Medicine Redefined

Altamash Raja, DO and Darsh Shah, DO
  • 5.0 (35)
  • Medicine
  • Updated Biweekly

Medicine Redefined challenges outdated conventions by elevating conversations around what health truly means. Hosts Dr. Darsh Shah and Dr. Altamash Raja spotlight clinicians, scientists, thought leaders, and reformers who are reshaping how we think about physical, mental, metabolic, and systemic health. While the healthcare system focuses on treating disease, our guests focus on optimizing human potential. From sleep and nutrition to stress resilience and lifestyle medicine, discover how forward-thinking practitioners are putting the health back in healthcare.

  1. 203. What Medical School Doesn’t Teach About Health, Fulfillment, and Finding Your Why | Brian Devorkin

    2d ago ·  Video

    203. What Medical School Doesn’t Teach About Health, Fulfillment, and Finding Your Why | Brian Devorkin

    Dr. Darsh Shah and Dr. Altamash Raja sit down with Brian Devorkin, a third-year medical student at Case Western and host of BackedBriScience, for a wide-ranging conversation on fulfillment, longevity, chronic illness, and the harder questions behind choosing medicine. Brian shares how chronic fatigue and Lyme disease shaped his understanding of health, agency, and what it means to “get your life back.” From his gap year working with longevity researcher David Sinclair to the realities of medical school, the conversation explores success versus fulfillment, the loneliness of thinking differently, the slippery slope of wellness marketing, and why the basics - sleep, exercise, nutrition, relationships, and stress - still matter most. At its core, this episode asks why health span matters more than simply living longer. TOPICS COVERED Why success and fulfillment are not the same thing How health shapes agency, identity, and the ability to live fully Brian’s experience with chronic fatigue, Lyme disease, and feeling like himself again Why health span matters more than simply living longer The problem with chasing supplements, protocols, and “silver bullet” wellness How functional medicine, longevity medicine, and PM&R overlap — and where the language can get complicated How exercise, nutrition, and discipline become part of someone’s identity The difference between healthy discipline and unhealthy rigidity The loneliness that can come with thinking differently in medical school Whether living forever would actually make life more meaningful RESOURCES MENTIONED Brian Devorkin/BackedBriScience Website: https://www.backedbriscience.com/ Instagram: @briandevorkin (https://www.instagram.com/briandevorkin/) Podcast: BackedBriScience (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/backedbriscience/id1725648624) David Sinclair (https://davidasinclair.com/) Lifespan by David Sinclair (https://lifespanbook.com/) Jocko Willink (https://jocko.com/) Discipline Equals Freedom by Jocko Willink (https://www.amazon.com/Discipline-Equals-Freedom-Field-Manual/dp/1250156947) Chris Williamson (https://chriswillx.com/) Modern Wisdom Podcast (https://chriswillx.com/podcast/) The Consistency Project Podcast by EC Synkowski (https://optimizemenutrition.com/theconsistencyproject/) Charles Duhigg (https://charlesduhigg.com/) The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg (https://charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-habit/) Longevity escape velocity (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longevity_escape_velocity) Health span (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthspan) Functional medicine (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_medicine) PM&R / Physiatry (https://www.aapmr.org/about-physiatry) FOLLOW US Website: medicineredefined.com (https://medicineredefined.com) Instagram / X: @medredefined (https://instagram.com/medredefined) Dr. Altamash Raja Instagram: @draltraja (https://instagram.com/draltraja) LinkedIn: Altamash Raja (https://www.linkedin.com/in/altamash-raja-do-rmsk-cscs) Refining Health & Performance (https://refininghealthrx.com) Dr. Darsh Shah Instagram: @doctor.darsh (https://www.instagram.com/doctor.darsh/) LinkedIn: doctordarsh (https://www.linkedin.com/in/doctordarsh/) Ready to stop guessing and start performing? Dr. Raja is now seeing patients through his telemedicine practice — limited founding member spots available at refininghealthrx.com (https://refininghealthrx.com)

    1h 8m
  2. 202. Metabolic Osteoarthritis: How Fat Tissue Talks to Your Joints

    Jun 8 ·  Video

    202. Metabolic Osteoarthritis: How Fat Tissue Talks to Your Joints

    In this episode, Dr. Darsh Shah and Dr. Altamash Raja explore the emerging concept of metabolic osteoarthritis and the growing evidence linking joint degeneration to obesity, insulin resistance, inflammation, and metabolic syndrome. They break down novel research on GLP-1 medications and metformin, discuss how excess adipose tissue may contribute to joint damage, and explain why treating metabolic health could become an important part of osteoarthritis care in the future. TOPICS COVERED • Is osteoarthritis a metabolic disease? • The concept of metabolic osteoarthritis (MetS-OA) • How obesity, insulin resistance, and inflammation affect joint health • GLP-1 medications, weight loss, and osteoarthritis outcomes • Metformin and the future of disease-modifying treatments • Why strength training and muscle preservation matter for joint longevity RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED • STEP 9 Trial – Semaglutide and Osteoarthritis (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2403664) • Effect of Metformin on Knee Osteoarthritis Pain in Patients With Overweight or Obesity (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40274279/) • Metabolic Syndrome Meets Osteoarthritis (https://www.nature.com/articles/nrrheum.2012.135) • HOMA-IR Calculator (https://www.mdcalc.com/calc/3120/homa-ir-homeostatic-model-assessment-insulin-resistance) Ready to stop guessing and start performing? Dr. Raja is now seeing patients through his telemedicine practice — limited founding member spots available at refininghealthrx.com.

    43 min
  3. 201. You Spend Your Whole Life Chasing Something… Then What? The Psychology of High Performers | Casey Stevens, MS, LMFT

    May 25 ·  Video

    201. You Spend Your Whole Life Chasing Something… Then What? The Psychology of High Performers | Casey Stevens, MS, LMFT

    Casey Stevens is a trauma-informed therapist, speaker, and guide focused on nervous system healing, consciousness, emotional resilience, and the relationship between trauma, identity, and human potential. In this conversation, we explore high performance, vulnerability, trauma, nervous system regulation, parenting, purpose, and the hidden emotional costs of achievement. Casey shares her perspective on mysticism, somatic healing, post-traumatic growth, value systems, and why true peace comes from alignment rather than external success. TOPICS COVERED Why vulnerability is necessary for real peace and connection High performance, ambition, and the loneliness of success Compensatory strategies, avoidance, and emotional protection Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Kobe Bryant, and the trade-offs of greatness Trauma, nervous system dysregulation, and somatic healing Parenting, resilience, post-traumatic growth, and emotional regulation RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED • The Body Keeps the Score (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Body_Keeps_the_Score) • The Diary of a CEO (https://stevenbartlett.com/doac/) • Modern Wisdom (https://chriswillx.com/podcast/) • Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Elon-Musk/Walter-Isaacson/9781982181284) • Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Steve-Jobs/Walter-Isaacson/9781451648546) • Good Inside (https://www.goodinside.com) • The Tim Ferriss Show (https://tim.blog/podcast/) GUEST SOCIAL LINKS • Instagram: @shrinkbigger (https://www.instagram.com/shrinkbigger/) • Website: https://shrinkbigger.com/ Ready to stop guessing and start performing? Dr. Raja is now seeing patients through his telemedicine practice — limited founding member spots available at refininghealthrx.com

    1h 17m
  4. 200. Can Hospital Food Help Patients Heal? Food as Medicine at Tampa General | Tanuja Sharma, MD

    May 11 ·  Video

    200. Can Hospital Food Help Patients Heal? Food as Medicine at Tampa General | Tanuja Sharma, MD

    Dr. Tanuja Sharma is a board-certified family and integrative medicine physician and the Medical Director of Integrative Medicine and Arts at Tampa General Hospital. She completed her integrative medicine fellowship through the Andrew Weil Center at the University of Arizona and is leading one of the most ambitious hospital wellness overhauls in the country — from redesigning the patient menu with a Michelin-rated chef to running evidence-based mindfulness, acupuncture, and music therapy programs at the bedside. TOPICS COVERED  •   Why Tampa General Hospital partnered with a celebrity chef to rebuild their patient menu from scratch •   Music therapy, massage, acupuncture, art therapy, reiki, and how TGH gets buy-in across a Level 1 trauma center •   98% patient improvement in pain and anxiety scores, preliminary opioid reduction data, and the research pipeline ahead •   Tampa Well's food pharmacy, community garden, and free produce programs targeting food insecurity •   MBSR and mindfulness programs: evidence-based stress reduction for staff and patients, and why experience is the best recruitment tool •   Fiber vs. protein: the deficiency most patients have, Blue Zones longevity foods, and how to counsel patients at different performance goals RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED •   Tampa General Hospital (https://www.tgh.org) •   TGH Integrative Medicine and Arts Program (https://www.tgh.org/services/integrative-medicine-and-arts) •   Tampa Well (TGH Community Wellness Initiative) (https://www.tgh.org/tampawell) •   Geoffrey Zakarian — Celebrity Chef (Iron Chef, Chopped) (https://www.geoffreyzakarian.com/about) •   Mediterranean Diet — Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_diet) •   Anti-Inflammatory Diet — Hopkins Medicine (https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/anti-inflammatory-diet) •   Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) — Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness-based_stress_reduction) •   Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine (U of Arizona) (https://integrativemedicine.arizona.edu) •   American College of Lifestyle Medicine (https://www.lifestylemedicine.org) •   Blue Zones — Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_zone) •   Sarcopenia — Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcopenia) •   Dietary Fiber — Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_fiber) •   Food as Medicine — ASN (https://nutrition.org/food-as-medicine/) •   Refining Health & Performance — refininghealthrx.com (https://refininghealthrx.com) GUEST SOCIAL LINKS •   Instagram:@tjasharmamd (https://www.instagram.com/tanujasharmamd?igsh=cXprNW04bGt2Zzhr) •   TGH Provider Profile (https://www.getcare.tgh.org/providers/tanuja-sharma-1598133233) •   TGH Integrative Medicine (https://www.tgh.org/services/integrative-medicine-and-arts) Ready to stop guessing and start performing? Dr. Raja is now seeing patients through his telemedicine practice — limited founding member spots available at refininghealthrx.com

    1h 3m
  5. 199. The Mental Strength Playbook: Workplace Stress, Burnout, and Showing Up Under Pressure | Amy Morin, LCSW

    Apr 27 ·  Video

    199. The Mental Strength Playbook: Workplace Stress, Burnout, and Showing Up Under Pressure | Amy Morin, LCSW

    Dr. Altamash Raja and Dr. Darsh Shah sit down with Amy Morin, LCSW, to discuss how to turn pressure into strength, build resilience through small wins, and navigate burnout in today’s work culture. Morin gives us simple tools and a practical approach to manage anxiety, dread, and difficult situations. We talk about significance of self-awareness, focusing on what you can control, and how using actionable strategies like a “motivation buddy,” clearer communication, and adapting to others can help you perform better without burning out. TOPICS COVERED Genes upbringing stress Pandemic burnout cycle Grinding vs strength Busyness as numbing Showing up in grief Anxiety spills into work Dread anxiety rumination How to use 50 tools Motivation buddy hack Measuring mental strength Overrated vs underrated mental resilience hacks RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do: https://amymorinlcsw.com/books/ Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Overview: https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/cognitive-behavioral The Happiness Curve (Arthur Brooks–related concepts): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7Z0MyRsm9M Emotional Avoidance (Psychology Today): https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/overcoming-destructive-anger/202603/the-harmful-consequences-of-emotional-avoidance Motivation Buddy/Accountability Importance: https://www.npr.org/2025/01/15/nx-s1-5217975/the-secret-to-doing-hard-things-and-getting-stuff-done Connect with Amy Morin: Website: https://amymorinlcsw.com/ Instagram: @amymorinauthor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amymorinlcsw/ Ready to stop guessing and start performing? Dr. Raja is now seeing patients through his telemedicine practice—limited founding member spots available at refininghealthrx.com.

    1h 12m
  6. 198. Beyond LDL: The 2026 Guidelines Make Lp(a), ApoB & 30-Year Risk Essential

    Apr 13 ·  Video

    198. Beyond LDL: The 2026 Guidelines Make Lp(a), ApoB & 30-Year Risk Essential

    Darsh and Altamash unpack the first major ACC/AHA lipid update since 2018, now reframed as a dyslipidemia guideline expanding beyond LDL to include triglycerides, ApoB, and lipoprotein(a). They highlight earlier prevention, the new PREVENT risk calculator, return of numeric LDL and non-HDL targets, routine Lp(a) screening, stepwise therapy beyond statins, and greater use of CAC imaging. Using a “trucks and cargo” analogy, they clarify lipid markers, review therapies from statins to PCSK9 inhibitors and inclisiran, compare CTA vs CAC, and explain why most supplements show no benefit. TOPICS COVERED • What changed in the new cholesterol guidelines • Why earlier prevention matters for lifetime risk • New PREVENT calculator for estimating risk • Understanding LDL, ApoB, and “bad cholesterol” markers • Lipoprotein(a): the genetic cholesterol risk to check once • New LDL targets and when to treat more aggressively • Medication options beyond statins • When to use calcium score (CAC) scans • CTA vs CAC: which heart scan to choose • Do supplements actually help cholesterol? RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED ACC/AHA Dyslipidemia Guideline Update: https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/journal-scans/2026/03/13/15/20/acc-aha-release-new-clinical-guideline-for-managing-dyslipidemia PREVENT Risk Calculator: https://professional.heart.org/en/guidelines-and-statements/prevent-calculator Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] Overview: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/cholesterol/genetic-conditions/lipoprotein-a Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) Explanation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apolipoprotein_B Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) Scan: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/heart-scan/about/pac-20384686 Coronary CT Angiography (CTA): https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/ct-coronary-angiogram/about/pac-20385117 PCSK9 Inhibitors Overview: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCSK9 REDUCE-IT Trial (Icosapent Ethyl/Vascepa): https://www.brighamandwomens.org/campaigns/physicians/reduce-it-clinical-trial AHA Life’s Essential 8: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/lifes-essential-8 SPORT Trial (supplements vs statin): https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2022.10.013 Connect with Us: Instagram: @draltraja, @doctordarsh LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/altamash-raja-do-rmsk-cscs-0b1a8039/; https://www.linkedin.com/in/doctordarsh/ Ready to stop guessing and start performing? Dr. Raja is now seeing patients through his telemedicine practice—limited founding member spots available at refininghealthrx.com.

    59 min
  7. 197. Sleep for High Performers: Jet Lag, Naps, Wearables, and When Tech Helps (or Hurts) | Jade Wu, PhD

    Mar 30 ·  Video

    197. Sleep for High Performers: Jet Lag, Naps, Wearables, and When Tech Helps (or Hurts) | Jade Wu, PhD

    We welcome back sleep expert Jade Wu to discuss practical sleep strategies for high performers, especially around travel, naps, and sleep technology. Dr. Wu suggests we may be over-relying on technology for our sleep, making the case for simplicity when it comes to sleep scores, managing jet lag, and even mattresses. Jade Wu, PhD, DBSM, is a board-certified behavioral sleep medicine psychologist, founder of Thrive Sleep Clinic, and author of Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications. She trained at Cornell, Boston University, and Duke University School of Medicine and specializes in helping high performers build a sustainable, resilient relationship with sleep without medications, gadgets, or rigid optimization. TOPICS COVERED Jet lag, circadian rhythms, and how light shapes your body clock Naps as a performance and recovery tool Sleep debt, sleep banking, and limits of “catching up” Wearables, sleep metrics, and avoiding score obsession Understanding fatigue vs true sleepiness and when to seek help The future of sleep tech while learning to trust your body RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED Book: Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications by Jade Wu Clinic: Thrive Sleep Clinic — thrivesleepclinic.com Practice: Refining Health & Performance — refininghealthrx.com Concept: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acceptance_and_commitment_therapy) Concept: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy_for_insomnia) Concept: Circadian Rhythm (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circadian_rhythm) Concept: Social Jet Lag (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_jet_lag) Concept: Chronotypes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronotype) Concept: Adenosine & Sleep Pressure (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenosine) Concept: REM Sleep (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_eye_movement_sleep) Concept: Sleep Efficiency (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_efficiency) Tool: Light Therapy (10,000 lux light boxes) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_therapy) Concept: Sleep Tracking & Wearables (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actigraphy Practice: Refining Health & Performance — refininghealthrx.com GUEST SOCIAL LINKS Website: drjadewu.com (https://www.drjadewu.com/) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drjadewu (https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjadewu/) Clinic: thrivesleepclinic.com (https://www.thrivesleepclinic.com/) Ready to stop guessing and start performing? Dr. Raja is now seeing patients through his telemedicine practice—limited founding member spots available at refininghealthrx.com.

    1h 6m
  8. 196. Is Sleep the Ultimate Performance Enhancer? | Jade Wu, PhD

    Mar 16 ·  Video

    196. Is Sleep the Ultimate Performance Enhancer? | Jade Wu, PhD

    Behavioral sleep psychologist Dr. Jade Wu returns for round three to explain why sleep is the ultimate performance enhancer — not a cost to be paid. She breaks down sleep's role in physical repair, cognitive function, and emotional regulation, and shares why both neglecting sleep and over-optimizing it backfire. Practical strategies for high performers: daytime light exposure, strength training, sensory-based wind-downs, and treating sleep like a friend — not an engineering problem. Jade Wu, PhD, DBSM, is a board-certified behavioral sleep medicine psychologist, founder of Thrive Sleep Clinic, and author of Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications. She trained at Cornell, Boston University, and Duke University School of Medicine, and specializes in helping high performers build a sustainable, resilient relationship with sleep — without medications, gadgets, or rigid optimization. TOPICS COVERED Why high performers wreck their sleep — neglect and over-optimization Sleep's three buckets: physical repair, memory consolidation, emotional regulation Daytime levers that beat nighttime hacks: light, strength training, intentional rest Chronotype, social jet lag, and finding your biological sleep window Seasons of life, values-based living, and the Five Senses wind-down Treat sleep like a friend — not an engineering problem or a resource to extract RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED Book: Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications by Jade Wu, PhD Clinic: Thrive Sleep Clinic — thrivesleepclinic.com (https://www.thrivesleepclinic.com/) Concept: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acceptance_and_commitment_therapy) Concept: CBT for Insomnia (CBT-I) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy_for_insomnia) Concept: Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga_nidra) Concept: Social Jet Lag (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_jet_lag) Concept: Chronotypes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronotype) Concept: REM Sleep & Emotional Processing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_eye_movement_sleep) Concept: Growth Hormone & Deep Sleep (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_hormone) Concept: Circadian Rhythm (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circadian_rhythm) Practice: Refining Health & Performance — refininghealthrx.com GUEST SOCIAL LINKS Website: drjadewu.com (https://www.drjadewu.com/) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drjadewu (https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjadewu/) Clinic: thrivesleepclinic.com (https://www.thrivesleepclinic.com/) Ready to stop guessing and start performing? Dr. Raja is now seeing patients through his telemedicine practice—limited founding member spots available at refininghealthrx.com.

    46 min
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5
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About

Medicine Redefined challenges outdated conventions by elevating conversations around what health truly means. Hosts Dr. Darsh Shah and Dr. Altamash Raja spotlight clinicians, scientists, thought leaders, and reformers who are reshaping how we think about physical, mental, metabolic, and systemic health. While the healthcare system focuses on treating disease, our guests focus on optimizing human potential. From sleep and nutrition to stress resilience and lifestyle medicine, discover how forward-thinking practitioners are putting the health back in healthcare.

Information

  • Creator
    Altamash Raja, DO and Darsh Shah, DO
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    214
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Altamash Raja, DO and Darsh Shah, DO
  • Show Website
    Medicine Redefined

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