The Whole Health Cure Sharon Bergquist, MD

Diets have traditionally been concerned with restricting food but breakthrough research has revealed that certain foods can actually aid in weight loss—in fact, if study participants ate more of these foods, they lost more weight. To learn more about these foods and why they result in weight loss, I am joined by professor, pioneering researcher, and author Dr. Neal Barnard.

Dr. Barnard describes three main properties that make certain foods powerful for weight loss. Some tame the appetite. Others, especially those high in fiber, help absorb food in the digestive tract to act as “calorie trappers.” Lastly, some foods activate cellular pathways to boost metabolism naturally. When taken in combination, these power foods have the capacity to decrease the amount of fat in muscle cells, lower blood sugar, increase insulin sensitivity, and improve the gut microbiome.

“If a person follows healthful foods… and is able to use the appetite taming effect that they bring naturally, then all the other effects, the anti-diabetes effect, the cholesterol-lowering effect, the anti-cancer effect, the anti-dementia effect, all come in as well. So yes, eating less is good, but there are better ways, in my view, to do it.”

So, how can we incorporate power foods into our daily routine? Which foods may not be as healthy as we think for weight loss?And which ones maximally activate our GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) system, the same system stimulated by popular weight loss drugs? Listen to the full episode to learn why the foods we eat are just as important as how much we eat.

Here are the details of our conversation:
[00;02;01;10] Early research on foods for weight loss
[00;04;23;15] Properties of power foods
[00;05;16;22] Calorie trapping
[00;07;56;19] How much fiber do we need?
[00;08;57;21] How to incorporate fiber into your diet
[00;09;51;25] The Power Foods Diet cookbook
[00;11;20;25] Foods to boost metabolism
[00;15;01;17] Pathways for metabolism-boosting foods
[00;17;53;19] Animal fat vs. plant fat
[00;20;28;27] Improving insulin resistance
[00;21;21;22] “Health foods” that impede weight loss
[00;24;17;02] Testing the Mediterranean diet
[00;26;34;02] GLP-1 medications
[00;29;41;04] Medication in combination with lifestyle

Cannabis laws in the United States have a tumultuous and convoluted history. Although the drug has been used in the United States since the late 1800s, it was first legalized for medical use by California in 1996. In 2012, Colorado and Washington legalized recreational cannabis. Today, medical-use cannabis is allowed in 47 states and non-medical-use cannabis is allowed in 24 states.

While most states have approved medical cannabis, the drug’s use is far from destigmatized. To learn more about cannabis’ path to legalization, place in healthcare, and possible risks, I am joined by physician and cannabis specialist Dr. Peter Grinspoon.

To begin, Peter explains that heavy criminalization charges and negative public opinion on cannabis primarily stem from the War on Drugs campaign.

“To get cannabis research in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, you had to show a drop in something. A drop in IQ, a drop in motivation, or a drop in sperm count, none of which are actually true. There are harms, but not those.”

Peter advocates for greater education on cannabis among healthcare professionals. The drug has been shown to help symptoms of chronic pain, insomnia, and anxiety. For the right patients, it can be a useful tool. Knowing how to dose cannabis gradually under the guidance of a medically trained professional will be crucial as public awareness of the drug grows.

“Every poll shows that most people want to get their information about cannabis from their doctors, but only about 3% do.”
Listen to the full episode for information on uses and risks, hemp-derived products like CBD, and different cannabis strains.

Here are the details of our conversation:
[00:01:28] Peter’s interest in medical cannabis
[00:04:08] The history of medicine and marijuana
[00:06:42] Populations who can benefit from medical cannabis
[00:09:17] Safe consumption methods
[00:10:09] Educating doctors on cannabis
[00:11:45] Increasing strengths of strains
[00:12:16] Risks and side effects
[00:14:13] Lab monitoring for cannabis and CBD
[00:16:22] Cannabis strains
[00:19:03] Criminal charges for cannabis
[00:19:59] CBD use
[00:22:11] Hemp vs. cannabis
[00:23:08] Supporting the endocannabinoid system naturally
[00:24:47] Is cannabis addictive?
[00:27:11] Age regulations for cannabis use
[00:28:54] Populations who are not recommended to use cannabis

References:
https://www.cdc.gov/cannabis/about/state-medical-cannabis-laws.html
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/02/29/most-americans-now-live-in-a-legal-marijuana-state-and-most-have-at-least-one-dispensary-in-their-county/

This conversation is the second part of a two-part series with Dr. Peter Sprague about exercise physiology. In the first part, Peter explains how exercise relates to our health and longevity at the cellular level. In this part, we discuss how to write your own exercise prescription, which is a vital part of our toolkit to avoid disease and improve our aging processes.

Exercise primarily falls into two broad categories: strength training, which involves resistive tools like weights, and aerobic activity, which increases heart rate through activities like running or dancing. Within both categories, Peter defines a spectrum of intensity levels and how they improve our physiology, from vascular pliability and blood cell count to mitochondrial turnover and telomere length.

Peter offers several tools to maximize your time in the gym, such as how to calculate your target heart rate zone and how to determine the right number of reps. Importantly, Peter emphasizes that exercise recommendations are not “one-size-fits-all.” Instead, your workout plan should be tailored to your specific goals.

“Maybe they want to increase their running from the 5K distance and try a 10K or half marathon. We would focus more on volume. If they're already doing a 10K and want to improve their 10K time, then we focus a little bit more on intensity.”

We also discuss common questions. Is soreness a good sign after a workout? Is it better to perform many reps with lighter weights or fewer reps with heavier weights? What if I don’t have access to a formal gym? Peter answers each of these questions and more.

“It's still remarkable how well the body responds. Even at an older age, we still have the ability to improve our processes.”

Here are the details of our conversation:
[00:01:34] Strengthening vs. aerobic exercise
[00:02:53] Intensities in different workouts
[00:05:09] Heart rate and intensity
[00:08:24] Using periodization to improve your workout
[00:12:46] Hypertrophy and repetitions
[00:15:00] Building muscle and endurance
[00:17:02] Exercises for different muscle groups
[00:18:16] Avoiding injury in workouts
[00:18:50] Typical vs. abnormal muscle soreness
[00:20:29] Scheduling workouts for the upper and lower body
[00:22:21] Exercise for improving muscle tone
[00:28:13] Exercise for preventing heart disease
[00:31:49] Challenging yourself and your physiology

This episode is the first of a two-part series with professor, clinician, and researcher Dr. Peter Sprague about the benefits of exercise at the cellular level and how to design an exercise routine that will dramatically improve your health and longevity. In this conversation we discuss why exercise is biologically necessary and how to best engineer a cardiorespiratory-focused workout.

As an expert in physical therapy and athletic injury prevention, Peter is aware of the risks that can arise from exercise – far more important and arguably underestimated, however, are the risks that can arise from a lack of exercise. He explains that physical activity stimulates gene expression in muscle cells. In turn, those genes code for proteins that are vital to our body’s functioning.

“If we don't move and don't exercise, we don't access the protein replication… that allows for normal function.”
What stuck with me is Peter’s encouragement to consider the evolution that led to humans’ survival as a species. Today, we define an “avid exerciser” as someone with 300 active minutes a week. In the age of hunters and gatherers, our ancestors reached a staggering 3000 active minutes a week.

“So a lack of physical activity is going to go against our natural physiology. We need movement to produce the proteins that allow us to build muscle, to maintain bone health and bone density, to improve our vascular system, etc., and that all starts at the level of our genetics.”

For most modern humans, achieving 3000 active minutes is an unlikely and excessive goal. Still, maintaining a baseline of activity is important, especially in the context of aging. Speed and power deteriorate as our muscles atrophy, leading to limited mobility and a higher risk of injury. Peter describes multiple aging factors, like loss of balance, weakened bone density, slowed reaction time, and delayed neuromuscular control, that make falls a deadly threat to older individuals. Fortunately, regular exercise can keep these issues at bay.

“It's not beyond our capacity. I think it actually is well within our capacity… All of that can be mitigated if a thought was provided to an individual at a certain point in life, maybe their forties and fifties, that they have to remain somewhat active.”

Listen to the full episode to learn why our cells perform optimally with physical activity and how to exercise for your longevity goals.

Here are the details of our conversation:
[00:02:43] Trends in longevity related to exercise
[00:03:38] Cellular processes and exercise
[00:06:39] PGC-1-Alpha and genetic evolution
[00:11:49] Physical activity in modern vs. early humans
[00:14:37] Minimum effective amount of exercise
[00:16:54] Movement vs. physical activity
[00:20:58] Muscle atrophy and falls
[00:23:50] Designing a fitness plan to achieve your goals
[00:28:12] Improving both healthspan and lifespan

When we say we love someone, we place our hand over our chest. When someone is full of positivity and kindness, we say they are warmhearted. When we experience grief, we say we are brokenhearted. How did this inherent correlation between the mind and the heart arise, and why do we associate so many traits with one organ? To explore the heart-mind connection, I am joined by Dr. Jonathan Fisher.

Jonathan is among the most qualified to discuss the link between the heart and the brain. Having overcome extreme loss, clinician burnout, anxiety, and depression in his own life, he now serves patients and workplaces as a cardiologist and wellbeing leader.

“The science of mental and emotional flourishing directly supports our physical health… I try to bring this to my colleagues, whether we're talking about emotions of love, experience of empathy, compassion or gratitude.”

As Jonathan describes, emotions simply originate as signals for the brain to interpret. Most sensations travel from the body via the vagus nerve, causing the brain to release neurochemicals like epinephrine, dopamine, or cortisol. These hormones have physical effects on our respiration, digestion, and, of course, our cardiovascular system. Finally, in response to the physical symptoms, our behavior changes.

“The brain does not feel. If you're saying something warm to me… I'm not having a feeling in my left prefrontal cortex right now. There's no sensation that's there. There's information, there's signaling that's happening. What I am experiencing though, is in my body.”

Instead, we feel our heart flutter when we are excited. When we watch a scary movie, our heart pounds in our chest. Because of this bidirectional pathway between our brain and our heart, we can calm our physical symptoms by controlling our emotions, and vice versa. Listen to the full episode to learn more about mindfulness strategies and the heart-mind connection.

Here are the details of our conversation:
[00:01:23] Jonathan’s personal experience with the heart-mind connection and healthcare
[00:06:41] Jonathan’s path into wellbeing and teaching
[00:10:54] The history of the mind-heart connection
[00:13:29] The bidirectional pathway between the brain and the heart
[00:18:56] Mindfulness practices for calming anxiety
[00:21:53] Traits of the heart
[00:26:53] Interconnectedness between hearts
[00:29:58] The effect of the heart-mind connection in community
[00:31:05] Practicing kindness toward yourself

Previously on The Whole Health Cure, we learned “How Not to Die” – in this episode, Dr. Michael Greger returns to teach us “How Not to Age.”

Dr. Greger is a highly acclaimed author, speaker, and founding member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. His latest book, “How Not to Age,” delves into the science of aging and what we can do to optimize our long-term trajectories.

“The good news is, it turns out we have tremendous power over our health, destiny, and longevity.”

Throughout our conversation, Dr. Greger provides prescriptive measures to improve our longevity, all with fast-paced humor and accessible language. He first discusses the pathways contributing to aging, such as oxidative stress, the AMPK pathway, and cellular senescence, as well as the foods, behaviors, and exercises we can use to improve their outcomes. Later, he expands on commercial products that likely do not contribute to aging, such as certain supplements.

“If you take a pill containing fruits and vegetables, all you're eating is ten times that of fruits and vegetables… so eat fruits and vegetables!”

Listen to the full episode to learn about Dr. Greger’s advice, which foods promote each pathway, and the “Anti-Aging Eight.”

Here are the details of our conversation:
[00:02:34] Citing and writing the “How Not to” series
[00:03:00] The hallmark aging pathways
[00:04:14] The AMPK pathway
[00:05:19] Cellular senescence
[00:07:00] Autophagy
[00:08:47] The Anti-Aging Eight
[00:09:37] Additional lifestyle factors
[00:10:06] Vitamins and the risk of mortality
[00:13:09] Thoughts on antioxidant supplements
[00:13:47] “Superpills” from fruits and vegetables
[00:16:15] Metformin for diabetes patients vs. nondiabetes patients
[00:17:41] NAD+ boosters?
[00:19:45] Exercise: how much, how often, and why it’s so important
[00:22:10] Protein and the dangers of overconsumption