Evolution of Medicine Podcast (general)

James Maskell’s guest on this episode is Dr. Elisa Song, a holistic pediatrician whose mission is to educate clinicians and parents alike about environmental toxicity in children and how to help children thrive by improving their health. She has written books, organized conferences and is passionate about addressing environmental toxicity.  

In this episode, she discusses several sources of toxins in children and the importance of toning the vagus nerve as a strategy to improve children's well-being. Dr. Song’s upcoming book, Healthy Kids, Happy Kids: An Integrated Pediatrician's Guide to Whole Child Resilience, provides practical guidance to help promote health and resilience in children, including advice about how to read food labels and avoid harmful additives.

Check out this empowering conversation to learn more about:

  • Food additives that contribute to leaky gut and chronic illnesses.

  • The importance of parasympathetic exercises for children with chronic symptoms or illnesses.

  • How environmental toxins are contributing to chronic illness.

  • Dr. Song’s book, Healthy Kids, Happy Kids: An Integrated Pediatrician's Guide to Whole Child Resilience, available on May 14, 2024. 

 

Direct download: 20240318_Podcast_Elisa_Song.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:30am CDT

In this podcast episode, James Maskell interviews Dr. Navaz Habib about the importance of the vagus nerve in healing and overall health.

Dr. Habib explains that the vagus nerve plays a critical role in shifting the body from a sympathetic (fight or flight) state to a parasympathetic (rest and digest) state, which is necessary for healing. He emphasizes the importance of creating a safe and supportive environment for patients to feel connected and reduce stress. Dr. Habib also discusses the role of physical trauma, such as head injuries or spinal misalignments, in affecting vagus nerve function.

He recommends various strategies to improve vagus nerve tone, including diaphragmatic breathing, gargling, humming and physical exercise. Dr. Habib's new book, Upgrade Your Vagus Nerve, provides further information on these strategies and their impact on overall health.

Listen to the full conversation to learn how:

  • The vagus nerve is the organ of unity, connecting all organs and systems in the body.
  • Chronic diseases are diseases of disconnection, both internally and externally.
  • Breathing exercises, such as slow, nasal and diaphragmatic breathing, can help regulate the breath and shift the body into a parasympathetic state.
  • Gargling, humming and vocalization can stimulate the vagus nerve and activate the parasympathetic system.
  • The vagus nerve is a unifying topic for health professionals and can be beneficial for patients of all ages and conditions.
Direct download: 20240206_Podcast_Dr._Navaz_Habib.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:02am CDT

In this episode, Dr. Joan Rosenberg discusses her book, 90 Seconds to A Life You Love, and the concept of living life by design. Many believe their circumstances dictate their lives; our guest asserts that one can design their life by having a vision or big goals and working towards them despite the circumstances.

Dr. Rosenberg shares the importance of paying attention to how thoughts and feelings are expressed and managing emotional states effectively. She introduces the concept of the "Rosenberg reset," which involves choosing awareness by experiencing unpleasant feelings for 90 seconds and using insights gained from those feelings to make decisions or act.

Dr. Rosenberg also discusses how clinicians can apply these principles in their practice, including addressing difficult topics with patients and handling their own emotions. She suggests using a soft contract with patients to discuss sensitive issues and delivering information with well-intentioned kindness. Dr. Rosenberg believes confidence and resiliency can be developed when clinicians are able to confront difficult topics and handle the responses they receive.

Download and listen to this conversation to learn more about:

  • How to develop confidence as a clinician
  • Why emotional mastery is an important component of successfully collaborating with patients
  • The eight emotions we need to accept to feel more capable in our lives
  • Using “soft contracts” and offering observations tentatively to deliver difficult messages to patients
  • And much, much more

Joan I. Rosenberg, PhD, creator of Emotional Mastery™ and Emotional Mastery Training™, is a highly regarded expert psychologist, master clinician, trainer and consultant. She is a cutting-edge psychologist who is known as an innovative thinker, trainer and speaker. 

Direct download: 20231221_Podcast_Joan_Rosenberg_2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00pm CDT

ummary 

Our guest, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Scott Mann is a former U.S. Army Green Beret, and he now shares his skills and experience as a storyteller, speaker, actor, playwright and leadership trainer. During this podcast episode, he joined Kristen Brokaw, our host for the Business of Functional Medicine quarterly series, to discuss the importance of emotional recovery and human connection for clinicians so they can combat burnout and build trust with patients.

Scott Mann's experience in the Special Forces, where relationships were crucial to his survival, has shaped his approach to leadership and communication. He now helps business, nonprofit and corporate leaders develop interpersonal influence skills to bridge trust gaps and engage with others effectively. He also highlights the power of storytelling in healing and fostering connections.

Scott encourages practitioners to share their own stories and ask thoughtful, open-ended questions to build trust and understanding with patients and peers.

Check out this episode to learn more about the following:

·       Scott Mann’s Pre-Engagement Preparation (PEP) technique (demo video) 

  • What the world should learn from acting and storytelling practices
  • High performers and mental health issues, and why clinicians must protect their well-being
  • Storytelling heals and is a sense-making tool
  • Why narrative competence may be the most important soft skill for clinicians to foster  
  • And much, much more!
Direct download: 20231019_Podcast_Scott_Mann.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:15am CDT

Zandra Palma, MD practices what she calls “sub-diagnostic analysis and disease reversal,” which is primarily environmental medicine with a touch of functional medicine. Environmental medicine, according to our guest, looks for elegant solutions to chronic health conditions. This often means removing environmental toxins that trigger mitochondrial dysfunction. 

Common environmental toxins include heavy metals, pesticides, plastics like BPA, and biotoxins like Lyme and mold—among many others. She also discusses the treatments she uses to reboot mitochondrial function.

Her passion is to spread the word about the gravity of the effects environmental toxins have on human health, especially the hormone-disrupting impacts of plastics and BPAs.

She recently gave a TEDx talk, which was censored by the TED organization. Thankfully, she was able to rip the video so you can still watch it online. In her talk, she provides specific tips to protect yourself from environmental toxins and recommendations for initiating grass roots movements in your community.

Other topics Dr. Palma covered in the conversation include:

  •  Factors that motivate patients to care about their environment, such as weight loss, fertility and the health of future generations
  •   The CLARITY-BPA Program
  •  Why environmentalism is a public health issue
  • And much more!
Direct download: 20230830_Podcast_Zandra_Palma_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:30am CDT

Our guest for this episode is Zeev E. Neuwirth, MD, an advocate for transforming healthcare delivery.

He is a healthcare executive with over 15 years of clinical practice in internal medicine and another 15 years in clinical operations, quality improvement, care redesign and population health. Dr. Neuwirth is also a digital health industry advisor, podcast host and author.

His most recent book released in September 2023 is called Beyond The Walls: Megatrends, Movements and Market Disruptors Transforming American Healthcare. It outlines a three-part strategy for the transformation of American healthcare and documents dozens of examples of the visionary, courageous entrepreneurs and leaders who are transcending the constraints of our legacy past.

Dr. Neuwirth is closely aligned with the Evolution of Medicine’s values, and he has been working to change healthcare from a high level within conventional systems.

Download and listen to the episode to learn more about the following:

  • How digital technology and group visits can improve healthcare
  • The importance of reducing or preventing physician burnout
  • The urgency behind transforming payment models to reduce healthcare expenses
  • Practical strategies for transforming healthcare from within large healthcare systems and “beyond the walls” of those systems
  • And much, much more!
Direct download: 20230830_Podcast_Zeev_Neuwirth2.0.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am CDT

Molly Maloof, MD joins the Evolution of Medicine podcast to discuss a shared vision: connection as a critical pillar of healthcare.

Dr. Maloof recently authored and released a book called The Spark Factor, which teaches readers how to personalize biohacking strategies for better energy and health. Dr. Maloof wrote portions of the book to fill the information gaps in biohacking for women, but 80% of its content is also applicable to men.

If you listen to this short yet powerful episode, you’ll quickly recognize how well-aligned Dr. Maloof is with our year of connection. She discussed how loneliness and lack of connection—either social or connecting with your own body and health—is a leading crisis, especially post-pandemic. 

Please listen to the full audio to learn more about the following:

  • How The Spark Factor helps readers personalize their journey to improve their mitochondrial energy
  • How the Functional Forum will be even more critical in the age of digital and medical censorship
  • The seriousness of the loneliness and mental health crises
  • Some practical tips for women to better align with their cycles
  • Tips on fasting and exercise for different patient groups
  • And much, much more!
Direct download: 20230607_Podcast_Molly.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:42am CDT

Guest:  Amanda Wilson, MD, CEO, Founder

In this episode, we learned about emerging, research-based treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD) that pair well with functional medicine values. 

Traditional 12-step programs have startlingly low success rates (8% for Alcoholics Anonymous) and teach some principles that are not supported by scientific literature—for example, that patients must abstain and avoid exposure indefinitely to stay in recovery.  

James’ guest, Amanda Wilson, MD, is an addiction physician who cofounded NorthStar Care, an alcohol treatment center that approaches AUD as a medical issue and offers a year-long, physician-monitored, at-home program. They incorporate functional medicine elements, including nutrition therapy, genomics for personalized medication selection, social support groups, and several technologies, such as virtual reality (VR) and wearables. 

NorthStar Care is partnering with a company developing a wearable device to continuously track not only blood alcohol levels but also glucose and sleep patterns. For their peer support group meetings, they use VR headsets so patients can participate remotely using anonymous avatars, virtual backgrounds and even voice changers for privacy. 

Download and listen to the full conversation to learn about:

  • A genetic factor that makes naltrexone ineffective for a portion of the population
  • The shortcomings of rapid-detox, inpatient rehabilitation and 12-step programs
  • The importance of medical support throughout the recovery process
  • The benefits of using VR for peer support networks
  • And much more!
Direct download: 20230612_Podcast_Amanda_Wilson2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am CDT

Approximately one quarter (25%) of the United States population has non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Patients with this reversible condition have accumulated fat in their liver cells. Over time, this creates inflammation and if left unaddressed, will eventually lead to permanent scarring or cirrhosis of the liver. The condition is highly associated with metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance, and it is projected to become the leading cause of liver transplantation by 2030.

Our guest on this episode of the podcast is Elizabeth Boham, MD. She is trained as both a medical doctor and nutritionist, teaches with the IFM and is the Medical Director for the UltraWellness Center.

 She joins James to share:

            Which symptoms and test results are red flags for NAFLD

            That toxins and alcohol significantly impact liver health and metabolic syndrome

            How lifestyle and nutrition strategies will help patients with the condition  

            Resources and approaches that will help your patients with cardiometabolic disease

            And much more!

Direct download: 20230313_Podcast_Elizabeth_Boham.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:30am CDT

Nathan S. Bryan, PhD is an academic and entrepreneur who has focused his career on the study of nitric oxide for nearly 25 years. He joins the podcast to contribute to the Evolution of Medicine’s current focus on cardiovascular and endothelial health.  

Nitric oxide production is foundational to overall health. Unfortunately, many contemporary environmental and lifestyle factors reduce or prevent nitric oxide production in the body. Suboptimal nitric oxide production is a factor in insulin resistance, cardiovascular issues, erectile dysfunction, long COVID and other post-viral syndromes, chronic fatigue, cognitive disorders, and more.

Tune into this episode to learn about the many lifestyle and environmental factors that can impede or support the production of this important molecule. Some may even surprise you!

Listen to the episode to learn more about:

  • Nitric oxide’s role in cardiovascular, immune and nervous system function
  • The gold standards for measuring functional nitric oxide production
  • James’ and Dr. Bryan’s views on the public health response during the COVID era
  • Using nitric oxide to heal inflammation caused by excess spike protein
  • The risks of using some commercially available products that claim to boost nitric oxide

Also, check out Dr. Bryan’s educational website, which includes a blog, videos and more: https://drnathansbryan.com/

Direct download: 20230208_Podcast_Nathan_Bryan_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:30am CDT