478: The Gut Immune Connection with Emeran Mayer

If you’re interested in meditation and have downloaded an app or purchased a book, yet fail to consistently follow through, this week’s podcast is for you. We’ll discuss meditation for average people living in the real world with recurring guest, Ann Swanson.

Listen and learn:

• Meditation practice vs. meditative practices
• How to manage rumination
• Why different meditation practices can serve you in different scenarios
• How to start small and link your practice to an existing habit

Links

• Meditation for the Real World
• Ann’s Site

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Ann Swanson is a certified yoga therapist and author of the best-selling book, Science of Yoga. She specializes in helping people manage stress, pain and arthritis. Her new book is called, Meditation for the Real World: Finding Peace in Everyday Life.

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The quality of our lives is determined by the quality of our relationships. While most people would probably agree with that statement, they would also admit that their relationships are often troubled. From a psychological perspective, attachment theory can be a helpful frame for understanding our patterns of emotional connection and strife, and it can also provide a path forward toward balance and security.

On this week’s podcast, you’ll meet an author whose work is centered around understanding yourself to create space for healthier relationships.

Listen and learn:

• How to identify your attachment style as secure, anxious, avoidant, or dismissive
• Why we’re often attracted to people who struggle in similar or familiar ways
• Why our fundamental needs must be met

Links

Thais Site

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Thais Gibson is an author, counselor, speaker, and founder of The Personal Development School. She has a background in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), underscoring her deep commitment to understanding and teaching the principles of psychological wellbeing and personal growth​. She’s the author of Attachment Theory: A Guide to Strengthening the Relationships in Your Life. 

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Health education is lacking in most school systems, to the extent that most high school graduates can’t name 10 muscles in their own bodies. Anatomical learning has historically been seen as boring, complex, and difficult to make relevant. Today, things have changed, thanks to 3D software, inexpensive models, and cadaver dissections freely available around the world. On this week’s podcast, you’ll meet an online educator reaching millions monthly with anatomy and physiology videos using real human cadavers.

You'll learn:

• How cadavers are donated and used ethically (or not) in science
• The anomalous nature of all of our bodies
• Why real human bodies are still an invaluable resource in learning
• How to use LLMs / AI to advance your learning

Links

Institute of Human Anatomy

Dissection Room on Youtube

Substack

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Justin Cottle is the Lab Director at the Institute of Human Anatomy, a private human
cadaver lab located in Salt Lake City, Utah. He and his IOHA team reach millions each month through educational social media videos, often using real human cadavers. He is also the creator of The Dissection Room on Substack and YouTube. 

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I’m an introvert. In my private life, I don’t talk much and am mostly in my head. But since the forced isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve come to re-appreciate the power of community. Every single health goal I have becomes so much easier when I’m around positive, supportive people. So once a week, I force myself to practice yoga, take a run, ride my bike, or paddle surf with other people. On one of those runs, I joined up with 120 people on the beach in Barcelona running, doing burpees, and dancing to pop songs. The group is called Midnight Runners, and it turns out it’s a long-standing event that happens all over the world. On this week’s show, you’ll meet the founder to learn about the power of fitness and community.  

Links:

Midnightrunners.com

@gregexplores

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Greg Drach is the co-founder of Midnight Runners with a mission to make fitness more engaging and fun. Drach is an avid traveler and adventurer having visited 65 countries across five continents.

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There is no such thing as a perfect human diet because we are all unique and have unique objectives. The bodybuilder eats to build mass, the dieter plans meals to lose weight, while others use food to manage their mental health. On this week’s podcast, you’ll meet a metabolic psychiatrist who takes a food-first approach in her work with clients.

Listen and learn:

• How to determine if an extreme or moderate approach is best for you
• How ketosis can fuel the brain and cool inflammation
• Why low carb approaches can be helpful for depression, anxiety, OCD, and PTSD
• Short term treatment or long term fix? Sustainability questions explored

Links

Dr. Ede’s site

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Dr. Georgia Ede is a nutrition and metabolic psychiatrist. She has done extensive research on ketogenic diets, and is the author of the book, Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind.

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“I don’t know the meaning of life, but I know the purpose of life: to survive and procreate.” This quote was from a biologist on the podcast eight years ago, and it stuck with me because if he’s right, I’ve achieved my biological imperative and I’m now on borrowed time. While that may sound soulless and even nihilistic, it’s also a helpful frame (for me) as I attempt to make choices to optimize my life in the second half - my bonus time. On this week’s podcast, you’ll meet a researcher who debunks many pop longevity myths and also shares some compelling research around the supplement nicotinamide riboside. Will it make you live forever? No, but it might help you live better for the time you are here.

Listen and learn:

• Why “biological age” tests are inaccurate
• How we’re unlikely to experience “escape velocity”
• Metformin, rapamycin, and resveratrol debunked
• Why so-called longevity clinics giving TRT and HGH are almost certainly reducing - not extending - lifespan  

Links

Brennerlab.net

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Dr. Charles Brenner, the Alfred E. Mann Family Foundation Chair in Diabetes and Cancer Metabolism at City of Hope National Medical Center, discovered nicotinamide riboside (NR) as a crucial precursor to NAD+ in 2004 and a second NR-to-NAD+ conversion pathway in 2007, enhancing yeast cell lifespan. Currently, Dr. Brenner leads groundbreaking clinical trials on NR, focusing on its maternal and neonatal effects and translating animal model findings into safe, evidence-based clinical practices for human metabolic stress conditions.

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• Visit www.yogabody.com

You’ve got a bum knee or wonky hip. Your doctor says you’re a candidate for a joint replacement, and your insurance has approved the procedure - but you’re not sure if you’re ready for that. You know that joint replacement success rates are extremely high. But you also know this is a major surgery with long-term effects, and you’d like to dig your heels in a little longer. What about platelet rich plasma (PRP)? What about stem cells? On this week’s podcast, you’ll meet a regenerative medical doctor whose work is focused on healing ailing joints.

You’ll learn:

• Where stem cells come from
• Exosomes, stem cells, and PRP - what’s the difference?
• Ethical and legal issues surrounding stem cell harvesting
• Why bone, rather than tissue, injections are preferred
• Cost and recovery considerations

Links

Dr Gross Site

About our guest

Dr. Jeffrey Gross specializes in regenerative stem cell medicine and anti-aging. He has an extensive background in treating athletic injuries across many areas such as hips, knees, shoulders, and spine. 

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Osteoarthritis, the wear and tear inflammation of your joints, is so common that some research suggests half of us over the age of 65 will be affected. You’ve probably heard that movement is medicine, but how much movement? And while ibuprofen helps, is long-term use safe? What about all the weird and expensive treatment options? On this week’s podcast, you’ll meet a Professor and rheumatology expert whose work is focused on finding solutions for this common disease.

Listen and learn:

• Which helpful medications might be approved
• Risk vs reward of ibuprofen and injections
• Joint distraction
• Practical planning for managing your condition  

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Tonia Vincent, a Professor of Musculoskeletal Biology at the University of Oxford specializing in Rheumatology. She focuses on understanding osteoarthritis.

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The top New Year's resolutions involve weight loss and fitness. In my industry, January is boom time and February is gloom time as most people have given up on their New Year energy by Valentine’s Day. On this week’s podcast, you’ll meet a non-dogmatic weight loss coach who takes a sustainable, forever approach to sane weight management.

You’ll learn:

• The importance of eating high satiety foods
• Why cinnamon can be a great addition to your morning coffee
• How to navigate liquid calories

Links

Nagina’s Site

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Nagina Abdullah is a weight loss coach who incorporates natural, wholesome foods and practical lifestyle changes, and mindfulness to help clients achieve sustained results.

Alcohol is involved in 28 percent of all fatal car accidents, 37 percent of all violent crime, and is responsible for an unknown number of mental and emotional health challenges. On the flip side, it also has a rich tradition of craftsmanship and cuisine, culture and celebration. In moderation, alcohol has pro-social benefits, lowers social anxiety, and is loved by billions.

If you’re one of those people who can have a drink now and then without much of a thought and certainly no problem, this podcast is not for you. If drinking is causing you to gain weight, struggle the next morning, or is creating big problems in your life and you want to stop, my guest on this week’s show can help.

Listen to learn

• Why social pressure to drink is stronger than almost all other lifestyle pressures
• Helpful language to use during a dry experiment
• How to “test the waters” of sobriety with a dry month or dry 3-month challenge
• The harsh reality of sober life in terms of friends and activities

Links

Rachel’s site

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Rachel Hechman has a troubled history with alcohol, and after three years sober, now helps support other people on their journey to healthier living. 

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• Visit www.yogabody.com