In James Maskell’s first-ever solo podcast, he introduces Evolution of Medicine’s upcoming event, VagusFest. On May 29, 2024, listeners can join the Evolution of Medicine’s debut VagusFest, a participatory education experience focused on toning the vagus nerve, that will provide hands-on healing experiences for participants.  

In this podcast episode, James previews themes that will be explored during VagusFest and expresses how the event will help advance health-promoting medicine.

VagusFest will serve as a model for clinicans to recreate similar events in their local communities as a strategy for carrying out public relations campaigns that promote functional medicine at the local level. VagusFest is a complete set of tools to run a VagusFest event in a community, including step-by-step guides, marketing materials, and PR assets.

Check out the full conversation to learn about:

• James’ thoughts on what has been limiting the growth of functional medicine.
• How to win over new patients who have been deterred by long treatment timelines and expectations to make lifestyle changes.
• How VagusFest will give participants the tools to regulate their own nervous systems and create a sense of unity and healing in their communities.
• Upcoming opportunities for practitioners to participate in VagusFest events and learn how to implement them in their own communities.

Dr. James Carter, the director of the Center for Functional Medicine at Cleveland Clinic, discusses his journey to functional medicine and his role at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Carter is also a vascular medicine specialist and is interested in vascular health from a functional medicine perspective.

He talks about the vision and growth of functional medicine at Cleveland Clinic, including the development of specialized programs for women's health, oncology, pediatrics, and cardiovascular health. Dr. Carter also discusses the importance of group visits and shared medical appointments in functional medicine practice. He shares his excitement for the upcoming Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) Annual International Conference (AIC) and highlights topics he is looking forward to, such as bone health, mental health and pediatric nutrition.

Finally, Dr. Carter reflects on his decision to join Cleveland Clinic and expresses his enthusiasm for the future of functional medicine at the institution.

Check out this full conversation to learn more about:

·         A systems perspective that integrates biological systems with social context in patient care.

·         Educating medical students and integrating functional medicine into cardiology practice

·         Understanding and overcoming resistance to change with patients.

·         A preview of Dr. Carter’s upcoming IFM presentation, and what he’s looking forward to learning from other presenters.

·         And much, much more!

Register here for IFM’s AIC event, occurring May 29-June 1, 2024. You can also register for VagusFest here, which is occurring on the evening of May 29. 

Check out Lifestyle Matrix Resource Center’s new website to learn about their Group Visit Toolkits, tools to enhance patient compliance and more at lifestylematrix.com/membership.

In this episode, we learn about anthroposophic medicine from James Maskell’s guest, Adam Blanning, MD. Anthroposophic medicine takes a holistic approach to humans, nature, illness, and healing by addressing the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of health. The principles and practices of this medicinal form incorporate elements of herbal medicine, homeopathy, movement therapies and more. Anthroposophic medicine was established in the early 1920s by Rudolf Steiner and Ita Wegman.

Anthroposophic medicine can be especially beneficial for children working through chronic illnesses, such as asthma, allergies or behavioral issues. Dr. Blanning also highlights the importance of understanding developmental rhythms and providing support for children during key stages of growth.

Dr. Blanning, in addition to founding the Denver Center for Anthroposophic Therapies, is also involved in consulting for Waldorf schools, which are rooted in Rudolf Steiner’s work.

Check out this full conversation to learn more about:

• James Maskell’s personal experiences with anthroposophic medicine.

• Application of anthroposophic medicine in various settings, including hospitals and private practices.

• The importance of creating healing environments that consider the patient's comfort and well-being, such as reducing noise and promoting rest in hospital settings.

An upcoming training week through the Physicians’ Association for Anthroposophic Medicine on April 27 - May 4, 2024 in Loveland, Colorado.

Guest: Zak Holdsworth, CEO of Hint Health

In this Business of Functional Medicine episode, we hear from Zak Holdsworth, a leader in the health technology industry and the CEO and cofounder of Hint Health.

Hint Health supports the direct primary care (DPC) movement and aims to provide affordable, high-quality health care by offering a successful alternative to the traditional fee-for-service model.

Zak Holdsworth’s company offers technology solutions for DPC clinics, including membership management systems and employer infrastructure. They have also developed an EMR system specifically designed for DPC clinics. Additionally, Hint Health has created Hint Connect, a network product that connects DPC clinics with employers and other health care practitioners.

Their goal is to create a unified network of DPC clinics that can work together to provide better care and reduce costs. The company's vision is to redesign the healthcare system to enable easy access to high-quality, affordable care.

Download and listen to the full episode to learn about:

• The concept of unity and the value of working together in the DPC market.
• Constraints of the fee-for-service model and how removing those constraints can lead to better patient care and alignment with functional medicine practices.
• How Hint Connect allows for rapid patient onboarding and revenue generation for doctors.
• A positive shift in the perception of DPC by insurance brokers, who now see the value in investing in high-value primary care.
• And much, much more!

Plus, check out the visualization of the interconnected relationships across the Hint Health DPC ecosystem.

In this episode, Dr. Tom Guilliams rejoins the podcast to explore the complexities and misconceptions surrounding botanical medicine and how clinicians can maximize the therapeutic effects of herbs.

We learn from Dr. Guilliams that clinicians using herbs should consider the role of the microbiome in terms of absorption and activation of botanical compounds. He explains that because absorption varies from person to person, a personalized approach is needed for optimal outcomes.

Dr. Guilliams also discusses the limitations of traditional clinical trials in evaluating botanical medicine, and he proposes a new framework that considers individual characteristics, such as genetics and microbiome composition. While Dr. Guilliams encourages listeners to embrace the use of botanicals, he also advises questioning the source and efficacy of herbal products and considering the traditional uses of herbs in addition to the isolated compounds.

Please check out the full conversation to learn more about:

• The limitations of curcumin and the need to consider the whole components of herbs.
• Why herbology is complex and requires specialized knowledge.
• The historical and traditional uses of botanical medicine for healing.
• Issues with applying the pharmaceutical model to botanical extracts.
• Why we need to rethink research processes and clinical trial methodologies for botanical medicine.

• And much more!

James Maskell’s guest on this episode is Jeffrey Morrison, MD, whose clinical approach is to use nutrition to prevent or reverse degenerative and chronic disease. In both his clinical practice and as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, he considers detoxification as a critical foundation to health.

During this conversation, Dr. Morrison emphasizes that toxins in the environment are a major cause of disease and that our bodies are not equipped to handle the vast array of chemicals present in our modern environment.

He explains that detoxification is a natural process where cells push toxins into the connective tissue, which then moves them through the lymphatic system, liver, gallbladder, and digestive tract for elimination (or through sweat or breath). However, if the body is overwhelmed with toxins or if the detoxification process is hindered, symptoms and illness can occur. Most often, this looks like visible inflammation, aches and pains, fatigue, skin issues and brain fog.  

Dr. Morrison recommends supporting detoxification through practices such as regular exercise, anti-inflammatory eating, drinking plenty of water, and maintaining regular bowel movements. He also discusses the importance of the lymphatic system in detoxification and the role of the nervous system in regulating detoxification.

 Please listen to this full episode to learn more about:

• Group detox programs to save costs and time, for clinicans and patients alike. 
• The role of saunas in detoxification
• The American Academy of Environmental Medicine’s focus on educating practitioners and advocacy for environmental health
• And much more!

 Evolution of Medicine’s partner, Lifestyle Matrix Resources Center can point you to patient education materials, as well as protocols related to detoxification as well. You can contact them at contactus@lifestylematrix.com.  

In this episode, James interviews Dr. Bryce Appelbaum, a neuro-optometrist. For the first time ever on the podcast, we learn about the field of functional optometry, including how it differs from traditional optometry.

Dr. Appelbaum discusses the importance of vision for overall health and how vision problems can impact learning, behavior and daily life. His framework is shaped by his childhood experience with overcoming visual problems through vision therapy. He is passionate about his mission to raise awareness about functional vision care, even though he faces resistance from conventional optometry.

He also introduces his online vision training program, ScreenFit, which is designed to minimize the negative effects of screens on vision and promote healthy visual habits. Podcast listeners can use the code EVOMED to receive a discount on the ScreenFit program.

Tune into the full conversation to learn more about:

• How one in 10 children have vision problems that impact their ability to learn
• The importance of vision for neurological function, especially in childhood
• Waldorf education and developmentally appropriate educational philosophies
• How inflammation and cardiometabolic health relate to eye function
• And much, much more!

James’ guest on this episode is Dr. Andrew Weil, the founder and leader of a fellowship program for integrative medicine through the University of Arizona. In this role and others, he has significant influence on future generations of integrative medicine practitioners.

In this conversation, Dr. Weil discusses the current state of integrative medicine and his vision for the future. Integrative medicine is becoming more mainstream in the United States, with many medical schools teaching some form of it. However, there is still a long way to go in changing the paradigm of conventional medicine and fully integrating health-promoting practices.

Dr. Weil believes that history is on the side of integrative medicine and that it will eventually become the standard of care. Listen to the full show to discover what is needed going forward to evolve medicine from our guest’s perspective.

This dynamic conversation also touched upon the following topics:

• The role of psychedelics in integrative medicine
• A vision of the future where allopathic medicine is a subspecialty focused on critical care, trauma and terminal care
• The lack of financial incentives for health-promoting and preventative medicine
• The need for studies that compare conventional and integrative medicine in terms of patient outcomes
• And much more!

This interview was also featured in the January 2024 Functional Forum, which kickstarted the Evolution of Medicine’s year of unity.

In this episode, Dr. Mollie James shares her experiences during and after the pandemic. She transitioned from being a critical care physician in an ICU to providing functional and integrative medicine primary care services.  

Dr. James previously had a career in surgical and critical care, which ended because she spoke publicly about providing early COVID treatments and did not receive a vaccine because she has natural immunity. She was put under investigation by a medical board for 18 months, even though the board made no accusation of wrongdoing. This led to her dropping her fellowship credentials. She was also censured by The American College of Surgeons and is now unable to work in another ICU.

You’ll hear her discuss post-vaccine syndrome and how she helps patients clear and recover from excessive spike protein. She is now dedicated to providing personalized care rooted in functional and integrative medicine principles, and she treats a broad spectrum of chronic health conditions beyond COVID and post-vaccine syndromes.

Tune in and download this episode to learn more about: 

• How Dr. James’ first attempt at building a practice failed because she was using an insurance model
• The ethical responsibility of physicians to keep functional medicine affordable
• Her experience working in ICUs during four waves of the pandemic, which included having her ivermectin prescriptions canceled

• Foundational tools to treat post-vaccine syndrome
• And much, much more

Peter Kozlowski, MD is a functional medicine physician based in Chicago, Illinois. In this episode, we discussed the importance of detoxification and gut health in his practice. He emphasizes the need to address the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of health because they play a significant role in detoxification.

Dr. Kozlowski recommends focusing on the basics of detox, such as sleep, hydration, bowel movements, and sweating, before considering more advanced testing and treatments. He also highlights the importance of community and social support for maintaining a healthy detoxification system in the body. Dr. Kozlowski encourages practitioners to work together and collaborate rather than compete in order to better serve patients and improve outcomes.

Download and listen to learn more about the following:

• How recovering from an alcohol-use disorder led Dr. Kozlowski to functional medicine
• The value of testing for heavy metals, mycotoxins and glyphosate
• Addressing the skin and gut barrier during detoxification protocols  
• Dr. Kozlowski’s experimentation with different payment models and in-person versus virtual visits
• Using cortisol labs, stool cultures and other tests to show patients how trauma impacts their health
• And much, much more