DOCS TALK SHOP

Dawn Lemanne, MD & Deborah Gordon, MD

Eavesdrop as Dawn Lemanne, MD, and Deborah Gordon, MD discuss their difficult cases and the hard decisions they make behind the closed door of the exam room, when the textbooks and research protocols fall short.  They also share with each other which longevity protocols, hormones, mTOR inhibitors, senolytics, extreme diets and fasting, hormesis, cancer prevention, and dementia reversal protocols they prescribe, and which ones they quietly have tried for themselves.Anything else you want to hear about? Write to us! Dr Gordon: info@drdeborahmd.com Dr Lemanne: newsletter@oregonio.com

  1. 4d ago

    40. The N-of-1 Revolution: The Future of Medicine Will Be Studying One Person at a Time, with Gary Isaac Wolf

    We physicians look outside the patient, to an expensive wearable, high-tech blood tests, or a brain MRI, to provide us with insights we hope we can use to relieve our patient's suffering. But what if some of the most powerful insights come from observations only a patient can make? Gary Isaac Wolf, author of  The Quantified Self: Learning to Observe, joins Drs. Dawn Lemanne and Deborah Gordon to explore how ordinary people can turn self-observation into evidence. Real data. Something your physician can use, but can't get from anyone but you. But before you haul out a notebook and begin writing down every ache and pain, listen up: Gary Wolf discusses why tracking when you feel good can teach you and your physician so much more than repeatedly scoring how bad you feel.  Learn how Wolf discovered that his own observations of a heart arrhythmia closely tracked a medical-grade Holter monitor, and gave him--and his cardiologist--a powerful insight that the Holter monitor left invisible, an insight that allowed him and his cardiologist to improve his treatment.  Find out how you can use a pen, notebook, and three-step experiment to learn what expensive testing can miss. Gary Isaac Wolf co-founded the Quantified Self movement, was an early WIRED editor and the first executive producer of WIRED Digital. His landmark New York Times Magazine article brought self-tracking to a broad audience, and his TED Talk has been viewed more than a million times. Gary Isaac Wolf: Gary’s website The book: The Quantified Self: Learning to Observe — book site and retailers · Workman/Hachette publisher page The book is scheduled for publication October 6, 2026; the official book page currently links to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, Target, Walmart, Kindle, Apple Books and other retailers. (Quantified Self) Dawn Lemanne, MD Oregon Integrative Oncology Leave no stone unturned. Deborah Gordon, MD Northwest Wellness and Memory Center Building Healthy Brains

  2. Jul 19

    38. Medicine’s War on Sunlight: more casualties than global shooting wars?

    What if our obsession with “dangerous” sun exposure is killing us? If you (recklessly) leave your urban office for lunch, you are told to yank your hat down low. If you (again, recklessly) let your kids dash into the backyard, you are told to slather them in sunscreen—or learn to live with the guilt. And yes, sun avoidance undoubtedly prevents some skin cancers, including the deadliest type, melanoma But a recent study suggests lack of sunlight contributes to hundreds of thousands of deaths every year in the United States alone,  This is orders of magnitude more than the estimated 8400 annual deaths from melanoma. In this episode, we discuss evidence linking sun avoidance to almost a million annual deaths in the US and Europe alone, four times more deaths than caused by all the shooting wars, globally, each year.increased risk of breast, pancreatic, colon, and lung cancers, as well as heart disease, high blood pressure, and strokeand, perhaps most surprisingly, to INCREASED risk of death in those already diagnosed with sun-induced melanoma.Yes, you read that right; some melanoma deaths may be related to too little sunlight.  (But do understand that this is complex--sunlight DOES cause melanoma. Well, some melanomas are not caused by sun exposure, and we discuss those....) Lack of sun exposure is not fixed by taking vitamin D, unfortunately. We explore the evidence that supplementing with vitamin D pills fails to remedy these terrible conditions, and what a thoughtful person can do instead, while staying safe. We hope you enjoy this episode, and that it helps you enjoy the sun again--thoughtfully, of course.  References and further reading:   Sunlight: Time for a Rethink?Benefits of oral Polypodium leucotomas extract in MM high risk patients (This is an ingredient in Life Extension’s Shade Factor, mentioned in this episode by Dr. Gordon). Uses of Polypodium leucotomos Extract in Oncodermatology  Calzari et alInsufficient Sun Exposure Has Become a Real Public Health Problem. Alfredsson L, Armstrong BK, Butterfield DA, et al. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020;17(14):E5014. doi:10.3390/ijerph17145014.Prospective Study of Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure and Risk of Cancer in the United States. Lin SW, Wheeler DC, Park Y, et al. International Journal of Cancer. 2012;131(6):E1015-23. doi:10.1002/ijc.27619.An Estimate of Premature Cancer Mortality in the U.S. Due to Inadequate Doses of Solar Ultraviolet-B Radiation. Grant WB. Cancer. 2002;94(6):1867-75. doi:10.1002/cncr.10427.Solar Ultraviolet-B Exposure and Cancer Incidence and Mortality in the United States, 1993-2002. Boscoe FP, Schymura MJ. BMC Cancer. 2006;6:264. doi:10.1186/1471-2407-6-264.Ecological Studies of the UVB-vitamin D-Cancer Hypothesis. Grant WB. Anticancer Research. 2012;32(1):223-36.Sunlight Exposure in Association With Risk of Lymphoid Malignancy: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies. Kim HB, Kim JH. Cancer Causes & Control : CCC. 2021;32(5):441-457. doi:10.1007/s10552-021-01404-6.Adulthood Residential Ultraviolet Radiation, Sun Sensitivity, Dietary Vitamin D, and Risk of Lymphoid Malignancies in the California Teachers Study. Chang ET, Canchola AJ, Cockburn M, et al. Blood. 2011;118(6):1591-9. doi:10.1182/blood-2011-02-336065.Is Prevention of Cancer by Sun Exposure More Than Just the Effect of Vitamin D? A Systematic Review of Epidemiological Studies. van der Rhee H, Coebergh JW, de Vries E. European Journal of Cancer (Oxford, England : 1990). 2013;49(6):1422-36. doi:10.1016/j.ejca.2012.11.001.An Ecologic Study of Cancer Mortality Rates in Spain With Respect to Indices of Solar UVB Irradiance and Smoking. Grant WB. International Journal of Cancer. 2007;120(5):1123-8. doi:10.1002/ijc.22386.Does Sunlight Prevent Cancer? A Systematic Review. van der Rhee HJ, de Vries E, Coebergh JW. European Journal of Cancer (Oxford, England : 1990). 2006;42(14):2222-32. doi:10.1016/j.ejca.2006.02.024.Heliovaccination: Solar mediated immunity against cancer. Uzoigwe CE. Experimental Dermatology. 2020;29(5):477-480. doi:10.1111/exd.14087.Beneficial Health Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation: Expert Review and Conference Report. Riedmann U, Dibben C, de Gruijl FR, et al. Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences : Official Journal of the European Photochemistry Association and the European Society for Photobiology. 2025;24(6):867-893. doi:10.1007/s43630-025-00743-6.A Blueprint for the Primary Prevention of Cancer: Targeting Established, Modifiable Risk Factors. Gapstur SM, Drope JM, Jacobs EJ, et al. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2018;68(6):446-470. doi:10.3322/caac.21496.Proportion and Number of Cancer Cases and Deaths Attributable to Potentially Modifiable Risk Factors in the United States, 2019. Islami F, Marlow EC, Thomson B, et al. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2024 Sep-Oct;74(5):405-432. doi:10.3322/caac.21858.Cutaneous Melanoma. Joshi UM, Kashani-Sabet M, Kirkwood JM. JAMA. 2025;334(23):2113-2125. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.13074.Sunlight, Vitamin D and the Prevention of Cancer: A Systematic Review of Epidemiological Studies. van der Rhee H, Coebergh JW, de Vries E. European Journal of Cancer Prevention : The Official Journal of the European Cancer Prevention Organisation (ECP). 2009;18(6):458-75. doi:10.1097/CEJ.0b013e32832f9bb1.Lessons Learned From Paleolithic Models and Evolution for Human Health: A Snap Shot on Beneficial Effects and Risks of Solar Radiation. Reichrath J. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. 2020;1268:3-15. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-46227-7_1.PS-Vitamin D. American Academy of Dermatology (2022).American Cancer Society Guidelines on Nutrition and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention: Reducing the Risk of Cancer With Healthy Food Choices and Physical Activity. Kushi LH, Byers T, Doyle C, et al. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2006;56(5):254-81; quiz 313-4. doi:10.3322/canjclin.56.5.254.Vitamin D, Sunlight and Cancer Connection. Holick MF. Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry. 2013;13(1):70-82.Survivorship. National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Updated 2026-04-08.Keratinocyte Carcinoma. Wehner MR. JAMA. 2025;:2840731. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.18749.Public Awareness and Behaviour in Great Britain in the Context of Sunlight Exposure and Vitamin D: Results From the First Large-Scale and Representative Survey. Burchell K, Rhodes LE, Webb AR. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020;17(18):E6924. doi:10.3390/ijerph17186924.Behavioral Counseling to Prevent Skin Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. US Preventive Services Task Force, Grossman DC, Curry SJ, et al. JAMA. 2018;319(11):1134-1142. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.1623.Lifetime Sunburn Trajectories and Associated Risks of Cutaneous Melanoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma Among a Cohort of Norwegian Women. Lergenmuller S, Rueegg CS, Perrier F, et al. JAMA Dermatology. 2022;158(12):1367-1377. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2022.4053.Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Facts & Figures. Rick Alteri, Deana Baptiste, Emily Butler Bell, et al. American Cancer Society (2025). Skin Cancer, IrradiaDawn Lemanne, MD Oregon Integrative Oncology Leave no stone unturned. Deborah Gordon, MD Northwest Wellness and Memory Center Building Healthy Brains

  3. Jun 16

    37. Why Cancer Treatments Stop Working—and How Killing More Cancer Cells Can Make It Worse

    Cancer treatment is simple, right? Kill as many cancer cells as possible, as quickly as possible. In some cases, that may be exactly the wrong approach. In this episode, Dr. Dawn Lemanne and Dr. Deborah Gordon explore a surprising idea emerging from evolutionary biology, ecology, and mathematical oncology: in some metastatic cancers, aggressive treatment may unintentionally accelerate the growth of treatment-resistant cancer cells. Using examples ranging from DDT-resistant boll weevils to metastatic prostate cancer, they discuss: • Why cancer treatments stop working in advanced cancers • How cancer cells evolve resistance • How treatment-sensitive cancer cells actually help control more dangerous treatment-resistant cancer cells  • The concept of "competitive release" and how treatment can unintentionally remove the competition that restrains resistant cancer cells • How new blood tests called circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) allow physicians to monitor cancer in real time • The emerging field of adaptive cancer therapy, in which treatment intensity is adjusted in response to the cancer's evolutionary behavior • The research suggesting that overtreatment can sometimes shorten, rather than prolong, cancer control Along the way, they explore groundbreaking work mathematical oncologists and cancer evolution researchers, and discuss a radically different way of thinking about advanced cancer—not simply as an enemy to destroy, but as an evolving ecosystem whose behavior may be influenced and, in some cases, steered. This conversation applies to advanced metastatic cancers that cannot be cured with current treatments. It does not challenge the importance of aggressive treatment for cancers that remain potentially curable. The question explored in this episode is simple: Can killing more cancer cells sometimes make cancer worse? Dawn Lemanne, MD Oregon Integrative Oncology Leave no stone unturned. Deborah Gordon, MD Northwest Wellness and Memory Center Building Healthy Brains

Ratings & Reviews

5
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13 Ratings

About

Eavesdrop as Dawn Lemanne, MD, and Deborah Gordon, MD discuss their difficult cases and the hard decisions they make behind the closed door of the exam room, when the textbooks and research protocols fall short.  They also share with each other which longevity protocols, hormones, mTOR inhibitors, senolytics, extreme diets and fasting, hormesis, cancer prevention, and dementia reversal protocols they prescribe, and which ones they quietly have tried for themselves.Anything else you want to hear about? Write to us! Dr Gordon: info@drdeborahmd.com Dr Lemanne: newsletter@oregonio.com

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