The Power of Genetics

Staying Curious and Honoring our Health with Sleep Medicine Specialist, Dr. Param Dedhia

Dr. Param Dedhia is a dedicated internal and integrative medicine practitioner. He is a board certified Integrative Medicine Physician, Internal Medicine Doctor, Obesity Medicine Expert, and Sleep Medicine Specialist.
 
His  years of training at Johns Hopkins University and Canyon Ranch allowed him to bridge eastern and western philosophies, and connect traditional wisdom to modern science. 
 
As the Founder & Medical Director of Moveo Health, a personalized health program focused on longevity, he continues to pursue his passion and be an advocate for people to live their best lives.
 
In this episode,  Param shares with us some valuable lessons and words of wisdom on the importance of staying curious and honoring our health.  
Topics discussed in this episode:
What led Param to study and pursue medicine, and how it became his calling
Lessons he learned from his journey to becoming an integrative medicine practitioner
The importance of cultivating our curiosity
Sleep as a pillar of optimal health and healing
How his personal health challenges empowered his commitment to honoring health
The need to be attentive to our health and using symptoms as health barometers
Why we should focus on healthspan over lifespan

Changing the Conversation from Disease to Health with Dr. Ruth DeBusk

Dr. Ruth DeBusk is a geneticist and clinical nutritionist with expertise in genomics and nutrition in functional medicine. She has a PhD in nutrition with research experience in biology and molecular nutrition and genetics, and is also a Registered Dietitian.
Ruth is the first ever dietician with expertise in nutrigenomics and has extensive research, teaching, and clinical experience and has authored numerous journal articles, textbook chapters, books, and patents. 
She went back into academic medicine with the goal of teaching and training the next generation of physicians on the critical areas of nutrition, genomics and epigenetics.
In  this episode, we chat with Dr. Ruth on the importance of dietetics and genomics in shifting our focus from disease to health.
 
Topics discussed in this episode:
Addressing the gaps in physician training and healthcare training
How Dr. Ruth became one of Yael’s firsts mentors
Why Ruth decided to go down the path of nutrition and genetics
How we can optimize our genetic potential
Ruth’s foray into the biotech industry
Her frustrations and successes in the dietetics space
Lessons she learned throughout her career, and her advice for practitioners and nutrition professionals
 

At the Forefront of Scientific Wellness and Personalized Medicine with Dr. Nathan Price

Dr. Nathan Price is the Chief Scientific Officer of Thorne HealthTech, a science-driven wellness company that utilizes testing, data, and AI to deliver personalized solutions to consumers, and health professionals.
Dr. Price’s work is backed by a rigorous academic career, having served as a Professor and Associate Director of the Institute for Systems Biology, and as an affiliate faculty member in several departments at the University of Washington.
He has won numerous awards for his scientific work, and has published over 180 scientific papers and given over 200 talks and keynotes.
In today's episode, we go through Nathan’s journey in pioneering scientific wellness, and his contributions to the field of personalized and preventive healthcare.
 
Topics discussed in this episode:
Nathan’s work with Lee Hood in advancing the future of systems medicine and scientific wellness.
The P4 medicine model and the concept of Scientific Wellness
Lessons learned from his work with Arivale, and how it’s influenced his current work
How Thorne is utilizing comprehensive testing, AI algorithms, and high quality supplements to promote personalized scientific wellness.
How COVID has accelerated innovations in healthcare , and how it has made people realize the importance of health resiliency
The role of genetics in scientific wellness
Our disease-driven view of genetics, and the need to shift our focus to how genetics affects our system and how we can use it to achieve optimal function

Innovations That Pave the Way for the Next Generation in Healthcare with Tom Blue

Tom Blue stumbled into the world of healthcare innovation for primary care and personal health management around 22 years ago, when he was working with  the NASA Langley Research Center, which later led him to take part in setting up the first concierge medical practice in Virginia. 
Such a novel service model came with the challenge of creating a compelling value proposition that would encourage people to invest their own money on a service not covered by insurance. 
During the initial set-up process, Tom serendipitously found a space next to Richmond's first electron beam tomography scanner. This allowed the practice to integrate coronary calcium scoring as part of their services. They later added advanced lipid testing, and other tests that had them offering one of the best cardiovascular risk assessment and management services in the US.
One valuable insight Tom learned from this experience, that has become a major driving force in his professional life, is that there are two worlds of medicine: the world that everyone knows, and this “future world” with medical advancements that actually already exist today, but only a few people had access to.
In this episode, we discuss the shortcomings of the US healthcare system, and  why the payer system shouldn't be the curator of the healthcare services that we make available to ourselves, to properly manage our own health.
Topics discussed in this episode:
What led Tom to focus on innovating around delivery models for next-generation healthcare, in reducing the translational gap in the implementation of healthcare services, and in finding ways to do this at greater scale
The two worlds of medicine, and what enables a person to have access to the future of medicine today
Why the payer system shouldn't be the curator of the healthcare services that we make available to ourselves to manage our health
The erroneous understanding and expectations of most healthcare consumers on health insurance
The dramatic cultural evolution of the health values of the consumer population over the past 20 years
How the locus of control for health has made a 180 degree shift from predestination to self determinism
The need for synthesizing data to make the information more digestible for health consumers, and enable health practitioners to deliver higher impact consultations

Empowering People To Rewrite Their Health Destiny with Dr. David Perlmutter

Dr. David Perlmutter started his journey from mainstream neurology to integrative medicine, holistic medicine, and ultimately functional medicine, after being dissatisfied with the mainstream approach of focusing on reactive, instead of proactive medicine, or as he calls it, “treating the smoke while ignoring the fire”.
His “aha moment” came after seeing how things like our gut bacteria, inflammation, oxidative stress, genetic predisposition, relate to neurodegenerative conditions. 
He decided to pursue a more integrative approach to treating neurological problems after seeing the success in treating patients with inflammatory and autoimmune conditions like MS, by preemptively improving their immune function. 
 
In today’s episode, we look into how we can view our genetic profile from a different perspective, and how we can use it to gain significant control over our cognitive destiny.
Topics discussed in this episode:
How David started writing books and giving them out as teaching tools, with the goal of empowering people and giving them the tools to rewrite their health destiny
Why we should look into the genetic ecosystem of diseases like Alzheimer's, and see how this can become an optional condition
How to view our genetic profile not as a sentence, but as a result of thousands of generations of refinement to give us the best opportunity for survival and disease resistance
Sample cases of reactive vs. proactive medicine, and why we need to focus on treating the underlying problem, not the manifestations of a disease
David’s advice for those transitioning from Western primary care medicine and nutrition into the world of functional, integrative medicine
How we can utilize tools like AI to look at a variety of variables to gain information on how to advise patients in terms of specific dietary and lifestyle recommendations
The need to shift away from the notion of genetic determinism
 

Why Being Relatable and Authentic will Impact Your Patients with Dr. Carrie Jones

Dr. Carrie Jones got into hormones after witnessing something simple but widely extended: people don't understand the basics of their body. 
Dr. Jones believes patients should understand hormones in a simplified manner so they can feel more empowered to take control of their own health. But what makes Dr. Jones outstanding is her ability to create an impact by addressing topics in an authentic way.
 
In today's episode, we stress the importance of being "ourselves" when we relate to patients and how that can lead us to create more impact and growth.
Topics discussed in this episode:
How Carrie began her journey in naturopathic medicine.
Why she pivoted from hormones to a broad range of tests.
How Carrie manages to make an impact on patients but in the community as well.
The importance of developing relatable communication channels with our patients.
Why genetics can empower hormone health.
Advice for functional medicine practitioners.

Bringing Functional Nutrition To Everyone with Dr. Deanna Minich

Polarity around nutrition divides people through food and eating. It puts dietary labels and adds an ownership and belonging status that separate us.
Dr. Deanna Minich believes in nutrition as a space for integration. A scientist first who discovered the world of functional nutrition from an unconventional start, working for a large food manufacturer.
In today's episode, we get to know Dr. Minich's journey as a functional nutrition leader, how she stands out for changing the way we teach and talk about nutrition, and why she advises us to be expansive in our approach as functional medicine practitioners.
Topics discussed in this episode:
How Dr. Minich discovered the world of functional nutrition
An overview of her inspiring career path
What it means to bring everyone to nutrition
Why we need to dismantle and re-create the food pyramid.
What the future nutrition professional will look like
How functional nutrition professionals can take technology and use it for their advantage
Why the role of genetics is multidimensional

Building a Career Trajectory in Naturopathic Medicine with Dr. Kristi Hughes

Real cases where traditional approaches have failed... Real people with stories of loss and suffering who find a space where they feel treated as a whole. 
This is what makes the road of functional medicine practitioners so profound in combination with the personal stories that we carry on and pushes us to challenge the standards of care.
Dr. Kristi Hughes has been a Naturopathic Functional Medicine practitioner long before 'personalized medicine' and the search of the 'root-cause' became house-hold terms. 
In today's episode, Kristi walks us through an amazing 25-year career; a journey of maturation, gain and loss, authenticity, full of discoveries, lessons and outstanding contributions to the functional medicine community.
Topics discussed in this episode:
Kristi's journey to the world of functional medicine.
What her nutrition awakening years were like.
How she helped support the birth of the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy.
How losing his brother led her to implement the art of healthy and integrative living in full. 
What 'Shaking Your Tree' is and how the program was born.
Kristi's new practice 'DocereVita' and Fitness Gym that she launched and operates in conjunction with her husband 
When Kristi was introduced to nutrigenomics and how it changed her practice.

Building A New Paradigm for Alzheimer‘s Disease with Dr. Dale Bredesen

Dr. Dale Bredesen is a renowned neuroscientist and neurologist who has devoted his career to understanding the mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
He has continuously challenged the idea that Alzheimer's equals an inevitable cognitive decline that cannot be prevented, managed and/or even reversed. He is also a great advocate that this is the last generation that will be afraid of this disease.
Join Dr. Bredesen and listen to an inspiring episode full of research discussion and reflections on why we need a new paradigm and narrative for Alzheimer's disease.
Topics discussed in this episode:
Why Dr. Bredesen believes this is the last generation that will be afraid of Alzheimer's disease.
What the current standard of care for Alzheimer's disease is.
Why Alzheimer's is a network dysfunction.
When is the right time to start with prevention.
Why Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) should be considered advanced stage Alzheimer's.
How context is crucial to determine gene expression
What the tipping point will be for changing our approach and view towards Alzheimer's disease.

Where Planetary Health Intersects with Medicine and Nutrition with Dr. Robert Verkerk

"The food that we eat is the most intimate way that we experience the environment."
Robert Verkerk has spent the last 20 years unraveling complex natural and agro ecosystems and how to apply all that learning to healthcare.
Robert is a true activist who comes from a place of respect for nature as the teacher and in today's episode, he explains in detail why we need a broader approach that includes ecological interactions and an ecosystem thinking to better understand the real drivers of health.
Topics discussed in this episode:
Robert's background and why his career path is different.
How he became one of the leading environmental campaigners in Australia
How his interest in cruciferous vegetables, glucosinolates and pesticides was the door to enter the world of functional medicine and food supplements.
The beginnings of the Alliance for Natural Health.
What Robert thinks the future of healthcare will look like
How ecosystem thinking and regenerative agriculture are changing our understanding of health.
Why healthcare needs to move out from a very disease-centric system.
Understanding the difference between personalized healthcare and public health.
How genome sequencing gives us too much information to understand and what the role of genetics will be in the future of health.