Saving Lives In Slow Motion Dr Ayan Panja
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- 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.
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Yoga - the mind-body practice
Yoga has been practised for thousands of years but as many people are cynical about trying it as there are huge fans of it.
In this episode I share my own experiences and the benefits yoga can confer to our health.
Links:
Barriers to yoga (Nepalese sudy): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8039334/
Yoga effects on brain health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6971819/
The warrior positions: https://www.yogawitholivia.co.uk/blog/transitions1
Yoga and inflammation: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8842003/
Yogic breathing benefits: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7336946/
Summary of benefits and starter guide:
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/fitness/yoga/a706996/benefits-of-yoga/
Yoga courses and learning: https://ukyoga.co.uk/courses/
Sacropenia and how to prevent it: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sarcopenia
Dean Ornish and heart disease reversal: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/188274
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Perfectionism - strength or weakness?
Perfectionism has risen in the workplace in recent years. It can be a huge positive in terms of work standards but also predisposes people to stress, anxiety and burnout.
In this episode I look at ways to capitalise on its strengths and mitigate any negatives. Not sure if you are one? Take the quiz below.
Links:
Take the quiz - are you a perfectionist?: https://www.livewellwithsharonmartin.com/qsm_quiz/perfectionist-quiz/
Perfectionism in younger generations: https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/unreasonable-demands-lead-to-substantial-rise-in-perfectionism-among-young-people/
Downsides of perfectionism: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180219-toxic-perfectionism-is-on-the-rise
DSM-V - classification of perfectionism: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886914001354
Mindfulness: https://www.mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/
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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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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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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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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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