Episode #60 : Dr. Bret Scher: The Role of Metabolism in Psychiatric Health

This episode of the Thinking Health Podcast features Dr. Bret Scher, a board-certified cardiologist, lipidologist, and leading expert in therapeutic uses of metabolic therapies, including a ketogenic diet. He has practiced for over 20 years as a preventive cardiologist and was the medical director for dietdoctor.com for over three years.   Now Dr. Scher is the Director of Metabolic Mind, a non-profit initiative providing education and resources in the emerging field of metabolic psychiatry. Metabolic mind’s goal is to help revolutionize treatment of mental disorders through the adoption of metabolic therapies. Metabolic Mind explores science and lived experience to highlight the connection between metabolic and mental health.   In this episode, Dr. Scher discusses his journey from becoming a board certified cardiologist focusing on cardiovascular health to now being the director of a mental health initiative. Along the way, I get to pick Dr. Scher’s brain on the role metabolic health plays in various psychiatric disorders and how nutrition interventions like the keto diet are providing benefit to individuals suffering from these psychiatric conditions.   It is important to point out that much of the research that we discuss in this podcast is still in its infancy and there is a lot to learn but the truth is that many people are already using the strategies discussed in this episode to improve their own quality of life which is why it is so important that an initiative like Metabolic Mind exists to push this research forward!

This episode of the Thinking Health podcast features Cynthia Thurlow, a nurse practitioner, acclaimed author, and TEDx speaker who is here to guide you on a journey toward optimal health and well-being. In this Episode, Cynthia shares her insights and practical wisdom, catering to all dietary preferences and lifestyle choices. You don't have to completely overhaul your life to make a difference—small changes can have a massive impact.   The podcast begins by introducing Cynthia Thurlow as a powerhouse of experts with decades of experience in health and wellness. She is not only a healthcare expert but also a renowned TEDx speaker whose talks have reached millions worldwide. Cynthia's bestselling book, "Intermittent Fasting Transformation," focuses on women's health and intermittent fasting, shedding light on these crucial topics. She hosts the Everyday Wellness podcast, loved by thousands of health enthusiasts each month.   Cynthia shares her techniques to manage travel-related challenges and the stress of public speaking. She also discusses the vagus nerve's role in managing anxiety and provides strategies to stimulate it effectively. The podcast then dives into the surprising benefits of Inositol, a supplement that can be your next best friend. Cynthia explains how Inositol can improve sleep and insulin sensitivity, comparing it to Berberine. She suggests taking Myo-Inositol before a carb-heavy meal to manage blood sugar spikes and discusses the potential concerns and situations where these supplements can be useful.   Next, the podcast explores the benefits of creatine and appropriate dosages for different groups. Cynthia offers advice on incorporating creatine into your routine for maximum benefits. Sleep's impact on metabolic health and strategies to improve sleep quality are discussed. Cynthia provides tools and strategies for challenging situations like night shifts or busy schedules. Finally, the podcast emphasizes that making meaningful changes in life is key and highlights how Cynthia Thurlow's resources can assist in this process. The journey to optimal health and well-being doesn't have to be daunting. With Cynthia's guidance, you can unlock a healthier, happier you.   This podcast presents a unique opportunity to tap into your potential and enhance your life. You'll learn strategies to manage travel-related challenges, handle stress, improve sleep quality, and discover the benefits of supplements like Inositol and Creatine. You can embark on a transformative journey toward optimal health and well-being with actionable steps and a comprehensive guide.    Sneak Preview: What to Expect in this Episode 0:00 to 4:15 - How does Cynthia Thurlow manage travel-related challenges?    4:15 to 8:15 - How does Cynthia Thurlow handle the stress of public speaking and travel?   8:15 to 11:45 - What techniques can you use to stimulate the vagus nerve and manage anxiety?   11:45 to 17:47 - What are the benefits and uses of the Inositol supplement?    17:47 to 19:12 - How does Cynthia Thurlow use Inositol for sleep, and what are its effects?    19:12 to 20:53 - How does Inositol affect insulin sensitivity, and how does it compare to Berberine?    20:53 to 23:13 - Can taking Myo-Inositol before a carb-heavy meal help manage blood sugar spikes?    23:13 to 28:28 - In what situations could supplements like Myo-Inositol or Berberine be useful, and what are the potential concerns?    28:28 to 35:35 - What are the actual benefits of creatine, and what are the appropriate dosages for different groups?    35:35 to 40:38 - What's the best way to incorporate creatine into your routine for maximum benefits?   40:38 to 48:22 - How does sleep affect metabolic health, and what strategies can help improve sleep quality?   48:22 to 57:23 - What tools and strategies can improve sleep quality, especially in challenging situations such as night shifts or busy schedules?   57:23 to 01:01:11 - What is the key to making meaningful changes in life, and how can Cynthia Thurlow's resources be helpful in this process?  

In this The Thinking Health Podcast episode, host Chris Irvin is joined by Natalie Kovaric and Tara Vanderdeusen, the Discover Ag docuseries and podcast creators. Natalie Kovaric and Tara Vanderdeusen are experts in agriculture, focusing on animal agriculture. With a combined following of over 210,000 people, these two experts in agriculture are on a mission to educate the public about the often-misunderstood world of animal agriculture. Natalie Kovaric is a cattle farmer who manages her farm and has extensive knowledge about the cattle farming industry. She shares her experience and insights with her audience, helping to demystify the process of raising cattle and explaining the nutritional, environmental, and practical aspects of cattle farming. Tara Vanderdeusen is a dairy farmer who runs a dairy farm and deeply understands the dairy industry. She educates people about the various aspects of dairy farming, including the care and management of dairy cows, milk production, and the environmental impact of dairy farming. Listeners of this podcast episode will gain a wealth of knowledge about animal agriculture thanks to the expert insights and experiences shared by Natalie Kovaric and Tara Vanderdeusen. The conversation covers a wide range of topics, including the differences between dairy farming and cattle ranching, the pros and cons of grass-finished and grain-finished cattle, the environmental impact of animal agriculture, and the benefits of regenerative agriculture practices. Listeners will learn about the misconceptions surrounding animal agriculture and how Natalie and Tara are working to debunk them. They will also better understand where their food comes from and the importance of reconnecting with the food system. Overall, this podcast episode is an enjoyable and enlightening conversation that will leave listeners with a newfound appreciation for animal agriculture. Sneak Preview: What to Expect in this Episode 00:00:00 to 00:02:43 Introduction: 00:02:43 to 04:06 What are Natalie and Tara's backgrounds? What drew them to the world of agriculture and regenerative farming? 04:06 to 06:10 How did you both get involved in agriculture, and what inspired you to share your stories online? How did you two meet, and what led to the creation of the Discover Ag podcast? 06:10 to 09:25 What are the main differences between dairy farming and cattle ranching? Is there any integration between these two types of farming? 09:25 to 13:32 What distinguishes small and large dairy farms? Are larger ones always worse for welfare and the environment? How do misconceptions differ in cattle and dairy? Are large cattle farms also family-owned? 13:32 to 17:50 What are the pros and cons of grass-finished and grain-finished cattle? How do grass-fed and grain-fed labels affect consumer perception and pricing? Is there a significant nutritional difference between grass-finished and grain-finished meat? 17:50 to 22:08 Is there a concern regarding chemicals like glyphosate in the corn, soy, or grain fed to cows in the final stages of their lives, and does it impact the nutritional aspect of the meat? Is feeding corn to cows unhealthy or unnatural? 22:08 to 26:35 Are Natalie and Tara implementing or supporting the idea of feeding cows waste products like orange peels to reduce environmental impact and greenhouse gas emissions? How do feeding byproducts to cattle contribute to reducing the environmental impact and nutrient upcycling? 26:35 to 33:20 What is the true relationship between greenhouse gas emissions and animal agriculture? Does the 4% animal agriculture greenhouse gas emissions figure account for cattle consuming byproducts and natural grazing sequestration? 33:20 to 42:43 What are Tara and Natalie's thoughts on the need for change within the national food industry, and are there specific areas that need improvement? What are their thoughts on the local food system, and is it better from an environmental perspective? How does the dairy industry's structure support local farms more than people realize? 42:43 to 49:06 What are Natalie's thoughts on the cattle side of the local food system? What are the practicality and challenges of focusing solely on local food systems, especially in areas with less access to local food? 49:06 to 57:21 What are Tara and Natalie's thoughts on regenerative agriculture? How practical is it to implement regenerative practices on larger operations? 00:57:21 to 01:04:23 Are sustainable practices like rotational grazing and cover crops common in conventional animal agriculture? Are these practices economically friendly for farmers by reducing the need for external inputs? Is it true that harmonizing animal agriculture with plant agriculture is key to sustainable long-term success in plant farming? 01:04:23 to 01:14:05 Is having animals living in harmony with plant agriculture necessary for long-term sustainability?

The host of “The Thinking Health Podcast” in this episode is Chris Irvin, an expert in the health and wellness industry. The guest for this episode is Kashif Khan, the CEO and Founder of “The DNA Company” and “Youtrients.” Kashif Khan is an entrepreneur and investor who has built, run, and scaled businesses across various industries over the last 20 years. He has made millions and experienced losses, but his experiences have prepared him for his current role as a trailblazer in personalized and preventative health and wellness. He co-founded The DNA Company, an innovative provider of functional genomics solutions, and Youtrients, a company providing personalized supplement formulations based on unique DNA analysis. Kashif Khan’s qualifications and achievements include being a Certified Epigenetic Coach and having a Doctorate in Natural Medicine. He has been featured in various media outlets, including NBC, ABC, FOX, and The Huffington Post. Kashif Khan is also a sought-after speaker and has delivered keynote speeches at several international genetics and personalized medicine conferences. The podcast has invited him as a guest to provide valuable insights into personalized medicine through genomic interpretation and share his experiences as a successful entrepreneur in the industry. In this episode of “The Thinking Health Podcast,” listeners will have the opportunity to delve into the fascinating world of personalized medicine through genomic interpretation with Kashif Khan, the CEO and founder of The DNA Company. Host Chris Ervin and Kashif Khan explore a range of topics, including the connection between aging and mitochondrial function, the impact of modern environmental factors on our genetic capacity to detoxify, and the link between autoimmunity and gut health. Listeners will gain insights into The DNA Company’s innovative approach to personalized medicine and DNA testing and an interesting success story about DNA testing and custom supplements. Don’t miss out on discovering strategies for optimizing health and nutrition and learning to live harmoniously with your DNA. Sneak Preview: What to Expect in this Episode 00:00:00 to 00:03:07 Introduction 00:03:07 to 00:06:35 What led Kashif Khan to found The DNA Company and pursue personalized medicine? 00:06:35 to 00:09:36 What causes the average American to be diagnosed with their first chronic disease at 55 and accumulate two conditions by age 65? 00:09:36 to 00:13:10 What is the association between the decline in mitochondrial function and aging, and how can lifestyle choices help preserve it? 00:13:10 to 00:18:22 How can genetic testing provide actionable insights for individuals in making informed lifestyle choices to optimize their health? 00:18:22 to 00:21:52 How can understanding the function of genes as part of an interconnected system help improve overall health? 00:21:52 to 00:27:00 How is autoimmunity connected to gut health, and what role does genetics play in gut detoxification? 00:27:00 to 00:37:00 How has the modern environment affected our genetic capacity to detoxify, and what lifestyle changes can be made to support detoxification deficiency? 00:37:00 to 00:40:26 Has uncovering his DNA altered how Kashif collaborates with others, and how has this affected his team dynamics? 00:40:26 to 00:45:12 How has using DNA to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses impacted Kashif’s company culture and extended to clinical and family dynamics? 00:45:12 to 00:52:47 What is the DNA testing process used by The DNA Company, and what information do they offer clients in their user-friendly reports? 00:52:47 to 00:56:02 What recommendations are provided with DNA test results from The DNA Company, and how are the results delivered to customers? 00:56:02 to 01:01:42 What is Kashif’s opinion on the adaptability of genetic traits, and how can people manage or alter them? 01:01:42 to 01:08:11 What is an interesting success story from Kashif's company regarding DNA testing and custom supplements? 01:08:11 to 01:13:21 Where can people learn more about Kashif and The DNA Company, and how can they collaborate?  

Brian Sanders is the filmmaker behind the Food Lies documentary, host of the top 5 nutrition podcast Peak Human, and an international speaker. He graduated from UCLA with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He works as a Health Coach at Evolve Healthcare and co-founded the health education company Sapien. In this episode, Brian gives us an update on his documentary Food Lies giving us a chance to see some of what goes into creating a film of this magnitude and the impact we expect and hope it to have on society as a whole. The rest of this episode consists of various thought tangents including the importance of eating how we have evolved to eat, the environmental impact of food, the necessity of processed food due to mistakes made by the food industry, and the impact of different foods on our satiety levels.  Brian is an incredibly creative thinker so this is one of those episodes where both of us are exploring new ideas and talking through them in real time. I think you're going to enjoy this episode of the Thinking Health podcast!

This episode of the Thinking Health podcast is unique because it features FIVE All-Star guests from the low-carb community. Back in February, I had the pleasure of attending Low Carb Denver where our BioCoach team had a booth and a little podcast recording set up to conduct these interviews. You can see the full video from each of these interviews on the BioCoach YouTube channel in the coming weeks.  This episode starts with interviews with two amazing guests who have already been on the show: Dr. Jaime Seeman and Cynthia Thurlow. I get the chance to talk to Dr. Jaime about some impressive results she recently found with her husband's recent coronary artery exam and talk about intermittent fasting for women with Cynthia. The third interview is with a new guest to the show, Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng who is a critical care and palliative care physician in Canada. Dr. Kwadwo worked in the ICU for the duration of the pandemic so I had to pick his brain about what that experience was like and what he thinks we could have done differently during that time.  Next up in the episode is Mike Mutzel. Mike is a nutrition expert who is a wealth of knowledge in so many different areas of health and wellness. In this segment, I get the chance to talk to Mike about blood tests including which ones are important to measure and how to read your blood tests to understand what is actually going on with your body.  The final interview in this episode is with Dr. Chris Palmer, who at the time of this recording had just been on the podcast for a solo episode. In this segment, I get the chance to follow up with some questions I didn't get to in our original recording and get to dive into more practical questions about what we can actually do to combat the mental health epidemic we are facing today. Getting to sit down with these five brilliant, high-performing individuals was an absolute blast. If you enjoy this episode and want to see more episodes in this format, drop me a line or leave a review! 

This episode of the Thinking Health Podcast features Ben Azadi. Ben is an expert in keto, low-carb, and intermittent fasting. He is the founder of Keto Kamp, an education and coaching platform that has changed the lives of thousands of individuals. Ben is the author of four best-selling books: Keto Flex, The Perfect Health Booklet, The Intermittent Fasting Cheat Sheet, and The Power of Sleep. Ben is also the host of a top 15 podcast: The Keto Kamp Podcast and is a prominent health educator on social media.  Since Ben is such a well-rounded educator, this episode covers a ton of different areas of his expertise. We start off by breaking down seed oils, why they are important to cut out of our diets, and how to do so. Ben even gives us some new data that further supports this idea which may just be what it takes to make you decide to cut these toxic oils out forever. Download his seed oil allergy card here! Ben and I also discuss the toll travel can have on our bodies and some of the best ways to mitigate its effects and reduce the side effects. This naturally leads into a conversation about EMFs where Ben shares some of the mindblowing anecdotal research he and his colleagues have done on EMFs and Apple AirPods.  Fasting is another area Ben is an expert in so we get a little into fasting, the role it can play in digestive health, and how we could all benefit from spacing our meals out regardless of whether or not we are on a fasting regimen.  Ben and I finish up this episode talking about a "vitamin" Ben believes much of our society is deficient in: Vitamin G with the G standing for gratitude. Ben presents what may be surprising to many, a scientific breakdown of the robust physiological benefits gratitude can have on your mind and body, and discusses how he incorporates gratitude into his life. 

This episode of the Thinking Health Podcast features a friend of mine Emily Ziedman. Emily and I have been working together for years but I just recently learned about her passion for Ayurvedic Medicine and all of the great work she is doing using this ancient medicine to help people heal. In this episode, we cover the basics of Ayurvedic medicine and how this practice has been used for centuries across numerous civilizations. We talk about the difference between Ayurveda and modern Western medicine and how we could improve our ability to understand the body and the many chronic diseases we are experiencing today if we instilled some of the core foundations of Ayurveda. We also cover the constitutions of Ayurveda to lay the foundation for the topic I was most excited to get into, the impact of different food flavors on our mind, body, and spiritual health. In today's society, we have a tendency to over-experience flavors like sweet and salty which seems to play a big role in the health complications we are seeing today. Emily talks about the other flavors we are less inclined to expose ourselves to and how these flavors could have a positive impact on our mental and physical health if we could embrace them. This was a really cool episode where I was able to learn a lot about an area of health science that I had known about but had very little experience in. Emily is a wealth of knowledge and I look forward to having her on the show again for a follow-up episode!   

This episode of the Thinking Health podcast features sibling co-founders of Keto Brainz, Mollee and Kiel Rucker. Keto Brainz is innovating in the health space with their unique nootropic coffee creamer packed with powerful ingredients like Alpha-GPC, l-theanine, and Lions Mane. We had a blast diving into the benefits of nootropics for both short-term cognitive performance and long-term brain health as well as the potential for some nootropics to play a role in the treatment of various mental health conditions.  Here are the key takeaways from our chat: Nootropics are substances that enhance cognitive function and improve memory, creativity, motivation, and attention.  Keto Brainz's nootropic coffee creamer is a game-changer for brain health with its efficaciously dosed and researched-backed ingredients Alpha-GPC, l-theanine, and Lions Mane. In addition to short-term improvements in cognitive function, using brain supplements can have long-term benefits for brain health, including reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. We can all get behind that! Nootropics may also play a role in supporting mental health and reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. It was a pleasure getting to learn more about the great company Mollee and Kiel have put together. Being connected with good people doing good things is something I am very grateful for. Be sure to check out Keto Brainz and be on the lookout for another post from me on social media explaining the science behind Keto Brainz's ingredients.   

This episode of the Thinking Health podcast features Dr. Molly Maloof. Dr. Maloof, a former Stanford lecturer, is an expert in metabolic health and specializes in the science of biohacking for women. In this episode, we cover a plethora of topics including why our metabolic health is so poor, the role mitochondria play in our health, why we must protect them, and even how to do so. We also get specifically into the role keto and insulin play in mitochondrial health.  This episode also features a ton of women's health info such as the science of menstrual cycles including when it's best to train, when it's best to rest, and what you can do to optimize your menstrual cycle or at the least reduce some of the symptoms. We also get into the role of gut health in hormones and hormone-related health conditions like PCOS and endometriosis. Mr. Maloof is the author of Spark Factor: The Secret to Supercharging Energy, Becoming Resilient and Feeling Better Than Ever. This book is a guide to biohacking for women and contains a ton of practical information that can dramatically improve the health of women everywhere. I highly recommend checking it out.