The Smart Human with Dr. Aly Cohen

Aly Cohen, MD
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The Smart Human with Dr. Aly Cohen

Our bodies are under assault from variety of modern day hazards, from toxic food chemicals, drinking water contamination, air pollution, unregulated cleaning and personal care product chemicals, pesticides, radiation, stress and more. Listen as Dr. Aly Cohen, rheumatologist, integrative medicine and environmental health expert interviews the top experts in the field of environmental health, sustainability, toxicology, and medicine to help inspire you to make meaningful lifestyle changes, prevent illness, and live your best life!

  1. Integrative Endocrinology with guest Dr. Maria “Adi” Benito, MD

    OCT 17

    Integrative Endocrinology with guest Dr. Maria “Adi” Benito, MD

    Maria “Adi” Benito is an integrative adult endocrinologist and the director of Princeton Integrative Endocrinology. After her residency in Internal Medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital (1997-2000) (University of Pennsylvania Health System), she completed a Fellowship in Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of Pennsylvania (200-2004) and a fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine (2008-2010). She has attended David Winston’s Center for Herbal studies (2012-2014 )and the Khalsa Healing Arts and Yoga Center (meditation teacher training 2005-2006). Adi joined the fellowship faculty of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine (University of Arizona) in 2012. She developed and authored the first course on Integrative endocrinology for this program. She has contributed a chapter in thyroid health to the 2nd edition of Integrative Women’s health (Weil Integrative Medicine Library) and has been an invited guest reviewer for www.dr.Weil.com. Adi lectures on the integrative management of endocrine conditions including diabetes prevention and thyroid disorders to the community. She is the chief medical advisor of Eating for Your Health, a non-profit organization based in Princeton, NJ, whose mission is to help people lead healthier lives by eating deliciously prepared whole foods in a supportive setting. In her private practice, she uses an integrative approach to the management of pre-diabetes, thyroid conditions, and PCOS, blending the best of the healing arts.

    1h 7m
  2. Cosmetics with guest Dr. Yvonne Burkart

    AUG 29

    Cosmetics with guest Dr. Yvonne Burkart

    … it’s back to school and work time! Lots of people buying personal care products and cosmetics…listen to my podcast guest @dryvonneburkart (link in bio) and learn: Why we need to care about the cosmetics/personal care/cleaning products that we use The known health effects of many toxic chemicals used in everyday products…ex. fertility, weight gain, hormone disruption and immune health How certain populations/demographics are more vulnerable to the health effects from toxic chemicals How many toxic chemicals contribute to weight gain Why teens are experiencing puberty years earlier than the generations before us How to understand product labels ….and so much more!  Dr. Yvonne Burkart is a PhD Toxicologist, Mom of two, and Consultant. She is a 23-year veteran of Toxicology with expertise in reproductive toxicity, particularly endocrine disruption, infertility, cancer, and glutathione homeostasis. She has also served as a Senior Toxicologist in the flavor and fragrance chemical industry where she helped to ensure the safety of flavor ingredients. After experiencing the power of a low tox lifestyle, Dr. Yvonne began a mission to help consumers slash their toxic exposure with confidence and ease. She is extremely passionate about helping parents protect their children from toxic exposure. Dr. Yvonne lives in California with her husband and two children. LINKS My website https://dryvonneburkart.com/ YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@dryvonneburkart/videos Hormone Disrupting Ingredient Cheatsheet and Training https://info.safeingredientacademy.com/3738-9693

    1h 2m
  3. Integrative Cardiology with guest Dr. Vivian Kominos

    JUL 18

    Integrative Cardiology with guest Dr. Vivian Kominos

    In this interview, we discuss: -What is integrative cardiology and how does it differ from conventional cardiology? -How many people have heart disease today? Is this number growing? -How do women differ when it comes to heart disease...risk, management, and even symptoms of heart problems?  -Which lab screening tests do you use for heart disease?  -What is advanced lipid testing (ex. apolipoprotein B, lipoprotein(a), CRP, small dense LDL) are best for predicting heart disease risk? -Which imaging studies are best for diagnosing heart disease? -What are the pros and cons of pharmaceutical therapy?  -Are statin medications bad for us? How are statin medication best managed when necessary? -How do lifestyle approaches, such as diet, sleep, exercise, affect our risk for heart disease? Which diet is best to prevent or manage heart disease? -Do mind-body approaches, like meditation and yoga,  affect blood pressure and/or heart disease risk? -What 3 things can we all do RIGHT NOW to make our hearts healthier? Vivian A. Kominos, MD, FACC, a nationally recognized clinician and educator in integrative cardiology, is a graduate of St Louis University School of Medicine. She completed her internal medicine residency and cardiology fellowship at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in her home state of New Jersey. She is board certified in both Integrative Medicine and Cardiology. She has practiced cardiology for over 35 years and has concentrated on integrative medicine and integrative cardiology for the past 15 years. She is Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine (AWCIM) where she completed her integrative medicine fellowship in 2007. She is a founding member of the American Board of Integrative Medicine where she served as vice chair and remained an active board member until 2020.Besides being a mentor for the AWCIM fellowship, she is intimately involved in the fellowship educational curricula, authoring modules on topics ranging from cardiovascular health and disease to nutrition, mind body medicine, and obesity. She is a speaker and educator for her peers, medical students and residents, nurses, allied health professionals and the community. She enjoys volunteering at the Parker Family Health Center in Red Bank, New Jersey. She loves running, kayaking, cooking and spending time with family and friends. Her greatest joy is her 2 1/2 year old granddaughter

    1h 10m
  4. Fighting Industry Toxins with guest Ken Cook

    MAY 23

    Fighting Industry Toxins with guest Ken Cook

    Ken Cook, president and co-founder of Environmental Working Group, is widely recognized as one of the environmental community’s most prominent and effective critics of establishment agriculture and U.S. farm policy. On November 2, food policy authority Michael Pollan named Cook one of “the world’s 7 most powerful foodies”, along with First Lady Michelle Obama, nutritionist Marion Nestle and The New York Times’ columnist Mark Bittman. On November 19, The Times' Bittman listed EWG among 25 people and organizations for whom he was thankful as Thanksgiving approached. In its 2011 roster of Washington’s top lobbyists, The Hill, the newspaper of Capitol Hill, said Cook “is at the forefront of challenges to corn ethanol and subsidies for Big Agriculture, upcoming hot-button issues as Congress tackles energy matters and starts work on a new farm bill.” Cook was voted the “Ultimate Green Game Changer” in 2009 by the readers of The Huffington Post. As Arianna Huffington put it, “The EWG is an environmental superhero with a full set of digital tools in its arsenal.” Cook is a principal architect of the landmark conservation provisions of the 1985 farm bill, which for the first time attempted to shift U.S. farm policy from a narrow focus on maximum crop production to conservation of land, water, wetlands and wildlife. The legislation was the most important environmental farm policy reform of recent years, affecting more than 400 million acres of privately owned - and publicly subsidized - farmland. EWG’s online database listing every farm subsidy recipient in the nation and the amount of money each receives has generated thousands of stories about America’s broken farm policy. A New York Times profile of Cook said the website helped “transform the [2002] farm bill into a question about equity and whether the country's wealthiest farmers should be paid to grow commodity crops while many smaller family farms receive nothing and are going out of business.” Cook and EWG played a similarly prominent role during the crafting of the 2008 farm bill. In the 1990s, EWG’s research on pesticides was a major factor in the passage of the landmark pesticide reform law, the Food Quality Protection Act. EWG was among the first organizations to draw attention to the health threat posed by the weed-killer atrazine, conducting the first extensive tests for the chemical in tap water in 29 Midwestern cities. Cook has addressed food and agriculture policy in numerous interviews, including 60 Minutes, the CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, the Today Show, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX Business News, CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Associated Press, Reuters, The Los Angeles Times and The San Francisco Chronicle. Cook testifies regularly before House and Senate committees, has briefed top Congressional staff and has met with senior Obama administration officials, including Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack and Environmental Protection Administration chief Lisa Jackson. Cook earned a B.A. in history, B.S. in agriculture and M.S. in soil science from the University of Missouri Columbia. He is a board member of The Organic Center and the Amazon Conservation Team. He is married to Deb Callahan and lives in northern California with their young son, Callahan.  Environmental Working Group:  https://www.ewg.org/ Skin Deep Database:    https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ Tap Water Database: https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/ State of American drinking water: https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/state-of-american-drinking-water.php The 2024 Dirty Dozen: https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php   Ken Cook's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kencookspodcast/and     HEADQUARTERS 1436 U St. NW, Suite 100 Washington, DC 20009 ❘ P: 202.667.6982 F: 202.232.2592 CALIFORNIA OFFICE 2201 Broadway, Suite 308 Oakland, CA 94612 ❘ P: 510.444.0973 F: 510.444.0982 MIDWEST

    1h 18m
  5. Tattoos with guest Dr. David Kriebel

    APR 11

    Tattoos with guest Dr. David Kriebel

    David Kriebel, Sc.D., Director, Lowell Center for Sustainable Production https://www.uml.edu/research/lowell-center/ Professor Emeritus, Department of Public Health https://www.uml.edu/Health-Sciences/Public-Health/faculty/kriebel-david.aspx David Kriebel is a professor emeritus of epidemiology at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Trained at Harvard in occupational/environmental epidemiology, his research has helped to identify many important environmental and occupational causes of cancer, lung diseases, injuries and other health hazards. For over 30 years he taught in the Department of Work Environment at UMass Lowell, an interdisciplinary graduate program that trained hundreds of occupational health researchers, practitioners and activists. Dr. Kriebel has co-authored two textbooks and published more than 150 peer reviewed papers. As a member of a committee of the U.S. National Research Council, Dr. Kriebel helped establish the link between exposure to Agent Orange among Vietnam veterans and cancer, leading to compensation for many disabled veterans. He advised the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences on its long term study of the health effects of the Deep Water Horizon oil spill and clean-up operations and conducted research to identify cancers and other diseases among the first responders to the World Trade Center Disaster. Dr. Kriebel is also the Director of the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production, which collaborates with industries, government agencies, unions, and community organizations on the redesign of systems of production to make them healthier and more environmentally sound. He continues to teach epidemiology and also frequently speaks to community groups and government agencies on the role of science in democratic decision making, particularly in cancer prevention.  A few articles that you may find useful: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/thesmarthuman/FDA_Consumer_Update_on_tattoos_FDA_Cosmetics_Facts-Tattoos_Foerster_Tattoo_inks__cancer_Negi__Tattoo_inks_toxicological_risks_systematic_review_Toxicol_Indus_Health_2022_Sabbioni_Carcinogenic.pdf Other podcasts with David Kriebel: https://www.whatmamawants.org/archived-episodes/david-kriebel Colleagues, I thought you would like to know that Dr. Christel Nielsen and colleagues at Lund University, Sweden, have published the first study to specifically target the tattoo-lymphoma hypothesis. The results are suggestive of an effect, and I hope will help convince funders and skeptical reviewers to support additional studies to explore the hypothesis. Take care, David Tattoos as a risk factor for malignant lymphoma: a population-based case–control study Christel Nielsen, Mats Jerkeman, Anna Saxne Jöud e-Clinical Medicine is now available online: Tattoos as a risk factor for malignant lymphoma: a population-based case–control study - ScienceDirect

    48 min
  6. Breast Health and Chemicals with guest Dr. William Goodson

    FEB 29

    Breast Health and Chemicals with guest Dr. William Goodson

    Dr. Goodson grew up in Missouri and graduated from the University of Missouri Columbia and Harvard Medical School. He trained as a general surgeon and specialized in breast surgery before it was a recognized field. He was a member of the research group that established breast conservation, i.e., lumpectomy, as the preferred treatment for early breast cancer. Recognizing that he was treating more young women with breast cancer, he joined with Dr. Shanaz Dairkee in 2005 to investigate how common environmental chemicals such as BPA, methylparaben, PFOA, etc. disrupt the normal biology of non-cancerous, human breasts. He has been a professor at the University of California San Francisco and a Senior Scientist at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a member of the American Society for Clinical Oncology, and a spokesperson for The Halifax Project. In addition to research, he enjoys photography, writing, and creating hand-drawn animation as on his website, www.drwilliamgoodson.com A Ternary Mixture of Common Chemicals Perturbs Benign Human Breast Epithelial Cells More Than the Same Chemicals Do Individually. Dairkee SH, Luciani-Torres G, Moore DH, Jaffee IM, Goodson WH 3rd. Toxicol Sci. 2018 Sep 1;165(1):131-144. doi: 10.1093/toxsci/kfy126. PMID: 29846718 Free PMC article.   Assessing the carcinogenic potential of low-dose exposures to chemical mixtures in the environment: the challenge ahead. Goodson WH 3rd, Lowe L, Carpenter DO, Gilbertson M, Manaf Ali A, Lopez de Cerain Salsamendi A, Lasfar A, Carnero A, Azqueta A, Amedei A, Charles AK, Collins AR, Ward A, Salzberg AC, Colacci A, Olsen AK, Berg A, Barclay BJ, Zhou BP, Blanco-Aparicio C... See abstract for full author list ➔ Carcinogenesis. 2015 Jun;36 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S254-96. doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgv039. PMID: 26106142 Free PMC article.   Consensus on the key characteristics of endocrine-disrupting chemicals as a basis for hazard identification. La Merrill MA, Vandenberg LN, Smith MT, Goodson W, Browne P, Patisaul HB, Guyton KZ, Kortenkamp A, Cogliano VJ, Woodruff TJ, Rieswijk L, Sone H, Korach KS, Gore AC, Zeise L, Zoeller RT. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2020 Jan;16(1):45-57. doi: 10.1038/s41574-019-0273-8. Epub 2019 Nov 12. PMID: 31719706 Free PMC article.   Exposure to the polyester PET precursor--terephthalic acid induces and perpetuates DNA damage-harboring non-malignant human breast cells. Luciani-Torres MG, Moore DH, Goodson WH 3rd, Dairkee SH. Carcinogenesis. 2015 Jan;36(1):168-76. doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgu234. Epub 2014 Nov 19. PMID: 25411358 Free PMC article.   The Key Characteristics of Carcinogens: Relationship to the Hallmarks of Cancer, Relevant Biomarkers, and Assays to Measure Them. Smith MT, Guyton KZ, Kleinstreuer N, Borrel A, Cardenas A, Chiu WA, Felsher DW, Gibbons CF, Goodson WH 3rd, Houck KA, Kane AB, La Merrill MA, Lebrec H, Lowe L, McHale CM, Minocherhomji S, Rieswijk L, Sandy MS, Sone H, Wang A, Zhang L, Zeise L, Fielden M. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2020 Oct;29(10):1887-1903. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-19-1346. Epub 2020 Mar 9. PMID: 32152214 Free PMC article.   Testing the low dose mixtures hypothesis from the Halifax project. Goodson WH, Lowe L, Gilbertson M, Carpenter DO. Rev Environ Health. 2020 Aug 24;35(4):333-357. doi: 10.1515/reveh-2020-0033. Print 2020 Nov 18. PMID: 32833669 Review.   Using the Key Characteristics of Carcinogens to Develop Research on Chemical Mixtures and Cancer. Rider CV, McHale CM, Webster TF, Lowe L, Goodson WH 3rd, La Merrill MA, Rice G, Zeise L, Zhang L, Smith MT. Environ Health Perspect. 2021 Mar;129(3):35003. doi: 10.1289/EHP8525. Epub 2021 Mar 30. PMID: 33784186 Free PMC article.   Bisphenol-A-induced inactivation of the p53 axis underlying deregulation of proliferation kinetics, and cell death in non-malignant human breast epithelial cells. Dairkee SH, Luciani-T

    1h 30m
  7. Food as Medicine with guest William Li, MD

    JAN 18

    Food as Medicine with guest William Li, MD

    ATTRIBUTION/INTRO LINE:  Dr. William Li, physician, scientist and bestselling author of  “Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself” and “Eat to Beat Your Diet: Burn Fat, Heal Your Metabolism, and Live Longer”   SHORT BIO: William W. Li, MD, is an internationally renowned physician, scientist and author of the New York Times bestseller “Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself.” His groundbreaking research has led to the development of more than 30 new medical treatments that impact care for more than 70 diseases including diabetes, blindness, heart disease and obesity. His TED Talk, “Can We Eat to Starve Cancer?” has garnered more than 11 million views. Dr. Li has appeared on Good Morning America, CNN, CNBC, Rachael Ray and Live with Kelly & Ryan, and he has been featured in USA Today, Time Magazine, The Atlantic and O Magazine. He is President and Medical Director of the Angiogenesis Foundation, and he is leading global initiatives on food as medicine. His newest book New York Times bestseller, “Eat to Beat Your Diet: Burn Fat, Heal Your Metabolism, and Live Longer” was released March 21, 2023.   HEADSHOT:    BOOK COVERS:                      BOOK LINKS: https://drwilliamli.com/etb-diet-book/ https://drwilliamli.com/book-li/   A report on cancer statistics just published in, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, states that:  The number of new cancer cases had ticked up to more than two million in 2023, from 1.9 million in 2022.  According to the report, cancer rates are increasing for six of the 10 most common cancers: breast, prostate, melanoma, kidney, pancreas and uterine, while lung, colorectal and pancreas cancers cause the most deaths.  Among adults younger than 50, colorectal cancer has become the leading cause of cancer death in men and the second-leading cause in women, behind breast cancer. In the late 1990s, it ranked fourth in both men and women younger than 50.   So, it seems that there's  no more appropriate time than now to listen to this important discussion I had with Dr. William Li about his research applying both biology and biotechnology to understand cancer preventing compounds in food and how the body responds to what it's fed!

    1h 11m
  8. Sports Turf with guest Dr. Rachel Massey

    11/02/2023

    Sports Turf with guest Dr. Rachel Massey

    Hello everybody and welcome to another episode of the Smart Human Podcast. Today, I have the pleasure of talking with Dr. Rachel Massey, who is Senior Science and Policy Advisor at the Collaborative for Health and Environment and a Senior Research Associate at the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production at the University of Massachusetts. Today, we are talking about a very important topic to me, artificial sports turf. We talk about materials, health effects, alternatives, and ways to stay safe. So stay tuned.   Rachel Massey is Senior Science and Policy Advisory at the Collaborative for Health and Environment, and a Senior Research Associate at the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She has over two decades of experience working at the intersection of public interest science and policy making in state, national and international arenas. Until recently she served as Senior Associate Director at the Toxics Use Reduction Institute at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where her projects included state, federal and international chemicals policy initiatives, analyzing toxics use reduction opportunities for businesses and communities, and working in partnership with small businesses and grassroots organizations addressing toxics at the community level.   In 2022 she received the Ken Zarker Memorial Pollution Prevention Champion Award from the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable. She has authored numerous reports and articles on chemicals policy and safer alternatives, including reports for European government agencies and the United Nations on chemicals and development, chemicals in consumer products, and other topics. Rachel received a Master of Science in Environmental Change and Management from Oxford University, a Master of Public Affairs from the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, and a Doctor of Science in Work Environment from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Here are some suggested links/resources: Blog posts through the Collaborative for Health and Environment: https://www.healthandenvironment.org/join-us/blog/playing-on-plastic-artificial-turf-hazards-and-safer-alternatives https://www.healthandenvironment.org/join-us/blog/6ppd-in-tires-a-concern-for-playgrounds-artificial-turf-and-more https://www.healthandenvironment.org/join-us/blog/playground-surfacing-fall-protection-and-fun-without-toxic-chemicals Resources from the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production and the Toxics Use Reduction Institute at UMass Lowell: https://www.uml.edu/research/lowell-center/athletic-playing-fields/   One-page overview of artificial turf concerns:  https://www.turi.org/content/download/13559/206802/file/ArtificialTurfConcerns_flyer_April2021.pdf Extended fact sheet on athletic fields (2020):  https://www.turi.org/content/download/13271/203906/file/Factsheet.Artificial_Turf.September2020.pdf.pdf Report on athletic fields (2018-2019):  https://www.turi.org/content/download/11980/188623/file/TURI+Report+2018-002+June+2019.+Athletic+Playing+Fields.pdf PFAS in artificial turf carpet: https://www.turi.org/content/download/12963/201149/file/TURI+fact+sheet+-+PFAS+in+artificial+turf.pdf  Natural grass field case studies: turi.org/organicgrasscasestudies Short videos on natural grass fields in MA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmjv1qteLho https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nws-ZpeaQJc   Resources from Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai: https://mountsinaiexposomics.org/artificial-turf/ https://icahn.mssm.edu/files/ISMMS/Assets/Departments/Environmental%20Medicine%20and%20Public%20Health/CEHC/CEHC%20Artificial%20Turf%20Consumer%20Guide%205.2017.pdf https://icahn.mssm.edu/files/ISMMS/Assets/Departments/Environmental%20Medicine%20and%20Public%20Health/CEHC/CEHC%20Artificial%20Turf%20Position%20Statement%205.2017.pdf Healthy Playing Surfaces website, housed at Mt. Sinai: https://www

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Our bodies are under assault from variety of modern day hazards, from toxic food chemicals, drinking water contamination, air pollution, unregulated cleaning and personal care product chemicals, pesticides, radiation, stress and more. Listen as Dr. Aly Cohen, rheumatologist, integrative medicine and environmental health expert interviews the top experts in the field of environmental health, sustainability, toxicology, and medicine to help inspire you to make meaningful lifestyle changes, prevent illness, and live your best life!

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