seeds for his or her future microbiome. In today’s interview, I speak with Toni Harman. Toni is a filmmaker and, with her husband, Alex Wakeford, she created a fascinating film, Microbirth, that focuses on just this exact topic (the importance of how we are born). Now, with her new book, Your Baby’s Microbiome, Toni does a deep dive and explores the possible health consequences related to cesarean section versus vaginal birth, in terms of the microbiome. The book is fascinating and we are going to jump right in. From Amazon.com: At least two amazing events happen during childbirth. There’s the obvious main event, which is the emergence of a new human into the world. But then there’s the non-human event that is taking place simultaneously, a crucial event that is not visible to the naked eye, an event that could determine the lifelong health of the baby. This is the seeding of the baby’s microbiome, the community of ‘good’ bacteria that we carry with us throughout our lives. The seeding of the microbiome, along with other processes including breastfeeding, kickstarts the baby’s immune system and helps to protect the infant from disease for its entire lifetime. However, with interventions like use of synthetic oxytocin, antibiotics, C-section and formula feeding, this microbial transfer from the mother to baby is interfered with or bypassed completely. Emerging research shows that bacteria are absolutely vital for human health, and imbalances in the human microbiome significantly contribute to chronic non-transmissible diseases. Drawing on the extensive research they carried out for their documentary film Microbirth, authors Toni Harman and Alex Wakeford reveal a fascinating new view of birth, and how microscopic happenings can have lifelong consequences, both for ourselves, our children – and our species as a whole.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite so many highly publicized breakthroughs in medical science, cancer remains a formidable disease. Deaths from cancer are actually continuing to rise, at a rate of 3.5 to 4% each year. My interview today is with Dr. Thomas Seyfried. Dr. Seyfried believes cancer isn’t primarily caused by damage to the genes living in the nucleus of the cell, a widely held belief, but rather represents a problem of how cells produce energy from their mitochondria. Ultimately, this defective energy production leads to increased free radical production which may then go on to damage the DNA of the cell nucleus as a secondary event. What is so elegant and compelling about his theory is that it lends itself to a powerful interventional approach centered on simply shifting the energy source of the mitochondria to products derived from fat, as opposed to carbohydrates. Dr. Seyfried received his Ph.D. in Genetics and Biochemistry from the University of Illinois and also holds a Master’s degree in Genetics from Illinois State University He was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Neurology at the Yale University School of Medicine, and then served on the faculty as an Assistant Professor in Neurology. Prior to receiving full professorship, Dr. Seyfried was an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Boston College. Other awards and honors have come from such diverse organizations as the American Oil Chemists Society, the National Institutes of Health, The American Society for Neurochemistry, and the Ketogenic Diet Special Interest Group of the American Epilepsy Society. Dr. Seyfried previously served as Chair, Scientific Advisory Committee for the National Tay-Sachs and Allied Diseases Association and presently serves on several editorial boards, including those for Nutrition & Metabolism, Neurochemical Research, and the Journal of Lipid Research. Dr. Seyfried’s research program focuses on gene environmental interactions related to complex diseases, such as epilepsy, autism, brain cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Seyfried investigates many of these diseases from the perspective of, genetics, and energy metabolism. Much of his work, gratefully, also has direct translational benefit to the clinic. This is a somewhat science-based discussion, but hang in there as there are some critically important gems of information that we get from Dr. Seyfried. Finally, in the broadcast, Dr. Seyfried mentions a book on this subject that’s  geared to a less scientifically minded community. The book is entitled, Tripping Over the Truth, by Travis Christofferson.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s interview is with the New York Times best-selling author ofThe Paleo Solution, Robb Wolf. Robb is an interesting guy for sure. He is a former research biochemist and is regarded as one of the world’s leading experts on nutrition. He has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world via his top-ranked iTunes podcast and wildly popular seminar series. He has functioned as a review editor for the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism and also serves on the Board of Directors of Specialty Health Medical Clinic in Reno, NV. Robb has delivered seminars in nutrition and strength & conditioning to various entities including NASA, the Canadian Light Infantry, Naval Special Warfare, the United States Marine Corps, Twitter/Square and Microsoft. His 2010 bestseller, The Paleo Solution, really jump started the whole paleo movement. Today, Robb focuses on his new book, Wired to Eat, which offers up a more personalized approach to determining what foods are best for optimizing health, but from an individualized perspective.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today’s program, you’ll discover that diabetes may be reversible by means of nutritional interventions. My guest is Dr. Sarah Hallberg, a strong proponent of a very low-carbohydrate approach, not just for diabetes, but for weight loss and even for the improvement of cardiometabolic risk markers. With her organization, Virta Health, she just released a landmark study on this very subject. Dr. Hallberg once gave a terrific TEDx talk that’s worth watching after our interview. She’s the medical director and founder of the Indiana University-Arnett Health Medical Weight Loss Program.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Sara Gottfried M.D. is a Harvard-educated physician, speaker, and author of two New York Times bestselling books, The Hormone Cure, and The Hormone Reset Diet. Her new book, which is what we talk about in this interview, is Younger: A Breakthrough Program to Reset Your Genes, Reverse Aging, and Turn Back the Clock 10 Years. For the past 20 years, Dr. Gottfried has been dedicated to helping women feel at home in their bodies. After graduating as a physician-scientist from Harvard Medical School and MIT, Dr. Gottfried completed her residency at the University of California at San Francisco. She is board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Gottfried Institute is an enormously successful virtual practice. Dr. Gottfried has a disruptive model of how to deliver cutting-edge women’s health to as many women as possible by using technology – including teleseminars, group coaching, webinars, and social media – to reset hormones, reduce stress, and lengthen healthspan among today’s overly busy women, regardless of age and location. As an integrative gynecologist, Dr. Gottfried is a firm believer in treating the root cause of problems, not just the symptoms. She believes in leafy greens and nutrient-dense foods, together with evidence-based integration of botanicals and bioidentical hormones, rather than just prescribing medication. Dr. Sara Gottfried has been featured in publications such as O Magazine, Real Simple, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Family Circle, Natural Health, Women’s World, Redbook and Yoga Journal. She has appeared on national and international TV, including Fox News and 20/20. Dr. Sara lives in Berkeley, California with her husband and 2 daughters. In closing, here’s a great quote from  Dr. Gottfried that sets the stage for our interview: “I’ve had nearly every hormonal problem a woman can get – I’ve done the leg work and reviewed the studies exhaustively so you don’t have to!”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s Empowering Neurologist interview is with Nina Teicholz. Nina Teicholz is an investigative journalist and author of the International (and New York Times) bestseller, The Big Fat Surprise, and this groundbreaking book is what we’re discussing today. The Economist named it the #1 science book of 2014, and it was also named a 2014 Best Book by the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Mother Jones, and Library Journal.  The Big Fat Surprise has upended the conventional wisdom on dietary fat and challenged the very core of our nutrition policy. A review of the book in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition read, “This book should be read by every nutritional science professional.” A former editor of the British Medical Journal said, “Teicholz has done a remarkable job in analyzing [the] weak science, strong personalities, vested interests, and political expediency” of nutrition science. Before taking a deep dive into researching nutrition science for nearly a decade, Teicholz was a reporter for National Public Radioand also contributed to many publications, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, The New Yorker, and The Economist. She attended Yale and Stanford where she studied biology and majored in American Studies. She has a master’s degree from Oxford University and served as associate director of the Center for Globalization and Sustainable Development at Columbia University.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unfortunately, we generally underestimate both the importance of the liver and the risk that we may have for liver disease. But there’s an important, and generally silent, health crisis impacting one-third of the American population: nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Because its symptoms often don’t manifest until the liver is seriously compromised, many people are not aware that they are at risk. Did you know that if you have fatty liver disease, you are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease (heart attack and stroke), and other devastating conditions, such as liver cirrhosis and liver cancer? Award-winning dietitian Kristin Kirkpatrick and hepatologist Dr. Ibrahim Hanouneh have teamed up for a life-changing program that will help you achieve optimal health. Skinny Liver‘s four-week program shares the steps you can take to get your liver health back on track, and we’re going to talk about this on our program todaySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m sure many of you are acquainted with JJ Virgin. She’s been a powerful force in the area of lifestyle change for better health. As fate would have it, four years ago, JJ was confronted with an experience that challenged her to her very core. Her son was struck by a car in a hit-and-run accident and he was given very little chance for survival. How JJ dealt with this event, and the ultimate outcome, are deeply inspiring, so let’s get right to the interview. All of this is also captured in JJ’s newest book and documentary, Miracle Mindset. If today’s interview resonates with you, I suggest you sign-up to watch her documentary to learn more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s interview is with a very good friend, Nora Gedgaudas. Nora is one of the most respected authorities on ketogenic, ancestrally-based nutrition for whole-body, optimum health. Using her deep understanding of science and 30+ years of relentless research and 20 years of clinical application, Nora successfully connects the dots to real, lasting results where others fall prey to the latest fads and misquoted studies.  Nora is the author of the international best-selling book, Primal Body, Primal Mind which was certainly a game changer for me. Over the years I have purchased this book by the caseload to give out to patients and friends. Her newly released book, Primal Fat Burner: Live Longer, Slow Aging, Super-Power Your Brain, and Save Your Life With A High Fat, Low-Carb Paleo Diet has been lauded by best-selling author and journalist Nina Teicholz as “a unique and profound contribution to the field.” I was honored to have written the foreword for this new work. Nora is an experienced nutritional consultant, speaker and educator, widely interviewed on national and international radio, popular podcasts, online summits, TV, and film.  Her own popular podcasts are widely listened to on iTunes and are available to download from her website. She maintains a private practice in Portland, Oregon as both a Board-Certified nutritional consultant and a Board-Certified clinical Neurofeedback Specialist.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s interview is with Dr. John Douillard. He’s the author of a new book entitled Eat Wheat: A Scientific and Clinically-Proven Approach to Safely Bringing Wheat and Dairy Back into Your Diet. I’m sure many of you are a bit surprised that we would be exploring a book with such a compelling title, but I think it’s so important and valuable to look at various viewpoints through meaningful discussion. Eat Wheat is a very well-researched book and in it, Dr. Douillard makes some very good points. Clearly, as you will see in the interview, we do not necessarily see eye-to-eye on a number of points. Nonetheless, I think you’ll find our conversation very stimulating. John Douillard,DC CAP, is a globally-recognized leader in the fields of natural health, Ayurveda, and sports medicine. He is the creator of LifeSpa.com, the leading Ayurvedic health and wellness resource on the web. Dr. Douillard is the former Director of Player Development and nutrition expert for the former New Jersey Nets of the NBA, bestselling author of 7 health books, including his newest, Eat Wheat,  that we will review today. He has appeared on the Dr. Oz show, and has been featured in USA Today, The LA Times, and dozens of other national publications. He has been in practice for over 30 years and practices in Boulder, Colorado.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the central tenets of my work focuses on the importance of eating good food.  When we talk about what constitutes good food choices, please realize that this goes well beyond simply the type of food, but also encompasses quality. My guest on the program today is Larry Olmsted. He’s the author of the new book Real Food, Fake Food. The reason I asked him to appear on the program today is that his new book is extremely revealing in terms of just how deep and pervasive food fraud is in America. For instance, he reveals that most of the olive oil sold in America is actually fake. He also reveals a study showing that 100% of sushi restaurants in New York City that were screened were serving fish that was not the type advertised. He goes on to describe the fraud that is pervasive in cheese and meat products here in America. Fortunately, he gives us some good tips in terms of what we can do to protect ourselves in terms of our food selection process. Larry is a food writer for USA Today as well as Forbes.com, and is very well-informed on the subject of his book, as you will now see.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s interview on The Empowering Neurologist is with Josh Perry. Josh is a highly competitive BMX athlete who has a very compelling story to tell. In March 2010 he fell while training. This led to an MRI of the brain that revealed an extensive brain tumor which ultimately required surgery. Initially, Josh did pretty well. But then, two other tumors were diagnosed and treated, as he will explain in today’s discussion. Because of these experiences, Josh made some major lifestyle changes. He also dedicated himself to helping others in a way that I think you will all very much honor. I am certain you will enjoy this interview with this very inspiring young man.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Anna Cabeca is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology. Her work goes well beyond standard practice as she embraces the importance of lifestyle choices applied to the needs of the patient, insofar as creating more meaningful therapeutic programs than drug therapy alone. It’s a very interesting interview that really answers a lot of questions related to women’s health issues, especially in areas like hormone replacement therapy and events occurring before, during, and after menopause. Enjoy. To learn more about Dr. Cabeca, visit any of these links: Magic Menopause Sexual CPR Dr. Cabeca’s Website See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alzheimer’s disease represents the effects of inflammation on the brain. By now, you are all aware of the fundamental role of our gut bacteria in terms of regulating this process of inflammation in the human body. Today’s episode of The Empowering Neurologist features my interview with Dr. Molly Fox, a biological anthropologist at UCLA. Her work has connected some important concepts that relate risk of Alzheimer’s disease (using research in various countries), to measurable differences in gut bacteria diversity. It’s a fascinating interview with a very gifted and dedicated scientist.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s interview on The Empowering Neurologist is with Dr. Michael Lewis. Dr. Lewis explains the profoundly protective and restorative effects of omega-3 fatty acids in brain trauma, an all too common experience. He is a renowned expert on brain health, particularly the use of omega-3 fatty acids for the prevention, management, and rehabilitation of concussions and traumatic brain injury. He founded the Brain Health Education and Research Institute in late 2011 after he retired as a U.S. Army Colonel with a distinguished 31-year career. His pioneering work has helped countless thousands of people around the world and has been recognized by the American College of Nutrition with their prestigious 2015 Humanitarian Award. Dr. Lewis’ work has been featured on Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s CNN program, and he regularly appears in the media. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. He completed post-graduate training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University, and Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. He is board-certified and a Fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine and the American College of Nutrition.  He is currently in private practice in the Washington, D.C. area, and the author of the book, When Brains Collide.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I recently had the opportunity to visit Australia to spend five days with other researchers and clinicians teaching a group of very forward-thinking healthcare providers. While there, my wife and I had the great fortune of being able to reconnect with our friend Pete Evans and his lovely wife. Here’s more about Pete: He’s an internationally renowned chef, restaurateur, author and television presenter. His passion for food and a healthy lifestyle inspires individuals and families around the world. A love of food saw Pete begin his career as a chef and restaurateur at the age of 19, opening numerous award-winning restaurants nationally as well as cooking in some of the finest restaurants around the world. Pete has not only cooked for the general public, but he’s also cooked a royal banquet for the Prince and Princess of Denmark a private dinner for Martha Stewart, and even represented his hometown at the gala G’Day USA dinner for 600 in NYC...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s clear that the prevalence of autoimmune conditions is on the rise. Far and away, the most common autoimmune condition in America is directed against the thyroid gland, autoimmune thyroiditis. Like all autoimmune conditions, autoimmune thyroiditis is far more common in women, but for a reason that remains unclear. Nonetheless, it is clear that environmental issues, or lifestyle choices, seem to be playing a very important role in causing an imbalance within the immune system, paving the way for thyroid problems. In today’s program, I have the great honor of interviewing Dr. Amy Myers. Dr. Myers is very much a pioneer in getting out the information related to how lifestyle choices affect the immune system, and is very candid about her own personal experience with thyroid disease. Her new book is certainly worth reading, as it is filled with not only great information, but information upon which you can act to achieve more balance in immune function. I think you’re going to enjoy this interview.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Michael Callahan is CEO and co-founder of the Zika Foundation. He is a highly respected “physician scientist”,  who is board-certified in internal medicine, infectious disease, tropical medicine and mass casualty care, and is on both the clinical and research faculty at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Dr. Callahan has clinical appointments globally, including in Thailand, Indonesia, Panama, and Nigeria. From 2005-2012, Dr. Callahan established Prophecy, the first rapid deployment clinical research capability for catastrophic infectious diseases outbreaks, such as Ebola. Dr. Callahan has served as special advisor on infectious disease to two presidents, the Secretaries of Defense and of Health and Human Services, and  the Office of the Commissioner of the FDA. Dr. Callahan has been deployed to 7 mass casualty disease outbreaks, including Ebola, Marburg, H5N1 and H7N9 bird flu, and MERS. He used his experience with dengue to launch the Zika Foundation, where he is accelerating sustainable and low-cost interventions to protect women and men from Aedes mosquitos, which transmit dengue, chikungunya and the Zika virus.  His mission is to ensure that the 64 million pregnancies that occur every year in the tropical Americas are kept safe from Zika, and to prevent the epidemic of paralytic Guillain-Barre Syndrome that may well occur in southern nations over the next five years. The interview that you’re about to see challenges our basic understanding of the Zika virus. Dr. Callahan reveals, for example, that new research clearly demonstrates that Zika virus can have long-term neurological effects in adults. He discusses how the aerial spraying efforts, so common in South Florida, are actually ineffective and inappropriate for targeting the specific mosquito that transmits the virus. However, Dr. Callahan does provide us with some very important, and actionable, tools for reducing our risk of contracting Zika, both in terms of what we can do to reduce the prevalence of the Aedes mosquito and also how we can protect ourselves day-to-day. It’s clear that we have to rewrite the book as it pertains to our understanding of mosquitoes, specifically as it relates to the Aedes mosquito that serves as the carrier of the Zika virus. Unlike what we’re used to, this mosquito lives indoors, and, according to Dr. Callahan, is actually able to watch our eyes to determine when is the best time to inflict its bite. Dr. Callahan explores the effectiveness of various insect repellents and even touches upon his research dealing with genetically modified male mosquitoes in an attempt to limit the reproduction of the mosquito that carries this threatening virus.  If you enjoyed today’s interview, click here to watch more episodes of the Empowering Neurologist.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who knew that our lifestyle choices play such an important role in balancing the immune system? On today’s program, I chat with Dr. Susan Blum, founder of the HealMyGut program and author of the wonderful book The Immune System Recovery Plan, which really zeroes in on this critical concept, to understand how the choices you make can dictate your immune health.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a given that our emotions, behaviors, and responses to our environment are shaped by our early life experiences. I think most of us can probably wrap our arms around the idea that the experiences of our parents may also play a role in how we see the world. In an interesting new book, Mark Wolynn describes how the experiences of our grandparents actually leave an imprinted legacy on our DNA. He describes his clinical experiences in dealing with people with seemingly unsolvable issues by unraveling events that occurred in their ancestors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

These days we are hearing so much about the so-called, “gut brain connection.” As many of you will note, this was the central thesis of Brain Maker. On today’s program we will explore a new book, The Mind-Gut Connection, by my friend Dr. Emeran Mayer. Dr. Mayer is a Gastroenterologist, Neuroscientist and Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Physiology and Psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.  He is the Executive Director of the Oppenheimer Family Center for Neurobiology of Stress at UCLA. As one of the pioneers and leading researchers in the role of mind-brain-body interactions in health and chronic disease, his scientific contributions to the broad area of basic and translational enteric neurobiology with wide-ranging applications in clinical GI diseases and disorders is unparalleled. He has published more than 300 scientific papers, and co-edited 3 books. He is the recipient of the 2016 David McLean award from the American Psychosomatic Society. His most recent work has focused on the role of the gut microbiota in influencing the brain, the role of food addiction in obesity, and the role of the brain in chronic inflammatory diseases of the gut. He has a longstanding interest in ancient healing traditions and affords them a level of respect rarely found in Western Medicine. He has been involved in documentary film productions about the Yanomami people in the Orinoco region of Venezuela and will discuss these experiences, dating back 40 years, with us today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sitting can wreak havoc on your health, and not just in the form of minor aches and pains. Recent studies show that too much sitting contributes to a host of diseases—from obesity and diabetes to cancer and depression. The typical office worker, who spends most of his or her day at a desk, suffers from more musculoskeletal injuries than those workers who do daily manual labor. It turns out that sitting is as much an occupational risk as is lifting heavy weights on the job. The facts are in: sitting literally shortens your life. Your chair is your enemy, and it is murdering your body. In his groundbreaking new book, Deskbound, Dr. Kelly Starrett—renowned physical therapist and author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller Becoming a Supple Leopard—unveils a detailed battle plan for surviving, and thriving, in our chair-centric society. Deskbound provides creative solutions for reducing the amount of time you spend perched on your backside, as well as strategies for transforming your desk into a dynamic, active workstation that can improve your life. I’m sure you will get a lot out of this interview as did I. Maybe you’ll even want to watch it standing up!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brenda Watson has done some incredible work over the years, as it relates to educating us on the importance of our dietary choices. Like so many in this field she is now deeply involved in exploring how food is interpreted and processed by our gut bacteria, and, further, how these organisms play a pivotal role in determining the state of our health. Brenda has been featured on multiple public television programs and authored highly insightful books, and now, in this video, we will yet again have the opportunity to experience her wisdom. Do enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At this point, it’s becoming a more commonplace topic in our conversations about Alzheimer’s that the disease is, in fact, preventable. While we’re not quite there yet in terms of general acceptance of this idea, the work of Dr. Melissa Schilling reveals the key insight that blood sugar regulation plays a pivotal role in determining the health of the brain, and your risk for neurological degeneration, specifically potential development of Alzheimer’s Disease. In today’s interview, Dr. Schilling describes the reasons for her interest in Alzheimer’s, as well as her recent landmark publication in which she reveals, yet again, this incredible relationship between blood sugar, diet, and risk for Alzheimer’s disease. For more, read the blog post I authored on her findings. I’m hoping you’ll enjoy this interview, I sure did.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I recently had the great pleasure of discussing Glyphosate and its impact on human health with Dr. Stephanie Seneff of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Dr. Seneff’s work focuses on the role of toxic chemicals and how they can affect the environment, and importantly, your health. We spoke at length about her work, including the potential link between conventional farming, pesticide use, and autism. I found this talk to be an invigorating and very informative conversation, and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s program features an interview with my good friend, Dr. Terry Wahls. Dr. Wahls is a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Iowa and a staff physician at the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Hospital, where she teaches medical students and resident physicians, sees patients in traumatic brain injury and therapeutic lifestyle clinics (who often present with complex chronic health problems that include multiple autoimmune disorders), and conducts clinical trials. She is also a patient with a chronic progressive neurological disorder, secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, which confined her to a tilt-recline wheelchair for four years. But through her nonstop efforts to learn about the underlying biochemical events that characterize this and so many other neurodegenerative conditions, Dr. Wahls restored her health and now pedals her bike five miles to work each day. Dr. Wahls has written several books, and today we will be discussing her latest work, The Wahls Protocol. This book summarizes her use of intensive nutrition to recover from her secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. She shows how to eat for health, and the actions we need to take to ensure our mitochondria and brain cells have all the building blocks necessary to truly thrive. Pay close attention as there is so much empowering information in today’s program!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s interview is with my good friend, Jeffrey Smith. The leading consumer advocate promoting healthier, non-GMO choices, Jeffrey Smith’s meticulous research documents how biotech companies continue to mislead government leaders and safety officials to put the health of society at risk. Jeffrey’s feature-length documentary, Genetic Roulette — The Gamble of Our Lives, links genetically engineered food to toxic and allergic reactions, infertility, digestive disorders, and numerous health problems that have only increased in their incidence since genetically modified organisms (GMOs) were introduced. His books include: Seeds of Deception (the world’s bestseller on GMOs), and Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, which is the authoritative work on GMO health dangers. An admired keynote speaker, Mr. Smith has lectured and testified in 42 countries, counseled leaders from every continent, and is a regular presenter at medical conferences. He has been interviewed by hundreds of media outlets, including the Dr. Oz Show, The Doctors, and The Daily Show. He is the founding executive director of The Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT) and is currently working on a new film called Secret Ingredients, and we will certainly be talking about this powerful documentary. There’s a lot of conjecture about GMO these days, and my hope is that Jeffrey will provide information that will ultimately prove helpful for each of you, in terms of your day-to-day decisions as they relate to GMO foods.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We live in a toxic world. Whether it’s pesticides on our foods, heavy metals in our water, or bisphenol-s in baby bottles, our ability to respond to these challenges represents a critically important parameter in determining our health as well as long-term risk for disease. Today on The Empowering Neurologist, I interview Dr. Deanna Minich, author of the new book, Whole Detox: A 21-Day Personalized Program to Break Through Barriers in Every Area of Your Life. Dr. Deanna Minich is an internationally-recognized lifestyle medicine expert, creative visionary, and teacher, as well as the author of five books. Her extensive background in nutrition, yoga, and personal growth led her to create a whole-self, colorful approach to health called Food & Spirit. She developed the Certified Food & Spirit Practitioner Program to provide health professionals with a practical way to apply the Food & Spirit framework with their patients and clients. She is author of Whole Detox, a book based on a whole-life, whole-systems, whole-foods approach to detoxification, as well as on her Detox Summit, the world’s largest online symposium on detox, featuring with 30 leaders field.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Josh Axe is a doctor of natural medicine and clinical nutritionist, as well as a doctor of chiropractic medicine, with a passion to help people get healthy by using food as medicine. Dr. Axe has created one of the top 10 most visited natural health websites in the world, which has over 4,000,000 monthly visitors, which covers nutrition, natural medicine, fitness, healthy recipes, home remedies and trending health. Dr. Axe has also been a physician for many professional athletes. He worked with professional swimmers, including Ryan Lochte and Peter Vanderkaay, providing nutritional advice and musculoskeletal work on athletes to improve performance. He also traveled to the 2012 Olympic games in London to work with Team USA. Dr. Axe has authored several books and programs, including The Real Food Diet Cookbook. Today we are going to talk about his new book, Eat Dirt, that explores the fundamental role of the microbiome as it relates to health and disease risk.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on the Empowering Neurologist I interview the inspiring actress, businesswoman, and author Suzanne Somers. Suzanne Somers is one of America’s most popular and beloved personalities. In a multifaceted career that has spanned more than three decades, she has achieved extraordinary success as an actress, singer, comedienne, New York Times bestselling author, Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year, entrepreneur, and lecturer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on the Empowering Neurologist I interview my long-time friend and colleague Dr. Mark Hyman. Dr. Hyman is a practicing family physician, a nine-time #1 New York Times bestselling author, and an internationally recognized leader, speaker, educator, and advocate in his field. He is the Director the Clevland Clinic Center and serves as founder and medical director of The UltraWellness Center. Dr. Hyman is a regular medical contributor on many television shows including CBS This Morning, Today, Good Morning America, CNN, The View, and The Dr. Oz Show.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, my interview is with Dr. Frank Lipman. Dr. Lipman received his initial medical training in South Africa, getting his degree in 1979 and emigrating to the United States in 1984. He became board-certified in internal medicine after serving as Chief Medical Resident in his final year of residency at Lincoln Hospital in New York City. Becoming more and more aware of both the strengths and the weaknesses of his training, he began to study acupuncture, Chinese medicine, functional medicine, nutrition, herbal medicine, biofeedback, meditation and yoga.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I have been an admirer of Dr. Christiane Northrup for the past 30 years. Her pioneering efforts in the integration of complementary healthcare approaches into mainstream medicine were profoundly influential for me at a time when I was looking for new ideas to expand my practicing repertoire as it related to neurological conditions. She is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist and former assistant clinical professor at the Maine Medical Center.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alzheimer’s disease now affects more than 5.5 million Americans, and it is a disease without cure or meaningful treatment. Dr. Mary Newport, a medical doctor specializing in the care of critically ill newborns, was thrust into the role of caregiver when her husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. But rather than remain passive and agree to the “standard of care”, Dr. Newport began an in-depth pursuit to gain an understanding of what actually underlies the neuronal failure characteristic of this disease. She chronicles this journey, and her discoveries, in her book Alzheimer’s Disease: What If There Was a Cure?.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are your best intentions always falling by the wayside as it relates to following dietary advice? Today on The Empowering Neurologist, I interview Rena Greenberg, author of, The Craving Cure. Rena Greenberg’s success with weight loss hypnosis and gastric bypass hypnosis has been featured in 150+ news stories including USA Today, Woman’s World Magazine, The Doctor’s Show, CNN, Good Morning America and ABC-TV Nightline.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on The Empowering Neurologist, I spend some time with my long-time friend and colleague, Dr. Leo Galland. Dr. Galland is one of the true pioneers in functional medicine, who has dedicated his professional life to practicing medicine in a way that utilizes the latest scientific advances coupled with the most profound insights of ancient healing systems. Thus, he is able to give his patients the best tools to preserve health, increase longevity and speed recovery from illness.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on The Empowering Neurologist,  I interview Dr. David Ludwig. Dr. Ludwig is a practicing endocrinologist and researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital, Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, and Professor of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Ludwig has published over 150 scientific articles, and presently serves as Contributing Writer for JAMA. He is founding director of the Optimal Weight for Life (OWL) program at Children’s Hospital, one of the country’s oldest and largest multidisciplinary clinics for the care of overweight children. OWL serves as a home for research into innovative approaches to treat childhood obesity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s interview is with Dr. Vincent Pedre, author of Happy Gut, a new book that drives home the powerful connection between gut health and health problems throughout the body. Dr. Pedre illuminates mechanistically how gut problems set the stage for fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, and any number of common inflammatory disorders.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As you are all aware, we’ve been posting a lot of information centered on the pivotal role of the diversity of gut microbes in terms of health and disease. Now it’s time to take a broader view. In today’s interview I explore how loss of biodiversity on the planet, and specifically in the Amazon, poses a threat to the health of our planet. While we jump from micro to macroscopic in our scope, the underlying principles are remarkably similar, as you will learn from my discussion with my long-time friend, Dr. Mark Plotkin.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on The Empowering Neurologist, Dave reveals how he came to understand why we need to favor a diet that provides a special type of fat, ketones, to power the brain and regain energy and stamina. It’s a fascinating exploration of what one motivated individual has been able to accomplish when faced with adversity. Most importantly, this interview commemorates the launch of his new book, Bulletproof: The Cookbook, now available everywhere.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s certainly one thing to report on how making certain lifestyle changes can impact brain function and disease resistance, and even document these changes on various tests of brain performance. But my guest on today’s program has taken it an important step further. Dr. Daniel Amen not only implements these positive changes into the lives of his patients, but he utilizes the latest technology in brain imaging to document and follow these changes in patients suffering from a vast array of brain issues, including sports-related trauma, depression and other mood disorders, dementia, and even drug abuse. Dr. Amen’s work was recognized as one of the top 100 science stories for 2015 by Discover Magazine. So please enjoy this interview with one of the most highly regarded thought leaders in brain science of our time. Be sure to also grab a copy of his revised edition of Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, released November 2015.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week’s video, I had the pleasure of interviewing medical researcher and journalist Gary Taubes. Notably, Gary wrote both “Why We Get Fat” and “Good Calories/Bad Calories”, and is a pioneer of the idea that it isn’t fat that makes us fat, but simple sugars and carbohydrates. Join us for an in-depth discussion on nutrition, obesity, health, and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this video interview with Johns Hopkins gastroenterologist Dr. Gerard Mullin, we explore the fascinating relationship between gut bacteria and our general health as well as the pivotal role of changes in the microbiome in obesity. There’s a lot of actionable information that Dr. Mullin provides that will help you make lifestyle changes for better health.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this video interview with Dr. Derrick MacFabe we discuss the fascinating new research that connects changes in gut bacteria to autism spectrum disorder. Dr. MacFabe is on the leading edge of this research so I hope you find this interview as intriguing as I did.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.