In Functional Medicine, we put a heavy emphasis on gut health. We know that a strong gut is not just essential for digesting food and absorbing nutrients, but that it plays a vital role in the immune system and affects the health of the entire body. 

On today’s Broken Brain Podcast, our host, Dhru, talks to Dr. Marvin Singh, an integrative gastroenterologist. Dr. Singh graduated from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, and completed his residency training in internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System, followed by a fellowship training in Gastroenterology at Scripps Clinic and Green Hospital. Dr. Singh was also trained by Dr. Andrew Weil, a pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, at the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine. Dr. Singh uses cutting-edge tests and personally designed protocols to develop a truly individualized plan for his patients based on their genetics, microbiome, metabolism, and lifestyle.

In this episode, Dhru and Dr. Singh talk about the cutting edge research of DNA methylation PhenoAge, which can predict things like aging, inflammation, and heart disease. They discuss how changes in the gut microbiome can impact gene expression, how our microbiome influences the dietary choices we make, and how our gut health can have a significant effect on healthy aging. They also talk about the implications of diet and the gut microbiome in neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disease. 

In this episode, we dive into:

-How DNA methylation can predict age and age-related outcomes (2:24)

-How our gut microbiome influences our food choices (9:35)

-The gut-brain connection (13:22)

-The gut microbiome and neurodegenerative diseases (17:35)

-Dr. Singh’s personal health journey (21:51)

-Why personalization is so important when it comes to our gut health (43:29)

-Food sensitivity testing (46:56)

-Gut microbiome testing (54:05)

-Probiotics (59:49)

-How exercise impacts our gut health (1:07:12)

-Prebiotics (1:09:59)

-Digestive enzymes (1:13:05)

-Fecal transplants (1:20:33)

-Colon hydrotherapy (1:26:39)

-How social connections impact our health (1:32:19)

-Learn more about Dr. Singh and his work (1:38:16)

For more on Dr. Marvin Singh, be sure to follow him on Instagram @DrMarvinSingh, on Facebook @DrMarvinSingh, and on Twitter @DrMarvinSingh. Check out his website https://drmarvinsingh.com, and download his FREE 4 Week Gut Reset e-book, right here. Dr. Singh was also featured in the Interconnected Docu-series which you can watch here. 

If you’re looking to work with an integrative practitioner you can search for one here:

-The Institute for Functional Medicine: https://www.ifm.org/find-a-practitioner/ 

-The Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine: https://integrativemedicine.arizona.edu/alumni.html

Lastly, check out the article Dhru referenced during the interview from Anahad O’Connor: Is There an Optimal Diet for Humans?

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When it comes to addiction, Functional Medicine can offer a comprehensive approach to treating the whole person. 

Mind, body, and spirit need to be taken into account, as well as diet and lifestyle interventions and the ever-so-essential aspect of a supportive and uplifting community. With a systems-based approach, we can cover all of these areas and more, to create long-term recovery.

On today’s Broken Brain Podcast, our host, Dhru, talks to Dr. David Haase, a leading educator and innovator in the emerging field of personalized systems medicine. He graduated from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and completed his medical residency at the Mayo Clinic where, despite the undeniable brilliance and dedication of the doctors around him, he saw countless instances of patients getting better not because of medical advances, but in spite of them.

After years of turbulent reflection, Dr. Haase founded the MaxWell Clinic in Tennessee with the expressed goal to better understand and enable the human body’s miraculous ability to create health. He treats a wide range of conditions and has a special expertise in neurodegenerative and other brain-related challenges, fatigue, and other conditions caused by mitochondrial, inflammatory, and immune dysregulation. Dr. Haase also teaches internationally, including for the Institute for Functional Medicine.

In this episode, Dhru and Dr. Haase talk about how Functional Medicine is a great way to address complex chronic conditions like substance use disorders. They discuss how early life trauma impacts brain development and increases the likelihood of stress, pain and addiction. They also talk about how we can use Functional Medicine to transition from acute care to long-term sustainable recovery.

In this episode, we dive into:

-The connection between stress, pain, and addiction (13:15)

-How opioids affects the gut-brain interaction (19:07)

-Addiction as a chronic disease (22:44)

-How early life trauma impacts brain development (28:19)

-How nutritional deficiencies impact stress, pain, and addiction (35:18)

-Environmental toxins and the susceptibility to stress, pain, and addiction (42:02)

-The importance of community when it comes to our health (51:46)

-Dr. David Haase’s story of how he got into systems-based medicine (57:26)

-How a Functional Medicine doctor can play an important role to support someone in their recovery (1:08:08)

-Learn more about Dr. Haase and his work (1:13:49)

For more on Dr. David Haase, be sure to follow him on Instagram @davidhaasemd, on Facebook @davidhaasemd, and on Twitter @davidhaasemd. Check out his website https://drhaase.com. You can find his book, Curiosity Heals the Human: How to Solve “Unsolvable” Medical Challenges with Better Questions and Advanced Technologies, right here.

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Drug overdose and opioid-related deaths continue to grow at an alarming rate in the United States. According to the CDC, more than 700,000 people died from drug overdoses between 1999 and 2017, and on average, 130 Americans die from an opioid overdose every day. 

On today’s Broken Brain Podcast, our host, Dhru, talks to Dr. John Kelly, Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Founder and Director of the Recovery Research Institute at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Program Director of the Addiction Recovery Management Service, and Associate Director of the Center for Addiction Medicine at MGH. He has served as a consultant to U.S. federal agencies and non-federal institutions and foreign governments. His clinical and research work has focused on enhancing the effectiveness of addiction treatment and recovery support services, stigma reduction, and addiction and criminal justice. 

In this episode, Dhru and Dr. Kelly talk about the current approach to addressing addiction in our country, and the power of language when it comes to destigmatizing addiction. They discuss how the opioid crisis became a self-manufactured epidemic and the importance of building an effective public health infrastructure to combat the opioid crisis and other substance use disorders. They also talk about the best way to support a loved one with an addiction, and the importance of social connections for long-term recovery. 

In this episode, we dive into:

-Changing the language around addiction (13:39)

-The current model of treating addiction: admit, treat, discharge (23:56)

-The National Recovery Study (26:40)

-Pathways to recovery (33:31)

-The social factors into and out of addiction (36:16)

-Preventative approaches to substance use disorder (41:01)

-The opioid crisis (45:27)

-Mindfulness-based interventions for recovery (51:08)

-Safe injection sites (57:38)

-Resources for family members (1:01:08)

-The power of AA for long-term recovery and reducing health care costs (1:04:53)

-Learn more about Dr. Kelly and his work (1:16:44)

For more on Dr. John Kelly, be sure to follow him on Facebook @RecoveryAnswers and on Twitter @RecoveryAnswers. Check out his website and sign up for his monthly newsletter at https://www.recoveryanswers.org.

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How many times have you chalked up weight gain, brain fog, and feeling tired to getting older? The many symptoms we assume to be a natural part of the aging process are far too often related to one single pillar of health: sleep. In fact, 22 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, yet most people who have it never get diagnosed.  

On today’s Broken Brain Podcast, our host, Dhru, talks to Dr. Mark Burhenne, a practicing sleep medicine dentist in Sunnyvale, California. He received his degree from the Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco and is a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, Academy of General Dentistry, American Academy for Oral Systemic Health, and the Dental Board of California. Dr. Burhenne is passionate about helping people understand the connection between oral and overall health. He spends a lot of time educating patients and readers about the importance of healthy sleep, and is the author of the #1 bestseller, The 8-Hour Sleep Paradox. 

In this episode, Dhru and Dr. Burhenne dive deep into the topic of sleep apnea and upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS). They discuss who is at risk for sleep apnea, how to identify the underlying cause, and the long-term health risks associated with sleep apnea. They talk about the difference between mouth breathing and nose breathing, and how mouth breathing reduces the quality of your sleep, disrupts the balance of your oral microbiome, and makes your more prone to tooth decay. They also get into the benefits of mouth taping for improved sleep and overall health. 

In this episode, we dive into:

-The connection between oral health and systemic health (5:55)

-The risk factors for sleep apnea (9:24)

-Sleep apnea and brain health (18:15)

-The connection between mood disorders, TMJ, and sleep apnea (20:42)

-How sleep apnea can cause anxiety (21:55)

-Mouth breathing vs. nose breathing (25:19)

-How mouth taping can improve sleep and overall health (30:32)

-Why mouth breathing is the #1 cause of cavities (40:52)

-The connection between gum disease and autoimmune conditions (1:04:21)

-Why we should avoid fluoride (1:10:10)

-Dr. Burhenne’s toothpaste recommendations (1:17:05)

-Mouthwash and the root cause of bad breath (1:18:42)

-Dr. Burhenne’s three step plan for improving sleep and overall health (1:23:11) 

-Learn more about Dr. Burhenne and his work (1:42:23)

For more on Dr. Mark Burhenne, be sure to follow him on Instagram @askthedentist and on Facebook @askthedentist. Check out his website https://askthedentist.com and https://www.drburhenne.com. You can find his book, The 8-Hour Sleep Paradox, right here. 

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More than 50 million Americans suffer from chronic pain according to the CDC, a debilitating reality that costs the country upward of $635 billion each year in treatment and lost productivity. At the same time, the United States is in the midst of a prescription painkiller epidemic. Widespread over-prescription of painkillers has resulted in opioid misuse and addiction, a problem that’s muddied the conversation surrounding chronic pain even further.

On today’s Broken Brain Podcast, our host, Dhru, talks to Dr. Shounuck Patel, an interventional and functional orthopedics specialist with offices in Los Angeles and Orange County, California. Dr. Patel has a clinical interest in the biomechanical etiology of musculoskeletal injuries and pain conditions, and the holistic treatment of the whole-body continuum with innovative orthobiologic treatments, osteopathic manipulation, and therapeutic exercise.

Dr. Patel is board-certified in Sports Medicine, board-certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and fellowship trained in interventional pain management. Dr. Patel lectures at medical conferences across the nation, is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Western University and Touro University colleges of osteopathic medicine, and is an expert instructor for the Interventional Orthopedics Foundation where he teaches other physicians how to do advanced stem cell and orthobiologic procedures. In addition to numerous publications including journal articles and book chapters, Dr. Patel is the illustrator/co-author of the recently published atlas, Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Cross-Sectional Anatomy.

In this episode, Dhru and Dr. Patel discuss the current state of pain management, the opioid crisis, and the integrative and regenerative therapies Dr. Patel is using to help his patients address chronic pain. They discuss how platelet rich plasma therapy (PRP) and stem cell therapy can amplify your body’s own ability to heal, and when it’s a realistic option for pain. They also talk about the importance of addressing the root cause when it comes to the treatment of pain, as well as the role nutrition plays in regenerative medicine.

In this episode, we dive into:

-What regenerative medicine is (5:21)

-The current state of pain management (7:41)

-The difference between DO vs. MD (9:49)

-How stem cells work to facilitate healing in the body (15:28)

-When platelet rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell therapy is a realistic treatment option for pain (22:37)

-Can PRP or stem cell therapy heal your ACL tear without surgery? (28:14)

-The problem with opioids for chronic pain management (33:24)

-Can back surgery lead to future disk degeneration? (40:00)

-Why cortisone injections are not a long-term solution for chronic pain (43:20)

-Why nutrition is the first step when it comes to pain management (45:40)

-Dr. Patel’s supplement recommendations for pain management (48:06)

-How platelet rich plasma therapy can amplify your body's ability to heal (51:43)

-Where you can find a regenerative medicine doctor (1:16:08)

-What is legal when it comes to stem cell therapy (1:20:14)

-Learn more about Dr. Patel and his work (1:24:51)

For more on Dr. Patel, be sure to follow him on Instagram @stemcelldrpatel and check out his website https://www.healthlinkcenter.com. You can also watch Dr. Hyman's interview on The Doctor’s Farmacy about his own stem cell makeover, regenerative medicine, and what stem cell therapy can do for every part of the body from joints to hair and even our sex organs.

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Big feelings are part of life. In fact, there are times when everyone will feel sad, angry, hurt, and disappointed. When it comes to helping our children process big feelings, we want to help them discover their natural strengths and build new tools for looking inside, making sense of what they are experiencing, and internalizing new ways to approach challenges and stress.

On today’s Broken Brain Podcast, our host, Dhru, talks to Deena Margolin, a marriage and family therapist and mindfulness teacher in Los Angeles who works primarily with children and families. Trained in the field of Interpersonal Neurobiology, Deena explores how the mind, brain, and our relationships come together to shape who we become—and how we can harness the potential of neuroplasticity, the mind’s incredible ability to change throughout the lifespan, to grow healthier and happier.

In this episode, Dhru and Deena talk about how trauma impacts the development of a child and their future stress response. They discuss how stress impacts our survival system, how to help your child regulate their nervous systems in a hard moment, and understanding what’s really driving our child’s behavior. They also talk about how parenting is about being present, not perfect, and how to raise resilient and mindful kids.

In this episode, we dive into:

-How Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) impact the development of a child (2:50)

-The connection between a high ACEs score and the likelihood of developing a chronic disease (4:32)

-How trauma impacts the brain (6:11)

-The four F’s of survival (8:39)

-What can happen when trauma gets stored in the body (9:50)

-The three pillars to help kids build resilient qualities (19:48)

-How nonverbal communication can trigger your child’s own threat state (26:08)

-Time out vs. time in and creating a safe space for big feelings (41:15)

-The power of pause when your feeling angry, confused, or overwhelmed (1:00:47)

-Modern day parenting (1:07:09)

-Learn more about Deena and her work (1:10:21)

-Deena’s book recommendations (1:11:10)

For more on Deena, be sure to follow her on Instagram @deenamargolin and check out her website http://www.deenamargolin.com.

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Psychedelics were the subject of serious medical research in the 1940s to the 1960s, when many scientists believed some of the mind-bending compounds held tremendous therapeutic promise for treating a number of conditions including severe mental health problems and alcohol addiction. By the mid-60s, research into psychedelics was shut down for decades.

After the blackout ended, the doctor we have on the podcast today was among the first to initiate a new series of studies on psilocybin—the psychoactive compound in “magic” mushrooms.

On today’s Broken Brain Podcast, our host, Dhru, talks to Dr. Roland Griffiths, a Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He has conducted extensive research with sedative-hypnotics, caffeine, and novel mood-altering drugs. In 1999, he initiated a research program at Johns Hopkins investigating the effects of the classic hallucinogen psilocybin that includes studies of psilocybin-occasioned mystical-type experiences in healthy volunteers, psilocybin-facilitated treatment of psychological distress in cancer patients, psilocybin-facilitated treatment of cigarette smoking cessation, psilocybin effects in beginning and long-term meditators, and psilocybin effects in religious leaders.

In this episode, Dhru and Dr. Griffiths talk about his extensive research with psilocybin in the treatment of psychological distress in cancer patients and cigarette smoking cessation. They discuss the connection between psilocybin, spirituality, and consciousness. They also talk about psychedelics and their potential for treating conditions ranging from drug and alcohol dependence to depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

In this episode, we dive into:

-The connection between psychedelics, spirituality, and consciousness (7:48)

-The history of psychedelic research (8:28)

-The reintroduction of psychedelic research by Dr. Roland Griffiths and others (12:27)

-Why research participants rated their psychedelic experience as one of their most meaningful (16:36)

-What is happening in the brain when using psychedelics (23:39)

-How psychedelics can help us understand altered states of consciousness (29:09)

-The therapeutic benefits of psilocybin for the treatment of addiction (40:16)

-How a single dose of psilocybin substantially diminished depression and anxiety in cancer patients (44:52)

-The future of psychedelics (48:07)

-The downside and risks of psychedelics (56:14)

-Learn more about Dr. Roland Griffiths and his work (1:00:24)

For more on Dr. Roland Griffiths and his research on psychedelics check out his website https://hopkinspsychedelic.org.

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What you choose to put on your plate is one of the most important health interventions you can make. Food not only affects our likelihood of disease, but it can lengthen our lives, change our mood, and even affect the expression of our DNA. By approaching disease with a holistic perspective, of which food is a vital part, we can tackle the root causes of disease and truly live well.

On today’s Broken Brain Podcast, our host, Dhru, talks to Dr. Rupy Aujla, an NHS medical doctor and founder of The Doctor's Kitchen, a project to inspire patients about the beauty of food and medicinal effects of eating well. Dr. Rupy is the founder of Culinary Medicine, a nonprofit organization which aims to teach doctors and medical students the foundations of nutrition as well as teaching them how to cook. He is also the author of two bestselling cookbooks The Doctor’s Kitchen and his latest book, Eat to Beat Illness.

In this episode, Dhru and Dr. Rupy talk about how our bodies can better fight off illness through eating well. They discuss how we can eat to reduce the risk of brain disease, cardiovascular problems, inflammation imbalance, poor immunity, and even reduce the chances of cancer. They also talk about how we can heal our bodies through simple lifestyle changes including exercise, stress reduction, sleeping well, and finding purpose in our lives.

-Dr. Rupy shares how he healed his own heart condition through food and lifestyle intervention (1:45)

-The connection between lifestyle and heart disease (5:01)

-The impact our diet can have on the function of our brain (11:12)

-Foods to support brain health (18:07)

-Quality fats for brain health (21:15)

-Lifestyle factors and tips for sleep (28:35)

-The power of gratitude (33:41)

-Exercise and why inflammation in small amounts might be a good thing (36:48)

-Mitochondrial support, improving immune function, and boosting immunity (45:05)

-The connection between the immune system and gut health (46:58)

-Food additives in seemingly healthy foods and how they impact the body (55:12)

-Skin health and acne (57:14)

-Culinary Medicine (1:00:59)

-Eat to beat cancer (1:11:59)

-Dr. Rupy’s online course to learn the key aspects of healthy eating that have the biggest impact on your wellbeing (1:14:02)

-Learn more about Dr. Rupy and his work (1:16:56)

For more on Dr. Rupy, be sure to follow him on Instagram @doctors_kitchen, on Facebook @thedoctorskitchen, on Twitter @doctors_kitchen, and on YouTube @thedoctorskitchen. Check out his website www.thedoctorskitchen.com and his podcast, The Doctor’s Kitchen, here. You can learn more about his online course, here, and you can find his books, The Doctor’s Kitchen and Eat to Beat Illness, right here.

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