The Whole Health Cure Sharon Bergquist, MD

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

Most competencies that will help you in your life, like communication skills, negotiating, and resolving conflict, can be learned—and the key is to break them down into bite size skills. How do we begin? In this episode, I sit down with Adaira Landry, MD, MEd, and Resa Lewiss, MD, to learn about microskills.

“When it comes to navigating the workplace, our professional lives, our personal lives… you have this very large goal, right? Like, ‘I want to be better at taking care of myself.’ But how do you do that? And there are small skills that you can take to move in that direction.”

Adaira and Resa’s new book, "MicroSkills: Small Actions, Big Impact," is a guide to identifying and refining these often-overlooked tools. Both authors have backgrounds in medicine and mentorship, and they describe the project as the “how-to” book they wish they had while navigating their own careers.

As Adaira explains, “I had gone to seminars that said, ‘This is how a network is important for you.’ But I never really felt like anyone sat me down and said, ‘This is how you would build a network, nurture a network, and help the people in your network.’”

From networking, procrastination minimization, communication, and workplace conflict resolution, Resa and Adaira provide actionable guidance on building your personal tools for success. As Resa says, “We believe that every big project, big goal, big task items… can actually be broken down into small, concrete, fundamental building blocks.” Using this perspective can aid in taking the first steps toward growth.

Listen to the full episode to learn more about Resa and Adaira’s writing process, how to assess your starting point, and train your microskills.

Here are the details of our conversation:
[00:01:46] Navigating life’s challenges through mentorship
[00:05:29] Getting started on your career journey
[00:09:50] Breaking down microskills
[00:12:01] Most difficult microskills
[00:16:45] Acquiring healthy communication habits
[00:17:55] How to raise issues in the workplace and beyond
[00:24:59] Timeline to train a microskill
[00:28:53] The book writing process

It’s The Whole Health Cure’s 200th episode! To celebrate, I am joined by my friend and colleague, Krystyna Morgan. This will be a “mic swap” style Q&A, meaning that unlike our usual episodes, I will be the guest and Krystyna will be my interviewer.

Krystyna and I began this podcast in 2018 with the goal of sharing health and wellness practices with listeners and championing leading experts in the field of lifestyle medicine. Six years later, we are sitting down to discuss the most impactful lessons from the show and where we predict health trends are headed in 2024.

“When you start something, you have no idea where it's going to go. And it's just grown so much in the time that we've been doing this. I mean, we are now on 69 platforms and in 131 countries, which is probably not something we even had a plan for when we started this.”

One of my favorite parts of hosting this show is that it allows me to connect with the lifestyle medicine community. Not only do I meet brilliant minds ranging from startup business owners and best-selling authors to public health scholars and medical researchers, but I also continue to learn about the groundbreaking findings each field is actively uncovering. The magnitude of impact that lifestyle has in disease prevention, the growing awareness of the gut microbiome, the importance of food quality, and the biological effects of nature on our health have been central topics in recent episodes. As the show has gone on, we have shared information that is at the forefront of scientific research for each of these areas, and we look forward to continuing to investigate new developments as they arise.

Additionally, in conjunction with my work as a researcher and clinical physician, I have identified shifts in health trends and the healthcare system that I expect to gain prominence in the near future. Sleep and mental health are becoming better understood as critical aspects of wellness among our patients. Further, digital health technology, physician coaching, and tailored diets all offer opportunities for individualized care and optimization beyond a doctor’s office setting.

“I think we're going to get more tailored advice for people based on their personal health condition or preferences, hopefully with some genetic or microbiome data. So a shift from less of a ‘one-size-fits-all’ to more personalized information.”

With these predictions and lessons from the show, I want to thank our listeners and guests for their support over the past six years. I have learned so much over this amazing journey, and I can’t wait to see what the next 200 episodes hold!

Here are the details of our conversation:
[00:00:00] Introduction to Episode 200
[00:03:40] Starting The Whole Health Cure
[00:05:14] The podcast’s growth in six years
[00:06:31] Connecting with the lifestyle medicine community
[00:07:57] Challenges with podcasting
[00:11:15] Four main themes from our guests
[00:17:38] Rising topics in wellness and health
[00:21:28] Health trends in 2024
[00:27:50] Coming up for The Whole Health Cure

Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn is a physician, best-selling author and former Olympic rowing champion. Dr. Esselstyn has been a surgeon, researcher, and clinician at the Cleveland Clinic for more than 35 years and is the first recipient of the Benjamin Spock Award for Compassion in Medicine. He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Cleveland Clinic Alumni Association in 2009. Dr. Esselstyn summarized his pioneering research in his best-selling book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, and has written for more than 150 scientific publications. He currently directs the cardiovascular prevention and reversal program at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute. He is also is a lecturer for the CNS and eCornell Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate.

In this conversation we talk about not only preventing and arresting, but also reversing heart disease. Dr. Esselstyn walks us through the science, evidence, and his experience in cardiac disease reversal. He helps us understand the meaning of a calcium score, the role of nitric oxide, and the function of endothelial cells. In that context, Dr. Esselstyn talks about the role of the diet, and shares the evidence available comparing various diets in their effectiveness to promote heart health and reverse heart disease. Finally, Dr. Esselstyn shares specific strategies you can apply today to improve your heart and vascular health. Tune in to learn more!