120 episodes

Dr Ayan Panja has been putting health into context as a doctor for over 25 years. He shares his expert generalist perspective on important themes around health & wellbeing, pondering what impacts our health journeys, societal attitudes and meaning in our lives. SAVING LIVES IN SLOW MOTION is a bite-sized, enriching and mind-expanding podcast. Powerful messages, science, medicine and storytelling with a professional but informal tone.
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Saving Lives In Slow Motion Dr Ayan Panja

    • Health & Fitness

Dr Ayan Panja has been putting health into context as a doctor for over 25 years. He shares his expert generalist perspective on important themes around health & wellbeing, pondering what impacts our health journeys, societal attitudes and meaning in our lives. SAVING LIVES IN SLOW MOTION is a bite-sized, enriching and mind-expanding podcast. Powerful messages, science, medicine and storytelling with a professional but informal tone.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Food as Medicine

    Food as Medicine

    This is an argument that rages on in the world of nutrition and medicine. In this episode I look at what food is, what it does to us in terms of our health and the mechanisms behind it and give you my verdict on whether I consider it to be medicine or not.
    Ultra processed foods - review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10899807/
    Protein benefits: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-reasons-to-eat-more-protein
    Blue Zones diets: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/what-is-the-blue-zones-diet
    Herbs and spices with health benefits: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-healthy-herbs-and-spices
    Akkermansia mucinophilia in IBD: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.1089600/full
    T Reg cells - what are they?
    :https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.878382/full
    Apples and their in vitro benefits: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5490512/
    The all important Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (now a therapeutic target for big pharmaceutical companies): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221323172300023X
    Short chain fatty acids and heart disease: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24388214/#

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    • 16 min
    High Blood Pressure - the biggest silent killer?

    High Blood Pressure - the biggest silent killer?

    High blood pressure is the biggest modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which is still the leading cause of death worldwide.
    It’s often called a silent killer because it has usually has no symptoms.
    This episode give you the lowdown on high blood pressure (also known as essential hypertension).

    Links:
    WHO page: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hypertension
    NICE guideline for hypertension: https://www.england.nhs.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2019/11/NICE-NG136-Visual-Summary.pdf
    A summary of high blood pressure: https://www.healthline.com/health/high-blood-pressure-hypertension
    Vitamin D and blood pressure in African-Americans: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3775458/
    Salt and potassium: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7697211/
    Low carb diets and blood pressure: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6695889/
    Potassium enriched salt and blood pressure: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10863666/
    Salt substitutes: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9532913/
    Measuring blood pressure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfwBpBXUYHs
    Why blood pressure matters: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-combating-high-blood-pressure/health-matters-combating-high-blood-pressure#
    Resperate - the evidence is mixed, the effects small and it is not a substitute for any medication:
    https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/expert-answers/resperate/faq-20057998#
    https://northyorkshireccg.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/NYCCG-Resp-Devices-Hypertension_v1.0_01.07.2021.pdf

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    • 18 min
    Mind Body Medicine - a new and old frontier

    Mind Body Medicine - a new and old frontier

    Mind Body Medicine is fascinating but has been poorly understood over the years. I believe it is more important to try to understand better now more than ever as we are surrounded by medically unexplained symptoms and non-communicable symptoms and diseases. 
    In this episode I look at the origins and theories behind it as well as link to the evidence in the show notes.
    Links:
    The Holmes-Rahe Stress scale: https://www.mindtools.com/avn893g/the-holmes-and-rahe-stress-scale
    The effectiveness of mind-body medicine (narrative): https://journals.lww.com/mjhs/fulltext/2023/11020/effectiveness_of_mind_body_medicine.2.aspx
    Somatising: https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/somatic-symptom-disorder/what-is-somatic-symptom-disorder
    Opinion piece - a new ear of mind body medicine: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7486127/#
    Views on Dr Sarno’s work: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/10/2/16338094/dr-john-sarno-healing-back-pain
    Mind Body Medicine in Crohn’s Disease: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnint.2022.960301/full
    Mindfulness and meditation - effects on stress:
    https://www.apa.org/topics/mindfulness/meditation
    Repressed emotions and physical health: https://www.healthline.com/health/repressed-emotions
    Heart rate variability and stress: https://www.webmd.com/heart/what-is-heart-rate-variability
    Mechanisms on how writing can help: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7957853/
    Journaling and heart failure: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4927423/
    Psychoneuroimmunology during COVID-19: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9075982/
    THE HEALTH FIX: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Health-Fix-Dr-Ayan-Panja/dp/1914239326/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

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    • 17 min
    Weight loss drugs - are the new blockbuster medicines really a solution for obesity?

    Weight loss drugs - are the new blockbuster medicines really a solution for obesity?

    This is a super hot topic in health care in some parts of the world at the moment. In this episode I look at how these drugs work and the pros and cons of taking them for weight loss purposes.
    Obesity, in some instances, is in essence a form of ‘malnutrition’ because of the nature of food consumed and how rates have increased rapidly over the last 40 years.
    Body Mass Index definition: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/health-21264134
    Heart disease risk reduced by weight loss jab: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd188m73vn1o
    Ultra processed food and your brain: 
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/junk_food_brain
    Supersize Me: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Size_Me
    Obesity health risks: https://www.healthline.com/health/obesity/how-obesity-affects-body
    The genetics of obesity: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41576-021-00414-z
    The story behind semaglutide: https://www.vox.com/22553793/gila-monster-lizard-venom-inspired-obesity-drug-semaglutide
    Weight loss stats on semaglutide: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9486455/
    Semaglutide can stop working and even if it works it may need to be taken forever:
    https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/why-weight-loss-drugs-stop-working-how-to-break-past-ozempic-plateau#Hitting-a-weight-loss-plateau-after-a-year


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    • 17 min
    Continuous Glucose Monitoring: life saver or wellbeing fad?

    Continuous Glucose Monitoring: life saver or wellbeing fad?

    CGM has changed lives for the better people with Type 1 Diabetes but nowadays people without diabetes use it as a tool. In this episode I look at the pros and cons of CGM and how it can be used as a lens into our general health and how it is linked to our gut microbiome amongst many other systems.

    Links:

    CGM early days review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4717493/
    Prof Partha Kar: https://gettingitrightfirsttime.co.uk/girft-diabetes-lead-awarded-obe-in-new-year-honours/
    Red meat and gut bacteria: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/gut-microbes-affect-harmful-compound-red-meat#
    Akkermansia Muciniphilia: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8726741/
    Gut bugs and metabolic disease: https://joe.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/joe/248/2/JOE-20-0473.xml#
    Alcohol and blood glucose: https://blog.supersapiens.com/3-ways-alcohol-affects-your-glucose-levels/
    Exercise and blood sugar: https://www.sugarfit.com/blog/workout-spikes-exercise-induced-gluconeogenesis/
    Glucose spikes - the dangers?: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7530333/#:
    The view of Harvard on CGM without diabetes:https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-blood-sugar-monitoring-without-diabetes-worthwhile-202106112473
    Walking after meals: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/walking-after-eating
    Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10401445/#
    THE HEALTH FIX - the ultimate health manual tailored to you: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Health-Fix-Dr-Ayan-Panja/dp/1914239326/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
    25wktvbz

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    • 19 min
    Smart phones - the hidden addiction that affects us all

    Smart phones - the hidden addiction that affects us all

    In this episode I look at smart phones. They have changed the way we live beyond imagination 
    but are they doing us any harm in terms of the way we think and behave?
    Links:
    Life before smartphones:
    https://medium.com/be-unique/before-smartphones-were-a-thing-87208717b8d7
    Teenage brain: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/teen/Pages/Whats-Going-On-in-the-Teenage-Brain.aspx
    Teenagers and smart phones: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-smartphones-really-destroying-the-lives-of-teenagers/
    Alpha brain waves: https://www.healthline.com/health/alpha-brain-waves#bottom-line
    Multitasking and switching focus: https://neuroscience.stanford.edu/news/why-multitasking-does-more-harm-good
    Phones and attention: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-36256-4#
    Alpha waves: https://www.healthline.com/health/alpha-brain-waves
    Dopamine fasting: https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/dopamine-fasting-smartphone-addiction

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    • 21 min

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