The Smartest Doctor in the Room

Dr. Dean Mitchell

A combination of a lively, personal and in-depth interview with top healthcare specialists. The average listener may not have access to the expert medical advice athletes, actors and CEO’s have today, but on this show, they will learn the key facts to know about any health conditions that they or their family deal with. Hosted by Dr. Dean Mitchell. https://www.mitchellmedicalgroup.com/

  1. 1d ago

    Ep. 230 - How You Walk Matters: Movement Disorders that Can Be Mistaken for Parkinson’s disease

    Not every walking problem is Parkinson's disease — and assuming it is can cost patients years of proper treatment. Neurologist and movement disorder specialist Dr. Alexander Schtilbans, assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medicine and attending physician at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, joins Dr. Dean Mitchell to break down the many conditions that cause abnormal gait, why they're so frequently misdiagnosed, and what a thorough clinical evaluation actually looks like. Dr. Schtilbans walks through a real case featured in the New York Times Magazine Diagnosis column — a 72-year-old man with "magnetic legs" and progressive difficulty walking who had been treated for Parkinson's for years. The actual diagnosis was normal pressure hydrocephalus, a treatable condition that was identified only after Dr. Schtilbans reviewed the MRI himself and questioned a DAT scan result that didn't match the clinical picture. After a surgical shunt procedure, the patient's walking improved dramatically. The conversation covers the full diagnostic landscape of gait disorders — spinal stenosis, peripheral neuropathy, cerebellar disease, mini strokes, and drug-induced Parkinsonism from medications like antipsychotics and metoclopramide. Dr. Schtilbans also shares his laboratory research on a combination of three supplements — CoQ10, creatine, and TUDCA — that showed a 24% increase in dopamine cell growth and significant reduction in pro-inflammatory markers when tested together on human stem cells derived from Parkinson's patients, despite each supplement failing individually in prior clinical trials. Dr. Schtilbans closes with a strong case for exercise as the only proven intervention to slow Parkinson's disease progression, the emerging role of Apple Watch in tremor monitoring, and practical guidance on how to find a movement disorder specialist no matter where you live. Here is the website for Versamil Brain Dopamine Health Follow on Facebook  Contact Dr. Mitchell: Email: care@mitchellmedicalgroup.com Website Instagram YouTube Facebook LinkedIn Order your copy of Dr. Mitchell’s latest book, Conquering Candida, here. Be sure to visit ImmunoLytics & use coupon code SmartestDoc for 5% off

    46 min

  2. 5d ago

    Health Tip Of The Week

    Before assuming a new pain means something is physically wrong, Dr. Dean Mitchell shares a powerful framework from the work of Dr. John Sarno and mind-body medicine: ask yourself what's happening emotionally before asking what's wrong with your body. Dr. Sarno's concept of Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) suggests that unresolved stress, inner conflict, and unacknowledged worry can amplify or even create physical symptoms. Take 60 seconds the next time pain arises to reflect on what might be bothering you beneath the surface. You may be surprised by what you find. For the full conversation, listen to Ep. 229 – New Approach to Chronic Pain: Psychological vs. Physical Treatments on The Smartest Doctor in the Room.

    2 min

  3. Jun 23

    Ep. 229 - New Approach to Chronic Pain: Psychological vs. Physical Treatments

    Dr. Dean Mitchell shares his own decades-long struggle with chronic back pain before introducing Dr. David Schechter, a physician based in Los Angeles who trained directly under the late Dr. John Sarno at NYU's Rusk Institute. Dr. Schechter now carries on that work, blending Sarno's foundational ideas with modern neuroscience to treat patients with what he calls neuroplastic symptoms, or what Sarno originally termed tension myositis syndrome (TMS). The conversation covers how chronic pain differs fundamentally from acute pain on a neurological level, why imaging findings like bulging discs are often poor predictors of who actually suffers, and how the brain's emotional centers become increasingly involved the longer pain persists. Dr. Schechter describes his diagnostic process, which includes exploring personality characteristics, childhood history, and life circumstances at the onset of symptoms, and explains the concept of the "Type T personality," a profile that includes perfectionism, self-criticism, and people-pleasing tendencies that he frequently sees in patients with chronic pain. Dr. Mitchell and Dr. Schechter also discuss the role of social connection in health outcomes, the nocebo effect and the harm that can come from authoritative but unfounded medical pronouncements, and the practical reality of practicing this kind of medicine outside of a time-pressured clinical setting. Resources mentioned include Dr. Schechter's website mindbodymedicine.com and the nonprofit directory at symptomatic.me, which lists physicians trained in this area. Contact David Schechter: www.mindbodymedicine.com x:  @pain_md_la facebook:  facebook.com/thinkawayyourpain insta:  @drdavela youtube:  youtube.com/mindbodydr Contact Dr. Mitchell: Email: care@mitchellmedicalgroup.com Website Instagram YouTube Facebook LinkedIn Order your copy of Dr. Mitchell’s latest book, Conquering Candida, here. Be sure to visit ImmunoLytics & use coupon code SmartestDoc for 5% off

    46 min

  4. Jun 16

    Ep. 228 - A Lyme Expert Discusses Why So Many Cases Get Missed

    Dr. Dean Mitchell sits down with Dr. Kenneth Liegner, an internist and critical care physician who has treated thousands of chronic Lyme patients since the early days of the disease's recognition. Dr. Liegner trained in anatomic pathology, internal medicine, and surgical critical care before opening a general practice in Westchester County, where he found himself in the middle of one of the most contested debates in modern medicine. The conversation traces how Dr. Liegner came to understand that Lyme disease could follow a relapsing, persistent course, and why that conclusion put him at odds with mainstream infectious disease guidelines. He discusses the IDSA's 2000 and 2006 guidelines, the role of insurance industry interests in shaping treatment coverage, and what it meant professionally to keep treating patients during an era he describes as dangerous for practitioners. He also shares a 1991 case in which spirochetes were cultured from a patient's spinal fluid after prior intravenous antibiotic treatment, later published in the science press. Dr. Mitchell and Dr. Liegner cover the complexity of tick-borne coinfections including Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Anaplasmosis, and Bartonella; the limitations of standard serological testing and the Dearborn criteria; and the challenge of biofilm as a barrier to antibiotic effectiveness. Dr. Liegner also explains his current approach to prophylactic treatment following a tick attachment, including his use of minocycline and Malarone, and his reasoning for that protocol given what he has seen over decades of practice. Contact Dr. Mitchell: Email: care@mitchellmedicalgroup.com Website Instagram YouTube Facebook LinkedIn Order your copy of Dr. Mitchell’s latest book, Conquering Candida, here. Be sure to visit ImmunoLytics & use coupon code SmartestDoc for 5% off

    52 min

  5. Jun 9

    Ep. 227 - Cure for Childhood Deafness

    Dr. Dean Mitchell sits down with Dr. Lawrence Lustig, Howard W. Smith Professor and Chair of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at Columbia University, to discuss a gene therapy called Otofarmaní that has recently received FDA approval for a rare genetic form of deafness caused by mutations in the otoferlin gene. Dr. Lustig, one of the lead investigators in the clinical trial, explains how the therapy works, why this particular form of deafness made it a viable candidate, and what the results looked like across their first 12 patients. The conversation covers the decades of foundational science that made this possible, from early genetics research in the 1980s and 90s to the dual-vector delivery technique that solved the problem of the otoferlin gene being too large for a single viral vector. Dr. Lustig walks through how the inner ear functions, why otoferlin-related deafness preserves inner ear structures long enough to allow intervention, and how hearing recovery typically unfolds over weeks to months in treated children. The discussion also addresses the significant variability in outcomes across patients and why that variability is still not fully understood. Dr. Mitchell and Dr. Lustig compare gene therapy to cochlear implantation, examining the practical differences in sound quality, hardware management, and the speech and language development windows that make early intervention critical regardless of which approach is used. They also address hearing screening practices, the limits of otoacoustic emissions testing in otoferlin-related cases, and what might be on the horizon for more common forms of hearing loss, including age-related degeneration and noise-induced damage. Contact Dr. Mitchell: Email: care@mitchellmedicalgroup.com Website Instagram YouTube Facebook LinkedIn Order your copy of Dr. Mitchell’s latest book, Conquering Candida, here. Be sure to visit ImmunoLytics & use coupon code SmartestDoc for 5% off

    35 min

  6. Jun 2

    Ep. 226 - The HRT Truth: Why Everything You Were Told About Menopause Was Wrong

    For decades, hormone replacement therapy carried a stigma rooted in a flawed study that left millions of women suffering through menopause without support. Dr. Dean Mitchell sits down with Dr. Gillian Goddard, endocrinologist and author of The Hormone Loop, to untangle the science and set the record straight. They cover why the Women's Health Initiative study has been widely misinterpreted, what actually happens hormonally during perimenopause and menopause, and why the timing of when a woman starts HRT matters more than most doctors discuss. Dr. Goddard explains the difference between synthetic and bioidentical hormones, why transdermal estrogen is preferred over oral, and what the research actually says about breast cancer risk. The conversation also addresses testosterone for women, the limitations of black cohosh and soy supplements, how to monitor treatment, and why more women should be consulting an endocrinologist rather than relying solely on their gynecologist. Contact Dr. Mitchell: Email: care@mitchellmedicalgroup.com Website Instagram YouTube Facebook LinkedIn Order your copy of Dr. Mitchell’s latest book, Conquering Candida, here. Be sure to visit ImmunoLytics & use coupon code SmartestDoc for 5% off

    40 min

  7. May 26

    Ep. 225 - Why Environmental Toxins and Mitochondrial Dysfunction Matter in Chronic Illness

    Dr. Dean Mitchell sits down with Dr. Jeffrey Morrison to explore how functional and integrative medicine approaches complex chronic illness. Their conversation covers Lyme disease, digestive disorders, environmental toxin exposure, and the growing concern around endocrine-disrupting chemicals, microplastics, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Dr. Morrison shares how his background in environmental medicine and his work with Dr. Atkins shaped his clinical approach. The discussion looks at testing for heavy metals and toxins, the role of gut health in recovery, and therapies including ozone treatment, EBOO blood filtration, red light therapy, nutritional IVs, and peptides. Dr. Mitchell also reflects on his own path from conventional allergy practice into integrative medicine and the evolution of sublingual immunotherapy. The conversation stays grounded in clinical experience while acknowledging the limits and controversies surrounding newer therapies. Both physicians emphasize careful evaluation, individualized treatment, and the importance of understanding how environmental exposures may affect long-term health. Contact Dr. Mitchell: Email: care@mitchellmedicalgroup.com Website Instagram YouTube Facebook LinkedIn Order your copy of Dr. Mitchell’s latest book, Conquering Candida, here. Be sure to visit ImmunoLytics & use coupon code SmartestDoc for 5% off

    49 min

  8. May 19

    Ep. 224 - Using a Home Narrowband UV Light to Treat Autoimmune Diseases

    Dr. Dean Mitchell speaks with Professor Prue Hart, an international expert in photoimmunology from the Kids Research Institute in Australia, who has spent 30 years studying how UV light interacts with the human immune system. Their conversation covers the science behind why the skin, as the body's largest immune organ, can generate systemic effects well beyond where light is applied. Professor Hart explains her clinical trial using narrowband UVB therapy in patients with clinically isolated syndrome, an early precursor to multiple sclerosis. The trial, which enrolled 20 drug-free patients, tracked immune cell function, inflammatory protein markers, and patient wellbeing over 12 months. The findings suggested that two months of phototherapy produced measurable changes in immune activity lasting at least 90 days, alongside improvements in energy, mood, and social functioning. The conversation also addresses the practical dimensions of this therapy, including its long-standing use in dermatology for psoriasis, its safety profile relative to biologic medications, and the growing availability of at-home narrowband UVB devices. Professor Hart and Dr. Mitchell also examine the role of vitamin D as a biomarker rather than a therapeutic agent, the epidemiological connection between latitude and autoimmune disease rates, and how sunscreen use and sun avoidance factor into the broader picture of health. Connect with Prue Hart: Inquiries and Orders - orders@cytokind.net Website: www.cytokind.net Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cytokind Schedule 10 minute Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/d/crkh-wv5-vdv/10-min-discovery-call Email me at jmacmahon@cytokind.net Online Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) Survey - https://cytokind-fatigue.netlify.app/ Contact Dr. Mitchell: Email: care@mitchellmedicalgroup.com Website Instagram YouTube Facebook LinkedIn Order your copy of Dr. Mitchell’s latest book, Conquering Candida, here. Be sure to visit ImmunoLytics & use coupon code SmartestDoc for 5% off

    51 min
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3.8
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

A combination of a lively, personal and in-depth interview with top healthcare specialists. The average listener may not have access to the expert medical advice athletes, actors and CEO’s have today, but on this show, they will learn the key facts to know about any health conditions that they or their family deal with. Hosted by Dr. Dean Mitchell. https://www.mitchellmedicalgroup.com/

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Dean Mitchell
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    232
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2022, Dr. Dean Mitchell, All Rights Reserved
  • Show Website
    The Smartest Doctor in the Room

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