Rational Wellness Podcast

Dr. Ben Weitz

Rational Wellness Podcast hosted by Dr. Ben Weitz helps you unlock the latest science in functional medicine, nutrition, wellness and health, so you can optimize your body and mind. Weekly interviews with experts in Functional Medicine and Wellness with focus on gut health, hormones, inflammation, wellness, brain health, nutrition, health and longevity. You'll discover evidence-based strategies to reverse chronic disease, balance your biology, and extend your healthspan — from cutting-edge lab testing and nutrition to personalized lifestyle interventions. Past guests include Dr. Dale Bredesen, Dr. Jeffrey Bland, and Dr. Mark Pimentel and many of the most trusted voices in functional and integrative medicine and the wellness world. Subscribe today to learn practical tools you can use right now for better health and wellness.

  1. Life Changing Results for Parkinson's Patients with Dr. Greg Eckel: Rational Wellness Podcast 461

    3D AGO

    Life Changing Results for Parkinson's Patients with Dr. Greg Eckel: Rational Wellness Podcast 461

    Parkinson's Disease, Prions, and Root-Cause Brain Regeneration with Dr. Greg Eckel Dr. Ben Weitz introduces the Rational Wellness Podcast and interviews Dr. Greg Eckel about Parkinson's disease, brain regeneration, and misfolded proteins (prions) such as alpha-synuclein. Eckel shares that his focus on neurodegeneration began after his wife died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, motivating him to develop the Eckel Protocol and found Be Vital. He explains prions as misfolded proteins that propagate misfolding, discusses debates about whether alpha-synuclein may be protective, and argues Parkinson's reflects upstream systemic issues beyond dopamine loss. The conversation covers diagnostics (SYN-1 skin biopsy vs DaTscan), environmental toxins (TCE, paraquat, heavy metals), chelation approaches (provoked urine with DMSA), microbiome testing, and dietary guidance favoring Mediterranean/Zone patterns over keto. Eckel describes regenerative "brain camp" therapies including VSEL intranasal procedures, laser activation, exosomes, and adjunct modalities, and reviews supplements and IV therapies while emphasizing individualized testing and root-cause care. Dr. Greg Eckel has degrees in both naturopathic medicine and Chinese medicine. After a deeply personal journey that reshaped his understanding of chronic illness, Dr. Greg Eckel has developed a comprehensive approach aimed not just at managing symptoms, but at restoring function and supporting the brain's capacity to heal.   He has developed a brain regenerative program and a nasal spray that specifically targets neuroinflammation in the brain.  He's also published a book, "Shake It Off: An Integrative Approach to Parkinson's Solutions." Dr. Eckel can be reached through his websites at brainregen.com, Bvital.com and on Instagram at @drgreckel. Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Dr. Weitz has also successfully helped many patients with managing their weight and improving their athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111.

    1h 5m
  2. Reversing Alzheimer's Disease is Science with Dr. Dale Bredesen | Rational Wellness Podcast 460

    MAY 7

    Reversing Alzheimer's Disease is Science with Dr. Dale Bredesen | Rational Wellness Podcast 460

    View the Show Notes For This Episode Precision Medicine and Functional Approaches to Alzheimer's: Dr. Dale Bredesen on Personalized Treatment, Trial Results, and Key Drivers Dr. Ben Weitz introduces the Rational Wellness Podcast and interviews neurologist Dr. Dale Bredesen about a precision medicine approach to Alzheimer's, arguing cognitive decline reflects multiple interacting drivers rather than a single disease. Bredesen explains why a randomized controlled trial was needed to convince mainstream medicine, describes the ethical challenges of a declining control group, and reports statistically significant improvements in memory, executive function, processing speed, and neurocognitive index, including benefits for APOE4 carriers and preliminary improvement in APOE4/4 patients. He outlines key contributors— inflammation, toxicity, energetics, plus neurotransmitters, trophic support (including BHRT), and stress—along with common factors like metabolic dysfunction, mycotoxins, sleep apnea, infections, and heavy metals. The discussion covers early detection with blood biomarkers, individualized treatment variability by site training, diet (Ketoflex 12/3), stress-reduction tools, targeted supplements, and applications to other neurodegenerative syndromes. 01:03 Alzheimer's Precision Medicine 02:29 Why an RCT Matters 04:18 Ethics and Pushback 06:57 APOE4 and Site Results 09:40 Network Model Big Drivers 12:40 Training Makes the Difference 13:44 Trial Baselines and Outcomes 16:34 Personalized vs One Size 18:50 Top Root Causes to Address 21:56 Early Screening Blood Tests 25:56 Amyloid Tau as Defense 29:20 Sponsor Break Apollo Wearable 30:54 Personalized Infection Treatment 32:30 Hormones and Brain Support 34:49 Progesterone for Men Too 35:54 Beyond Alzheimer's Parkinson's 36:18 Detox Reverses Corticobasal 37:49 Posterior Cortical Atrophy Turnaround 39:33 Network Failure and Evolution 41:57 Prions as Immune Defense 44:10 Stress Reset Strategies 46:00 Targeted Supplements and Genetics 51:37 Curcumin and Anti Amyloid Caution 54:28 Ketoflex Diet and Metabolic Flexibility 01:00:31 ApoE4 Nuance and Future Therapies 01:05:06 Closing Thanks and Podcast Outro Dale Bredesen, MD, is an internationally recognized neurologist with specialty expertise in the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases. He is the senior director of Precision Brain Health at Pacific Neuroscience Institute® and the Chief Scientific Officer at Apollo Health. Dr. Bredesen has written a number of books, including the NY Times best-seller The End of Alzheimer's, The End of Alzheimer's Program and The First Survivors of Alzheimer's. The website for Apollo Health is ApolloHealthCo.com. Guided by his philosophy and belief that Alzheimer's disease it is not just preventable, but reversible, Dr. Bredesen's innovative research has helped explain the physical mechanism behind the erosion of memory seen in Alzheimer's disease. His decades of clinical study and neurological research have opened the door to new approaches of treatment leading to the ReCODE Protocol™. Also known as the Bredesen Protocol, this methodology has emerged as a viable attempt to prevent, arrest, and reverse symptoms of cognitive decline associated with conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, dementias, and mild cognitive impairment. Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Dr. Weitz has also successfully helped many patients with managing their weight and improving their athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111.

    1h 9m
  3. Extend Your Healthspan through Cellular Optimization with Dr. Will Haas: Rational Wellness Podcast 459

    APR 29

    Extend Your Healthspan through Cellular Optimization with Dr. Will Haas: Rational Wellness Podcast 459

    Extend Your Healthspan through Cellular Optimization with Dr. Will Haas: Rational Wellness Podcast 459 Longevity and Healthspan: Cellular Optimization, Toxins, Testing, and Peptide Therapies with Dr. Will Haas Dr. Ben Weitz introduces the Rational Wellness Podcast and interviews Dr. Will Haas, founder of VYVE Wellness, about longevity as extending healthspan and maintaining function rather than simply living longer. They discuss preventable lifestyle risk factors behind chronic disease, major blind spots in conventional medicine (limited insurance-driven labs and reference-range thinking), and the value of deeper functional testing, including advanced cardiometabolic markers, toxins (heavy metals and mycotoxins), and gut health. Haas describes urine testing (Real Time Labs, Vibrant America), detox strategies, and therapeutic plasma exchange as a more aggressive option. He highlights body composition and heart rate variability as key assessments and reviews core lab categories (metabolic, inflammation, hormones, micronutrients, detoxification). They cover biological aging methylation tests, underused labs like fasting insulin and oxidized LDL, personalized diet interventions, peptide therapies (growth hormone secretagogues, tesamorelin, mitochondrial peptides), NAD strategies, limited use of senolytics, and the importance of hormone optimization and emerging omics such as metabolomics. 00:00 Show Intro 01:00 Meet Dr Will Haas 02:00 Longevity Defined 03:25 Lifestyle Risk Factors 05:16 Conventional Blind Spots 08:16 Advanced Cardio Markers 10:38 Toxins And Aging 13:17 Testing For Toxins 14:31 Therapeutic Plasma Exchange 17:55 Patient Workup Basics 19:43 HRV And Lab Strategy 24:10 Biological Age Testing 24:45 Sponsor Apollo Wearable 26:14 Underused Key Labs 28:10 Interventions Foundations 28:47 Clean Eating Defined 29:16 Gut Bloating and SIBO 29:59 Personalized Diet Strategy 30:51 Peptides and FDA Debate 32:41 Growth Hormone Controversy 34:23 Why Peptides Feel Safer 37:49 Choosing GH Peptides 40:09 GLP-1 Muscle Loss Fixes 42:30 Mitochondria and Energy 45:01 NAD Precursors and Sirtuins 47:37 Brain Health and Hormones 51:54 Longevity Myths and Methylene Blue 53:23 Future of Omics Testing 55:42 Final Takeaways and Contact   Dr. Will Haas, MD, MBA is redefining what it means to age well. He is the Founder and CEO of VYVE Wellness in Charlotte, NC, where he helps high-achieving professionals reclaim energy, focus, and vitality through cellular optimization. Dr. Haas can be reached through his website VYVEWellness.com Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Dr. Weitz has also successfully helped many patients with managing their weight and improving their athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111.

    1h 2m
  4. APR 29

    Sleep Apnea: Causes, Home Testing & Natural Solutions with Dr. Joel Gould: Rational Wellness Episode 017

    Dr. Joel Gould speaks to Dr. Ben Weitz about sleep apnea, deuterium, and vitamin D.   [If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a positive review on Itunes or Spotify, so more people will find The Rational Wellness Podcast]   Podcast Details I asked Dr. Gould how a dentist became an expert at sleep apnea?  He found out he had sleep apnea and also discovered that patients did not want to go to a sleep lab to find out if they had it. He discovered that there were home methods of testing for sleep apnea, including using a pulse oximeter for two nights.  He also discovered that the reason he had sleep apnea was because he had a vitamin D deficiency. This means that sleep apnea is both reversible and preventable. Dr. Gould also said that since he looks into patients mouths and shines a light down their throat, he's in a perfect position to discover the early signs of sleep apnea. Dr. Gould described that if you have trouble breathing while you sleep, then you will probably be more comfortable sleeping sitting up in a chair. When he suspects a patient may have sleep apnea, he will send them home with a pulse oximeter to use for two nights that will record how much oxygen is in their blood and if it drops by 4 points or more when sleeping, it indicates sleep apnea. Dr. Gould also discussed deuterium, what it is, and how much is in the environment.  Deuterium is also known as a stable hydrogen isotope or heavy hydrogen, since while most hydrogen atoms have a proton and an electron, deuterium has a proton, an electron and a neutron.  Thus, deuterium atoms are twice as heavy as other hydrogen atoms.  Deuterium messes up your metabolism and can't function like regular hydrogen.  More deuterium atoms will mess up the mitochondrial production of energy.  If deuterium is incorporated into your genes, this creates genetic defects.  Deuterium is the cause of aging, thus, deuterium is the rate limiting step of our life!  Deuterium is also the cause of obesity and the reason why vegetarian or ketogenic diets work, because they reduce deuterium levels. Dr. Joel Gould   http://www.modernamericandentistry.com/ Edit "Sleep Apnea: Causes, Home Testing & Natural Solutions with Dr. Joel Gould: Rational Wellness Episode 017" Dr Ben Weitz Dr. Ben Weitz, DC, CCSP, CSCS is a Santa Monica–based chiropractor frequently rated as "best chiropractor" and functional medicine/nutrition specialist with over 37 years of experience helping patients reduce pain, improve mobility, and improve overall health through non-invasive, evidence-based care. He specializes in identifying and addressing the root causes of conditions such as back and neck pain, arthritis, poor posture, and metabolic dysfunction—using a combination of chiropractic care, corrective exercise, and therapeutic lifestyle changes. He also offers Functional Medicine consultations, detailed lab testing, interpretation, and recommendations and coaching to reach your health goals. Dr. Weitz is the author of "The Back Relief Book" and host of the Rational Wellness Podcast, where he shares practical, science-based strategies for long-term health, performance, and disease prevention.

    1h 6m
  5. How to Change Habits with Amy Behimer: Rational Wellness Podcast 458

    APR 21

    How to Change Habits with Amy Behimer: Rational Wellness Podcast 458

    How to Change Habits with Amy Behimer: Rational Wellness Podcast 458 Dr. Ben Weitz introduces the Rational Wellness Podcast and interviews Dr. Amy Behimer a pharmacist turned board-certified health and wellness coach who helps people with autoimmune disease implement sustainable lifestyle changes through a structured, science-backed approach to "habit architecture." Behimer explains why behavior change is difficult, emphasizing that it is a learnable skill and that motivation is optional; she breaks motivation into belief, desire, and commitment. She outlines six research-backed reasons goals fail (including forgetting, goals being too big or not desired, lack of strategies that feel good, and no place to troubleshoot) and describes tactics such as "trust in the tiny," planning, tracking, reminders, support squads, environmental design, and focusing on one to three "now" habits using a tracker. She discusses mindset, compassion over guilt, household-level change, and offers a quiz, membership, and referral options for practitioners. Dr. Amy Behimer is a pharmacist turned board certified health and wellness coach, and she specializes in helping people with autoimmune disease implement sustainable lifestyle changes. After her own diagnosis, she recognized that even the most precise. [00:02:00] Functional medicine recommendations fail without a repeatable system for behavior change. She now teaches a structured science-backed approach to habit architecture that helps patients move from knowing what to do to consistently doing it. Amy is the host of the Autoimmune Health Secrets Podcast. She's the founder of Club Habit Hub, where she works with high information patients who want better outcomes without burnout. Amy, thank you so much for joining us. Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Dr. Weitz has also successfully helped many patients with managing their weight and improving their athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111.

    1h 3m
  6. APR 21

    Rethinking Mental Health: A Functional Medicine Approach with Dr. Hyla Cass: Rational Wellness Podcast Episode 014

    Rethinking Mental Health: A Functional Medicine Approach with Dr. Hyla Cass: Rational Wellness Podcast Episode 014 [If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a positive review on Itunes, so more people will find The Rational Wellness Podcast] Podcast Details Dr. Cass said it was natural for her to look at natural causes of psychiatric disorders, including diet, lifestyle, and genetics, rather than the pharmaceutical approach.  She feels that it is shameful that even very young children are placed on medications, when we don't even know what effects these meds might have on developing brains. I asked Dr. Cass why it appears as though we have a rising epidemic of depression, bipolar disorder, and ADHD among young people today. Dr. Cass said that this is due to poor diet--too many refined carbs and sugar, a lack of vegetables, not getting a solid protein--and not running around outside and exercising and they spend most of their time inside playing video games and on their computers. Dr. Cass mentioned the problems with breakfast cereals and milk in the morning, which spike their blood sugar and so many kids have food sensitivities to dairy. And the milk has bovine growth hormone. And the wheat is genetically modified and high in gluten. We were meant to be eating healthy, natural foods with lots of fiber to support the microbiome. And so many things damage the microbiome, including the antibiotics in the food supply and the chlorine and flouride in the water supply. To help patients we have to feed the brain and the gut with natural, healthy food. Kids need to eat more veggies. We were meant to eat and live a certain way and to interact with our tribe a certain way. And that is gone today, esp. in the cities. We have to recreate that type of lifestyle, starting with the diet.  And parents need to have more meaningful interactions with their children and not just be on their phones. Dr. Cass likes to look at the root causes of psychiatric conditions, such as blood sugar imbalances, stress and adrenal health, nutritional deficiencies, thyroid, hormonal balance, MTHFR and genetic factors that may affect our ability to make neurotransmitters. We discussed the recent Institute of Functional Medicine conference on brain health and how Dr. Bredesen has demonstrated reversal of Alzheimer's disease with a Functional Medicine approach that he refers to as a systems approach.  Dr. Bredesen started with rats and found that it is not just removing plaquing in the brain, because if you remove too much plaque, they get worse. Then he went to studying humans and found that if you look at and treat heavy metals, chemical toxicity, hormone imbalances, etc. You can't just use these medications, like Namenda and Aricept, which do nothing to reverse the course of the disorder. Here is Dr. Hyla Cass's website where you can get her free ebook Reclaim Your Brain:  https://cassmd.com/

    32 min
  7. Is Medicine Still Getting Lyme Disease Wrong with Dr. Pam Cipriano: Rational Wellness Podcast 457

    APR 15

    Is Medicine Still Getting Lyme Disease Wrong with Dr. Pam Cipriano: Rational Wellness Podcast 457

    View the Show Notes For This Episode Is Medicine Still Getting Lyme Disease Wrong with Dr. Pam Cipriano: Rational Wellness Podcast 457 Show Notes: Dr. Pam Cipriano is a Doctor of Nursing Practice and Functional Medicine practitioner who specializes in complex, chronic conditions like Lyme Disease and other tick-borne illnesses. Dr. Cipriano is the founder of The Practice of Health and Wellness in Thomaston, CT and her phone number is 860-880-2525.  Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Dr. Weitz has also successfully helped many patients with managing their weight and improving their athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111. Dr. Ben Weitz introduces the Rational Wellness Podcast and interviews nurse practitioner and functional medicine clinician Dr. Pam Cipriano about why Lyme and other vector-borne illnesses are often missed, citing political and educational gaps, unreliable standard testing, and the CDC's epidemiology-focused criteria. Cipriano explains limitations of EIA/ELISA and band-based testing, false negatives in neuroborreliosis, and the need for clinical diagnosis and specialty labs like iGenex and Galaxy for Bartonella. She discusses co-infections (Bartonella, Babesia, and others), symptom patterns, treatment approaches including doxycycline/minocycline plus agents for persister/cyst forms, biofilm disruption with enzymes and stevia, and transitioning to herbal protocols. She covers diet, detox strategies, mold remediation, high-dose IV vitamin C, infrared sauna, and managing Herxheimer reactions. Cipriano describes seizure cases linked to Lyme-related immune dysfunction treated with IVIG, and outlines practitioner training and how patients can access her care.   01:00 Meet Dr Pam Cipriano 02:19 Why Lyme Gets Missed 04:11 Neuro Lyme And Seizures 05:59 Why Standard Tests Fail 08:35 Clinical Clues And Rash Case 11:58 Coinfections And Better Labs 14:12 Chronic Lyme Triggers Biofilms 17:24 Breaking Biofilms And Treating 21:44 Antibiotics Cysts And Babesia 24:19 Herbs And Long Term Support 25:45 Diet To Lower Inflammation 26:58 Sugar Cravings and Lyme 27:30 Detox Therapies Overview 27:47 High Dose Vitamin C IVs 29:04 Infrared Sauna Detox 29:48 Herxheimer Detox Tools 30:52 Mold Exposure and Remediation 32:28 Diet and Hydration Basics 33:29 Lyme vs MS Neurology 35:27 Seizure Case Studies and IVIG 38:27 Tick Bite Antibiotic Debate 41:28 Vitamin D K and Testing 44:52 Programs and Closing

    48 min
  8. APR 14

    Muscle as Medicine: The Science of Strength, Fat Loss & Longevity with Mike Mutzel: Rational Wellness Podcast Episode 013

    Muscle as Medicine: The Science of Strength, Fat Loss & Longevity with Mike Mutzel: Rational Wellness Podcast Episode 013 Dr. Weitz interviews Mike Mutzel on some of the newest strategies to help you lose weight and get into great shape.  Mike and Dr. Ben both agree that it is best if you can not only teach others how to be more fit and healthy, but also to lead your life that way.  They both walk the walk as well as talking the talk. Mike explains how overtraining, such as doing excessive cardio, has negative consequences.  Mike recommends weight training 4 times per week as well as doing some yoga and some high intensity cardio, such as interval training. Mike explains that you have to beat your body up in order to stimulate it to adapt and get stronger and more fit. Mike recommends taking branch chain amino acids, specifically L-leucine, which promotes muscle growth signalling.  He also recommends consuming a little caffeine prior to going to the gym, which stimulates fat burning and stimulates their nervous system.  Mike also talks about the importance of getting enough protein through your diet, if you want to improve in your strength and muscle building. Mike also talks about respecting the body's natural circadian rhythm and that antioxidants should only be taken at night, since if taken before workouts, it might interfere with the free radical stress that is part of how exercise stimulates our body's adaptation and this lead us to get stronger. Mike also likes alkaline creatine and beta alanine as performance enhancers.  Beta alanine is a lactic acid buffer. Mike talks about the importance of brown fat and how taking a cold shower will stimulate the production of brown adipose tissue, which is metabolically active.  Fat is not just inert. It is immunologically and metabolically active. Check out Mike Mutzel's website and his High Intensity podcast: http://highintensityhealth.com/ Also order his excellent book, Belly Fat Effect https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/belly-fat-effect-msc-mike-mutzel/1119083881?ean=9780991070312 Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Dr. Weitz has also successfully helped many patients with managing their weight and improving their athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111.

    44 min
5
out of 5
164 Ratings

About

Rational Wellness Podcast hosted by Dr. Ben Weitz helps you unlock the latest science in functional medicine, nutrition, wellness and health, so you can optimize your body and mind. Weekly interviews with experts in Functional Medicine and Wellness with focus on gut health, hormones, inflammation, wellness, brain health, nutrition, health and longevity. You'll discover evidence-based strategies to reverse chronic disease, balance your biology, and extend your healthspan — from cutting-edge lab testing and nutrition to personalized lifestyle interventions. Past guests include Dr. Dale Bredesen, Dr. Jeffrey Bland, and Dr. Mark Pimentel and many of the most trusted voices in functional and integrative medicine and the wellness world. Subscribe today to learn practical tools you can use right now for better health and wellness.

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