Unlocking Brain Health: Insights from a Leading Neuro-Ophthalmologist Dr. Sui Wong

Welcome back to Season 12 of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast! In episode #343, host Andrea Samadi interviews Dr. Sui Wong, a renowned neurologist and neuro-ophthalmologist based in London, UK. With over 110 peer-reviewed publications and extensive research in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, Dr. Wong shares her holistic approach to improving brain health and patient outcomes. Discover the science behind visual snow syndrome, the impact of lifestyle-specific interventions, and the connection between eye health and neurological disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Dr. Wong also delves into the importance of mindfulness, nutrition, sleep, and a balanced lifestyle in enhancing overall well-being. Join us for an insightful conversation that bridges neuroscience with practical strategies for everyday life. Don't miss this episode filled with valuable insights and actionable tips to help you thrive. Welcome, Dr. Sui Wong! Watch our interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/GwR82IYJTbE EPISODE #343 with Dr. Sui Wong on “Unlocking Brain Health: Insights from a Leading Neuro-Ophlamologist we will cover: ✔ Dr. Sui Wong's career path in medicine, that led her to write 4 books to help her patients (and the world) improve their brain health. ✔ How understanding our eye health can help us to prevent neurological disorders (like Alzheimer's Disease) in the future. ✔ What we should all understand about our eye health for improved health and longevity. ✔ What common neuro-ophthalmology cases she sees. ✔ Why did she introduce Mindfulness into a study on Visual Snow Syndrome? ✔ What would Dr. Wong add to our list of Top 6 Health Staples? ✔ How to learn from Dr. Wong, and find her books.   On today's episode #343 we meet with Dr. Sui H. Wong, a Neurologist and Neuro-Ophthalmologist based in London, United Kingdom. In addition to her clinical work as a medical doctor and physician, Dr. Wong is an active neuroscience researcher, who translates pertinent and clinically relevant questions into research, to improve person-centred patient outcomes. Additionally, she has the qualifications and experience to consider a broader spectrum of lifestyle-specific interventions. Dr Wong’s holistic approach in empowering patients has been recognized with many awards, and this is just the beginning for her. When I was introduced to Dr. Wong, an active neuroscience researcher with a mission of translating important clinically relevant questions into research for improved person-centred patient outcomes, I knew I had to speak with her. She is a widely published author and researcher with over 110+ peer-reviewed publications in medical journals, chapters and conference abstracts, to date.  I looked at the articles Dr. Wong has published, and one caught my eye. She’s done extensive research that you can find in Ophthalmology Journals, like a recent article that I’m going to paraphrase, but it was called Visual Snow Syndrome (which is a neurological condition where individuals see persistent flickering white, black, transparent or colored dots across the whole visual field) After Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy.[i] We have spent some time on this podcast walking through Pubmed.gov, and if you go there, and put Mindfulness into the search bar, you will come up with over 30,000 results. Let’s meet Dr. Sui Wong, and see what we can learn from her decades of research and her thoughts on what lifestyle-specific interventions she recommends. Welcome Dr. Wong, thank you for coming on the podcast today, and meeting me, all the way from the UK (where I was born)(Worthing, Sussex). Welcome. Q1: Can you give us an overview of why you chose this path and ended up in Neuro-Ophthalmology with an explanation of what you do with your work? Q2: How can understanding our eye health help us to prevent neurological disorders in the future? We’ve covered Alzheimer’s Prevention strategies and I wonder what you